hemingway, ernest - islands in the stream-第29节
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¨About how big he was and having him right up to the gaff。〃
¨Itˇs true。〃
¨God Almighty。 If that run…boat hadnˇt come so I had to stay in to carry ice and groceries Iˇd have been along。 Iˇd have dove right in after him and gaffed him。〃
¨Eddy dove in；〃 Thomas Hudson said。
¨He didnˇt tell me；〃 Joseph said； subdued。
¨Iˇd like some more coffee； please； Joseph； and another piece of papaw；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 He was hungry and the wind gave him even more appetite。 ¨Didnˇt the run…boat bring any bacon？〃
¨I believe I can find some；〃 Joseph said。 ¨Youˇre eating good this morning。〃
¨Ask Eddy to come in please。〃
¨Eddy went home to fix his eye。〃
¨What happened to his eye？〃
¨Somebody balled their fist in it。〃
Thomas Hudson believed he knew why this might have happened。
¨Is he hurt anywhere else？〃
¨Heˇs beat pretty bad；〃 Joseph said。 ¨On account of people not believing him in different bars。 People ainˇt never going to believe him that story he tells。 Certainly is a pity。〃
¨Whereˇd he fight？〃
¨Everywhere。 Everywhere where they wouldnˇt believe him。 Nobody believe him yet。 People took to not believing him late at night that didnˇt know what it was about even just to get him to fight。 He must have fought all the fighting men on the island。 Tonight； sure as you eating breakfast； menˇll come up from Middle Key just to doubt his word。 Couple real bad fighting men down at Middle Key now on that construction。〃
¨Mr。 Roger better go out with him；〃 Thomas Hudson said。
¨Oh boy；〃 Josephˇs face lighted up。 ¨Tonightˇs the night we got fun。〃
Thomas Hudson drank the coffee and ate the cold papaw with fresh lime squeezed over it and four more strips of bacon that Joseph brought in。
¨I see you were in an eating mood；〃 Joseph said。 ¨When I see you like that； I want to make something out of it。〃
¨I eat plenty。〃
¨Sometimes；〃 Joseph said。
He came in with another cup of coffee and Thomas Hudson took it up to his desk to answer the two letters he needed to get off in the mail boat。
¨Go up to Eddyˇs house and get him to make out the list of what we need to order by the run…boat；〃 he said to Joseph。 ¨Then bring it to me to check。 Is there coffee for Mr。 Roger？〃
¨He had his；〃 Joseph said。
Thomas Hudson finished the two letters at the work desk upstairs and Eddy came over with the list of supplies for the next weekˇs run…boat。 Eddy looked bad enough。 His eye had not responded to treatment and his mouth and cheeks were swollen。 One ear was swollen； too。 He had put Mercurochrome on his mouth where it was cut and the bright color made him look very untragic。
¨I didnˇt do any good last night；〃 he said。 ¨I think everything is on here； Tom。〃
¨Why donˇt you lay off today and go home and take it easy？〃
¨I feel worse at home；〃 he said。 ¨Iˇll go to bed early tonight。〃
¨Donˇt get in any more fights about that；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨It doesnˇt do any good。〃
¨Youˇre talking to the right man；〃 Eddy said through the scarlet of his split and swollen lips。 ¨I kept waiting for truth and right to win and then somebody new would knock truth and right right on its ass。〃
¨Joseph said you had a lot of them。〃
¨Till somebody took me home；〃 Eddy said。 ¨Big…hearted Benny I guess it was。 He and Constable probably saved me from getting hurt。〃
¨You arenˇt hurt？〃
¨I hurt but I ainˇt hurt。 Hell； you ought to have been there； Tom。〃
¨Iˇm glad I wasnˇt。 Did anybody try to really hurt you？〃
¨I donˇt think so。 They were just proving to me I was wrong。 Constable believed me。〃
¨Did he？〃
¨Yes sir。 Him and Bobby。 Only people believed me； all right。 Constable said any man who hit me first heˇd lock him up。 Asked me this morning if there was anybody hit me first。 I told him yes but I hit at them first。 It was a bad night for truth and right； Tom。 Bad night all right。〃
¨Do you really want to cook lunch？〃
¨Why not？〃 Eddy said。 ¨Weˇve got steaks on the run…boat。 Real sirloin steak。 You ought to see her。 I figured to have it with mashed potatoes and gravy and some lima beans。 We got that cabbage lettuce and fresh grapefruit for a salad。 The boys would like a pie and we got canned loganberries makes a hell of a pie。 We got ice cream from the run…boat to put on top of it。 Howˇs that？ I want to feed that goddam David up。〃
¨What did you figure to do when you dove overboard with the gaff？〃
¨I was going to get the gaff hook into him right underneath his fin where it would kill him when he came taut on the rope and then get the hell away from there and back on board。〃
¨What did he look like underwater？〃
¨He was as wide as a dinghy； Tom。 All purple and his eye looked as big as your hand is long。 It was black and he was silver underneath and his sword was terrible to see。 He just kept on going down； settling slow； and I couldnˇt get down to him because that big haft on the gaff was too buoyant。 I couldnˇt sink with it。 So it wasnˇt any use。〃
¨Did he look at you？〃
¨I couldnˇt tell。 He just looked like he was there and nothing made any difference to him。〃
¨Do you think he was tired？〃
¨I think he was through。 I think heˇd decided to give up。〃
¨Weˇll never see anything like that again。〃
¨No。 Not in our lifetimes。 And I know enough now not to try to make people believe it。〃
¨Iˇm going to paint a picture of it for David。〃
¨You make it just like it was then。 Donˇt make it comic like some of those comic ones you paint。〃
¨Iˇm going to paint it truer than a photograph。〃
¨Thatˇs the way I like it when you paint。〃
¨Itˇs going to be awfully hard to paint the underwater part。〃
¨Will it be like that waterspout picture down at Bobbyˇs？〃
¨No。 This will be different but I hope it will be better。 Iˇm going to make sketches for it today。〃
¨I like that waterspout picture；〃 Eddy said。 ¨Bobby； heˇs crazy about it and he can make anybody believe there was that many waterspouts that time when they see the picture。 But this will be a hell of a one to paint with the fish in the water。〃
¨I think I can do it；〃 Thomas Hudson said。
¨You couldnˇt paint him jumping； too； could you？〃
¨I think I can。〃
¨Paint him the two of them； Tom。 Paint him jumping and then with Roger bringing him up on the leader and Davy in the chair and me on the stern。 We can get photographs took of it。〃
¨Iˇll start the sketches。〃
¨Anything you want to ask me；〃 Eddy said。 ¨Iˇll be in the kitchen。 The boys still asleep？〃
¨All three of them。〃
¨Hell；〃 Eddy said。 ¨I donˇt give a damn about anything since that fish。 But weˇve got to have a good meal。〃
¨I wish I had leech for that eye。〃
¨Hell； I donˇt give a damn about the eye。 I can see out of it fine。〃
¨Iˇm going to let the boys sleep as long as they can。〃
¨Joe； heˇll help me when theyˇre up and Iˇll give them breakfast。 If they wake up too late； I wonˇt give them too much so as not to spoil lunch。 You didnˇt see that piece of meat we got？〃
¨No。〃
¨Goddam she sure costs money but itˇs beautiful meat； Tom。 Nobody on this island has eaten meat like that in their whole lives。 I wonder what those beef cattle look like that meat comes from。〃
¨Theyˇre built right down close to the ground；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨And theyˇre almost as wide as they are long。〃
¨God； they must be fat；〃 Eddy said。 ¨Iˇd like to see them alive sometime。 Here nobody ever butchers a cow till just before itˇs going to die from starving。 The meatˇs bitter。 People hereˇd go crazy with meat like that we got。 They wouldnˇt know what it was。 Probably make them sick。〃
¨I have to finish these letters；〃 Thomas Hudson said。
¨Iˇm sorry； Tom。〃
After he finished the mail； answered two other business letters that he had intended to put off until the next weekˇs boat； checking the list of the next weekˇs needs and writing a check for the weekˇs supplies plus the flat ten percent the government charged on all imports from the Mainland； Thomas Hudson walked down to the run…boat that was loading at the government wharf。 The captain was taking orders from the islanders for supplies； dry goods； medicines； hardware； spare parts； and all the things that came into the island from the Mainland。 The run…boat was loading live crawfish and conches and a deck load of conch shells and empty gasoline and Diesel oil drums and the islanders stood in line in the heavy wind waiting their turn in the cabin。
¨Was everything all right； Tom？〃 Captain Ralph called out the cabin window to Thomas Hudson。
¨Hey； get out of this cabin； you boy； and come in your turn；〃 he said to a big Negro in a straw hat。 ¨I had to substitute on a few things。 How was the meat？〃
¨Eddy says itˇs wonderful。〃
¨Good。 Let me have those letters and the list。 Blowing a gale outside。 I want to get out over the bar on this next tide。 Sorry Iˇm so busy。〃
¨See you next week； Ralph。 Donˇt let me hold you up。 Thanks very much； boy。〃
¨Iˇll try to have everything next week。 Need any money？〃
¨No。 Iˇm all right from last week。〃
¨Got plenty o
