memories and portraits-第14节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



Ayrshire　parish；　and　fell　in　love　with　and　married　a　daughter　of　

Burns's　Dr。　Smith　…　〃Smith　opens　out　his　cauld　harangues。〃　　I　have　

forgotten；　but　I　was　there　all　the　same；　and　heard　stories　of　Burns　

at　first　hand。



And　there　is　a　thing　stranger　than　all　that；　for　this　HOMUNCULUS　or　

part…man　of　mine　that　walked　about　the　eighteenth　century　with　Dr。　

Balfour　in　his　youth；　was　in　the　way　of　meeting　other　HOMUNCULOS　or　

part…men；　in　the　persons　of　my　other　ancestors。　　These　were　of　a　

lower　order；　and　doubtless　we　looked　down　upon　them　duly。　　But　as　I　

went　to　college　with　Dr。　Balfour；　I　may　have　seen　the　lamp　and　oil　

man　taking　down　the　shutters　from　his　shop　beside　the　Tron；　…　we　

may　have　had　a　rabbit…hutch　or　a　bookshelf　made　for　us　by　a　certain　

carpenter　in　I　know　not　what　wynd　of　the　old；　smoky　city；　or；　upon　

some　holiday　excursion；　we　may　have　looked　into　the　windows　of　a　

cottage　in　a　flower…garden　and　seen　a　certain　weaver　plying　his　

shuttle。　　And　these　were　all　kinsmen　of　mine　upon　the　other　side；　

and　from　the　eyes　of　the　lamp　and　oil　man　one…half　of　my　unborn　

father；　and　one…quarter　of　myself；　looked　out　upon　us　as　we　went　by　

to　college。　　Nothing　of　all　this　would　cross　the　mind　of　the　young　

student；　as　he　posted　up　the　Bridges　with　trim；　stockinged　legs；　in　

that　city　of　cocked　hats　and　good　Scotch　still　unadulterated。　　It　

would　not　cross　his　mind　that　he　should　have　a　daughter；　and　the　

lamp　and　oil　man；　just　then　beginning；　by　a　not　unnatural　

metastasis；　to　bloom　into　a　lighthouse…engineer；　should　have　a　

grandson；　and　that　these　two；　in　the　fulness　of　time；　should　wed；　

and　some　portion　of　that　student　himself　should　survive　yet　a　year　

or　two　longer　in　the　person　of　their　child。



But　our　ancestral　adventures　are　beyond　even　the　arithmetic　of　

fancy；　and　it　is　the　chief　recommendation　of　long　pedigrees；　that　

we　can　follow　backward　the　careers　of　our　HOMUNCULOS　and　be　

reminded　of　our　antenatal　lives。　　Our　conscious　years　are　but　a　

moment　in　the　history　of　the　elements　that　build　us。　　Are　you　a　

bank…clerk；　and　do　you　live　at　Peckham？　　It　was　not　always　so。　　And　

though　to…day　I　am　only　a　man　of　letters；　either　tradition　errs　or　

I　was　present　when　there　landed　at　St。　Andrews　a　French　barber…

surgeon；　to　tend　the　health　and　the　beard　of　the　great　Cardinal　

Beaton；　I　have　shaken　a　spear　in　the　Debateable　Land　and　shouted　

the　slogan　of　the　Elliots；　I　was　present　when　a　skipper；　plying　

from　Dundee；　smuggled　Jacobites　to　France　after　the　'15；　I　was　in　a　

West　India　merchant's　office；　perhaps　next　door　to　Bailie　Nicol　

Jarvie's；　and　managed　the　business　of　a　plantation　in　St。　Kitt's；　I　

was　with　my　engineer…grandfather　（the　son…in…law　of　the　lamp　and　

oil　man）　when　he　sailed　north　about　Scotland　on　the　famous　cruise　

that　gave　us　the　PIRATE　and　the　LORD　OF　THE　ISLES；　I　was　with　him；　

too；　on　the　Bell　Rock；　in　the　fog；　when　the　SMEATON　had　drifted　

from　her　moorings；　and　the　Aberdeen　men；　pick　in　hand；　had　seized　

upon　the　only　boats；　and　he　must　stoop　and　lap　sea…water　before　his　

tongue　could　utter　audible　words；　and　once　more　with　him　when　the　

Bell　Rock　beacon　took　a　〃thrawe；〃　and　his　workmen　fled　into　the　

tower；　then　nearly　finished；　and　he　sat　unmoved　reading　in　his　

Bible　…　or　affecting　to　read　…　till　one　after　another　slunk　back　

with　confusion　of　countenance　to　their　engineer。　　Yes；　parts　of　me　

have　seen　life；　and　met　adventures；　and　sometimes　met　them　well。　　

And　away　in　the　still　cloudier　past；　the　threads　that　make　me　up　

can　be　traced　by　fancy　into　the　bosoms　of　thousands　and　millions　of　

ascendants：　Picts　who　rallied　round　Macbeth　and　the　old　（and　highly　

preferable）　system　of　descent　by　females；　fleers　from　before　the　

legions　of　Agricola；　marchers　in　Pannonian　morasses；　star…gazers　on　

Chaldaean　plateaus；　and；　furthest　of　all；　what　face　is　this　that　

fancy　can　see　peering　through　the　disparted　branches？　　What　sleeper　

in　green　tree…tops；　what　muncher　of　nuts；　concludes　my　pedigree？　　

Probably　arboreal　in　his　habits。　。　。　。



And　I　know　not　which　is　the　more　strange；　that　I　should　carry　about　

with　me　some　fibres　of　my　minister…grandfather；　or　that　in　him；　as　

he　sat　in　his　cool　study；　grave；　reverend；　contented　gentleman；　

there　was　an　aboriginal　frisking　of　the　blood　that　was　not　his；　

tree…top　memories；　like　undeveloped　negatives；　lay　dormant　in　his　

mind；　tree…top　instincts　awoke　and　were　trod　down；　and　Probably　

Arboreal　（scarce　to　be　distinguished　from　a　monkey）　gambolled　and　

chattered　in　the　brain　of　the　old　divine。









CHAPTER　VIII。　MEMOIRS　OF　AN　ISLET





THOSE　who　try　to　be　artists　use；　time　after　time；　the　matter　of　

their　recollections；　setting　and　resetting　little　coloured　memories　

of　men　and　scenes；　rigging　up　（it　may　be）　some　especial　friend　in　

the　attire　of　a　buccaneer；　and　decreeing　armies　to　manoeuvre；　or　

murder　to　be　done；　on　the　playground　of　their　youth。　　But　the　

memories　are　a　fairy　gift　which　cannot　be　worn　out　in　using。　　After　

a　dozen　services　in　various　tales；　the　little　sunbright　pictures　of　

the　past　still　shine　in　the　mind's　eye　with　not　a　lineament　

defaced；　not　a　tint　impaired。　　GLUCK　UND　UNGLUCK　WIRD　GESANG；　if　

Goethe　pleases；　yet　only　by　endless　avatars；　the　original　re…

embodying　after　each。　　So　that　a　writer；　in　time；　begins　to　wonder　

at　the　perdurable　life　of　these　impressions；　begins；　perhaps；　to　

fancy　that　he　wrongs　them　when　he　weaves　them　in　with　fiction；　and　

looking　back　on　them　with　ever…growing　kindness；　puts　them　at　last；　

substantive　jewels；　in　a　setting　of　their　own。



One　or　two　of　these　pleasant　spectres　I　think　I　have　laid。　　I　used　

one　but　the　other　day：　a　little　eyot　of　dense；　freshwater　sand；　

where　I　once　waded　deep　in　butterburrs；　delighting　to　hear　the　song　

of　the　river　on　both　sides；　and　to　tell　myself　that　I　was　indeed　

and　at　last　upon　an　island。　　Two　of　my　puppets　lay　there　a　summer's　

day；　hearkening　to　the　shearers　at　work　in　riverside　fields　and　to　

the　drums　of　the　gray　old　garrison　upon　the　neighbouring　hill。　　And　

this　was；　I　think；　done　rightly：　the　place　was　rightly　peopled　…　

and　now　belongs　not　to　me　but　to　my　puppets　…　for　a　time　at　least。　　

In　time；　perhaps；　the　puppets　will　grow　faint；　the　original　memory　

swim　up　instant　as　ever；　and　I　shall　once　more　lie　in　bed；　and　see　

the　little　sandy　isle　in　Allan　Water　as　it　is　in　nature；　and　the　

child　（that　once　was　me）　wading　there　in　butterburrs；　and　wonder　at　

the　instancy　and　virgin　freshness　of　that　memory；　and　be　pricked　

again；　in　season　and　out　of　season；　by　the　desire　to　weave　it　into　

art。



There　is　another　isle　in　my　collection；　the　memory　of　which　

besieges　me。　　I　put　a　whole　family　there；　in　one　of　my　tales；　and　

later　on；　threw　upon　its　shores；　and　condemned　to　several　days　of　

rain　and　shellfish　on　its　tumbled　boulders；　the　hero　of　another。　　

The　ink　is　not　yet　faded；　the　sound　of　the　sentences　is　still　in　my　

mind's　ear；　and　I　am　under　a　spell　to　write　of　that　island　again。





I





The　little　isle　of　Earraid　lies　close　in　to　the　south…west　corner　

of　the　Ross　of　Mull：　the　sound　of　Iona　on　one　side；　across　which　

you　may　see　the　isle　and　church　of　Columba；　the　open　sea　to　the　

other；　where　you　shall　be　able　to　mark；　on　a　clear；　surfy　day；　the　

breakers　running　white　on　many　sunken　rocks。　　I　first　saw　it；　or　

first　remembered　seeing　it；　framed　in　the　round　bull's…eye　of　a　

cabin　port；　the　sea　lying　smooth　along　its　shores　like　the　waters　

of　a　lake；　the　colourless　clear　light　of　the　early　morning　making　

plain　its　heathery　and　rocky　hummocks。　　There　stood　upon　it；　in　

these　days；　a　single　rude　house　of　uncemented　stones；　approached　by　

a　pier　of　wreckwood。　　It　must　have　been　very　early；　for　it　was　then　

summer；　and　in　summer；　in　that　latitude；　day　scarcely　withdraws；　

but　even　at　that　hour　the　house　was　making　a　sweet　smoke　of　peats　

which　came　to　me　over　the　bay；　and　the　bare…legged　daughters　of　the　

cotter　were　wading　by　the　pier。　　The　same　day　we　visited　the　shores　

of　the　isle　in　the　ship's　boats；　rowed　deep　into　Fiddler's　Hole；　

sounding　as　we　went；　and　having　taken　stock　of　all　possible　

accommodation；　pitched　on　the　northern　inlet　as　the　scene　of　

operations。　　For　it　was　no　accident　that　had　brought　the　lighthouse　

steamer　to　anchor　in　the　Bay　of　Earraid。　　Fifteen　miles　away　to　

seaward；　a　certain　black　rock　stood　environed　by　the　Atlantic　

rollers；　the　outpost　of　the　Torran　reefs。　　Here　was　a　tower　to　be　

built；　and　a　star　lighted；　for　the　conduct　of　seamen。　　But　as　the　

rock　was　small；　and　hard　of　access；　and　far　from　land；　the　work　

would　be　one　of　years；　and　my　father　was　now　looking　for　a　shore　

station；　where　the　stones　might　be　quarried　and　dressed；　the　men　

live；　and　the　tender；　with　some　degree　of　safety；　lie　at　anchor。



I　saw　Earraid　next　from　the　stern　thwart　of　an　Iona　lugger；　Sam　

Bough　and　I　sitti