the red one(红色的那人)-第10节
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barque；' said he； pointing to a sizable ship at anchor。 'Captain and
fourteen men dead of it already； and the cook and two men dying right
now； and they're the last left of her。'
〃And by jinks he told the truth。 And right then they were dying forty
a day in Guayaquil of Yellow Jack。 But that was nothing； as I was to find
out。 Bubonic plague and small…pox were raging； while dysentery and
pneumonia were reducing the population； and the railroad was raging
worst of all。 I mean that。 For them that insisted in riding on it； it was
more dangerous than all the other diseases put together。
〃When we dropped anchor off Guayaquil half a dozen skippers from
other steamers came on board to warn our skipper not to let any of his
crew or officers go ashore except the ones he wanted to lose。 A launch
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came off for me from Duran； which is on the other side of the river and is
the terminal of the railroad。 And it brought off a man that soared up the
gangway three jumps at a time he was that eager to get aboard。 When he
hit the deck he hadn't time to speak to any of us。 He just leaned out over
the rail and shook his fist at Duran and shouted： 'I beat you to it！ I beat
you to it！'
〃'Who'd you beat to it； friend？' I asked。 'The railroad；' he said； as he
unbuckled the straps and took off a big '44 Colt's automatic from where he
wore it handy on his left side under his coat； 'I staved as long as I agreed …
three months … and it didn't get me。 I was a conductor。'
〃And that was the railroad I was to work for。 All of which was
nothing to what he told me in the next few minutes。 The road ran from
sea level at Duran up to twelve thousand feet on Chimborazo and down to
ten thousand at Quito on the other side the range。 And it was so
dangerous that the trains didn't run nights。 The through passengers had
to get off and sleep in the towns at night while the train waited for daylight。
And each train carried a guard of Ecuadoriano soldiers which was the
most dangerous of all。 They were supposed to protect the train crews；
but whenever trouble started they unlimbered their rifles and joined the
mob。 You see； whenever a train wreck occurred； the first cry of the
spiggoties was 'Kill the Gringos！' They always did that； and proceeded to
kill the train crew and whatever chance Gringo passengers that'd escaped
being killed in the accident。 Which is their kind of arithmetic； which I
told you a while back as being different from ours。
〃Shucks！ Before the day was out I was to find out for myself that
that ex…conductor wasn't lying。 It was over at Duran。 I was to take my
run on the first division out to Quito； for which place I was to start next
morning … only one through train running every twenty…four hours。 It
was the afternoon of my first day； along about four o'clock； when the
boilers of the GOVERNOR HANCOCK exploded and she sank in sixty
feet of water alongside the dock。 She was the big ferry boat that carried
the railroad passengers across the river to Guayaquil。 It was a bad
accident； but it was the cause of worse that followed。 By half…past four；
big trainloads began to arrive。 It was a feast day and they'd run an
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excursion up country but of Guayaquil； and this was the crowd coming
back。
〃And the crowd … there was five thousand of them … wanted to get
ferried across； and the ferry was at the bottom of the river； which wasn't
our fault。 But by the Spiggoty arithmetic； it was。 'Kill the Gringos！'
shouts one of them。 And right there the beans were spilled。 Most of us
got away by the skin of our teeth。 I raced on the heels of the Master
Mechanic； carrying one of his babies for him； for the locomotives that was
just pulling out。 You see； way down there away from everywhere they
just got to save their locomotives in times of trouble； because； without
them； a railroad can't be run。 Half a dozen American wives and as many
children were crouching on the cab floors along with the rest of us when
we pulled out； and the Ecuadoriano soldiers； who should have been
protecting our lives and property； turned loose with their rifles and must
have given us all of a thousand rounds before we got out of range。
〃We camped up country and didn't come back to clean up until next
day。 It was some cleaning。 Every flat…car； box…car； coach； asthmatic
switch engine； and even hand…car that mob of Spiggoties had shoved off
the dock into sixty feet of water on top of the GOVERNOR HANCOCK。
They'd burnt the round house； set fire to the coal bunkers； and made a
scandal of the repair shops。 Oh； yes； and there were three of our fellows
they'd got that we had to bury mighty quick。 It's hot weather all the time
down there。〃
Julian Jones came to a full pause and over his shoulder studied the
straight…before…her gaze and forbidding expression of his wife's face。
〃I ain't forgotten the nugget；〃 he assured me。
〃Nor the hussy；〃 the little woman snapped； apparently at the mud… hens
paddling on the surface of the lagoon。
〃I've been travelling toward the nugget right along … 〃
〃There was never no reason for you to stay in that dangerous country；〃
his wife snapped in on him。
〃Now； Sarah；〃 he appealed。 〃I was working for you right along。〃 And
to me he explained： 〃The risk was big； but so was the pay。 Some months
I earned as high as five hundred gold。 And here was Sarah waiting for
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me back in Nebraska … 〃
〃An' us engaged two years；〃 she complained to the Tower of Jewels。
〃 … What of the strike； and me being blacklisted； and getting typhoid
down in Australia； and everything；〃 he went on。 〃And luck was with me
on that railroad。 Why； I saw fellows fresh from the States pass out； some
of them not a week on their first run。 If the diseases and the railroad
didn't get them； then it was the Spiggoties got them。 But it just wasn't my
fate； even that time I rode my engine down to the bottom of a forty…foot
washout。 I lost my fireman； and the conductor and the Superintendent of
Rolling Stock （who happened to be running down to Duran to meet his
bride） had their heads knifed off by the Spiggoties and paraded around on
poles。 But I lay snug as a bug under a couple of feet of tender coal； and
they thought I'd headed for tall timber … lay there a day and a night till the
excitement cooled down。 Yes； I was lucky。 The worst that happened to
me was I caught a cold once； and another time had a carbuncle。 But the
other fellows！ They died like flies； what of Yellow Jack； pneumonia； the
Spiggoties； and the railroad。 The trouble was I didn't have much chance
to pal with them。 No sooner'd I get some intimate with one of them he'd
up and die … all but a fireman named Andrews； and he went loco for keeps。
〃I made good on my job from the first； and lived in Quito in a 'dobe
house with whacking big Spanish tiles on the roof that I'd rented。 And I
never had much trouble with the Spiggoties； what of letting them sneak
free rides in the tender or on the cowcatcher。 Me throw them off？ Never！
I took notice； when Jack Harris put off a bunch of them； that I attended his
funeral MUY PRONTO … 〃
〃Speak English；〃 the little woman beside him snapped。
〃Sarah just can't bear to tolerate me speaking Spanish；〃 he apologized。
〃It gets so on her nerves that I promised not to。 Well； as I was saying； the
goose hung high and everything was going hunky…dory； and I was piling
up
