south sea tales-第15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！



that　we　had　ever　harmed　him　or　his　schooner　a　month　before。　We　had　no　food；

and　we　stood　on　our　feet　two　days　and　nights。　The　little　babies　died；　and　the

old　and　weak　died；　and　the　wounded　died。　And　worst　of　all；　we　had　no　water　to

quench　our　thirst；　and　for　two　days　the　sun　beat　down　on　us；　and　there　was　no

shade。　Many　men　and　women　waded　out　into　the　ocean　and　were　drowned；　the　surf

casting　their　bodies　back　on　the　beach。　And　there　came　a　pest　of　flies。　Some

men　swam　to　the　sides　of　the　schooners；　but　they　were　shot　to　the　last　one。

And　we　that　lived　were　very　sorry　that　in　our　pride　we　tried　to　take　the

schooner　with　the　three　masts　that　came　to　fish　for　beche…de…mer。



〃On　the　morning　of　the　third　day　came　the　skippers　of　the　three　schooners　and

that　mate　in　a　small　boat。　They　carried　rifles；　all　of　them；　and　revolvers；

and　they　made　talk。　It　was　only　that　they　were　weary　of　killing　us　that　they

had　stopped；　they　told　us。　And　we　told　them　that　we　were　sorry；　that　never

again　would　we　harm　a　white　man；　and　in　token　of　our　submission　we　poured　sand

upon　our　heads。　And　all　the　women　and　children　set　up　a　great　wailing　for

water；　so　that　for　some　time　no　man　could　make　himself　heard。　Then　we　were

told　our　punishment。　　We　must　fill　the　three　schooners　with　copra　and

beche…de…mer。　And　we　agreed；　for　we　wanted　water；　and　our　hearts　were　broken；

and　we　knew　that　we　were　children　at　fighting　when　we　fought　with　white　men

who　fight　like　hell。　And　when　all　the　talk　was　finished；　the　mate　stood　up　and

mocked　us；　and　yelled；　Yah！　Yah！　　Yah！'　After　that　we　paddled　away　in　our

canoes　and　sought　water。



〃And　for　weeks　we　toiled　at　catching　beche…de…mer　and　curing　it；　in　gathering

the　cocoanuts　and　turning　them　into　copra。　By　day　and　night　the　smoke　rose　in

clouds　from　all　the　beaches　of　all　the　islands　of　Oolong　as　we　paid　the

penalty　of　our　wrongdoing。　For　in　those　days　of　death　it　was　burned　clearly　on

all　our　brains　that　it　was　very　wrong　to　harm　a　white　man。



〃By　and　by；　the　schooners　full　of　copra　and　beche…de…mer　and　our　trees　empty

of　cocoanuts；　the　three　skippers　and　that　mate　called　us　all　together　for　a

big　talk。　And　they　said　they　were　very　glad　that　we　had　learned　our　lesson；

and　we　said　for　the　ten…thousandth　time　that　we　were　sorry　and　that　we　would

not　do　it　again。　Also；　we　poured　sand　upon　our　heads。　Then　the　skippers　said

that　it　was　all　very　well；　but　just　to　show　us　that　they　did　not　forget　us；

they　would　send　a　devil…devil　that　we　would　never　forget　and　that　we　would

always　remember　any　time　we　might　feel　like　harming　a　white　man。　After　that

the　mate　mocked　us　one　more　time　and　yelled；　Yah！　Yah！　Yah！'　Then　six　of　our

men；　whom　we　thought　long　dead；　were　put　ashore　from　one　of　the　schooners；　and

the　schooners　hoisted　their　sails　and　ran　out　through　the　passage　for　the

Solomons。



〃The　six　men　who　were　put　ashore　were　the　first　to　catch　the　devil…devil　the

skippers　sent　back　after　us。〃



〃A　great　sickness　came；〃　I　interrupted；　for　I　recognized　the　trick。　The

schooner　had　had　measles　on　board；　and　the　six　prisoners　had　been　deliberately

exposed　to　it。



〃Yes；　a　great　sickness；〃　Oti　went　on。　〃It　was　a　powerful　devil…devil。　The

oldest　man　had　never　heard　of　the　like。　Those　of　our　priests　that　yet　lived　we

killed　because　they　could　not　overcome　the　devil…devil。　The　sickness　spread。　

I　have　said　that　there　were　ten　thousand　of　us　that　stood　hip　to　hip　and

shoulder　to　shoulder　on　the　sandbank。　When　the　sickness　left　us；　there　were

three　thousand　yet　alive。　Also；　having　made　all　our　cocoanuts　into　copra；

there　was　a　famine。



〃That　fella　trader；〃　Oti　concluded；　〃he　like　'm　that　much　dirt。　He　like　'm

clam　he　die　KAI…KAI　（meat）　he　stop；　stink　'm　any　amount。　He　like　'm　one　fella

dog；　one　sick　fella　dog　plenty　fleas　stop　along　him。　We　no　fright　along　that

fella　trader。　We　fright　because　he　white　man。　We　savve　plenty　too　much　no　good

kill　white　man。　That　one　fella　sick　dog　trader　he　plenty　brother　stop　along

him；　white　men　like　'm　you　fight　like　hell。　We　no　fright　that　damn　trader。

Some　time　he　made　kanaka　plenty　cross　along　him　and　kanaka　want　'm　kill　m；

kanaka　he　think　devil…devil　and　kanaka　he　hear　that　fella　mate　sing　out；　Yah！

Yah！　Yah！'　and　kanaka　no　kill　m。〃



Oti　baited　his　hook　with　a　piece　of　squid；　which　he　tore　with　his　teeth　from

the　live　and　squirming　monster；　and　hook　and　bait　sank　in　white　flames　to　the

bottom。



〃Shark　walk　about　he　finish；〃　he　said。　〃I　think　we　catch　'm　plenty　fella

fish。〃



His　line　jerked　savagely。　He　pulled　it　in　rapidly；　hand　under　hand；　and　landed

a　big　gasping　rock　cod　in　the　bottom　of　the　canoe。



〃Sun　he　come　up；　I　make　'm　that　dam　fella　trader　one　present　big　fella　fish；〃

said　Oti。





THE　HEATHEN



I　met　him　first　in　a　hurricane；　and　though　we　had　gone　through　the　hurricane

on　the　same　schooner；　it　was　not　until　the　schooner　had　gone　to　pieces　under

us　that　I　first　laid　eyes　on　him。　Without　doubt　I　had　seen　him　with　the　rest

of　the　kanaka　crew　on　board；　but　I　had　not　consciously　been　aware　of　his

existence；　for　the　Petite　Jeanne　was　rather　overcrowded。　In　addition　to　her

eight　or　ten　kanaka　seamen；　her　white　captain；　mate；　and　supercargo；　and　her

six　cabin　passengers；　she　sailed　from　Rangiroa　with　something　like　eighty…five

deck　passengers　Paumotans　and　Tahitians；　men；　women；　and　children　each　with

a　trade　box；　to　say　nothing　of　sleeping　mats；　blankets；　and　clothes　bundles。



The　pearling　season　in　the　Paumotus　was　over；　and　all　hands　were　returning　to

Tahiti。　The　six　of　us　cabin　passengers　were　pearl　buyers。　Two　were　Americans；

one　was　Ah　Choon　（the　whitest　Chinese　I　have　ever　known）；　one　was　a　German；

one　was　a　Polish　Jew；　and　I　completed　the　half　dozen。



It　had　been　a　prosperous　season。　Not　one　of　us　had　cause　for　complaint；　nor

one　of　the　eighty…five　deck　passengers　either。　　All　had　done　well；　and　all

were　looking　forward　to　a　rest…off　and　a　good　time　in　Papeete。



Of　course；　the　Petite　Jeanne　was　overloaded。　She　was　only　seventy　tons；　and

she　had　no　right　to　carry　a　tithe　of　the　mob　she　had　on　board。　Beneath　her

hatches　she　was　crammed　and　jammed　with　pearl　shell　and　copra。　Even　the　trade

room　was　packed　full　with　shell。　It　was　a　miracle　that　the　sailors　could　work

her。　　There　was　no　moving　about　the　decks。　They　simply　climbed　back　and　forth

along　the　rails。



In　the　night　time　they　walked　upon　the　sleepers；　who　carpeted　the　deck；　I'll

swear；　two　deep。　Oh！　And　there　were　pigs　and　chickens　on　deck；　and　sacks　of

yams；　while　every　conceivable　place　was　festooned　with　strings　of　drinking

cocoanuts　and　bunches　of　bananas。　On　both　sides；　between　the　fore　and　main

shrouds；　guys　had　been　stretched；　just　low　enough　for　the　foreboom　to　swing

clear；　and　from　each　of　these　guys　at　least　fifty　bunches　of　bananas　were

suspended。



It　promised　to　be　a　messy　passage；　even　if　we　did　make　it　in　the　two　or　three

days　that　would　have　been　required　if　the　southeast　trades　had　been　blowing

fresh。　But　they　weren't　blowing　fresh。　　After　the　first　five　hours　the　trade

died　away　in　a　dozen　or　so　gasping　fans。　The　calm　continued　all　that　night　and

the　next　dayone　of　those　glaring；　glassy；　calms；　when　the　very　thought　of

opening　one's　eyes　to　look　at　it　is　sufficient　to　cause　a　headache。



The　second　day　a　man　diedan　Easter　Islander；　one　of　the　best　divers　that

season　in　the　lagoon。　Smallpoxthat　is　what　it　was；　though　how　smallpox　could

come　on　board；　when　there　had　been　no　known　cases　ashore　when　we　left

Rangiroa；　is　beyond　me。　There　it　was；　thoughsmallpox；　a　man　dead；　and　three

others　down　on　their　backs。



There　was　nothing　to　be　done。　We　could　not　segregate　the　sick；　nor　could　we

care　for　them。　We　were　packed　like　sardines。　There　was　nothing　to　do　but　rot

and　diethat　is；　there　was　nothing　to　do　after　the　night　that　followed　the

first　death。　On　that　night；　the　mate；　the　supercargo；　the　Polish　Jew；　and　four

native　divers　sneaked　away　in　the　large　whale　boat。　They　were　never　heard　of

again。　In　the　morning　the　captain　promptly　scuttled　the　remaining　boats；　and

there　we　were。



That　day　there　were　two　deaths；　the　following　day　three；　then　it　jumped　to

eight。　It　was　curious　to　see　how　we　took　it。　The　natives；　for　instance；　fell

into　a　condition　of　dumb；　stolid　fear。　The　captainOudouse；　his　name　was；　a

Frenchmanbecame　very　nervous　and　voluble。　He　actually　got　the　twitches。　He

was　a　large　fleshy　man；　weighing　at　least　two　hundred　pounds；　and　he　quickly

became　a　faithful　representation　of　a　quivering　jelly…mountain　of　fat。



The　German；　the　two　Americans；　and　myself　bought　up　all　the　Scotch　whiskey；

and　proceeded　to　stay　drunk。　The　theory　was　beautifulnamely；　if　we　kept

ourselves　soaked　in　alcohol；　every　smallpox　germ　that　came　into　contact　with

us　would　immediately　be　scorched　to　a　cinder。　And　the　theory　worked；　though　I

must　confess　that　neither　Captain　Oudouse　nor　Ah　Choon　were　attacked　by　the

dise