south sea tales-第19节

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schooner；　and　doctored　up。



Seventeen　years　we　were　together。　He　made　me。　I　should　today　be　a　supercargo；

a　recruiter；　or　a　memory；　if　it　had　not　been　for　him。



〃You　spend　your　money；　and　you　go　out　and　get　more；〃　he　said　one　day。　〃It　is

easy　to　get　money　now。　But　when　you　get　old；　your　money　will　be　spent；　and　you

will　not　be　able　to　go　out　and　get　more。　I　know；　master。　I　have　studied　the

way　of　white　men。　On　the　beaches　are　many　old　men　who　were　young　once；　and　who

could　get　money　just　like　you。　Now　they　are　old；　and　they　have　nothing；　and

they　wait　about　for　the　young　men　like　you　to　come　ashore　and　buy　drinks　for

them。



〃The　black　boy　is　a　slave　on　the　plantations。　He　gets　twenty　dollars　a　year。

He　works　hard。　The　overseer　does　not　work　hard。



He　rides　a　horse　and　watches　the　black　boy　work。　He　gets　twelve　hundred

dollars　a　year。　I　am　a　sailor　on　the　schooner。　I　get　fifteen　dollars　a　month。

That　is　because　I　am　a　good　sailor。　I　work　hard。　The　captain　has　a　double

awning；　and　drinks　beer　out　of　long　bottles。　I　have　never　seen　him　haul　a　rope

or　pull　an　oar。　He　gets　one　hundred　and　fifty　dollars　a　month。　I　am　a　sailor。

He　is　a　navigator。　'master；　I　think　it　would　be　very　good　for　you　to　know

navigation。〃



Otoo　spurred　me　on　to　it。　He　sailed　with　me　as　second　mate　on　my　first

schooner；　and　he　was　far　prouder　of　my　command　than　I　was　myself。　Later　on　it

was：



〃The　captain　is　well　paid；　master；　but　the　ship　is　in　his　keeping；　and　he　is

never　free　from　the　burden。　It　is　the　owner　who　is　better　paidthe　owner　who

sits　ashore　with　many　servants　and　turns　his　money　over。〃



〃True；　but　a　schooner　costs　five　thousand　dollarsan　old　schooner　at　that；〃　I

objected。　〃I　should　be　an　old　man　before　I　saved　five　thousand　dollars。〃



〃There　be　short　ways　for　white　men　to　make　money；〃　he　went　on；　pointing　ashore

at　the　cocoanut…fringed　beach。



We　were　in　the　Solomons　at　the　time；　picking　up　a　cargo　of　ivory　nuts　along

the　east　coast　of　Guadalcanar。



〃Between　this　river　mouth　and　the　next　it　is　two　miles；〃　he　said。



〃The　flat　land　runs　far　back。　It　is　worth　nothing　now。　Next　yearwho

knows？or　the　year　after；　men　will　pay　much　money　for　that　land。　The

anchorage　is　good。　Big　steamers　can　lie　close　up。　You　can　buy　the　land　four

miles　deep　from　the　old　chief　for　ten　thousand　sticks　of　tobacco；　ten　bottles

of　square…face；　and　a　Snider；　which　will　cost　you；　maybe；　one　hundred　dollars。

Then　you　place　the　deed　with　the　commissioner；　and　the　next　year；　or　the　year

after；　you　sell　and　become　the　owner　of　a　ship。〃



I　followed　his　lead；　and　his　words　came　true；　though　in　three　years；　instead

of　two。　Next　came　the　grasslands　deal　on　Guadalcanartwenty　thousand　acres；

on　a　governmental　nine　hundred　and　ninety…nine　years'　lease　at　a　nominal　sum。

I　owned　the　lease　for　precisely　ninety　days；　when　I　sold　it　to　a　company　for

half　a　fortune。　Always　it　was　Otoo　who　looked　ahead　and　saw　the　opportunity。

He　was　responsible　for　the　salving　of　the　Doncasterbought　in　at　auction　for

a　hundred　pounds；　and　clearing　three　thousand　after　every　expense　was　paid。　He

led　me　into　the　Savaii　plantation　and　the　cocoa　venture　on　Upolu。



We　did　not　go　seafaring　so　much　as　in　the　old　days。　I　was　too　well　off。　I

married；　and　my　standard　of　living　rose；　but　Otoo　remained　the　same　old…time

Otoo；　moving　about　the　house　or　trailing　through　the　office；　his　wooden　pipe

in　his　mouth；　a　shilling　undershirt　on　his　back；　and　a　four…shilling　lava…lava

about　his　loins。　I　could　not　get　him　to　spend　money。　There　was　no　way　of

repaying　him　except　with　love；　and　God　knows　he　got　that　in　full　measure　from

all　of　us。　The　children　worshipped　him；　and　if　he　had　been　spoilable；　my　wife

would　surely　have　been　his　undoing。



The　children！　He　really　was　the　one　who　showed　them　the　way　of　their　feet　in

the　world　practical。　He　began　by　teaching　them　to　walk。　He　sat　up　with　them

when　they　were　sick。　One　by　one；　when　they　were　scarcely　toddlers；　he　took

them　down　to　the　lagoon；　and　made　them　into　amphibians。　He　taught　them　more

than　I　ever　knew　of　the　habits　of　fish　and　the　ways　of　catching　them。　In　the

bush　it　was　the　same　thing。　At　seven；　Tom　knew　more　woodcraft　than　I　ever

dreamed　existed。　At　six；　Mary　went　over　the　Sliding　Rock　without　a　quiver；　and

I　have　seen　strong　men　balk　at　that　feat。　　And　when　Frank　had　just　turned　six

he　could　bring　up　shillings　from　the　bottom　in　three　fathoms。



〃My　people　in　Bora　Bora　do　not　like　heathenthey　are　all　Christians；　and　I　do

not　like　Bora　Bora　Christians；〃　he　said　one　day；　when　I；　with　the　idea　of

getting　him　to　spend　some　of　the　money　that　was　rightfully　his；　had　been

trying　to　persuade　him　to　make　a　visit　to　his　own　island　in　one　of　our

schoonersa　special　voyage　which　I　had　hoped　to　make　a　record　breaker　in　the

matter　of　prodigal　expense。



I　say　one　of　OUR　schooners；　though　legally　at　the　time　they　belonged　to　me。　I

struggled　long　with　him　to　enter　into　partnership。



〃We　have　been　partners　from　the　day　the　Petite　Jeanne　went　down；〃　he　said　at

last。　〃But　if　your　heart　so　wishes；　then　shall　we　become　partners　by　the　law。

I　have　no　work　to　do；　yet　are　my　expenses　large。　I　drink　and　eat　and　smoke　in

plentyit　costs　much；　I　know。　I　do　not　pay　for　the　playing　of　billiards；　for

I　play　on　your　table；　but　still　the　money　goes。　Fishing　on　the　reef　is　only　a

rich　man's　pleasure。　It　is　shocking；　the　cost　of　hooks　and　cotton　line。　Yes；

it　is　necessary　that　we　be　partners　by　the　law。　I　need　the　money。　I　shall　get

it　from　the　head　clerk　in　the　office。〃



So　the　papers　were　made　out　and　recorded。　A　year　later　I　was　compelled　to

complain。



〃Charley；〃　said　I；　〃you　are　a　wicked　old　fraud；　a　miserly　skinflint；　a

miserable　land　crab。　Behold；　your　share　for　the　year　in　all　our　partnership

has　been　thousands　of　dollars。　The　head　clerk　has　given　me　this　paper。　It　says

that　in　the　year　you　have　drawn　just　eighty…seven　dollars　and　twenty　cents。〃



〃Is　there　any　owing　me？〃　he　asked　anxiously。



〃I　tell　you　thousands　and　thousands；〃　I　answered。



His　face　brightened；　as　with　an　immense　relief。



〃It　is　well；〃　he　said。　〃See　that　the　head　clerk　keeps　good　account　of　it。　When

I　want　it；　I　shall　want　it；　and　there　must　not　be　a　cent　missing。



〃If　there　is；：〃　he　added　fiercely；　after　a　pause；　〃it　must　come　out　of　the

clerk's　wages。〃



And　all　the　time；　as　I　afterwards　learned；　his　will；　drawn　up　by　Carruthers；

and　making　me　sole　beneficiary；　lay　in　the　American　consul's　safe。



But　the　end　came；　as　the　end　must　come　to　all　human　associations。



It　occurred　in　the　Solomons；　where　our　wildest　work　had　been　done　in　the　wild

young　days；　and　where　we　were　once　more　principally　on　a　holiday；

incidentally　to　look　after　our　holdings　on　Florida　Island　and　to　look　over　the

pearling　possibilities　of　the　Mboli　Pass。　We　were　lying　at　Savo；　having　run　in

to　trade　for　curios。



Now；　Savo　is　alive　with　sharks。　The　custom　of　the　woolly…heads　of　burying

their　dead　in　the　sea　did　not　tend　to　discourage　the　sharks　from　making　the

adjacent　waters　a　hangout。　It　was　my　luck　to　be　coming　aboard　in　a　tiny；

overloaded；　native　canoe；　when　the　thing　capsized。　There　were　four

woolly…heads　and　myself　in　it；　or　rather；　hanging　to　it。　The　schooner　was　a

hundred　yards　away。



I　was　just　hailing　for　a　boat　when　one　of　the　woolly…heads　began　to　scream。

Holding　on　to　the　end　of　the　canoe；　both　he　and　that　portion　of　the　canoe　were

dragged　under　several　times。　Then　he　loosed　his　clutch　and　disappeared。　A

shark　had　got　him。



The　three　remaining　niggers　tried　to　climb　out　of　the　water　upon　the　bottom　of

the　canoe。　I　yelled　and　cursed　and　struck　at　the　nearest　with　my　fist；　but　it

was　no　use。　They　were　in　a　blind　funk。　The　canoe　could　barely　have　supported

one　of　them。　Under　the　three　it　upended　and　rolled　sidewise；　throwing　them

back　into　the　water。



I　abandoned　the　canoe　and　started　to　swim　toward　the　schooner；　expecting　to　be

picked　up　by　the　boat　before　I　got　there。　One　of　the　niggers　elected　to　come

with　me；　and　we　swam　along　silently；　side　by　side；　now　and　again　putting　our

faces　into　the　water　and　peering　about　for　sharks。　The　screams　of　the　man　who

stayed　by　the　canoe　informed　us　that　he　was　taken。　I　was　peering　into　the

water　when　I　saw　a　big　shark　pass　directly　beneath　me。　He　was　fully　sixteen

feet　in　length。　I　saw　the　whole　thing。　He　got　the　woolly…head　by　the　middle；

and　away　he　went；　the　poor　devil；　head；　shoulders；　and　arms　out　of　the　water

all　the　time；　screeching　in　a　heart…rending　way。　He　was　carried　along　in　this

fashion　for　several　hundred　feet；　when　he　was　dragged　beneath　the　surface。



I　swam　doggedly　on；　hoping　that　that　was　the　last　unattached　shark。　But　there

was　another。　Whether　it　was　one　that　had　attacked　the　natives　earlier；　or

whether　it　was　one　that　had　made　a　good　meal　elsewhere；　I　do　not　know。　At　any

rate；　he　was　not　in　such　haste　as　the　others。　I　could　not　swim