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第3节

falk-第3节

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qualified for command; and the Consul was bound;

if at all possible; to put a properly certificated man

on board。  As to the second mate; all I can say his

name was Tottersen; or something like that。  His

practice was to wear on his head; in that tropical

climate; a mangy fur cap。  He was; without excep…

tion; the stupidest man I had ever seen on board

ship。  And he looked it too。  He looked so con…

foundedly stupid that it was a matter of surprise

for me when he answered to his name。



I drew no great comfort from their company; to

say the least of it; while the prospect of making a

long sea passage with those two fellows was depress…

ing。  And my other thoughts in solitude could not

be of a gay complexion。  The crew was sickly; the

cargo was coming very slow; I foresaw I would

have lots of trouble with the charterers; and doubted

whether they would advance me enough money for

the ship's expenses。  Their attitude towards me was

unfriendly。  Altogether I was not getting on。  I

would discover at odd times (generally about mid…

night) that I was totally inexperienced; greatly ig…

norant of business; and hopelessly unfit for any

sort of command; and when the steward had to be

taken to the hospital ill with choleraic symptoms I

felt bereaved of the only decent person at the after

end of the ship。  He was fully expected to recover;

but in the meantime had to be replaced by some sort

of servant。  And on the recommendation of a cer…

tain Schomberg; the proprietor of the smaller of

the two hotels in the place; I engaged a Chinaman。

Schomberg; a brawny; hairy Alsatian; and an awful

gossip; assured me that it was all right。  〃First…

class boy that。  Came in the suite of his Excellency

Tseng the Commissioneryou know。  His Excel…

lency Tseng lodged with me here for three weeks。〃



He mouthed the Chinese Excellency at me with

great unction; though the specimen of the 〃suite〃

did not seem very promising。  At the time; however;

I did not know what an untrustworthy humbug

Schomberg was。  The 〃boy〃 might have been forty

or a hundred and forty for all you could tell

one of those Chinamen of the death's…head type of

face and completely inscrutable。  Before the end of

the third day he had revealed himself as a confirmed

opium…smoker; a gambler; a most audacious thief;

and a first…class sprinter。  When he departed at the

top of his speed with thirty…two golden sovereigns

of my own hard…earned savings it was the last straw。

I had reserved that money in case my difficulties

came to the worst。  Now it was gone I felt as poor

and naked as a fakir。  I clung to my ship; for all

the bother she caused me; but what I could not bear

were the long lonely evenings in her cuddy; where

the atmosphere; made smelly by a leaky lamp; was

agitated by the snoring of the mate。  That fellow

shut himself up in his stuffy cabin punctually at

eight; and made gross and revolting noises like a

water…logged trump。  It was odious not to be able

to worry oneself in comfort on board one's own

ship。  Everything in this world; I reflected; even

the command of a nice little barque; may be made

a delusion and a snare for the unwary spirit of

pride in man。



From such reflections I was glad to make any es…

cape on board that Bremen Diana。  There appar…

ently no whisper of the world's iniquities had ever

penetrated。  And yet she lived upon the wide sea:

and the sea tragic and comic; the sea with its horrors

and its peculiar scandals; the sea peopled by men

and ruled by iron necessity is indubitably a part of

the world。  But that patriarchal old tub; like some

saintly retreat; echoed nothing of it。  She was world

proof。  Her venerable innocence apparently had

put a restraint on the roaring lusts of the sea。  And

yet I have known the sea too long to believe in its

respect for decency。  An elemental force is ruthlessly

frank。  It may; of course; have been Hermann's

skilful seamanship; but to me it looked as if the al…

lied oceans had refrained from smashing these high

bulwarks; unshipping the lumpy rudder; frighten…

ing the children; and generally opening this fam…

ily's eyes out of sheer reticence。  It looked like reti…

cence。  The ruthless disclosure was in the end left

for a man to make; a man strong and elemental

enough and driven to unveil some secrets of the sea

by the power of a simple and elemental desire。



This; however; occurred much later; and mean…

time I took sanctuary in that serene old ship early

every evening。  The only person on board that

seemed to be in trouble was little Lena; and in due

course I perceived that the health of the rag…doll

was more than delicate。  This object led a sort of

〃in extremis〃 existence in a wooden box placed

against the starboard mooring…bitts; tended and

nursed with the greatest sympathy and care by all

the children; who greatly enjoyed pulling long faces

and moving with hushed footsteps。  Only the baby

Nicholaslooked on with a cold; ruffianly leer;

as if he had belonged to another tribe altogether。

Lena perpetually sorrowed over the box; and all of

them were in deadly earnest。  It was wonderful the

way these children would work up their compassion

for that bedraggled thing I wouldn't have touched

with a pair of tongs。  I suppose they were exercis…

ing and developing their racial sentimentalism by

the means of that dummy。  I was only surprised

that Mrs。 Hermann let Lena cherish and hug that

bundle of rags to that extent; it was so disreputably

and completely unclean。  But Mrs。 Hermann would

raise her fine womanly eyes from her needlework to

look on with amused sympathy; and did not seen to

see it; somehow; that this object of affection was a

disgrace to the ship's purity。  Purity; not cleanli…

ness; is the word。  It was pushed so far that I seemed

to detect in this too a sentimental excess; as if dirt

had been removed in very love。  It is impossible to

give you an idea of such a meticulous neatness。  It

was as if every morning that ship had been ardu…

ously explored withwith toothbrushes。  Her very

bowsprit three times a week had its toilette made

with a cake of soap and a piece of soft flannel。  Ar…

rayedI MUST say arrayedarrayed artlessly in

dazzling white paint as to wood and dark green as

to ironwork the simple…minded distribution of these

colours evoked the images of simple…minded peace;

of arcadian felicity; and the childish comedy of

disease and sorrow struck me sometimes as an abom…

inably real blot upon that ideal state。



I enjoyed it greatly; and on my part I brought

a little mild excitement into it。  Our intimacy arose

from the pursuit of that thief。  It was in the even…

ing; and Hermann; who; contrary to his habits; had

stayed on shore late that day; was extricating him…

self backwards out of a little gharry on the river

bank; opposite his ship; when the hunt passed。

Realising the situation as though he had eyes in his

shoulder…blades; he joined us with a leap and took

the lead。  The Chinaman fled silent like a rapid

shadow on the dust of an extremely oriental road。

I followed。  A long way in the rear my mate

whooped like a savage。  A young moon threw a

bashful light on a plain like a monstrous waste

ground: the architectural mass of a Buddhist tem…

ple far away projected itself in dead black on the

sky。  We lost the thief of course; but in my disap…

pointment I had to admire Hermann's presence of

mind。  The velocity that stodgy man developed in

the interests of a complete stranger earned my


warm gratitudethere was something truly cordial

in his exertions。



He seemed as vexed as myself at our failure; and

would hardly listen to my thanks。  He said it was

〃nothings;〃 and invited me on the spot to come on

board his ship and drink a glass of beer with him。

We poked sceptically for a while amongst the

bushes; peered without conviction into a ditch or

two。  There was not a sound: patches of slime glim…

mered feebly amongst the reeds。  Slowly we trudged

back; drooping under the thin sickle of the moon;

and I heard him mutter to himself; 〃Himmel!  Zwei

und dreissig Pfund!〃  He was impressed by the

figure of my loss。  For a long time we had ceased to

hear the mate's whoops and yells。



Then he said to me; 〃Everybody has his troub…

les;〃 and as we went on remarked that he would

never have known anything of mine hadn't he by an

extraordinary chance been detained on shore by

Captain Falk。  He didn't like to stay late ashore

he added with a sigh。  The something doleful in his

tone I put to his sympathy with my misfortune; of

course。



On board the Diana Mrs。 Hermann's fine eyes

expressed much interest and commiseration。  We

had found the two women sewing face to face under

the open skylight in the strong glare of the lamp。

Hermann walked in first; starting in the very door…

way to pull off his coat; and encou

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