penguin island-第30节

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But　Greatauk　calmly　and　serenely　replied：

〃Be　quiet；　you　fool。　I　am　just　having　a　Jew　transported。　I　am　handing　over　Pyrot　to　justice　as　guilty　of　having　stolen　eighty　thousand　trusses　of　hay。〃

Prince　Boscenos；　whose　anger　vanished　like　a　dream；　smiled。

〃Is　that　true？〃

〃You　will　see。〃

〃My　congratulations；　Greatauk。　But　as　one　always　needs　to　take　precautions　with　you　I　shall　immediately　publish　the　good　news。　People　will　read　this　evening　about　Pyrot's　arrest　in　every　newspaper　in　Alca　。　。　。　。〃

And　he　went　away　muttering：

〃That　Pyrot！　I　suspected　he　would　come　to　a　bad　end。〃

A　moment　later　General　Panther　appeared　before　Greatauk。

〃Sir；〃　said　he；　〃I　have　just　examined　the　business　of　the　eighty　thousand　trusses　of　hay。　There　is　no　evidence　against　Pyrot。〃

〃Let　it　be　found；〃　answered　Greatauk。　〃Justice　requires　it。　Have　Pyrot　arrested　at　once。〃



I。　PYROT

All　Penguinia　heard　with　horror　of　Pyrot's　crime；　at　the　same　time　there　was　a　sort　of　satisfaction　that　this　embezzlement　combined　with　treachery　and　even　bordering　on　sacrilege；　had　been　committed　by　a　Jew。　In　order　to　understand　this　feeling　it　is　necessary　to　be　acquainted　with　the　state　of　public　opinion　regarding　the　Jews　both　great　and　small。　As　we　have　had　occasion　to　say　in　this　history；　the　universally　detested　and　all　powerful　financial　caste　was　composed　of　Christians　and　of　Jews。　The　Jews　who　formed　part　of　it　and　on　whom　the　people　poured　all　their　hatred　were　the　upper…class　Jews。　They　possessed　immense　riches　and；　it　was　said；　held　more　than　a　fifth　part　of　the　total　property　of　Penguinia。　Outside　this　formidable　caste　there　was　a　multitude　of　Jews　of　a　mediocre　condition；　who　were　not　more　loved　than　the　others　and　who　were　feared　much　less。　In　every　ordered　State；　wealth　is　a　sacred　thing：　in　democracies　it　is　the　only　sacred　thing。　Now　the　Penguin　State　was　democratic。　Three　or　four　financial　companies　exercised　a　more　extensive；　and　above　all；　more　effective　and　continuous　power；　than　that　of　the　Ministers　of　the　Republic。　The　latter　were　puppets　whom　the　companies　ruled　in　secret；　whom　they　compelled　by　intimidation　or　corruption　to　favour　themselves　at　the　expense　of　the　State；　and　whom　they　ruined　by　calumnies　in　the　press　if　they　remained　honest。　In　spite　of　the　secrecy　of　the　Exchequer；　enough　appeared　to　make　the　country　indignant；　but　the　middle…class　Penguins　had；　from　the　greatest　to　the　least　of　them；　been　brought　up　to　hold　money　in　great　reverence；　and　as　they　all　had　property；　either　much　or　little；　they　were　strongly　impressed　with　the　solidarity　of　capital　and　understood　that　a　small　fortune　is　not　safe　unless　a　big　one　is　protected。　For　these　reasons　they　conceived　a　religious　respect　for　the　Jews'　millions；　and　self…interest　being　stronger　with　them　than　aversion；　they　were　as　much　afraid　as　they　were　of　death　to　touch　a　single　hair　of　one　of　the　rich　Jews　whom　they　detested。　Towards　the　poorer　Jews　they　felt　less　ceremonious　and　when　they　saw　any　of　them　down　they　trampled　on　them。　That　is　why　the　entire　nation　learnt　with　thorough　satisfaction　that　the　traitor　was　a　Jew。　They　could　take　vengeance　on　all　Israel　in　his　person　without　any　fear　of　compromising　the　public　credit。

That　Pyrot　had　stolen　the　eighty　thousand　trusses　of　hay　nobody　hesitated　for　a　moment　to　believe。　No　one　doubted　because　the　general　ignorance　in　which　everybody　was　concerning　the　affair　did　not　allow　of　doubt；　for　doubt　is　a　thing　that　demands　motives。　People　do　not　doubt　without　reasons　in　the　same　way　that　people　believe　without　reasons。　The　thing　was　not　doubted　because　it　was　repeated　everywhere　and；　with　the　public；　to　repeat　is　to　prove。　It　was　not　doubted　because　people　wished　to　believe　Pyrot　guilty　and　one　believes　what　one　wishes　to　believe。　Finally；　it　was　not　doubted　because　the　faculty　of　doubt　is　rare　amongst　men；　very　few　minds　carry　in　them　its　germs　and　these　are　not　developed　without　cultivation。　Doubt　is　singular；　exquisite；　philosophic；　immoral；　transcendent；　monstrous；　full　of　malignity；　injurious　to　persons　and　to　property；　contrary　to　the　good　order　of　governments；　and　to　the　prosperity　of　empires；　fatal　to　humanity；　destructive　of　the　gods；　held　in　horror　by　heaven　and　earth。　The　mass　of　the　Penguins　were　ignorant　of　doubt：　it　believed　in　Pyrot's　guilt　and　this　conviction　immediately　became　one　of　its　chief　national　beliefs　and　an　essential　truth　in　its　patriotic　creed。

Pyrot　was　tried　secretly　and　condemned。

General　Panther　immediately　went　to　the　Minister　of　War　to　tell　him　the　result。

〃Luckily；〃　said　he；　〃the　judges　were　certain；　for　they　had　no　proofs。〃

〃Proofs；〃　muttered　Greatauk；　〃Proofs；　what　do　they　prove？　There　is　only　one　certain；　irrefragable　proofthe　confession　of　the　guilty　person。　Has　Pyrot　confessed？〃

〃No；　General。〃

〃He　will　confess；　he　ought　to。　Panther；　we　must　induce　him；　tell　him　it　is　to　his　interest。　Promise　him　that；　if　he　confesses；　he　will　obtain　favours；　a　reduction　of　his　sentence；　full　pardon；　promise　him　that　if　he　confesses　his　innocence　will　be　admitted；　that　he　will　be　decorated。　Appeal　to　his　good　feelings。　Let　him　confess　from　patriotism；　for　the　flag；　for　the　sake　of　order；　from　respect　for　the　hierarchy；　at　the　special　command　of　the　Minister　of　War　militarily。　。　。　。　But　tell　me；　Panther；　has　he　not　confessed　already？　There　are　tacit　confessions；　silence　is　a　confession。〃

〃But；　General；　he　is　not　silent；　he　keeps　on　squealing　like　a　pig　that　he　is　innocent。〃

〃Panther；　the　confessions　of　a　guilty　man　sometimes　result　from　the　vehemence　of　his　denials。　To　deny　desperately　is　to　confess。　Pyrot　has　confessed；　we　must　have　witnesses　of　his　confessions；　justice　requires　them。〃

There　was　in　Western　Penguinia　a　seaport　called　La　Cirque；　formed　of　three　small　bays　and　formerly　greatly　frequented　by　ships；　but　now　solitary　and　deserted。　Gloomy　lagoons　stretched　along　its　low　coasts　exhaling　a　pestilent　odour；　while　fever　hovered　over　its　sleepy　waters。　Here；　on　the　borders　of　the　sea；　there　was　built　a　high　square　tower；　like　the　old　Campanile　at　Venice；　from　the　side　of　which；　close　to　the　summit　hung　an　open　cage　which　was　fastened　by　a　chain　to　a　transverse　beam。　In　the　times　of　the　Draconides　the　Inquisitors　of　Alca　used　to　put　heretical　clergy　into　this　cage。　It　had　been　empty　for　three　hundred　years；　but　now　Pirot　was　imprisoned　in　it　under　the　guard　of　sixty　warders；　who　lived　in　the　tower　and　did　not　lose　sight　of　him　night　or　day；　spying　on　him　for　confessions　that　they　might　afterwards　report　to　the　Minister　of　War。　For　Greatauk；　careful　and　prudent；　desired　confessions　and　still　further　confessions。　Greatauk；　who　was　looked　upon　as　a　fool；　was　in　reality　a　man　of　great　ability　and　full　of　rare　foresight。

In　the　mean　time　Pyrot；　burnt　by　the　sun；　eaten　by　mosquitoes；　soaked　in　the　rain；　hail　and　snow；　frozen　by　the　cold；　tossed　about　terribly　by　the　wind；　beset　by　the　sinister　croaking　of　the　ravens　that　perched　upon　his　cage；　kept　writing　down　his　innocence　on　pieces　torn　off　his　shirt　with　a　tooth…pick　dipped　in　blood。　These　rags　were　lost　in　the　sea　or　fell　into　the　hands　of　the　gaolers。　But　Pyrot's　protests　moved　nobody　because　his　confessions　had　been　published。



III。　COUNT　DE　MAUBEC　DE　LA　DENTDULYNX

The　morals　of　the　Jews　were　not　always　pure；　in　most　cases　they　were　averse　from　none　of　the　vices　of　Christian　civilization；　but　they　retained　from　the　Patriarchal　age　a　recognition　of　family；　ties　and　an　attachment　to　the　interests　of　the　tribe。　Pyrot's　brothers；　half…brothers；　uncles；　great…uncles；　first；　second；　and　third　cousins；　nephews　and　great…nephews；　relations　by　blood　and　relations　by　marriage；　and　all　who　were　related　to　him　to　the　number　of　about　seven　hundred；　were　at　first　overwhelmed　by　the　blow　that　had　struck　their　relative；　and　they　shut　themselves　up　in　their　houses；　covering　themselves　with　ashes　and　blessing　the　hand　that　had　chastised　them。　For　forty　days　they　kept　a　strict　fast。　Then　they　bathed　themselves　and　resolved　to　search；　without　rest；　at　the　cost　of　any　toil　and　at　the　risk　of　eve　danger；　for　the　demonstration　of　an　innocence　which　they　did　not　doubt。　And　how　could　they　have　doubted？　Pyrot's　innocence　had　been　revealed　to　them　in　the　same　way　that　his　guilt　had　been　revealed　to　Christian　Penguinia's；　for　these　things；　being　hidden；　assume　a　mystic　character　and　take　on　the　authority　of　religious　truths。　The　seven　hundred　Pyrotists　set　to　work　with　as　much　zeal　as　prudence；　and　made　the　most　thorough　inquiries　in　secret。　They　were　everywhere；　they　were　seen　nowhere。　One　would　have　said　that；　like　the　pilot　of　Ulysses；　they　wandered　freely　over　the　earth。　They　penetrated　into　the　War　Office　and　approached；　under　different　disguises；　the　judges；　the　registrars；　and　the　witnesses　of　the　affair。　Then　Greatauk's　cleverness　was　seen。　The　witnesses　knew　nothing；　the　judges　and　registrars　knew　nothing。　Emissaries　reached　even　Pyrot　and　anxiously　questioned　him　in　his　cage　amid　the　prolonged　moanings　of　the　sea　and　the　hoarse　croaks　of　the　ravens。　It　was　in　vain；　the　prisoner　knew　nothing。　The　seven　hundred　Pyrotists　could　not　subvert　the　proofs　of　the　accusation　because　they　could　not　know　what　they　were；　and　the