第48章
加入书架 A- A+
点击下载App,搜索"Lord Jim",免费读到尾

  withoutevenlookingathim。ButCorneliuslethimselfdropbyhissideandbegantowhisperveryfast,touchinghiselbowfromtimetotime。WhathehadtosaymadeBrownsitupatfirst,withacurse。HehadsimplyinformedhimofDainWaris’sarmedpartydowntheriver。AtfirstBrownsawhimselfcompletelysoldandbetrayed,butamoment’sreflectionconvincedhimthattherecouldbenotreacheryintended。Hesaidnothing,andafterawhileCorneliusremarked,inatoneofcompleteindifference,thattherewasanotherwayoutoftheriverwhichheknewverywell。“Agoodthingtoknow,too,“saidBrown,prickinguphisears;

  andCorneliusbegantotalkofwhatwentonintownandrepeatedallthathadbeensaidincouncil,gossipinginanevenundertoneatBrown’searasyoutalkamongstsleepingmenyoudonotwishtowake。“Hethinkshehasmademeharmless,doeshe?“mumbledBrownverylow……“Yes。Heisafool。Alittlechild。Hecamehereandrobbedme,“dronedonCornelius,“andhemadeallthepeoplebelievehim。Butifsomethinghappenedthattheydidnotbelievehimanymore,wherewouldhebe?AndtheBugisDainwhoiswaitingforyoudowntheriverthere,captain,istheverymanwhochasedyouupherewhenyoufirstcame。“Brownobservednonchalantlythatitwouldbejustaswelltoavoidhim,andwiththesamedetached,musingairCorneliusdeclaredhimselfacquaintedwithabackwaterbroadenoughtotakeBrown’sboatpastWaris’scamp。“Youwillhavetobequiet,“hesaidasanafterthought,“forinoneplacewepassclosebehindhiscamp。

  Veryclose。Theyarecampedashorewiththeirboathauledup。““Oh,weknowhowtobeasquietasmice;neverfear,“saidBrown。CorneliusstipulatedthatincaseheweretopilotBrownout,hiscanoeshouldbetowed。“I’llhavetogetbackquick,“heexplained。

  `Itwastwohoursbeforethedawnwhenwordwaspassedtothestockadefromoutlyingwatchersthatthewhiterobberswerecomingdowntotheirboat。InaveryshorttimeeveryarmedmanfromoneendofPatusantotheotherwasonthealert,yetthebanksoftheriverremainedsosilentthatbutforthefiresburningwithsuddenblurredflaresthetownmighthavebeenasleepasifinpeace-time。Aheavymistlayverylowonthewater,makingasortofillusivegreylightthatshowednothing。WhenBrown’slong-boatglidedoutofthecreekintotheriver,JimwasstandingonthelowpointoflandbeforetheRajah’sstockade——ontheveryspotwhereforthefirsttimeheputhisfootonPatusanshore。Ashadowloomedup,movinginthegreyness,solitary,verybulky,andyetconstantlyeludingtheeye。

  Amurmuroflowtalkingcameoutofit。BrownatthetillerheardJimspeakcalmly:“Aclearroad。Youhadbettertrusttothecurrentwhilethefoglasts;butthiswillliftpresently。““Yes,presentlyweshallseeclear,“

  repliedBrown。

  `Thethirtyorfortymenstandingwithmusketsatreadyoutsidethestockadeheldtheirbreath。TheBugisowneroftheprau,whomIsawonStein’sveranda,andwhowasamongstthem,toldmethattheboat,shavingthelowpointclose,seemedforamomenttogrowbigandhangoveritlikeamountain。“Ifyouthinkitworthyourwhiletowaitadayoutside,“calledoutJim,“I’lltrytosendyoudownsomething——bullock,someyams——whatIcan。“Theshadowwentonmoving。“yes。Do,“saidavoice,blankandmuffledoutofthefog。Notoneofthemanyattentivelistenersunderstoodwhatthewordsmeant;andthenBrownandhismenintheirboatfloatedaway,fadingspectrallywithouttheslightestsound。

  `ThusBrown,invisibleinthemist,goesoutofPatusanelbowtoelbowwithCorneliusinthestern-sheetsofthelong-boat。“Perhapsyoushallgetasmallbullock,“saidCornelius。“Oh,yes。Bullock。Yam。You’llgetitifhesaidso。Healwaysspeaksthetruth。HestoleeverythingIhad。Isupposeyoulikeasmallbullockbetterthanthelootofmanyhouses。““Iwouldadviseyoutoholdyourtongue,orsomebodyheremayflingyouoverboardintothisdamnedfog,“saidBrown。Theboatseemedtobestandingstill;nothingcouldbeseen,noteventheriveralongside,onlythewater-dustflewandtrickled,condensed,downtheirbeardsandfaces。Itwasweird,Browntoldme。Everyindividualmanofthemfeltasthoughhewereadriftaloneinaboat,hauntedbyanalmostimperceptiblesuspicionofsighing,mutteringghosts。“Throwmeout,wouldyou?ButI

  wouldknowwhereIwas,“mumbledCornelius,surlily。“I’velivedmanyyearshere。““Notlongenoughtoseethroughafoglikethis,“Brownsaid,lollingbackwithhisarmswingingtoandfroontheuselesstiller。“Yes。Longenoughforthat,“snarledCornelius。“That’sveryuseful,“commentedBrown。

  “AmItobelieveyoucouldfindthatbackwayyouspokeofblindfold,likethis?“Corneliusgrunted。“Areyoutootiredtorow?“heaskedafterasilence。“No,byGod!“shoutedBrownsuddenly。“Outwithyouroarsthere。“

  Therewasagreatknockinginthefog,whichafterawhilesettledintoaregulargrindofinvisiblesweepsagainstinvisiblethole-pins。Otherwisenothingwaschanged,andbutfortheslightsplashofadippedbladeitwaslikerowingaballooncarinacloud,saidBrown。ThereafterCorneliusdidnotopenhislipsexcepttoaskquerulouslyforsomebodytobailouthiscanoe,whichwastowingbehindthelong-boat。Graduallythefogwhitenedandbecameluminousahead。TotheleftBrownsawadarknessasthoughhehadbeenlookingatthebackofthedepartingnight。Allatonceabigboughcoveredwithleavesappearedabovehishead,andendsoftwigs,drippingandstill,curvedslenderlyclosealongside。Cornelius,withoutaword,tookthetillerfromhishand。’

  thinktheyspoketogetheragain。Theboatenteredanarrowby-channel,whereitwaspushedbytheoar-bladessetintocrumblingbanks,andtherewasagloomasifenormousblackwingshadbeenoutspreadabovethemistthatfilleditsdepthtothesummitsofthetrees。Thebranchesoverheadshoweredbigdropsthroughthegloomyfog。AtamutterfromCornelius,Brownorderedhismentoload。“I’llgiveyouachancetogetevenwiththembeforewe’redone,youdismalcripples,you,“hesaidtohisgang。“Mindyoudon’tthrowitaway——youhounds。“

  Lowgrowlsansweredthatspeech。Corneliusshowedmuchfussyconcernforthesafetyofhiscanoe。

  `MeantimeTamb’Itamhadreachedtheendofhisjourney。Thefoghaddelayedhimalittle,buthehadpaddledsteadily,keepingintouchwiththesouthbank。Byandbydaylightcamelikeaglowinaground-glassglobe。

  Theshoresmadeoneachsideoftheriveradarksmudge,inwhichonecoulddetecthintsofcolumnarformsandshadowsoftwistedbrancheshighup。

  Themistwasstillthickonthewater,butagoodwatchwasbeingkept,forasTamb’Itamapproachedthecampthefiguresoftwomenemergedoutofthewhitevapour,andvoicesspoketohimboisterously。Heanswered,andpresentlyacanoelayalongside,andheexchangednewswiththepaddlers。

  Allwaswell。Thetroublewasover。Thenthemeninthecanoeletgotheirgriponthesideofhisdug-outandincontinentlyfelloutofsight。Hepursuedhiswaytillheheardvoicescomingtohimquietlyoverthewater,andsaw,underthenowlifting,swirlingmist,theglowofmanylittlefiresburningonasandystretch,backedbyloftythintimberandbushes。

  Thereagainalook-outwaskept,forhewaschallenged。Heshoutedhisnameasthetwolastsweepsofhispaddleranhiscanoeuponthestrand。

  Itwasabigcamp。Mencrouchedinmanyknotsunderasubduedmurmurofearlymorningtalk。Manythinthreadsofsmokecurledslowlyonthewhitemist。Littleshelters,elevatedabovetheground,hadbeenbuiltforthechiefs。Musketswerestackedinsmallpyramids,andlongspearswerestucksinglyintothesandnearthefires。

  `Tamb’Itam,assuminganairofimportance,demandedtobeledtoDainWaris。Hefoundthefriendofhiswhitelordlyingonaraisedcouchmadeofbamboo,andshelteredbyasortofshedofstickscoveredwithmats。

  DainWariswasawake,andabrightfirewasburningbeforehissleeping-place,whichresembledarudeshrine。TheonlysonofNakhodaDoraminansweredhisgreetingkindly。Tamb’Itambeganbyhandinghimtheringwhichvouchedforthetruthofthemessenger’swords。DainWaris,recliningonhiselbow,badehimspeakandtellallthenews。Beginningwiththeconsecratedformula:

  “Thenewsisgood,“Tamb’ItamdeliveredJim’sownwords。Thewhitemen,departingwiththeconsentofallthechiefs,weretobeallowedtopassdowntheriver。InanswertoaquestionortwoTamb’Itamthenreportedtheproceedingsofthelastcouncil。DainWarislistenedattentivelytotheend,toyingwiththeringwhichultimatelyheslippedontheforefingerofhisrighthand。AfterhearingallhehadtosayhedismissedTamb’Itamtohavefoodandrest。Ordersforthereturnintheafternoonweregivenimmediately。AfterwardsDainWarislaydownagain,open-eyed,whilehispersonalattendantswerepreparinghisfoodatthefire,bywhichTamb’

  Itamalsosattalkingtothemenwholoungeduptohearthelatestintelligencefromthetown。Thesunwaseatingupthemist。Agoodwatchwaskeptuponthereachofthemainstreamwheretheboatofthewhiteswasexpectedtoappeareverymoment。

  `ItwasthenthatBrowntookhisrevengeupontheworldwhich,aftertwentyyearsofcontemptuousandrecklessbullying,refusedhimthetributeofacommonrobber’ssuccess。Itwasanactofcold-bloodedferocity,anditconsoledhimonhisdeathbedlikeamemoryofanindomitabledefiance。

  StealthilyhelandedhismenontheothersideoftheislandoppositetotheBugiscamp,andledthemacross。Afterashortbutquitesilentscuffle,Cornelius,whohadtriedtoslinkawayatthemomentoflanding,resignedhimselftoshowthewaywheretheundergrowthwasmostsparse。Brownheldbothhisskinnyhandstogetherbehindhisbackinthegripofonevastfist,andnowandthenimpelledhimforwardwithafiercepush。Corneliusremainedasmuteasafish,abjectbutfaithfultohispurpose,whoseaccomplishmentloomedbeforehimdimly。AttheedgeofthepatchofforestBrown’smenspreadthemselvesoutincoverandwaited。Thecampwasplainfromendtoendbeforetheireyes,andnoonelookedtheirway。Nobodyevendreamedthatthewhitemencouldhaveanyknowledgeofthenarrowchannelatthebackoftheisland。Whenhejudgedthemomentcome,Brownyelled:“Letthemhaveit,“andfourteenshotsrangoutlikeone。

  `Tamb’Itamtoldmethesurprisewassogreatthat,exceptforthosewhofelldeadorwounded,notasoulofthemmovedforquiteanappreciabletimeafterthefirstdischarge。Thenamanscreamed,andafterthatscreamagreatyellofamazementandfearwentupfromallthethroats。Ablindpanicdrovethesemeninasurgingswayingmobtoandfroalongtheshorelikeaherdofcattleafraidofthewater。Somefewjumpedintotheriverthen,butmostofthemdidsoonlyafterthelastdischarge。ThreetimesBrown’smenfiredintotheruck,Brown,theonlyoneinview,cursingandyelling:“Aimlow!aimlow!“

  `Tamb’Itamsaysthat,asforhim,heunderstoodatthefirstvolleywhathadhappened。Thoughuntouchedhefelldownandlayasifdead,butwithhiseyesopen。AtthesoundofthefirstshotsDainWaris,recliningonthecouch,jumpedupandranoutupontheopenshore,justintimetoreceiveabulletinhisforeheadattheseconddischarge。Tamb’Itamsawhimflinghisarmswideopenbeforehefell。Then,hesays,agreatfearcameuponhim——notbefore。Thewhitemenretiredastheyhadcome——unseen。

  `ThusBrownbalancedhisaccountwiththeevilfortune。Noticethateveninthisawfuloutbreakthereisasuperiorityasofamanwhocarriesright——theabstractthing——withintheenvelopeofhiscommondesires。Itwasnotavulgarandtreacherousmassacre;itwasalesson,aretribution——ademonstrationofsomeobscureandawfulattributeofournaturewhich,Iamafraid,isnotsoveryfarunderthesurfaceasweliketothink。

  `AfterwardsthewhitesdepartunseenbyTamb’Itam,andseemtovanishfrombeforemen’seyesaltogether;andtheschooner,too,vanishesafterthemannerofstolengoods。Butastoryistoldofawhitelong-boatpickedupamonthlaterintheIndianOceanbyacargo-steamer。Twoparched,yellow,glassy-eyed,whisperingskeletonsinherrecognizedtheauthorityofathird,whodeclaredthathisnamewasBrown。Hisschooner,hereported,boundsouthwithacargoofJavasugar,hadsprungabadleakandsankunderhisfeet。Heandhiscompanionswerethesurvivorsofacrewofsix。

  Thetwodiedonboardthesteamerwhichrescuedthem。Brownlivedtobeseenbyme,andIcantestifythathehadplayedhisparttothelast。

  `Itseems,however,thatingoingawaytheyhadneglectedtocastoffCornelius’scanoe。CorneliushimselfBrownhadletgoatthebeginningoftheshooting,withakickforapartingbenediction。Tamb’Itam,afterarisingfromamongstthedead,sawtheNazarenerunningupanddowntheshoreamongstthecorpsesandtheexpiringfires。Heutteredlittlecries。

  Suddenlyherushedtothewater,andmadefranticeffortstogetoneoftheBugisboatsintothewater。“Afterwards,tillhehadseenme,“relatedTamb’Itam,“hestoodlookingattheheavycanoeandscratchinghishead。“

点击下载App,搜索"Lord Jim",免费读到尾