One was a tall, robust1 Yankee, hern in the backwoods of Maine, sallow, and with a long face;—the other was a short little Cockney, who had first clapped his eyes on the Monument.
The voice of Zeke, the Yankee, had a twang like a cracked viol; and Shorty (as his comrade called him), clipped the aspirate from every word beginning with one. The latter, though not the tallest man in the world, was a good-looking young fellow of twenty-five. His cheeks were dyed with the fine Saxon red, burned deeper from his roving life: his blue eye opened well, and a profusion2 of fair hair curled over a well-shaped head.
But Zeke was no beauty. A strong, ugly man, he was well adapted for manual labour; and that was all. His eyes were made to see with, and not for ogling3. Compared with the Cockney, he was grave, and rather taciturn; but there was a deal of good old humour bottled up in him, after all. For the rest, he was frank, good-hearted, shrewd, and resolute4; and like Shorty, quite illiterate5.
Though a curious conjunction, the pair got along together famously. But, as no two men were ever united in any enterprise without one getting the upper hand of the other, so in most matters Zeke had his own way. Shorty, too, had imbibed6 from him a spirit of invincible7 industry; and Heaven only knows what ideas of making a fortune on their plantation8.
We were much concerned at this; for the prospect9 of their setting us, in their own persons, an example of downright hard labour, was anything but agreeable. But it was now too late to repent10 what we had done.
The first day—thank fortune—we did nothing. Having treated us as guests thus far, they no doubt thought it would be wanting in delicacy11 to set us to work before the compliments of the occasion were well over. The next morning, however, they both looked business-like, and we were put to.
"Wall, b'ys" (boys), said Zeke, knocking the ashes out of his pipe, after breakfast—"we must get at it. Shorty, give Peter there (the doctor), the big hoe, and Paul the other, and let's be off." Going to a corner, Shorty brought forth12 three of the implements13; and distributing them impartially14, trudged15 on after his partner, who took the lead with something in the shape of an axe16.
For a moment left alone in the house, we looked at each other, quaking. We were each equipped with a great, clumsy piece of a tree, armed at one end with a heavy, flat mass of iron.
The cutlery part—especially adapted to a primitive17 soil—was an importation from Sydney; the handles must have been of domestic manufacture. "Hoes"—so called—we had heard of, and seen; but they were harmless in comparison with the tools in our hands.
"What's to be done with them?" inquired I of Peter.
"Lift them up and down," he replied; "or put them in motion some way or other. Paul, we are in a scrape—but hark! they are calling;" and shouldering the hoes, off we marched.'
Our destination was the farther side of the plantation, where the ground, cleared in part, had not yet been broken up; but they were now setting about it. Upon halting, I asked why a plough was not used; some of the young wild steers18 might be caught and trained for draught19.
Zeke replied that, for such a purpose, no cattle, to his knowledge, had ever been used in any part of Polynesia. As for the soil of Martair, so obstructed20 was it with roots, crossing and recrossing each other at all points, that no kind of a plough could be used to advantage. The heavy Sydney hoes were the only thing for such land.
Our work was now before us; but, previous to commencing operations, I endeavoured to engage the Yankee in a little further friendly chat concerning the nature of virgin21 soils in general, and that of the valley of Martair in particular. So masterly a stratagem22 made Long Ghost brighten up; and he stood by ready to join in. But what our friend had to say about agriculture all referred to the particular part of his plantation upon which we stood; and having communicated enough on this head to enable us to set to work to the best advantage, he fell to, himself; and Shorty, who had been looking on, followed suit.
The surface, here and there, presented closely amputated branches of what had once been a dense23 thicket24. They seemed purposely left projecting, as if to furnish a handle whereby to drag out the roots beneath. After loosening the hard soil, by dint25 of much thumping26 and pounding, the Yankee jerked one of the roots this way and that, twisting it round and round, and then tugging27 at it horizontally.
"Come! lend us a hand!" he cried, at last; and running up, we all four strained away in concert. The tough obstacle convulsed the surface with throes and spasms28; but stuck fast, notwithstanding.
"Dumn it!" cried Zeke, "we'll have to get a rope; run to the house, Shorty, and fetch one."
The end of this being attached, we took plenty of room, and strained away once more.
"Give us a song, Shorty," said the doctor; who was rather sociable29, on a short acquaintance. Where the work to be accomplished30 is any way difficult, this mode of enlivening toil31 is quite efficacious among sailors. So willing to make everything as cheerful as possible, Shorty struck up, "Were you ever in Dumbarton?" a marvellously inspiring, but somewhat indecorous windlass chorus.
At last, the Yankee cast a damper on his enthusiasm by exclaiming, in a pet, "Oh! dumn your singing! keep quiet, and pull away!" This we now did, in the most uninteresting silence; until, with a jerk that made every elbow hum, the root dragged out; and most inelegantly, we all landed upon the ground. The doctor, quite exhausted32, stayed there; and, deluded33 into believing that, after so doughty34 a performance, we would be allowed a cessation of toil, took off his hat, and fanned himself.
"Rayther a hard customer, that, Peter," observed the Yankee, going up to him: "but it's no use for any on 'em to hang back; for I'm dumned if they hain't got to come out, whether or no. Hurrah35! let's get at it agin!"
"Mercy!" ejaculated the doctor, rising slowly, and turning round. "He'll be the death of us!"
Falling to with our hoes again, we worked singly, or together, as occasion required, until "Nooning Time" came.
The period, so called by the planters, embraced about three hours in the middle of the day; during which it was so excessively hot, in this still, brooding valley, shut out from the Trades, and only open toward the leeward36 side of the island, that labour in the sun was out of the question. To use a hyperbolical phrase of Shorty's, "It was 'ot enough to melt the nose h'off a brass37 monkey."
Returning to the house, Shorty, assisted by old Tonoi, cooked the dinner; and, after we had all partaken thereof, both the Cockney and Zeke threw themselves into one of the hammocks, inviting38 us to occupy the other. Thinking it no bad idea, we did so; and, after skirmishing with the mosquitoes, managed to fall into a doze39. As for the planters, more accustomed to "Nooning," they, at once, presented a nuptial40 back to each other; and were soon snoring away at a great rate. Tonoi snoozed on a mat, in one corner.
At last, we were roused by Zeke's crying out, "Up b'ys; up! rise, and shine; time to get at it agin!"
In a languid voice, he told Zeke that he was not very well: indeed, that he had not been himself for some time past; though a little rest, no doubt, would recruit him. The Yankee thinking, from this, that our valuable services might be lost to him altogether, were he too hard upon us at the outset, at once begged us both to consult our own feelings, and not exert ourselves for the present, unless we felt like it. Then—without recognizing the fact that my comrade claimed to be actually unwell—he simply suggested that, since he was so tired, he had better, perhaps, swing in his hammock for the rest of the day. If agreeable, however, I myself might accompany him upon a little bullock-hunting excursion in the neighbouring hills. In this proposition, I gladly acquiesced42; though Peter, who was a great sportsman, put on a long face. The muskets43 and ammunition44 were forthwith got from overhead; and, everything being then ready, Zeke cried out, "Tonoi! come; aramai! (get up) we want you for pilot. Shorty, my lad, look arter things, you know; and if you likes, why, there's them roots in the field yonder."
Having thus arranged his domestic affairs to please himself, though little to Shorty's satisfaction, I thought, he slung45 his powder-horn over his shoulder, and we started. Tonoi was, at once, sent on in advance; and leaving the plantation, he struck into a path which led toward the mountains.
After hurrying through the thickets46 for some time, we came out into the sunlight, in an open glade47, just under the shadow of the hills. Here, Zeke pointed48 aloft to a beetling49 crag far distant, where a bullock, with horns thrown back, stood like a statue.
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1
robust
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| adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的 | |
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profusion
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| n.挥霍；丰富 | |
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ogling
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| v.（向…）抛媚眼，送秋波( ogle的现在分词 ) | |
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4
resolute
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| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
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illiterate
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| adj.文盲的；无知的；n.文盲 | |
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6
imbibed
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| v.吸收( imbibe的过去式和过去分词 )；喝；吸取；吸气 | |
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7
invincible
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| adj.不可征服的，难以制服的 | |
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plantation
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| n.种植园，大农场 | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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repent
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| v.悔悟，悔改，忏悔，后悔 | |
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delicacy
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| n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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implements
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| n.工具( implement的名词复数 )；家具；手段；[法律]履行（契约等）v.实现( implement的第三人称单数 )；执行；贯彻；使生效 | |
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impartially
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| adv.公平地，无私地 | |
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trudged
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| vt.& vi.跋涉，吃力地走（trudge的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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16
axe
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| n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减 | |
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primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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steers
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| n.阉公牛，肉用公牛( steer的名词复数 )v.驾驶( steer的第三人称单数 )；操纵；控制；引导 | |
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19
draught
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| n.拉，牵引，拖；一网（饮，吸，阵)；顿服药量，通风；v.起草，设计 | |
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obstructed
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| 阻塞( obstruct的过去式和过去分词 )； 堵塞； 阻碍； 阻止 | |
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21
virgin
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| n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的 | |
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stratagem
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| n.诡计，计谋 | |
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dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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thicket
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| n.灌木丛，树林 | |
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dint
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| n.由于，靠；凹坑 | |
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thumping
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| adj.重大的，巨大的；重击的；尺码大的；极好的adv.极端地；非常地v.重击(thump的现在分词)；狠打；怦怦地跳；全力支持 | |
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27
tugging
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| n.牵引感v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的现在分词 ) | |
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28
spasms
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| n.痉挛( spasm的名词复数 )；抽搐；（能量、行为等的）突发；发作 | |
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29
sociable
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| adj.好交际的，友好的，合群的 | |
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30
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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31
toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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32
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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33
deluded
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| v.欺骗，哄骗( delude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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34
doughty
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| adj.勇猛的，坚强的 | |
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35
hurrah
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| int.好哇，万岁，乌拉 | |
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leeward
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| adj.背风的；下风的 | |
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37
brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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38
inviting
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| adj.诱人的，引人注目的 | |
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39
doze
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| v.打瞌睡；n.打盹，假寐 | |
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40
nuptial
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| adj.婚姻的，婚礼的 | |
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41
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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42
acquiesced
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| v.默认，默许( acquiesce的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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43
muskets
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| n.火枪，（尤指）滑膛枪( musket的名词复数 ) | |
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44
ammunition
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| n.军火，弹药 | |
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45
slung
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| 抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往 | |
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46
thickets
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| n.灌木丛( thicket的名词复数 )；丛状物 | |
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47
glade
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| n.林间空地，一片表面有草的沼泽低地 | |
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48
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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49
beetling
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| adj.突出的，悬垂的v.快速移动( beetle的现在分词 ) | |
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