Once again we must beg the patient reader to skip with us over time and space, until we find ourselves in the great city of Bombay.
It is a great day for Bombay. Natives and Europeans alike are unusually excited. Something of an unwonted nature is evidently astir. Down at the sea the cause of the excitement is explained, for the Great Eastern steam-ship has just arrived, laden2 with the telegraph cable which is to connect England with her possessions in the East. The streets and quays3 are crowded with the men of many nations and various creeds4, to say nothing of varied5 costume. Turbans and chimney-pots salaam6 to each other, and fezzes nod to straw hats and wide-awakes. Every one is more than usually sympathetic, for all have their minds, eyes, and hopes, more or less, centred on the “big ship,” with her unique and precious cargo7.
But it is with neither the Great Eastern nor the people—not even with the cable—that we have to do just now. Removing our eyes from such, we fix them and our attention on a very small steamer which lies alongside one of the wharves8, and shows evidence of having been severely9 handled by winds and waves.
At the time we direct attention to her, a few passengers were landing from this vessel10, and among them were our friends, Sam Shipton, Robin11 Wright, Jim Slagg, John Shanks, alias12 Stumps, and Letta Langley. Most of the passengers had luggage of some sort, but our friends possessed13 only a small bag each, slung14 over their shoulders. A letter from the authorities of Sarawak certified15 that they were honest men.
“Now, Robin,” said Sam, as they pushed through the crowds, “there seems to me something auspicious16 in our arriving about the same time with the Great Eastern, and I hope something may come of it, but our first business is to make inquiries17 for Mrs Langley. We will therefore go and find the hotel to which we have been recommended, and make that our head-quarters while we are engaged in our search.”
“Can I lend you a hand, Mr Shipton?” asked Slagg, who had become, as it were, irresistibly18 more respectful to Robin and Sam since coming among civilised people.
“No, Slagg; our mission is too delicate to admit of numbers. If we require your services we’ll let you know.”
“Ah! I see—too many cooks apt to spoil the broth19. Well, my mission will be to loaf about and see Bombay. You and I will pull together, Stumps.”
“No,” said Stumps, to the surprise of his companions, “I’ve got a private mission of my own—at least for this evening.”
“Well, please yourself, Stumpy,” said Slagg with a good-humoured laugh, “you never was the best o’ company, so I won’t break my heart.”
At the hotel to which they had been recommended two rooms were engaged,—a small single room for Letta, and one with two beds and a sofa for themselves.
Having breakfasted and commended Letta to the landlady’s care, Sam and Robin sallied forth20 together, while Slagg and Stumps went their separate ways, having appointed to meet again in the evening for supper.
We will follow the fortunes of Mr John Shanks. That rather vacant and somewhat degenerate22 youth, having his precious bag slung from his shoulders, and his left arm round it for further security, sauntered forth, and began to view the town. His viewing it consisted chiefly in looking long and steadily23 at the shop windows of the principal streets. There was a slight touch of cunning, however, in his expression, for he had rid himself, cleverly as he imagined, of his comrades, and meant to dispose of some of the contents of his bag to the best advantage, without letting them know the result.
In the prosecution24 of his deep-laid plans, Stumps attracted the attention of a gentleman with exceedingly black eyes and hair, a hook nose, and rather seedy garments. This gentleman followed Stumps with great care for a considerable time, watched him attentively25, seemed to make up his mind about him, and finally ran violently against him.
“Oh! I do beg your pardon, sir. I am so sorry,” he said in a slightly foreign accent, with an expression of earnest distress26 on his not over-clean countenance27, “so very, very, sorry; it was a piece of orange peel. I almost fell; but for your kind assistance I should have been down and, perhaps, broke my legs. Thank you, sir; I do hope I have not hurt you against the wall. Allow me to dust your sleeve.”
“Oh! you’ve done me no damage, old gen’l’man,” said Stumps, rather flattered by the man’s attention and urbanity. “I’m all right; I ain’t so easy hurt. You needn’t take on so.”
“But I cannot help take on so,” returned the seedy man, with an irresistibly bland28 smile, “it is so good of you to make light of it, yet I might almost say you saved my life, for a fall to an elderly man is always very dangerous. Will you not allow me to give my benefactor29 a drink? See, here is a shop.”
Stumps chanced to be very hot and thirsty at the time; indeed he had been meditating30 some such indulgence, and fell into the trap at once. Accepting the offer with a “well, I don’t mind if I do,” he entered the drinking saloon and sat down, while his new friend called for brandy and water.
“You have come from a long voyage, I see,” said the seedy man, pulling out a small case and offering Stumps a cigar.
“How d’ee know that?” asked Stumps bluntly.
“Because I see it in your bronzed face, and, excuse me, somewhat threadbare garments.”
“Oh! as to that, old man, I’ve got tin enough to buy a noo rig out, but I’m in no hurry.”
He glanced unintentionally at his bag as he spoke31, and the seedy man glanced at it too—intentionally. Of course Stumps’s glance let the cat out of the bag!
“Come,” said the stranger, when the brandy was put before them, “drink—drink to—to the girls we left behind us.”
“I left no girl behind me,” said Stumps.
“Well then,” cried the seedy man, with irresistible32 good humour, “let us drink success to absent friends and confusion to our foes33.”
This seemed to meet the youth’s views, for, without a word of comment, he drained his glass nearly to the bottom.
“Ha! that’s good. Nothin’ like brandy and water on a hot day.”
“Except brandy and water on a cold day, my dear,” returned the Jew—for such he was; “there is not much to choose between them. Had you not better take off your bag? it incommodes you in so narrow a seat. Let me help—No?”
“Waiter! bring a light. My cigar is out,” said the Jew, affecting not to observe Stumps’s tone or manner. “It is strange,” he went on, “how, sometimes, you find a bad cigar—a very bad cigar—in the midst of good ones. Yours is going well, I think.”
“Well enough,” answered Stumps, taking another pull at the brandy and water.
The seedy man now launched out into a pleasant light discourse35 about Bombay and its ways, which highly interested his poor victim. He made no further allusion36 to the bag, Stumps’s behaviour having betrayed all he required to know, namely, that its contents were valuable.
Soon the brandy began to take effect on Stumps, and, as he was unaccustomed to such potent37 drink besides being unused to self-restraint, he would speedily have made himself a fit subject for the care of the police, which would not have suited his new friend at all. When, therefore, Stumps put out his hand to grasp his tumbler for another draught38, his anxious friend inadvertently knocked it over, and then begged his pardon profusely39. Before Stumps could decide whether to call for another glass at the risk of having to pay for it himself, the Jew pointed21 to a tall, sallow-faced man who sat in a corner smoking and reading a newspaper.
“Do you see him!” he asked, in a low mysterious whisper.
“Yes; who is he? what about him?” asked the youth in a similar whisper.
“Is he?” said Stumps with a vacant stare. “What’s that?”
Upon this text the seedy man delivered a discourse on the pleasures of opium-smoking, which quite roused the interest and curiosity of his hearer.
“But is it so very nice to smoke opium?” he asked, after listening for some time.
“Nice, my dear? I should think it is—very nice, but very wrong—oh! very wrong. Perhaps we ought not even to speak about it.”
“Nonsense!” said the now half-tipsy lad with an air of determination. “I should like to try it. Come, you know where I could have a pipe. Let’s go.”
“Not for worlds,” said the man with a look of remonstrance41.
“Oh, yes you will,” returned Stumps, rising.
He rose with apparent reluctance43, paid the reckoning, and led his miserable44 victim into one of the numerous dens45 of iniquity46 which exist in the lowest parts of that city. There he furnished the lad with a pipe of opium, and, while he was in the state of semi-stupor resulting therefrom, removed his bag of treasure, which he found, to his delight, contained a far richer prize than he had anticipated, despite the quantity of trash with which it was partly filled.
Having secured this, he waited until Stumps had partially47 recovered, and then led him into one of the most crowded thoroughfares.
“Now, my boy,” he said affectionately, “I think you are much better. You can walk alone.”
“I should think I could,” he replied, indignantly shaking off the man’s grasp. “Wh–what d’ee take me for?”
He drew his hand across his eyes, as if to clear away the cloud that still oppressed him, and stared sternly before him, then he stared, less sternly, on either side, then he wheeled round and stared anxiously behind him. Then clapping his left hand quickly to his side, he became conscious that his bag was gone, and that his late friend had taken an abrupt48 departure without bidding him farewell.
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1
stumps
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| （被砍下的树的）树桩( stump的名词复数 )； 残肢； （板球三柱门的）柱； 残余部分 | |
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laden
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| adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的 | |
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quays
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| 码头( quay的名词复数 ) | |
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creeds
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| （尤指宗教）信条，教条( creed的名词复数 ) | |
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varied
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| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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salaam
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| n.额手之礼，问安，敬礼；v.行额手礼 | |
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cargo
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| n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物 | |
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wharves
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| n.码头，停泊处( wharf的名词复数 ) | |
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severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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robin
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| n.知更鸟，红襟鸟 | |
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alias
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| n.化名；别名；adv.又名 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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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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certified
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| a.经证明合格的；具有证明文件的 | |
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auspicious
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| adj.吉利的；幸运的，吉兆的 | |
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inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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irresistibly
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| adv.无法抵抗地，不能自持地；极为诱惑人地 | |
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19
broth
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| n.原(汁)汤(鱼汤、肉汤、菜汤等) | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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degenerate
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| v.退步，堕落；adj.退步的，堕落的；n.堕落者 | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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prosecution
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| n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营 | |
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attentively
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| adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神 | |
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distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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bland
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| adj.淡而无味的，温和的，无刺激性的 | |
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benefactor
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| n. 恩人，行善的人，捐助人 | |
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meditating
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| a.沉思的，冥想的 | |
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31
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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32
irresistible
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| adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的 | |
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33
foes
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| 敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 ) | |
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34
growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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discourse
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| n.论文，演说；谈话；话语；vi.讲述，著述 | |
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allusion
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| n.暗示，间接提示 | |
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37
potent
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| adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的 | |
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38
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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39
profusely
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| ad.abundantly | |
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40
opium
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| n.鸦片；adj.鸦片的 | |
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41
remonstrance
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| n抗议，抱怨 | |
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42
wilful
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| adj.任性的，故意的 | |
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43
reluctance
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| n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿 | |
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44
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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45
dens
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| n.牙齿，齿状部分；兽窝( den的名词复数 )；窝点；休息室；书斋 | |
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46
iniquity
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| n.邪恶；不公正 | |
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47
partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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48
abrupt
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| adj.突然的，意外的；唐突的，鲁莽的 | |
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