My Dear Colvin, — Since I last laid down my pen, I have written and rewritten The Beach of Falesa; something like sixty thousand words of sterling1 domestic fiction (the story, you will understand, is only half that length); and now I don’t want to write any more again for ever, or feel so; and I’ve got to overhaul2 it once again to my sorrow. I was all yesterday revising, and found a lot of slacknesses and (what is worse in this kind of thing) some literaryisms. One of the puzzles is this: It is a first person story — a trader telling his own adventure in an island. When I began I allowed myself a few liberties, because I was afraid of the end; now the end proved quite easy, and could be done in the pace; so the beginning remains3 about a quarter tone out (in places); but I have rather decided4 to let it stay so. The problem is always delicate; it is the only thing that worries me in first person tales, which otherwise (quo’ Alan) ‘set better wi’ my genius.’ There is a vast deal of fact in the story, and some pretty good comedy. It is the first realistic South Sea story; I mean with real South Sea character and details of life. Everybody else who has tried, that I have seen, got carried away by the romance, and ended in a kind of sugar-candy sham5 epic6, and the whole effect was lost — there was no etching, no human grin, consequently no conviction. Now I have got the smell and look of the thing a good deal. You will know more about the South Seas after you have read my little tale than if you had read a library. As to whether any one else will read it, I have no guess. I am in an off time, but there is just the possibility it might make a hit; for the yarn7 is good and melodramatic, and there is quite a love affair — for me; and Mr. Wiltshire (the narrator) is a huge lark8, though I say it. But there is always the exotic question, and everything, the life, the place, the dialects — trader’s talk, which is a strange conglomerate9 of literary expressions and English and American slang, and Beach de Mar10, or native English, — the very trades and hopes and fears of the characters, are all novel, and may be found unwelcome to that great, hulking, bullering whale, the public.
Since I wrote, I have been likewise drawing up a document to send it to the President; it has been dreadfully delayed, not by me, but today they swear it will be sent in. A list of questions about the dynamite11 report are herein laid before him, and considerations suggested why he should answer.
October 5th.
Ever since my last snatch I have been much chivied about over the President business; his answer has come, and is an evasion12 accompanied with schoolboy insolence13, and we are going to try to answer it. I drew my answer and took it down yesterday; but one of the signatories wants another paragraph added, which I have not yet been able to draw, and as to the wisdom of which I am not yet convinced.
Next Day, Oct. 7th, the right day.
We are all in rather a muddled14 state with our President affair. I do loathe15 politics, but at the same time, I cannot stand by and have the natives blown in the air treacherously16 with dynamite. They are still quiet; how long this may continue I do not know, though of course by mere17 prescription18 the Government is strengthened, and is probably insured till the next taxes fall due. But the unpopularity of the whites is growing. My native overseer, the great Henry Simele, announced today that he was ‘weary of whites upon the beach. All too proud,’ said this veracious19 witness. One of the proud ones had threatened yesterday to cut off his head with a bush knife! These are ‘native outrages’; honour bright, and setting theft aside, in which the natives are active, this is the main stream of irritation20. The natives are generally courtly, far from always civil, but really gentle, and with a strong sense of honour of their own, and certainly quite as much civilised as our dynamiting21 President.
We shall be delighted to see Kipling. I go to bed usually about half-past eight, and my lamp is out before ten; I breakfast at six. We may say roughly we have no soda22 water on the island, and just now truthfully no whisky. I have heard the chimes at midnight; now no more, I guess. But — Fanny and I, as soon as we can get coins for it, are coming to Europe, not to England: I am thinking of Royat. Bar wars. If not, perhaps the Apennines might give us a mountain refuge for two months or three in summer. How is that for high? But the money must be all in hand first.
October 13th.
How am I to describe my life these last few days? I have been wholly swallowed up in politics, a wretched business, with fine elements of farce23 in it too, which repay a man in passing, involving many dark and many moonlight rides, secret counsels which are at once divulged24, sealed letters which are read aloud in confidence to the neighbours, and a mass of fudge and fun, which would have driven me crazy ten years ago, and now makes me smile.
On Friday, Henry came and told us he must leave and go to ‘my poor old family in Savaii’; why? I do not quite know — but, I suspect, to be tattooed25 — if so, then probably to be married, and we shall see him no more. I told him he must do what he thought his duty; we had him to lunch, drank his health, and he and I rode down about twelve. When I got down, I sent my horse back to help bring down the family later. My own afternoon was cut out for me; my last draft for the President had been objected to by some of the signatories. I stood out, and one of our small number accordingly refused to sign. Him I had to go and persuade, which went off very well after the first hottish moments; you have no idea how stolid26 my temper is now. By about five the thing was done; and we sat down to dinner at the Chinaman’s — the Verrey or Doyen’s of Apia — G. and I at each end as hosts; G.‘s wife — Fanua, late maid of the village; her (adopted) father and mother, Seumanu and Faatulia, Fanny, Belle27, Lloyd, Austin, and Henry Simele, his last appearance. Henry was in a kilt of gray shawl, with a blue jacket, white shirt and black necktie, and looked like a dark genteel guest in a Highland28 shooting-box. Seumanu (opposite Fanny, next G.) is chief of Apia, a rather big gun in this place, looking like a large, fatted, military Englishman, bar the colour. Faatulia, next me, is a bigger chief than her husband. Henry is a chief too — his chief name, Iiga (Ee-eeng-a), he has not yet ‘taken’ because of his youth. We were in fine society, and had a pleasant meal-time, with lots of fun. Then to the Opera — I beg your pardon, I mean the Circus. We occupied the first row in the reserved seats, and there in the row behind were all our friends — Captain Foss and his Captain-Lieutenant, three of the American officers, very nice fellows, the Dr., etc, so we made a fine show of what an embittered29 correspondent of the local paper called ‘the shoddy aristocracy of Apia’; and you should have seen how we carried on, and how I clapped, and Captain Foss hollered ‘Wunderschon!’ and threw himself forward in his seat, and how we all in fact enjoyed ourselves like school-children, Austin not a shade more than his neighbours. Then the Circus broke up, and the party went home, but I stayed down, having business on the morrow.
Yesterday, October 12th, great news reaches me, and Lloyd and I, with the mail just coming in, must leave all, saddle, and ride down. True enough, the President had resigned! Sought to resign his presidency30 of the council, and keep his advisership to the King; given way to the Consul’s objections and resigned all — then fell out with them about the disposition31 of the funds, and was now trying to resign from his resignation! Sad little President, so trim to look at, and I believe so kind to his little wife! Not only so, but I meet D. on the beach. D. calls me in consultation32, and we make with infinite difficulty a draft of a petition to the King. . . . Then to dinner at M.‘s, a very merry meal, interrupted before it was over by the arrival of the committee. Slight sketch33 of procedure agreed upon, self appointed spokesman, and the deputation sets off. Walk all through Matafele, all along Mulinuu, come to the King’s house; he has verbally refused to see us in answer to our letter, swearing he is gase-gase (chief-sickness, not common man’s), and indeed we see him inside in bed. It is a miserable34 low house, better houses by the dozen in the little hamlet (Tanugamanono) of bushmen on our way to Vailima; and the President’s house in process of erection just opposite! We are told to return tomorrow; I refuse; and at last we are very sourly received, sit on the mats, and I open out, through a very poor interpreter, and sometimes hampered35 by unacceptable counsels from my backers. I can speak fairly well in a plain way now. C. asked me to write out my harangue36 for him this morning; I have done so, and couldn’t get it near as good. I suppose (talking and interpreting) I was twenty minutes or half-an-hour on the deck; then his majesty37 replied in the dying whisper of a big chief; a few words of rejoinder (approving), and the deputation withdrew, rather well satisfied.
A few days ago this intervention38 would have been a deportable39 offence; not now, I bet; I would like them to try. A little way back along Mulinuu, Mrs. G. met us with her husband’s horse; and he and she and Lloyd and I rode back in a heavenly moonlight. Here ends a chapter in the life of an island politician! Catch me at it again; ’tis easy to go in, but it is not a pleasant trade. I have had a good team, as good as I could get on the beach; but what trouble even so, and what fresh troubles shaping. But I have on the whole carried all my points; I believe all but one, and on that (which did not concern me) I had no right to interfere40. I am sure you would be amazed if you knew what a good hand I am at keeping my temper, talking people over, and giving reasons which are not my reasons, but calculated for the meridian41 of the particular objection; so soon does falsehood await the politician in his whirling path.
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1
sterling
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| adj.英币的(纯粹的，货真价实的)；n.英国货币(英镑) | |
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2
overhaul
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| v./n.大修，仔细检查 | |
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3
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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4
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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5
sham
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| n./adj.假冒(的)，虚伪(的) | |
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6
epic
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| n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的 | |
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7
yarn
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| n.纱，纱线，纺线；奇闻漫谈，旅行轶事 | |
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8
lark
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| n.云雀，百灵鸟；n.嬉戏，玩笑；vi.嬉戏 | |
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9
conglomerate
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| n.综合商社，多元化集团公司 | |
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10
mar
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| vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟 | |
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11
dynamite
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| n./vt.(用)炸药(爆破) | |
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12
evasion
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| n.逃避，偷漏(税) | |
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13
insolence
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| n.傲慢；无礼；厚颜；傲慢的态度 | |
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14
muddled
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| adj.混乱的；糊涂的；头脑昏昏然的v.弄乱，弄糟( muddle的过去式)；使糊涂；对付，混日子 | |
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15
loathe
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| v.厌恶，嫌恶 | |
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16
treacherously
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| 背信弃义地； 背叛地； 靠不住地； 危险地 | |
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17
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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18
prescription
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| n.处方，开药；指示，规定 | |
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19
veracious
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| adj.诚实可靠的 | |
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20
irritation
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| n.激怒，恼怒，生气 | |
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21
dynamiting
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| v.（尤指用于采矿的）甘油炸药( dynamite的现在分词 )；会引起轰动的人[事物]；增重 | |
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22
soda
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| n.苏打水；汽水 | |
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23
farce
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| n.闹剧，笑剧，滑稽戏；胡闹 | |
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24
divulged
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| v.吐露，泄露( divulge的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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25
tattooed
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| v.刺青，文身( tattoo的过去式和过去分词 )；连续有节奏地敲击；作连续有节奏的敲击 | |
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26
stolid
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| adj.无动于衷的，感情麻木的 | |
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27
belle
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| n.靓女 | |
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28
highland
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| n.(pl.)高地，山地 | |
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29
embittered
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| v.使怨恨，激怒( embitter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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30
presidency
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| n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期) | |
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31
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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32
consultation
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| n.咨询；商量；商议；会议 | |
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33
sketch
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| n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述 | |
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34
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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35
hampered
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| 妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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36
harangue
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| n.慷慨冗长的训话，言辞激烈的讲话 | |
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37
majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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38
intervention
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| n.介入，干涉，干预 | |
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39
deportable
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| adj.可（或应）驱逐出境的，可（或应）流放的 | |
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40
interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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41
meridian
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| adj.子午线的；全盛期的 | |
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