CHAPTER XXXVII SAGESSE IS CORNERED

That night, as they sat in the tent smoking, Gaspard approached the object of his grievance¹.

“Look here,” he said, “we have got the boat across the island and afloat in the lagoon². We have got the diving apparatus³ in her ready for working. Nothing remains⁴ to be done but start work to-morrow morning.”

“Yes.”

“Well, before we start work, I have a word to say.”

“Yes?”

“It’s about the terms of our agreement.”

“Yes?”

“I am to have fifteen francs out of every hundred francs you make?”

“Those were the terms.”

“Well, it seems to me not enough.”

Sagesse gave a short laugh. “How, not enough?”

“Who discovered the ship?”

“Your friend, Yves—so you told me.”

“Yes, but as a matter of fact, we both discovered it, for if he had not done so I would have at the first low tide I was over there.”

“Well, go on,” said Sagesse. “What are you driving at?”

“I say fifteen per cent. is not enough. I want thirty.”

“Oh, you want thirty, do you?”

241 “Yes.”

“You want Monsieur Yves’ share as well as your own?”

“Exactly.”

“That seems to me not unjust,” said Sagesse in a meditative⁵ tone.

“I would not ask you if it were unjust.”

“Yet, it seems to me,” said Sagesse, “that the conditions accompanying Monsieur Yves’ death make a difference. You killed this man, yet you wish to inherit his share. How about his relations?”

“How about the relations of Pedro, whom you killed?” asked Gaspard.

“Exactly,” replied Sagesse. “You have me there, it seems; you have me in a corner, it seems. I have only been twice before in my life held up by obstacles. Now, do you not think it is a dangerous game to play with me, cornering me like that?” Sagesse’s voice had a complaining tone, as though they were talking of some trifle.

“Oh,” said Gaspard, with a smile, “I am armed.” He tapped the pocket where the revolver was.

Sagesse’s face took on an expression of disgust, almost.

“Armed! Oh, you are only fit for the stokehold! Do you take me for a knifer or a Chinese hatchet⁶ man? Suppose I were to kill you to-night in your sleep, what would happen? Every man on board who knew of it would be my master. I don’t kill.”

He spoke⁷ the truth. Captain Sagesse, though he had killed Pedro accidentally, was no murderer. His art was quite beyond that rough method of settling disputes and gaining money.

“Well,” said Gaspard, “kill or not kill, I am not afraid. I am fighting for my rights.”

242 “And your rights you shall have.”

“You will give me the thirty per cent.?”

Sagesse nodded his head.

“Right,” said Gaspard, holding out his hand.

Sagesse took it.

“And now,” said he, “let us forget our differences and have a drink.”

He brought out a case-bottle of rum from a corner of the tent and two mugs. They drank together, pledging each other, pledging Fortune, Serpente, the whole world. Then Gaspard, when the carouse⁸ had lasted some two hours, lay down on his blanket and tapped his pipe out against his heel. But he could not sleep for a long time, or if he slept, his dreams were so vivid as to be almost real happenings.

Men passed before the tent entrance; they were carrying parcels and packages as though the landing party were returning to the ship. He heard Sagesse’s voice and the voice of Jules; he heard laughter and then he heard no more, for slumber⁹ had suddenly shut on him like the lid of a box.

1 grievance   

n.怨愤，气恼，委屈

参考例句：

• He will not easily forget his grievance.他不会轻易忘掉他的委屈。
• He had been nursing a grievance against his boss for months.几个月来他对老板一直心怀不满。

2 lagoon   

n.泻湖，咸水湖

参考例句：

• The lagoon was pullulated with tropical fish.那个咸水湖聚满了热带鱼。
• This area isolates a restricted lagoon environment.将这一地区隔离起来使形成一个封闭的泻湖环境。

3 apparatus   

n.装置，器械；器具，设备

参考例句：

• The school's audio apparatus includes films and records.学校的视听设备包括放映机和录音机。
• They had a very refined apparatus.他们有一套非常精良的设备。

4 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

5 meditative   

adj.沉思的，冥想的

参考例句：

• A stupid fellow is talkative;a wise man is meditative.蠢人饶舌，智者思虑。
• Music can induce a meditative state in the listener.音乐能够引导倾听者沉思。

6 hatchet   

n.短柄小斧；v.扼杀

参考例句：

• I shall have to take a hatchet to that stump.我得用一把短柄斧来劈这树桩。
• Do not remove a fly from your friend's forehead with a hatchet.别用斧头拍打朋友额头上的苍蝇。

7 spoke   

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

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

8 carouse   

v.狂欢；痛饮；n.狂饮的宴会

参考例句：

• I am just enjoying carouse.我正在尽情地享受狂欢呢。
• His followers did not carouse,like the troops of many warlord armies.他的部下也不象许多军阀的军队那样大吃大喝。

9 slumber   

n.睡眠，沉睡状态

参考例句：

• All the people in the hotels were wrapped in deep slumber.住在各旅馆里的人都已进入梦乡。
• Don't wake him from his slumber because he needs the rest.不要把他从睡眠中唤醒，因为他需要休息。