He remembered all that had passed clearly and distinctly and the miracle of that blue sky above him, after the black and howling chaos2 of the night, filled his heart with thankfulness untold3.
He rose to his feet. His clothes were stiff with sea-salt, his eyes half-blinded by the light. Then he cried out in astonishment4. The island, under the sun, and surrounded by the racing5 amethyst6 of the sea, lay glittering white as frost. It was sea-salt from the spray of the night before. The palm trees were no longer there. There was nothing to be seen but the winter-white bushes beneath the burning sun. Bodies were washing ashore7 on the beach close to him, but he scarcely glanced at them, the desolation before him held him motionless and the knowledge that everything was blown away, provisions, tent, everything!
He crossed to the southern beach. There lay the palms, snapped off and dashed into the sand; a little mound8 just by the sea edge drew him towards it; it was the case of provisions. Hurled9 along by the wind, it had struck a lump of coral and been sanded over; it had been shaken258 almost to pieces and a few blows with his heel burst the staves apart. It was packed with tins of American preserved meat, such as are exported especially to the West Indies. He haggled10 a tin open with his knife and set to on its contents. As he ate he saw something tangled11 in the fronds12 of one of the broken palms. He came to it, kicked the sand aside and found the bag of biscuit. Things were not, then, so bad; but his mind was so dazed and benumbed that he scarcely felt satisfaction at the sight of the food and the knowledge that for a time, at least, he was saved from starvation. He stood chewing the meat and gazing about him, as an animal might gaze on finding itself in a strange place.
Ever since his first landing upon it with Yves, the island had seemed possessed13 of some diabolical14 presence. Yet on looking back, there was nothing to be perceived but just an ordinary and logical chain of events. With the exception of finding the gold and the coral ship in the lagoon15, all the events, even the killing16 of Yves, came within the province of ordinary sequence. Yet how sinister17 were they, taken as a whole, from the first glimpse of the ship in the water to the last glimpse of La Belle18 Arlésienne hurled to her death by the waves.
He was thinking nothing of this as he stood chewing the food and gazing about him. The satisfaction of his hunger was all that troubled him for the moment; then he sought the little spring amidst the bushes, and drank.
He had not eaten for more than twenty-four hours, and now the food he had taken made him feel drowsy19, heavy with weariness. He came to the blown-down palms, made what shelter he could from the sun with their fronds, lay down beside them and fell asleep.
When he awoke some hours later, his mind was clear259 and his first thought was of Sagesse. So strange a thing is the human mind that here, cast away, marooned20 on this desolate21 spot without a tent to shelter him or a soul to share his loneliness, his first sensation on fully22 regaining23 his faculties24 was one of triumph. Sagesse had gone under, that hateful mind, perfidious25 and dark, would trouble him no more. He was revenged. He rose to his feet and shook the sand from his clothes. The wind was still blowing strong, but the sea had fallen. The gulls26 had not returned, and the only sounds in all that blue and breezy world were the sounds of the wind and the breaking waves. The frost-white glitter of the bay-cedar bushes lent an extra touch of brilliancy to the scene. Never had he seen the island like this, sea-dashed and wind-blown, surrounded with tumultuous life.
He crossed over to the northern beach. He wished to see what he could of the wreck27, but even before he was half way across he could see that nothing remained of La Belle Arlésienne but a few spars washing about in the lagoon water, where ship of wood and ship of coral lay locked together in ruin.
But things were washing ashore on the full tide—black things to make one shudder28, forms with limbs outspread, looking like enormous jet-black starfish, forms locked together in a deadly embrace as though they had gone to their death fighting.
Then as Gaspard stepped from the bushes he saw with a thrill of horror that the sands were in motion. Thousands upon thousands of little crabs29 were congregating31 to the feast; he trod on them as he walked, and amidst them, like moving rocks, giant crabs from the eastern beach were advancing like captains of this army of destruction.
He would have fled the hateful place had he not noticed260 a form that the sea had cast up almost free of the waves.
It was the body of Sagesse.
The man of wisdom and resource lay on his side, huddled32 up as if asleep. He was fully dressed. Horrible though the place was and dreadful with death, not all the horror in the world could have prevented Gaspard from advancing towards the body of Sagesse. It drew him towards it against his will, as if by some mesmeric influence.
The right hand of the Captain lying across his chest had upon one of the fingers something that glittered in the sun like a star. It was a diamond, enormous and lovely with light, set in an old-fashioned ring. It would have graced the crown of an emperor; it would have held Gaspard fascinated had not another object held him breathless. From the muffler around the neck of Sagesse protruded33 the head of a snake. Two bright red burning eyes flashed in the sun, the thing seemed furious at being disturbed; a moment more and one would have expected it to wriggle34 from its concealment35 and strike, but Gaspard feared it less even than he had feared the fer de lance of the Place du Fort. He knelt down beside Sagesse, heedless of the crabs now surrounding him, removed the muffler from his neck and then removed the snake. It was of solid gold, flexible, one of those antique bracelets36 made to wind round and cling to a woman’s arm. The flat portion of the head was formed by a quadrille of flat sapphires37, the eyes were pigeon-blood rubies38. Leaving the extraordinary beauty of the workmanship aside, the stones alone were worth a little fortune.
Then Gaspard knew that the captain had indeed found the treasure of Simon Serpente, and, seeing shipwreck39 before him, had sorted out the most valuable things in a wild attempt to save them with his own wretched life. With the261 sweat breaking out on his forehead at the possibilities before him, he flung the serpent of gold on the ground before searching the body. It fell on the swarming40 crabs. He picked it up and flung it round his own neck. Then he noticed that his hand was bleeding; it had been nipped by one of the vermin which were now crawling up on the body of Sagesse, as the Lilliputians swarmed41 on Gulliver. Seized with fury, he sprang to his feet and kicked the brutes42 hither and thither43, stamped on them, crushed them. He might as well have stamped on water advancing from an overflowing44 dam; the clicking and rustling45 hordes46 swarmed on.
He flung himself on his knees again beside the body, seized the hand with the ring, drew the jewel off and put it in his pocket. He scarcely noticed that a crab30 was clinging to the hand as he flung it aside. The left coat pocket of Sagesse was bulging47. He thrust his hand in and drew out a knotted handkerchief; it chinked like a bag of marbles, and from a corner a piece of broken gold fell out. It was part of a brooch. He did not stay to investigate further; the handkerchief held treasure. He thrust it into his pocket and went on. There was a pocket-book in the breast pocket of the coat, in the other pockets nothing of value. He opened the waistcoat; he tore open the shirt; nothing more. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he was about to rise to his feet when he remembered that he had not examined the left hand for rings.
He pushed the body over.
The left hand of Sagesse was closed tight on something. The rigor48 mortis was just passing, and Gaspard had no difficulty in unlocking the fingers from the treasure they contained. It was a pearl, a lovely milk-white pearl, large almost as a pigeon’s egg. Why he had clung to this thing especially, whether from superstition49 or not, who can say?
262 Or was it a pearl not belonging to Serpente’s treasure at all? A pearl of the lagoon that by some extraordinary chance the drowning man had seized upon unknowingly in his struggles? One might almost have imagined this to be the case, for this thing was virginal as the sea and had evidently never been set or worn by mortal.
Who can say? But so the captain of La Belle Arlésienne had gone to his Maker50, clasping this emblem51 of purity in his hand, almost a parable52 on the mighty53 truth that each one of us, however evil, has yet, in his soul, somewhere, a priceless pearl.
Thoughts that never occurred to Gaspard.
He had risen to his feet. In his pockets lay the plunder54 he had taken from Sagesse, in his hand the pearl, around his feet the crabs swarming to their prey55.
He was rich.
The sea had given him the riches that other men toil56 their lives for, given it to him in one great glittering handful. He seemed standing57 before a blinding light. It seemed unthinkable that he who had striven all his life for a pittance58, working now as a sailor before the mast, now as a slave in the blind alley59 of the stokehold, it seemed unthinkable that he should have drawn60 this tremendous and glittering prize.
As he stood in the blazing sunshine, the wind blowing his hair about his eyes, his eyes staring, astonished, fixed61, as though he were gazing at Fortune herself, a black shadow passed over him. It was the shadow of a cormorant62.
Away out across the waves other birds were coming to the feast; the wreck and the stranded63 corpses64 had been signalled for miles across the sea, for the sea, like the desert, has a watch-tower—the air, and a watchman who never leaves that tower—eternal Hunger.
263 The bird cried as it wheeled and the cry brought Gaspard to his senses. He glanced up, then down at the swarming beach; then, touching65 his pocket to make sure that the contents were safe, he turned from the horrors around him and made towards the southern beach, running.
He wished to be alone with his treasure. He shouted like a boy as he ran, taking the road through the bushes that Serpente’s sailors had cut for the boat. The jewelled snake round his throat glittered and flashed; never was there a more extraordinary picture than this man, half ragged66, his clothes stained with sea-salt, his hair blowing on the wind, the jewelled serpent around his neck, running and shouting as he ran to the desolation around him, and with Fortune.
At the place where the palm trees lay prone67 on the sand he stopped, sat down, took the serpent of gold from around his throat and placed it on the sand beside him, and beside it the parcel.
Then from his pocket he took the knotted handkerchief and the ring. He placed the ring by the pearl and then he unknotted the handkerchief and poured the contents on the white sand between his legs.
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1
regained
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| 复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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chaos
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| n.混乱，无秩序 | |
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untold
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| adj.数不清的，无数的 | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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racing
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| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
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amethyst
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| n.紫水晶 | |
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ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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8
mound
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| n.土墩，堤，小山；v.筑堤，用土堆防卫 | |
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hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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haggled
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| v.讨价还价( haggle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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tangled
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| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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12
fronds
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| n.蕨类或棕榈类植物的叶子( frond的名词复数 ) | |
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13
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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14
diabolical
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| adj.恶魔似的，凶暴的 | |
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lagoon
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| n.泻湖，咸水湖 | |
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16
killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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18
belle
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| n.靓女 | |
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19
drowsy
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| adj.昏昏欲睡的，令人发困的 | |
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20
marooned
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| adj.被围困的；孤立无援的；无法脱身的 | |
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21
desolate
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| adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂 | |
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22
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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23
regaining
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| 复得( regain的现在分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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24
faculties
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| n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院 | |
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perfidious
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| adj.不忠的，背信弃义的 | |
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26
gulls
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| n.鸥( gull的名词复数 )v.欺骗某人( gull的第三人称单数 ) | |
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27
wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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28
shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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29
crabs
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| n.蟹( crab的名词复数 )；阴虱寄生病；蟹肉v.捕蟹( crab的第三人称单数 ) | |
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30
crab
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| n.螃蟹，偏航，脾气乖戾的人，酸苹果；vi.捕蟹，偏航，发牢骚；vt.使偏航，发脾气 | |
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31
congregating
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| （使）集合，聚集( congregate的现在分词 ) | |
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32
huddled
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| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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33
protruded
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| v.（使某物）伸出，（使某物）突出( protrude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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34
wriggle
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| v./n.蠕动，扭动；蜿蜒 | |
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concealment
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| n.隐藏, 掩盖，隐瞒 | |
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36
bracelets
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| n.手镯，臂镯( bracelet的名词复数 ) | |
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37
sapphires
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| n.蓝宝石，钢玉宝石( sapphire的名词复数 )；蔚蓝色 | |
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38
rubies
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| 红宝石( ruby的名词复数 )； 红宝石色，深红色 | |
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39
shipwreck
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| n.船舶失事，海难 | |
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40
swarming
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| 密集( swarm的现在分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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41
swarmed
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| 密集( swarm的过去式和过去分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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42
brutes
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| 兽( brute的名词复数 )； 畜生； 残酷无情的人； 兽性 | |
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43
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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44
overflowing
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| n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的，充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式 | |
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45
rustling
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| n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的 | |
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46
hordes
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| n.移动着的一大群( horde的名词复数 )；部落 | |
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47
bulging
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| 膨胀； 凸出（部）； 打气； 折皱 | |
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48
rigor
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| n.严酷，严格，严厉 | |
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49
superstition
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| n.迷信，迷信行为 | |
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50
maker
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| n.制造者，制造商 | |
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51
emblem
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| n.象征，标志；徽章 | |
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52
parable
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| n.寓言，比喻 | |
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53
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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54
plunder
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| vt.劫掠财物，掠夺；n.劫掠物，赃物；劫掠 | |
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55
prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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56
toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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57
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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58
pittance
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| n.微薄的薪水，少量 | |
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59
alley
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| n.小巷，胡同；小径，小路 | |
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60
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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61
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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62
cormorant
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| n.鸬鹚，贪婪的人 | |
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63
stranded
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| a.搁浅的，进退两难的 | |
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64
corpses
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| n.死尸，尸体( corpse的名词复数 ) | |
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65
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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66
ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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67
prone
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| adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的 | |
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