He felt like an actor who had to appear on the stage with a half-learned part. Thinking entirely2 of how to hide his treasure, he had forgotten to invent a story to account for his presence on the island.
It was too late now, for here came the boat’s nose round the western rocks, a large, white-painted boat, flashing eight oars3 in the sun.
Now she was coming dead on for the beach and Gaspard was wading5 out knee-deep to meet her. Within ten strokes of the beach, the men ceased rowing and she came bravely on, the bow oar4 standing6 up and shouting something in English which Gaspard did not understand; he waved and shouted a reply in French and the next moment he was clutching the thwart7, being hauled aboard and shoved aft.
The mate of the vessel8, who was steering9, a hatchet-faced American, hauled Gaspard down beside him and without waiting for word or question, which would have been useless, considering that he could scarcely speak a syllable10 of French, shouted orders to the crew and the boat poled off from the shore and began its return journey to the ship.
288 “French?” said the mate, when they were under way.
Gaspard nodded, “Oui, oui,” then pointing behind him, “wreck;” it was one of the few English words that he knew. The hands in the boat, all Americans, lean-faced, bronze, chewing as they rowed, looked with interest at the marooned11 one and made remarks about him one to the other, but the mate, after the first interrogation, seemed to have no interest in anything but getting back to the ship as quickly as possible. There was a life belt in the stern of the boat with the words “Anne Martin” on it.
Gaspard pointed12 to the name and then at the ship they were approaching.
“Anne Martine?” asked he.
The mate nodded and spat13 into the sea.
“Quelle porte?” asked Gaspard, pointing southward.
“St. Pierre.”
“St. Pierre!” cried Gaspard. “O mon Dieu, St. Pierre—St. Pierre Martinique?”
The mate nodded.
For a moment Gaspard could not believe that such luck was his. Out of thirty or forty possible ports she was bound for St. Pierre, for Marie. Then he laughed and clapped his knees with his hands; the oarsmen laughed half mockingly, poking14 fun at him in American slang, but the mate did not laugh, he was a man who, to use his own expression, had no use for laughter, besides, his eyes and his mind were otherwise engaged.
Gaspard, in his excitement over lighting15 the signal fire and the approach of the boat, had forgotten one thing. He was wearing the diamond ring he had taken from Sagesse, a terrible blunder, almost unbelievable, did not one know the capacity of the human mind for error.
The mate, he was first officer of the Anne Martin and his289 name was Skinner—though he could scarcely keep his eyes from the flashing jewel, said nothing, and now the boat was under the port quarter of the Anne Martin, oars were in and Gaspard climbing the ladder which had been flung down, whilst a hard-faced man in a panama, Captain Stock, no less, the master of the vessel, was leaning over the side shouting directions to the mate.
In a moment the crew were on board, the boat swung up at the davits, the braces16 manned and the Anne Martin on her course again.
Then, and not till then, did Captain Stock turn to the new-comer.
“He’s French,” said Skinner, “wrecked17 over there, but he’s got a diamond on his finger worth ten thousand dollars that wants explaining.”
The Captain glanced at Gaspard, fixed18 his eyes on the ring and then said, “Call Diego, he can chatter19 to him, it’s all the d——d Dago is good for.”
It was at this moment that Gaspard, seeing Captain Stock’s gaze fixed on his hand, recognised that he was wearing the ring.
In a moment Diego, a fat Portugee, with black curls and earrings20, came running aft. Then, through the mediumship of this interpreter, Captain Stock began to question the marooned one.
“How long have you been wrecked?”
“Some days.”
“Storm or what?”
“Storm.”
“Where did you get that ring you are wearing?”
“Found it.”
“Where?”
“On the island.”
290 “Picked it up?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“On the beach.”
Here Gaspard broke across the questions with a statement.
“Tell M. le Capitaine the ring is mine. I found it, and I shall sell it at St. Pierre and pay him handsomely for my passage. I have friends at St. Pierre who can speak for me. I want to go on this ship as a passenger; not to work my passage.”
“Who can you name at St. Pierre as a friend?”
“Monsieur Seguin—Paul Seguin.”
The name appeared to have an effect upon Captain Stock.
“What was the name of your ship?”
“La Belle21 Arlésienne.”
No sooner had the words left Gaspard’s mouth than an extraordinary change took place in the face of the Captain; long enough by nature, it lengthened22 still more. He came forward and grasped Gaspard’s arm.
“La Belle Arlésienne!!!”
“Oui.”
“Belonging to Pierre Sagesse?”
“Pierre Sagesse—oui.”
“Was he on board—Hi, you d——d Dago, ask him was Pierre Sagesse aboard.”
Diego put the question.
“Yes.”
“Was he lost?”
“Yes.”
“He’s dead—sure?”
291 “Yes—O ma foi, yes. I left him with the crabs23 eating him.”
Stock had been one of Pierre Sagesse’s many victims. Stock was not owner of the Anne Martin, only master, but he had once owned a ship in the West India trade, had become involved in Sagesse’s net and ruined. The hatred24 of hell would scarcely express in words the hatred of Simon Stock for Pierre Sagesse. No wonder, then, that he did what he did on the news of Pierre Sagesse’s death and the statement about the crabs, and what he did was this. Flung up his chin till his scrawny and vulturous neck was sunlit from hyoid bone to sternum, clicked his fingers like castanets, laughed horribly, called the hands aft, ordered Skinner to serve them out a tot of rum all round and, then, taking Gaspard by the arm, led him down the companion-way to the dismal25 place that went by the name of the saloon.
He opened the door of a dog hole that had served once for a third officer’s cabin and Diego, who had followed, translating, he said:
“You can berth26 here and for nothing, the news that Peer Sagesse is in hell is all the payment I want. Make yourself at home, sonny, call for what you want, drinks or smokes and dinner’s at eight bells.”
Then he turned on his heel and went on deck, followed by Diego, leaving Gaspard to settle into his new quarters. A palace would not have pleased him better at the moment, than this dingy27 place. He had dreaded28 being berthed29 in the fo’cs’le, to have carried a fortune of many thousands of pounds in gems30 into such a place, to live in that mixed community for several weeks and to keep the fortune hidden would have been a difficult task indeed.
292 Here it was perfectly31 simple, there was an upper and a lower bunk32, each with a mattress33, there was no steward34, so Diego had told him, so there would be no one fussing about making beds. He took the bundle from his pocket and placed it in a corner of the upper bunk under the mattress, as he did so he felt the absolute physical pleasure that comes when the body is relieved of a heavy load. He could move now freely and having closed the door of the cabin, he came on deck.
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1
westward
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| n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西 | |
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2
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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3
oars
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| n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 ) | |
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oar
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| n.桨，橹，划手；v.划行 | |
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5
wading
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| （从水、泥等）蹚，走过，跋( wade的现在分词 ) | |
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6
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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7
thwart
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| v.阻挠，妨碍，反对；adj.横(断的) | |
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8
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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9
steering
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| n.操舵装置 | |
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syllable
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| n.音节；vt.分音节 | |
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11
marooned
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| adj.被围困的；孤立无援的；无法脱身的 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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spat
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| n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声 | |
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14
poking
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| n. 刺，戳，袋 vt. 拨开，刺，戳 vi. 戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢 | |
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15
lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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16
braces
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| n.吊带，背带；托架( brace的名词复数 )；箍子；括弧；（儿童）牙箍v.支住( brace的第三人称单数 )；撑牢；使自己站稳；振作起来 | |
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17
wrecked
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| adj.失事的，遇难的 | |
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18
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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19
chatter
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| vi.／n.喋喋不休；短促尖叫；(牙齿)打战 | |
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20
earrings
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| n.耳环( earring的名词复数 )；耳坠子 | |
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21
belle
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| n.靓女 | |
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lengthened
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| （时间或空间）延长，伸长( lengthen的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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23
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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24
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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25
dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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26
berth
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| n.卧铺，停泊地，锚位；v.使停泊 | |
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27
dingy
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| adj.昏暗的，肮脏的 | |
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28
dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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29
berthed
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| v.停泊( berth的过去式和过去分词 )；占铺位 | |
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30
gems
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| growth； economy； management； and customer satisfaction 增长 | |
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31
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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32
bunk
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| n.(车、船等倚壁而设的)铺位；废话 | |
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33
mattress
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| n.床垫，床褥 | |
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34
steward
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| n.乘务员，服务员；看管人；膳食管理员 | |
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