But, unlike the boy Lamai, who had known no better, the old man did not carry Jerry all the way to his house. At the first stream pouring down between the low hills of the rising land, he paused and put Jerry down to drink. And Jerry knew only the delight of the wet coolness on his tongue, all about his mouth, and down his throat. Nevertheless, in his subconsciousness3 was being planted the impression that, kinder than Lamai, than Agno, than Bashti, this was the kindest black he had encountered in Somo.
When he had drunk till for the moment he could drink no more, he thanked Nalasu with his tongue—not warmly nor ecstatically as had it been Skipper’s hand, but with due gratefulness for the life-giving draught4. The old man chuckled5 in a pleased way, rolled Jerry’s parched6 body into the water, and, keeping his head above the surface, rubbed the water into his dry skin and let him lie there for long blissful minutes.
From the stream to Nalasu’s house, a goodly distance, Nalasu still carried him with bound legs, although not head-downward but clasped in one arm against his chest. His idea was to love the dog to him. For Nalasu, having sat in the lonely dark for many years, had thought far more about the world around him and knew it far better than had he been able to see it. For his own special purpose he had need of a dog. Several bush dogs he had tried, but they had shown little appreciation7 of his kindness and had invariably run away. The last had remained longest because he had treated it with the greatest kindness, but run away it had before he had trained it to his purpose. But the white master’s dog, he had heard, was different. It never ran away in fear, while it was said to be more intelligent than the dogs of Somo.
The invention Lamai had made of tying Jerry with a stick had been noised abroad in the village, and by a stick, in Nalasu’s house, Jerry found himself again tied. But with a difference. Never once was the blind man impatient, while he spent hours each day in squatting8 on his hams and petting Jerry. Yet, had he not done this, Jerry, who ate his food and who was growing accustomed to changing his masters, would have accepted Nalasu for master. Further, it was fairly definite in Jerry’s mind, after the devil devil doctor’s tying him and flinging him amongst the other helpless dogs on the killing-ground, that all mastership of Agno had ceased. And Jerry, who had never been without a master since his first days in the world, felt the imperative9 need of a master.
So it was, when the day came that the stick was untied10 from him, that Jerry remained, voluntarily in Nalasu’s house. When the old man was satisfied there would be no running away, he began Jerry’s training. By slow degrees he advanced the training until hours a day were devoted11 to it.
First of all Jerry learned a new name for himself, which was Bao, and he was taught to respond to it from an ever-increasing distance no matter how softly it was uttered, and Nalasu continued to utter it more softly until it no longer was a spoken word, but a whisper. Jerry’s ears were keen, but Nalasu’s, from long use, were almost as keen.
Further, Jerry’s own hearing was trained to still greater acuteness. Hours at a time, sitting by Nalasu or standing12 apart from him, he was taught to catch the slightest sounds or rustlings from the bush. Still further, he was taught to differentiate13 between the bush noises and between the ways he growled15 warnings to Nalasu. If a rustle16 took place that Jerry identified as a pig or a chicken, he did not growl14 at all. If he did not identify the noise, he growled fairly softly. But if the noise were made by a man or boy who moved softly and therefore suspiciously, Jerry learned to growl loudly; if the noise were loud and careless, then Jerry’s growl was soft.
It never entered Jerry’s mind to question why he was taught all this. He merely did it because it was this latest master’s desire that he should. All this, and much more, at a cost of interminable time and patience, Nalasu taught him, and much more he taught him, increasing his vocabulary so that, at a distance, they could hold quick and sharply definite conversations.
Thus, at fifty feet away, Jerry would “Whuff!” softly the information that there was a noise he did not know; and Nalasu, with different sibilances, would hiss17 to him to stand still, to whuff more softly, or to keep silent, or to come to him noiselessly, or to go into the bush and investigate the source of the strange noise, or, barking loudly, to rush and attack it.
Perhaps, if from the opposite direction Nalasu’s sharp ears alone caught a strange sound, he would ask Jerry if he had heard it. And Jerry, alert to his toes to listen, by an alteration18 in the quantity or quality of his whuff, would tell Nalasu that he did not hear; next, that he did hear; and, perhaps finally, that it was a strange dog, or a wood-rat, or a man, or a boy—all in the softest of sounds that were scarcely more than breath-exhalations, all monosyllables, a veritable shorthand of speech.
Nalasu was a strange old man. He lived by himself in a small grass house on the edge of the village. The nearest house was quite a distance away, while his own stood in a clearing in the thick jungle which approached no where nearer than sixty feet. Also, this cleared space he kept continually free from the fast-growing vegetation. Apparently19 he had no friends. At least no visitors ever came to his dwelling20. Years had passed since he discouraged the last. Further, he had no kindred. His wife was long since dead, and his three sons, not yet married, in a foray behind the bounds of Somo had lost their heads in the jungle runways of the higher hills and been devoured21 by their bushman slayers.
For a blind man he was very busy. He asked favour of no one and was self-supporting. In his house-clearing he grew yams, sweet potatoes, and taro22. In another clearing—because it was his policy to have no trees close to his house—he had plantains, bananas, and half a dozen coconut23 palms. Fruits and vegetables he exchanged down in the village for meat and fish and tobacco.
He spent a good portion of his time on Jerry’s education, and, on occasion, would make bows and arrows that were so esteemed24 by his tribespeople as to command a steady sale. Scarcely a day passed in which he did not himself practise with bow and arrow. He shot only by direction of sound; and whenever a noise or rustle was heard in the jungle, and when Jerry had informed him of its nature, he would shoot an arrow at it. Then it was Jerry’s duty cautiously to retrieve25 the arrow had it missed the mark.
A curious thing about Nalasu was that he slept no more than three hours in the twenty-four, that he never slept at night, and that his brief daylight sleep never took place in the house. Hidden in the thickest part of the neighbouring jungle was a sort of nest to which led no path. He never entered nor left by the same way, so that the tropic growth on the rich soil, being so rarely trod upon, ever obliterated26 the slightest sign of his having passed that way. Whenever he slept, Jerry was trained to remain on guard and never to go to sleep.
Reason enough there was and to spare for Nalasu’s infinite precaution. The oldest of his three sons had slain27 one, Ao, in a quarrel. Ao had been one of six brothers of the family of Anno which dwelt in one of the upper villages. According to Somo law, the Anno family was privileged to collect the blood-debt from the Nalasu family, but had been balked28 of it by the deaths of Nalasu’s three sons in the bush. And, since the Somo code was a life for a life, and since Nalasu alone remained alive of his family, it was well known throughout the tribe that the Annos would never be content until they had taken the blind man’s life.
But Nalasu had been famous as a great fighter, as well as having been the progenitor29 of three such warlike sons. Twice had the Annos sought to collect, the first time while Nalasu still retained his eyesight. Nalasu had discovered their trap, circled about it, and in the rear encountered and slain Anno himself, the father, thus doubling the blood-debt.
Then had come his accident. While refilling many-times used Snider cartridges30, an explosion of black powder put out both his eyes. Immediately thereafter, while he sat nursing his wounds, the Annos had descended31 upon him—just what he had expected. And for which he had made due preparation. That night two uncles and another brother stepped on poisoned thorns and died horribly. Thus the sum of lives owing the Annos had increased to five, with only a blind man from whom to collect.
Thenceforth the Annos had feared the thorns too greatly to dare again, although ever their vindictiveness32 smouldered and they lived in hope of the day when Nalasu’s head should adorn33 their ridgepole. In the meantime the state of affairs was not that of a truce34 but of a stalemate. The old man could not proceed against them, and they were afraid to proceed against him. Nor did the day come until after Jerry’s adoption35, when one of the Annos made an invention the like of which had never been known in all Malaita.
该作者的其它作品
《The Sea-Wolf海狼》
《白牙 White Fang》
《The Iron Heel 铁蹄》
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1
plodded
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| v.沉重缓慢地走（路）( plod的过去式和过去分词 )；努力从事；沉闷地苦干；缓慢进行（尤指艰难枯燥的工作） | |
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2
killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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3
subconsciousness
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| 潜意识；下意识 | |
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4
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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5
chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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6
parched
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| adj.焦干的；极渴的；v.（使）焦干 | |
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7
appreciation
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| n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨 | |
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8
squatting
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| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的现在分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。 | |
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9
imperative
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| n.命令，需要；规则；祈使语气；adj.强制的；紧急的 | |
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10
untied
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| 松开，解开( untie的过去式和过去分词 )； 解除，使自由； 解决 | |
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11
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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12
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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13
differentiate
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| vi.(between)区分；vt.区别；使不同 | |
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14
growl
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| v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣 | |
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15
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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16
rustle
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| v.沙沙作响；偷盗(牛、马等)；n.沙沙声声 | |
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17
hiss
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| v.发出嘶嘶声；发嘘声表示不满 | |
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18
alteration
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| n.变更，改变；蚀变 | |
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19
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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20
dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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21
devoured
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| 吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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22
taro
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| n.芋，芋头 | |
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23
coconut
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| n.椰子 | |
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24
esteemed
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| adj.受人尊敬的v.尊敬( esteem的过去式和过去分词 )；敬重；认为；以为 | |
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25
retrieve
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| vt.重新得到，收回；挽回，补救；检索 | |
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26
obliterated
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| v.除去( obliterate的过去式和过去分词 )；涂去；擦掉；彻底破坏或毁灭 | |
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27
slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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28
balked
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| v.畏缩不前，犹豫( balk的过去式和过去分词 )；（指马）不肯跑 | |
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29
progenitor
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| n.祖先，先驱 | |
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30
cartridges
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| 子弹( cartridge的名词复数 )； （打印机的）墨盒； 录音带盒； （唱机的）唱头 | |
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31
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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32
vindictiveness
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| 恶毒；怀恨在心 | |
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33
adorn
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| vt.使美化，装饰 | |
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34
truce
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| n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束 | |
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35
adoption
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| n.采用，采纳，通过；收养 | |
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