Midnight, a winter night, black as Hades, with great wind and whipping rain. By the side of the Bidassoa, in the midst of a confused extent of ground with treacherous1 soil that evokes2 ideas of chaos3, in slime that their feet penetrate4, men are carrying boxes on their shoulders and, walking in the water to their knees, come to throw them into a long thing, blacker than night, which must be a bark—a suspicious bark without a light, tied near the bank.
It is again Itchoua's band, which this time will work by the river. They have slept for a few moments, all dressed, in the house of a receiver who lives near the water, and, at the needed hour, Itchoua, who never closes but one eye, has shaken his men; then, they have gone out with hushed tread, into the darkness, under the cold shower propitious5 to smuggling6.
On the road now, with the oars8, to Spain whose fires may be seen at a distance, confused by the rain. The weather is let loose; the shirts of the men are already wet, and, under the caps pulled over their eyes, the wind slashes9 the ears. Nevertheless, thanks to the vigor10 of their arms, they were going quickly and well, when suddenly appeared in the obscurity something like a monster gliding11 on the waters. Bad business! It is the patrol boat which promenades12 every night. Spain's customs officers. In haste, they must change their direction, use artifice13, lose precious time, and they are so belated already.
At last they have arrived without obstacle near the Spanish shore, among the large fishermen's barks which, on stormy nights, sleep there on their chains, in front of the “Marine” of Fontarabia. This is the perilous14 instant. Happily, the rain is faithful to them and falls still in torrents15. Lowered in their skiff to be less visible, having ceased to talk, pushing the bottom with their oars in order to make less noise, they approach softly, softly, with pauses as soon as something has seemed to budge16, in the midst of so much diffuse17 black, of shadows without outlines.
Now they are crouched18 against one of these large, empty barks and almost touching19 the earth. And this is the place agreed upon, it is there that the comrades of the other country should be to receive them and to carry their boxes to the receiving house—There is nobody there, however!—Where are they?—The first moments are passed in a sort of paroxysm of expectation and of watching, which doubles the power of hearing and of seeing. With eyes dilated20, and ears extended, they watch, under the monotonous21 dripping of the rain—But where are the Spanish comrades? Doubtless the hour has passed, because of this accursed custom house patrol which has disarranged the voyage, and, believing that the undertaking22 has failed this time, they have gone back—
Several minutes flow, in the same immobility and the same silence. They distinguish, around them, the large, inert23 barks, similar to floating bodies of beasts, and then, above the waters, a mass of obscurities denser24 than the obscurities of the sky and which are the houses, the mountains of the shore—They wait, without a movement, without a word. They seem to be ghosts of boatmen near a dead city.
Little by little the tension of their senses weakens, a lassitude comes to them with the need of sleep—and they would sleep there, under this winter rain, if the place were not so dangerous.
Itchoua then consults in a low voice, in Basque language, the two eldest25, and they decide to do a bold thing. Since the others are not coming, well! so much the worse, they will go alone, carry to the house over there, the smuggled26 boxes. It is risking terribly, but the idea is in their heads and nothing can stop them.
“You,” says Itchoua to Ramuntcho, in his manner which admits of no discussion, “you shall be the one to watch the bark, since you have never been in the path that we are taking; you shall tie it to the bottom, but not too solidly, do you hear? We must be ready to run if the carbineers arrive.”
So they go, all the others, their shoulders bent27 under the heavy loads, the rustling28, hardly perceptible, of their march is lost at once on the quay29 which is so deserted30 and so black, in the midst of the monotonous dripping of the rain. And Ramuntcho, who has remained alone, crouches31 at the bottom of the skiff to be less visible becomes immovable again, under the incessant32 sprinkling of the rain, which falls now regular and tranquil33.
They are late, the comrades—and by degrees, in this inactivity and this silence, an irresistible34 numbness35 comes to him, almost a sleep.
But now a long form, more sombre than all that is sombre, passes by him, passes very quickly,—always in this same absolute silence which is the characteristic of these nocturnal undertakings36: one of the large Spanish barks!—Yet, thinks he, since all are at anchor, since this one has no sails nor oars—then, what?—It is I, myself, who am passing!—and he has understood: his skiff was too lightly tied, and the current, which is very rapid here, is dragging him:—and he is very far away, going toward the mouth of the Bidassoa, toward the breakers, toward the sea—
An anxiety has taken hold of him, almost an anguish37—What will he do?—What complicates38 everything is that he must act without a cry of appeal, without a word, for, all along this coast, which seems to be the land of emptiness and of darkness, there are carbineers, placed in an interminable cordon39 and watching Spain every night as if it were a forbidden land—He tries with one of the long oars to push the bottom in order to return backward;—but there is no more bottom; he feels only the inconsistency of the fleeting40 and black water, he is already in the profound pass—Then, let him row, in spite of everything, and so much for the worse—!
With great trouble, his forehead perspiring41, he brings back alone against the current the heavy bark, worried, at every stroke of the oar7, by the small, disclosing grating that a fine ear over there might so well perceive. And then, one can see nothing more, through the rain grown thicker and which confuses the eyes; it is dark, dark as in the bowels42 of the earth where the devil lives. He recognizes no longer the point of departure where the others must be waiting for him, whose ruin he has perhaps caused; he hesitates, he waits, the ear extended, the arteries43 beating, and he hooks himself, for a moment's reflection, to one of the large barks of Spain—Something approaches then, gliding with infinite precaution on the surface of the water, hardly stirred: a human shadow, one would think, a silhouette44 standing:—a smuggler45, surely, since he makes so little noise! They divine each other, and, thank God! it is Arrochkoa; Arrochkoa, who has untied46 a frail47, Spanish skiff to meet him—So, their junction48 is accomplished49 and they are probably saved all, once more!
But Arrochkoa, in meeting him, utters in a wicked voice, in a voice tightened50 by his young, feline51 teeth, one of those series of insults which call for immediate52 answer and sound like an invitation to fight. It is so unexpected that Ramuntcho's stupor53 at first immobilizes him, retards54 the rush of blood to his head. Is this really what his friend has just said and in such a tone of undeniable insult?—
“You said?”
“Well!” replies Arrochkoa, somewhat softened55 and on his guard, observing in the darkness Ramuntcho's attitudes. “Well! you had us almost caught, awkward fellow that you are!—”
The silhouettes56 of the others appear in another bark.
“They are there,” he continues. “Let us go near them!”
And Ramuntcho takes his oarsman's seat with temples heated by anger, with trembling hands—no—he is Gracieuse's brother; all would be lost if Ramuntcho fought with him; because of her he will bend the head and say nothing.
Now their bark runs away by force of oars, carrying them all; the trick has been played. It was time; two Spanish voices vibrate on the black shore: two carbineers, who were sleeping in their cloaks and whom the noise has awakened57!—And they begin to hail this flying, beaconless bark, not perceived so much as suspected, lost at once in the universal, nocturnal confusion.
“Too late, friends,” laughs Itchoua, while rowing to the uttermost. “Hail at your ease now and let the devil answer you!”
The current also helps them; they go into the thick obscurity with the rapidity of fishes.
There! Now they are in French waters, in safety, not far, doubtless, from the slime of the banks.
“Let us stop to breathe a little,” proposes Itchoua.
And they raise their oars, halting, wet with perspiration58 and with rain. They are immovable again under the cold shower, which they do not seem to feel. There is heard in the vast silence only the breathing of chests, little by little quieted, the little music of drops of water falling and their light rippling59. But suddenly, from this bark which was so quiet, and which had no other importance than that of a shadow hardly real in the midst of so much night, a cry rises, superacute, terrifying: it fills the emptiness and rents the far-off distances—It has come from those elevated notes which belong ordinarily to women only, but with something hoarse60 and powerful that indicates rather the savage61 male; it has the bite of the voice of jackals and it preserves, nevertheless, something human which makes one shiver the more; one waits with a sort of anguish for its end, and it is long, long, it is oppressive by its inexplicable62 length—It had begun like a stag's bell of agony and now it is achieved and it dies in a sort of laughter, sinister63 and burlesque64, like the laughter of lunatics—
However, around the man who has just cried thus in the front of the bark, none of the others is astonished, none budges65. And, after a few seconds of silent peace, a new cry, similar to the first, starts from the rear, replying to it and passing through the same phases,—which are of a tradition infinitely66 ancient.
And it is simply the “irrintzina”, the great Basque cry which has been transmitted with fidelity67 from the depth of the abyss of ages to the men of our day, and which constitutes one of the strange characteristics of that race whose origins are enveloped68 in mystery. It resembles the cry of a being of certain tribes of redskins in the forests of America; at night, it gives the notion and the unfathomable fright of primitive69 ages, when, in the midst of the solitudes70 of the old world, men with monkey throats howled.
This cry is given at festivals, or for calls of persons at night in the mountains, and especially to celebrate some joy, some unexpected good fortune, a miraculous71 hunt or a happy catch of fish in the rivers.
And they are amused, the smugglers, at this game of the ancestors; they give their voices to glorify72 the success of their undertaking, they yell, from the physical necessity to be compensated73 for their silence of a moment ago.
But Ramuntcho remains74 mute and without a smile. This sudden savagery75 chills him, although he has known it for a long time; it plunges76 him into dreams that worry and do not explain themselves.
And then, he has felt to-night once more how uncertain and changing is his only support in the world, the support of that Arrochkoa on whom he should be able to count as on a brother; audacity77 and success at the ball-game will return that support to him, doubtless, but a moment of weakness, nothing, may at any moment make him lose it. Then it seems to him that the hope of his life has no longer a basis, that all vanishes like an unstable78 chimera79.
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1
treacherous
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| adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的 | |
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evokes
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| 产生，引起，唤起( evoke的第三人称单数 ) | |
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chaos
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| n.混乱，无秩序 | |
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penetrate
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| v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解 | |
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propitious
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| adj.吉利的；顺利的 | |
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smuggling
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| n.走私 | |
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7
oar
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| n.桨，橹，划手；v.划行 | |
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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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slashes
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| n.（用刀等）砍( slash的名词复数 )；（长而窄的）伤口；斜杠；撒尿v.挥砍( slash的第三人称单数 )；鞭打；割破；削减 | |
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vigor
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| n.活力，精力，元气 | |
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gliding
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| v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的 | |
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promenades
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| n.人行道( promenade的名词复数 )；散步场所；闲逛v.兜风( promenade的第三人称单数 ) | |
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13
artifice
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| n.妙计，高明的手段；狡诈，诡计 | |
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perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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15
torrents
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| n.倾注；奔流( torrent的名词复数 )；急流；爆发；连续不断 | |
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16
budge
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| v.移动一点儿；改变立场 | |
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diffuse
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| v.扩散；传播；adj.冗长的；四散的，弥漫的 | |
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18
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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19
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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dilated
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| adj.加宽的，扩大的v.（使某物）扩大，膨胀，张大( dilate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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21
monotonous
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| adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的 | |
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22
undertaking
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| n.保证，许诺，事业 | |
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23
inert
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| adj.无活动能力的，惰性的；迟钝的 | |
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24
denser
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| adj. 不易看透的, 密集的, 浓厚的, 愚钝的 | |
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25
eldest
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| adj.最年长的，最年老的 | |
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26
smuggled
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| 水货 | |
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27
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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28
rustling
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| n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的 | |
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29
quay
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| n.码头，靠岸处 | |
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deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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31
crouches
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| n.蹲着的姿势( crouch的名词复数 )v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的第三人称单数 ) | |
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32
incessant
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| adj.不停的，连续的 | |
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33
tranquil
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| adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的 | |
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34
irresistible
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| adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的 | |
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35
numbness
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| n.无感觉，麻木，惊呆 | |
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36
undertakings
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| 企业( undertaking的名词复数 )； 保证； 殡仪业； 任务 | |
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37
anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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38
complicates
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| 使复杂化( complicate的第三人称单数 ) | |
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39
cordon
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| n.警戒线，哨兵线 | |
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40
fleeting
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| adj.短暂的，飞逝的 | |
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41
perspiring
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| v.出汗，流汗( perspire的现在分词 ) | |
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42
bowels
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| n.肠，内脏，内部；肠( bowel的名词复数 )；内部，最深处 | |
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43
arteries
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| n.动脉( artery的名词复数 )；干线，要道 | |
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44
silhouette
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| n.黑色半身侧面影，影子，轮廓；v.描绘成侧面影，照出影子来，仅仅显出轮廓 | |
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45
smuggler
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| n.走私者 | |
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46
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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47
frail
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| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
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48
junction
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| n.连接，接合；交叉点，接合处，枢纽站 | |
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49
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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50
tightened
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| 收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧 | |
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51
feline
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| adj.猫科的 | |
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52
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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53
stupor
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| v.昏迷；不省人事 | |
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54
retards
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| 使减速( retard的第三人称单数 )； 妨碍； 阻止； 推迟 | |
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55
softened
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| （使）变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰 | |
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56
silhouettes
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| 轮廓( silhouette的名词复数 )； （人的）体形； （事物的）形状； 剪影 | |
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57
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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58
perspiration
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| n.汗水；出汗 | |
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59
rippling
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| 起涟漪的，潺潺流水般声音的 | |
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60
hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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61
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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62
inexplicable
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| adj.无法解释的，难理解的 | |
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63
sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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64
burlesque
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| v.嘲弄，戏仿；n.嘲弄，取笑，滑稽模仿 | |
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65
budges
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| v.（使）稍微移动( budge的第三人称单数 )；（使）改变主意，（使）让步 | |
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66
infinitely
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| adv.无限地，无穷地 | |
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67
fidelity
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| n.忠诚，忠实；精确 | |
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68
enveloped
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| v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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69
primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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70
solitudes
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| n.独居( solitude的名词复数 )；孤独；荒僻的地方；人迹罕至的地方 | |
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71
miraculous
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| adj.像奇迹一样的，不可思议的 | |
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72
glorify
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| vt.颂扬，赞美，使增光，美化 | |
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73
compensated
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| 补偿，报酬( compensate的过去式和过去分词 )； 给（某人）赔偿（或赔款） | |
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74
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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75
savagery
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| n.野性 | |
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76
plunges
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| n.跳进，投入vt.使投入，使插入，使陷入vi.投入，跳进，陷入v.颠簸( plunge的第三人称单数 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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77
audacity
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| n.大胆，卤莽，无礼 | |
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78
unstable
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| adj.不稳定的，易变的 | |
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chimera
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| n.神话怪物；梦幻 | |
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