The morning after this, the Rev1. Mr. North departed in the schooner2 for Hobart Town. Between the officious chaplain and the Commandant the events of the previous day had fixed3 a great gulf4. Burgess knew that North meant to report the death of Kirkland, and guessed that he would not be backward in relating the story to such persons in Hobart Town as would most readily repeat it. “Blank awkward the fellow’s dying,” he confessed to himself. “If he hadn’t died, nobody would have bothered about him.” A sinister5 truth. North, on the other hand, comforted himself with the belief that the fact of the convict’s death under the lash6 would cause indignation and subsequent inquiry7. “The truth must come out if they only ask,” thought he. Self-deceiving North! Four years a Government chaplain, and not yet attained8 to a knowledge of a Government’s method of “asking” about such matters! Kirkland’s mangled9 flesh would have fed the worms before the ink on the last “minute” from deliberating Authority was dry.
Burgess, however, touched with selfish regrets, determined10 to baulk the parson at the outset. He would send down an official “return” of the unfortunate occurrence by the same vessel11 that carried his enemy, and thus get the ear of the Office. Meekin, walking on the evening of the flogging past the wooden shed where the body lay, saw Troke bearing buckets filled with dark-coloured water, and heard a great splashing and sluicing12 going on inside the hut. “What is the matter?” he asked.
“Doctor’s bin13 post-morticing the prisoner what was flogged this morning, sir,” said Troke, “and we’re cleanin’ up.”
Meekin sickened, and walked on. He had heard that unhappy Kirkland possessed14 unknown disease of the heart, and had unhappily died before receiving his allotted15 punishment. His duty was to comfort Kirkland’s soul; he had nothing to do with Kirkland’s slovenly16 unhandsome body, and so he went for a walk on the pier17, that the breeze might blow his momentary18 sickness away from him. On the pier he saw North talking to Father Flaherty, the Roman Catholic chaplain. Meekin had been taught to look upon a priest as a shepherd might look upon a wolf, and passed with a distant bow. The pair were apparently19 talking on the occurrence of the morning, for he heard Father Flaherty say, with a shrug20 of his round shoulders, “He woas not one of moi people, Mr. North, and the Govermint would not suffer me to interfere21 with matters relating to Prhotestint prisoners.” “The wretched creature was a Protestant,” thought Meekin. “At least then his immortal22 soul was not endangered by belief in the damnable heresies23 of the Church of Rome.” So he passed on, giving good-humoured Denis Flaherty, the son of the butter-merchant of Kildrum, a wide berth24 and sea-room, lest he should pounce25 down upon him unawares, and with Jesuitical argument and silken softness of speech, convert him by force to his own state of error — as was the well-known custom of those intellectual gladiators, the Priests of the Catholic Faith. North, on his side, left Flaherty with regret. He had spent many a pleasant hour with him, and knew him for a narrow-minded, conscientious26, yet laughter-loving creature, whose God was neither his belly27 nor his breviary, but sometimes in one place and sometimes in the other, according to the hour of the day, and the fasts appointed for due mortification28 of the flesh. “A man who would do Christian29 work in a jog-trot parish, or where men lived too easily to sin harshly, but utterly30 unfit to cope with Satan, as the British Government had transported him,” was North’s sadly satirical reflection upon Father Flaherty, as Port Arthur faded into indistinct beauty behind the swift-sailing schooner. “God help those poor villains31, for neither parson nor priest can.”
He was right. North, the drunkard and self-tormented, had a power for good, of which Meekin and the other knew nothing. Not merely were the men incompetent32 and self-indulgent, but they understood nothing of that frightful33 capacity for agony which is deep in the soul of every evil-doer. They might strike the rock as they chose with sharpest-pointed machine-made pick of warranted Gospel manufacture, stamped with the approval of eminent34 divines of all ages, but the water of repentance35 and remorse36 would not gush37 for them. They possessed not the frail38 rod which alone was powerful to charm. They had no sympathy, no knowledge, no experience. He who would touch the hearts of men must have had his own heart seared. The missionaries39 of mankind have ever been great sinners before they earned the divine right to heal and bless. Their weakness was made their strength, and out of their own agony of repentance came the knowledge which made them masters and saviours40 of their kind. It was the agony of the Garden and the Cross that gave to the world’s Preacher His kingdom in the hearts of men. The crown of divinity is a crown of thorns.
North, on his arrival, went straight to the house of Major Vickers. “I have a complaint to make, sir,” he said. “I wish to lodge41 it formally with you. A prisoner has been flogged to death at Port Arthur. I saw it done.”
Vickers bent42 his brow. “A serious accusation43, Mr. North. I must, of course, receive it with respect, coming from you, but I trust that you have fully44 considered the circumstances of the case. I always understood Captain Burgess was a most humane45 man.”
North shook his head. He would not accuse Burgess. He would let the events speak for themselves. “I only ask for an inquiry,” said he.
“Yes, my dear sir, I know. Very proper indeed on your part, if you think any injustice46 has been done; but have you considered the expense, the delay, the immense trouble and dissatisfaction all this will give?”
“No trouble, no expense, no dissatisfaction, should stand in the way of humanity and justice,” cried North.
“Of course not. But will justice be done? Are you sure you can prove your case? Mind, I admit nothing against Captain Burgess, whom I have always considered a most worthy47 and zealous48 officer; but, supposing your charge to be true, can you prove it?”
“Yes. If the witnesses speak the truth.”
“Who are they?” “Myself, Dr. Macklewain, the constable49, and two prisoners, one of whom was flogged himself. He will speak the truth, I believe. The other man I have not much faith in.”
“Very well; then there is only a prisoner and Dr. Macklewain; for if there has been foul50 play the convict-constable will not accuse the authorities. Moreover, the doctor does not agree with you.”
“No?” cried North, amazed.
“No. You see, then, my dear sir, how necessary it is not to be hasty in matters of this kind. I really think — pardon me for my plainness — that your goodness of heart has misled you. Captain Burgess sends a report of the case. He says the man was sentenced to a hundred lashes51 for gross insolence52 and disobedience of orders, that the doctor was present during the punishment, and that the man was thrown off by his directions after he had received fifty-six lashes. That, after a short interval53, he was found to be dead, and that the doctor made a post-mortem examination and found disease of the heart.”
North started. “A post-mortem? I never knew there had been one held.”
“Here is the medical certificate,” said Vickers, holding it out, “accompanied by the copies of the evidence of the constable and a letter from the Commandant.”
Poor North took the papers and read them slowly. They were apparently straightforward54 enough. Aneurism of the ascending55 aorta56 was given as the cause of death; and the doctor frankly57 admitted that had he known the deceased to be suffering from that complaint he would not have permitted him to receive more than twenty-five lashes. “I think Macklewain is an honest man,” said North, doubtfully. “He would not dare to return a false certificate. Yet the circumstances of the case — the horrible condition of the prisoners — the frightful story of that boy —”
“I cannot enter into these questions, Mr. North. My position here is to administer the law to the best of my ability, not to question it.”
North bowed his head to the reproof58. In some sort of justly unjust way, he felt that he deserved it. “I can say no more, sir. I am afraid I am helpless in this matter — as I have been in others. I see that the evidence is against me; but it is my duty to carry my efforts as far as I can, and I will do so.” Vickers bowed stiffly and wished him good morning. Authority, however well-meaning in private life, has in its official capacity a natural dislike to those dissatisfied persons who persist in pushing inquiries59 to extremities60.
North, going out with saddened spirits, met in the passage a beautiful young girl. It was Sylvia, coming to visit her father. He lifted his hat and looked after her. He guessed that she was the daughter of the man he had left — the wife of the Captain Frere concerning whom he had heard so much. North was a man whose morbidly61 excited brain was prone62 to strange fancies; and it seemed to him that beneath the clear blue eyes that flashed upon him for a moment, lay a hint of future sadness, in which, in some strange way, he himself was to bear part. He stared after her figure until it disappeared; and long after the dainty presence of the young bride — trimly booted, tight-waisted, and neatly-gloved — had faded, with all its sunshine of gaiety and health, from out of his mental vision, he still saw those blue eyes and that cloud of golden hair.
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rev
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| v.发动机旋转，加快速度 | |
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schooner
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| n.纵帆船 | |
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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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gulf
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| n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂 | |
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sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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lash
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| v.系牢；鞭打；猛烈抨击；n.鞭打；眼睫毛 | |
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inquiry
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| n.打听，询问，调查，查问 | |
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attained
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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mangled
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| vt.乱砍（mangle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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sluicing
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| v.冲洗( sluice的现在分词 )；（指水）喷涌而出；漂净；给…安装水闸 | |
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bin
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| n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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allotted
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| 分配，拨给，摊派( allot的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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slovenly
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| adj.懒散的，不整齐的，邋遢的 | |
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pier
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| n.码头；桥墩，桥柱；[建]窗间壁，支柱 | |
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momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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shrug
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| v.耸肩(表示怀疑、冷漠、不知等) | |
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interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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immortal
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| adj.不朽的；永生的，不死的；神的 | |
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heresies
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| n.异端邪说，异教( heresy的名词复数 ) | |
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berth
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| n.卧铺，停泊地，锚位；v.使停泊 | |
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pounce
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| n.猛扑；v.猛扑，突然袭击，欣然同意 | |
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conscientious
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| adj.审慎正直的，认真的，本着良心的 | |
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belly
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| n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛 | |
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mortification
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| n.耻辱，屈辱 | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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villains
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| n.恶棍( villain的名词复数 )；罪犯；（小说、戏剧等中的）反面人物；淘气鬼 | |
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incompetent
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| adj.无能力的，不能胜任的 | |
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frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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eminent
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| adj.显赫的，杰出的，有名的，优良的 | |
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repentance
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| n.懊悔 | |
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remorse
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| n.痛恨，悔恨，自责 | |
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gush
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| v.喷，涌；滔滔不绝(说话)；n.喷，涌流；迸发 | |
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frail
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| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
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missionaries
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| n.传教士( missionary的名词复数 ) | |
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saviours
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| n.救助者( saviour的名词复数 )；救星；救世主；耶稣基督 | |
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lodge
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| v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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accusation
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| n.控告，指责，谴责 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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humane
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| adj.人道的，富有同情心的 | |
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injustice
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| n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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zealous
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| adj.狂热的，热心的 | |
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constable
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| n.(英国)警察，警官 | |
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foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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lashes
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| n.鞭挞( lash的名词复数 )；鞭子；突然猛烈的一击；急速挥动v.鞭打( lash的第三人称单数 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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52
insolence
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| n.傲慢；无礼；厚颜；傲慢的态度 | |
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interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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straightforward
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| adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的 | |
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ascending
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| adj.上升的，向上的 | |
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aorta
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| n.主动脉 | |
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frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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reproof
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| n.斥责，责备 | |
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inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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extremities
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| n.端点( extremity的名词复数 )；尽头；手和足；极窘迫的境地 | |
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morbidly
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| adv.病态地 | |
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prone
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| adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的 | |
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