首页 >出版文学> In the South Seas>第40章
  tastesofkirsch,andyetneitherisitkirsch。Theking,atleast,hasgrownusedtothisamazingbrand,andratherprideshimselfuponthetaste;andanysubstitutionisadoubleoffence,beingatoncetocheathimandtocastadoubtuponhispalate。A
  similarweaknessistobeobservedinallconnoisseurs。NowthelastcasesoldbytheEQUATORwasfoundtocontainadifferentandIwouldfondlyfancyasuperiordistillation;andtheconversationopenedveryblackforCaptainReid。ButTembinok’isamoderateman。Hewasremindedandadmittedthatallmenwereliabletoerror,evenhimself;acceptedtheprinciplethatafaulthandsomelyacknowledgedshouldbecondoned;andwoundthematterupwiththisproposal:’TuppotiImi’take,you’peakeeme。Tuppotiyoumi’take,I’peakeeyou。Mo’betta。’
  Afterdinnerandsupperinthecabin,aglassortwoof’Hennetti’-
  thegenuinearticlethistime,withthekirschbouquet,-andfivehours’loungingonthetrade-roomcounter,royaltyembarkedforhome。Threetacksgroundedtheboatbeforethepalace;thewiveswerecarriedashoreonthebacksofvassals;Tembinok’
  steppedonarailedplatformlikeasteamer’sgangway,andwasborneshoulderhighthroughtheshallows,upthebeach,andbyaninclinedplane,pavedwithpebbles,totheglaringterracewherehedwells。
  CHAPTERII-THEKINGOFAPEMAMA:FOUNDATIONOFEQUATORTOWN
  OURfirstsightofTembinok’wasamatterofconcern,almostalarm,tomywholeparty。Wehadafavourtoseek;wemustapproachinthepropercourtlyattitudeofasuitor;andmusteitherpleasehimorfailinthemainpurposeofourvoyage。ItwasourwishtolandandliveinApemama,andseemorenearathandtheoddcharacterofthemanandtheoddorratherancientconditionofhisisland。
  InallotherislesoftheSouthSeasawhitemanmaylandwithhischest,andsetuphouseforalifetime,ifhechoose,andifhehavethemoneyorthetrade;nohindranceisconceivable。ButApemamaisacloseisland,lyingthereintheseawithcloseddoors;thekinghimself,likeavigilantofficer,readyatthewickettoscrutiniseandrejectintrenchingvisitors。Hencetheattractionofourenterprise;notmerelybecauseitwasalittledifficult,butbecausethissocialquarantine,acuriosityinitself,hasbeenthepreservativeofothers。
  Tembinok’,likemosttyrants,isaconservative;likemanyconservatives,heeagerlywelcomesnewideas,and,exceptinthefieldofpolitics,leanstopracticalreform。Whenthemissionariescame,professingaknowledgeofthetruth,hereadilyreceivedthem;attendedtheirworship,acquiredtheaccomplishmentofpublicprayer,andmadehimselfastudentattheirfeet。Itisthus-itisbythecultivationofsimilarpassingchances-thathehaslearnedtoread,towrite,tocipher,andtospeakhisqueer,personalEnglish,sodifferentfromordinary’BeachdeMar,’
  somuchmoreobscure,expressive,andcondensed。Hiseducationattendedto,hefoundtimetobecomecriticalofthenewinmates。
  LikeNakaeiaofMakin,heisanadmirerofsilenceintheisland;
  broodsoveritlikeagreatear;hasspieswhoreportdaily;andhadratherhissubjectssangthantalked。Theservice,andinparticularthesermon,werethussuretobecomeoffences:’Here,inmyisland,I’peak,’heonceobservedtome。’Mychiepsno’peak-dowhatItalk。’Helookedatthemissionary,andwhatdidhesee?’SeeKanaka’peakinabigoutch!’hecried,withastrongringofsarcasm。Yetheenduredthesubversivespectacle,andmightevenhavecontinuedtoendureit,hadnotafreshpointarisen。Helookedagain,toemployhisownfigure;andtheKanakawasnolongerspeaking,hewasdoingworse-hewasbuildingacopra-house。Thekingwastouchedinhischiefinterests;revenueandprerogativewerethreatened。Heconsideredbesidesandsomethinkwithhimthattradeisincompatiblewiththemissionaryclaims。’Tuppotimitonarythink”goodman”:verygood。Tuppotihethink”cobra”:nogood。Isendhimawayship。’SuchwashisabrupthistoryoftheevangelistinApemama。
  Similardeportationsarecommon:’Isendhimawayship’istheepitaphofnotafew,hismajestypayingtheexile’sfaretothenextplaceofcall。Forinstance,beingpassionatelyfondofEuropeanfood,hehasseveraltimesaddedtohishouseholdawhitecook,andoneafteranotherthesehavebeendeported。They,ontheirside,sweartheywerenotpaidtheirwages;he,onhis,thattheyrobbedandswindledhimbeyondendurance:bothperhapsjustly。Amoreimportantcasewasthatofanagent,despatchedasIheardthestorybyafirmofmerchantstowormhiswayintotheking’sgoodgraces,become,ifpossible,premier,andhandlethecopraintheinterestofhisemployers。Heobtainedauthoritytoland,practisedhisfascinations,waspatientlylistenedtobyTembinok’,supposedhimselfonthehighwaytosuccess;andbehold!
  whenthenextshiptouchedatApemama,thewould-bepremierwasflungintoaboat-hadonboard-hisfarepaid,andsogood-bye。
  Butitisneedlesstomultiplyexamples;theproofofthepuddingisintheeating。WhenwecametoApemama,ofsomanywhitemenwhohavescrambledforaplaceinthatrichmarket,oneremained-
  asilent,sober,solitary,niggardlyrecluse,ofwhomthekingremarks,’Ithinkhegood;heno’peak。’
  Iwaswarnedattheoutsetwemightverywellfailinourdesign:
  yetneverdreamedofwhatprovedtobethefact,thatweshouldbeleftfour-and-twentyhoursinsuspenseandcomewithinanaceofultimaterejection。CaptainReidhadprimedhimself;nosoonerwasthekingonboard,andtheHennettiquestionamicablysettled,thanheproceededtoexpressmyrequestandgiveanabstractofmyclaimsandvirtues。ThegammonaboutQueenVictoria’ssonmightdoforButaritari;itwasoutofthequestionhere;andInowfiguredas’oneoftheOldMenofEngland,’apersonofdeepknowledge,comeexpresslytovisitTembinok’sdominion,andeagertoreportuponittothenolesseagerQueenVictoria。Thekingmadenoshadowofananswer,andpresentlybeganuponadifferentsubject。
  Wemighthavethoughtthathehadnotheard,ornotunderstood;
  onlythatwefoundourselvesthesubjectofaconstantstudy。Aswesatatmeals,hetookusinseriesandfixeduponeach,fornearaminuteatatime,thesamehardandthoughtfulstare。Ashethuslookedheseemedtoforgethimself,thesubjectandthecompany,andtobecomeabsorbedintheprocessofhisthought;thelookwaswhollyimpersonal;Ihaveseenthesameintheeyesofportrait-
  painters。Thecountsuponwhichwhiteshavebeendeportedaremainlyfour:cheatingTembinok’,meddlingovermuchwithcopra,whichisthesourceofhiswealth,andoneofthesinewsofhispower,’PEAKING,andpoliticalintrigue。Ifeltguiltlessuponall;buthowtoshowit?Iwouldnothavetakencoprainagift:
  howtoexpressthatqualitybymydinner-tablebearing?Therestofthepartysharedmyinnocenceandmyembarrassment。Theysharedalsoinmymortificationwhenaftertwowholemeal-timesandtheoddmomentsofanafternoondevotedtothisreconnoitring,Tembinok’tookhisleaveinsilence。Nextmorning,thesameundisguisedstudy,thesamesilence,wasresumed;andtheseconddayhadcometoitsmaturitybeforeIwasinformedabruptlythatI
  hadstoodtheordeal。’Ilookyoureye。Yougoodman。Younolie,’saidtheking:adoubtfulcomplimenttoawriterofromance。
  Laterheexplainedhedidnotquitejudgebytheeyeonly,butthemouthaswell。’TuppotiIseeman,’heexplained。’Inotavvygoodman,badman。Ilookeye,lookmouth。ThenItavvy。LookEYE,lookmouth,’herepeated。Andindeedinourcasethemouthhadthemosttodowithit,anditwasbyourtalkthatwegainedadmissiontotheisland;thekingpromisinghimselfandIbelievereallyamassingavastamountofusefulknowledgeereweleft。
  Thetermsofouradmissionwereasfollows:Weweretochooseasite,andthekingshouldtherebuildusatown。Hispeopleshouldworkforus,butthekingonlywastogivethemorders。Oneofhiscooksshouldcomedailytohelpmine,andtolearnofhim。Incaseourstoresranout,hewouldsupplyus,andberepaidonthereturnoftheEQUATOR。Ontheotherhand,hewastocometomealswithuswhensoinclined;whenhestayedathome,adishwastobesenthimfromourtable;andIsolemnlyengagedtogivehissubjectsnoliquorormoneybothofwhichtheyareforbiddentopossessandnotobacco,whichtheyweretoreceiveonlyfromtheroyalhand。I
  thinkIremembertohaveprotestedagainstthestringencyofthislastarticle;atleast,itwasrelaxed,andwhenamanworkedformeIwasallowedtogivehimapipeoftobaccoonthepremises,butnonetotakeaway。
  ThesiteofEquatorCity-wenamedourcityfortheschooner-wassoonchosen。Theimmediateshoresofthelagoonarewindyandblinding;Tembinok’himselfisgladtogropeblue-spectacledonhisterrace;andwefledtheneighbourhoodoftheredCONJUNCTIVA,thesuppuratingeyeball,andthebeggarwhopursuesandbeseechesthepassingforeignerforeyewash。Behindthetownthecountryisdiversified;hereopen,sandy,uneven,anddottedwithdwarfishpalms;herecutupwithtarotrenches,deepandshallow,and,accordingtothegrowthoftheplants,presentingnowtheappearanceofasandytannery,nowofanalleyedandgreengarden。
  Apathleadstowardsthesea,mountingabruptlytothemainleveloftheisland-twentyoreventhirtyfeet,althoughFindlaygivesfive;andjusthardbythetopoftherise,wherethecoco-palmsbegintobewellgrown,wefoundagroveofpandanus,andapieceofsoilpleasantlycoveredwithgreenunderbush。Awellwasnotfaroffunderarusticwell-house;nearerstill,inasandycupoftheland,apondwherewemightwashourclothes。Theplacewasoutofthewind,outofthesun,andoutofsightofthevillage。
  Itwasshowntotheking,andthetownpromisedforthemorrow。
  Themorrowcame,Mr。Osbournelanded,foundnothingdone,andcarriedhiscomplainttoTembinok’。Heheardit,rose,calledforaWinchester,steppedwithouttheroyalpalisade,andfiredtwoshotsintheair。AshotintheairisthefirstApemamawarning;
  ithastheforceofaproclamationinmoreloquaciouscountries;
  andhismajestyremarkedagreeablythatitwouldmakehislabourers’mo’bright。’Inlessthanthirtyminutes,accordingly,themenhadmustered,theworkwasbegun,andweweretoldthatwemightbringourbaggagewhenwepleased。
  Itwastwointheafternoonerethefirstboatwasbeached,andthelongprocessionofchestsandcratesandsacksbegantostragglethroughthesandydeserttowardsEquatorTown。Thegroveofpandanuswaspracticallyathingofthepast。Firesurroundedandsmokeroseinthegreenunderbush。Inawidecircuittheaxeswerestillcrashing。Thoseveryadvantagesforwhichtheplacewaschosen,ithadbeentheking’sfirstideatoabolish;andinthemidstofthisdevastationtherestoodalreadyagood-sizedmaniap’