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Within the Tides-Part23_JOSEPH CONRAD (1857-1924)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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witty. What I mean is his nature. No simpler, more scrupulously

delicate soul had ever lived in such a - a - comfortable envelope.



How we used to laugh at Davidson's fine scruples! In short, he's

thoroughly humane, and I don't imagine there can be much of any



other sort of goodness that counts on this earth. And as he's that

with a shade of particular refinement, I may well call him a



'REALLY good man.'"

I knew from old that Hollis was a firm believer in the final value



of shades. And I said: "I see" - because I really did see

Hollis's Davidson in the sympathetic stout man who had passed us a



little while before. But I remembered that at the very moment he

smiled his placid face appeared veiled in melancholy - a sort of



spiritual shadow. I went on.

"Who on earth has paid him off for being so fine by spoiling his



smile?"

"That's quite a story, and I will tell it to you if you like.



Confound it! It's quite a surprising one, too. Surprising in

every way, but mostly in the way it knocked over poor Davidson -



and apparently only because he is such a good sort. He was telling

me all about it only a few days ago. He said that when he saw



these four fellows with their heads in a bunch over the table, he

at once didn't like it. He didn't like it at all. You mustn't



suppose that Davidson is a soft fool. These men -

"But I had better begin at the beginning. We must go back to the



first time the old dollars had been called in by our Government in

exchange for a new issue. Just about the time when I left these



parts to go home for a long stay. Every trader in the islands was

thinking of getting his old dollars sent up here in time, and the



demand for empty French wine cases - you know the dozen of vermouth

or claret size - was something unprecedented. The custom was to



pack the dollars in little bags of a hundred each. I don't know

how many bags each case would hold. A good lot. Pretty tidy sums



must have been moving afloat just then. But let us get away from

here. Won't do to stay in the sun. Where could we - ? I know!



let us go to those tiffin-rooms over there."

We moved over accordingly. Our appearance in the long empty room



at that early hour caused visibleconsternationamongst the China

boys. But Hollis led the way to one of the tables between the



windows screened by rattan blinds. A brilliant half-light trembled

on the ceiling, on the whitewashed walls, bathed the multitude of



vacant chairs and tables in a peculiar, stealthy glow.

"All right. We will get something to eat when it's ready," he



said, waving the anxious Chinaman waiter aside. He took his

temples touched with grey between his hands, leaning over the table



to bring his face, his dark, keen eyes, closer to mine.

"Davidson then was commanding the steamer Sissie - the little one



which we used to chaff him about. He ran her alone, with only the

Malay serang for a deck officer. The nearest approach to another



white man on board of her was the engineer, a Portuguese half-

caste, as thin as a lath and quite a youngster at that. For all



practical purposes Davidson was managing that command of his

single-handed; and of course this was known in the port. I am



telling you of it because the fact had its influence on the

developments you shall hear of presently.



"His steamer, being so small, could go up tiny creeks and into

shallow bays and through reefs and over sand-banks, collecting



produce, where no other vessel but a native craft would think of

venturing. It is a paying game, often. Davidson was known to



visit in her places that no one else could find and that hardly

anybody had ever heard of.



"The old dollars being called in, Davidson's Chinaman thought that

the Sissie would be just the thing to collect them from small



traders in the less frequented parts of the Archipelago. It's a

good business. Such cases of dollars are dumped aft in the ship's



lazarette, and you get good freight for very little trouble and

space.



"Davidson, too, thought it was a good idea; and together they made

up a list of his calls on his next trip. Then Davidson (he had



naturally the chart of his voyages in his head) remarked that on

his way back he might look in at a certain settlement up a mere



creek, where a poor sort of white man lived in a native village.

Davidson pointed out to his Chinaman that the fellow was certain to



have some rattans to ship.

"'Probably enough to fill her forward,' said Davidson. 'And






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