the research magnificent-第76部分

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ot　only　with　the　Bengali　Brahminist；　but　also　with　the　Mahometan　from　the　north…west。　　〃If　one　could　scrape　off　all　the　creed　and　training；　would　one　find　much　the　same　thing　at　the　bottom；　or　something　fundamentally　so　different　that　no　close　homogeneous　social　life　and　not　even　perhaps　a　life　of　just　compromise　is　possible　between　the　different　races　of　mankind？〃　His　answer　to　that　was　a　confident　one。　　〃There　are　no　such　natural　and　unalterable　differences　in　character　and　quality　between　any　two　sorts　of　men　whatever；　as　would　make　their　peaceful　and　kindly　co…　operation　in　the　world　impossible；〃　he　wrote。　But　he　was　not　satisfied　with　his　observations　in　India。　　He　found　the　prevalence　of　caste　ideas　antipathetic　and　complicating。　　He　went　on　after　his　last　parting　from　Amanda　into　China；　it　was　the　first　of　several　visits　to　China；　and　thence　he　crossed　to　America。　White　found　a　number　of　American　press…cuttings　of　a　vehemently　anti…Japanese　quality　still　awaiting　digestion　in　a　drawer；　and　it　was　clear　to　him　that　Benham　had　given　a　considerable　amount　of　attention　to　the　development　of　the　〃white〃　and　〃yellow〃　race　hostility　on　the　Pacific　slope；　but　his　chief　interest　at　that　time　had　been　the　negro。　　He　went　to　Washington　and　thence　south；　he　visited　Tuskegee　and　Atlanta；　and　then　went　off　at　a　tangent　to　Hayti。　　He　was　drawn　to　Hayti　by　Hesketh　Pritchard's　vivid　book；　WHERE　BLACK　RULES　WHITE；　and　like　Hesketh　Pritchard　he　was　able　to　visit　that　wonderful　monument　to　kingship；　the　hidden　fastness　of　La　Ferriere；　the　citadel　built　a　century　ago　by　the　〃Black　Napoleon；〃　the　Emperor　Christophe。　　He　went　with　a　young　American　demonstrator　from　Harvard。

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It　was　a　memorable　excursion。　　They　rode　from　Cap　Haytien　for　a　day's　journey　along　dusty　uneven　tracks　through　a　steaming　plain　of　luxurious　vegetation；　that　presented　the　strangest　mixture　of　unbridled　jungle　with　populous　country。　　They　passed　countless　villages　of　thatched　huts　alive　with　curiosited　the　landscape。　　Long　after　dark　they　blundered　upon　rather　than　came　to　the　village　at　its　foot　where　they　were　to　pass　the　night。　　They　were　interrogated　under　a　flaring　torch　by　peering　ragged　black　soldiers；　and　passed　through　a　firelit　crowd　into　the　presence　of　the　local　commandant　to　dispute　volubly　about　their　right　to　go　further。　　They　might　have　been　in　some　remote　corner　of　Nigeria。　　Their　papers；　laboriously　got　in　order；　were　vitiated　by　the　fact；　which　only　became　apparent　by　degrees；　that　the　commandant　could　not　read。　　They　carried　their　point　with　difficulty。　But　they　carried　their　point；　and；　watched　and　guarded　by　a　hungry　half…naked　negro　in　a　kepi　and　the　remains　of　a　sky…blue　pair　of　trousers；　they　explored　one　of　the　most　exemplary　memorials　of　imperialism　that　humanity　has　ever　made。　　The　roads　and　parks　and　prospects　constructed　by　this　vanished　Emperor　of　Hayti；　had　long　since　disappeared；　and　the　three　men　clambered　for　hours　up　ravines　and　precipitous　jungle　tracks；　occasionally　crossing　the　winding　traces　of　a　choked　and　ruined　road　that　had　once　been　the　lordly　approach　to　his　fastness。　　Below　they　passed　an　abandoned　palace　of　vast　extent；　a　palace　with　great　terraces　and　the　still　traceable　outline　of　gardens；　though　there　were　green　things　pushing　between　the　terrace　steps；　and　trees　thrust　out　of　the　empty　windows。　　Here　from　a　belvedere　of　which　the　skull…like　vestige　still　remained；　the　negro　Emperor　Christophe；　after　fourteen　years　of　absolute　rule；　had　watched　for　a　time　the　smoke　of　the　burning　of　his　cane…fields　in　the　plain　below；　and　then；　learning　that　his　bodyguard　had　deserted　him；　had　gone　in　and　blown　out　his　brains。　He　had　christened　the　place　after　the　best　of　examples；　〃Sans　Souci。〃　But　the　citadel　above；　which　was　to　have　been　his　last　defence；　he　never　used。　　The　defection　of　his　guards　made　him　abandon　that。　　To　build　it；　they　say；　cost　Hayti　thirty　thousand　lives。　　He　had　the　true　Imperial　lavishness。　　So　high　it　was；　so　lost　in　a　wilderness　of　trees　and　bush；　looking　out　over　a　land　relapsed　now　altogether　to　a　barbarism　of　patch　and　hovel；　so　solitary　and　chill　under　the　tropical　skyfor　even　the　guards　who　still　watched　over　its　suspected　treasures　feared　to　live　in　its　ghostly　galleries　and　had　made　hovels　outside　its　wallsand　at　the　same　time　so　huge　and　grandiosethere　were　walls　thirty　feet　thick；　galleries　with　scores　of　rust…eaten　cannon；　circular　dining…halls；　king's　apartments　and　queen's　apartments；　towering　battlements　and　great　arched　doorways　that　it　seemed　to　Benham　to　embody　the　power　and　passing　of　that　miracle　of　human　history；　tyranny；　the　helpless　bowing　of　multitudes　before　one　man　and　the　transitoriness　of　such　glories；　more　completely　than　anything　he　had　ever　seen　or　imagined　in　the　world　before。　　Beneath　the　battlementsthey　are　choked　above　with　jungle　grass　and　tamarinds　and　many　flowery　weedsthe　precipice　fell　away　a　sheer　two　thousand　feet；　and　below　spread　a　vast　rich　green　plain　populous　and　diversified；　bounded　at　last　by　the　blue　sea；　like　an　amethystine　wall。　　Over　this　precipice　Christophe　was　wont　to　fling　his　victims；　and　below　this　terrace　were　bottle…shaped　dungeons　where　men；　broken　and　torn；　thrust　in　at　the　neck…like　hole　above；　starved　and　died：　it　was　his　headquarters　here；　here　he　had　his　torture　chambers　and　the　means　for　nameless　cruelties。　。　。　。　〃Not　a　hundred　years　ago；〃　said　Benham's　companion；　and　told　the　story　of　the　disgraced　favourite；　the　youth　who　had　offended。　〃Leap；〃　said　his　master；　and　the　poor　hypnotized　wretch；　after　one　questioning　glance　at　the　conceivable　alternatives；　made　his　last　gesture　of　servility；　and　then　stood　out　against　the　sky；　swayed；　and　with　a　convulsion　of　resolve；　leapt　and　shot　headlong　down　through　the　shimmering　air。　Came　presently　the　little　faint　sound　of　his　fall。　The　Emperor　satisfied　turned　away；　unmindful　of　the　fact　that　this　projectile　he　had　launched　had　caught　among　the　bushes　below；　and　presently　struggled　and　found　itself　still　a　living　man。　　It　could　scramble　down　to　the　road　and；　what　is　more　wonderful；　hope　for　mercy。　　An　hour　and　it　stood　before　Christophe　again；　with　an　arm　broken　and　bloody　and　a　face　torn；　a　battered　thing　now　but　with　a　faint　flavour　of　pride　in　its　bearing。　　〃Your　bidding　has　been　done；　Sire；〃　it　said。　〃So；〃　said　the　Emperor；　unappeased。　　〃And　you　live？　　Well　　Leap　again。　。　。　。〃　And　then　came　other　stories。　　The　young　man　told　them　as　he　had　heard　them；　stories　of　ferocious　wholesale　butcheries；　of　men　standing　along　the　walls　of　the　banqueting　chamber　to　be　shot　one　by　one　as　the　feast　went　on；　of　exquisite　and　terrifying　cruelties；　and　his　one　note　of　wonder；　his　refrain　was；　〃HERE！　　Not　a　hundred　years　ago。　。　。　。　　It　makes　one　almost　believe　that　somewhere　things　of　this　sort　are　being　done　now。〃　They　ate　their　lunch　together　amidst　the　weedy　flowery　ruins。　　The　lizards　which　had　fled　their　coming　crept　out　again　to　bask　in　the　sunshine。　　The　soldier…guide　and　guard　scrabbled　about　with　his　black　fingers　in　the　ruinous　and　rifled　tomb　of　Christophe　in　a　search　for　some　saleable　memento。　。　。　。　Benham　sat　musing　in　silence。　　The　thought　of　deliberate　cruelty　was　always　an　actual　physical　distress