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lavengro-第174部分

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priest … Virgilio … Lessons in Italian … Two opinions … Holy Mary … 

Priestly confederates … Methodist chapel … Veturini … Some of our 

party … Like a sepulchre … All for themselves。



'I AM a poor postilion; as you see; yet; as I have seen a thing or 

two and heard a thing or two of what is going on in the world; 

perhaps what I have to tell you connected with myself may not prove 

altogether uninteresting。  Now; my friends; this manner of opening 

a story is what the man who taught rhetoric would call a hex … hex 

… '



'Exordium;' said I。



'Just so;' said the postilion; 'I treated you to a per … per … 

peroration some time ago; so that I have contrived to put the cart 

before the horse; as the Irish orators frequently do in the 

honourable House; in whose speeches; especially those who have 

taken lessons in rhetoric; the per … per … what's the word? … 

frequently goes before the exordium。



'I was born in the neighbouring county; my father was land…steward 

to a squire of about a thousand a year。  My father had two sons; of 

whom I am the youngest by some years。  My elder brother was of a 

spirited roving disposition; and for fear that he should turn out 

what is generally termed ungain; my father determined to send him 

to sea:  so once upon a time; when my brother was about fifteen; he 

took him to the great seaport of the county; where he apprenticed 

him to a captain of one of the ships which trade to the high 

Barbary coast。  Fine ships they were; I have heard say; more than 

thirty in number; and all belonging to a wonderful great gentleman; 

who had once been a parish boy; but had contrived to make an 

immense fortune by trading to that coast for gold…dust; ivory; and 

other strange articles; and for doing so; I mean for making a 

fortune; had been made a knight baronet。  So my brother went to the 

high Barbary shore; on board the fine vessel; and in about a year 

returned and came to visit us; he repeated the voyage several 

times; always coming to see his parents on his return。  Strange 

stories he used to tell us of what he had been witness to on the 

high Barbary coast; both off shore and on。  He said that the fine 

vessel in which he sailed was nothing better than a painted hell; 

that the captain was a veritable fiend; whose grand delight was in 

tormenting his men; especially when they were sick; as they 

frequently were; there being always fever on the high Barbary 

coast; and that though the captain was occasionally sick himself; 

his being so made no difference; or rather it did make a 

difference; though for the worse; he being when sick always more 

inveterate and malignant than at other times。  He said that once; 

when he himself was sick; his captain had pitched his face all 

over; which exploit was much applauded by the other high Barbary 

captains … all of whom; from what my brother said; appeared to be 

of much the same disposition as my brother's captain; taking 

wonderful delight in tormenting the crews; and doing all manner of 

terrible things。  My brother frequently said that nothing whatever 

prevented him from running away from his ship; and never returning; 

but the hope he entertained of one day being captain himself; and 

able to torment people in his turn; which he solemnly vowed he 

would do; as a kind of compensation for what he himself had 

undergone。  And if things were going on in a strange way off the 

high Barbary shore amongst those who came there to trade; they were 

going on in a way yet stranger with the people who lived upon it。



'Oh the strange ways of the black men who lived on that shore; of 

which my brother used to tell us at home … selling their sons; 

daughters; and servants for slaves; and the prisoners taken in 

battle; to the Spanish captains; to be carried to Havannah; and 

when there; sold at a profit; the idea of which; my brother said; 

went to the hearts of our own captains; who used to say what a hard 

thing it was that free…born Englishmen could not have a hand in the 

traffic; seeing that it was forbidden by the laws of their country; 

talking fondly of the good old times when their forefathers used to 

carry slaves to Jamaica and Barbadoes; realising immense profit; 

besides the pleasure of hearing their shrieks on the voyage; and 

then the superstitions of the blacks; which my brother used to talk 

of; their sharks' teeth; their wisps of fowls' feathers; their 

half…baked pots full of burnt bones; of which they used to make 

what they called fetish; and bow down to; and ask favours of; and 

then; perhaps; abuse and strike; provided the senseless rubbish did 

not give them what they asked for; and then; above all; Mumbo 

Jumbo; the grand fetish master; who lived somewhere in the woods; 

and who used to come out every now and then with his fetish 

companions; a monstrous figure; all wound round with leaves and 

branches; so as to be quite indistinguishable; and; seating himself 

on the high seat in the villages; receive homage from the people; 

and also gifts and offerings; the most valuable of which were 

pretty damsels; and then betake himself back again; with his 

followers; into the woods。  Oh the tales that my brother used to 

tell us of the high Barbary shore!  Poor fellow! what became of him 

I can't say; the last time he came back from a voyage; he told us 

that his captain; as soon as he had brought his vessel to port and 

settled with his owner; drowned himself off the quay; in a fit of 

the horrors; which it seems high Barbary captains; after a certain 

number of years; are much subject to。  After staying about a month 

with us; he went to sea again; with another captain; and; bad as 

the old one had been; it appears the new one was worse; for; unable 

to bear his treatment; my brother left his ship off the high 

Barbary shore; and ran away up the country。  Some of his comrades; 

whom we afterwards saw; said that there were various reports about 

him on the shore; one that he had taken on with Mumbo Jumbo; and 

was serving him in his house in the woods; in the capacity of 

swashbuckler; or life…guardsman; another; that he was gone in quest 

of a mighty city in the heart of the negro country; another; that 

in swimming a stream he had been devoured by an alligator。  Now; 

these two last reports were bad enough; the idea of their flesh and 

blood being bit asunder by a ravenous fish was sad enough to my 

poor parents; and not very comfortable was the thought of his 

sweltering over the hot sands in quest of the negro city; but the 

idea of their son; their eldest child; serving Mumbo Jumbo as 

swashbuckler was worst of all; and caused my poor parents to shed 

many a scalding tear。



'I stayed at home with my parents until I was about eighteen; 

assisting my father in various ways。  I then went to live at the 

Squire's; partly as groom; partly as footman。  After living in the 

country some time; I attended the family in a tri
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