友情提示:如果本网页打开太慢或显示不完整,请尝试鼠标右键“刷新”本网页!
lavengro-第174部分
快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完,想下次继续接着阅读,可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能!
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
快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
温馨提示: 温看小说的同时发表评论,说出自己的看法和其它小伙伴们分享也不错哦!发表书评还可以获得积分和经验奖励,认真写原创书评 被采纳为精评可以获得大量金币、积分和经验奖励哦!