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adventure(冒险)-第22部分

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he bit and snapped and rushed the flying legs till the last pair were above 

his head。     All were treed except Telepasse; who was too old and fat; and 

he   lay   prone   and   without   movement   where   he   had   fallen;   while   Satan; 

with   too   great   a   heart   to   worry   an   enemy   that   did   not   move;   dashed 

frantically from tree to tree; barking and springing at those who clung on 

lowest down。 

     〃I   fancy   you   need    a  lesson   or  two    in  inserting   fuses;〃   Sheldon 

remarked dryly。 

     Joan's eyes were scornful。 

     〃There was no detonator on it;〃 she said。            〃Besides; the detonator is 

not yet manufactured that will explode that charge。               It's only a bottle of 

chlorodyne。〃 

     She put her fingers into her mouth; and Sheldon winced as he saw her 

blow; like a boy; a sharp; imperious whistlethe call she always used for 

her sailors; and that always made him wince。 



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     〃They're   gone   up   the   Balesuna;   shooting   fish;〃   he   explained。      〃But 

there comes Oleson with his boat's…crew。              He's an old war…horse when he 

gets started。     See him banging the boys。           They don't pull fast enough for 

him。〃 

     〃And now what's to be done?〃 she asked。                 〃You've treed your game; 

but you can't keep it treed。〃 

     〃No; but I can teach them a lesson。〃 

     Sheldon walked over to the big bell。 

     〃It   is   all   right;〃   he   replied   to   her   gesture   of   protest。 〃My   boys   are 

practically all bushmen; while these chaps are salt…water men; and there's 

no love lost between them。          You watch the fun。〃 

     He   rang   a   general   call;   and   by   the   time   the   two   hundred   labourers 

trooped   into   the   compound   Satan   was   once   more   penned   in   the   living… 

room;     complaining      to  high   heaven    at  his  abominable      treatment。     The 

plantation hands were dancing war…dances around the base of every tree 

and filling the air with abuse and vituperation of their hereditary enemies。 

The skipper of the Flibberty…Gibbet arrived in the thick of it; in the first 

throes    of  oncoming      fever;   staggering     as  he  walked;     and   shivering    so 

severely   that   he   could   scarcely   hold   the   rifle   he   carried。 His   face   was 

ghastly   blue;   his   teeth   clicked   and   chattered;   and   the   violent   sunshine 

through which he walked could not warm him。 

     〃I'll   s…s…sit   down;   and   k…k…keep   a   guard   on   'em;〃   he   chattered。  〃D…d… 

dash it all; I always g…get f…fever when there's any excitement。                 W…w…wh… 

what are you going to do?〃 

     〃Gather up the guns first of all。〃 

     Under   Sheldon's   direction   the   house…boys   and   gang…bosses   collected 

the scattered arms and piled them in a heap on the veranda。                   The modern 

rifles; stolen from Lunga; Sheldon set aside; the Sniders he smashed into 

fragments; the pile of spears; clubs; and tomahawks he presented to Joan。 

     〃A  really   unique   addition   to   your   collection;〃   he   smiled;   〃picked   up 

right on the battlefield。〃 

     Down on the beach he built a bonfire out of the contents of the canoes; 

his blacks smashing; breaking; and looting everything they laid hands on。 

The canoes themselves; splintered and broken; filled with sand and coral… 



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boulders; were towed out to ten fathoms of water and sunk。 

     〃Ten fathoms will be deep enough for them to work in;〃 Sheldon said; 

as they walked back to the compound。 

     Here a Saturnalia had broken loose。            The war…songs and dances were 

more   unrestrained;   and;   from   abuse;   the   plantation   blacks   had   turned   to 

pelting their helpless foes with pieces of wood; handfuls of pebbles; and 

chunks      of  coral…rock。      And     the   seventy…five     lusty   cannibals    clung 

stoically  to   their   tree…perches;   enduring   the   rain   of   missiles   and   snarling 

down promises of vengeance。 

     〃There'll    be  wars    for  forty  years   on   Malaita    on  account    of   this;〃 

Sheldon   laughed。       〃But   I   always   fancy   old   Telepasse   will   never   again 

attempt to rush a plantation。〃 

     〃Eh;  you   old scoundrel;〃   he   added; turning   to the old   chief;  who   sat 

gibbering   in   impotent   rage   at   the   foot   of   the   steps。 〃Now   head   belong 

you bang 'm too。        Come on; Miss Lackland; bang 'm just once。 It will be 

the crowning indignity。〃 

     〃Ugh; he's too dirty。       I'd rather give him a bath。        Here; you; Adamu 

Adam; give this devil…devil a wash。           Soap and water!        Fill that wash…tub。 

Ornfiri; run and fetch 'm scrub…brush。〃 

     The Tahitians; back from their fishing and grinning at the bedlam of 

the compound; entered into the joke。 

     〃Tambo!       Tambo!〃 shrieked the cannibals from the trees; appalled at 

so awful a desecration; as they saw their chief tumbled into the tub and the 

sacred dirt rubbed and soused from his body。 

     Joan; who had gone into the bungalow; tossed down a strip of white 

calico; in which old Telepasse was promptly wrapped; and he stood forth; 

resplendent and purified; withal he still spat and strangled from the soap… 

suds with which Noa Noah had gargled his throat。 

     The house…boys were directed to fetch handcuffs; and; one by one; the 

Lunga     runaways      were   haled    down    out   of  their  trees  and   made     fast。 

Sheldon ironed them in pairs; and ran a steel chain through the links of the 

irons。    Gogoomy        was   given    a  lecture   for  his  mutinous     conduct    and 

locked up for the afternoon。         Then Sheldon rewarded the plantation hands 

with    an  afternoon's    holiday;    and;  when    they   had   withdrawn      from   the 



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compound;   permitted   the   Port   Adams        men   to   descend   from   the    trees。 

And   all   afternoon   he   and   Joan   loafed   in   the   cool   of   the   veranda   and 

watched them diving down and emptying their sunken canoes of the sand 

and rocks。     It was twilight when they embarked and paddled away with a 

few broken paddles。         A breeze had sprung up; and the Flibberty…Gibbet 

had already sailed for Lunga to return the runaways。 



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        CHAPTER XIIMR。 MORGAN 

                         AND MR。 RAFF 



     Sheldon   was   back   in   the   plantation   superintending   the   building   of   a 

bridge; when the schooner Malakula ran in close and dropped anchor。 Joan 

watched   the   taking   in   of   sail   and   the   swinging   out   of   the   boat   with   a 

sailor's interest; and herself met the two men who came ashore。                    While 

one   of   the   house…boys   ran   to   fetch   Sheldon;   she   had   the   visitors   served 

with whisky and soda; and sat and talked with them。 

     They    seemed     awkward      and   constrained    in  her   presence;    and   she 

caught first one and then the other looking at her with secret curiosity。 She 

felt that they were weighing her; appraising her; and for the first time the 

anomalous   position   she   occupied   on   Berande   sank   sharply   home   to   her。 

On    the  other   hand;   they   puzzled    her。  They     were   neither   traders   nor 

sailors   of   any   type   she   had   known。  Nor   did   they   talk   like   gentlemen; 

despite the fact that there was nothing offensive in their bearing and that 

the veneer of ordinary social nicety was theirs。             Undoubtedly; they were 

men of affairs business men of a sort; but what affairs should they have 

in the Solomons; and what business on Berande?                The elder one; Morgan; 

was a huge man; bronzed and moustached; with a deep bass voice and an 

almost guttural speech; and the other; Raff; was slight and effeminate; with 

nervous hands and watery; washed…out gray eyes; who spoke with a faint 

indefinable   accent   that   was   hauntingly   reminiscent   of   the   Cockney;   and 

that   was    yet  not   Cockney     of   any   brand   she   had   ever   encountered。 

Whatever they were; they were self…made men; she concluded; and she felt 

the impulse to shudder at thought of falling into their hands in a business 

way。     There; they would be merciless。 

     She watched Sheldon closely when he arrived; and divined th
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