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south sea tales(南海传说)-第1部分

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                            SOUTH SEA TALES 



SOUTH SEA TALES 



                        by Jack London 



                                      1 


… Page 2…

                                      SOUTH SEA TALES 



               THE HOUSE OF MAPUHI 



     Despite the heavy clumsiness of her lines; the Aorai handled easily in 

the   light   breeze;   and   her   captain   ran   her   well   in   before   he   hove   to   just 

outside the suck of the surf。 The atoll of Hikueru lay low on the water; a 

circle    of  pounded     coral   sand   a  hundred     yards   wide;   twenty    miles   in 

circumference; and from three to five feet above high…water mark。 On the 

bottom of the huge and glassy lagoon was much pearl shell; and from the 

deck of the schooner; across the slender ring of the atoll; the divers could 

be   seen   at  work。    But   the  lagoon    had   no   entrance    for  even   a  trading 

schooner。 With a favoring breeze cutters could win in through the tortuous 

and shallow channel; but the schooners lay off and on outside and sent in 

their small boats。 

     The Aorai swung out a boat smartly; into which sprang half a dozen 

brown…skinned sailors clad only in scarlet loincloths。              They took the oars; 

while in the stern sheets; at the steering sweep; stood a young man garbed 

in   the   tropic   white    that  marks     the  European。      The   golden     strain  of 

Polynesia betrayed itself in the sun…gilt of his fair skin and cast up golden 

sheens and lights through the glimmering blue of his eyes。 Raoul he was; 

Alexandre Raoul; youngest son of Marie Raoul; the wealthy quarter…caste; 

who   owned   and   managed   half   a   dozen   trading   schooners   similar   to   the 

Aorai。 Across an eddy just outside the entrance; and in and through and 

over a boiling tide…rip; the boat fought its way to the mirrored calm of the 

lagoon。   Young   Raoul   leaped   out   upon   the   white   sand   and   shook   hands 

with a tall native。 The man's chest and shoulders were magnificent; but the 

stump   of   a   right   arm;   beyond   the   flesh   of   which   the   age…whitened   bone 

projected several inches; attested the encounter with a shark that had put 

an   end   to   his   diving   days   and   made   him   a   fawner   and   an   intriguer   for 

small favors。 

     〃Have   you   heard; Alec?〃   were   his   first   words。   〃Mapuhi   has   found   a 

pearlsuch a pearl。 Never was there one like it ever fished up in Hikueru; 

nor in all the Paumotus; nor in all the world。             Buy it from him。 He has it 

now。 And remember that I told you first。 He is a fool and you can get it 

cheap。 Have you any tobacco?〃 



                                                2 


… Page 3…

                                       SOUTH SEA TALES 



     Straight up the beach to a shack under a pandanus tree Raoul headed。 

He   was   his   mother's   supercargo;   and   his   business   was   to   comb   all   the 

Paumotus for the wealth of copra; shell; and pearls that they yielded up。 

     He was a young supercargo; it was his second voyage in such capacity; 

and he suffered much secret worry from his lack of experience in pricing 

pearls。   But   when   Mapuhi   exposed   the   pearl   to   his   sight   he   managed   to 

suppress   the   startle   it   gave   him;   and   to   maintain   a   careless;   commercial 

expression on his face。 For the pearl had struck him a blow。 It was large as 

a   pigeon   egg;   a   perfect   sphere;   of   a   whiteness   that   reflected   opalescent 

lights from  all   colors about it。  It was   alive。  Never had he   seen   anything 

like   it。   When   Mapuhi   dropped   it   into   his   hand   he   was   surprised   by   the 

weight of it。 That showed that it was a good pearl。 He examined it closely; 

through a pocket magnifying   glass。 It   was without   flaw or   blemish。 The 

purity of it seemed almost to melt into the atmosphere out of his hand。 In 

the    shade    it  was   softly   luminous;     gleaming     like   a  tender    moon。    So 

translucently white was it; that when he dropped it into a glass of water he 

had   difficulty   in   finding   it。   So   straight   and   swiftly   had   it   sunk   to   the 

bottom that he knew its weight was excellent。 

     〃Well; what do you want for it?〃 he asked; with a fine assumption of 

nonchalance。 

     〃I want〃 Mapuhi began; and behind him; framing his own dark face; 

the dark   faces of two   women   and a girl nodded concurrence in   what   he 

wanted。      Their    heads    were    bent   forward;     they    were    animated     by   a 

suppressed eagerness; their eyes flashed avariciously。 

     〃I want a house;〃 Mapuhi went on。 〃It must have a roof of galvanized 

iron and an octagon…drop…clock。 It must be six fathoms long with a porch 

all   around。 A  big   room   must   be   in   the   centre;   with   a   round   table   in   the 

middle of it and the octagon…drop…clock on the wall。 There must be four 

bedrooms; two on each side of the big room; and in each bedroom must be 

an iron bed; two chairs; and a washstand。 And back of the house must be a 

kitchen;   a   good   kitchen;   with   pots   and   pans   and   a   stove。 And   you   must 

build the house on my island; which is Fakarava。〃 

     〃Is that all?〃 Raoul asked incredulously。 

     〃There must be a sewing machine;〃 spoke up Tefara; Mapuhi's wife。 



                                                 3 


… Page 4…

                                       SOUTH SEA TALES 



     〃Not     forgetting     the   octagon…drop…clock;〃         added    Nauri;     Mapuhi's 

mother。 

     〃Yes; that is all;〃 said Mapuhi。 

     Young   Raoul   laughed。   He   laughed   long   and   heartily。   But   while   he 

laughed   he   secretly   performed   problems   in   mental   arithmetic。   He   had 

never built a house in his life; and his notions concerning house building 

were hazy。 While he laughed; he calculated the cost of the voyage to Tahiti 

for   materials;   of   the   materials   themselves;   of   the   voyage   back   again   to 

Fakarava; and the cost of landing the materials and of building the house。 

It   would   come   to   four   thousand   French   dollars;   allowing   a   margin   for 

safetyfour   thousand   French   dollars   were   equivalent   to   twenty   thousad 

francs。 It was impossible。 How was he to know the value of such a pearl? 

Twenty thousand francs was a lot of moneyand of his mother's money at 

that。 

     〃Mapuhi;〃 he said; 〃you are a big fool。 Set a money price。〃 

     But   Mapuhi   shook   his   head;   and   the   three   heads   behind   him   shook 

with his。 

     〃I want the house;〃 he said。 〃It must be six fathoms long with a porch 

all around〃 

     〃Yes;   yes;〃   Raoul   interrupted。   〃I   know   all   about   your   house;   but   it 

won't do。 I'll give you a thousand Chili dollars。〃 

     The four heads chorused a silent negative。 

     〃And a hundred Chili dollars in trade。〃 

     〃I want the house;〃 Mapuhi began。 

     〃What      good   will   the  house    do   you?〃    Raoul    demanded。      〃The    first 

hurricane that comes along will wash it away。 You ought to know。 

     Captain Raffy says it looks like a hurricane right now。〃 

     〃Not on Fakarava;〃 said Mapuhi。 〃The land is much higher there。                      On 

this island; yes。 Any hurricane can sweep Hikueru。 I will have the house 

on Fakarava。 It must be six fathoms long with a porch all around〃 

     And   Raoul   listened   again   to   the   tale   of   the   house。   Several   hours   he 

spent   in   the   endeavor   to   hammer   the   house   obsession   out   of   Mapuhi's 

mind;   but   Mapuhi's   mother   and   wife;   and   Ngakura;   Mapuhi's   daughter; 

bolstered him in his resolve for the house。               Through the open doorway; 



                                                 4 


… Page 5…

                                      SOUTH SEA TALES 



while he listened for the twentieth time to the detailed description of the 

house that was wanted; Raoul saw his schooner's second boat draw up on 

the beach。 The sailors rested on the oars; advertising haste to be gone。 The 

first   mate   of   the Aorai   sprang   ashore;   exchanged   a   word   with   the   one… 

armed native; then hurried toward Raoul。 The day grew suddenly dark; as 

a squall obscured the face of the sun。 Across the lagoon Raoul could see 

approaching the ominous line of the puff of wind。 

     〃Captain Raffy says you've got to get to hell outa here;〃 was the mate's 

greeting。   〃If   there's   any  shell;   we've   got   to   run   the   risk   of   picking   it   up 

later onso he says。 The barometer's dropped to twenty…nine…seventy。〃 

     The gust of wind struck the pandanus tree overhead and tore through 

the palms beyond; flinging half
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