end of the tether- 第36部分

dry　rustling　in　his　throat。







〃Have　mercy！〃







〃Had　you　any　when　you　made　me　lose　my　ship？　　Mr。



Massy；　you　shall　get　fifteen　years　for　this！〃







〃I　wanted　money！　　Money！　　My　own　money！　　I　will



give　you　some　money。　　Take　half　of　it。　　You　love



money　yourself。〃







〃There's　a　justice　。　。　。〃







Massy　made　an　awful　effort；　and　in　a　strange；　half



choked　utterance







〃You　blind　devil！　　It's　you　that　drove　me　to　it。〃







Captain　Whalley；　hugging　the　coat　to　his　breast；



made　no　sound。　　The　light　had　ebbed　for　ever　from　the



worldlet　everything　go。　　But　this　man　should　not



escape　scot…free。







Sterne's　voice　commanded







〃Lower　away！〃







The　blocks　rattled。







〃Now　then；〃　he　cried；　〃over　with　you。　　This　way。



You；　Jack；　here。　　Mr。　Massy！　　Mr。　Massy！　　Captain！



Quick；　sir！　　Let's　get







〃I　shall　go　to　prison　for　trying　to　cheat　the　insurance；



but　you'll　get　exposed；　you；　honest　man；　who　has　been



cheating　me。　　You　are　poor。　　Aren't　you？　　You've



nothing　but　the　five　hundred　pounds。　　Well；　you　have



nothing　at　all　now。　　The　ship's　lost；　and　the　insurance



won't　be　paid。〃







Captain　Whalley　did　not　move。　　True！　　Ivy's　money！



Gone　in　this　wreck。　　Again　he　had　a　flash　of　insight。



He　was　indeed　at　the　end　of　his　tether。







Urgent　voices　cried　out　together　alongside。　　Massy



did　not　seem　able　to　tear　himself　away　from　the　bridge。



He　chattered　and　hissed　despairingly







〃Give　it　up　to　me！　　Give　it　up！〃







〃No；〃　said　Captain　Whalley；　〃I　could　not　give　it　up。



You　had　better　go。　　Don't　wait；　man；　if　you　want　to



live。　　She's　settling　down　by　the　head　fast。　　No；　I　shall



keep　it；　but　I　shall　stay　on　board。〃







Massy　did　not　seem　to　understand；　but　the　love　of　life；



awakened　suddenly；　drove　him　away　from　the　bridge。







Captain　Whalley　laid　the　coat　down；　and　stumbled



amongst　the　heaps　of　wreckage　to　the　side。







〃Is　Mr。　Massy　in　with　you？〃　he　called　out　into　the



night。







Sterne　from　the　boat　shouted







〃Yes；　we've　got　him。　　Come　along；　sir。　　It's　madness



to　stay　longer。〃







Captain　Whalley　felt　along　the　rail　carefully；　and；



without　a　word；　cast　off　the　painter。　　They　were　ex…



pecting　him　still　down　there。　　They　were　waiting；　till



a　voice　suddenly　exclaimed







〃We　are　adrift！　　Shove　off！〃







〃Captain　Whalley！　　Leap！　。　。　。　pull　up　a　little　。　。　。



leap！　　You　can　swim。〃







In　that　old　heart；　in　that　vigorous　body；　there　was；



that　nothing　should　be　wanting；　a　horror　of　death　that



apparently　could　not　be　overcome　by　the　horror　of



blindness。　　But　after　all；　for　Ivy　he　had　carried　his



point；　walking　in　his　darkness　to　the　very　verge　of　a



crime。　　God　had　not　listened　to　his　prayers。　　The　light



had　finished　ebbing　out　of　the　world；　not　a　glimmer。　　It



was　a　dark　waste；　but　it　was　unseemly　that　a　Whalley



who　had　gone　so　far　to　carry　a　point　should　continue



to　live。　　He　must　pay　the　price。







〃Leap　as　far　as　you　can；　sir；　we　will　pick　you　up。〃







They　did　not　hear　him　answer。　　But　their　shouting



seemed　to　remind　him　of　something。　　He　groped　his



way　back；　and　sought　for　Mr。　Massy's　coat。　　He　could



swim　indeed；　people　sucked　down　by　the　whirlpool　of



a　sinking　ship　do　come　up　sometimes　to　the　surface；　and



it　was　unseemly　that　a　Whalley；　who　had　made　up　his



mind　to　die；　should　be　beguiled　by　chance　into　a



struggle。　　He　would　put　all　these　pieces　of　iron　into　his



own　pockets。







They；　looking　from　the　boat；　saw　the　Sofala；　a　black



mass　upon　a　black　sea；　lying　still　at　an　appalling　cant。



No　sound　came　from　her。　　Then；　with　a　great　bizarre



shuffling　noise；　as　if　the　boilers　had　broken　through　the



bulkheads；　and　with　a　faint　muffled　detonation；　where



the　ship　had　been　there　appeared　for　a　moment　some…



thing　standing　upright　and　narrow；　like　a　rock　out　of



the　sea。　　Then　that　too　disappeared。











When　the　Sofala　failed　to　come　back　to　Batu　Beru　at



the　proper　time；　Mr。　Van　Wyk　understood　at　once　that



he　would　never　see　her　any　more。　　But　he　did　not　know



what　had　happened　till　some　months　afterwards；　when；



in　a　native　craft　lent　him　by　his　Sultan；　he　had　made



his　way　to　the　Sofala's　port　of　registry；　where　already



her　existence　and　the　official　inquiry　into　her　loss　was



beginning　to　be　forgotten。







It　had　not　been　a　very　remarkable　or　interesting　case；



except　for　the　fact　that　the　captain　had　gone　down　with



his　sinking　ship。　　It　was　the　only　life　lost；　and　Mr。　Van



Wyk　would　not　have　been　able　to　learn　any　details　had



it　not　been　for　Sterne；　whom　he　met　one　day　on　the　quay



near　the　bridge　over　the　creek；　almost　on　the　very　spot



where　Captain　Whalley；　to　preserve　his　daughter's　five



hundred　pounds　intact；　had　turned　to　get　a　sampan



which　would　take　him　on　board　the　Sofala。







From　afar　Mr。　Van　Wyk　saw　Sterne　blink　straight　at



him　and　raise　his　hand　to　his　hat。　　They　drew　into　the



shade　of　a　building　（it　was　a　bank）；　and　the　mate　re…



lated　how　the　boat　with　the　crew　got　into　Pangu　Bay



about　six　hours　after　the　accident；　and　how　they　had



lived　for　a　fortnight　in　a　state　of　destitution　before　they



found　an　opportunity　to　get　away　from　that　beastly



place。　　The　inquiry　had　exonerated　everybody　from　all



blame。　　The　loss　of　the　ship　was　put　down　to　an　un…



usual　set　of　the　current。　　Indeed；　it　could　not　have　been



anything　else：　there　was　no　other　way　to　account　for



the　ship　being　set　seven　miles　to　the　eastward　of　her



position　during　the　middle　watch。







〃A　piece　of　bad　luck　for　me；　sir。〃







Sterne　passed　his　tongue　on　his　lips；　and　glanced　aside。



〃I　lost　the　advantage　of　being　employed　by　you；　sir。



I　can　never　be　sorry　enough。　　But　here　it　is：　one　man's



poison；　another　man's　meat。　　This　could　not　have　been



handier　for　Mr。　Massy　if　he　had　arranged　that　ship…



wreck　himself。　　The　most　timely　total　loss　I've　ever



heard　of。〃







〃What　became　of　that　Massy？〃　asked　Mr。　Van　Wyk。







〃He；　sir？　　Ha！　ha！　　He　would　keep　on　telling　me



that　he　meant　to　buy　another　ship；　but　as　soon　as　he



had　the　money　in　his　pocket　he　cleared　out　for　Manilla



by　mail…boat　early　in　the　morning。　　I　gave　him　chase



right　aboard；　and　he　told　me　then　he　was　going　to　make



his　fortune　dead　sure　in　Manilla。　　I　could　go　to　the



devil　for　all　he　cared。　　And　yet　he　as　good　as　promised



to　give　me　the　command　if　I　didn't　talk　too　much。〃







〃You　never　said　anything　。　。　。〃　Mr。　Van　Wyk



began。







〃Not　I；　sir。　　Why　should　I？　　I　mean　to　get　on；　but



the　dead　aren't　in　my　way；〃　said　Sterne。　　His　eyelids



were　beating　rapidly；　then　drooped　for　an　instant。



〃Besides；　sir；　it　would　have　been　an　awkward　business。



You　made　me　hold　my　tongue　just　a　bit　too　long。〃







〃Do　you　know　how　it　was　that　Captain　Whalley　re…



mained　on　board？　　Did　he　really　refuse　to　leave？　　Come



now！　　Or　was　it　perhaps　an　accidental　。　。　。？〃







〃Nothing！〃　Sterne　interrupted　with　energy。　　〃I　tell



you　I　yelled　for　him　to　leap　overboard。　　He　simply



MUST　have　cast　off　the　painter　of　the　boat　himself。　　We



all　yelled　to　himthat　is；　Jack　and　I。　　He　wouldn't　even



answer　us。　　The　ship　was　as　silent　as　a　grave　to　the　last。



Then　the　boilers　fetched　away；　and　down　she　went。



Accident！　　Not　it！　　The　game　was　up；　sir；　I　tell　you。〃







This　was　all　that　Sterne　had　to　say。







Mr。　Van　Wyk　had　been　of　course　made　the　guest　of



the　club　for　a　fortnight；　and　it　was　there　that　he　met



the　lawyer　in　whose　office　had　been　signed　the　agreement



between　Massy　and　Captain　Whalley。







〃Extraordinary　old　man；〃　he　said。　　〃He　came　into



my　office　from　nowhere　in　particular　as　you　may　say；



with　his　five　hundred　pounds　to　place；　and　that　engineer



fellow　following　him　anxiously。　　And　now　he　is　gone　out



a　little　inexplicably；　just　as　he　came。　　I　could　never



understand　him　quite。　　There　was　no　mystery　at　all



about　that　Massy；　eh？　　I　wonder　whether　Whalley　re…



fused　to　leave　the　ship。　　It　would　have　been　foolish。



He　was　blameless；　as　the　court　found。〃







Mr。　Van　Wyk　had　known　him　well；　he　said；　and　he



could　not　believe　in　suicide。　　Such　an　act　would　not



have　been　in　character　with　what　he　knew　of　the　man。







〃It　is　my　opinion；　too；〃　the　lawyer　agreed。　　The　gen…



eral　theory　was　that