登陆注册
14723500000001

第1章

On the heights overlooking the harbor of Mogador, a seaport on the west coast of Morocco, the missionary, in the coolness of the late afternoon, is following the precept of Voltaire by cultivating his garden. He is an elderly Scotchman, spiritually a little weatherbeaten, as having to navigate his creed in strange waters crowded with other craft but still a convinced son of the Free Church and the North African Mission, with a faithful brown eye, and a peaceful soul. Physically a wiry small-knit man, well tanned, clean shaven, with delicate resolute features and a twinkle of mild humor. He wears the sun helmet and pagri, the neutral-tinted spectacles, and the white canvas Spanish sand shoes of the modern Scotch missionary: but instead of a cheap tourist's suit from Glasgow, a grey flannel shirt with white collar, a green sailor knot tie with a cheap pin in it, he wears a suit of clean white linen, acceptable in color, if not in cut, to the Moorish mind.

The view from the garden includes much Atlantic Ocean and a long stretch of sandy coast to the south, swept by the north east trade wind, and scantily nourishing a few stunted pepper trees, mangy palms, and tamarisks. The prospect ends, as far as the land is concerned, in little hills that come nearly to the sea:

rudiments, these, of the Atlas Mountains. The missionary, having had daily opportunities of looking at this seascape for thirty years or so, pays no heed to it, being absorbed in trimming a huge red geranium bush, to English eyes unnaturally big, which, with a dusty smilax or two, is the sole product of his pet flower-bed. He is sitting to his work on a Moorish stool. In the middle of the garden there is a pleasant seat in the shade of a tamarisk tree. The house is in the south west corner of the garden, and the geranium bush in the north east corner.

At the garden-door of the house there appears presently a man who is clearly no barbarian, being in fact a less agreeable product peculiar to modern commercial civilization. His frame and flesh are those of an ill-nourished lad of seventeen; but his age is inscrutable: only the absence of any sign of grey in his mud colored hair suggests that he is at all events probably under forty, without prejudice to the possibility of his being under twenty. A Londoner would recognize him at once as an extreme but hardy specimen of the abortion produced by nature in a city slum.

His utterance, affectedly pumped and hearty, and naturally vulgar and nasal, is ready and fluent: nature, a Board School education, and some kerbstone practice having made him a bit of an orator.

His dialect, apart from its base nasal delivery, is not unlike that of smart London society in its tendency to replace diphthongs by vowels (sometimes rather prettily) and to shuffle all the traditional vowel pronunciations. He pronounces ow as ah, and i as aw, using the ordinary ow for o, i for a, a for u, and e for a, with this reservation, that when any vowel is followed by an r he signifies its presence, not by pronouncing the r, which he never does under these circumstances, but by prolonging and modifyinq the vowel, sometimes even to the extreme degree of pronouncing it properly. As to his yol for l (a compendious delivery of the provincial eh-al), and other metropolitan refinements, amazing to all but cockneys, they cannot be indicated, save in the above imperfect manner, without the aid of a phonetic alphabet. He is dressed in somebody else's very second best as a coast-guardsman, and gives himself the airs of a stage tar with sufficient success to pass as a possible fish porter of bad character in casual employment during busy times at Billingsgate. His manner shows an earnest disposition to ingratiate himself with the missionary, probably for some dishonest purpose.

THE MAN. Awtenoon, Mr. Renkin. (The missionary sits up quickly, and turns, resigning himself dutifully to the interruption.) Yr honor's eolth.

RANKIN (reservedly). Good afternoon, Mr. Drinkwotter.

DRINKWATER. You're not best pleased to be hinterrupted in yr bit o gawdnin bow the lawk o me, gavner.

RANKIN. A missionary knows nothing of leks of that soart, or of disleks either, Mr. Drinkwotter. What can I do for ye?

DRINKWATER (heartily). Nathink, gavner. Awve brort noos fer yer.

RANKIN. Well, sit ye doon.

DRINKWATER. Aw thenk yr honor. (He sits down on the seat under the tree and composes himself for conversation.) Hever ear o Jadge Ellam?

RANKIN. Sir Howrrd Hallam?

DRINKWATER. Thet's im-enginest jadge in Hingland! --awlus gives the ket wen it's robbry with voylence, bless is awt. Aw sy nathink agin im: awm all fer lor mawseolf, AW em.

RANKIN. Well?

DRINKWATER. Hever ear of is sist-in-lor: Lidy Sisly Winefleet?

RANKIN. Do ye mean the celebrated Leddy--the traveller?

DRINKWATER. Yuss: should think aw doo. Walked acrost Harfricar with nathink but a little dawg, and wrowt abaht it in the Dily Mile (the Daily Mail, a popular London newspaper), she did.

RANKIN. Is she Sir Howrrd Hallam's sister-in-law?

DRINKWATER. Deeceased wawfe's sister: yuss: thet's wot SHE is.

RANKIN. Well, what about them?

DRINKWATER. Wot abaht them! Waw, they're EAH. Lannid aht of a steam yacht in Mogador awber not twenty minnits agow. Gorn to the British cornsl's. E'll send em orn to you: e ynt got naowheres to put em. Sor em awr (hire) a Harab an two Krooboys to kerry their laggige. Thort awd cam an teoll yer.

RANKIN. Thank you. It's verra kind of you, Mr. Drinkwotter.

DRINKWATER. Down't mention it, gavner. Lor bless yer, wawn't it you as converted me? Wot was aw wen aw cam eah but a pore lorst sinner? Down't aw ow y'a turn fer thet? Besawds, gavner, this Lidy Sisly Winefleet mawt wor't to tike a walk crost Morocker--a rawd inter the mahntns or sech lawk. Weoll, as you knaow, gavner, thet cawn't be done eah withaht a hescort.

RANKIN. It's impoassible: th' would oall b' murrdered. Morocco is not lek the rest of Africa.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 福妻驾到

    福妻驾到

    现代饭店彪悍老板娘魂穿古代。不分是非的极品婆婆?三年未归生死不明的丈夫?心狠手辣的阴毒亲戚?贪婪而好色的地主老财?吃上顿没下顿的贫困宭境?不怕不怕,神仙相助,一技在手,天下我有!且看现代张悦娘,如何身带福气玩转古代,开面馆、收小弟、左纳财富,右傍美男,共绘幸福生活大好蓝图!!!!快本新书《天媒地聘》已经上架开始销售,只要3.99元即可将整本书抱回家,你还等什么哪,赶紧点击下面的直通车,享受乐乐精心为您准备的美食盛宴吧!)
  • 洛克王国之小喵

    洛克王国之小喵

    那个夜晚,那场战争,夺走了她所拥有的一切。那个春天,那次比赛,使她拥有了快乐与友谊。命运使那个身份特殊的女孩失去了一切又得到了幸福,命运就是这么捉弄人啊。这是一个女孩的成长故事,一个洛克王国鲜为人知的故事。你好,我就是那个女孩,慕容夏雪,不过大家都叫我小喵。坚强是我的舞台,友谊是我的底牌,危险即将来临,那么——Showtime!
  • 豪门虐情:BOSS的偷心嫩妻

    豪门虐情:BOSS的偷心嫩妻

    十八岁,初见,他是她的代课老师,她对他一见钟情,后来在别的女人的婚宴上,再见失身,后来才知道,那个女人是他的初恋。二十岁,她如愿以偿嫁给了他,新婚之夜,她独守空房,后来才知道,他去陪那个叫他初恋的女人整整一夜。这段婚姻只维持了两个月,两个月后她当着他的面,威胁他,而后失足坠落,孩子再也保不住……爱上这个男人,几乎用尽了她所有的生命与勇气。流年记得我爱你,楼北云,你知道吗?我爱你,爱到可以放弃!尽管你的眼中只有一个宁青青。所以亲爱的,若你有一秒不爱她,那么这一秒,用来爱我可好?
  • tfboys之初心heart

    tfboys之初心heart

    我叫赵雨婷,我叫安以诺,我叫娄忆晨,这是我们和三只的恋爱史
  • 青马竹梅:欧巴到我怀里来

    青马竹梅:欧巴到我怀里来

    五岁时遇见七岁的肖华,并且来了一波英雄救美,大抵是童欢欢这辈子最幸运的事了。大闹天宫让所有人手足无措的暴力美学践行者——美猴王,也终于遇见了誓要保护一辈子的唐三藏。只是玄奘不是应该柔柔弱弱地躺在床上等待被宠幸吗?谁能告诉她这个在齐天大圣身上翻云覆雨的人到底是谁啊摔!还我弱鸡奘啊!“自从遇见你,余生都是你。”
  • 福妻驾到

    福妻驾到

    现代饭店彪悍老板娘魂穿古代。不分是非的极品婆婆?三年未归生死不明的丈夫?心狠手辣的阴毒亲戚?贪婪而好色的地主老财?吃上顿没下顿的贫困宭境?不怕不怕,神仙相助,一技在手,天下我有!且看现代张悦娘,如何身带福气玩转古代,开面馆、收小弟、左纳财富,右傍美男,共绘幸福生活大好蓝图!!!!快本新书《天媒地聘》已经上架开始销售,只要3.99元即可将整本书抱回家,你还等什么哪,赶紧点击下面的直通车,享受乐乐精心为您准备的美食盛宴吧!)
  • 倾城之恋:锐钻时代

    倾城之恋:锐钻时代

    在死亡面前,秋捷和凌霄的爱情之火,永远都不会泯灭。
  • 总裁爱情游戏:恋上黑夜天使

    总裁爱情游戏:恋上黑夜天使

    群:139973456她拥有绝美的容貌,天使般的面孔,喜欢黑夜宁静。蓝玫瑰是她最好的象征,美而带刺,如果有人上前因为它的美丽想要独占,那么就会被它满身的刺给刺伤。流出浓浓的鲜血。即便是这样,还是有人为了这样的美心甘情愿。他们不知道她心早已经随着那次而消失。十四岁对感情的朦胧,双胞胎姐妹上演了一场感情游戏。结识了大八岁的江淳伊,却不了竟是一场恶梦。十九岁兰泗涵来到另一个城市,忘记过去想好好重新开始。此时从海外经商回来的江淳伊再次出现在她的面前,他们开始互相折磨,互相伤害……妹妹的死亡真相是什么?当他们的爱不断的纠缠,她已经不是原先的她……
  • 星际深渊1

    星际深渊1

    自宇宙各星系结成联盟以后的第16个纪元。天秤星系自主脱离星际政府管辖,成为独立体系后,遭到联盟政府的共同针对。以拉纳卡星系为主的激进派,主张进行星际战争,以达成威慑,表明联盟的不可逆性。在一次星际交涉中,拉纳卡的博卡奇元帅偷袭并成功占领天秤星系AD107后,星际大战正式开始。
  • 拆掉心里的墙:20岁从“心”开始的人生经营课

    拆掉心里的墙:20岁从“心”开始的人生经营课

    境由心造,障从心生,人生障碍都是自心所造。转换了心念,跨越了心障,拆掉了心里的墙,我们就会看到美好,看到希望,看到成功,看到另一番天地,人生就会走上坦途。马志国编著的《拆掉心里的墙——20岁从心开始的人生经营课》中有故事,有案例,有问题,具有可读性;书中有解析,有诊断,有探究,讲求科学性;书中有建议,有方法,有对策,突出实用性。当然,按照通例,故事中隐去了主人公的真实姓名等有关背景资料,对有些内容做了必要的技术性处理。全书分为几个部分,每部分有若干话题及分析指导。最后一部分,还特意提供了心理自测量表。