登陆注册
15529400000019

第19章 THE ELEMENTS OF DISCORD:FOREIGN(14)

On board the BISMARCK,the commodore shook hands with him,told him he was to be "taken away from all the chiefs with whom he had been accustomed,"and had him taken to the wardroom under guard.The next day he was sent to sea in the ADLER.There went with him his brother Moli,one Meisake,and one Alualu,half-caste German,to interpret.He was respectfully used;he dined in the stern with the officers,but the boys dined "near where the fire was."They come to a "newly-formed place"in Australia,where the ALBATROSSwas lying,and a British ship,which he knew to be a man-of-war "because the officers were nicely dressed and wore epaulettes."Here he was transhipped,"in a boat with a screen,"which he supposed was to conceal him from the British ship;and on board the ALBATROSS was sent below and told he must stay there till they had sailed.Later,however,he was allowed to come on deck,where he found they had rigged a screen (perhaps an awning)under which he walked,looking at "the newly-formed settlement,"and admiring a big house "where he was sure the governor lived."From Australia,they sailed some time,and reached an anchorage where a consul-general came on board,and where Laupepa was only allowed on deck at night.He could then see the lights of a town with wharves;he supposes Cape Town.Off the Cameroons they anchored or lay-to,far at sea,and sent a boat ashore to see (he supposes)that there was no British man-of-war.It was the next morning before the boat returned,when the ALBATROSS stood in and came to anchor near another German ship.Here Alualu came to him on deck and told him this was the place."That is an astonishing thing,"said he."Ithought I was to go to Germany,I do not know what this means;I do not know what will be the end of it;my heart is troubled."Whereupon Alualu burst into tears.A little after,Laupepa was called below to the captain and the governor.The last addressed him:"This is my own place,a good place,a warm place.My house is not yet finished,but when it is,you shall live in one of my rooms until I can make a house for you."Then he was taken ashore and brought to a tall,iron house."This house is regulated,"said the governor;"there is no fire allowed to burn in it."In one part of this house,weapons of the government were hung up;there was a passage,and on the other side of the passage,fifty criminals were chained together,two and two,by the ankles.The windows were out of reach;and there was only one door,which was opened at six in the morning and shut again at six at night.All day he had his liberty,went to the Baptist Mission,and walked about viewing the negroes,who were "like the sand on the seashore"for number.At six they were called into the house and shut in for the night without beds or lights."Although they gave me no light,"said he,with a smile,"I could see I was in a prison."Good food was given him:biscuits,"tea made with warm water,"beef,etc.;all excellent.Once,in their walks,they spied a breadfruit tree bearing in the garden of an English merchant,ran back to the prison to get a shilling,and came and offered to purchase."I am not going to sell breadfruit to you people,"said the merchant;"come and take what you like."Here Malietoa interrupted himself to say it was the only tree bearing in the Cameroons."The governor had none,or he would have given it to me."On the passage from the Cameroons to Germany,he had great delight to see the cliffs of England.He saw "the rocks shining in the sun,and three hours later was surprised to find them sunk in the heavens."He saw also wharves and immense buildings;perhaps Dover and its castle.In Hamburg,after breakfast,Mr.Weber,who had now finally "ceased from troubling"Samoa,came on board,and carried him ashore "suitably"in a steam launch to "a large house of the government,"where he stayed till noon.At noon Weber told him he was going to "the place where ships are anchored that go to Samoa,"and led him to "a very magnificent house,with carriages inside and a wonderful roof of glass";to wit,the railway station.

They were benighted on the train,and then went in "something with a house,drawn by horses,which had windows and many decks";plainly an omnibus.Here (at Bremen or Bremerhaven,I believe)they stayed some while in "a house of five hundred rooms";then were got on board the NURNBERG (as they understood)for Samoa,anchored in England on a Sunday,were joined EN ROUTE by the famous Dr.Knappe,passed through "a narrow passage where they went very slow and which was just like a river,"and beheld with exhilarated curiosity that Red Sea of which they had learned so much in their Bibles.At last,"at the hour when the fires burn red,"they came to a place where was a German man-of-war.Laupepa was called,with one of the boys,on deck,when he found a German officer awaiting him,and a steam launch alongside,and was told he must now leave his brother and go elsewhere."I cannot go like this,"he cried.

"You must let me see my brother and the other old men"-a term of courtesy.Knappe,who seems always to have been good-natured,revised his orders,and consented not only to an interview,but to allow Moli to continue to accompany the king.So these two were carried to the man-of-war,and sailed many a day,still supposing themselves bound for Samoa;and lo!she came to a country the like of which they had never dreamed of,and cast anchor in the great lagoon of Jaluit;and upon that narrow land the exiles were set on shore.This was the part of his captivity on which he looked back with the most bitterness.It was the last,for one thing,and he was worn down with the long suspense,and terror,and deception.

He could not bear the brackish water;and though "the Germans were still good to him,and gave him beef and biscuit and tea,"he suffered from the lack of vegetable food.

Such is the narrative of this simple exile.I have not sought to correct it by extraneous testimony.It is not so much the facts that are historical,as the man's attitude.No one could hear this tale as he originally told it in my hearing -I think none can read it as here condensed and unadorned -without admiring the fairness and simplicity of the Samoan;and wondering at the want of heart -or want of humour -in so many successive civilised Germans,that they should have continued to surround this infant with the secrecy of state.

同类推荐
  • 骨董祸

    骨董祸

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 伤寒来苏集

    伤寒来苏集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 相和歌辞·采莲曲

    相和歌辞·采莲曲

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 西湖小史

    西湖小史

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • Vailima Letters

    Vailima Letters

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 青梅追爱记:竹马,你别逃

    青梅追爱记:竹马,你别逃

    【全文免费】年少一诺,她就认定了自己是他的人;从记事起,肖筱就走上了追夫不归路;别人家的竹马都是宠妻无度,她家竹马的情商却貌似是被狗吃掉了?还一赤裸裸的传说中禁欲系男神?……哈?当正所谓咸鱼翻身之时,却不料是被吃抹干净之际;“媳妇儿,咸鱼翻身还是咸鱼。”身上这个死皮赖脸的家伙是谁?“泥奏凯!”这货绝对不是她家完美男神……某男却是一脸委屈,“伦家也是想让你尝尝什么叫宠妻度无嘛。”然后……某女被宠入骨了。
  • 倾城染歌

    倾城染歌

    墨墨倾城VS莫染歌;莫染歌胜墨倾城VS尹染歌;尹染歌胜我靠,老天爷你是来惩罚我的吧,什么玩意儿啊......墨倾城已然无语了,天都要惩罚她啊......她好歹也是《武动乾坤》御剑飞仙大区堂堂的一大女神啊,就这么被甩了?。。。。。。什么!她是人妖?!不想解释。靠,游戏里不顺也就算了,为毛现实里还要应付这么一尊大神啊。。。。。。她两眼一闭,装死。。。。。。但不得不说,我们倾城的反射弧。。。。好大。。。。莫染歌。。。。尹染歌。。。。什么!就是你!好吧,尹染歌扶额轻叹。。这两个名字差距好像没那么大吧。。。看来,他还需要加把劲了。。。。
  • TFboys恋爱笔记

    TFboys恋爱笔记

    她们和他们出自皇室,被父母定下娃娃亲,父母对孩子保密,本想长大再说,没想到他们在不知情的情况下恋爱了......他们是怎么相遇的呢?又擦出了怎样的火花?
  • 风起人间界

    风起人间界

    一个被家族推向死亡深渊的少年,来到人间界的他将何去何从……
  • 红颜劫之凤凰于飞

    红颜劫之凤凰于飞

    为了复仇,她纤纤玉手掌控整盘棋局,一场本是她意料之内的嫁娶,扭转乾坤。为了复仇,她赌上一生幸福,谈笑间,翻手为云覆手为雨,在江湖掀起血雨腥风,在朝廷掀起阵阵波浪。他南晟霖,是秦国的王,原以为自己会掌握棋局,却一次次被她卷入纷争,为了护她,甘愿倾一国之力助她。他说:“你的仇,我帮你报,尽我所能,满足你一生所想。”他是楚复,楚国国君,为皇位而生,为皇位而活,却被她所惑,江山美人他都不想放手,可真心里,往往容不下算计。一盘棋,到底多少人在下?一个天下,到底多少人在争?计中计,情中情,一环紧扣一环,沉浮不定······
  • 穿越之恬缘一梦

    穿越之恬缘一梦

    她,拥有绝色的容颜以及过人的才华,她的母亲是从千年前穿越过来的,而她依然要穿越回去,母亲为她的穿越做好了充足的准备,但她却不知自己的命运。发呆,一个离谱的不能再离谱的理由,她穿越到千年前不曾被历史记载的国家——落国,这可能就是缘分吧,带着母亲为她准备的东西,她在落国的命运会怎样呢........
  • 青春梦源

    青春梦源

    夏伊从小有一个演员梦,但是悲惨的命运捉弄了她,她出生在一个普通的家庭,生活过得普普通通的,一个偶然的机会让她有了一个梦——成为最有名的演员,但是老天往往要让她实现不了……
  • 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!)
  • 我的幸福还给我

    我的幸福还给我

    从一开始,我们的相识就是一个错误,我们本不该相识,本不属于同一个世界,可是为什么还要我离不开你…………你想要自由我给不了你……
  • 步步勾婚:权少蜜宠小妻

    步步勾婚:权少蜜宠小妻

    她香软的身是他情毒首发的良药,坑洞外,烽火连天,坑洞内,男女两具身体如千年藤蔓交缠……“说,你到底是谁?”他挑起她的下巴,双眸猩红,厉声质问她是谁?当然是他的敌人。最爱的人将她推入险境,她却不小心惹上一头恶魔,而她发誓,伤她害她的人一个也跑不掉,她与恶魔签协议达成共识,恶魔无止尽地享用她的身体,却在同时帮她将坏人推下地狱……