within the tides-第30部分

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chin。　　In　passing　us　he　exchanged　nods　with　the　friend　I　was　with



and　smiled。







My　friend　was　Hollis；　the　fellow　who　had　so　many　adventures　and　had



known　so　many　queer　people　in　that　part　of　the　（more　or　less）



gorgeous　East　in　the　days　of　his　youth。　　He　said：　　〃That's　a　good



man。　　I　don't　mean　good　in　the　sense　of　smart　or　skilful　in　his



trade。　　I　mean　a　really　GOOD　man。〃







I　turned　round　at　once　to　look　at　the　phenomenon。　　The　〃really　GOOD



man〃　had　a　very　broad　back。　　I　saw　him　signal　a　sampan　to　come



alongside；　get　into　it；　and　go　off　in　the　direction　of　a　cluster　of



local　steamers　anchored　close　inshore。







I　said：　　〃He's　a　seaman；　isn't　he？〃







〃Yes。　　Commands　that　biggish　dark…green　steamer：　　'Sissie　…



Glasgow。'　　He　has　never　commanded　anything　else　but　the　'Sissie　…



Glasgow；'　only　it　wasn't　always　the　same　Sissie。　　The　first　he　had



was　about　half　the　length　of　this　one；　and　we　used　to　tell　poor



Davidson　that　she　was　a　size　too　small　for　him。　　Even　at　that　time



Davidson　had　bulk。　　We　warned　him　he　would　get　callosities　on　his



shoulders　and　elbows　because　of　the　tight　fit　of　his　command。　　And



Davidson　could　well　afford　the　smiles　he　gave　us　for　our　chaff。　　He



made　lots　of　money　in　her。　　She　belonged　to　a　portly　Chinaman



resembling　a　mandarin　in　a　picture…book；　with　goggles　and　thin



drooping　moustaches；　and　as　dignified　as　only　a　Celestial　knows　how



to　be。







〃The　best　of　Chinamen　as　employers　is　that　they　have　such



gentlemanly　instincts。　　Once　they　become　convinced　that　you　are　a



straight　man；　they　give　you　their　unbounded　confidence。　　You　simply



can't　do　wrong；　then。　　And　they　are　pretty　quick　judges　of



character；　too。　　Davidson's　Chinaman　was　the　first　to　find　out　his



worth；　on　some　theoretical　principle。　　One　day　in　his　counting…



house；　before　several　white　men　he　was　heard　to　declare：　　'Captain



Davidson　is　a　good　man。'　　And　that　settled　it。　　After　that　you



couldn't　tell　if　it　was　Davidson　who　belonged　to　the　Chinaman　or



the　Chinaman　who　belonged　to　Davidson。　　It　was　he　who；　shortly



before　he　died；　ordered　in　Glasgow　the　new　Sissie　for　Davidson　to



command。〃







We　walked　into　the　shade　of　the　Harbour　Office　and　leaned　our



elbows　on　the　parapet　of　the　quay。







〃She　was　really　meant　to　comfort　poor　Davidson；〃　continued　Hollis。



〃Can　you　fancy　anything　more　naively　touching　than　this　old



mandarin　spending　several　thousand　pounds　to　console　his　white　man？



Well；　there　she　is。　　The　old　mandarin's　sons　have　inherited　her；



and　Davidson　with　her；　and　he　commands　her；　and　what　with　his



salary　and　trading　privileges　he　makes　a　lot　of　money；　and



everything　is　as　before；　and　Davidson　even　smiles　…　you　have　seen



it？　　Well；　the　smile's　the　only　thing　which　isn't　as　before。〃







〃Tell　me；　Hollis；〃　I　asked；　〃what　do　you　mean　by　good　in　this



connection？〃







〃Well；　there　are　men　who　are　born　good　just　as　others　are　born



witty。　　What　I　mean　is　his　nature。　　No　simpler；　more　scrupulously



delicate　soul　had　ever　lived　in　such　a　…　a　　…　comfortable　envelope。



How　we　used　to　laugh　at　Davidson's　fine　scruples！　　In　short；　he's



thoroughly　humane；　and　I　don't　imagine　there　can　be　much　of　any



other　sort　of　goodness　that　counts　on　this　earth。　　And　as　he's　that



with　a　shade　of　particular　refinement；　I　may　well　call　him　a



'REALLY　good　man。'〃







I　knew　from　old　that　Hollis　was　a　firm　believer　in　the　final　value



of　shades。　　And　I　said：　　〃I　see〃　…　because　I　really　did　see



Hollis's　Davidson　in　the　sympathetic　stout　man　who　had　passed　us　a



little　while　before。　　But　I　remembered　that　at　the　very　moment　he



smiled　his　placid　face　appeared　veiled　in　melancholy　…　a　sort　of



spiritual　shadow。　　I　went　on。







〃Who　on　earth　has　paid　him　off　for　being　so　fine　by　spoiling　his



smile？〃







〃That's　quite　a　story；　and　I　will　tell　it　to　you　if　you　like。



Confound　it！　　It's　quite　a　surprising　one；　too。　　Surprising　in



every　way；　but　mostly　in　the　way　it　knocked　over　poor　Davidson　…



and　apparently　only　because　he　is　such　a　good　sort。　　He　was　telling



me　all　about　it　only　a　few　days　ago。　　He　said　that　when　he　saw



these　four　fellows　with　their　heads　in　a　bunch　over　the　table；　he



at　once　didn't　like　it。　　He　didn't　like　it　at　all。　　You　mustn't



suppose　that　Davidson　is　a　soft　fool。　　These　men　…







〃But　I　had　better　begin　at　the　beginning。　　We　must　go　back　to　the



first　time　the　old　dollars　had　been　called　in　by　our　Government　in



exchange　for　a　new　issue。　　Just　about　the　time　when　I　left　these



parts　to　go　home　for　a　long　stay。　　Every　trader　in　the　islands　was



thinking　of　getting　his　old　dollars　sent　up　here　in　time；　and　the



demand　for　empty　French　wine　cases　…　you　know　the　dozen　of　vermouth



or　claret　size　…　was　something　unprecedented。　　The　custom　was　to



pack　the　dollars　in　little　bags　of　a　hundred　each。　　I　don't　know



how　many　bags　each　case　would　hold。　　A　good　lot。　　Pretty　tidy　sums



must　have　been　moving　afloat　just　then。　　But　let　us　get　away　from



here。　　Won't　do　to　stay　in　the　sun。　　Where　could　we　…　？　　I　know！



let　us　go　to　those　tiffin…rooms　over　there。〃







We　moved　over　accordingly。　　Our　appearance　in　the　long　empty　room



at　that　early　hour　caused　visible　consternation　amongst　the　China



boys。　　But　Hollis　led　the　way　to　one　of　the　tables　between　the



windows　screened　by　rattan　blinds。　　A　brilliant　half…light　trembled



on　the　ceiling；　on　the　whitewashed　walls；　bathed　the　multitude　of



vacant　chairs　and　tables　in　a　peculiar；　stealthy　glow。







〃All　right。　　We　will　get　something　to　eat　when　it's　ready；〃　he



said；　waving　the　anxious　Chinaman　waiter　aside。　　He　took　his



temples　touched　with　grey　between　his　hands；　leaning　over　the　table



to　bring　his　face；　his　dark；　keen　eyes；　closer　to　mine。







〃Davidson　then　was　commanding　the　steamer　Sissie　…　the　little　one



which　we　used　to　chaff　him　about。　　He　ran　her　alone；　with　only　the



Malay　serang　for　a　deck　officer。　　The　nearest　approach　to　another



white　man　on　board　of　her　was　the　engineer；　a　Portuguese　half…



caste；　as　thin　as　a　lath　and　quite　a　youngster　at　that。　　For　all



practical　purposes　Davidson　was　managing　that　command　of　his



single…handed；　and　of　course　this　was　known　in　the　port。　　I　am



telling　you　of　it　because　the　fact　had　its　influence　on　the



developments　you　shall　hear　of　presently。







〃His　steamer；　being　so　small；　could　go　up　tiny　creeks　and　into



shallow　bays　and　through　reefs　and　over　sand…banks；　collecting



produce；　where　no　other　vessel　but　a　native　craft　would　think　of



venturing。　　It　is　a　paying　game；　often。　　Davidson　was　known　to



visit　in　her　places　that　no　one　else　could　find　and　that　hardly



anybody　had　ever　heard　of。







〃The　old　dollars　being　called　in；　Davidson's　Chinaman　thought　that



the　Sissie　would　be　just　the　thing　to　collect　them　from　small



traders　in　the　less　frequented　parts　of　the　Archipelago。　　It's　a



good　business。　　Such　cases　of　dollars　are　dumped　aft　in　the　ship's



lazarette；　and　you　get　good　freight　for　very　little　trouble　and



space。







〃Davidson；　too；　thought　it　was　a　good　idea；　and　together　they　made



up　a　list　of　his　calls　on　his　next　trip。　　Then　Davidson　（he　had



naturally　the　chart　of　his　voyages　in　his　head）　remarked　that　on



his　way　back　he　might　look　in　at　a　certain　settlement　up　a　mere



creek；　where　a　poor　sort　of　white　man　lived　in　a　native　village。



Davidson　pointed　out　to　his　Chinaman　that　the　fellow　was　certain　to



have　some　rattans　to　ship。







〃'Probably　enough　to　fill　her　forward；'　said　Davidson。　　'And



that'll　be　better　than　bringing　her　back　with　empty　holds。　　A　day



more　or　less　doesn't　matter。'







〃This　was　sound　talk；　and　the　Chinaman　owner　could　not　but　agree。



But　if　it　hadn't　been　sound　it　would　have　been　just　the　same。



Davidson　did　what　he　liked。　　He　was　a　man　that　could　do　no　wrong。



However；　this　suggestion　of　his　was　not　merely　a　business　matter。



There　was　in　it　a　touch　of　Davidsonian　kindness。　　For　you　must　know



that　the　man　could　not　have　continued　to　live　quietly　up　that　creek



if　it　had　not　been　for　Davidson's　willingness　to　call　there　from



time　to　time。　　And　Davidson's　Chinaman　knew　this　perfectly　well；



too。　　So　he　only　smiled　his　dignified；　bland　smile；　and　said：　　'All



right；　Captain。　　You　do　what　you　like。'







〃I　will　explain　presently　how　this　connection　between　Davidson　and



that　fellow　came　about。　　Now　I　want　to　tell　you　about　the　part　of



this　affair　which　happened　here　…　the　preliminaries　of　it。







〃You　know　as　well　as　I　do　that　these　tiffin…rooms　where　we　are



sitting　now　have　been　in　existence　for　many　years。　　Well；　next　day



about　twelve　o'clock；　Davidson　dropped　in　here　to　get　something　to



eat。







〃And　here　comes　the　only　moment　in　this　story　where　accident　…　mere



accident　…　plays　a　part。　　If　Davidson　had　gone　home　that　day　for



tiffin；　there　would　be　now；　after　twelve　years　or　more；　nothing



changed　in　his　kindly；　placid　smile。







〃But　he　came　in　here；　and　perhaps　it　was　sitting　at　this　very　table



that　he　remarked　to　a　friend　of　mine　that　his　next　trip　was　to　be　a



dollar…collecting　trip。　　He　added；　laughing；　that　his　wife　was



making　rather　a　fuss　about　it。　　She　had　begged　him　to　stay　ashore



and　get　somebody　else　to　take　his　place　for　a　voyage。　　She　thought



there　was　some　danger　on　account　of　the　dollars。　　He　told　her；　he



said；　that　there　were　no　Java…sea　pirates　nowadays　except　in　boys'



books。　　He　had　laughed　at　her　fears；　but　he　was　very　sorry；　too；



for　when　she　took　any　notion　in　her　head　it　was　impossible　to　argue



her　out　of　it。　　She　would　be　worrying　herself　all　the　time　he　was



away。　　Well；　he　couldn't　help　it。　　There　was　no　one　ashore　fit　to



take　his　place　for　the　t