登陆注册
4809100000023

第23章 "YAH! YAH! YAH!".(5)

And we that lived were very sorry that in our pride we tried to take the schooner with the three masts that came to fish for beche-de-mer.

"On the morning of the third day came the skippers of the three schooners and that mate in a small boat. They carried rifles, all of them, and revolvers, and they made talk. It was only that they were weary of killing us that they had stopped, they told us. And we told them that we were sorry, that never again would we harm a white man, and in token of our submission we poured sand upon our heads. And all the women and children set up a great wailing for water, so that for some time no man could make himself heard. Then we were told our punishment. We must fill the three schooners with copra and beche-de-mer. And we agreed, for we wanted water, and our hearts were broken, and we knew that we were children at fighting when we fought with white men who fight like hell. And when all the talk was finished, the mate stood up and mocked us, and yelled, Yah! Yah! Yah!' After that we paddled away in our canoes and sought water.

"And for weeks we toiled at catching beche-de-mer and curing it, in gathering the cocoanuts and turning them into copra. By day and night the smoke rose in clouds from all the beaches of all the islands of Oolong as we paid the penalty of our wrongdoing. For in those days of death it was burned clearly on all our brains that it was very wrong to harm a white man.

"By and by, the schooners full of copra and beche-de-mer and our trees empty of cocoanuts, the three skippers and that mate called us all together for a big talk. And they said they were very glad that we had learned our lesson, and we said for the ten-thousandth time that we were sorry and that we would not do it again. Also, we poured sand upon our heads. Then the skippers said that it was all very well, but just to show us that they did not forget us, they would send a devil-devil that we would never forget and that we would always remember any time we might feel like harming a white man. After that the mate mocked us one more time and yelled, Yah! Yah! Yah!' Then six of our men, whom we thought long dead, were put ashore from one of the schooners, and the schooners hoisted their sails and ran out through the passage for the Solomons.

"The six men who were put ashore were the first to catch the devil-devil the skippers sent back after us.""A great sickness came," I interrupted, for I recognized the trick. The schooner had had measles on board, and the six prisoners had been deliberately exposed to it.

"Yes, a great sickness," Oti went on. "It was a powerful devil-devil. The oldest man had never heard of the like. Those of our priests that yet lived we killed because they could not overcome the devil-devil. The sickness spread.

I have said that there were ten thousand of us that stood hip to hip and shoulder to shoulder on the sandbank. When the sickness left us, there were three thousand yet alive. Also, having made all our cocoanuts into copra, there was a famine.

"That fella trader," Oti concluded, "he like 'm that much dirt. He like 'm clam he die KAI-KAI (meat) he stop, stink 'm any amount. He like 'm one fella dog, one sick fella dog plenty fleas stop along him. We no fright along that fella trader. We fright because he white man. We savve plenty too much no good kill white man. That one fella sick dog trader he plenty brother stop along him, white men like 'm you fight like hell. We no fright that damn trader.

Some time he made kanaka plenty cross along him and kanaka want 'm kill m, kanaka he think devil-devil and kanaka he hear that fella mate sing out, Yah!

Yah! Yah!' and kanaka no kill m."

Oti baited his hook with a piece of squid, which he tore with his teeth from the live and squirming monster, and hook and bait sank in white flames to the bottom.

"Shark walk about he finish," he said. "I think we catch 'm plenty fella fish."His line jerked savagely. He pulled it in rapidly, hand under hand, and landed a big gasping rock cod in the bottom of the canoe.

"Sun he come up, I make 'm that dam fella trader one present big fella fish,"said Oti.

同类推荐
  • 异域志

    异域志

    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。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 大乘离文字普光明藏经

    大乘离文字普光明藏经

    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。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 天枢院都司须知格

    天枢院都司须知格

    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。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 转法轮经

    转法轮经

    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。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 古今图书集成释教部汇考

    古今图书集成释教部汇考

    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。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 妃本为良

    妃本为良

    百里凌月,我恨你你总能夺走我想要的一切。——苏浣姐姐,你是我唯一的亲人,可我却想杀了你。——祁辰我那么爱你,你怎么能离开。——北竹墨素倾的孽种,我绝不会让她苟活于世。——韩太妃任何人都只能成为我登上皇位的踏脚石。——司徒轩不曾拥有,才不会有失去的痛苦。——百里凌月槐花叔树下,你素手抚琴的模样。让我不经意的失神,一辈子也没醒来过。——司徒钰
  • 陌染夏殇

    陌染夏殇

    她——一位帝国公主为了江山社稷从古代穿越到现代,第一天就认识了他,她对他一见钟情。他——现代社会的一个贵公子,偶然的机遇认识了她,第一次看见她,就对她一见钟情。家族的恩怨,让他在一次战斗中重伤,不久就离开人世。她为了让他复活,她牺牲他千年精华。醒来后的他发现竟然在一个不知的国度,而他却失去在原有社会的能力,从此为了找寻她,也为了他在那个世界生存,他从那个社会最底层做起,一切的一切只为她和他。
  • 迷失的时候,选择更艰辛的那条路

    迷失的时候,选择更艰辛的那条路

    我们每天都会面临无数抉择。因此,每天都会有困惑和烦恼。在不知道选什么好的时候,就选择艰辛的那条路吧。因为这样不管是对是错,都会更集中精力去做,会变得更加慎重、更加仔细地准备。从结果上来说,也会学习到更多东西,更容易获得成功。人生总会有很多迷茫到不知道如何选择的时候。决定我们能成为什么样的人,不是我们的能力,而是我们的选择。38位人气作者为我们讲述迷失的时候,那些和选择有关的故事。
  • 灵狐仙踪

    灵狐仙踪

    灵狐下凡转世修仙,为保护尘世不受妖神危害,与妖神展开了一场斗智斗勇的较量。同样下凡投胎的仙草对灵狐投胎的美丽圣女产生了爱慕,为此与尘世亲人发生纠葛,使得妖神有机可乘,圣女斩妖修仙变得困难重重…….仙草最终付出生命的代价。圣女为阻妖神出洞危害人间,为救仙草魂魄不被妖神所利用,闯入妖神被禁魔界,经过九死一生,借助仙草魂魄的能量合二为一杀了妖神,扫了魔窟。但最后关头,妖神的魔性入侵了圣女身体,圣女用灵力极力克制魔性,把仙草魂魄逼出体外,并用千年灵力使仙草复活。灵力耗尽,魔性疯长,圣女成了魔女,每天要吸食大量鲜血才能生存,佛出现用三味真火烧毁圣女.......
  • 沉迷之朝酒晚舞

    沉迷之朝酒晚舞

    本书通过讲述“我”、朱赫、李小曼三人在大学校园内所共同经历的“日记事件”、“学费风波”、“勒索教授”、“宣布‘我’的假死来炒作‘我’”等种种曲折离奇的故事,展现出一个真实、鲜活精彩的当代大学校园,并以此折射出整个当代社会的影象。
  • 超凡学生

    超凡学生

    史上最倒霉的家伙林凡,晴天白日里被雷连续霹了两次之后,体内突然多出了一些来历不明匪夷所思的力量!面对这接踵而来的奇遇,夺宝,升级,林凡能否游刃有余,开启人生新的精彩呢?读者群:18643654
  • 回话的技术

    回话的技术

    本书层层剥笋,条分缕析,以精练生动的语言,配合丰富典型的案例,详尽讲解了人生各种场合的回话方式和回答技巧,诸如如何抛出关键词,开口回答就能说中要害;如何听出对方的话外音投其所好地回答;如何察言观色随时调整回话;如何以问代答占据主动;如何依对方的性格选择回话方式,等等。通过本书,读者可能在短时间内学会各种回答技巧,极大地提升自己的回话能力,达到既要回答对、更要回答好、回答制胜的境地,从而游刃有余地应对种种重要、疑难、复杂的工作和生活问题,成为沟通的达人,交际的红人,事业的强者,生活的乐者。
  • 蛮荒沧狼

    蛮荒沧狼

    一座大山压在必经之路上少年翻过去可是过去后发现那是一片海这里没有能够长出一双翅膀的奇果没有一叶扁舟无论他怎样世界的框架都将他锁在盒子里面他以为能改变全世界他以为他努力就可以守护自己想要的
  • 佞华妆

    佞华妆

    前世的情既已化作世间最毒的药,这世她便要用这毒药,为自己染上最红的妆!她的重新归来,必然带着腥风血雨,本是她拉他脱离苦海,不想最后,竟是被他渡为人。
  • 画中人

    画中人

    丹麦难得的好夏天,气温适宜,天又黑得晚,日光仿佛被拉长了,红红的晚霞看不到尽头。在首都哥本哈根的中心广场上,凑满了各式各样的小商贩,各自摆着地摊,各自挣着小钱。丹麦普通人的日子,就是安安静静,各不相干。也有不普通的。在广场斜对面的街角上,有一栋三层楼的红色小房子,挤挨在其他房子中间,窗子是淡绿色的,有一点安徒生童话的味道。在这栋房子的三楼房间内,一个男子躺在地毯上。男子亚麻色头发,高鼻梁,紧闭着双眼,晕过去的样子。在他的身边,还站着一个女孩。这个女子是黑头发,瀑布般倾泻到腰际,全身发颤。她的手里攥着一颗很尖的东西,向地上的男子走去。