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stories by english authors-orient (英国作家故事集)-第9章

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     〃 'For the last time of answering; I will;' said Dravot; and he went away 

through the pine…trees looking like   a big   red  devil;  the   sun being   on his 

crown and beard and all。 

     〃But getting a wife was not as easy as Dan thought。 He put it before 

the Council; and there was no answer till Billy Fish said that he'd better 

ask the girls。 Dravot damned them all round。 'What's wrong with me?' he 

shouts; standing by the idol Imbra。 'Am I a dog; or am I not enough of a 

man   for   your   wenches?   Haven't   I   put   the   shadow   of   my   hand   over   this 

country? Who stopped the last Afghan raid?' It was me really; but Dravot 

was   too   angry   to   remember。   'Who   bought   your   guns?   Who   repaired   the 

bridges? Who's the Grand Master of the sign cut in the stone?' says he; and 

he thumped his hand on the block that he used to sit on in Lodge; and at 

Council; which opened like Lodge always。 Billy Fish said nothing; and no 

more   did   the others。  'Keep   your hair   on;  Dan;' said   I;  'and   ask the   girls。 

That's how it's done at Home; and these people are quite English。' 

     〃 'The marriage of the King is a matter of State;' says Dan; in a white… 

hot   rage;   for   he   could   feel;   I   hope;   that   he   was   going   against   his   better 

mind。 He walked out of the Council…room; and the others sat still; looking 

at the ground。 



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     〃 'Billy Fish;' says I to the Chief of Bashkai; 'what's the difficulty here? 

A straight answer to a true friend。' 

     〃 'You know;' says Billy Fish。 'How should a man tell you who knows 

everything?   How   can   daughters   of   men   marry   Gods   or   Devils?   It's   not 

proper。' 

     〃I remembered something like that in the Bible; but; if after seeing us 

as long as they had; they still believed we were Gods; it wasn't for me to 

undeceive them。 

     〃 'A God can do anything;' says I。 'If the King is fond of a girl he'll not 

let her die。' 'She'll have to;' said Billy Fish。 'There are all sorts of Gods and 

Devils in these mountains; and now and again a girl marries one of them 

and isn't seen any more。 Besides; you two know the Mark cut in the stone。 

Only the Gods know that。 We thought you were men till you showed the 

sign of the Master。' 

     〃I   wished   then   that   we   had   explained   about   the   loss   of   the   genuine 

secrets of a Master Mason at the first go…off; but I said nothing。 All that 

night there was a blowing of horns in a little dark temple half… way down 

the hill; and I heard the girl crying fit to die。 One of the priests told us that 

she was being prepared to marry the King。 

     〃 'I'll have no nonsense of that kind;' says Dan。 'I don't want to interfere 

with your customs; but I'll take my own wife。' 'The girl's a little bit afraid;' 

says the priest。 'She thinks she's going to die; and they are a…heartening of 

her up down in the temple。' 

     〃 'Hearten her very tender; then;' says Dravot; 'or I'll hearten you with 

the butt of a gun so you'll never want to be heartened again。' He licked his 

lips;   did   Dan;   and   stayed   up   walking   about   more   than   half   the   night; 

thinking of the wife that he was going to get in the morning。 I wasn't any 

means comfortable; for I knew that dealings with a woman in foreign parts; 

though you was a crowned King twenty times over; could not but be risky。 

I got up very early in the morning while Dravot was asleep; and I saw the 

priests   talking   together   in   whispers;   and   the   Chiefs   talking   together   too; 

and they looked at me out of the corners of their eyes。 

     〃 'What is up; Fish?' I say to the Bashkai man; who was wrapped up in 

his furs and looking splendid to behold。 



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     〃 'I can't rightly say;' says he; 'but if you can make the King drop all 

this nonsense about marriage; you'll be doing him and me and yourself a 

great service。' 

     〃 'That I do believe;' says I。 'But sure; you know; Billy; as well as me; 

having fought against and for us; that the King and me are nothing more 

than two of the finest men that God Almighty ever made。 Nothing more; I 

do assure you。' 

     〃 'That may be;' says Billy Fish; 'and yet I should be sorry if it was。' He 

sinks his head upon his great fur cloak for a minute and thinks。 'King;' says 

he; 'be you man or God or Devil; I'll stick by you to…day。 I have twenty of 

my men with me; and they will follow me。 We'll go to Bashkai until the 

storm blows over。' 

     〃 A little snow had fallen in the night; and everything was white except 

the   greasy   fat   clouds   that   blew   down   and   down   from   the   north。   Dravot 

came out with his crown on his head; swinging his arms and stamping his 

feet; and looking more pleased than Punch。 

     〃 'For the last time; drop it; Dan;' says I; in a whisper; 'Billy Fish here 

says that there will be a row。' 

     〃 'A row among my people!' says Dravot。 'Not much。 Peachey; you're a 

fool not to get a wife too。 Where's the girl?' says he; with a voice as loud 

as the braying of a jackass。 'Call up all the Chiefs and priests; and let the 

Emperor see if his wife suits him。' 

     〃There   was   no   need   to call   any  one。 They  were   all   there   leaning   on 

their guns and spears round the clearing in the centre of the pine wood。 A 

lot of priests went down to the little temple to bring up the girl; and the 

horns   blew   fit   to   wake   the   dead。   Billy   Fish   saunters   round   and   gets   as 

close to   Daniel   as   he   could;   and behind   him  stood   his   twenty  men   with 

matchlocksnot a man of them under six feet。 I was next to Dravot; and 

behind me was twenty men of the regular Army。 Up comes the girl; and a 

strapping wench she was; covered with silver and turquoises; but white as 

death; and looking back every minute at the priests。 

     〃 'She'll do;' said Dan; looking her over。 'What's to be afraid of; lass? 

Come and kiss me。' He puts his arm round her。 She shuts her eyes; gives a 

bit of a squeak; and down goes her face in the side of Dan's flaming…red 



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beard。 

     〃   'The   slut's   bitten   me!'   says   he;   clapping   his   hand   to   his   neck;   and; 

sure   enough;   his   hand   was   red   with   blood。   Billy   Fish   and   two   of   his 

matchlock men catches hold of Dan by the shoulders and drags him into 

the   Bashkai   lot;   while   the   priests   howls   in   their   lingo;   'Neither   God   nor 

Devil; but a man!' I was all taken aback; for a priest cut at me in front; and 

the Army behind began firing into the Bashkai men。 

     〃 'God A'mighty!' says Dan; 'what is the meaning o' this?' 

     〃 'Come back! Come away!' says Billy Fish。 'Ruin and Mutiny is the 

matter。 We'll break for Bashkai if we can。' 

     〃I tried to give some sort of orders to my men;the men o' the regular 

Army;but it was no use; so I fired into the brown of 'em with an English 

Martini and drilled three beggars in a line。 The valley was full of shouting; 

howling creatures; and every soul was shrieking; 'Not a God nor a Devil; 

but   only   a   man!'   The   Bashkai   troops   stuck   to   Billy   Fish   all   they   were 

worth;   but   their   matchlocks   wasn't   half   as   good   as   the   Kabul   breech… 

loaders; and four of them dropped。 Dan was bellowing like a bull; for he 

was very wrathy; and Billy Fish had a hard job to prevent him running out 

at the crowd。 

     〃 'We can't stand;' says Billy Fish。 'Make a run for it down the valley! 

The whole place is against us。' The matchlock…men ran; and we went down 

the valley in spite of Dravot。 He was swearing horrible and crying out that 

he was a King。 The priests rolled great stones on us; and the regular Army 

fired hard;  and there   wasn't   more   than six   men;  not   counting   Dan;  Billy 

Fish; and Me; that came down to the bottom of the valley alive。 

     〃Then   they   stopped   firing;   and   the   horns   in   the   temple   blew   again。 

'Come   awayfor   Gord's   sake   come   away!'   says   Billy  Fish。   'They'll   send 

runners out to all the villages before ever we get to Bashkai。 I can protect 

you there; but I can't do anything now。〃 

     〃My  own   notion   is   that   Dan   began   to go   mad   in   his   head   from  that 

hour。 He stared up and down like a stuck pig。 Then he was all for walking 

back alone and killing the priests with his bare hands; which he could have 

done。 'An Emperor am I;' says Daniel; 'and next year I shall be a Knight of 

the Queen。' 



  
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