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vailima letters-第1章

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Vailima Letters


by Robert Louis Stevenson









CHAPTER I







IN THE MOUNTAIN; APIA; SAMOA;

MONDAY; NOVEMBER 2ND; 1890





MY DEAR COLVIN; … This is a hard and interesting and 

beautiful life that we lead now。  Our place is in a deep 

cleft of Vaea Mountain; some six hundred feet above the sea; 

embowered in forest; which is our strangling enemy; and which 

we combat with axes and dollars。  I went crazy over outdoor 

work; and had at last to confine myself to the house; or 

literature must have gone by the board。  NOTHING is so 

interesting as weeding; clearing; and path…making; the 

oversight of labourers becomes a disease; it is quite an 

effort not to drop into the farmer; and it does make you feel 

so well。  To come down covered with mud and drenched with 

sweat and rain after some hours in the bush; change; rub 

down; and take a chair in the verandah; is to taste a quiet 

conscience。  And the strange thing that I mark is this: If I 

go out and make sixpence; bossing my labourers and plying the 

cutlass or the spade; idiot conscience applauds me; if I sit 

in the house and make twenty pounds; idiot conscience wails 

over my neglect and the day wasted。  For near a fortnight I 

did not go beyond the verandah; then I found my rush of work 

run out; and went down for the night to Apia; put in Sunday 

afternoon with our consul; 'a nice young man;' dined with my 

friend H。 J。 Moors in the evening; went to church … no less … 

at the white and half…white church … I had never been before; 

and was much interested; the woman I sat next LOOKED a full…

blood native; and it was in the prettiest and readiest 

English that she sang the hymns; back to Moors'; where we 

yarned of the islands; being both wide wanderers; till bed…

time; bed; sleep; breakfast; horse saddled; round to the 

mission; to get Mr。 Clarke to be my interpreter; over with 

him to the King's; whom I have not called on since my return; 

received by that mild old gentleman; have some interesting 

talk with him about Samoan superstitions and my land … the 

scene of a great battle in his (Malietoa Laupepa's) youth … 

the place which we have cleared the platform of his fort … 

the gulley of the stream full of dead bodies … the fight 

rolled off up Vaea mountain…side; back with Clarke to the 

Mission; had a bit of lunch and consulted over a queer point 

of missionary policy just arisen; about our new Town Hall and 

the balls there … too long to go into; but a quaint example 

of the intricate questions which spring up daily in the 

missionary path。



Then off up the hill; Jack very fresh; the sun (close on 

noon) staring hot; the breeze very strong and pleasant; the 

ineffable green country all round … gorgeous little birds (I 

think they are humming birds; but they say not) skirmishing 

in the wayside flowers。  About a quarter way up I met a 

native coming down with the trunk of a cocoa palm across his 

shoulder; his brown breast glittering with sweat and oil: 

'Talofa' … 'Talofa; alii … You see that white man?  He speak 

for you。'  'White man he gone up here?' … 'Ioe (Yes)' … 

'Tofa; alii' … 'Tofa; soifua!'  I put on Jack up the steep 

path; till he is all as white as shaving stick … Brown's 

euxesis; wish I had some … past Tanugamanono; a bush village 

… see into the houses as I pass … they are open sheds 

scattered on a green … see the brown folk sitting there; 

suckling kids; sleeping on their stiff wooden pillows … then 

on through the wood path … and here I find the mysterious 

white man (poor devil!) with his twenty years' certificate of 

good behaviour as a book…keeper; frozen out by the strikes in 

the colonies; come up here on a chance; no work to be found; 

big hotel bill; no ship to leave in … and come up to beg 

twenty dollars because he heard I was a Scotchman; offering 

to leave his portmanteau in pledge。  Settle this; and on 

again; and here my house comes in view; and a war whoop 

fetches my wife and Henry (or Simele); our Samoan boy; on the 

front balcony; and I am home again; and only sorry that I 

shall have to go down again to Apia this day week。  I could; 

and would; dwell here unmoved; but there are things to be 

attended to。



Never say I don't give you details and news。  That is a 

picture of a letter。



I have been hard at work since I came; three chapters of THE 

WRECKER; and since that; eight of the South Sea book; and; 

along and about and in between; a hatful of verses。  Some day 

I'll send the verse to you; and you'll say if any of it is 

any good。  I have got in a better vein with the South Sea 

book; as I think you will see; I think these chapters will do 

for the volume without much change。  Those that I did in the 

JANET NICOLL; under the most ungodly circumstances; I fear 

will want a lot of suppling and lightening; but I hope to 

have your remarks in a month or two upon that point。  It 

seems a long while since I have heard from you。  I do hope 

you are well。  I am wonderful; but tired from so much work; 

'tis really immense what I have done; in the South Sea book I 

have fifty pages copied fair; some of which has been four 

times; and all twice written; certainly fifty pages of solid 

scriving inside a fortnight; but I was at it by seven a。m。 

till lunch; and from two till four or five every day; between 

whiles; verse and blowing on the flageolet; never outside。  

If you could see this place! but I don't want any one to see 

it till my clearing is done; and my house built。  It will be 

a home for angels。



So far I wrote after my bit of dinner; some cold meat and 

bananas; on arrival。  Then out to see where Henry and some of 

the men were clearing the garden; for it was plain there was 

to be no work to…day indoors; and I must set in consequence 

to farmering。  I stuck a good while on the way up; for the 

path there is largely my own handiwork; and there were a lot 

of sprouts and saplings and stones to be removed。  Then I 

reached our clearing just where the streams join in one; it 

had a fine autumn smell of burning; the smoke blew in the 

woods; and the boys were pretty merry and busy。  Now I had a 

private design:…



'Map which cannot be reproduced'



The Vaita'e I had explored pretty far up; not yet the other 

stream; the Vaituliga (g=nasal n; as ng in sing); and up 

that; with my wood knife; I set off alone。  It is here quite 

dry; it went through endless woods; about as broad as a 

Devonshire lane; here and there crossed by fallen trees; huge 

trees overhead in the sun; dripping lianas and tufted with 

orchids; tree ferns; ferns depending with air roots from the 

steep banks; great arums … I had not skill enough to say if 

any of them were the edible kind; one of our staples here! … 

hundreds of bananas … another staple … and alas!  I had skill 

enough to know all of these for the bad kind that bears no 

fruit。  My Henry moralised over this the other day; how hard 

it was that the bad banana flourished wild; and the good must 

be weeded and tended; and I had not the heart to tell him how 

fortunate they were here; and how hungry were other lands by 

comparison。  The ascent of this lovely lane of my dry stream 

filled me with delight。  I could not but be reminded of old 

Mayne Reid; as I have been more than once since I came to the 

tropics; and I thought; if Reid had been still living; I 

would have written to tell him that; for; me; IT HAD COME 

TRUE; and I thought; forbye; that; if the great powers go on 

as they are going; and the Chief Justice delays; it would 

come truer still; and the war…conch will sound in the hills; 

and my home will be inclosed in camps; before the year is 

ended。  And all at once … mark you; how Mayne Reid is on the 

spot … a strange thing happened。  I saw a liana stretch 

across the bed of the brook about breast…high; swung up my 

knife to sever it; and … behold; it was a wire!  On either 

hand it plunged into thick bush; to…morrow I shall see where 

it goes and get a guess perhaps of what it means。  To…day I 

know no more than … there it is。  A little higher the brook 

began to trickle; then to fill。  At last; as I meant to do 

some work upon the homeward trail; it was time to turn。  I 

did not return by the stream; knife in hand; as long as my 

endurance lasted; I was to cut a path in the congested bush。



At first it went ill with me; I got badly stung as high as 

the elbows by the stinging plant; I was nearly hung in a 

tough liana … a rotten trunk giving way under my feet; it was 

deplorable bad business。  And an axe … if I dared swing one … 

would have been more to the purpose than my cutlass。  Of a 

sudden things began to go strangely easier; I found stumps; 

bushing out again; my body began to wonder; then my mind; I 

raised my eyes and looked ahead; and; by George; I was no 

longer pioneering; I had struck an old tr
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