第6章

"Foramomenttugandshiphungmotionlessinacrowdofmovingshipping，andthentheterrificstrainthatevil，stony-heartedbrutewouldalwaysputoneverything，torethetowing-chockcleanout。Thetow-ropesurgedover，snappingtheironstanchionsofthehead-railoneafteranotherasiftheyhadbeensticksofsealing-wax。ItwasonlythenInoticedthatinordertohaveabetterviewoverourheads，Maggiehadsteppedupontheportanchorasitlayflatontheforecastledeck。

"Ithadbeenloweredproperlyintoitshardwoodbeds，buttherehadbeennotimetotakeaturnwithit。Anyway，itwasquitesecureasitwas，forgoingintodock；butIcouldseedirectlythatthetow-ropewouldsweepundertheflukeinanothersecond。Myheartflewuprightintomythroat，butnotbeforeIhadtimetoyellout:"Jumpclearofthatanchor!"

"ButIhadn"ttimetoshriekouthername。Idon"tsupposesheheardmeatall。Thefirsttouchofthehawseragainsttheflukethrewherdown；shewasuponherfeetagainquickaslightning，butshewasuponthewrongside。Iheardahorrid，scrapingsound，andthenthatanchor，tippingover，roseuplikesomethingalive；itsgreat，roughironarmcaughtMaggieroundthewaist，seemedtoclaspherclosewithadreadfulhug，andflungitselfwithheroveranddowninaterrificclangofiron，followedbyheavyringingblowsthatshooktheshipfromstemtostern——becausetheringstopperheld!"

"Howhorrible!"Iexclaimed。

"Iusedtodreamforyearsafterwardsofanchorscatchingholdofgirls，"saidthemanintweeds，alittlewildly。Heshuddered。"WithamostpitifulhowlCharleywasoverafterheralmostontheinstant。

But，Lord!hedidn"tseeasmuchasagleamofherredtamo"shanterinthewater。Nothing!nothingwhat-

ever!Inamomenttherewerehalf-a-dozenboatsaroundus，andhegotpulledintoone。I，withtheboatswainandthecarpenter，letgotheotheranchorinahurryandbroughttheshipupsomehow。Thepilothadgonesilly。Hewalkedupanddowntheforecastleheadwringinghishandsandmutteringtohimself:

"Killingwomen，now!Killingwomen，now!"Notanotherwordcouldyougetoutofhim。

"Duskfell，thenanightblackaspitch；andpeeringupontheriverIheardalow，mournfulhail，"Ship，ahoy!"TwoGravesendwatermencamealongside。

Theyhadalanternintheirwherry，andlookeduptheship"sside，holdingontotheladderwithoutaword。I

sawinthepatchoflightalotofloose，fairhairdownthere。"

Heshudderedagain。

"AfterthetideturnedpoorMaggie"sbodyhadfloatedclearofoneofthembigmooringbuoys，"heexplained。"Icreptaft，feelinghalf-dead，andmanagedtosendarocketup——tolettheothersearchersknow，ontheriver。AndthenIslunkawayforwardlikeacur，andspentthenightsittingontheheelofthebowspritsoastobeasfaraspossibleoutofCharley"sway。"

"Poorfellow!"Imurmured。

"Yes。Poorfellow，"herepeated，musingly。"Thatbrutewouldn"tlethim——notevenhim——cheatherofherprey。Buthemadeherfastindocknextmorning。

Hedid。Wehadn"texchangedaword——notasinglelookforthatmatter。Ididn"twanttolookathim。

Whenthelastropewasfastheputhishandstohisheadandstoodgazingdownathisfeetasiftryingtoremembersomething。Themenwaitedonthemaindeckforthewordsthatendthevoyage。Perhapsthatiswhathewastryingtoremember。Ispokeforhim。

"That"lldo，men。"

"Ineversawacrewleaveashipsoquietly。Theysneakedovertherailoneafteranother，takingcarenottobangtheirseacheststooheavily。Theylookedourway，butnotonehadthestomachtocomeupandoffertoshakehandswiththemateasisusual。

"Ifollowedhimallovertheemptyshiptoandfro，hereandthere，withnolivingsoulaboutbutthetwoofus，becausetheoldship-keeperhadlockedhimselfupinthegalley——bothdoors。SuddenlypoorCharleymutters，inacrazyvoice:"I"mdonehere，"andstridesdownthegangwaywithmeathisheels，upthedock，outatthegate，ontowardsTowerHill。HeusedtotakeroomswithadecentoldlandladyinAmericaSquare，tobenearhiswork。

"Allatoncehestopsshort，turnsround，andcomesbackstraightatme。"Ned，"sayshe，Iamgoinghome。"

Ihadthegoodlucktosightafour-wheelerandgothiminjustintime。Hislegswerebeginningtogiveway。

Inourhallhefelldownonachair，andI"llneverforgetfather"sandmother"samazed，perfectlystillfacesastheystoodoverhim。Theycouldn"tunderstandwhathadhappenedtohimtillIblubberedout，"Maggiegotdrowned，yesterday，intheriver。"

"Motherletoutalittlecry。Fatherlooksfromhimtome，andfrommetohim，asifcomparingourfaces——

for，uponmysoul，Charleydidnotresemblehimselfatall。Nobodymoved；andthepoorfellowraiseshisbigbrownhandsslowlytohisthroat，andwithonesingletugripseverythingopen——collar，shirt，waistcoat——aperfectwreckandruinofaman。FatherandIgothimupstairssomehow，andmotherprettynearlykilledher-

selfnursinghimthroughabrainfever。"

Themanintweedsnoddedatmesignificantly。

"Ah!therewasnothingthatcouldbedonewiththatbrute。Shehadadevilinher。"

"Where"syourbrother?"Iasked，expectingtohearhewasdead。ButhewascommandingasmartsteamerontheChinacoast，andnevercamehomenow。

Jermynfetchedaheavysigh，andthehandkerchiefbeingnowsufficientlydry，putituptenderlytohisredandlamentablenose。

"Shewasaraveningbeast，"themanintweedsstartedagain。"OldColchesterputhisfootdownandresigned。Andwouldyoubelieveit?Apse&Sonswrotetoaskwhetherhewouldn"treconsiderhisde-

cision!AnythingtosavethegoodnameoftheApseFamily。"OldColchesterwenttotheofficethenandsaidthathewouldtakechargeagainbutonlytosailheroutintotheNorthSeaandscuttleherthere。Hewasnearlyoffhischump。Heusedtobedarkishiron-grey，buthishairwentsnow-whiteinafortnight。AndMr。

LucianApse(theyhadknowneachotherasyoungmen)

pretendednottonoticeit。Eh?Here"sinfatuationifyoulike!Here"sprideforyou!

"Theyjumpedatthefirstmantheycouldgettotakeher，forfearofthescandaloftheApseFamilynotbeingabletofindaskipper。Hewasafestivesoul，I

believe，buthestucktohergrimandhard。Wilmotwashissecondmate。Aharum-scarumfellow，andpretendingtoagreatscornforallthegirls。Thefactishewasreallytimid。Butletonlyoneofthemdoasmuchasliftherlittlefingerinencouragement，andtherewasnothingthatcouldholdthebeggar。Asapprentice，once，hedesertedabroadafterapetticoat，andwouldhavegonetothedogsthen，ifhisskipperhadn"ttakenthetroubletofindhimandlughimbytheearsoutofsomehouseofperditionorother。

"Itwassaidthatoneofthefirmhadbeenheardoncetoexpressahopethatthisbruteofashipwouldgetlostsoon。Icanhardlycreditthetale，unlessitmighthavebeenMr。AlfredApse，whomthefamilydidn"tthinkmuchof。Theyhadhimintheoffice，buthewasconsideredabadeggaltogether，alwaysflyingofftoracemeetingsandcominghomedrunk。Youwouldhavethoughtthatashipsofullofdeadlytrickswouldrunherselfashoresomedayoutofsheercussedness。

Butnotshe!Shewasgoingtolastforever。Shehadanosetokeepoffthebottom。"

Jermynmadeagruntofapproval。

"Ashipafterapilot"sownheart，eh?"jeeredthemanintweeds。"Well，Wilmotmanagedit。Hewasthemanforit，butevenhe，perhaps，couldn"thavedonethetrickwithoutthegreen-eyedgoverness，ornurse，orwhatevershewastothechildrenofMr。andMrs。

Pamphilius。

"ThosepeoplewerepassengersinherfromPortAdelaidetotheCape。Well，theshipwentoutandanchoredoutsidefortheday。Theskipper——hospitablesoul——hadalotofguestsfromtowntoafarewelllunch——

asusualwithhim。Itwasfiveintheeveningbeforethelastshoreboatlefttheside，andtheweatherlookeduglyanddarkinthegulf。Therewasnoreasonforhimtogetunderway。However，ashehadtoldeverybodyhewasgoingthatday，heimagineditwaspropertodosoanyhow。Butashehadnomindafterallthesefestivitiestotacklethestraitsinthedark，withascantwind，hegaveorderstokeeptheshipunderlowertopsailsandforesailascloseasshewouldlie，dodgingalongthelandtillthemorning。Thenhesoughthisvirtuouscouch。Thematewasondeck，havinghisfacewashedverycleanwithhardrainsqualls。Wilmotrelievedhimatmidnight。

"TheApseFamilyhad，asyouobserved，ahouseonherpoop……"

"Abig，uglywhitething，stickingup，"Jermynmur-

mured，sadly，atthefire。

"That"sit:acompanionforthecabinstairsandasortofchart-roomcombined。TheraindroveingustsonthesleepyWilmot。Theshipwasthensurgingslowlytothesouthward，closehauled，withthecoastwithinthreemilesorsotowindward。Therewasnoth-

ingtolookoutforinthatpartofthegulf，andWilmotwentroundtododgethesquallsundertheleeofthatchart-room，whosedooronthatsidewasopen。Thenightwasblack，likeabarrelofcoal-tar。Andthenheheardawoman"svoicewhisperingtohim。

"Thatconfoundedgreen-eyedgirlofthePamphiliuspeoplehadputthekidstobedalongtimeago，ofcourse，butitseemscouldn"tgettosleepherself。Sheheardeightbellsstruck，andthechiefmatecomebelowtoturnin。Shewaitedabit，thengotintoherdressing-

gownandstoleacrosstheemptysaloonandupthestairsintothechart-room。Shesatdownonthesetteeneartheopendoortocoolherself，Idaresay。

"IsupposewhenshewhisperedtoWilmotitwasasifsomebodyhadstruckamatchinthefellow"sbrain。

Idon"tknowhowitwastheyhadgotsoverythick。

Ifancyhehadmetherashoreafewtimesbefore。I

couldn"tmakeitout，because，whentellingthestory，Wilmotwouldbreakofftoswearsomethingawfulateverysecondword。WehadmetonthequayinSydney，andhehadanapronofsackinguptohischin，abigwhipinhishand。Awagon-driver。Gladtodoany-

thingnottostarve。That"swhathehadcomedownto。

"However，therehewas，withhisheadinsidethedoor，onthegirl"sshoulderaslikelyasnot——officerofthewatch!Thehelmsman，ongivinghisevidenceafterwards，saidthatheshoutedseveraltimesthatthebinnaclelamphadgoneout。Itdidn"tmattertohim，becausehisorderswereto"sailherclose。""Ithoughtitfunny，"hesaid，"thattheshipshouldkeeponfallingoffinsqualls，butIluffedherupeverytimeascloseasIwasable。ItwassodarkIcouldn"tseemyhandbeforemyface，andtheraincameinbucketfulsonmyhead。"

"Thetruthwasthatateverysquallthewindhauledaftalittle，tillgraduallytheshipcametobeheadingstraightforthecoast，withoutasinglesoulinherbeingawareofit。Wilmothimselfconfessedthathehadnotbeennearthestandardcompassforanhour。Hemightwellhaveconfessed!Thefirstthingheknewwasthemanonthelook-outshoutingbluemurderforwardthere。

"Hetorehisneckfree，hesays，andyelledbackathim:"Whatdoyousay?"

""IthinkIhearbreakersahead，sir，"howledtheman，andcamerushingaftwiththerestofthewatch，inthe"awfullestblindingdelugethateverfellfromthesky，"

Wilmotsays。Forasecondorsohewassoscaredandbewilderedthathecouldnotrememberonwhichsideofthegulftheshipwas。Hewasn"tagoodofficer，buthewasaseamanallthesame。Hepulledhimselftogetherinasecond，andtherightorderssprangtohislipswithoutthinking。Theyweretohardupwiththehelmandshiverthemainandmizzen-topsails。

"Itseemsthatthesailsactuallyfluttered。Hecouldn"tseethem，butheheardthemrattlingandbang-

ingabovehishead。"Nouse!Shewastooslowingoingoff，"hewenton，hisdirtyfacetwitching，andthedamn"dcarter"swhipshakinginhishand。"Sheseemedtostickfast。"Andthentheflutterofthecanvasabovehisheadceased。Atthiscriticalmomentthewindhauledaftagainwithagust，fillingthesailsandsend-

ingtheshipwithagreatwayupontherocksonherleebow。Shehadoverreachedherselfinherlastlittlegame。Hertimehadcome——thehour，theman，theblacknight，thetreacherousgustofwind——therightwomantoputanendtoher。Thebrutedeservednothingbetter。StrangearetheinstrumentsofProvi-

dence。There"sasortofpoeticaljustice——"

Themanintweedslookedhardatme。

"Thefirstledgeshewentoverstrippedthefalsekeeloffher。Rip!Theskipper，rushingoutofhisberth，foundacrazywoman，inaredflanneldressing-gown，flyingroundandroundthecuddy，screechinglikeacockatoo。

"Thenextbumpknockedhercleanunderthecabintable。Italsostartedthestern-postandcarriedawaytherudder，andthenthatbruteranupashelving，rockyshore，tearingherbottomout，tillshestopped。

short，andtheforemastdroppedoverthebowslikeagangway。"

"Anybodylost?"Iasked。

"Noone，unlessthatfellow，Wilmot，"answeredthegentleman，unknowntoMissBlank，lookingroundforhiscap。"Andhiscasewasworsethandrowningforaman。Everybodygotashoreallright。Galedidn"tcomeontillnextday，deadfromtheWest，andbrokeupthatbruteinasurprisinglyshorttime。Itwasasthoughshehadbeenrottenatheart。"……Hechangedhistone，"Rainleftoff?Imustgetmybikeandrushhometodinner。IliveinHerneBay——cameoutforaspinthismorning。"

Henoddedatmeinafriendlyway，andwentoutwithaswagger。

"Doyouknowwhoheis，Jermyn?"Iasked。

TheNorthSeapilotshookhishead，dismally。

"Fancylosingashipinthatsillyfashion!Oh，dear!

ohdear!"hegroanedinlugubrioustones，spreadinghisdamphandkerchiefagainlikeacurtainbeforetheglowinggrate。

OngoingoutIexchangedaglanceandasmile(strictlyproper)withtherespectableMissBlank，bar-

maidoftheThreeCrows。

ADESPERATETALE

ANANARCHIST

THATyearIspentthebesttwomonthsofthedryseasonononeoftheestates——infact，ontheprincipalcattleestate——ofafamousmeat-extractmanufacturingcompany。

B。O。S。Bos。Youhaveseenthethreemagiclettersontheadvertisementpagesofmagazinesandnews-

papers，inthewindowsofprovisionmerchants，andoncalendarsfornextyearyoureceivebypostinthemonthofNovember。Theyscatterpamphletsalso，writteninasicklyenthusiasticstyleandinseverallanguages，givingstatisticsofslaughterandbloodshedenoughtomakeaTurkturnfaint。The"art"illustratingthat"literature"representsinvividandshiningcoloursalargeandenragedblackbullstampinguponayellowsnakewrithinginemerald-greengrass，withacobalt-

blueskyforabackground。Itisatrociousanditisanallegory。Thesnakesymbolizesdisease，weakness——

perhapsmerehunger，whichlastisthechronicdiseaseofthemajorityofmankind。OfcourseeverybodyknowstheB。0。S。Ltd。，withitsunrivalledproducts:

Vinobos，Jellybos，andthelatestunequalledperfection，Tribos，whosenourishmentisofferedtoyounotonlyhighlyconcentrated，butalreadyhalfdigested。SuchapparentlyisthelovethatLimitedCompanybearstoitsfellowmen——evenastheloveofthefatherandmotherpenguinfortheirhungryfledglings。

Ofcoursethecapitalofacountrymustbepro-

ductivelyemployed。Ihavenothingtosayagainstthecompany。Butbeingmyselfanimatedbyfeelingsofaffectiontowardsmyfellow-men，Iamsaddenedbythemodernsystemofadvertising。Whateverevidenceitoffersofenterprise，ingenuity，impudence，andresourceincertainindividuals，itprovestomymindthewideprevalenceofthatformofmentaldegradationwhichiscalledgullibility。

InvariouspartsofthecivilizedanduncivilizedworldIhavehadtoswallowB。0。S。withmoreorlessbenefittomyself，thoughwithoutgreatpleasure。Preparedwithhotwaterandabundantlypepperedtobringoutthetaste，thisextractisnotreallyunpalatable。ButI

haveneverswalloweditsadvertisements。Perhapstheyhavenotgonefarenough。AsfarasIcanre-

membertheymakenopromiseofeverlastingyouthtotheusersofB。0。S。，noryethavetheyclaimedthepowerofraisingthedeadfortheirestimableproducts。

Whythisausterereserve，Iwonder?ButIdon"tthinktheywouldhavehadmeevenontheseterms。What-

everformofmentaldegradationImay(beingbuthu-

man)besufferingfrom，itisnotthepopularform。I

amnotgullible。

Ihavebeenatsomepainstobringoutdistinctlythisstatementaboutmyselfinviewofthestorywhichfollows。Ihavecheckedthefactsasfaraspossible。

IhaveturnedupthefilesofFrenchnewspapers，andI

havealsotalkedwiththeofficerwhocommandsthemilitaryguardontheIleRoyale，wheninthecourseofmytravelsIreachedCayenne。Ibelievethestorytobeinthemaintrue。Itisthesortofstorythatnoman，I

think，wouldeverinventabouthimself，foritisneithergrandiosenorflattering，noryetfunnyenoughtogratifyapervertedvanity。

Itconcernstheengineerofthesteam-launchbelong-

ingtotheMaranoncattleestateoftheB。0。S。Co。，Ltd。

Thisestateisalsoanisland——anislandasbigasasmallprovince，lyingintheestuaryofagreatSouthAmericanriver。Itiswildandnotbeautiful，butthegrassgrow-

ingonitslowplainsseemstopossessexceptionallynourishingandflavouringqualities。Itresoundswiththelowingofinnumerableherds——adeepanddistress-

ingsoundundertheopensky，risinglikeamonstrousprotestofprisonerscondemnedtodeath。Onthemainland，acrosstwentymilesofdiscolouredmuddywater，therestandsacitywhosename，letussay，isHorta。

Butthemostinterestingcharacteristicofthisisland(whichseemslikeasortofpenalsettlementforcon-

demnedcattle)consistsinitsbeingtheonlyknownhabitatofanextremelyrareandgorgeousbutterfly。

Thespeciesisevenmorerarethanitisbeautiful，whichisnotsayinglittle。Ihavealreadyalludedtomytravels。Itravelledatthattime，butstrictlyformy-

selfandwithamoderationunknowninourdaysofround-the-worldtickets。Ieventravelledwithapur-

pose。Asamatteroffact，Iam——"Ha，ha，ha!——adesperatebutterfly-slayer。Ha，ha，ha!"

ThiswasthetoneinwhichMr。HarryGee，themanagerofthecattlestation，alludedtomypursuits。

Heseemedtoconsidermethegreatestabsurdityintheworld。Ontheotherhand，theB。0。S。Co。，Ltd。，representedtohimtheacmeofthenineteenthcentury"sachievement。Ibelievethathesleptinhisleggingsandspurs。Hisdayshespentinthesaddleflyingovertheplains，followedbyatrainofhalf-wildhorsemen，whocalledhimDonEnrique，andwhohadnodefiniteideaoftheB。0。S。Co。，Ltd。，whichpaidtheirwages。Hewasanexcellentmanager，butIdon"tseewhy，whenwemetatmeals，heshouldhavethumpedmeontheback，withloud，derisiveinquiries:"How"sthedeadlysportto-day?Butterfliesgoingstrong?Ha，ha，ha!"——

especiallyashechargedmetwodollarsperdiemforthehospitalityoftheB。0。S。Co。，Ltd。，(capitalL1，500，000，fullypaidup)，inwhosebalance-sheetforthatyearthosemoniesarenodoubtincluded。"Idon"tthinkI

canmakeitanythinglessinjusticetomycompany，"

hehadremarked，withextremegravity，whenIwasarrangingwithhimthetermsofmystayontheisland。

Hischaffwouldhavebeenharmlessenoughifintimacyofintercourseintheabsenceofallfriendlyfeelingwerenotathingdetestableinitself。Moreover，hisfacetiousnesswasnotveryamusing。Itconsistedinthewearisomerepetitionofdescriptivephrasesappliedtopeoplewithaburstoflaughter。"Desperatebutterfly-slayer。Ha，ha，ha!"wasonesampleofhispeculiarwitwhichhehimselfenjoyedsomuch。Andinthesameveinofexquisitehumourhecalledmyat-

tentiontotheengineerofthesteam-launch，oneday，aswestrolledonthepathbythesideofthecreek。

Theman"sheadandshouldersemergedabovethedeck，overwhichwerescatteredvarioustoolsofhistradeandafewpiecesofmachinery。Hewasdoingsomerepairstotheengines。Atthesoundofourfoot-

stepsheraisedanxiouslyagrimyfacewithapointedchinandatinyfairmoustache。Whatcouldbeseenofhisdelicatefeaturesundertheblacksmudgesappearedtomewastedandlividinthegreenishshadeoftheenormoustreespreadingitsfoliageoverthelaunchmooredclosetothebank。

Tomygreatsurprise，HarryGeeaddressedhimas"Crocodile，"inthathalf-jeering，half-bullyingtonewhichischaracteristicofself-satisfactioninhisdelect-

ablekind:

"Howdoestheworkgeton，Crocodile?"

IshouldhavesaidbeforethattheamiableHarryhadpickedupFrenchofasortsomewhere——insomecolonyorother——andthathepronounceditwithadisagreeableforcedprecisionasthoughhemeanttoguythelan-

guage。Themaninthelaunchansweredhimquicklyinapleasantvoice。Hiseyeshadaliquidsoftnessandhisteethflasheddazzlinglywhitebetweenhisthin，droopinglips。Themanagerturnedtome，verycheer-

fulandloud，explaining:

"IcallhimCrocodilebecauseheliveshalfin，halfoutofthecreek。Amphibious——see?There"snothingelseamphibiouslivingontheislandexceptcrocodiles；

sohemustbelongtothespecies——eh?Butinrealityhe"snothinglessthanuncitoyenanarchistedeBar-

celone。"

"AcitizenanarchistfromBarcelona?"Irepeated，stupidly，lookingdownattheman。Hehadturnedtohisworkintheengine-wellofthelaunchandpresentedhisbowedbacktous。InthatattitudeIheardhimprotest，veryaudibly:

"IdonotevenknowSpanish。"

"Hey?What?Youdaretodenyyoucomefromoverthere?"theaccomplishedmanagerwasdownonhimtruculently。

Atthisthemanstraightenedhimselfup，droppingaspannerhehadbeenusing，andfacedus；buthetrem-

bledinallhislimbs。

"Idenynothing，nothing，nothing!"hesaid，ex-

citedly。

Hepickedupthespannerandwenttoworkagainwithoutpayinganyfurtherattentiontous。Afterlookingathimforaminuteorso，wewentaway。

"Ishereallyananarchist?"Iasked，whenoutofear-shot。

"Idon"tcareahangwhatheis，"answeredthehumorousofficialoftheB。0。S。Co。"Igavehimthenamebecauseitsuitedmetolabelhiminthatway，It"sgoodforthecompany。"

"Forthecompany!"Iexclaimed，stoppingshort。

"Aha!"hetriumphed，tiltinguphishairlesspugfaceandstraddlinghisthin，longlegs。"Thatsur-

prisesyou。Iamboundtodomybestformycompany。

Theyhaveenormousexpenses。Why——ouragentinHortatellsmetheyspendfiftythousandpoundseveryyearinadvertisingallovertheworld!Onecan"tbetooeconomicalinworkingtheshow。Well，justyoulisten。WhenItookchargeheretheestatehadnosteam-launch。Iaskedforone，andkeptonaskingbyeverymailtillIgotit；butthemantheysentoutwithitchuckedhisjobattheendoftwomonths，leav-

ingthelaunchmooredatthepontooninHorta。Gotabetterscrewatasawmilluptheriver——blasthim!Andeversinceithasbeenthesamething。AnyScotchorYankeevagabondthatlikestocallhimselfamechanicoutheregetseighteenpoundsamonth，andthenextyouknowhe"sclearedout，aftersmashingsomethingaslikelyasnot。IgiveyoumywordthatsomeoftheobjectsI"vehadforengine-driverscouldn"ttelltheboilerfromthefunnel。Butthisfellowunderstandshistrade，andIdon"tmeanhimtoclearout。See?"

Andhestruckmelightlyonthechestforemphasis。

Disregardinghispeculiaritiesofmanner，Iwantedtoknowwhatallthishadtodowiththemanbeingananarchist。

"Come!"jeeredthemanager。"Ifyousawsuddenlyabarefooted，unkemptchapslinkingamongstthebushesontheseafaceoftheisland，andatthesametimeobservedlessthanamilefromthebeach，asmallschoonerfullofniggershaulingoffinahurry，youwouldn"tthinkthemanfelltherefromthesky，wouldyou?AnditcouldbenothingelsebuteitherthatorCayenne。I"vegotmywitsaboutme。DirectlyI

sightedthisqueergameIsaidtomyself——"EscapedConvict。"IwasascertainofitasIamofseeingyoustandingherethisminute。SoIspurredonstraightathim。Hestoodhisgroundforabitonasandhillockcryingout:"Monsieur!Monsieur!Arretez!"thenatthelastmomentbrokeandranforlife。SaysItomyself，"I"lltameyoubeforeI"mdonewithyou。"SowithoutasinglewordIkepton，headinghimoffhereandthere。Iroundedhimuptowardstheshore，andatlastIhadhimcorralledonaspit，hisheelsinthewaterandnothingbutseaandskyathisback，withmyhorsepawingthesandandshakinghisheadwithinayardofhim。

"Hefoldedhisarmsonhisbreastthenandstuckhischinupinasortofdesperateway；butIwasn"ttobeimpressedbythebeggar"sposturing。

"SaysI，"You"rearunawayconvict。"

"WhenheheardFrench，hischinwentdownandhisfacechanged。

""Idenynothing，"sayshe，pantingyet，forIhadkepthimskippingaboutinfrontofmyhorseprettysmartly。Iaskedhimwhathewasdoingthere。Hehadgothisbreathbythen，andexplainedthathehadmeanttomakehiswaytoafarmwhichheunderstood(fromtheschooner"speople，Isuppose)wastobefoundintheneighbourhood。AtthatIlaughedaloudandhegotuneasy。Hadhebeendeceived?Wastherenofarmwithinwalkingdistance?

"Ilaughedmoreandmore。Hewasonfoot，andofcoursethefirstbunchofcattlehecameacrosswouldhavestampedhimtoragsundertheirhoofs。Adis-

mountedmancaughtonthefeeding-groundshasn"tgottheghostofachance。

""Mycominguponyoulikethishascertainlysavedyourlife，"Isaid。Heremarkedthatperhapsitwasso；

butthatforhisparthehadimaginedIhadwantedtokillhimunderthehoofsofmyhorse。IassuredhimthatnothingwouldhavebeeneasierhadImeantit。

Andthenwecametoasortofdeadstop。ForthelifeofmeIdidn"tknowwhattodowiththisconvict，unlessIchuckedhimintothesea。Itoccurredtometoaskhimwhathehadbeentransportedfor。Hehunghishead。

""Whatisit?"saysI。"Theft，murder，rape，orwhat?"Iwantedtohearwhathewouldhavetosayforhimself，thoughofcourseIexpecteditwouldbesomesortoflie。Butallhesaidwas——

""Makeitwhatyoulike。Idenynothing。Itisnogooddenyinganything。"

"Ilookedhimovercarefullyandathoughtstruckme。

""They"vegotanarchiststhere，too，"Isaid。"Per-

hapsyou"reoneofthem。"

""Idenynothingwhatever，monsieur，"herepeats。

"Thisanswermademethinkthatperhapshewasnotananarchist。Ibelievethosedamnedlunaticsareratherproudofthemselves。Ifhehadbeenone，hewouldhaveprobablyconfessedstraightout。

""Whatwereyoubeforeyoubecameaconvict?"

""Ouvrier，"hesays。"Andagoodworkman，too。"

"AtthatIbegantothinkhemustbeananarchist，afterall。That"stheclasstheycomemostlyfrom，isn"tit?Ihatethecowardlybomb-throwingbrutes。I

almostmadeupmymindtoturnmyhorseshortroundandleavehimtostarveordrownwherehewas，which-

everhelikedbest。Astocrossingtheislandtobothermeagain，thecattlewouldseetothat。Idon"tknowwhatinducedmetoask——

""Whatsortofworkman?"

"Ididn"tcareahangwhetherheansweredmeornot。Butwhenhesaidatonce，"Mecanicien，monsieur，"

Inearlyjumpedoutofthesaddlewithexcitement。Thelaunchhadbeenlyingdisabledandidleinthecreekforthreeweeks。Mydutytothecompanywasclear。Henoticedmystart，too，andtherewewereforaminuteorsostaringateachotherasifbewitched。

""Getuponmyhorsebehindme，"Itoldhim。"Youshallputmysteam-launchtorights。""

ThesearethewordsinwhichtheworthymanageroftheMaranonestaterelatedtomethecomingofthesupposedanarchist。Hemeanttokeephim——outofasenseofdutytothecompany——andthenamehehadgivenhimwouldpreventthefellowfromobtainingemploymentanywhereinHorta。Thevaquerosoftheestate，whentheywentonleave，spreaditalloverthetown。Theydidnotknowwhatananarchistwas，noryetwhatBarcelonameant。TheycalledhimAnarchistodeBarcelona，asifitwerehisChristiannameandsur-

name。ButthepeopleintownhadbeenreadingintheirpapersabouttheanarchistsinEuropeandwereverymuchimpressed。Overthejocularadditionof"deBarcelona"Mr。HarryGeechuckledwithimmensesatisfaction。"Thatbreedisparticularlymurderous，isn"tit?Itmakesthesawmillscrowdstillmoreafraidofhavinganythingtodowithhim——see?"heexulted，candidly。"IholdhimbythatnamebetterthanifI

hadhimchainedupbythelegtothedeckofthesteam-

launch。

"Andmark，"headded，afterapause，"hedoesnotdenyit。Iamnotwronginghiminanyway。Heisaconvictofsomesort，anyhow。"

"ButIsupposeyoupayhimsomewages，don"tyou?"

Iasked。

"Wages!Whatdoeshewantwithmoneyhere?

Hegetshisfoodfrommykitchenandhisclothingfromthestore。OfcourseI"llgivehimsomethingattheendoftheyear，butyoudon"tthinkI"demployaconvictandgivehimthesamemoneyIwouldgiveanhonestman?Iamlookingaftertheinterestsofmycompanyfirstandlast。"

Iadmittedthat，foracompanyspendingfiftythousandpoundseveryyearinadvertising，thestrictesteconomywasobviouslynecessary。ThemanageroftheMaranonEstanciagruntedapprovingly。

"AndI"lltellyouwhat，"hecontinued:"ifIwerecertainhe"sananarchistandhehadthecheektoaskmeformoney，Iwouldgivehimthetoeofmyboot。How-

ever，lethimhavethebenefitofthedoubt。Iamper-

fectlywillingtotakeitthathehasdonenothingworsethantostickaknifeintosomebody——withextenuatingcircumstances——Frenchfashion，don"tyouknow。Butthatsubversivesanguinaryrotofdoingawaywithalllawandorderintheworldmakesmybloodboil。It"ssimplycuttingthegroundfromunderthefeetofeverydecent，respectable，hard-workingperson。Itellyouthattheconsciencesofpeoplewhohavethem，likeyouorI，mustbeprotectedinsomeway；orelsethefirstlowscoundrelthatcamealongwouldineveryrespectbejustasgoodasmyself。Wouldn"the，now?Andthat"sabsurd!"

Heglaredatme。Inoddedslightlyandmurmuredthatdoubtlesstherewasmuchsubtletruthinhisview。

TheprincipaltruthdiscoverableintheviewsofPaultheengineerwasthatalittlethingmaybringabouttheundoingofaman。

"Ilnefautpasbeaucouppourperdreunhomme，"hesaidtome，thoughtfully，oneevening。

reportthisreflectioninFrench，sincethemanwasofParis，notofBarcelonaatall。AttheMaranonhelivedapartfromthestation，inasmallshedwithametalroofandstrawwalls，whichhecalledmonatelier。Hehadawork-benchthere。Theyhadgivenhimseveralhorse-blanketsandasaddle——notthatheeverhadoccasiontoride，butbecausenootherbeddingwasusedbytheworking-hands，whowereallvaqueros——

cattlemen。Andonthishorseman"sgear，likeasonoftheplains，heusedtosleepamongstthetoolsofhistrade，inalitterofrustyscrap-iron，withaportableforgeathishead，underthework-benchsustaininghisgrimymosquito-net。

NowandthenIwouldbringhimafewcandleendssavedfromthescantsupplyofthemanager"shouse。

Hewasverythankfulforthese。Hedidnotliketolieawakeinthedark，heconfessed。Hecomplainedthatsleepfledfromhim。"Lesommeilmefuit，"hedeclared，withhishabitualairofsubduedstoicism，whichmadehimsympatheticandtouching。ImadeitcleartohimthatIdidnotattachundueimportancetothefactofhishavingbeenaconvict。

Thusitcameaboutthatoneeveninghewasledtotalkabouthimself。Asoneofthebitsofcandleontheedgeofthebenchburneddowntotheend，hehastenedtolightanother。

HehaddonehismilitaryserviceinaprovincialgarrisonandreturnedtoParistofollowhistrade。Itwasawell-paidone。Hetoldmewithsomepridethatinashorttimehewasearningnolessthantenfrancsaday。Hewasthinkingofsettingupforhimselfbyandbyandofgettingmarried。

Herehesigheddeeplyandpaused。Thenwithareturntohisstoicalnote:

"ItseemsIdidnotknowenoughaboutmyself。"

Onhistwenty-fifthbirthdaytwoofhisfriendsintherepairingshopwhereheworkedproposedtostandhimadinner。Hewasimmenselytouchedbythisattention。

"Iwasasteadyman，"heremarked，"butIamnotlesssociablethananyotherbody。"

TheentertainmentcameoffinalittlecafeontheBoulevarddelaChapelle。Atdinnertheydranksomespecialwine。Itwasexcellent。Everythingwasexcel-

lent；andtheworld——inhisownwords——seemedaverygoodplacetolivein。Hehadgoodprospects，somelittlemoneylaidby，andtheaffectionoftwoexcellentfriends。Heofferedtopayforallthedrinksafterdinner，whichwasonlyproperonhispart。

Theydrankmorewine；theydrankliqueurs，cognac，beer，thenmoreliqueursandmorecognac。Twostrangerssittingatthenexttablelookedathim，hesaid，withsomuchfriendliness，thatheinvitedthemtojointheparty。

Hehadneverdrunksomuchinhislife。Hiselationwasextreme，andsopleasurablethatwheneveritflaggedhehastenedtoordermoredrinks。

"Itseemedtome，"hesaid，inhisquiettoneandlookingonthegroundinthegloomyshedfullofshad-

ows，"thatIwasonthepointofjustattainingagreatandwonderfulfelicity。Anotherdrink，Ifelt，woulddoit。Theotherswereholdingoutwellwithme，glassforglass。"

Butanextraordinarythinghappened。Atsomethingthestrangerssaidhiselationfell。Gloomyideas——desideesnoires——rushedintohishead。Alltheworldout-

sidethecafe；appearedtohimasadismalevilplacewhereamultitudeofpoorwretcheshadtoworkandslavetothesoleendthatafewindividualsshouldrideincarriagesandliveriotouslyinpalaces。Hebecameashamedofhishappiness。Thepityofmankind"scruellotwrunghisheart。Inavoicechokedwithsorrowhetriedtoexpressthesesentiments。Hethinksheweptandsworeinturns。

Thetwonewacquaintanceshastenedtoapplaudhishumaneindignation。Yes。Theamountofinjusticeintheworldwasindeedscandalous。Therewasonlyonewayofdealingwiththerottenstateofsociety。

Demolishthewholesacreeboutique。Blowupthewholeiniquitousshow。

Theirheadshoveredoverthetable。Theywhis-

peredtohimeloquently；Idon"tthinktheyquiteexpectedtheresult。Hewasextremelydrunk——maddrunk。Withahowlofrageheleapedsuddenlyuponthetable。Kickingoverthebottlesandglasses，heyelled:"Vivel"anarchie!Deathtothecapitalists!"

Heyelledthisagainandagain。Allroundhimbrokenglasswasfalling，chairswerebeingswungintheair，peopleweretakingeachotherbythethroat。Thepolicedashedin。Hehit，bit，scratchedandstruggled，tillsomethingcrasheddownuponhishead……

Hecametohimselfinapolicecell，lockeduponachargeofassault，seditiouscries，andanarchistpropaganda。

Helookedatmefixedlywithhisliquid，shiningeyes，thatseemedverybiginthedimlight。

"Thatwasbad。ButeventhenImighthavegotoffsomehow，perhaps，"hesaid，slowly。

Idoubtit。Butwhateverchancehehadwasdoneawaywithbyayoungsocialistlawyerwhovolunteeredtoundertakehisdefence。Invainheassuredhimthathewasnoanarchist；thathewasaquiet，respectablemechanic，onlytooanxioustoworktenhoursperdayathistrade。Hewasrepresentedatthetrialasthevictimofsocietyandhisdrunkenshoutingsastheexpressionofinfinitesuffering。Theyounglawyerhadhiswaytomake，andthiscasewasjustwhathewantedforastart。Thespeechforthedefencewaspronouncedmagnificent。

Thepoorfellowpaused，swallowed，andbroughtoutthestatement:

"Igotthemaximumpenaltyapplicabletoafirstoffence。"

Imadeanappropriatemurmur。Hehunghisheadandfoldedhisarms。

"Whentheyletmeoutofprison，"hebegan，gently，"Imadetracks，ofcourse，formyoldworkshop。Mypatronhadaparticularlikingformebefore；butwhenhesawmeheturnedgreenwithfrightandshowedmethedoorwithashakinghand。"

Whilehestoodinthestreet，uneasyanddiscon-

certed，hewasaccostedbyamiddle-agedmanwhointroducedhimselfasanengineer"sfitter，too。"Iknowwhoyouare，"hesaid。"Ihaveattendedyourtrial。

Youareagoodcomradeandyourideasaresound。

Butthedevilofitisthatyouwon"tbeabletogetworkanywherenow。Thesebourgeois"llconspiretostarveyou。That"stheirway。Expectnomercyfromtherich。"

Tobespokentosokindlyinthestreethadcom-

fortedhimverymuch。Hisseemedtobethesortofnatureneedingsupportandsympathy。Theideaofnotbeingabletofindworkhadknockedhimovercompletely。Ifhispatron，whoknewhimsowellforaquiet，orderly，competentworkman，wouldhavenoth-

ingtodowithhimnow——thensurelynobodyelsewould。

Thatwasclear。Thepolice，keepingtheireyeonhim，wouldhastentowarneveryemployerinclinedtogivehimachance。Hefeltsuddenlyveryhelpless，alarmedandidle；andhefollowedthemiddle-agedmantotheestaminetroundthecornerwherehemetsomeothergoodcompanions。Theyassuredhimthathewouldnotbeallowedtostarve，workornowork。Theyhaddrinksallroundtothediscomfitureofallemployersoflabourandtothedestructionofsociety。

Hesatbitinghislowerlip。

"Thatis，monsieur，howIbecameacompagnon，"hesaid。Thehandhepassedoverhisforeheadwastrembling。"Allthesame，there"ssomethingwronginaworldwhereamancangetlostforaglassmoreorless。"

Heneverlookedup，thoughIcouldseehewasgettingexcitedunderhisdejection。Heslappedthebenchwithhisopenpalm。

"No!"hecried。"Itwasanimpossibleexistence!

Watchedbythepolice，watchedbythecomrades，I

didnotbelongtomyselfanymore!Why，Icouldnotevengotodrawafewfrancsfrommysavings-bankwithoutacomradehangingaboutthedoortoseethatIdidn"tbolt!Andmostofthemwereneithermorenorlessthanhousebreakers。Theintelligent，Imean。

Theyrobbedtherich；theywereonlygettingbacktheirown，theysaid。WhenIhadhadsomedrinkI

believedthem。Therewerealsothefoolsandthemad。

Desexaltes——quoi!WhenIwasdrunkIlovedthem。

WhenIgotmoredrinkIwasangrywiththeworld。

Thatwasthebesttime。Ifoundrefugefrommiseryinrage。Butonecan"tbealwaysdrunk——n"est-cepas，monsieur?AndwhenIwassoberIwasafraidtobreakaway。Theywouldhavestuckmelikeapig。"

Hefoldedhisarmsagainandraisedhissharpchinwithabittersmile。

"Byandbytheytoldmeitwastimetogotowork。

Theworkwastorobabank。Afterwardsabombwouldbethrowntowrecktheplace。Mybeginner"spartwouldbetokeepwatchinastreetatthebackandtotakecareofablackbagwiththebombinsidetillitwaswanted。Afterthemeetingatwhichtheaffairwasarrangedatrustycomradedidnotleavemeaninch。

Ihadnotdaredtoprotest；Iwasafraidofbeingdoneawaywithquietlyinthatroom；only，aswewerewalkingtogetherIwonderedwhetheritwouldnotbebetterformetothrowmyselfsuddenlyintotheSeine。ButwhileIwasturningitoverinmymindwehadcrossedthebridge，andafterwardsIhadnottheopportunity。"

Inthelightofthecandleend，withhissharpfeatures，fluffylittlemoustache，andovalface，helookedattimesdelicatelyandgailyyoung，andthenappearedquiteold，decrepit，fullofsorrow，pressinghisfoldedarmstohisbreast。

AsheremainedsilentIfeltboundtoask:

"Well!Andhowdiditend?"

"DeportationtoCayenne，"heanswered。

Heseemedtothinkthatsomebodyhadgiventheplotaway。Ashewaskeepingwatchinthebackstreet，baginhand，hewassetuponbythepolice。

"Theseimbeciles，"hadknockedhimdownwithoutnoticingwhathehadinhishand。Hewonderedhowthebombfailedtoexplodeashefell。Butitdidn"texplode。

"Itriedtotellmystoryincourt，"hecontinued。

"Thepresidentwasamused。Therewereintheaudiencesomeidiotswholaughed。"

Iexpressedthehopethatsomeofhiscompanionshadbeencaught，too。Heshudderedslightlybeforehetoldmethatthereweretwo——Simon，calledalsoBiscuit，themiddle-agedfitterwhospoketohiminthestreet，andafellowofthenameofMafile，oneofthesym-

patheticstrangerswhohadapplaudedhissentimentsandconsoledhishumanitariansorrowswhenhegotdrunkinthecafe。

"Yes，"hewenton，withaneffort，"Ihadthead-

vantageoftheircompanyoverthereonSt。Joseph"sIsland，amongstsomeeightyorninetyotherconvicts。

Wewereallclassedasdangerous。"

St。Joseph"sIslandistheprettiestoftheIlesdeSalut。Itisrockyandgreen，withshallowravines，bushes，thickets，grovesofmango-trees，andmanyfeatherypalms。Sixwardersarmedwithrevolversandcarbinesareinchargeoftheconvictskeptthere。

Aneight-oaredgalleykeepsupthecommunicationinthedaytime，acrossachannelaquarterofamilewide，withtheIleRoyale，wherethereisamilitarypost。

Shemakesthefirsttripatsixinthemorning。Atfourintheafternoonherserviceisover，andsheisthenhauledupintoalittledockontheIleRoyaleandasentryputoverherandafewsmallerboats。FromthattimetillnextmorningtheislandofSt。Josephremainscutofffromtherestoftheworld，withthewarderspatrollinginturnthepathfromthewarders"housetotheconvicthuts，andamultitudeofsharkspatrollingthewatersallround。

Underthesecircumstancestheconvictsplannedamutiny。Suchathinghadneverbeenknowninthepenitentiary"shistorybefore。Buttheirplanwasnotwithoutsomepossibilityofsuccess。Thewardersweretobetakenbysurpriseandmurderedduringthenight。

Theirarmswouldenabletheconvictstoshootdownthepeopleinthegalleyasshecamealongsideinthemorning。Thegalleyonceintheirpossession，otherboatsweretobecaptured，andthewholecompanywastorowawayupthecoast。

Atduskthetwowardersondutymusteredthecon-

victsasusual。Thentheyproceededtoinspectthehutstoascertainthateverythingwasinorder。Inthesecondtheyenteredtheyweresetuponandabsolutelysmotheredunderthenumbersoftheirassailants。Thetwilightfadedrapidly。Itwasanewmoon；andaheavyblacksquallgatheringoverthecoastincreasedthepro-

founddarknessofthenight。Theconvictsassembledintheopenspace，deliberatinguponthenextsteptobetaken，arguedamongstthemselvesinlowvoices。

"Youtookpartinallthis?"Iasked。

"No。Iknewwhatwasgoingtobedone，ofcourse。

ButwhyshouldIkillthesewarders?Ihadnothingagainstthem。ButIwasafraidoftheothers。What-

everhappened，Icouldnotescapefromthem。Isataloneonthestumpofatreewithmyheadinmyhands，sickatheartatthethoughtofafreedomthatcouldbenothingbutamockerytome。SuddenlyIwasstartledtoperceivetheshapeofamanonthepathnearby。

Hestoodperfectlystill，thenhisformbecameeffacedinthenight。Itmusthavebeenthechiefwardercomingtoseewhathadbecomeofhistwomen。Noonenoticedhim。Theconvictskeptonquarrellingovertheirplans。Theleaderscouldnotgetthemselvesobeyed。Thefiercewhisperingofthatdarkmassofmenwasveryhorrible。

"Atlasttheydividedintotwopartiesandmovedoff。

WhentheyhadpassedmeIrose，wearyandhopeless。

Thepathtothewarders"housewasdarkandsilent，butoneachsidethebushesrustledslightly。PresentlyIsawafaintthreadoflightbeforeme。Thechiefwarder，followedbyhisthreemen，wasapproachingcautiously。Buthehadfailedtoclosehisdarklanternproperly。Theconvictshadseenthatfaintgleam，too。