World Literature Classics Library: The Count of Monte Cristo

Chapter 52 Sailor Samba (2)
No one spoke on board.A sensible person like Franz would know that this situation is not necessarily dangerous, but it cannot be said that it is not serious.He is alone now, in darkness all around, and in the middle of the sea, and the sailors with him don't know who he is, and have no reason to be loyal to him, but they know he has thousands of francs in his pocket, In addition, not to mention out of envy, at least out of curiosity, they repeatedly picked up his guns and looked around. Of course, these weapons are also beautiful.Besides, he went ashore and landed on this small island, but there was no one else to accompany him except these sailors, and the name of this small island is very religious, but there are these gangs of smugglers and robbers. The only hospitality that could be given to Franz was the place where Christ suffered in the Calvary Bible.Got the treat.Besides, the story of the boat sinking straight to the bottom seemed exaggerated to him in the daytime, but it seemed quite possible at night.So, in the midst of these two dangers, though it may have been a mere fancy, he could not take his eyes off the sailors, nor his gun from his hand.

At this time, the crew raised the sail again, and the boat sailed on the route it had traveled back and forth just now.Now that Franz was a little used to the dark, he could see the boat clinging to the huge granite boulders, and then again as the boat passed a ledge of a cliff, he saw the fire, much brighter than before, and five people sat around. six people.The light of the fire continued to reach a distance of about a hundred paces on the sea. Gaetano kept the boat close to the light without leaving the dark place, and when the boat was right in front of the fire, he pointed the bow of the boat at the fire and rushed Entering the halo, he sang a fisherman's song, he sang a part, and the rest of the sailors chorused in unison.With the sound of singing, several people sitting by the fire immediately stood up and walked towards the place where they could berth on the shore, their eyes fixed on the boat, obviously judging the strength and intention of the comer.After a while they seemed to feel that the inspection was almost done. Except for one person who was still standing on the bank, the rest returned to sit by the campfire, where a whole kid was roasting.When the boat was about twenty paces from the shore, the man standing on the beach raised his carbine mechanically like a sentinel meeting a patrolman, and called out in Sardinian, "Which one?" Franz calmly gave him the The double muskets were loaded.Gaetano exchanged a few words with the man on the shore, which Franz could not understand, but he was obviously referring to him.

"My lord," asked the captain, "would you prefer to be known by your name, or to remain anonymous?"

"My name must never be spoken," said Franz, "only that I am a Frenchman, and that I am traveling as I please."

Gaetano passed on this answer, and the sentinel yelled at a man sitting by the campfire, who got up immediately, went behind the rock and disappeared.No one spoke, as if everyone was busy with their own business, Franz was busy getting ready to go ashore, the sailors were busy furling the sails, and the smugglers were busy roasting their kid goats. It seemed that no one cared, but actually Everyone is looking at others.Suddenly the man who had gone away returned from the opposite side of the place from which he had just left, and motioned his head to the sentinel, who turned towards the boat and called out simply: "S'accommodi".S`accommodi in Italian is untranslatable and has many meanings: come here, come in, welcome, please feel like you are at home, you are the master, etc. This is the Turkish phrase quoted by Molière Similarly, those bourgeois who are obsessed with being nobles are surprised, because a short sentence contains so many meanings.

The sailors rowed four times without waiting for a second shout, and the boat landed on the shore. Gaetano jumped ashore, talked to the sentry in a low voice, and several other sailors disembarked one after another. Last of all it was Franz who came ashore.Franz carried one gun himself, Gaetano carried the other, and a sailor carried the carbine.His attire, half artist, half dandy, aroused no suspicion, nor any uneasiness, among his hosts.They tied up the boat on the shore and walked a few steps forward, looking for a comfortable place where they could camp, but it seemed that the place they were going to was not suitable for the smugglers who were sentinels. He yelled at Gaetano: "Please don't be there." Gaetano stammered an apology, did not insist, and turned to the opposite side, while two sailors were lighting a few fires on the bonfire. A torch, ready to light the way.

After walking about thirty paces, they stopped in a small clearing, surrounded by rocks, and some small pits had been dug in it that might have been used as seats, a bit like the pits where soldiers squatted in guard.On all sides was a piece of humus, with a few stunted oak trees and a few dense myrtle bushes.Franz shone his torch on the ground, and when he saw a pile of ashes, he knew that he was not the first to find this comfortable flat ground, which may have been a frequent place for tourists who came and went without a trace on the island of Monte Cristo. to the habitat.He had planned to encounter some trouble, but now he ignored it.As soon as he set foot on this piece of land, he saw that although the attitudes of these hosts were not friendly, they also seemed indifferent. Power has turned to appetite.He briefly mentioned this new situation to Gaetano, and Gaetano replied that it was too easy to get a supper, there was bread, wine, and six partridges on board, and as long as a bonfire was built, they could be roasted. have eaten. "And," he went on, "if your excellency finds the smell of the kid appetizing, I'll give them two partridges for a piece of goat."

"Try it, Gaetano," said Franz, "you are a born trader."

By this time the sailors had picked up several armfuls of green boughs of heather and myrtle and oak, and kindled them, making a very respectable bonfire.Franz, smelling the smell of goat meat, waited impatiently for the captain to turn back.The captain turned back, but walked towards Franz with a worried air.

"Well?" asked Franz. "Any news? Are they refusing to take our things?"

"On the contrary," said Gaetano, "their chief has heard that you are a young Frenchman, and has invited you to dine with him."

"Well!" said Franz, "the chief is a very well-bred man, and I see nothing to refuse, and besides, I may take my portion of my supper."

"Oh, that's not the problem. He has food and more than enough. The problem is that he has a very special condition for asking you to go to his place."

"To where he lives?" asked the young man. "Did he build a house here?"

"That's not true, but I heard from those people that the place where he lives is very comfortable anyway."

"So, do you know the leader?"

"Just heard."

"Is he good or is he bad?"

"There are good and bad."

"Damn it! What's the condition?"

"You have to have someone blindfold you until he tells you to take it off." Franz stared hard into Gaetano's eyes, trying to see as much as possible from his eyes What is the trick behind this condition. "Oh, my God," Gaetano read Franz's mind, and continued, "I understand, this has to be considered."

"If it were you, what would you do?" said the young man.

"Me? I already recite time, of course I will go."

"Would you agree?"

"That's right, even if it's out of curiosity, it's worth it."

"So, there is something curious about the leader's place?"

"Let me tell you," Gaetano said in a low voice, "I don't know if what he said is true or not..." He stopped again to see if anyone was eavesdropping.

"What do people say?"

"It is said that the leader lives in a cave. Compared with it, the Pitti Palace is a luxurious residence built by the famous Florence Pitti family in the middle of the 15th century. It is simply nothing."

"Dream!" said Franz, sitting down.

"Oh, it's not a dream," the captain continued, "it's true. Karma, the helmsman of the 'San Ferdinand', went in one day, and he was amazed when he came out, saying that such gold and silver jewels can only be found in fairy tales. I just heard it."

"Really? But, do you know," said Franz, "that you are leading me to Ali Baba's cave?"

"What I have told you is what other people have said, sir."

"So, you persuaded me to agree?"

"Oh, I didn't say that. Your Excellency has to make up your own mind. I dare not give you any advice on this kind of thing."

Franz thought for a while, and felt that since the chief was so rich, he would not have any idea, because he only had a few thousand francs with him.In addition, he vaguely felt that the most important thing to go there was to have a delicious dinner, so he agreed.Gaetano went over to send a message.But, as we have already said, Franz was a cautious man, and he was eager to get to the bottom of this strange and mysterious host.While they were talking just now, a sailor beside him had been grooming partridges, and he was so absorbed that he looked like a serious man who took pride in his job.Franz then turned to the sailor and asked the sailor, "There are no boats or sailboats on the edge of this island. How did these people come here?"
"I have no fear," said the sailor, "I know their ship."

"Is it a very beautiful ship?"

"If you are going to sail around the world, I wish you had a ship like this."

"How heavy is the load?"

"About 100 tons, and the ship is very fancy. In the words of the British, this is a yacht, but it is very strong and can withstand any storm."

"Where is it made?"

"I don't know, but I think the ship belongs to Genoa."

"A smuggler," continued Franz, "has the audacity to build a yacht for his business in the port of Genoa?"

"I didn't say the owner of the yacht was a smuggler," said the sailor.

"It wasn't you, I think it might have been Gaetano."

"Gatano has only seen the ship from a distance, but has never spoken to them."

"But, if this person is not a smuggler leader, what is he doing?"

"He is a rich man who enjoys traveling in mountains and rivers."

"My fellow," Franz thought to himself, "this character is getting more and more magical, and they all talk in their own way." He asked again: "What's the name of this man?"

"If anyone asks his name, he says Samba the Sailor, though I don't quite believe that's his real name."

"Sailor Samba?"

"Yes."

"Where does this gentleman live?"

"maritime."

"Which country is he from?"

"do not know."

"Have you seen him?"

"Sometimes."

"How about the others?"

"Your Excellency can judge for yourself."

"Where will he receive me?"

"It must be in the underground palace Gaetano told you about."

"When you came here to anchor and there was no one on the island, you never had this kind of curiosity. Find a way to enter this magic palace?"

"Oh, I have, sir," continued the sailor, "and have searched more than once, but in vain. We have searched the cave carefully, up, down, left, and right, and there is not even a hidden opening the size of a sesame seed." I found it. Besides, I heard people say that the door was not opened with a key, but with a spell."

"Ah," said Franz to himself, "I have indeed encountered the adventures of "Arabian Nights."

"Your Excellency, please." Franz heard someone say from behind, and he recognized that it was the voice of the sentinel, and at the same time there were two sailors on the yacht.Franz said nothing more, but took out his handkerchief and handed it to the speaking sentinel.They said nothing, but covered his eyes with a handkerchief, which they tied very carefully, presumably for fear that he should peep, and made him swear that he would never try to take it off, and he swore.Then the two men each took one of his arms and led him forward, with the sentinel leading the way.After walking about thirty paces, he smelled the growing smell of goat meat and knew he was walking past a campfire.Then they led him forward for more than 30 steps, apparently in the direction that they refused to let Gaetano go just now, and the reason for not letting him go was completely understood at once.After a while the air was different, he knew that he had reached the underground palace, and after walking for a few seconds, he heard a clang, and felt that the air was different again, becoming warm and fragrant.At last he felt the thick soft carpet under his feet, and the two men who supported him let go of him, and for a moment there was only silence, and then someone with a slight foreign accent, but in excellent French: " You are welcome to visit the small room, sir, and please take off your handkerchief."

It is quite conceivable that Franz took off his handkerchief without waiting for a second word, and saw in front of him a man of thirty-eight or forty years of age.The man was dressed in Tunisian clothes, that is to say, a red bonnet with a long blue silk tassel hanging from it, a black woolen jacket embroidered with gold, and loose scarlet knickerbockers, also scarlet. , the same gold embroidered leggings as the jacket, yellow slippers, and a gorgeous cashmere belt around the waist, with a small pointed machete stuck on it.Although the face was almost pale with no blood, this man's face was still very beautiful, with piercing and sharp eyes, straight nose bridge, almost flush with the forehead, it looked like a pure Greek nose, pearly The white teeth, set off by the black moustache, looked particularly sharp.It's just that the pale complexion is unusual, almost like a person who has been buried in the grave for a long time, and can never recover the complexion of a healthy person.He was not tall, but extremely well-proportioned, and, like a man from the south of France, he had delicate hands and feet.

But what surprised Franz was that he had just dismissed what Gaetano said as a dream, and now he saw this gorgeous living room with his own eyes.The walls of the room were hung with large Turkish wall hangings with crimson background and gold embroidery.In a recessed place was a couch, and above it hung a decoration consisting of a group of Arab weapons, the scabbards of which were gilt silver, and the hilts set with brilliant gems.A Venetian glass chandelier hangs from the ceiling, its shape and color are very beautiful, and under the feet is an ankle-soft Turkish carpet.The door by which Franz had entered was hung with a curtain, and the other door was also hung with a curtain, and behind it was another room, which also seemed to be brightly lit.

For a while, the host deliberately made the dumbfounded Franz look around, and while the guest was looking, he was also looking at him, never taking his eyes off the guest.

"Sir," he said to Franz at last, "I'm very sorry to have brought you to the little room with a lot of security, but most of the time this island is uninhabited, and if the secret of this dwelling should be discovered, I will go out." When I come back, I’m sure I’ll find my place in a bad place. It’s a disappointment, not because I’m afraid of losing anything, but because I’m afraid I won’t be able to isolate myself from the world. Now I’m going to try my best to make you forget That little displeasure offers you what you certainly did not expect to get here, namely, a decent meal and a bed to sleep in."

"Indeed, my dear master," replied Franz, "you need not apologize for this. I know that those who go into the magic palace are blindfolded, for example, the "Protestant Lives" That's the case with Leor in the novel, and indeed I have nothing to complain about, because what you show me here is the continuation of the myth of the Arabian Nights."

"Well, I also had to borrow the ancient Roman general Lugulus (106-57 BC), who was famous for his exquisite food. In the words: If you know the king's arrival, you must first prepare. But now I have to simply leave it as it is Offer a hut and a simple meal, and beg your condescension. Is your supper ready, Ali?"

As soon as the voice fell, the door curtain was lifted, and a Nubian, who was as black as ebony and wearing an ordinary white robe, was collectively called Nubia in the southern part of Egypt and northern Sudan.The negro motioned to his master to go to the dining room immediately.

"I don't know if you agree," said the unknown host, "but I think there is nothing embarrassing about being able to spend two or three hours together face to face without knowing each other's names and titles." Please note that I respect the etiquette of hospitality and never dare to ask your name or title. I just ask you to tell me any title you like so that I can talk to you. As for myself, in order that you will not feel Prudish, I'd love to tell you that I'm usually called 'Sailor Samba'."

"And I," said Franz, "I will tell you that I am now almost the lamp-seeker in Aladdin's One Thousand and One Nights. All that is missing is the famous lamp, so I I think, now you might as well call me 'Aladan'. Then we can appreciate the oriental atmosphere from beginning to end, because I can't help myself, I just feel that I was brought to the East by some god."

(End of this chapter)