第 47 节
作者:人生几何      更新:2022-07-08 12:26      字数:9322
  I made my way down the stair in safety; and presently stood in the
  courtyard of that great house。 It was but an hour from dawn; and none
  were stirring。 The last reveller had drunk his fill; the dancing…girls
  had ceased their dancing; and silence lay upon the city。 I drew near
  the gate; and was challenged by an officer who stood on guard; wrapped
  in a heavy cloak。
  〃Who passes;〃 said the voice of Brennus。
  〃A merchant; may it please you; Sir; who; having brought gifts from
  Alexandria to a lady of the Queen's household; and; having been
  entertained of the lady; now departs to his galley;〃 I answered in a
  feigned voice。
  〃Umph!〃 he growled。 〃The ladies of the Queen's household keep their
  guests late。 Well; it is a time of festival。 The pass…word; Sir
  Shopkeeper? Without the pass…word you must needs return and crave the
  lady's further hospitality。〃
  〃'/Antony/;' Sir; and a right good word; too。 Ah! I've wandered far;
  and never saw I so goodly a man or so great a general。 And; mark you;
  Sir! I've travelled far; and seen many generals。〃
  〃Ay; '/Antony/''s the word! And Antony is a good general in his way
  when it is a sober way; and when he cannot find a skirt to follow。
  I've served with Antonyand against him; too; and know his points。
  Well; well; he's got an armful now!〃
  And all this while that he was holding me in talk; the sentry had been
  pacing to and fro before the gate。 But now he moved a little way to
  the right; leaving the entrance clear。
  〃Fare thee well; Harmachis; and begone!〃 whispered Brennus; leaning
  forward and speaking quickly。 〃Linger not。 But at times bethink thee
  of Brennus who risked his neck to save thine。 Farewell; lad; I would
  that we were sailing North together;〃 and he turned his back upon me
  and began to hum a tune。
  〃Farewell; Brennus; thou honest man;〃 I answered; and was gone。 And;
  as I heard long afterwards; when on the morrow the hue and cry was
  raised because the murderers could not find me; though they sought me
  everywhere to slay me; Brennus did me a service。 For he swore that as
  he kept his watch alone an hour after midnight he saw me come and
  stand upon the parapet of the roof; that then I stretched out my robes
  and they became wings on which I floated up to Heaven; leaving him
  astonished。 And all those about the Court lent ear to this history;
  believing in it; because of the great fame of my magic; and they
  wondered much what the marvel might portend。 The tale also travelled
  into Egypt; and did much to save my good name among those whom I had
  betrayed; for the more ignorant among them believed that I acted not
  of my will; but of the will of the dread Gods; who of their own
  purpose wafted me into Heaven。 And thus to this day the saying runs
  that 〃/When Harmachis comes again Egypt shall be free。/〃 But alas;
  Harmachis comes no more! Only Cleopatra; though she was much afraid;
  doubted her of the tale; and sent an armed vessel to search for the
  Syrian merchant; but not to find him; as shall be told。
  When I reached the galley of which Charmion had spoken; I found her
  about to sail; and gave the writing to the captain; who conned it;
  looking on me curiously; but said nothing。
  So I went aboard; and immediately we dropped swiftly down the river
  with the current。 And having come to the mouth of the river
  unchallenged; though we passed many vessels; we put out to sea with a
  strong favouring wind that before night freshened to a great gale。
  Then the sailor men; being much afraid; would have put about and run
  for the mouth of Cydnus again; but could not because of the wildness
  of the sea。 All that night it blew furiously; and by dawn our mast was
  carried away; and we rolled helplessly in the trough of the great
  waves。 But I sat wrapped in a cloak; little heeding; and because I
  showed no fear the sailors cried out that I was a wizard; and sought
  to cast me into the sea; but the captain would not。 At dawn the wind
  slackened; but ere noon it once more blew in terrible fury; and at the
  fourth hour from noon we came in sight of the rocky coast of that cape
  in the island of Cyprus which is called Dinaretum; where is a mountain
  named Olympus; and thither…wards we drifted swiftly。 Then; when the
  sailors saw the terrible rocks; and how the great waves that smote on
  them spouted up in foam; once more they grew much afraid; and cried
  out in their fear。 For; seeing that I still sat unmoved; they swore
  that I certainly was a wizard; and came to cast me forth as a
  sacrifice to the Gods of the sea。 And this time the captain was over…
  ruled; and said nothing。 Therefore; when they came to me I rose and
  defied them; saying; 〃Cast me forth; if ye will; but if ye cast me
  forth ye shall perish。〃
  For in my heart I cared little; having no more any love of life; but
  rather a desire to die; though I greatly feared to pass into the
  presence of my Holy Mother Isis。 But my weariness and sorrow at the
  bitterness of my lot overcame even this heavy fear; so that when;
  being mad as brute beasts; they seized me and; lifting me; hurled me
  into the raging waters; I did but utter one prayer to Isis and made
  ready for death。 But it was fated that I should not die; for; when I
  rose to the surface of the water; I saw a spar of wood floating near
  me; to which I swam and clung。 And a great wave came and swept me;
  riding; as it were; upon the spar; as when a boy I had learned to do
  in the waters of the Nile; past the bulwarks of the galley where the
  fierce…faced sailors clustered to see me drown。 And when they saw me
  come mounted on the wave; cursing them as I came; and saw; too; that
  the colour of my face had changedfor the salt water had washed way
  the pigment; they shrieked with fear and threw themselves down upon
  the deck。 And within a very little while; as I rode toward the rocky
  coast; a great wave poured into the vessel; that rolled broadside on;
  and pressed her down into the deep; whence she rose no more。
  So she sank with all her crew。 And in that same storm also sank the
  galley which Cleopatra had sent to search for the Syrian merchant。
  Thus all traces of me were lost; and of a surety she believed that I
  was dead。
  But I rode on toward the shore。 The wind shrieked and the salt waves
  lashed my face as; alone with the tempest; I rushed upon my way; while
  the sea…birds screamed about my head。 I felt no fear; but rather a
  wild uplifting of the heart; and in the stress of my imminent peril
  the love of life seemed to waken again。 And so I plunged and drifted;
  now tossed high toward the lowering clouds; now cast into the deep
  valleys of the sea; till at length the rocky headland loomed before
  me; and I saw the breakers smite upon the stubborn rocks; and through
  the screaming of the wind heard the sullen thunder of their fall and
  the groan of stones sucked seaward from the beach。 On! high…throned
  upon the mane of a mighty billowfifty cubits beneath me the level of
  the hissing waters; above me the inky sky! It was done! The spar was
  torn from me; and; dragged downwards by the weight of the bag of gold
  and the clinging of my garments; I sank struggling furiously。
  Now I was underthe green light for a moment streamed through the
  waters; and then came darkness; and on the darkness pictures of the
  past。 Picture after pictureall the long scene of life was written
  here。 Then in my ears I only heard the song of the nightingale; the
  murmur of the summer sea; and the music of Cleopatra's laugh of
  victory; following me softly and yet more soft as I sank away to
  sleep。
  Once more my life came back; and with it a sense of deadly sickness
  and of aching pain。 I opened my eyes and saw a kind face bending over
  me; and knew that I was in the room of a builded house。
  〃How came I hither?〃 I asked faintly。
  〃Of a truth; Poseidon brought thee; Stranger;〃 answered a rough voice
  in barbarous Greek; 〃we found thee cast high upon the beach like a
  dead dolphin and brought thee to our house; for we are fisher…folk。
  And here; methinks; thou must lie a while; for thy left leg is broken
  by the force of the waves。〃
  I strove to move my foot and could not。 It was true; the bone was
  broken above the knee。
  〃Who art thou; and how art thou named?〃 asked the rough…bearded
  sailor。
  〃I am an Egyptian traveller whose ship has sunk in the fury of the
  gale; and I am named Olympus;〃 I answered; for these people called a
  mountain that we had sighted Olympus; and therefore I took the name at
  hazard。 And as Olympus I was henceforth known。
  Here with these rough fisher…folk I abode for the half of a year;
  paying them a little out of the sum of gold that had come safely
  ashore upon me。 For it was long before my bones grew together again;
  and then I was left somewhat of a cripple; for I; who had been so tall
  and straight and strong; now limpedone limb being shorter than the
  other。 And after I recovered from my h