options-第24章
按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
〃But let me tell you about the trip I took to Mexico with High jack Snakefeeder； a Cherokee twice removed； a graduate of a Pennsylvania college and the latest thing in pointed…toed； rubber…heeled； patent kid moccasins and Madras hunting…shirt with turned…back cuffs。 He was a friend of mine。 I met him in Tahlequah when I was out there during the land boom； and we got thick。 He had got all there was out of colleges and had come back to lead his people out of Egypt。 He was a man of first…class style and wrote essays； and had been invited to visit rich guys' houses in Boston and such places。
〃There was a Cherokee girl in Muscogee that High Jack was foolish about。 He took me to see her a few times。 Her name was Florence Blue Featherbut you want to clear your mind of all ideas of squaws with nose…rings and army blankets。 This young lady was whiter than you are； and better educated than I ever was。 You couldn't have told her from any of the girls shopping in the swell Third Avenue stores。 I liked her so well that； I got to calling on her now and then when High Jack wasn't along； which is the way of friends in such matters。 She was educated at the Muscogee College； and was making a specialty of let's seeethyes； ethnology。 That's the art that goes back and traces the descent of different races of people； leading up from jelly…fish through monkeys and to the O'Briens。 High Jack had took up that line too； and had read papers about it before all kinds of riotous assembliesChautauquas and Choctaws and chowder…parties； and such。 Having a mutual taste for musty information like that was what made 'em like each other； I suppose。 But I don't know！ What they call congeniality of tastes ain't always it。 Now； when Miss Blue Feather and me was talking together； I listened to her affidavits about the first families of the Land of Nod being cousins german （well； if the Germans don't nod； who does？） to the mound…builders of Ohio with incomprehension and respect。 And when I'd tell her about the Bowery and Coney Island； and sing her a few songs that I'd heard the Jamaica niggers sing at their church lawn…parties； she didn't look much less interested than she did when High Jack would tell her that he had a pipe that the first inhabitants of America originally arrived here on stilts after a freshet at Tenafly； New Jersey。
〃But I was going to tell you more about High Jack。
〃About six months ago I get a letter from him； saying he'd been commissioned by the Minority Report Bureau of Ethnology at Washington to go down to Mexico and translate some excavations or dig up the meaning of some shorthand notes on some ruinsor something of that sort。 And if I'd go along he could squeeze the price into the expense account。
〃Well； I'd been holding a napkin over my arm at Chubb's about long enough then； so I wired High Jack 'Yes'； and he sent me a ticket； and I met him in Washington； and he had a lot of news to tell me。 First of all； was that Florence Blue Feather had suddenly disappeared from her home and environments。
〃'Run away？' I asked。
〃'Vanished；' says High Jack。 'Disappeared like your shadow when the sun goes under a cloud。 She was seen on the street； and then she turned a corner and nobody ever seen her afterward。 The whole community turned out to look for her； but we never found a clew。'
〃'That's badthat's bad；' says I。 'She was a mighty nice girl； and as smart as you find em。
〃High Jack seemed to take it hard。 I guess he must have esteemed Miss Blue Feather quite highly。 I could see that he'd referred the matter to the whiskey…jug。 That was his weak pointand many another man's。 I've noticed that when a man loses a girl he generally takes to drink either just before or just after it happens。
〃From Washington we railroaded it to New Orleans； and there took a tramp steamer bound for Belize。 And a gale pounded us all down the Caribbean； and nearly wrecked us on the Yucatan coast opposite a little town without a harbor called Boca de Coacoyula。 Suppose the ship had run against that name in the dark！
〃'Better fifty years of Europe than a cyclone in the bay；' says High Jack Snakefeeder。 So we get the captain to send us ashore in a dory when the squall seemed to cease from squalling。
〃'We will find ruins here or make 'em；' says High。 'The Government doesn't care which we do。 An appropriation is an appropriation。'
〃Boca de Coacoyula was a dead town。 Them biblical towns we read aboutTired and Siphonafter they was destroyed； they must have looked like Forty…second Street and Broadway compared to this Boca place。 It still claimed 1300 inhabitants as estimated and engraved on the stone court…house by the census…taker in 1597。 The citizens were a mixture of Indians and other Indians； but some of 'em was light… colored； which I was surprised to see。 The town was huddled up on the shore； with woods so thick around it that a subpoena…server couldn't have reached a monkey ten yards away with the papers。 We wondered what kept it from being annexed to Kansas； but we soon found out that it was Major Bing。
〃Major Bing was the ointment around the fly。 He had the cochineal； sarsaparilla； log…wood； annatto； hemp； and all other dye…woods and pure food adulteration concessions cornered。 He had five…sixths of the Boca de Thingama jiggers working for him on shares。 It was a beautiful graft。 We used to brag about Morgan and E。 H。 and others of our wisest when I was in the provincesbut now no more。 That peninsula has got our little country turned into a submarine without even the observation tower showing。
〃Major Bing's idea was this。 He had the population go forth into the forest and gather these products。 When they brought 'em in he gave 'em one…fifth for their trouble。 Sometimes they'd strike and demand a sixth。 The Major always gave in to 'em。
〃The Major had a bungalow so close on the sea that the nine…inch tide seeped through the cracks in the kitchen floor。 Me and him and High Jack Snakefeeder sat on the porch and drank rum from noon till midnight。 He said he had piled up 300；000 in New Orleans banks； and High and me could stay with him forever if we would。 But High Jack happened to think of the United States； and began to talk ethnology。
〃'Ruins！' says Major Bing。 'The woods are full of 'em。 I don't know how far they date back； but they was here before I came。'
〃High Jack asks what form of worship the citizens of that locality are addicted to。
〃'Why；' says the Major； rubbing his nose； 'I can't hardly say。 I imagine it's infidel or Aztec or Nonconformist or something like that。 There's a church herea Methodist or some other kindwith a parson named Skidder。 He claims to have converted the people to Christianity。 He and me don't assimilate except on state occasions。 I imagine they worship some kind of gods or idols yet。 But Skidder says he has 'em in the fold。'
〃A few days later High Jack and me； prowling around； strikes a plain path into the forest； and follows it a good four miles。 Then a branch turns to the left。 We go a mile； maybe； down that； and run up against the finest ruin you ever sawsolid stone with trees and vines and under…brush all growing up against it and in it and through it。 All over it was chiselled carvings of funny beasts and people that would have been arrested if they'd ever come out in vaudeville that way。 We approached it from the rear。
〃High Jack had been drinking too much rum ever since we landed in Boca。 You know how an Indian isthe palefaces fixed his clock when they introduced him to firewater。 He'd brought a quart along with him。
〃'Hunky；' says he； 'we'll explore the ancient temple。 It may be that the storin that landed us here was propitious。 The Minority Report Bureau of Ethnology；' says he； 'may yet profit by the vagaries of wind and tide。'
〃We went in the rear door of the bum edifice。 We struck a kind of alcove without bath。 There was a granite davenport； and a stone wash… stand without any soap or exit for the water； and some hardwood pegs drove into holes in the wall； and that was all。 To go out of that furnished apa
