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- Джозеф Конрад
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- Стр. 1/38
A secret accomplice
On
my
right
hand
there
were
lines
of
fishing
stakes
resembling
a
mysterious
system
of
half
-
submerged
bamboo
fences
,
incomprehensible
in
its
division
of
the
domain
of
tropical
fishes
,
and
crazy
of
aspect
as
if
abandoned
forever
by
some
nomad
tribe
of
fishermen
now
gone
to
the
other
end
of
the
ocean
;
for
there
was
no
sign
of
human
habitation
as
far
as
the
eye
could
reach
.
To
the
left
a
group
of
barren
islets
,
suggesting
ruins
of
stone
walls
,
towers
,
and
blockhouses
,
had
its
foundations
set
in
a
blue
sea
that
itself
looked
solid
,
so
still
and
stable
did
it
lie
below
my
feet
;
even
the
track
of
light
from
the
westering
sun
shone
smoothly
,
without
that
animated
glitter
which
tells
of
an
imperceptible
ripple
.
And
when
I
turned
my
head
to
take
a
parting
glance
at
the
tug
which
had
just
left
us
anchored
outside
the
bar
,
I
saw
the
straight
line
of
the
flat
shore
joined
to
the
stable
sea
,
edge
to
edge
,
with
a
perfect
and
unmarked
closeness
,
in
one
leveled
floor
half
brown
,
half
blue
under
the
enormous
dome
of
the
sky
.
Corresponding
in
their
insignificance
to
the
islets
of
the
sea
,
two
small
clumps
of
trees
,
one
on
each
side
of
the
only
fault
in
the
impeccable
joint
,
marked
the
mouth
of
the
river
Meinam
we
had
just
left
on
the
first
preparatory
stage
of
our
homeward
journey
;
and
,
far
back
on
the
inland
level
,
a
larger
and
loftier
mass
,
the
grove
surrounding
the
great
Paknam
pagoda
,
was
the
only
thing
on
which
the
eye
could
rest
from
the
vain
task
of
exploring
the
monotonous
sweep
of
the
horizon
.
Here
and
there
gleams
as
of
a
few
scattered
pieces
of
silver
marked
the
windings
of
the
great
river
;
and
on
the
nearest
of
them
,
just
within
the
bar
,
the
tug
steaming
right
into
the
land
became
lost
to
my
sight
,
hull
and
funnel
and
masts
,
as
though
the
impassive
earth
had
swallowed
her
up
without
an
effort
,
without
a
tremor
.
My
eye
followed
the
light
cloud
of
her
smoke
,
now
here
,
now
there
,
above
the
plain
,
according
to
the
devious
curves
of
the
stream
,
but
always
fainter
and
farther
away
,
till
I
lost
it
at
last
behind
the
miter
-
shaped
hill
of
the
great
pagoda
.
And
then
I
was
left
alone
with
my
ship
,
anchored
at
the
head
of
the
Gulf
of
Siam
.
She
floated
at
the
starting
point
of
a
long
journey
,
very
still
in
an
immense
stillness
,
the
shadows
of
her
spars
flung
far
to
the
eastward
by
the
setting
sun
.
At
that
moment
I
was
alone
on
her
decks
.
There
was
not
a
sound
in
her
—
and
around
us
nothing
moved
,
nothing
lived
,
not
a
canoe
on
the
water
,
not
a
bird
in
the
air
,
not
a
cloud
in
the
sky
.
In
this
breathless
pause
at
the
threshold
of
a
long
passage
we
seemed
to
be
measuring
our
fitness
for
a
long
and
arduous
enterprise
,
the
appointed
task
of
both
our
existences
to
be
carried
out
,
far
from
all
human
eyes
,
with
only
sky
and
sea
for
spectators
and
for
judges
.
There
must
have
been
some
glare
in
the
air
to
interfere
with
one
’
s
sight
,
because
it
was
only
just
before
the
sun
left
us
that
my
roaming
eyes
made
out
beyond
the
highest
ridges
of
the
principal
islet
of
the
group
something
which
did
away
with
the
solemnity
of
perfect
solitude
.
The
tide
of
darkness
flowed
on
swiftly
;
and
with
tropical
suddenness
a
swarm
of
stars
came
out
above
the
shadowy
earth
,
while
I
lingered
yet
,
my
hand
resting
lightly
on
my
ship
’
s
rail
as
if
on
the
shoulder
of
a
trusted
friend
.
But
,
with
all
that
multitude
of
celestial
bodies
staring
down
at
one
,
the
comfort
of
quiet
communion
with
her
was
gone
for
good
.
And
there
were
also
disturbing
sounds
by
this
time
—
voices
,
footsteps
forward
;
the
steward
flitted
along
the
main
-
deck
,
a
busily
ministering
spirit
;
a
hand
bell
tinkled
urgently
under
the
poop
deck
.
.
.
.
I
found
my
two
officers
waiting
for
me
near
the
supper
table
,
in
the
lighted
cuddy
.
We
sat
down
at
once
,
and
as
I
helped
the
chief
mate
,
I
said
:
“
Are
you
aware
that
there
is
a
ship
anchored
inside
the
islands
?
I
saw
her
mastheads
above
the
ridge
as
the
sun
went
down
.
”
He
raised
sharply
his
simple
face
,
overcharged
by
a
terrible
growth
of
whisker
,
and
emitted
his
usual
ejaculations
:
“
Bless
my
soul
,
sir
!
You
don
’
t
say
so
!
”
My
second
mate
was
a
round
-
cheeked
,
silent
young
man
,
grave
beyond
his
years
,
I
thought
;
but
as
our
eyes
happened
to
meet
I
detected
a
slight
quiver
on
his
lips
.
I
looked
down
at
once
.
It
was
not
my
part
to
encourage
sneering
on
board
my
ship
.
It
must
be
said
,
too
,
that
I
knew
very
little
of
my
officers
.
In
consequence
of
certain
events
of
no
particular
significance
,
except
to
myself
,
I
had
been
appointed
to
the
command
only
a
fortnight
before
.
Neither
did
I
know
much
of
the
hands
forward
.
All
these
people
had
been
together
for
eighteen
months
or
so
,
and
my
position
was
that
of
the
only
stranger
on
board
.
