Latest / Adventure Books Collection / 05 - The Island of Dr Moreau - H G Wells
Transcript
- Five, the man who had nowhere to go. In the early morning, it was the second morning after my recovery, and I believed the fourth. After I was picked up, I awoke through an avenue of tumultuous dreams, dreams of guns and howling mobs, and became sensible of a hoarse shouting above me. I rubbed my eyes and lay listening to the noise, doubtful for a little while of my whereabouts. Then came a sudden pattering of bare feet, the sound of heavy objects being thrown about, a violent creaking, and the rattling of chains. I heard the swish of the water as the ship was suddenly brought round, and a foamy yellow green wave flew across the little round window and left it streaming. I jumped into my clothes and went on deck. As I came up the ladder, I saw, against the flushed sky, for the sun was just rising, the broad back and red hair of the captain, and over his shoulder the puma spinning from a tackle rigged on the Mizzen spanker boom. The poor brute seemed horribly scared and crouched in the bottom of its little cage. Overborrow them, bawled the captain. Overborrow them. We'll have a clean ship sooner, the whole bilin of em. He stood in my way so that I had perforce to tap his shoulder to come on deck. He came round with a start and staggered back a few paces to stare at me. It needed no expertise to tell that the man was still drunk. Hello, said he stupidly, and then with a light coming into his eyes. Why it's mister, mister Prindick, said I Prindick, be damned, said he shot up. That's your name. Mister shut up. It was no good answering the brute, but I certainly did not expect his next move. He held out his hand to the gangway, by which Montgomery stood, talking to a massive, gray haired man in dirty blue flannels who had apparently just come aboard that way. Mister blasted shot up that way, roared the captain. Montgomery and his companion turned as he spoke, What do you mean that way, mister blasted? Shut up? That's what I mean. Overboard, mister shut Up and Sharp were cleaning the ship out, cleaning the whole blessed ship out, and overboard you go. I stared at him, dumbfounded. Then it occurred to me that it was exactly the thing I wanted, the last prospect of a journey a sole passenger with this quarrelsome sot was not one to mourn over. I turned towards Montgomery. Can't have you, said Montgomery's companion. Concisely, you can't have me, said I, aghast. He had the squarest and most resolute face I had ever set eyes upon. Look here, I began, turning to the captain. Overboard, said the captain, This ship ain't for beasts and gallibles, and worse than beasts any more. Overboard you go, mister, shut up if they can't have you, your goals overboard, But anyhow, you go with your friends. I've done with this, blessed I learned, for evermore. Amen, I've had enough of it. But Montgomery, I appealed. He distorted his lower lip and nodded his head hopelessly at the gray haired man beside him, to indicate his powerlessness to help me. Then began a curious three cornered altercation. Alternately, I appealed to one and another of the three men, first to the gray haired man to let me land and then to the drunken captain to keep me aboard. I even bawled entreaties to the sailors. Montgomery said never a word, only shook his head. You're going overboard, I tell you. Was the captain's refrain. Law be damned. I'm king here at last, I must confess. My voice suddenly broke in the middle of a vigorous threat. I felt a gust of hysterical petulance, and went aft and stared dismally at nothing. Meanwhile, the sailors progressed rapidly with the task of unshipping the packages and caged animals. A large launch with two standing lugs lay under the lee of the schooner, and into this the strange assortment of goods was swung. I did not then see the hands from the island that were receiving the packages, for the whole of the lanch was hidden from me by the side of the schooner. Neither Montgomery nor his companion took the slightest notice of me, but busied themselves in assisting and directing the four or five sailors who were unloading the goods. The captain went forward, interfering, rather than insisting. I was alternately despairful and desperate. Once or twice, as I stood waiting there for things to accomplish themselves, I could not resist an impulse to laugh at my miserable quandary. I felt all the wretcheder for the lack of a breakfast, hunger and a lack of blood. Corpuscles take all the manhood from a man. I perceived pretty clearly that I had not the stamina either to resist what the captain chose to do to expel me, or to force myself upon Montgomery and his companion. So I waited passively upon fate and the work of transferring Montgomery's possessions to the launch when on, as if I did not exist presently, that work was finished, and then came a struggle. I was hauled, resisting weakly enough to the gangway. Even then I noticed the oddness of the brown faces of the men who were with Montgomery in the launch. For the launch was now fully laden and was shoved off hastily. A broadening gap of green water appeared under me, and I pushed back with all my strength to avoid falling headlong. The hands in the launch shouted derisively, and I heard Montgomery curse at them, and then the captain, the mate, and one of the seamen helping him ran me aft towards the stern. The dinghy of the Lady Vain had been towing behind. It was half full of water, had no oars, and was quite unvictualled. I refused to go aboard her, and flung myself full length on the deck. In the end they swung me into her by a rope, for they had no stern ladder, and then they cut me adrift. I drifted slowly from the schooner in a kind of stupor. I watched all hands take to the rigging, and slowly but surely she came round to the wind. The sails fluttered and then bellied out as the wind came into them. I stared at her weather beaten side, healing steeply towards me, and then she passed out of my range of view. I did not turn my head to follow her. At first, I could scarcely believe what had happened. I crouched in the bottom of the dinghy, stunned and staring blankly at the vacant, oily sea. Then I realized that I was in that little hell of mine again, and now half swamped, and looking back over the gunwale, I saw the schooner standing away from me, with the red haired captain mocking at me over the taffrail, and turning towards the island. Saw the launch growing smaller as she approached the beach. Abruptly, the cruelty of this desertion became clear to me. I had no means of reaching the land unless I should chance to drift there. I was still weak, you must remember from my exposure in the boat. I was empty and very faint, or I should have had more heart, But as it was, I suddenly began to sob and weep, as I had never done since I was a little child. The tears ran down my face. In a passion of despair, I struck with my fists at the water in the bottom of the boat, and kicked savagely at the gunwale. I prayed aloud for God to let me die.