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when the world shook-第11部分

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before; and inspect the great Museum。 The journey up the Nile was

postponed until our return。 It was a pleasant break and gave

Bickley; a most omnivorous reader who was well acquainted with

Egyptian history and theology; the opportunity of trying to prove

to Bastin that Christianity was a mere development of the ancient

Egyptian faith。 The arguments that ensued may be imagined。 It

never seemed to occur to either of them that all faiths may be

and indeed probably are progressive; in short; different rays of

light thrown from the various facets of the same crystal; as in

turn these are shone upon by the sun of Truth。



Our passage down the Red Sea was cool and agreeable。 Thence we

shaped our course for Ceylon。 Here again we stopped a little

while to run up to Kandy and to visit the ruined city of

Anarajapura with its great Buddhist topes that once again gave

rise to religious argument between my two friends。 Leaving Ceylon

we struck across the Indian Ocean for Perth in Western Australia。



It was a long voyage; since to save our coal we made most of it

under canvas。 However; we were not dull as Captain Astley was a

good companion; and even out of the melancholy Dane; Jacobsen; we

had entertainment。 He insisted on holding seances in the cabin;

at which the usual phenomena occurred。 The table twisted about;

voices were heard and Jacobsen's accordion wailed out tunes above

our heads。 These happenings drove Bickley to a kind of madness;

for here were events which he could not explain。 He was convinced

that someone was playing tricks upon him; and devised the most

elaborate snares to detect the rogue; entirely without result。



First he accused Jacobsen; who was very indignant; and then me;

who laughed。 In the end Jacobsen and I left the 〃circle〃 and the

cabin; which was locked behind us; only Bastin and Bickley

remaining there in the dark。 Presently we heard sounds of

altercation; and Bickley emerged looking very red in the face;

followed by Bastin; who was saying:



〃Can I help it if something pulled your nose and snatched off

your eyeglasses; which anyhow are quite useless to you when there

is no light? Again; is it possible for me; sitting on the other

side of that table; to have placed the concertina on your head

and made it play the National Anthem; a thing that I have not the

slightest idea how to do?〃



〃Please do not try to explain;〃 snapped Bickley。 〃I am

perfectly aware that you deceived me somehow; which no doubt you

think a good joke。〃



〃My dear fellow;〃 I interrupted; 〃is it possible to imagine old

Basil deceiving anyone?〃



〃Why not;〃 snorted Bickley; 〃seeing that he deceives himself

from one year's end to the other?〃



〃I think;〃 said Bastin; 〃that this is an unholy business and

that we are both deceived by the devil。 I will have no more to do

with it;〃 and he departed to his cabin; probably to say some

appropriate prayers。



After this the seances were given up but Jacobsen produced an

instrument called a planchette and with difficulty persuaded

Bickley to try it; which he did after many precautions。 The

thing; a heart…shaped piece of wood mounted on wheels and with a

pencil stuck at its narrow end; cantered about the sheet of paper

on which it was placed; Bickley; whose hands rested upon it;

staring at the roof of the cabin。 Then it began to scribble and

after a while stopped still。



〃Will the Doctor look?〃 said Jacobsen。 〃Perhaps the spirits

have told him something。〃



〃Oh! curse all this silly talk about spirits;〃 exclaimed

Bickley; as he arranged his eyeglasses and held up the paper to

the light; for it was after dinner。



He stared; then with an exclamation which I will not repeat;

and a glance of savage suspicion at the poor Dane and the rest of

us; threw it down and left the cabin。 I picked it up and next

moment was screaming with laughter。 There on the top of the sheet

was a rough but entirely recognizable portrait of Bickley with

the accordion on his head; and underneath; written in a delicate;

Italian female hand; absolutely different from his own; were

these words taken from one of St。 Paul's Epistles〃Oppositions

of science falsely so called。〃 Underneath them again in a

scrawling; schoolboy fist; very like Bastin's; was inscribed;

〃Tell us how this is done; you silly doctor; who think yourself

so clever。〃



〃It seems that the devil really can quote Scripture;〃 was

Bastin's only comment; while Jacobsen stared before him and

smiled。



Bickley never alluded to the matter; but for days afterwards I

saw him experimenting with paper and chemicals; evidently trying

to discover a form of invisible ink which would appear upon the

application of the hand。 As he never said anything about it; I

fear that he failed。



This planchette business had a somewhat curious ending。 A few

nights later Jacobsen was working it and asked me to put a

question。 To oblige him I inquired on what day we should reach

Fremantle; the port of Perth。 It wrote an answer which; I may

remark; subsequently proved to be quite correct。



〃That is not a good question;〃 said Jacobsen; 〃since as a

sailor I might guess the reply。 Try again; Mr。 Arbuthnot。〃



〃Will anything remarkable happen on our voyage to the South

Seas?〃 I inquired casually。



The planchette hesitated a while then wrote rapidly and

stopped。 Jacobsen took up the paper and began to read the answer

aloud〃To A; B the D; and B the C; the most remarkable things

will happen that have happened to men living in the world。〃



〃That must mean me; Bickley the doctor and Bastin the

clergyman;〃 I said; laughing。



Jacobsen paid no attention; for he was reading what followed。

As he did so I saw his face turn white and his eyes begin to

start from his head。 Then suddenly he tore the paper in pieces

which he thrust into his pocket。 Lifting his great fist he

uttered some Danish oath and with a single blow smashed the

planchette to fragments; after which he strode away; leaving me

astonished and somewhat disturbed。 When I met him the next

morning I asked him what was on the paper。



〃Oh!〃 he said quietly; 〃something I should not like you too…

proper English gentlemens to see。 Something not nice。 You

understand。 Those spirits not always good; they do that kind of

thing sometimes。 That's why I broke up this planchette。〃



Then he began to talk of something else and there the matter

ended。



I should have said that; principally with a view to putting

themselves in a position to confute each other; ever since we had

started from Marseilles both Bastin and Bickley spent a number of

hours each day in assiduous study of the language of the South

Sea Islands。 It became a kind of competition between them as to

which could learn the most。 Now Bastin; although simple and even

stupid in some ways; was a good scholar; and as I knew at

college; had quite a faculty for acquiring languages in which he

had taken high marks at examinations。 Bickley; too; was an

extraordinarily able person with an excellent memory; especially

when he was on his mettle。 The result was that before we ever

reached a South Sea island they had a good working knowledge of

the local tongues。



As it chanced; too; at Perth we picked up a Samoan and his wife

who; under some of the 〃white Australia〃 regulations; were not

allowed to remain in the country and offered to work as servants

in return for a passage to Apia where we proposed to call some

time or other。 With these people Bastin and Bickley talked all

day long till really they became fairly proficient in their soft

and beautiful dialect。 They wished me to learn also; but I said

that with two such excellent interpreters and the natives while

they remained with us; it seemed quite unnecessary。 Still; I

picked up a good deal in a quiet way; as much as they did

perhaps。



At length; travelling on and on as a voyager to the planet Mars

might do; we sighted the low shores of Australia and that same

evening were towed; for our coal was quite exhausted; to the

wharf at Fremantle。 Here we spent a few days exploring the

beautiful town of Perth and its neighbourhood where it was very

hot just then; and eating peaches and grapes till we made

ourselves ill; as a visitor often does who is unaware that fruit

should not be taken in quantity in Australia while the sun is

high。 Then we departed for Melbourne almost before our arrival

was generally known; since I did not wish to advertise our

presence or the object of our journey。



We crossed the Great Australian Bight; of evil reputation; in

the most perfect weather; indeed it might have been a mill pond;

and after a short stay at Melbourne; went on to Sydney; where we

coaled again and laid in supplies。



Then our real journey began。 The plan we laid out was to sail

to Suva in Fiji; about 1;700 miles away; and after a stay there;

on to Hawaii or the Sandwich Isla
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