Section I, Part 2 Abschnitt I, Teil 2 Section I, Part 2 Section I, partie 2 第1節 第2部 Sekcja I, część 2 Secção I, Parte 2 Bölüm I, Kısım 2

"There was yet a visit to the doctor. "Es gab noch einen Besuch beim Arzt. 'A simple formality,' assured me the secretary, with an air of taking an immense part in all my sorrows. Eine einfache Formalität", versicherte mir der Sekretär, der den Eindruck erweckte, an all meinen Sorgen großen Anteil zu nehmen. 'A simple formality,' assured me the secretary, with an air of taking an immense part in all my sorrows. Accordingly a young chap wearing his hat over the left eyebrow, some clerk I suppose—there must have been clerks in the business, though the house was as still as a house in a city of the dead—came from somewhere up-stairs, and led me forth. Dementsprechend kam ein junger Kerl, der seinen Hut über der linken Augenbraue trug, ein Angestellter, wie ich annehme - es muss Angestellte in diesem Geschäft gegeben haben, obwohl das Haus so still war wie ein Haus in einer Stadt der Toten -, von irgendwo oben und führte mich hinaus. He was shabby and careless, with inkstains on the sleeves of his jacket, and his cravat was large and billowy, under a chin shaped like the toe of an old boot. Er war schäbig und nachlässig, mit Tintenflecken auf den Ärmeln seiner Jacke, und seine Krawatte war groß und wabbelig, unter einem Kinn, das wie die Spitze eines alten Stiefels geformt war. He was shabby and careless, with inkstains on the sleeves of his jacket, and his cravat was large and billowy, under a chin shaped like the toe of an old boot. It was a little too early for the doctor, so I proposed a drink, and thereupon he developed a vein of joviality. Es war noch etwas zu früh für den Arzt, also schlug ich ihm einen Drink vor, woraufhin er eine Ader der Heiterkeit entwickelte. As we sat over our vermouths he glorified the Company's business, and by and by I expressed casually my surprise at him not going out there. Während wir bei unserem Wermut zusammensaßen, lobte er die Geschäfte der Firma, und nach und nach drückte ich beiläufig meine Überraschung darüber aus, dass er nicht dorthin ging. He became very cool and collected all at once. Er wurde mit einem Mal sehr kühl und gefasst. 'I am not such a fool as I look, quoth Plato to his disciples,' he said sententiously, emptied his glass with great resolution, and we rose. Ich bin nicht so ein Narr, wie ich aussehe, sagte Platon zu seinen Jüngern", sagte er nachdenklich, leerte sein Glas mit großer Entschlossenheit, und wir erhoben uns.

"The old doctor felt my pulse, evidently thinking of something else the while. 'Good, good for there,' he mumbled, and then with a certain eagerness asked me whether I would let him measure my head. Rather surprised, I said Yes, when he produced a thing like calipers and got the dimensions back and front and every way, taking notes carefully. Ziemlich überrascht sagte ich Ja, als er so ein Ding wie einen Messschieber hervorholte und die Maße hinten und vorne und in jeder Richtung abnahm und sich sorgfältig Notizen machte. He was an unshaven little man in a threadbare coat like a gaberdine, with his feet in slippers, and I thought him a harmless fool. Er war ein unrasierter kleiner Mann in einem fadenscheinigen Mantel, der wie ein Kittel aussah, und seine Füße steckten in Pantoffeln, und ich hielt ihn für einen harmlosen Narren. 'I always ask leave, in the interests of science, to measure the crania of those going out there,' he said. Ich bitte immer darum, im Interesse der Wissenschaft die Schädel derjenigen zu vermessen, die da rausgehen", sagte er. 'And when they come back, too?' I asked. 'Oh, I never see them,' he remarked; 'and, moreover, the changes take place inside, you know.' He smiled, as if at some quiet joke. Er lächelte, als ob er sich einen leisen Scherz erlaubte. 'So you are going out there. Famous. Berühmt. Interesting, too.' He gave me a searching glance, and made another note. Er warf mir einen prüfenden Blick zu und machte eine weitere Notiz. 'Ever any madness in your family?' he asked, in a matter-of-fact tone. I felt very annoyed. 'Is that question in the interests of science, too?' 'It would be,' he said, without taking notice of my irritation, 'interesting for science to watch the mental changes of individuals, on the spot, but...' 'Are you an alienist?' I interrupted. Ich habe sie unterbrochen. 'Every doctor should be—a little,' answered that original, imperturbably. Jeder Arzt sollte ein wenig sein", antwortete das Original unerschütterlich. 'I have a little theory which you messieurs who go out there must help me to prove. This is my share in the advantages my country shall reap from the possession of such a magnificent dependency. Das ist mein Anteil an den Vorteilen, die meinem Land aus dem Besitz einer so großartigen Abhängigkeit erwachsen werden. The mere wealth I leave to others. Den bloßen Reichtum überlasse ich anderen. Pardon my questions, but you are the first Englishman coming under my observation...' I hastened to assure him I was not in the least typical. 'If I were,' said I, 'I wouldn't be talking like this with you.' 'Wenn das so wäre', sagte ich, 'würde ich nicht so mit Ihnen reden'. 'What you say is rather profound, and probably erroneous,' he said, with a laugh. Was Sie sagen, ist ziemlich tiefsinnig und wahrscheinlich falsch", sagte er lachend. 'Avoid irritation more than exposure to the sun. Vermeiden Sie Reizungen mehr als Sonneneinstrahlung. Adieu . How do you English say, eh? Good-bye. Ah! Good-bye. Adieu . In the tropics one must before everything keep calm.'... He lifted a warning forefinger.... ' Du calme, du calme .' Er hob einen warnenden Zeigefinger.... ' Du calme, du calme .'

"One thing more remained to do—say good-bye to my excellent aunt. "Es bleibt nur noch eines zu tun - mich von meiner hervorragenden Tante zu verabschieden. I found her triumphant. I had a cup of tea—the last decent cup of tea for many days—and in a room that most soothingly looked just as you would expect a lady's drawing-room to look, we had a long quiet chat by the fireside. Ich trank eine Tasse Tee - die letzte anständige Tasse Tee für viele Tage - und wir unterhielten uns in einem Zimmer, das so beruhigend aussah, wie man es von einem Damenzimmer erwarten würde, in aller Ruhe am Kamin. In the course of these confidences it became quite plain to me I had been represented to the wife of the high dignitary, and goodness knows to how many more people besides, as an exceptional and gifted creature—a piece of good fortune for the Company—a man you don't get hold of every day. Im Laufe dieser Vertraulichkeiten wurde mir klar, dass ich der Frau des hohen Würdenträgers und weiß Gott wie vielen anderen Menschen als ein außergewöhnliches und begabtes Geschöpf vorgestellt worden war - ein Glücksfall für die Firma - ein Mann, den man nicht jeden Tag zu Gesicht bekommt. Good heavens! and I was going to take charge of a two-penny-half-penny river-steamboat with a penny whistle attached! und ich sollte das Kommando über ein Zwei-Penny-Halb-Penny-Flussdampfschiff übernehmen, an dem eine Penny-Pfeife befestigt war! It appeared, however, I was also one of the Workers, with a capital—you know. Es stellte sich jedoch heraus, dass ich auch zu den Arbeitern gehörte, mit einem großen - Sie wissen schon. Something like an emissary of light, something like a lower sort of apostle. There had been a lot of such rot let loose in print and talk just about that time, and the excellent woman, living right in the rush of all that humbug, got carried off her feet. Gerade zu dieser Zeit wurde in der Presse und im Gerede viel solcher Unfug verbreitet, und die gute Frau, die mitten in der Hektik dieses Humbuges lebte, wurde von ihren Füßen gerissen. Havia muita podridão solta na imprensa e nas conversas mais ou menos naquela época, e a excelente mulher, vivendo bem na pressa de toda aquela farsa, se deixou levar. She talked about 'weaning those ignorant millions from their horrid ways,' till, upon my word, she made me quite uncomfortable. Sie sprach davon, "diese unwissenden Millionen von ihren schrecklichen Gewohnheiten zu entwöhnen", bis ich mich, ehrlich gesagt, ziemlich unwohl fühlte. Ela falou sobre 'desmamar aqueles milhões ignorantes de seus modos horríveis', até que, com minha palavra, ela me deixou bastante desconfortável. I ventured to hint that the Company was run for profit. Aventurei-me a insinuar que a Companhia era gerida com fins lucrativos.

"'You forget, dear Charlie, that the labourer is worthy of his hire,' she said, brightly. "Du vergisst, lieber Charlie, dass der Arbeiter seines Lohnes würdig ist", sagte sie strahlend. "'Você esquece, querido Charlie, que o trabalhador é digno de seu salário', disse ela, alegremente. It's queer how out of touch with truth women are. Es ist schon seltsam, wie sehr die Frauen den Bezug zur Wahrheit verloren haben. É estranho como as mulheres estão fora de contato com a verdade. They live in a world of their own, and there has never been anything like it, and never can be. Eles vivem em um mundo próprio, e nunca houve nada parecido, e nunca pode haver. It is too beautiful altogether, and if they were to set it up it would go to pieces before the first sunset. Es ist einfach zu schön, und wenn man es aufstellen würde, würde es noch vor dem ersten Sonnenuntergang in sich zusammenfallen. É lindo demais, e se eles o montassem, ele se despedaçaria antes do primeiro pôr do sol. Some confounded fact we men have been living contentedly with ever since the day of creation would start up and knock the whole thing over. Irgendeine verflixte Tatsache, mit der wir Menschen seit dem Tag der Schöpfung zufrieden leben, würde auftauchen und die ganze Sache umwerfen. Algum fato confuso com o qual nós homens temos vivido contentes desde o dia da criação começaria e derrubaria tudo.

"After this I got embraced, told to wear flannel, be sure to write often, and so on—and I left. "Danach wurde ich umarmt, mir wurde gesagt, ich solle Flanellkleidung tragen, auf jeden Fall oft schreiben und so weiter - und ich ging. "Depois disso, fui abraçado, me disseram para usar flanela, escrever com frequência e assim por diante - e fui embora. In the street—I don't know why—a queer feeling came to me that I was an imposter. Auf der Straße - ich weiß nicht warum - beschlich mich das seltsame Gefühl, dass ich ein Hochstapler war. Odd thing that I, who used to clear out for any part of the world at twenty-four hours' notice, with less thought than most men give to the crossing of a street, had a moment—I won't say of hesitation, but of startled pause, before this commonplace affair. Seltsam, dass ich, der ich es gewohnt war, vierundzwanzig Stunden vor der Abreise in irgendeinen Teil der Welt aufzubrechen, ohne darüber nachzudenken, wie die meisten Menschen eine Straße überqueren, einen Moment - ich will nicht sagen, einen Moment des Zögerns, aber des erschrockenen Innehaltens - vor dieser alltäglichen Angelegenheit hatte. Coisa estranha que eu, que costumava sair para qualquer parte do mundo com vinte e quatro horas de antecedência, com menos atenção do que a maioria dos homens dá ao cruzamento de uma rua, tive um momento - não direi de hesitação, mas de pausa assustada, diante desse assunto banal. The best way I can explain it to you is by saying that, for a second or two, I felt as though, instead of going to the centre of a continent, I were about to set off for the centre of the earth. Ich kann es Ihnen am besten erklären, wenn ich sage, dass ich für ein oder zwei Sekunden das Gefühl hatte, nicht zum Mittelpunkt eines Kontinents, sondern zum Mittelpunkt der Erde zu fahren.

"I left in a French steamer, and she called in every blamed port they have out there, for, as far as I could see, the sole purpose of landing soldiers and custom-house officers. "Ich bin mit einem französischen Dampfer losgefahren, der jeden verrufenen Hafen anlief, den sie dort draußen haben, und zwar, soweit ich sehen konnte, nur zu dem Zweck, Soldaten und Zollbeamte anzulanden. I watched the coast. Watching a coast as it slips by the ship is like thinking about an enigma. There it is before you—smiling, frowning, inviting, grand, mean, insipid, or savage, and always mute with an air of whispering, 'Come and find out.' Lá está diante de você — sorridente, carrancudo, convidativo, grandioso, mesquinho, insípido ou selvagem, e sempre mudo com um ar de sussurro: 'Venha e descubra'. This one was almost featureless, as if still in the making, with an aspect of monotonous grimness. Dieser war fast ohne Merkmale, als ob er noch im Entstehen begriffen wäre, mit einem eintönigen, düsteren Aussehen. The edge of a colossal jungle, so dark-green as to be almost black, fringed with white surf, ran straight, like a ruled line, far, far away along a blue sea whose glitter was blurred by a creeping mist. Der Rand eines kolossalen Dschungels, so dunkelgrün, dass er fast schwarz ist, gesäumt von weißer Brandung, verlief geradlinig, wie ein Lineal, weit, weit weg entlang eines blauen Meeres, dessen Glitzern durch einen kriechenden Nebel verschwommen war. The sun was fierce, the land seemed to glisten and drip with steam. Die Sonne brannte heftig, das Land schien zu glitzern und vor Dampf zu triefen. Here and there greyish-whitish specks showed up clustered inside the white surf, with a flag flying above them perhaps. Hier und da tauchten grau-weiße Flecken in der weißen Brandung auf, über denen vielleicht eine Flagge wehte. Aqui e ali, manchas esbranquiçadas acinzentadas apareciam agrupadas dentro da rebentação branca, talvez com uma bandeira hasteada acima delas. Settlements some centuries old, and still no bigger than pinheads on the untouched expanse of their background. Siedlungen, die einige Jahrhunderte alt sind und noch immer nicht größer als Stecknadelköpfe auf der unberührten Weite ihres Hintergrunds. Assentamentos com alguns séculos de idade, e ainda não maiores do que cabeças de alfinete na extensão intocada de seu fundo. We pounded along, stopped, landed soldiers; went on, landed custom-house clerks to levy toll in what looked like a God-forsaken wilderness, with a tin shed and a flag-pole lost in it; landed more soldiers—to take care of the custom-house clerks, presumably. Wir fuhren weiter, hielten an, zogen Soldaten an Land, fuhren weiter, zogen Zollbeamte an Land, um in einer gottverlassenen Wildnis mit einem Blechschuppen und einem verlorenen Fahnenmast Maut zu erheben, zogen weitere Soldaten an Land, die sich vermutlich um die Zollbeamten kümmerten. Nós avançamos, paramos, desembarcamos soldados; prosseguiu, desembarcou funcionários da alfândega para cobrar pedágio no que parecia ser um deserto abandonado por Deus, com um galpão de estanho e um mastro perdido nele; desembarcou mais soldados — para cuidar dos funcionários da alfândega, presumivelmente. Some, I heard, got drowned in the surf; but whether they did or not, nobody seemed particularly to care. Alguns, ouvi dizer, se afogaram nas ondas; mas, quer o fizessem ou não, ninguém parecia particularmente se importar. They were just flung out there, and on we went. Sie wurden einfach auf die Straße geworfen, und weiter ging es. Eles foram jogados lá fora, e nós fomos. Every day the coast looked the same, as though we had not moved; but we passed various places—trading places—with names like Gran' Bassam, Little Popo; names that seemed to belong to some sordid farce acted in front of a sinister back-cloth. Jeden Tag sah die Küste gleich aus, als ob wir uns nicht bewegt hätten; aber wir kamen an verschiedenen Orten vorbei - Handelsplätzen - mit Namen wie Gran' Bassam, Little Popo; Namen, die zu einer schmutzigen Farce zu gehören schienen, die vor einem düsteren Hintergrund gespielt wurde. Todos os dias a costa parecia a mesma, como se não tivéssemos nos mudado; mas passamos por vários lugares — locais de troca — com nomes como Gran' Bassam, Little Popo; nomes que pareciam pertencer a alguma farsa sórdida atuavam diante de um pano de fundo sinistro. The idleness of a passenger, my isolation amongst all these men with whom I had no point of contact, the oily and languid sea, the uniform sombreness of the coast, seemed to keep me away from the truth of things, within the toil of a mournful and senseless delusion. Der Müßiggang eines Passagiers, meine Isolation unter all diesen Männern, mit denen ich keinen Kontakt hatte, das ölige und träge Meer, die gleichförmige Düsternis der Küste, schienen mich von der Wahrheit der Dinge fernzuhalten, in der Mühsal einer traurigen und sinnlosen Illusion. The voice of the surf heard now and then was a positive pleasure, like the speech of a brother. Die Stimme der Brandung, die ab und zu zu hören war, war eine positive Freude, wie die Rede eines Bruders. It was something natural, that had its reason, that had a meaning. Now and then a boat from the shore gave one a momentary contact with reality. It was paddled by black fellows. Es wurde von schwarzen Männern gepaddelt. Foi remado por companheiros negros. You could see from afar the white of their eyeballs glistening. Schon von weitem konnte man das Weiß ihrer Augäpfel glitzern sehen. Você podia ver de longe o branco de seus globos oculares brilhando. They shouted, sang; their bodies streamed with perspiration; they had faces like grotesque masks—these chaps; but they had bone, muscle, a wild vitality, an intense energy of movement, that was as natural and true as the surf along their coast. Sie schrien, sangen, ihre Körper waren schweißüberströmt, ihre Gesichter glichen grotesken Masken, aber sie hatten Knochen, Muskeln, eine wilde Vitalität, eine intensive Bewegungsenergie, die so natürlich und echt war wie die Brandung an ihrer Küste. They wanted no excuse for being there. Sie wollten keine Entschuldigung für ihre Anwesenheit. They were a great comfort to look at. Es war sehr angenehm, sie anzusehen. For a time I would feel I belonged still to a world of straightforward facts; but the feeling would not last long. Eine Zeit lang hatte ich das Gefühl, noch zu einer Welt der reinen Fakten zu gehören, aber das Gefühl hielt nicht lange an. Something would turn up to scare it away. Irgendetwas würde auftauchen, um sie zu verscheuchen. Once, I remember, we came upon a man-of-war anchored off the coast. Ich erinnere mich, dass wir einmal auf ein Kriegsschiff stießen, das vor der Küste ankerte. Uma vez, lembro-me, encontramos um navio de guerra ancorado na costa. There wasn't even a shed there, and she was shelling the bush. Dort gab es nicht einmal einen Schuppen, und sie schoss in den Busch. Não havia nem um galpão lá, e ela estava descascando o mato. It appears the French had one of their wars going on thereabouts. Es scheint, als hätten die Franzosen dort einen ihrer Kriege geführt. Parece que os franceses tinham uma de suas guerras acontecendo por aí. Her ensign dropped limp like a rag; the muzzles of the long six-inch guns stuck out all over the low hull; the greasy, slimy swell swung her up lazily and let her down, swaying her thin masts. Ihre Fahne hing schlaff wie ein Lappen herab; die Mündungen der langen Sechszoll-Kanonen ragten über den ganzen niedrigen Rumpf hinaus; die schmierige, schleimige Dünung ließ sie träge auf- und abschwellen, wobei ihre dünnen Masten schwankten. Seu alferes caiu mole como um trapo; os canos dos longos canhões de seis polegadas se projetavam por todo o casco baixo; a ondulação gordurosa e viscosa a ergueu preguiçosamente e a desceu, balançando seus mastros finos. In the empty immensity of earth, sky, and water, there she was, incomprehensible, firing into a continent. In der leeren Weite der Erde, des Himmels und des Wassers stand sie da, unbegreiflich, und schoss auf einen Kontinent. Na imensidão vazia da terra, do céu e da água, lá estava ela, incompreensível, disparando contra um continente. Pop, would go one of the six-inch guns; a small flame would dart and vanish, a little white smoke would disappear, a tiny projectile would give a feeble screech—and nothing happened. Ein Knall ertönte aus einem der Sechs-Zoll-Geschütze; eine kleine Flamme züngelte und verschwand, ein wenig weißer Rauch verflüchtigte sich, ein winziges Projektil gab ein schwaches Kreischen von sich - und nichts geschah. Pop, iria uma das armas de seis polegadas; uma pequena chama se arremessava e desaparecia, uma pequena fumaça branca desaparecia, um minúsculo projétil dava um guincho fraco — e nada acontecia. Nothing could happen. Es konnte nichts passieren. There was a touch of insanity in the proceeding, a sense of lugubrious drollery in the sight; and it was not dissipated by somebody on board assuring me earnestly there was a camp of natives—he called them enemies!—hidden out of sight somewhere. Es lag ein Hauch von Wahnsinn in dem Vorgang, ein Gefühl von düsterer Komik in dem Anblick; und es wurde nicht dadurch zerstreut, dass mir jemand an Bord ernsthaft versicherte, es gäbe irgendwo außer Sicht ein Lager von Eingeborenen - er nannte sie Feinde!

"We gave her her letters (I heard the men in that lonely ship were dying of fever at the rate of three a day) and went on. "Nós demos a ela as cartas dela (ouvi dizer que os homens naquele navio solitário estavam morrendo de febre à razão de três por dia) e continuamos. We called at some more places with farcical names, where the merry dance of death and trade goes on in a still and earthy atmosphere as of an overheated catacomb; all along the formless coast bordered by dangerous surf, as if Nature herself had tried to ward off intruders; in and out of rivers, streams of death in life, whose banks were rotting into mud, whose waters, thickened into slime, invaded the contorted mangroves, that seemed to writhe at us in the extremity of an impotent despair. Nowhere did we stop long enough to get a particularized impression, but the general sense of vague and oppressive wonder grew upon me. Nirgendwo hielten wir lange genug an, um einen konkreten Eindruck zu bekommen, aber das allgemeine Gefühl eines vagen und bedrückenden Staunens wuchs in mir. Em nenhum lugar paramos tempo suficiente para obter uma impressão particularizada, mas a sensação geral de admiração vaga e opressiva cresceu em mim. It was like a weary pilgrimage amongst hints for nightmares. Es war wie eine müde Pilgerreise zwischen Andeutungen für Albträume. Era como uma cansativa peregrinação entre dicas de pesadelos.

"It was upward of thirty days before I saw the mouth of the big river. "Es dauerte mehr als dreißig Tage, bis ich die Mündung des großen Flusses sah. We anchored off the seat of the government. Wir ankerten vor dem Sitz der Regierung. Ancoramos na sede do governo. But my work would not begin till some two hundred miles farther on. Aber meine Arbeit würde erst etwa zweihundert Meilen weiter beginnen. Mas meu trabalho não começaria até cerca de duzentas milhas adiante. So as soon as I could I made a start for a place thirty miles higher up. Então, assim que pude, parti para um lugar trinta milhas mais acima.

"I had my passage on a little sea-going steamer. "Ich hatte meine Passage auf einem kleinen Seedampfer. "Eu tive minha passagem em um pequeno navio a vapor. Her captain was a Swede, and knowing me for a seaman, invited me on the bridge. Seu capitão era sueco e, conhecendo-me como marinheiro, convidou-me para a ponte. He was a young man, lean, fair, and morose, with lanky hair and a shuffling gait. Er war ein junger Mann, hager, blond und mürrisch, mit schlaksigem Haar und schlurfendem Gang. Ele era um homem jovem, magro, louro e taciturno, com cabelos escorridos e um andar arrastado. As we left the miserable little wharf, he tossed his head contemptuously at the shore. Als wir den armseligen kleinen Kai verließen, warf er verächtlich den Kopf zum Ufer. Ao sairmos do miserável cais, ele jogou a cabeça com desprezo para a margem. 'Been living there?' he asked. I said, 'Yes.' 'Fine lot these government chaps—are they not?' Ein feiner Haufen, diese Regierungstypen, nicht wahr? "Muito bem esses caras do governo — não são?" he went on, speaking English with great precision and considerable bitterness. fuhr er fort und sprach Englisch mit großer Präzision und erheblicher Bitterkeit. prosseguiu, falando inglês com grande precisão e bastante amargura. 'It is funny what some people will do for a few francs a month. I wonder what becomes of that kind when it goes upcountry?' Eu me pergunto o que será desse tipo quando for para o interior? I said to him I expected to see that soon. Eu disse a ele que esperava ver isso em breve. 'So-o-o!' he exclaimed. He shuffled athwart, keeping one eye ahead vigilantly. Er schlurfte querfeldein und hielt ein Auge wachsam nach vorn. Ele arrastou-se para a frente, mantendo um olho vigilante. 'Don't be too sure,' he continued. 'The other day I took up a man who hanged himself on the road. Neulich habe ich einen Mann aufgegriffen, der sich auf der Straße erhängt hatte. He was a Swede, too.' 'Hanged himself! Why, in God's name?' I cried. He kept on looking out watchfully. 'Who knows? The sun too much for him, or the country perhaps.'

"At last we opened a reach. "Endlich haben wir einen Zugang geöffnet. "Finalmente abrimos um alcance. A rocky cliff appeared, mounds of turned-up earth by the shore, houses on a hill, others with iron roofs, amongst a waste of excavations, or hanging to the declivity. Eine felsige Klippe tauchte auf, aufgewühlte Erdhügel am Ufer, Häuser auf einem Hügel, andere mit Eisendächern, inmitten einer Ansammlung von Ausgrabungen oder am Abhang hängend. A continuous noise of the rapids above hovered over this scene of inhabited devastation. A lot of people, mostly black and naked, moved about like ants. A jetty projected into the river. A blinding sunlight drowned all this at times in a sudden recrudescence of glare. 'There's your Company's station,' said the Swede, pointing to three wooden barrack-like structures on the rocky slope. Ali está o posto da vossa Companhia", disse o sueco, apontando para três estruturas de madeira, semelhantes a barras, na encosta rochosa. 'I will send your things up. Four boxes did you say? So. Farewell.'

"I came upon a boiler wallowing in the grass, then found a path leading up the hill. "Encontrei uma caldeira chafurdando na grama, depois encontrei um caminho que levava ao morro. It turned aside for the boulders, and also for an undersized railway-truck lying there on its back with its wheels in the air. Virou-se para os pedregulhos, e também para um caminhão de trem subdimensionado deitado de costas com as rodas no ar. One was off. Um estava desligado. The thing looked as dead as the carcass of some animal. I came upon more pieces of decaying machinery, a stack of rusty rails. To the left a clump of trees made a shady spot, where dark things seemed to stir feebly. I blinked, the path was steep. A horn tooted to the right, and I saw the black people run. A heavy and dull detonation shook the ground, a puff of smoke came out of the cliff, and that was all. No change appeared on the face of the rock. They were building a railway. The cliff was not in the way or anything; but this objectless blasting was all the work going on. O penhasco não estava no caminho nem nada; mas essa explosão sem objeto era todo o trabalho em andamento.

"A slight clinking behind me made me turn my head. "Um leve tilintar atrás de mim me fez virar a cabeça. Six black men advanced in a file, toiling up the path. They walked erect and slow, balancing small baskets full of earth on their heads, and the clink kept time with their footsteps. Black rags were wound round their loins, and the short ends behind waggled to and fro like tails. Trapos pretos estavam enrolados em seus lombos, e as pontas curtas atrás balançavam para frente e para trás como caudas. I could see every rib, the joints of their limbs were like knots in a rope; each had an iron collar on his neck, and all were connected together with a chain whose bights swung between them, rhythmically clinking. Eu podia ver cada costela, as articulações de seus membros eram como nós de uma corda; cada um tinha um colar de ferro no pescoço, e todos estavam ligados por uma corrente cujas pontas balançavam entre eles, tilintando ritmicamente. Another report from the cliff made me think suddenly of that ship of war I had seen firing into a continent. Outro relato do penhasco me fez pensar de repente naquele navio de guerra que eu tinha visto disparando contra um continente. It was the same kind of ominous voice; but these men could by no stretch of imagination be called enemies. Era o mesmo tipo de voz ameaçadora; mas esses homens não podiam ser chamados de inimigos. They were called criminals, and the outraged law, like the bursting shells, had come to them, an insoluble mystery from the sea. Eles foram chamados de criminosos, e a lei ultrajada, como as granadas estourando, chegou até eles, um mistério insolúvel vindo do mar. All their meagre breasts panted together, the violently dilated nostrils quivered, the eyes stared stonily uphill. Todos os seus magros seios ofegavam em conjunto, as narinas violentamente dilatadas estremeciam, os olhos olhavam fixamente para cima. They passed me within six inches, without a glance, with that complete, deathlike indifference of unhappy savages. Passaram por mim a quinze centímetros, sem olhar, com aquela indiferença completa e mortal de selvagens infelizes. Behind this raw matter one of the reclaimed, the product of the new forces at work, strolled despondently, carrying a rifle by its middle. Atrás dessa matéria-prima, um dos recuperados, produto das novas forças em ação, caminhava desanimado, carregando um fuzil pela cintura. He had a uniform jacket with one button off, and seeing a white man on the path, hoisted his weapon to his shoulder with alacrity. This was simple prudence, white men being so much alike at a distance that he could not tell who I might be. Tratava-se de simples prudência, pois os homens brancos são tão parecidos à distância que ele não conseguia distinguir quem eu era. He was speedily reassured, and with a large, white, rascally grin, and a glance at his charge, seemed to take me into partnership in his exalted trust. After all, I also was a part of the great cause of these high and just proceedings.

"Instead of going up, I turned and descended to the left. My idea was to let that chain-gang get out of sight before I climbed the hill. A minha ideia era deixar que o grupo de correntes desaparecesse de vista antes de subir a colina. You know I am not particularly tender; I've had to strike and to fend off. Sabes que não sou particularmente terno; tive de atacar e de me defender. I've had to resist and to attack sometimes—that's only one way of resisting—without counting the exact cost, according to the demands of such sort of life as I had blundered into. I've seen the devil of violence, and the devil of greed, and the devil of hot desire; but, by all the stars! these were strong, lusty, red-eyed devils, that swayed and drove men—men, I tell you. estes eram demônios fortes, vigorosos, de olhos vermelhos, que balançavam e conduziam os homens – homens, eu lhes digo. But as I stood on this hillside, I foresaw that in the blinding sunshine of that land I would become acquainted with a flabby, pretending, weak-eyed devil of a rapacious and pitiless folly. Mas, enquanto me encontrava nesta encosta, previ que, ao sol ofuscante daquela terra, iria conhecer um diabo flácido, fingido e de olhos fracos, de uma loucura voraz e impiedosa. How insidious he could be, too, I was only to find out several months later and a thousand miles farther. For a moment I stood appalled, as though by a warning. Por um momento, fiquei atónito, como se fosse um aviso. Finally I descended the hill, obliquely, towards the trees I had seen.

"I avoided a vast artificial hole somebody had been digging on the slope, the purpose of which I found it impossible to divine. "Evitei um grande buraco artificial que alguém estava cavando na encosta, cujo propósito achei impossível adivinhar. It wasn't a quarry or a sandpit, anyhow. Não era uma pedreira ou uma caixa de areia, de qualquer maneira. It was just a hole. It might have been connected with the philanthropic desire of giving the criminals something to do. I don't know. Then I nearly fell into a very narrow ravine, almost no more than a scar in the hillside. Então quase caí em uma ravina muito estreita, quase não mais que uma cicatriz na encosta. I discovered that a lot of imported drainage-pipes for the settlement had been tumbled in there. There wasn't one that was not broken. It was a wanton smash-up. Foi um desabafo desmedido. At last I got under the trees. My purpose was to stroll into the shade for a moment; but no sooner within than it seemed to me I had stepped into the gloomy circle of some Inferno. The rapids were near, and an uninterrupted, uniform, headlong, rushing noise filled the mournful stillness of the grove, where not a breath stirred, not a leaf moved, with a mysterious sound—as though the tearing pace of the launched earth had suddenly become audible. Os rápidos aproximavam-se e um ruído ininterrupto, uniforme, precipitado e apressado enchia a quietude lúgubre do bosque, onde nem uma respiração se mexia, nem uma folha se movia, com um som misterioso - como se o ritmo dilacerante da terra lançada se tivesse tornado subitamente audível.

"Black shapes crouched, lay, sat between the trees leaning against the trunks, clinging to the earth, half coming out, half effaced within the dim light, in all the attitudes of pain, abandonment, and despair. Another mine on the cliff went off, followed by a slight shudder of the soil under my feet. The work was going on. The work! And this was the place where some of the helpers had withdrawn to die.

"They were dying slowly—it was very clear. They were not enemies, they were not criminals, they were nothing earthly now—nothing but black shadows of disease and starvation, lying confusedly in the greenish gloom. Brought from all the recesses of the coast in all the legality of time contracts, lost in uncongenial surroundings, fed on unfamiliar food, they sickened, became inefficient, and were then allowed to crawl away and rest. These moribund shapes were free as air—and nearly as thin. I began to distinguish the gleam of the eyes under the trees. Then, glancing down, I saw a face near my hand. The black bones reclined at full length with one shoulder against the tree, and slowly the eyelids rose and the sunken eyes looked up at me, enormous and vacant, a kind of blind, white flicker in the depths of the orbs, which died out slowly. Os ossos negros reclinaram-se a todo o comprimento com um ombro contra a árvore, e lentamente as pálpebras se ergueram e os olhos fundos olharam para mim, enormes e vagos, uma espécie de cintilação cega e branca nas profundezas dos orbes, que se extinguiram lentamente. . The man seemed young—almost a boy—but you know with them it's hard to tell. O homem parecia jovem — quase um menino — mas você sabe que com eles é difícil dizer. I found nothing else to do but to offer him one of my good Swede's ship's biscuits I had in my pocket. The fingers closed slowly on it and held—there was no other movement and no other glance. He had tied a bit of white worsted round his neck—Why? Ele havia amarrado um pedaço de lã branca no pescoço — por quê? Where did he get it? Was it a badge—an ornament—a charm—a propitiatory act? Era um distintivo — um ornamento — um amuleto — um ato propiciatório? Was there any idea at all connected with it? It looked startling round his black neck, this bit of white thread from beyond the seas. Parecia surpreendente em volta de seu pescoço preto, esse pedaço de fio branco de além-mar.

"Near the same tree two more bundles of acute angles sat with their legs drawn up. "Perto da mesma árvore, mais dois feixes de ângulos agudos estavam sentados com as pernas levantadas. One, with his chin propped on his knees, stared at nothing, in an intolerable and appalling manner: his brother phantom rested its forehead, as if overcome with a great weariness; and all about others were scattered in every pose of contorted collapse, as in some picture of a massacre or a pestilence. Um deles, com o queixo apoiado nos joelhos, olhava para o nada, de uma forma intolerável e aterradora: o seu irmão fantasma descansava a testa, como se estivesse dominado por um grande cansaço; e todos os outros estavam espalhados em todas as poses de colapso contorcido, como num quadro de massacre ou de peste. While I stood horror-struck, one of these creatures rose to his hands and knees, and went off on all-fours towards the river to drink. Enquanto eu estava horrorizado, uma dessas criaturas se pôs de joelhos e saiu de quatro em direção ao rio para beber. He lapped out of his hand, then sat up in the sunlight, crossing his shins in front of him, and after a time let his woolly head fall on his breastbone. Ele lambeu a mão, depois sentou-se à luz do sol, cruzando as canelas na frente dele, e depois de um tempo deixou sua cabeça lanosa cair sobre o esterno.

"I didn't want any more loitering in the shade, and I made haste towards the station. When near the buildings I met a white man, in such an unexpected elegance of get-up that in the first moment I took him for a sort of vision. Perto dos prédios encontrei um homem branco, com uma elegância tão inesperada de vestir que no primeiro momento tomei-o por uma espécie de visão. I saw a high starched collar, white cuffs, a light alpaca jacket, snowy trousers, a clean necktie, and varnished boots. No hat. Hair parted, brushed, oiled, under a green-lined parasol held in a big white hand. Cabelo repartido, escovado, oleado, sob uma sombrinha forrada de verde, segurada por uma grande mão branca. He was amazing, and had a penholder behind his ear.

"I shook hands with this miracle, and I learned he was the Company's chief accountant, and that all the book-keeping was done at this station. "Apertei a mão desse milagre e soube que ele era o contador-chefe da Companhia e que toda a escrituração era feita neste posto. He had come out for a moment, he said, 'to get a breath of fresh air. The expression sounded wonderfully odd, with its suggestion of sedentary desk-life. I wouldn't have mentioned the fellow to you at all, only it was from his lips that I first heard the name of the man who is so indissolubly connected with the memories of that time. Eu não teria mencionado o sujeito para você, apenas foi de seus lábios que ouvi pela primeira vez o nome do homem que está tão indissoluvelmente ligado às lembranças daquele tempo. Moreover, I respected the fellow. Além disso, eu respeitava o sujeito. Yes; I respected his collars, his vast cuffs, his brushed hair. His appearance was certainly that of a hairdresser's dummy; but in the great demoralization of the land he kept up his appearance. Sua aparência era certamente a de um manequim de cabeleireiro; mas na grande desmoralização da terra ele manteve sua aparência. That's backbone. His starched collars and got-up shirt-fronts were achievements of character. He had been out nearly three years; and, later, I could not help asking him how he managed to sport such linen. Tinha saído há quase três anos e, mais tarde, não pude deixar de lhe perguntar como é que ele conseguia vestir aquela roupa. He had just the faintest blush, and said modestly, 'I've been teaching one of the native women about the station. It was difficult. She had a distaste for the work.' Thus this man had verily accomplished something. And he was devoted to his books, which were in apple-pie order. E ele era dedicado aos seus livros, que estavam em ordem de torta de maçã.

"Everything else in the station was in a muddle—heads, things, buildings. Strings of dusty niggers with splay feet arrived and departed; a stream of manufactured goods, rubbishy cottons, beads, and brass-wire set into the depths of darkness, and in return came a precious trickle of ivory.

"I had to wait in the station for ten days—an eternity. I lived in a hut in the yard, but to be out of the chaos I would sometimes get into the accountant's office. It was built of horizontal planks, and so badly put together that, as he bent over his high desk, he was barred from neck to heels with narrow strips of sunlight. Era feito de tábuas horizontais, e tão mal montado que, quando ele se curvou sobre sua mesa alta, foi barrado do pescoço aos calcanhares com estreitas faixas de luz do sol. There was no need to open the big shutter to see. It was hot there, too; big flies buzzed fiendishly, and did not sting, but stabbed. I sat generally on the floor, while, of faultless appearance (and even slightly scented), perching on a high stool, he wrote, he wrote. Eu sentava-me geralmente no chão, enquanto ele, de aspeto irrepreensível (e até ligeiramente perfumado), empoleirado num banco alto, escrevia, escrevia. Sometimes he stood up for exercise. When a truckle-bed with a sick man (some invalid agent from upcountry) was put in there, he exhibited a gentle annoyance. 'The groans of this sick person,' he said, 'distract my attention. And without that it is extremely difficult to guard against clerical errors in this climate.' E, sem isso, é extremamente difícil protegermo-nos contra erros de escrita neste clima".