hemingway, ernest - islands in the stream-第4章
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¨Tom； boy； do you think you could paint a full hurricane？ Paint her right in the eye of the storm when sheˇs already blew from one side and calmed and just starting from the other？ Put in everything from the Negroes lashed in the coconut palms to the ships blowing over the crest of the island？ Put in the big hotel going。 Put in two…by…fours sailing through the air like lances and dead pelicans blowing by like they were part of the gusts of rain。 Have the glass down to twenty…seven and the wind velocities blown away。 Have the sea breaking on the ten…fathom bar and the moon come out in the eye of the storm。 Have a tidal wave come up and submerge every living thing。 Have women blown out to sea with their clothes stripped from them by the wind。 Have dead Negroes floating everywhere and flying through the air〃
¨Itˇs an awfully big canvas；〃 Thomas Hudson said。
¨To hell with the canvas！〃 Bobby said。 ¨Iˇll get a mainsail off a schooner。 Weˇll paint the greatest goddam pictures in the world and live throughout history。 Youˇve just been painting these little simple pictures。〃
¨Iˇll start on the waterspouts；〃 Thomas Hudson said。
¨Right；〃 said Bobby； hating to come back from the big project。 ¨Thatˇs sound。 But by God we can make some great pictures with the knowledge you and Iˇve got and with the training youˇve put in already。〃
¨Iˇll start on the waterspouts tomorrow。〃
¨Good；〃 said Bobby。 ¨Thatˇs a beginning。 But by God Iˇd like us to paint that hurricane； too。 Anybody ever paint the sinking of the Titanic？〃
¨Not on a really big scale。〃
¨We could paint that。 Thereˇs a subject that always appealed to my imagination。 You could get in the coldness of the iceberg as it moved off after they struck it。 Paint the whole thing in a dense fog。 Get in every detail。 Get that man that got in the boat with the women because he thought he could help because he was a yachtsman。 Paint him getting into the boat stepping on a few women just as big as life。 He reminds me of that fellow we got upstairs now。 Why donˇt you go upstairs and make a drawing of that one while heˇs asleep and use him in the painting？〃
¨I think we better just start with the waterspouts。〃
¨Tom； I want you to be a big painter；〃 Bobby said。 ¨Leave all that chicken stuff behind。 Youˇve just been wasting yourself。 Why thereˇs three paintings weˇve outlined together in less than half an hour and I havenˇt even started to draw on my imagination。 And what have you been doing up until now？ Painting a Negro turning a loggerhead turtle on the beach。 Not even a green turtle。 A common loggerhead。 Or painting two Negroes in a dinghy bullying a mess of crawfish。 Youˇve wasted your life； man。〃 He stopped and had a quick one from underneath the bar。
¨That donˇt count；〃 he said。 ¨You never saw me take that one。 Look； Tom； those are three great paintings。 Big paintings。 Worldwide paintings。 Fit to hang in the Crystal Palace alongside the masterpieces of all time。 Except the first； of course； is a small subject。 But we havenˇt started yet。 No reason why we canˇt paint one to end them all。 What do you think of this？〃
He took a very quick one。
¨Of what？〃
He leaned over the bar so the others could not hear。
¨Donˇt shear off from it；〃 Bobby said。 ¨Donˇt be shocked by its magnitude。 You got to have vision； Tom。 We can paint the End of the World；〃 he paused。 ¨Full size。〃
¨Hell；〃 Thomas Hudson said。
¨No。 Before hell。 Hell is just opening。 The Rollers are rolling in their church up on the ridge and all speaking in unknown tongues。 Thereˇs a devil forking them up with his pitchfork and loading them into a cart。 Theyˇre yelling and moaning and calling on Jehovah。 Negroes are prostrated everywhere and morays and crawfish and spider crabs are moving around and over their bodies。 Thereˇs a big sort of hatch open and devils are carrying Negroes and church people and rollers and everyone into it and they go out of sight。 Waterˇs rising all around the island and hammerheads and mackerel sharks and tiger sharks and shovelnose sharks are swimming round and round and feeding on those who try to swim away to keep from being forked down the big open hatch that has steam rising out of it。 Rummies are taking their last swigs and beating on the devils with bottles。 But the devils keep forking them down； or else they are engulfed by the rising sea where now there are whale sharks； great white sharks； and killer whales and other outsized fish circling outside of where the big sharks are tearing at those people in the water。 The top of the island is covered with dogs and cats and the devils are forking them in； too； and the dogs are cowering and howling and the cats run off and claw the devils and their hair stands on end and finally they go into the sea swimming as good as you want to see。 Sometimes a shark will hit one and youˇll see the cat go under。 But mostly they swim right off through it。
¨Bad heat begins to come out of the hatch and the devils are having to drag the people toward the hatch because theyˇve broken their pitching forks trying to fork in some of the church people。 You and me are standing in the center of the picture observing all this with calm。 You make a few notes and I refresh myself from a bottle and occasionally offer you refreshment。 Once in a while a devil all sweating from his work will brush by us hauling on a big churchman thatˇs trying to dig into the sand with his fingers to keep from being put into the hatch and screaming to Jehovah and the devil will say； ˉBeg pardon； Mr。 Tom。 Beg pardon； Mr。 Bobby。 Very busy today。ˇ
¨Iˇll offer the devil a drink as he passes； sweating and grimed； going back for another churchman and heˇll say； ˉNo thank you； Mr。 Bobby。 I never touch the stuff when Iˇm working。ˇ
¨That could make a hell of a painting； Tom； if we can get all the movement and the grandeur into it。〃
¨I believe weˇve got about all we can handle outlined for today。〃
¨By God； I think youˇre right；〃 Bobby said。 ¨Outlining a painting like that makes me thirsty； too。〃
¨There was a man named Bosch could paint pretty well along those lines。〃
¨The magneto man？〃
¨No。 Hieronymus Bosch。 Very old…timer。 Very good。 Pieter Brueghel worked on that too。〃
¨He an old…timer too？〃
¨Very old…timer。 Very good。 Youˇd like him。〃
¨Oh hell；〃 said Bobby。 ¨No old…timer will touch us。 Besides the worldˇs never ended yet； so how the hell does he know any more about it than we do？〃
¨Heˇd be pretty hard to beat。〃
¨I donˇt believe a word of it；〃 Bobby said。 ¨Weˇve got a picture that would put him out of business。〃
¨What about another one of those？〃
¨Yes； damn it。 I forget this is a bar room。 God bless the Queen； Tom。 Weˇre forgetting what day it is； too。 Here； have one on me and weˇll drink her health。〃
He poured himself a small glass of rum and handed Thomas Hudson the bottle of Boothˇs yellow gin； some limes on a plate； a knife； and a bottle of Schweppesˇs Indian Tonic Water。
¨Fix your own damn drink。 The hell with those fancy drinks。〃
After Thomas Hudson had made the drink and shaken a few drops of bitters in it from the bottle that had a gullˇs quill in the cork； he raised his glass and then looked down the bar。
¨What are you two drinking？ Name it if itˇs simple。〃
¨Dogˇs Head；〃 one of the sailors said。
¨Dogˇs Head it is；〃 Bobby said and reached into the ice tub and handed them the two cold bottles of ale。 ¨The glasses are out。 Rummies been throwing the glasses away all day。 Everybody got their drinks？ Gentlemen； The Queen。 I donˇt think sheˇd care much for this island and Iˇm not sure sheˇd do extremely well here。 But gentlemen； The Queen。 God bless her。〃
They all drank her health。
¨Must be a great woman；〃 said Bobby。 ¨Bit on the stiff side for me。 Always fancied Queen Alexandra myself。 Lovely type。 But we will try to give the Queenˇs Birthday full honors。 This is a small island but a patriotic one。 Man from here went to the last war and had his arm shot off。 Canˇt be more patriotic than that。〃
¨Whose birthday did he say it was？〃 one of the sailors asked。
¨Queen Mary of England；〃 Bobby said。 ¨Mother of the present King Emperor。〃
¨Thatˇs the one the Queen Maryˇs named after； isnˇt it？〃 the other sailor asked。
¨Tom；〃 said Bobby。 ¨You and I will drink the next toast alone。〃
IV
IT WAS DARK NOW and there was a breeze blowing so that there were no mosquitoes nor sand flies and the boats had all come in； hoisting their outriggers as they came up the channel； and now were lying tied up in the slips of the three docks that projected out from the beach into the harbor。 The tide was running out fast and the lights of the boats shone on the water that showed green in the light and moved so fast it sucked at the piling of the docks and swirled at the stern of the big cruiser they were on。 Alongside in the water where the light was reflected off the planking of the cruiser toward the unpainted piling of the dock where old motorcar and truck tires were tied as fenders； making dark rings against the darkness under the rock； garfish； attracted by the light； held themselves against the current。 Thin and long； shining as green as the water； only their tails moving； they were not feeding； nor playing； only holding themselves there in the fascination of the light。
Johnny Goodnerˇs cruiser； Narwhal； where they were waiting for Roger Davis； was headed into the ebbing tide and astern of her in the same slip； made fast so that the two cabin cruisers lay stern to stern； was the boat of the party that had been at Bobbyˇs place all day。 Johnny Goodner sat in a chair in the stern with his feet on another chair and a Tom Collins in his right hand and a long； green Mexican chile pepper in his left。
¨Itˇs wonderful；〃 he said。 ¨I bite just a little piece and it sets my mouth on fire and I cool it with this。〃
He took the first bite； swallowed； blew out； ¨thew！〃 through rolled tongue； and took a long swallow of the tall drink。 His full lower lip licked his thin Irish upper lip and he smiled with his gray eyes。 His mouth was sliced upwards at the corners so it always looked as though he were about to smile； or had just smiled； but his mouth told very little about him unless you noticed the thinness of the upper lip。 His eyes were what you needed to watch。 He was the size and build of a middleweight gone a little heavy； but he looked in good shape lying there relaxed and that is how a man looks bad who is really out of shape。 His face was brown but peeling across the nose and the forehead that went back with his receding hairline。 He had a scar on his chin that could have been taken for a dimple if it had been just a little closer to the center and his nose had been just perceptibly flattened across the bridge。 It wasnˇt a flat nose。 It just looked as though it had been done by a modern sculptor who worked directly in the stone and had taken off just the shadow of a chip too many。
¨Tom； you worthless character； what have you been doing？〃
¨Working pretty steadily。〃
¨You would；〃 he said and took another bite of the chile。 It was a very wrinkled and droopy
