The Moon And Sixpence 49.3

"He usedto come here sometimes, and I used to see him walking about Papeete. I wassorry for him, he was so thin, and he never had any money. When I heard he wasin town, I used to send a boy to find him and make him come to dinner with me.I got him a job once or twice, but he couldn't stick to anything. After alittle while he wanted to get back to the bush, and one morning he would begone. "Stricklandreached Tahiti about six months after he left Marseilles. He worked his passageon a sailing vessel that was making the trip from Auckland to San Francisco,and he arrived with a box of paints, an easel, and a dozen canvases. He had afew pounds in his pocket, for he had found work in Sydney, and he took a smallroom in a native house outside the town. I think the moment he reached Tahitihe felt himself at home. Tiare told me that he said to her once:"I'd beenscrubbing the deck, and all at once a chap said to me: `Why, there it is. ' AndI looked up and I saw the outline of the island. I knew right away that therewas the place I'd been looking for all my life. Then we came near, and I seemedto recognise it. Sometimes when I walk about it all seems familiar. I couldswear I've lived here before. ""Sometimesit takes them like that, " said Tiare. "I've known men come on shorefor a few hours while their ship was taking in cargo, and never go back. AndI've known men who came here to be in an office for a year, and they cursed theplace, and when they went away they took their dying oath they'd hangthemselves before they came back again, and in six months you'd see them landonce more, and they'd tell you they couldn't live anywhere else. "“他有时候到这里来，我常常看见他在帕皮提走来走去。我挺可怜他，他瘦得要命，口袋总是空空的。我一听说他到城里来了，就派一个茶房去把他找来，到我这里来吃饭。我还给他找过一两回工作，但是他什么事也干不长。过不了多久，他就又想回到荒林里去，于是一天清早，他人就不见了。”思特里克兰德大约是在离开马赛以后六个月到的塔希提。他在一只从奥克兰驶往旧金山的帆船上干活儿，弄到一个舱位。到达塔希提的时候，他随身带的只是一盒油彩、一个画架和一打画布。他口袋里有几英镑钱，这是他在悉尼干活儿挣的。他在城外一个土著人家里租了一间小屋子。我猜想他一到塔希提就好象回到家里一样。蒂阿瑞告诉我思特里克兰德有一次同她讲过这样的话：“我正在擦洗甲板，突然间有一个人对我讲：‘看，那不是吗？’我抬起头一望，看到了这个岛的轮廓。我马上就知道这是我终生寻找的地方。后来我们的船越走越近，我觉得好象记得这个地方。有时候我在这里随便走的时候，我见到的东西好象都很熟悉。我敢发誓，过去我曾经在这里待过。”“有的时候这个地方就是这样把人吸引住，”蒂阿瑞说，“我听说，有的人趁他们乘的轮船上货的时候到岸上来，准备待几小时，可是从此就再也不离开这个地方了。我还听说，有些人到这里来，准备在哪个公司干一年事，他们对这个地方骂不绝口，离开的时候，发誓赌咒，宁肯上吊也决不再回来。可是半年以后，你又看见他们登上这块陆地；他们会告诉你说，在别的任何地方他们也无法生活下去。”