Reedle Откройте в мобильном приложении
Понятно
Понятно
Для того чтобы воспользоваться закладками, необходимо
Войти или зарегистрироваться
Отмена
Для того чтобы воспользоваться озвучкой предложений, необходимо
Войти или зарегистрироваться
Отмена
Озвучка предложений доступна при наличии PRO-доступа
Купить PRO-доступ
Отмена
61
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
.
62
"
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withdrawn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
.
63
"
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
.
Отключить рекламу
64
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
.
The
man
seemed
young
--
almost
a
boy
--
but
you
know
with
them
it
's
hard
to
tell
.
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
?
Where
did
he
get
it
?
Was
it
a
badge
--
an
ornament
--
a
charm
--
a
propitiatory
act
?
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
.
65
"
Near
the
same
tree
two
more
bundles
of
acute
angles
sat
with
their
legs
drawn
up
.
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
.
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
.
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
.
66
"
I
did
n't
want
any
more
loitering
in
the
shade
,
and
I
made
haste
towards
the
station
.
67
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
.
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
.
He
was
amazing
,
and
had
a
penholder
behind
his
ear
.
Отключить рекламу
68
"
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
.
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
would
n'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
.
Moreover
,
I
respected
the
fellow
.
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
.
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
.
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
.
69
And
he
was
devoted
to
his
books
,
which
were
in
apple-pie
order
.
70
"
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
.