Сердце тьмы. Уровень 2 / Heart of Darkness

Then I remembered there was a big concern, a Company for trade on that river. Dash it all![8 - Dash it all! – Чёрт возьми!] I thought to myself, they can’t trade without steamboats! Why not try to get charge of one[9 - to get charge of one – добиться командования одним из них]? I went on along Fleet Street, but could not shake off the idea. The snake was charming me.

You understand it was a Continental concern, that Trading society. I have a lot of relations on the Continent, because it’s cheap and not nasty, they say.

I began to worry them. The men said �My dear fellow,’ and did nothing. Then – do you believe it? – I tried the women. I, Charlie Marlow! Heavens! Well, you see, the notion drove me. I had an aunt, a dear enthusiastic soul. She wrote: �It will be delightful. I am ready to do anything, anything for you. It is a glorious idea. I know the wife of a very high personage in the Administration, and also a man who has lots of influence with,’ etc.

She decided to get me appointed skipper of a river steamboat.

3

I got my appointment – of course. I got it very quick. One of the captains was killed in a scuffle with the natives. This was my chance. It was only months and months afterwards, when I recovered his body. The original quarrel arose from a misunderstanding about some hens. Yes, two black hens. Fresleven – that was the fellow’s name, a Dane – thought himself wronged somehow in the bargain[10 - thought himself wronged somehow in the bargain – вообразил, что его обсчитали].

He went ashore and started to hammer the chief of the village with a stick. Oh, it didn’t surprise me to hear this, although Fresleven was the gentlest, quietest creature that ever walked on two legs. No doubt he was. But, you know, he probably wanted to assert his self-respect in some way. Therefore he whacked the old negro mercilessly. A big crowd of his people watched him, thunderstruck. And some man made jab with a spear at the white man. Of course it went quite easy between the shoulder-blades. Then the whole population cleared into the forest. They were expecting all kinds of calamities.

On the other hand, the steamer left also in a bad panic, in charge of the engineer, I believe. Afterwards nobody troubled much about Fresleven’s remains, till I appeared.