The Dedalus Book of French Horror: The 19th Century Read Online Free PDF Page A

company counted on his death; but, as a result of the care shown by the head of the Mission Station at Lima, the damned clerk recovered and at the last minute before the ship set sail for the Spice Islands was fit enough to be carried on board again.
    The captain was too upright a man to leave Belissan in Peru, and allowed him back on board with an oath. Realising that he was nearing the end of his voyage, and hoping to shorten it still further, he suggested to Claude that he should disembark at the Marquesas Islands, which were well-known and had been explored by Marchand, and according to the latter were as cytherean as the Society Islands.
    The aristocratic name of this cluster of islands slightly disturbed Belissan, but having sailed on La Comtesse de Cérigny , there was no reason why he should not disembark at the Marquesas. He consented readily enough to this change of plan, especially when he was shown on a map that the Marquesas were much closer than Tahiti.
    Two months after calling into Acapulco, the brig hove-to downwind of the most easterly of the Marquesas Islands; a heavily-armed rowing-boat deposited Claude Belissan, to the great rejoicing of the crew, at the meridional tip of the island of Hatouhougou just before dawn; then the rowing-boat rejoined the brig which set sail for the south.
IV
How Claude Belissan at last found the Promised Land of social equality and philanthropy
    ‘At last I set foot in the land of liberty and equality!’ exclaimed Belissan. ‘At last I see the birth place of those sons of nature who have remained men of nature. Here I shall drink water straight from the spring; the fruits of the trees and the occasional shellfish shall sustain me; this sweet-smelling grass shall be my bed; for clothes I shall … No, there is no need for clothes. Was I born wearing clothes? Clothes are nothing more than the product of social injustices. Here, nature reigns; here I shall assume my natural condition. Forget Europe, I no longer care two pins for civilisation; I am out of reach now of France, kings, courtesans and Danish horses!’ And as he shouted these words, he threw his shiny silk britches, his blue ratteen frock-coat and his quilted waist-coat as far away from him as he could.
    ‘Long live nature!’ he continued. ‘Nature which has no need of the pitiful and ridiculous industry of the so-called civilised world!’
    But even as he uttered these words, he was disturbed by the sound of gunfire; then, as the sun had now risen and it was possible to see clearly, he caught his first terrifying sight of Toa-ka-Magarow, sovereign chief, autocrat, emperor and king of the island of Hatouhouhou.
    This worthy seigneur was of a commanding stature, tattooed in red and blue, with a long, straight nose, a low forehead, and he had a lower lip which was greatly elongated by the weight of some kind of small bowl made from a coconut shell which was suspended by means of a ring set into his skin. What was more, Toa-ka-Magarow carried an English rifle in his hand and he strutted about proudly in an old military tunic with epaulettes which he had probably bartered or stolen; apart from a tight loin-cloth, he was otherwise naked. I shall only mention in passing, given its distasteful nature, the Cross of Saint-Louis which was held in place by another ring pierced through the nasal cartilage.
    As soon as he had fired his rifle, he uttered such a savage and guttural cry that Belissan was transfixed where he stood. But it was for Belissan’s benefit that he had made the sound. Toa-ka-Magarow now uttered a second cry, though this one was cut short: then some kind of laugh or grinding of his teeth caused the small bowl to oscillate and made the Cross of Saint-Louis jiggle from one nostril to the other.
    Now that the rifle was no longer aimed at him, Claude Belissan regained his courage and stood his ground.
    ‘After all,’ he said to himself, ‘we are all equals here; this is my brother. What do I have to