The Cruise of the Midge by Michael Scott

Author:Michael Scott [Scott, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781411451131
Publisher: Barnes & Noble
Published: 2017-02-14T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER XII

A VISION—THE DYING BUCCANEER

And a deal of noise did this said Mr. Listado make. He rattled up the staircase, from side to side, like a grape-shot in a carronade; banging against the heavy balustrades on one hand and thundering against the wall on the other, and speaking and laughing and shouting to half-a-dozen persons, apparently collected below in the vestibule. At length the door was dashed open and in swung the gentleman, with his flaunting gingham coat and potato face. "Brail, my darling, how goes it, my little man? Enough of monteyou have had for awhile, I guess. But, Heaven love me, man! we must have you made fit to receive company; you are to hold a levee presently, do you know that? This will never do; the birds of the air might build in your beard. Ah! I have it;" and he straightway hied him to the window that overlooked the street, which he threw open, contriving to perform all his operations with the greatest possible quantity of noise.

"I have it," said he; "here is little Pepe Biada's shaving-shop right over against old Pierre Duquesné's domicile; there—next door to Pablo Carnero, the ham and jerked beef man, so I'll hail Pepe. Pepe!" bawled my troublesome friend, "Pepe Biada—trae su navaja ('bring your razor, you villain') pour shavez un gentilhomme Engles;" and here he grimaced, and made believe to soap his chin and shave his beard.

My bed had this morning been moved nearer to the window for the sake of the fresh air, and I could see, from where I lay, the little Spanish barber, who was very deaf, sitting in his little shop. He kept turning his ear first one side and then another, in a vain attempt to make out what was said as Listado shouted to him, straining over the balcony as far as he could to make him hear. "Navaja y jamon—para afeytar—that is, pour cortar la barba, that is, cuttibus the beardo of this young fellow."

Here the little withered anatomy of a barber seemed to comprehend him, and thereupon with a knowing look repeated the telegraphic motions of Listado, rubbing his chin and going through the motion of shaving.

"Si, si!" roared Listado, "navaja y jamon;" literally, "a razor and a ham." Possibly Listado—who, with all his ability, never could compass Spanish, because, as he said, he had previously learned French, and thus spoke a hash of both—had mistaken the Spanish word jamon for xabon, the latter meaning soap.

Little Pepe first grinned, and then as Listado persisted, he stepped into Carnero's shop, and seizing a ham, held it up to his face as if he were rubbing his chin on it, and then laughed.

Listado at this flew into a great rage: "Abortion chicho, mas monkey que homo, yo te mataras—vous sera tué—si vous twistibus your ugly mug at migo—"

"Bueno—bueno!" roared el barbero, seeing that nothing would do but the veritable ham and razor—"quedas quieto, yo los traere, Don Lorenzo" (Laurence was Listado's name); then aside:

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