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The Lost Continent-Part2_C.J.Cutcliffe Hyne(1865-1944)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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Palmas to go home for business forthwith, and there was a Liverpool



boat in the harbour which I just managed to catch as she was

steaming out. It was a close thing, and the boatmen made a small



fortune out of my hurry.

Now Coppinger was only an hotel acquaintance, and as I was up to



the eyes in work when I got back to England, I'm afraid I didn't

think very much more about him at the time. One doesn't with



people one just meets casually abroad like that. And it must have

been at least a year later that I saw by a paragraph in one of the



papers, that he had given the lump of sheets to the British Museum,

and that the estimated worth of them was ten thousand pounds at the



lowest valuation.

Well, this was a bit of revelation, and as he had so repeatedly



impressed on me that the things were mine by right of discovery,

I wrote rather a pointed note to him mentioning that he seemed to



have been making rather free with my property. Promptly came

back a stilted letter beginning, "Doctor Coppinger regrets" and so



on, and with it the English translation of the wax-upon-talc

MSS. He "quite admitted" my claim, and "trusted that the profits



of publication would be a sufficient reimbursement for any damage

received."



Now I had no idea that he would take me unpleasantly like this,

and wrote back a pretty warm reply to that effect; but the only



answer I got to this was through a firm of solicitors, who stated

that all further communications with Dr. Coppinger must be made



through them.

I will say here publicly that I regret the line he has taken



over the matter; but as the affair has gone so far, I am disposed

to follow out his proposition. Accordingly the old history is here



printed; the credit (and the responsibility) of the translation

rests with Dr. Coppinger; and whateverrevenue accrues from



readers, goes to the finder of the original talc-upon-wax sheets,

myself.



If there is a further alteration in this arrangement, it will

be announced publicly at a later date. But at present this appears



to be most unlikely.

1. MY RECALL



The public official reception was over. The sentence had been

read, the name of Phorenice, the Empress, adored, and the new



Viceroy installed with all that vast and ponderousceremonial which

had gained its pomp and majesty from the ages. Formally, I had



delivered up the reins of my government; formally, Tatho had seated

himself on the snake-throne, and had put over his neck the chain of



gems which symbolised the supreme office; and then, whilst the

drums and the trumpets made their proclamation of clamour, he had



risen to his feet, for his first state progress round that gilded

council chamber as Viceroy of the Province of Yucatan.



With folded arms and bended head, I followed him between the

glittering lines of soldiers, and the brilliantthrong of



courtiers, and chiefs, and statesmen. The roof-beams quivered to

the cries of "Long Live Tatho!" "Flourish the Empress!" which came



forth as in duty bound, and the new ruler acknowledged the welcome

with stately inclinations of the head. In turn he went to the



three lesser thrones of the lesser governors--in the East, the

North, and the South, and received homage from each as the ritual



was; and I, the man whom his coming had deposed, followed with the

prescribed meekness in his train.



It was a hard task, but we who hold the higher offices learn

to carry before the people a passionless face. Once, twenty years



before, these same fine obeisances had been made to me; now the

Gods had seen fit to make fortune change. But as I walked bent and



humbly on behind the heels of Tatho, though etiquetteforbade noisy

salutations to myself, it could not inhibit kindly glances, and



these came from every soldier, every courtier, and every chief who

stood there in that gilded hall, and they fell upon me very



gratefully. It is not often the fallen meet such tender looks.

The form goes, handed down from immemorial custom, that on



these great ceremonial days of changing a ruler, those of the

people being present may bring forward petitions and requests; may



make accusations against their retiring head with sure immunity

from his vengeance; or may state their own private theories for the



better government of the State in the future. I think it may be

pardoned to my vanity if I record that not a voice was raised



against me, or against any of the items of my twenty years of rule.




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