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Beasts and Superbeasts-Part7_H.H.Munro(Saki)(1870-1916)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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invention (and, in the Duchess's eyes, the most

attractive part of it) was an electric suction dredge,



specially designed for dragging to the surface such

objects of interest and value as might be found in the



more accessible levels of the ocean-bed. The rights of

the invention were to be acquired for a matter of



eighteen hundred francs, and the apparatus for a few

thousand more. The Duchess of Dulverton was rich, as the



world counted wealth; she nursed the hope, of being one

day rich at her own computation. Companies had been



formed and efforts had been made again and again during

the course of three centuries to probe for the alleged



treasures of the interesting galleon; with the aid of

this invention she considered that she might go to work



on the wreck privately and independently. After all, one

of her ancestors on her mother's side was descended from



Medina Sidonia, so she was of opinion that she had as

much right to the treasure as anyone. She acquired the



invention and bought the apparatus.

Among other family ties and encumbrances, Lulu



possessed a nephew, Vasco Honiton, a young gentleman who

was blessed with a small income and a large circle of



relatives, and lived impartially and precariously on

both. The name Vasco had been given him possibly in the



hope that he might live up to its adventuroustradition,

but he limited himself strictly to the home industry of



adventurer, preferring to exploit the assured rather than

to explore the unknown. Lulu's intercourse with him had



been restricted of recent years to the negative processes

of being out of town when he called on her, and short of



money when he wrote to her. Now, however, she bethought

herself of his eminent suitability for the direction of a



treasure-seeking experiment; if anyone could extract gold

from an unpromising situation it would certainly be Vasco



- of course, under the necessary safeguards in the way of

supervision. Where money was in question Vasco's



conscience was liable to fits of obstinate silence.

Somewhere on the west coast of Ireland the Dulverton



property included a few acres of shingle, rock, and

heather, too barren to support even an agrarian outrage,



but embracing a small and fairly deep bay where the

lobster yield was good in most seasons. There was a



bleak little house on the property, and for those who

liked lobsters and solitude, and were able to accept an



Irish cook's ideas as to what might be perpetrated in the

name of mayonnaise, Innisgluther was a tolerable exile



during the summer months. Lulu seldom went there

herself, but she lent the house lavishly to friends and



relations. She put it now at Vasco's disposal.

"It will be the very place to practise and



experiment with the salvage apparatus," she said; "the

bay is quite deep in places, and you will be able to test



everything thoroughly before starting on the treasure

hunt."



In less than three weeks Vasco turned up in town to

report progress.



"The apparatus works beautifully," he informed his

aunt; "the deeper one got the clearer everything grew.



We found something in the way of a sunken wreck to

operate on, too!"



"A wreck in Innisgluther Bay!" exclaimed Lulu.

"A submerged motor-boat, the SUB-ROSA," said Vasco.



"No! really?" said Lulu; "poor Billy Yuttley's boat.

I remember it went down somewhere off that coast some



three years ago. His body was washed ashore at the

Point. People said at the time that the boat was



capsized intentionally - a case of suicide, you know.

People always say that sort of thing when anything tragic



happens."

"In this case they were right," said Vasco.






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