34

I soon discovered that the young Sicilian was a crew of one.He gave me a rough sweater to exchange my anorak,which looked as if it had had a bad attack of moths.He told me to settle myself on the deck.We should make contact with the Corsican freighter in a little over two hours.

We were not more than one hour out of Taormina when a small ship appeared on the horizon.My crew man got out a pair of field glasses and took a look at it.

‘Italian customs!'he said and then ,turning to me,‘Are you good swimmer?'

I said I wasn't.

‘Bad luck!'he answered,stripped off his shirt and dived over the side!( 文章閱讀網(wǎng)：www.sanwen.net )

‘Why should the Italian customs be interested in us?'I shouted.

‘Cargo!'he called back.

He was already moving away from the ship.I thought that he shouted ,‘oranges'.

I stopped the boat's engine and waited for the customs vessel to draw alongside.I was taken aboard and shown to the master's cabin.

‘We know who you are,'he said.‘You are not under arrest.My instructions are to take you to Reggio where you 'll be flown back to the States.Somebody must have decided that it was a fair exchange for the cargo you're carrying.'He handed me an orange.‘Go on,'he said,‘split it open.'

I saw that the orange had a small cut in it.I split it apart.Inside was a small plastic bag filled with white powder.

‘Pure heroin,'he said.'The whole cargo would have a street value in the States of maybe two million.'

When I returned to my office in San Francisco,I expected to meet the ‘friend of a friend'who had arranged my ‘holiday'.He worked in the same building and I sought out his secretary to ask where he was.

‘You tell me!'she answered.‘Three days ago Mr Santini came into the office.Five minutes later he left,and we haven't seen him since.'

She opened his office door.There was a single red rose in a vase on the desk.

‘That's all he left,'she said.'Guess it's love!'

I wondered.I still didn't know the meaning of the red rose I'd received in Palermo.Maybe Santini did.I knew it wasn't love!

Notes:

1,crew:船員；one：one boat。

2,rough：制作粗造的；exchange my anorak：換下我的風(fēng)雨衣；

3，which looked as if it had had a bad attack of moths：那件風(fēng)雨衣就像是被無數(shù)飛蛾猛烈撲打過的。本句是非限制性定語從句，其先行詞是anorak，關(guān)系代詞在從句中作主語。have a bad attack：經(jīng)歷了猛烈的攻擊。

4，settle oneself on the deck：在甲板上休息。

5，make contact with the Corsican freighter：與科西嘉貨輪聯(lián)系；in a little over two hours：再過兩小時(shí)多一點(diǎn)兒。

6，appeared on the horizon：出現(xiàn)在天邊。horizon：地平線，水平線。field glasses：雙筒望遠(yuǎn)鏡。

7，Italian customs：意大利海關(guān)（緝私警）。

8，stripped off his shirt and dived over the side：脫掉襯衣，躍出船舷。

7，be interested in ：對(duì)······感興趣；Cargo：(裝運(yùn)的）貨物。I thought that he shouted：我以為他喊叫的是。

8，vessel：船舶。draw alongside：靠攏，到達(dá)旁邊。

9，master's cabin：船長室。be under：處于······（狀態(tài)）； arrest：被捕。My instructions：我接到的指示是。Reggio：瑞吉?dú)W，意大利東北部一城市。 where you 'll be flown back to the States：你從那兒飛回美國。這句是Reggio的定語從句，關(guān)系副詞where在從句中作地點(diǎn)狀語。decide：判斷，斷定。a fair exchange：公平的交易。the cargo you're carrying：你所運(yùn)的這些貨。you're carring是the cargo的定語從句，關(guān)系代詞在從句中作賓語，可以省略。split it open：把它掰開。

10，cut：切口，創(chuàng)口。 plastic bag filled with white powder: 裝滿白色粉末的塑料袋。

11，Pure heroin：高純度海洛因。a street value ：價(jià)值一條街，可以買下一條街。

12，sought out his secretary ：找到了他的秘書。

13，you tell me：我一點(diǎn)也不知道；我也不大清楚。

14，since：since then，從那時(shí)起。

15，single：單一的（強(qiáng)調(diào)只有一朵）。 vase：花瓶。

16，the red rose I'd received in Palermo：我在巴勒莫收到的那朵紅玫瑰。I'd received是the red rose的定語從句，關(guān)系代詞在從句中作賓語，可以省略。

17，Maybe Santini did：Maybe Santini knew the meaning of the red rose.

34

我很快就發(fā)現(xiàn)這個(gè)西西里小伙子是一名船員。我身上那件風(fēng)雨衣就像是被無數(shù)飛蛾猛烈撲打過的，那小伙子就拿出一件粗糙的毛衣，讓我換下來。他叫我就在甲板上休息一會(huì)兒。他說，再過兩小時(shí)多一點(diǎn)兒，就同那艘科西嘉貨輪聯(lián)系。

就在我們駛離了陶爾米納還不到一個(gè)鐘頭的時(shí)候，突然，天邊出現(xiàn)了一艘小小的船影。那名船員拿起雙筒望遠(yuǎn)鏡仔細(xì)觀察。

“意大利海關(guān)緝私警！”然后，對(duì)著我，“你水性好不好？”

“旱鴨子”，我回答。

“倒霉透頂！”他隨即脫掉襯衣，躍出船舷。

“關(guān)我們什么事？”，我大叫道。

“貨物！”他回答。

他已經(jīng)游得較遠(yuǎn)了。我以為他說的是船上所裝的橙子。

我關(guān)了船上的引擎，等著海警船來靠攏。

我被帶上了緝私船，并到了船長室。

“我們知道你的情況，不會(huì)逮捕你。我的任務(wù)是送你到瑞吉?dú)W，你就從那兒飛回美國。有人的如意算盤：由你來運(yùn)送這些貨物，那可真是一樁公平的交易！”他遞給我一個(gè)橙子，“請(qǐng)吧，”他說，“掰開看看?！?/p>

橙子上有一條小小的切口；我掰開了它。里面有一個(gè)小塑料袋，袋里裝滿白色的粉末。

“高純度海洛因，”他說，“這批貨大約價(jià)值兩百萬美元，可以買下美國的一條街了?！?/p>

回到美國舊金山后，我去上班，就去找那個(gè)安排我這次度假的那位“朋友的朋友”，他也在同一棟大樓上班。我找到了他的秘書。

“我還指望你告訴我呢！”她回答道，“三天前，桑蒂尼先生到公司來過，五分鐘以后就走了。這以后就一直沒見過他?！?/p>

秘書打開了桑蒂尼的辦公室，桌上的花瓶里插著一朵紅色的玫瑰花。

“他留下的只有這朵紅玫瑰，”她說，“我猜，與愛情有關(guān)！”

對(duì)這個(gè)說法，我深感疑惑。我至今也不知道在巴勒莫收到的那朵紅玫瑰究竟有什么含意。很可能桑蒂尼知道。

我只知道，這朵紅玫瑰，根本就與愛情無關(guān)！

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