It appears thatDr. Coutras had gone one day to Taravao in order to see an old chiefess who wasill, and he gave a vivid picture of the obese old lady, lying in a huge bed,smoking cigarettes, and surrounded by a crowd of dark-skinned retainers. Whenhe had seen her he was taken into another room and given dinner -- raw fish,fried bananas, and chicken -- que sais-je, the typical dinner of the indigene-- and while he was eating it he saw a young girl being driven away from thedoor in tears. He thought nothing of it, but when he went out to get into histrap and drive home, he saw her again, standing a little way off; she looked athim with a woebegone air, and tears streamed down her cheeks. He asked someonewhat was wrong with her, and was told that she had come down from the hills toask him to visit a white man who was sick. They had told her that the doctorcould not be disturbed. He called her, and himself asked what she wanted. Shetold him that Ata had sent her, she who used to be at the Hotel de la Fleur,and that the Red One was ill. She thrust into his hand a crumpled piece ofnewspaper, and when he opened it he found in it a hundred-franc note."Who isthe Red One?" he asked of one of the bystanders.He was toldthat that was what they called the Englishman, a painter, who lived with Ata upin the valley seven kilometres from where they were. He recognised Stricklandby the description. But it was necessary to walk. It was impossible for him togo; that was why they had sent the girl away.事情的经过大概是这样的。有一次库特拉斯医生到塔拉窝去给一个生病的女酋长看病。库特拉斯把这位女酋长淋漓尽致地描写了一番。女酋长生得又胖又蠢，躺在一张大床上抽着纸烟，周围站着一圈乌黑皮肤的侍从。看过病以后，医生被请到另一间屋子里，被招待了一顿丰盛的饭食——生鱼、炸香蕉、小鸡，还有一些他不知名的东西①，这是当地土著②的标准饭菜。吃饭的时候，他看见人们正在把一个眼泪汪汪的年轻女孩子从门口赶走。他当时并没有注意，但在他吃完饭，正准备上马车启程回家的时候，他又看见她在不远的地方站着。她凄凄惨惨地望着他，泪珠从面颊上淌下来。医生问了问旁边的人，这个女孩儿是怎么回事。他被告知说，女孩子是从山里面下来的，想请他去看一个生病的白人。他们已经告诉她，医生没有时间管她的事。库特拉斯医生把她叫过来，亲自问了一遍她有什么事。她说她是爱塔派来的，爱塔过去在鲜花旅馆干活儿，她来找医生是因为“红毛”病了。她把一块揉皱了的旧报纸递到医生手里，医生打开一看，里面是一张一百法郎的钞票。①②原文为法语。“谁是‘红毛’？”医生问一个站在旁边的人。他被告诉说，“红毛”是当地人给那个英国人，一个画家起的外号儿。这个人现在同爱塔同居，住在离这里七公里远的山丛中的一条峡谷里。根据当地人的描述，他知道他们说的是思特里克兰德。但是要去思特里克兰德住的地方，只能走路去；他们知道他去不了，所以就把女孩子打发走了。