Waltey
Skinnerjeva jama
101 Skinner's Cave
Myths and Legends of Our Own Land · Charles M. SkinnerO besedilu
Skinnerjeva jama
- Vir
- Myths and Legends of Our Own Land
- Avtor
- Charles M. Skinner
- Jezik branja
- Slovenščina
- Jezik izvirnika
- English
- Čas branja
- 2 min branja
- Obseg
- 2 strani
- Naslov izvirnika
- 101 Skinner's Cave
O izvirniku
Myths and Legends of Our Own Land
Obsežna zgodovinska zbirka ameriških legend, ki jih je Skinner zbral in avtorsko rekonstruiral. Bralni jezik je Slovenščina, izvirnik pa prihaja iz vira Myths and Legends of Our Own Land v jeziku English.
Besedilo
Skinnerjeva jama
Odpor do plačevanja davkov in carin — ali kakršnih koli drugih dajatev, ki ne obetajo takojšnje osebne koristi — je pregloboko zakoreninjen v človeški naravi, da bi ga zakoni lahko omajali, in kadar je mogoče kupiti blago, ki je ušlo očem davčnih uradnikov, marsikoga zamika, da bi to storil že zaradi samega užitka ob kljubovanju zakonu. V začetku tega stoletja so se kmetje na severu in njihove žene po svoje oskrbovali s čipkami, srebrnino, žganjem in drugimi s carinami zaščitenimi, strašnimi izdelki, za katere je bilo očitno, da je nekdo pozabil plačati carino. Carinske oblasti na ameriški strani meje so bile dolgo v zadregi zaradi navala teh prepovedanih reči, nazadnje pa je sum padel na orjaškega možaka po imenu Skinner.
Verjeli so, da se ta izobčenec po sončnem zahodu predaja zločinu proste trgovine, podnevi pa svoje blago skriva na otokih jezera Memphremagog. To ljubko jezero leži napol v Kanadi in napol v Vermontu — kar gre ljudem njegovega kova nadvse na roko. Še danes velja prepričanje, da je na otoku Province Island zakopan zaklad, vendar je bilo tihotapčevo običajno zatočišče skalovje, v katerem je Skinnerjeva jama; kadar so ga zasledovali, je odveslal tja in izginil, saj je v jamo vstopil na severozahodni strani, kjer je vhod zakrivalo grmičevje. Neko noč, ko se je že skril, so uradniki pristali na tem otoku in po skrbnem iskanju odkrili njegov čoln, potegnjen na kopno v zavetju goščave. Potisnili so ga v jezero, kjer so ga vetrovi odnesli, in izobčenec, ki je tako ostal brez povezave z obalo, je nesrečno umrl od lakote. Nekaj let pozneje so v jami našli njegovo okostje.
Izvirnik
101 Skinner's Cave
Naslednje strani prikazujejo izvirno besedilo za primerjavo.
The abhorrence to paying taxes and duties--or any other levy from which an immediate and personal good is not promised--is too deeply rooted in human nature to be affected by statutes, and whenever it is possible to buy commodities that have escaped the observation of the revenue officers many are tempted to do so for the mere pleasure of defying the law. In the early part of this century the northern farmers and their wives were, in a way, providing themselves with laces, silver-ware, brandy, and other protected and dreadful articles, on which it was evident that somebody had forgotten to pay duty. The customs authorities on the American side of the border were long puzzled by the irruption of these forbidden things, but suspicion ultimately fell on a fellow of gigantic size, named Skinner.
It was believed that this outlaw carried on the crime of free trade after sunset, hiding his merchandise by day on the islands of Lake Memphremagog. This delightful sheet of water lies half in Canada and half in Vermont--agreeably to the purpose of such as he. Province Island is still believed to contain buried treasure, but the rock that contains Skinner's Cave was the smuggler's usual haunt, and when pursued he rowed to this spot and effected a disappearance, because he entered the cave on the northwest side, where it was masked by shrubbery. One night the officers landed on this island after he had gone into hiding, and after diligent search discovered his boat drawn up in a covert. They pushed it into the lake, where the winds sent it adrift, and, his communication with the shore thus cut off, the outlaw perished miserably of hunger. His skeleton was found in the cavern some years later.
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