Amerika by Franz Kafka Read Free Book Online Page B

light—even though the ship’s regulations expressly forbade this—and attempt to decipher the incomprehensible brochures put out by the emigration agencies. If there was such a light nearby, Karl could doze off for a while, but if it was some distance away or the room was dark, he had to keep his eyes open. These exertions had left him quite exhausted. And had perhaps been in vain. Woe betide that Butter-baum, should he ever run into him again!
    Just then, interrupting the perfect silence, came the sound of short little taps, as of children’s feet approaching from afar; as they came closer, the sound grew louder and was now that of steadily marching men. They seemed to advance in single file, as was only natural in this narrow passageway; one could hear a clashing as of weapons. About to stretch out in bed and fall asleep, freed at last from all concerns about trunks and Slovaks, Karl gave a start and nudged the stoker so as to alert him, since the head of the procession appeared to have reached the door. “It’s the ship’s band,” said the stoker. “They’ve played up on deck and are going inside to pack. Everything’s ready, so we can leave. Come on.” Taking Karl by the hand, he at the last moment seized a picture of the Madonna from the wall above his bed, stuffed it into his breast pocket, grabbed his trunk, and left the cabin quickly with Karl.
    â€œI’m going to the office to give these gentlemen a piece of my mind. There’s nobody around anymore, so it’s no longer necessary to watch what one says,” the stoker said repeatedly, using a variety of formulations, and without breaking stride gave a few side kicks to flatten a rat that had crossed his path, but he merely succeeded in driving it even more quickly into its hole, which it reached just in time. Besides, his movements were slow, for though he had very long legs, they nonetheless weighed him down.
    They passed through a section of the kitchen where some girls in dirty aprons—which they wet deliberately—were washing dishes in great tubs. The stoker called over a certain Line, put his arm around her hips, and as she pressed coquettishly against his arm, swept her along for a moment. “It’s payday, you want to come along?” he asked. “Why should I bother, you can bring me my money,” she replied, and, slipping out from under his arm, ran off. “So where did you pick up that pretty boy,” she cried out again, without expecting a reply. One could hear laughter from all of the girls, who had interrupted their work.
    Nevertheless they continued on their way and soon reached a door capped with a little pediment supported by small gilded caryatids. As a fixture on a ship, it looked fairly extravagant. Karl realized that he had never entered this area, which was probably reserved during the voyage for first- and second-class passengers, but just before the great ship cleaning, the partition doors had been taken down. Indeed, they had already encountered several men carrying brooms on their shoulders, who had greeted the stoker. Karl marveled at the bustle; in steerage he had for sure witnessed little of this. Also, there were electrical cords strung along both sides of the corridor, and one could hear a little bell ringing continuously.
    The stoker knocked on the door respectfully, and when a voice cried “Come in,” he motioned to Karl that he should enter without trepidation. He complied but did not advance far beyond the door. Through the room’s three windows Karl could see the ocean waves, and as he watched their cheerful movements, his heart began to beat more rapidly as though he had not spent five long days gazing uninterruptedly at the sea. Large ships crossed one another’s paths, yielding to the rolling waves only insofar as their weight permitted. If one narrowed one’s eyes, the ships seemed to rock under the pressure of their