"Asiatic!" he said to Jaakov, slamming the door on him. Then he roared as he pushed me along:
"Get out of this!"
I ran to the stern. The night was cloudy, the river black. In the wake of the boat seethed two gray lines of water leading to the invisible shore; between these two lines the barge dragged on its way. Now on the right, now on the left appeared red patches of light, without illuminating anything. They disappeared, hidden by the sudden winding of the shore. After this it became still darker and more gruesome.
The cook came and sat beside me, sighed deeply, and pulled at his cigarette.
"So they were taking you to that creature? Ekh! Dirty beasts! I heard them trying."
"Did you take her away from them?"
"Her?" He abused the girl coarsely, and continued in a sad tone:
"It is all nastiness here. This boat is worse than a village. Have you ever lived in a village?"
"No."
"In a village there is nothing but misery, especially in the winter."