8.4 Tonypandy: 失實 ê 歷史傳說

8.4 Tonypandy: sit-si̍t ê le̍k-sú thoân-soeh

M̄-koh Grant ê sim-su poe hn̄gx.

“Kóng si̍t-chāi, chit sì-lâng góa mā bat kiàn-sek chit-lō tāi-chì, kám m̄-sī?” i m̄-sī kóng hō͘ Carradine thiaⁿ, i bīn hiòng thian-pông ka-tī án-ne liām. “He tō sī Tonypandy lah.”

“Tonypandy tàu-té sī siáⁿ óaⁿ-ko?” Brent mn̄g. “He thiaⁿ khí-lâi ká-ná sī choan-lī io̍h-á. Lín gín-á bô sóng-khoài hioh? Bīn âng kìx, kāu sèng-tē, sù-ki bô-la̍t? Hō͘ i ho̍k-iōng Tonypandy, sûi-sî kiàn-hāu.” M̄-koh, Grant iáu-sī bô hoán-èng, i tō koh kóng: “Hó lah, Tonypandy lâu hō͘ lí ka-tī iōng. Sàng góa, góa mā m̄-ti̍h.”

“Tonypandy,” Grant kóng, he siaⁿ-tiāu ná chhiūⁿ teh bîn-bāng, “sī Lâm Wales ê chi̍t-ê só͘-chāi.”

“Góa to chai he sī chi̍t-chióng io̍h-á.”

“Nā khì Lâm Wales, lí ē thiaⁿ kóng, tī 1910 nî Chèng-hú iōng kun-tūi hiòng cheng-chhú khoân-ek pā-kang ê Wales khòng-kang khui-chhèng. Lí khó-lêng mā thiaⁿ kóng, hit-sî ê Lāi-chèng Tāi-sîn Winston Churchill tio̍h ūi che hū-chek. In kā lí kóng, Lâm Wales éng-oán bē bē-kì-tit Tonypandy!”

Carradine siu-khí i he lām-sám ê sim-thài.

“Tān sū-si̍t kin-pún m̄-sī án-ne?”

“Si̍t-chè ê sū-si̍t sī án-ne: Hit-sî Rhondda Kheng (Rhondda valley) chi̍t-tīn po̍k-tô͘ sit-khòng, siong-tiàm pī chhiúⁿ, châi-sán phò-hāi. Glamorgan ê Kéng-chhat Kio̍k-tiúⁿ hiòng Lāi-chèng Pō͘ chhéng-kiû phài peng pó-hō͘ pêng-bîn. Jû-kó Kéng-chhat Kio̍k-tiúⁿ jīn-ûi kio̍k-sè giâm-tiōng kah su-iàu kun-tūi hia̍p-chō͘, Lāi-chèng Tāi-sîn si̍t-chāi bô pa̍t-hāng thang soán-te̍k. Tān, Churchill ke̍k-kiaⁿ kun-tūi bīn-tùi po̍k-tô͘ ū khó-lêng sit-khòng khui-chhèng, tō chó͘-chí kun-tūi ê hêng-tōng, kái-chò phài chi̍t-tūi phok-sò͘, khó-khò ê London Tōa-to͘-hōe Kéng-chhat, bô tòa bú-khì, hō͘-moa chih khí-lâi. Kun-tūi lâu chò ī-pī, it-chhè kap po̍k-bîn ê chih-chiap lóng iû bô bú-chong ê kéng-chhat hū-chek. Kui-ê sū-kiāⁿ ûi-it ê lâu-hoeh sī ū chi̍t/nn̄g lâng lâu phīⁿ-hoeh. Sūn-sòa kóng chi̍t-ē, Lāi-chèng Tāi-sîn āu-lâi in-ūi i he ‘í-chêng m̄-bat ū ê chhap-chhiú,’ tī Ē Gī-īⁿ siū-tio̍h giâm-lē ê phe-phêng. Che tō sī Tonypandy*. Che tō sī Wales lâng éng-oán to bē bē-kì-tit ê ‘kun-tūi tōa tô͘-sat.’ [* Tonypandy: im chiap-kīn /thò͘-ní pān ti/ (兎耳扮豬), kā thò͘-á hīⁿ pān kah ná ti-kong: phòng-hong chúi-ke lah.]

“Bô m̄-tio̍h,” Carradine ná kóng, ná teh chhim-su. “Bô m̄-tio̍h. Che cpt sī Boston sū-kiāⁿ ê hoan-pán. Ūi-tio̍h chèng-tī bo̍k-tek, ū lâng kā sió-sū bô-hān hòng-tōa.”

“Tiōng-tiám m̄-sī chāi tī hoan-pán. Tiōng-tiám sī chāi-tiûⁿ ê lângx chai-iáⁿ he kò͘-sū hàm-kó͘, tān bô lâng hoán-pok. Taⁿ, he éng-oán jiok bē-tio̍h ah lah. He sī chi̍t-ê oân-choân sit-si̍t ê kò͘-sū, ián-piàn chò thoân-kî, in-ūi chai-chêng ê lâng ba̍k-chiu kimx, bô kóng pòaⁿ-kù ōe.”

“Sī ah. Che chiâⁿ chhù-bī; khak-si̍t. Le̍k-sú tō sī án-ne chè-chō chhut-lâi ê.” 

“Tio̍h. Le̍k-sú.”

“Kau hō͘ góa lâi gián-kiù. Pit-kèng, Tāi-chì ê chin-siòng m̄-sī siáng kóng ê tō sǹg-sī. He chāi tī it-chhè hit-sî ê sè-chat sū-si̍t. Pò-chóa téng ê kóng-kò, chhù ê bé-bē, chhiú-chí ê kè-siàu.”

Grant kè-sio̍k khòaⁿ thian-pông, chhek-chiáu ê chhi-chhā siaⁿ koh thoân-ji̍p pâng-keng lāi.

“Lí teh thiòng siáⁿ?” lo̍h-bóe Grant oa̍t-thâu, khòaⁿ-tio̍h hóng-kheh bīn-siōng ê piáu-chêng.

“Che sī góa tē-it pái hoat-hiān lí khòaⁿ khí-lâi ū sêng kéng-chhat.” 

“Góa taⁿ ê kám-kak sī kéng-chhat, su-khó mā sī kèng-chhat. Góa mn̄g ka-tī ê, sī múi chi̍t-ê kéng-chhat tú-tio̍h bô͘-sat àn lóng ē mn̄g ê būn-tê: Siáng tit-tio̍h lī-ek? Góa tē-it pái kám-kak tio̍h, kóng Richard ūi-tio̍h ông-ūi tî-tiāu hit nn̄g-ê gín-á, chit-ê kut-liu lí-lūn kin-pún hàm-kó͘. Ká-sú i ū tî-tiāu gín-á, tī i kap ông-ūi tiong-kan iáu-ū cha-po͘ gín-á ê 5-ê chí-mōe. Koh-khah bián kóng George ê nn̄g-ê gín-á: chi̍t-ê cha-po͘, chi̍t-ê cha-bó͘. Sui-bóng George ê kiáⁿ-jî in-ūi lāu-pē hông bu̍t-siu kong-khoân bô kè-sêng khoân; m̄-koh góa jīn-ûi bu̍t-siu kong-khoân lēng sī ū khó-lêng thiat-siau a̍h-sī hùi-tî. Jû-kó Richard ê kè-sêng bô-kàu ún-tēng, chiah-ê sèⁿ-miā lóng tòng tī i kap an-choân ê tiong-kan neh.”

“In lóng oa̍h pí i khah kú?”

“Góa m̄-chai, tān góa it-tēng ē kā chhâ chheng-chhó. Gín-á ê tōa-ché tek-khak sī, in-ūi yi chiâⁿ-chò Henry ê bó͘, England Ông-hiō.”

“Án-chóaⁿ, Grant Ss, taⁿ lán tō ùi-thâu khai-sí chit-ê tāi-chì. Mài khòaⁿ le̍k-sú chheh, hiān-tāi pán-pún ê mā mài, mā mài chham-khó jīm-hô lâng ê ì-kiàn. Chin-siòng m̄-sī chāi tī kóng-hoat, sī chāi tī siàu-phō͘.”

“Kóng liáu ū-kàu chán,” Grant o-ló kóng. “He ì-gī sī siáⁿ?” 

“He ì-gī tōa loh. Chin-chiàⁿ ê le̍k-sú pēng m̄-sī ūi-tio̍h le̍k-sú chiah kì-chài ê. Sī tī Saⁿ-khò͘ ê siàu-toaⁿ, tī Sai-khia Kim-khò͘ ê khai-siau, tī su-jîn Phe-sìn, tī Pâng-tē-sán kì-lo̍k. Kí-lē, nā ū lâng kóng Bó͘-mih Hj m̄-bat seⁿ-kiáⁿ, tān lí tī siàu-phō͘ hoat-hiān chi̍t-tiâu kì-chài, kóng: ‘Ūi hu-jîn tī Michaelmas chêng-iā só͘ seⁿ ê hāu-seⁿ: 5 bā nâ-si-tòa, 4 pence koh pòaⁿ penny,’ che tō ē-tit ha̍p-lí thui-lūn, hu-jîn khak-si̍t tī hit-kang seⁿ chi̍t-ê hāu-seⁿ.” 

“Sī, góa liáu-kái. Án-ne hó, lán boeh ùi tó-ūi khai-sí?” 

“Lí sī tiau-cha oân, góa put-kò sī pang lí chhōe chu-liāu.” 

“Gián-kiù jîn-oân.”

“To-siā. Lí siūⁿ boeh chai siáⁿ?”

“Hmh, thâu-khí-seng, nā chai-iáⁿ chit-ê àn-kiāⁿ ê koan-he-lâng tùi Edward ê sí-bông ū siáⁿ-khoán hoán-èng, tō chin ū pang-chō͘, sīm-chì ū khé-hoat-sèng. Góa sī kóng Edward IV. Edward ì-gōa sí-bông, i ê sí it-tēng hō͘ ta̍k-lâng liāu bē-tio̍h. Góa boeh chai-iáⁿ siong-koan jîn-oân ê hoán-èng.”

“Che chin ti̍t-chiap, mā chin kán-tan. Góa siūⁿ, lí sī boeh chai in chò siáⁿ, m̄-sī in siūⁿ siáⁿ.”

“Tio̍h, tong-jiân.”

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8.4 Tonypandy: 失實 ê 歷史傳說

毋過 Grant ê 心思 飛 hn̄gx.

“講實在, 這世人 我 mā bat 見識 chit-lō 代誌, 敢毋是?” 伊 毋是講 hō͘ Carradine 聽, 伊 面向天篷 ka-tī án-ne 念. “He tō 是 Tonypandy lah.”

“Tonypandy 到底是 啥碗糕?” Brent 問. “He 聽起來 ká-ná 是 專利藥仔. 恁囡仔 無爽快 hioh? 面 紅 kìx, 厚性地, 四肢無力? Hō͘ 伊 服用 Tonypandy, 隨時見效.” 毋過, Grant 猶是 無反應, 伊 tō koh 講: “好 lah, Tonypandy 留 hō͘ 你 ka-tī 用. 送我, 我 mā 毋挃.”

“Tonypandy,” Grant 講, he 聲調 ná 像 teh 眠夢, “是 南 Wales ê 一个所在.”

“我 to 知 he 是 一種藥仔.”

“若去 南 Wales, 你會聽講, tī 1910 年 政府 用軍隊 向 爭取權益 罷工 ê Wales 礦工 開銃. 你可能 mā 聽講, 彼時 ê 內政大臣 Winston Churchill 著 為 che 負責. In kā 你講, 南 Wales 永遠袂 袂記得 Tonypandy!”

Carradine 收起 伊 he 濫摻 ê 心態. 

“但事實 根本毋是 án-ne?”

“實際 ê 事實 是 án-ne: 彼時 Rhondda 坑 (Rhondda valley) 一陣暴徒 失控, 商店被搶, 財產破害. Glamorgan ê 警察局長 向內政部 請求派兵 保護平民. 如果 警察局長 認為 局勢嚴重 kah 需要 軍隊協助, 內政大臣 實在 無別項 thang 選擇. 但, Churchill 極驚 軍隊 面對暴徒 有可能 失控開銃, tō 阻止 軍隊 ê 行動, 改做 派一隊 樸素, 可靠 ê London 大都會 警察, 無帶武器, 雨幔 摺起來. 軍隊 留做預備, 一切 kap 暴民 ê chih 接 lóng 由 無武裝 ê 警察負責. 規个事件 唯一 ê 流血 是 有 一/兩人流鼻血. 順紲 講一下, 內政大臣 後來 因為 伊 he ‘以前 m̄-bat 有 ê 插手,’ tī 下議院 受著 嚴厲 ê 批評. Che tō 是 Tonypandy*. Che tō 是 Wales 人 永遠 to 袂 袂記得 ê ‘軍隊大屠殺.’” [* Tonypandy: 音接近 /thò͘-ní pān ti/ (兎耳扮豬), kā 兎仔耳 扮 kah ná 豬公: 膨風水雞 lah.]

“無毋著,” Carradine ná 講, ná teh 深思. “無毋著. Che cpt 是 Boston 事件 ê 翻版. 為著 政治目的, 有人 kā 小事 無限放大.”

“重點毋是 在 tī 翻版. 重點是 在場 ê lângx 知影 he 故事 譀古, 但 無人反駁. 今, he 永遠 逐袂著 ah lah. 彼是 一个 完全失實 ê 故事, 演變做 傳奇, 因為 知情 ê 人 目睭 kimx, 無講 半句話.”

“是 ah. Che 誠趣味; 確實. 歷史 tō 是 án-ne 製造出來 ê.”

“著. 歷史.”

“交 hō͘ 我 來研究. 畢竟, 代誌 ê 真相 毋是 siáng 講 ê tō 算是. He 在 tī 一切 彼時 ê 細節事實. 報紙頂 ê 廣告, 厝 ê 買賣, 手只 ê 價數.”

Grant 繼續 看天篷, 粟鳥 ê chhi-chhā 聲 koh 傳入 房間內.

“你 teh 暢啥?” 落尾 Grant 越頭, 看著訪客 面上 ê 表情.

“這是 我第一擺 發現 你看起來 有成警察.”

“我 今 ê 感覺是 警察, 思考 mā 是 警察. 我問 ka-tī ê, 是 每一个 警察 拄著 謀殺案 lóng 會問 ê 問題: Siáng 得著利益? 我 第一擺 感覺著, 講 Richard 為著王位 除掉 hit 兩个囡仔, 這个 滑溜理論 根本譀古. 假使 伊有除掉 囡仔, tī 伊 kap 王位 中間 猶有 查埔囡仔 ê 5 个姊妹. 閣較免講 George ê 兩个囡仔: 一个查埔, 一个查某. 雖罔 George ê 囝兒 因為老爸 hông 沒收公權 無繼承權; 毋過 我認為 沒收公權令 是 有可能 撤銷 抑是廢除. 如果 Richard ê 繼承 無夠穩定, chiah-ê 性命 lóng 擋 tī 伊 kap 安全 ê 中間 neh.”

“In lóng活 比伊較久?”

“我毋知, 但 我一定會 kā 查清楚. 囡仔 ê 大姊 的確是, 因為 她成做 Henry ê 某, England 王后.”

“按怎, Grant Ss, 今 咱 tō ùi 頭開始 這个代誌. 莫看 歷史冊, 現代版本 ê mā 莫, mā 莫參考 任何人 ê 意見. 真相 毋是 在 tī 講法, 是在 tī 數簿.”

“講了 有夠讚,” Grant o-ló 講. “He 意義 是啥?”

“He 意義大 loh. 真正 ê 歷史 並毋是 為著歷史 才記載 ê. 是 tī 衫褲 ê 數單, tī Sai-khia 金庫 ê 開銷, tī 私人批信, tī 房地產 記錄. 舉例, 若 有人講 某乜 Hj m̄-bat 生囝, 但你 tī 數簿發現 一條記載, 講: ‘為 夫人 tī Michaelmas 前夜 所生 ê 後生: 5 bā 藍絲帶, 4 pence koh 半 penny,’ che tō 會得 合理推論, 夫人確實 tī 彼工 生一个 後生.”

“是, 我了解. Án-ne 好, 咱欲 ùi 佗位開始?”

“你是 調查員, 我不過是 幫你 揣資料.”

“研究人員.”

“多謝. 你想 欲知 啥?”

“Hmh, 頭起先, 若知影 這个案件 ê 關係人 對 Edward ê 死亡 有啥款 反應, tō 真有幫助, 甚至 有啟發性. 我 是講 Edward IV. Edward 意外死亡, 伊 ê 死 一定 hō͘ 逐人 料袂著. 我欲知影 相關人員 ê 反應.”

“Che 真直接, mā 真簡單. 我想, 你是 欲知 in 做啥, 毋是 in 想啥.”

“著, 當然.”

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8.4

But Grant was still far away.

‘After all, I’ve seen the thing at work in my own day, haven’t I,’ he said, not to Carradine but to the ceiling. ‘It’s Tonypandy.’

‘And what in heck is Tonypandy?’ Brent asked. ‘It sounds like a patent medicine. Does your child get out of sorts? Does the little face get flushed, the temper short, and the limbs easily tired? Give the little one Tonypandy, and see the radiant results.’ And then, as Grant made no answer: ‘All right, then; keep your Tonypandy. I wouldn’t have it as a gift.’

‘Tonypandy,’ Grant said, still in that sleep-walking voice, ‘is a place in the South of Wales.’

‘I knew it was some kind of physic.’

‘If you go to South Wales you will hear that, in 1910, the Government used troops to shoot down Welsh miners who were striking for their rights. You’ll probably hear that Winston Churchill, who was Home Secretary at the time, was responsible. South Wales, you will be told, will never forget Tonypandy!’

Carradine had dropped his flippant air.

[Pg 110]‘And it wasn’t a bit like that?’

‘The actual facts are these. The rougher section of the Rhondda valley crowd had got quite out of hand. Shops were being looted and property destroyed. The Chief Constable of Glamorgan sent a request to the Home Office for troops to protect the lieges. If a Chief Constable thinks a situation serious enough to ask for the help of the military a Home Secretary has very little choice in the matter. But Churchill was so horrified at the possibility of the troops coming face to face with a crowd of rioters and having to fire on them, that he stopped the movement of the troops and sent instead a body of plain, solid Metropolitan Police, armed with nothing but their rolled-up mackintoshes. The troops were kept in reserve, and all contact with the rioters was made by unarmed London police. The only bloodshed in the whole affair was a bloody nose or two. The Home Secretary was severely criticised in the House of Commons incidentally for his “unprecedented intervention”. That was Tonypandy. That is the shooting-down by troops that Wales will never forget.’

‘Yes,’ Carradine said, considering. ‘Yes. It’s almost a parallel to the Boston affair. Someone blowing up a simple affair to huge proportions for a political end.’

‘The point is not that it is a parallel. The point is that every single man who was there knows that the story is nonsense, and yet it has never been contradicted. It will never be overtaken now. It is a completely untrue story grown to legend while the men who knew it to be untrue looked on and said nothing.’

‘Yes. That’s very interesting; very. History as it is made.’

[Pg 111]‘Yes. History.’

‘Give me research. After all, the truth of anything at all doesn’t lie in someone’s account of it. It lies in all the small facts of the time. An advertisement in a paper. The sale of a house. The price of a ring.’

Grant went on looking at the ceiling, and the sparrows’ clamour came back into the room.

‘What amuses you?’ Grant said, turning his head at last and catching the expression on his visitor’s face.

‘This is the first time I’ve seen you look like a policeman.’

‘I’m feeling like a policeman. I’m thinking like a policeman. I’m asking myself the question that every policeman asks in every case of murder: Who benefits? And for the first time it occurs to me that the glib theory that Richard got rid of the boys to make himself safer on the throne is so much nonsense. Supposing he had got rid of the boys. There were still the boys’ five sisters between him and the throne. To say nothing of George’s two: the boy and girl. George’s son and daughter were barred by their father’s attainder; but I take it that an attainder can be reversed, or annulled, or something. If Richard’s claim was shaky, all those lives stood between him and safety.’

‘And did they all survive him?’

‘I don’t know. But I shall make it my business to find out. The boys’ eldest sister certainly did because she became Queen of England as Henry’s wife.’

‘Look, Mr Grant, let’s you and I start at the very beginning of this thing. Without history books, or modern versions, or anyone’s opinion about anything. Truth isn’t in accounts but in account books.’

[Pg 112]‘A neat phrase,’ Grant said, complimentary. ‘Does it mean anything?’

‘It means everything. The real history is written in forms not meant as history. In Wardrobe accounts, in Privy Purse expenses, in personal letters, in estate books. If someone, say, insists that Lady Whoosit never had a child, and you find in the account book the entry: “For the son born to my lady on Michaelmas eve: five yards of blue ribbon, fourpence halfpenny” it’s a reasonably fair deduction that my lady had a son on Michaelmas eve.’

‘Yes. I see. All right, where do we begin?’

‘You’re the investigator. I’m only the looker-upper.’

‘Research Worker.’

‘Thanks. What do you want to know?’

‘Well, for a start, it would be useful, not to say enlightening, to know how the principals in the case reacted to Edward’s death. Edward IV, I mean. Edward died unexpectedly, and his death must have caught everyone on the hop. I’d like to know how the people concerned reacted.’

‘That’s straightforward and easy. I take it you mean what they did and not what they thought.’

‘Yes, of course.’

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