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the uncommercial traveller-第82节

小说: the uncommercial traveller 字数: 每页4000字

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stand upon his head! or our coat upon its peg; imitating us as we

appeared in our gymnastic days by sustaining itself horizontally

from the wall; in emulation of the lighter and more facile towels!

Then would the voice especially claim us for its prey; and rend us

all to pieces。



Lights out; we in our berths; and the wind rising; the voice grows

angrier and deeper。  Under the mattress and under the pillow; under

the sofa and under the washing…stand; under the ship and under the

sea; seeming to rise from the foundations under the earth with

every scoop of the great Atlantic (and oh! why scoop so?); always

the voice。  Vain to deny its existence in the night season;

impossible to be hard of hearing; screw; screw; screw!  Sometimes

it lifts out of the water; and revolves with a whirr; like a

ferocious firework; … except that it never expends itself; but is

always ready to go off again; sometimes it seems to be in anguish;

and shivers; sometimes it seems to be terrified by its last plunge;

and has a fit which causes it to struggle; quiver; and for an

instant stop。  And now the ship sets in rolling; as only ships so

fiercely screwed through time and space; day and night; fair

weather and foul; CAN roll。



Did she ever take a roll before like that last?  Did she ever take

a roll before like this worse one that is coming now?  Here is the

partition at my ear down in the deep on the lee side。  Are we ever

coming up again together?  I think not; the partition and I are so

long about it that I really do believe we have overdone it this

time。  Heavens; what a scoop!  What a deep scoop; what a hollow

scoop; what a long scoop!  Will it ever end; and can we bear the

heavy mass of water we have taken on board; and which has let loose

all the table furniture in the officers' mess; and has beaten open

the door of the little passage between the purser and me; and is

swashing about; even there and even here?  The purser snores

reassuringly; and the ship's bells striking; I hear the cheerful

'All's well!' of the watch musically given back the length of the

deck; as the lately diving partition; now high in air; tries

(unsoftened by what we have gone through together) to force me out

of bed and berth。



'All's well!'  Comforting to know; though surely all might be

better。  Put aside the rolling and the rush of water; and think of

darting through such darkness with such velocity。  Think of any

other similar object coming in the opposite direction!



Whether there may be an attraction in two such moving bodies out at

sea; which may help accident to bring them into collision?

Thoughts; too; arise (the voice never silent all the while; but

marvellously suggestive) of the gulf below; of the strange;

unfruitful mountain ranges and deep valleys over which we are

passing; of monstrous fish midway; of the ship's suddenly altering

her course on her own account; and with a wild plunge settling

down; and making THAT voyage with a crew of dead discoverers。  Now;

too; one recalls an almost universal tendency on the part of

passengers to stumble; at some time or other in the day; on the

topic of a certain large steamer making this same run; which was

lost at sea; and never heard of more。  Everybody has seemed under a

spell; compelling approach to the threshold of the grim subject;

stoppage; discomfiture; and pretence of never having been near it。

The boatswain's whistle sounds!  A change in the wind; hoarse

orders issuing; and the watch very busy。  Sails come crashing home

overhead; ropes (that seem all knot) ditto; every man engaged

appears to have twenty feet; with twenty times the average amount

of stamping power in each。  Gradually the noise slackens; the

hoarse cries die away; the boatswain's whistle softens into the

soothing and contented notes; which rather reluctantly admit that

the job is done for the time; and the voice sets in again。



Thus come unintelligible dreams of up hill and down; and swinging

and swaying; until consciousness revives of atmospherical Windsor

soap and bilge…water; and the voice announces that the giant has

come for the water…cure again。



Such were my fanciful reminiscences as I lay; part of that day; in

the Bay of New York; O!  Also as we passed clear of the Narrows;

and got out to sea; also in many an idle hour at sea in sunny

weather!  At length the observations and computations showed that

we should make the coast of Ireland to…night。  So I stood watch on

deck all night to…night; to see how we made the coast of Ireland。



Very dark; and the sea most brilliantly phosphorescent。  Great way

on the ship; and double look…out kept。  Vigilant captain on the

bridge; vigilant first officer looking over the port side; vigilant

second officer standing by the quarter…master at the compass;

vigilant third officer posted at the stern rail with a lantern。  No

passengers on the quiet decks; but expectation everywhere

nevertheless。  The two men at the wheel very steady; very serious;

and very prompt to answer orders。  An order issued sharply now and

then; and echoed back; otherwise the night drags slowly; silently;

with no change。



All of a sudden; at the blank hour of two in the morning; a vague

movement of relief from a long strain expresses itself in all

hands; the third officer's lantern tinkles; and he fires a rocket;

and another rocket。  A sullen solitary light is pointed out to me

in the black sky yonder。  A change is expected in the light; but

none takes place。  'Give them two more rockets; Mr。 Vigilant。'  Two

more; and a blue…light burnt。  All eyes watch the light again。  At

last a little toy sky…rocket is flashed up from it; and; even as

that small streak in the darkness dies away; we are telegraphed to

Queenstown; Liverpool; and London; and back again under the ocean

to America。



Then up come the half…dozen passengers who are going ashore at

Queenstown and up comes the mail…agent in charge of the bags; and

up come the men who are to carry the bags into the mail…tender that

will come off for them out of the harbour。  Lamps and lanterns

gleam here and there about the decks; and impeding bulks are

knocked away with handspikes; and the port…side bulwark; barren but

a moment ago; bursts into a crop of heads of seamen; stewards; and

engineers。



The light begins to be gained upon; begins to be alongside; begins

to be left astern。  More rockets; and; between us and the land;

steams beautifully the Inman steamship City of Paris; for New York;

outward bound。  We observe with complacency that the wind is dead

against her (it being WITH us); and that she rolls and pitches。

(The sickest passenger on board is the most delighted by this

circumstance。)  Time rushes by as we rush on; and now we see the

light in Queenstown Harbour; and now the lights of the mail…tender

coming out to us。  What vagaries the mail…tender performs on the

way; in every point of the compass; especially in those where she

has no business; and why she performs them; Heaven only knows!  At

length she is seen plunging within a cable's length of our port

broadside; and is being roared at through our speaking…trumpets to

do this thing; and not to do that; and to stand by the other; as if

she were a very demented tender indeed。  Then; we slackening amidst

a deafening roar of steam; this much…abused tender is made fast to

us by hawsers; and the men in readiness carry the bags aboard; and

return for more; bending under their burdens; and looking just like

the pasteboard figures of the miller and his men in the theatre of

our boyhood; and comporting themselves almost as unsteadily。  All

the while the unfortunate tender plunges high and low; and is

roared at。  Then the Queenstown passengers are put on board of her;

with infinite plunging and roaring; and the tender gets heaved up

on the sea to that surprising extent that she looks within an ace

of washing aboard of us; high and dry。  Roared at with contumely to

the last; this wretched tender is at length let go; with a final

plunge of great ignominy; and falls spinning into our wake。



The voice of conscience resumed its dominion as the day climbed up

the sky; and kept by all of us passengers into port; kept by us as


we passed other lighthouses; and dangerous islands off the coast;

where some of the officers; with whom I stood my watch; had gone

ashore in sailing…ships in fogs (and of which by that token they

seemed to have quite an affectionate remembrance); and past the

Welsh coast; and past the Cheshire coast; and past everything and

everywhere lying between our ship and her own special dock in the

Mersey。  Off which; at last; at nine of the clock; on a fair

evening early in May; we stopped; and the voice ceased。  A very

curious sensation; not unlike having my own ears stopped; ensued

upon that silence; and it was with a no less curious sensation that

I went over the side of the good Cunard ship 'Russi

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