the mirror of the sea-第11节

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days　I　never　forgot　the　fact　of　my　elevation　for　five　consecutive



minutes。　　I　fancy　it　kept　me　warm；　even　in　my　slumbers；　better　than



the　high　pile　of　blankets；　which　positively　crackled　with　frost　as



I　threw　them　off　in　the　morning。　　And　I　would　get　up　early　for　no



reason　whatever　except　that　I　was　in　sole　charge。　　The　new　captain



had　not　been　appointed　yet。







Almost　each　morning　a　letter　from　my　owners　would　arrive；　directing



me　to　go　to　the　charterers　and　clamour　for　the　ship's　cargo；　to



threaten　them　with　the　heaviest　penalties　of　demurrage；　to　demand



that　this　assortment　of　varied　merchandise；　set　fast　in　a　landscape



of　ice　and　windmills　somewhere　up…country；　should　be　put　on　rail



instantly；　and　fed　up　to　the　ship　in　regular　quantities　every　day。



After　drinking　some　hot　coffee；　like　an　Arctic　explorer　setting　off



on　a　sledge　journey　towards　the　North　Pole；　I　would　go　ashore　and



roll　shivering　in　a　tramcar　into　the　very　heart　of　the　town；　past



clean…faced　houses；　past　thousands　of　brass　knockers　upon　a



thousand　painted　doors　glimmering　behind　rows　of　trees　of　the



pavement　species；　leafless；　gaunt；　seemingly　dead　for　ever。







That　part　of　the　expedition　was　easy　enough；　though　the　horses　were



painfully　glistening　with　icicles；　and　the　aspect　of　the　tram…



conductors'　faces　presented　a　repulsive　blending　of　crimson　and



purple。　　But　as　to　frightening　or　bullying；　or　even　wheedling　some



sort　of　answer　out　of　Mr。　Hudig；　that　was　another　matter



altogether。　　He　was　a　big；　swarthy　Netherlander；　with　black



moustaches　and　a　bold　glance。　　He　always　began　by　shoving　me　into　a



chair　before　I　had　time　to　open　my　mouth；　gave　me　cordially　a　large



cigar；　and　in　excellent　English　would　start　to　talk　everlastingly



about　the　phenomenal　severity　of　the　weather。　　It　was　impossible　to



threaten　a　man　who；　though　he　possessed　the　language　perfectly；



seemed　incapable　of　understanding　any　phrase　pronounced　in　a　tone



of　remonstrance　or　discontent。　　As　to　quarrelling　with　him；　it



would　have　been　stupid。　　The　weather　was　too　bitter　for　that。　　His



office　was　so　warm；　his　fire　so　bright；　his　sides　shook　so　heartily



with　laughter；　that　I　experienced　always　a　great　difficulty　in



making　up　my　mind　to　reach　for　my　hat。







At　last　the　cargo　did　come。　　At　first　it　came　dribbling　in　by　rail



in　trucks；　till　the　thaw　set　in；　and　then　fast；　in　a　multitude　of



barges；　with　a　great　rush　of　unbound　waters。　　The　gentle　master



stevedore　had　his　hands　very　full　at　last；　and　the　chief　mate



became　worried　in　his　mind　as　to　the　proper　distribution　of　the



weight　of　his　first　cargo　in　a　ship　he　did　not　personally　know



before。







Ships　do　want　humouring。　　They　want　humouring　in　handling；　and　if



you　mean　to　handle　them　well；　they　must　have　been　humoured　in　the



distribution　of　the　weight　which　you　ask　them　to　carry　through　the



good　and　evil　fortune　of　a　passage。　　Your　ship　is　a　tender



creature；　whose　idiosyncrasies　must　be　attended　to　if　you　mean　her



to　come　with　credit　to　herself　and　you　through　the　rough…and…tumble



of　her　life。















XV。















So　seemed　to　think　the　new　captain；　who　arrived　the　day　after　we



had　finished　loading；　on　the　very　eve　of　the　day　of　sailing。　　I



first　beheld　him　on　the　quay；　a　complete　stranger　to　me；　obviously



not　a　Hollander；　in　a　black　bowler　and　a　short　drab　overcoat；



ridiculously　out　of　tone　with　the　winter　aspect　of　the　waste…lands；



bordered　by　the　brown　fronts　of　houses　with　their　roofs　dripping



with　melting　snow。







This　stranger　was　walking　up　and　down　absorbed　in　the　marked



contemplation　of　the　ship's　fore　and　aft　trim；　but　when　I　saw　him



squat　on　his　heels　in　the　slush　at　the　very　edge　of　the　quay　to



peer　at　the　draught　of　water　under　her　counter；　I　said　to　myself；



〃This　is　the　captain。〃　　And　presently　I　descried　his　luggage　coming



along　…　a　real　sailor's　chest；　carried　by　means　of　rope…beckets



between　two　men；　with　a　couple　of　leather　portmanteaus　and　a　roll



of　charts　sheeted　in　canvas　piled　upon　the　lid。　　The　sudden；



spontaneous　agility　with　which　he　bounded　aboard　right　off　the　rail



afforded　me　the　first　glimpse　of　his　real　character。　　Without



further　preliminaries　than　a　friendly　nod；　he　addressed　me：　　〃You



have　got　her　pretty　well　in　her　fore　and　aft　trim。　　Now；　what　about



your　weights？〃







I　told　him　I　had　managed　to　keep　the　weight　sufficiently　well　up；



as　I　thought；　one…third　of　the　whole　being　in　the　upper　part　〃above



the　beams；〃　as　the　technical　expression　has　it。　　He　whistled



〃Phew！〃　scrutinizing　me　from　head　to　foot。　　A　sort　of　smiling



vexation　was　visible　on　his　ruddy　face。







〃Well；　we　shall　have　a　lively　time　of　it　this　passage；　I　bet；〃　he



said。







He　knew。　　It　turned　out　he　had　been　chief　mate　of　her　for　the　two



preceding　voyages；　and　I　was　already　familiar　with　his　handwriting



in　the　old　log…books　I　had　been　perusing　in　my　cabin　with　a　natural



curiosity；　looking　up　the　records　of　my　new　ship's　luck；　of　her



behaviour；　of　the　good　times　she　had　had；　and　of　the　troubles　she



had　escaped。







He　was　right　in　his　prophecy。　　On　our　passage　from　Amsterdam　to



Samarang　with　a　general　cargo；　of　which；　alas！　only　one…third　in



weight　was　stowed　〃above　the　beams；〃　we　had　a　lively　time　of　it。



It　was　lively；　but　not　joyful。　　There　was　not　even　a　single　moment



of　comfort　in　it；　because　no　seaman　can　feel　comfortable　in　body　or



mind　when　he　has　made　his　ship　uneasy。







To　travel　along　with　a　cranky　ship　for　ninety　days　or　so　is　no



doubt　a　nerve…trying　experience；　but　in　this　case　what　was　wrong



with　our　craft　was　this：　　that　by　my　system　of　loading　she　had　been



made　much　too　stable。







Neither　before　nor　since　have　I　felt　a　ship　roll　so　abruptly；　so



violently；　so　heavily。　　Once　she　began；　you　felt　that　she　would



never　stop；　and　this　hopeless　sensation；　characterizing　the　motion



of　ships　whose　centre　of　gravity　is　brought　down　too　low　in



loading；　made　everyone　on　board　weary　of　keeping　on　his　feet。　　I



remember　once　over…hearing　one　of　the　hands　say：　　〃By　Heavens；



Jack！　　I　feel　as　if　I　didn't　mind　how　soon　I　let　myself　go；　and　let



the　blamed　hooker　knock　my　brains　out　if　she　likes。〃　　The　captain



used　to　remark　frequently：　　〃Ah；　yes；　I　dare　say　one…third　weight



above　beams　would　have　been　quite　enough　for　most　ships。　　But　then；



you　see；　there's　no　two　of　them　alike　on　the　seas；　and　she's　an



uncommonly　ticklish　jade　to　load。〃







Down　south；　running　before　the　gales　of　high　latitudes；　she　made



our　life　a　burden　to　us。　　There　were　days　when　nothing　would　keep



even　on　the　swing…tables；　when　there　was　no　position　where　you



could　fix　yourself　so　as　not　to　feel　a　constant　strain　upon　all　the



muscles　of　your　body。　　She　rolled　and　rolled　with　an　awful



dislodging　jerk　and　that　dizzily　fast　sweep　of　her　masts　on　every



swing。　　It　was　a　wonder　that　the　men　sent　aloft　were　not　flung　off



the　yards；　the　yards　not　flung　off　the　masts；　the　masts　not　flung



overboard。　　The　captain　in　his　armchair；　holding　on　grimly　at　the



head　of　the　table；　with　the　soup…tureen　rolling　on　one　side　of　the



cabin　and　the　steward　sprawling　on　the　other；　would　observe；



looking　at　me：　　〃That's　your　one…third　above　the　beams。　　The　only



thing　that　surprises　me　is　that　the　sticks　have　stuck　to　her　all



this　time。〃







Ultimately　some　of　the　minor　spars　did　go　…　nothing　important：



spanker…booms　and　such…like　…　because　at　times　the　frightful



impetus　of　her　rolling　would　part　a　fourfold　tackle　of　new　three…



inch　Manilla　line　as　if　it　were　weaker　than　pack…thread。







It　was　only　poetic　justice　that　the　chief　mate　who　had　made　a



mistake　…　perhaps　a　half…excusable　one　…　about　the　distribution　of



his　ship's　cargo　should　pay　the　penalty。　　A　piece　of　one　of　the



minor　spars　that　did　carry　away　flew　against　the　chief　mate's　back；



and　sent　him　sliding　on　his　face　for　quite　a　considerable　distance



along　the　main　deck。　　Thereupon　followed　various　and　unpleasant



consequences　of　a　physical　order　…　〃queer　symptoms；〃　as　the



captain；　who　treated　them；　used　to　say；　inexplicable　periods　of



powerlessness；　sudden　accesses　of　mysterious　pain；　and　the　patient



agreed　fully　with　the　regretful　mutters　of　his　very　attentive



captain　wishing　that　it　had　been　a　straightforward　broken　leg。



Even　the　Dutch　doctor　who　took　the　case　up　in　Samarang　offered　no



scientific　explanation。　　All　he　said　was：　　〃Ah；　friend；　you　are



young　yet；　it　may　be　very　serious　for　your　whole　life。　　You　must



leave　your　ship；　you　must　quite　silent　be　for　three　months　…　quite



silent。〃







Of　course；　he　meant　the　chief　mate　to　keep　quiet　…　to　lay　up；　as　a



matter　of　fact。　　His　manner　was　impressive　enough；　if　his