the mirror of the sea-第21节

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West　Wind。　　Even　in　his　most　accommodating　mood　he　inspires　a　dread



of　treachery。　　I　have　heard　upwards　of　ten　score　of　windlasses



spring　like　one　into　clanking　life　in　the　dead　of　night；　filling



the　Downs　with　a　panic…struck　sound　of　anchors　being　torn　hurriedly



out　of　the　ground　at　the　first　breath　of　his　approach。



Fortunately；　his　heart　often　fails　him：　　he　does　not　always　blow



home　upon　our　exposed　coast；　he　has　not　the　fearless　temper　of　his



Westerly　brother。







The　natures　of　those　two　winds　that　share　the　dominions　of　the



great　oceans　are　fundamentally　different。　　It　is　strange　that　the



winds　which　men　are　prone　to　style　capricious　remain　true　to　their



character　in　all　the　various　regions　of　the　earth。　　To　us　here；　for



instance；　the　East　Wind　comes　across　a　great　continent；　sweeping



over　the　greatest　body　of　solid　land　upon　this　earth。　　For　the



Australian　east　coast　the　East　Wind　is　the　wind　of　the　ocean；



coming　across　the　greatest　body　of　water　upon　the　globe；　and　yet



here　and　there　its　characteristics　remain　the　same　with　a　strange



consistency　in　everything　that　is　vile　and　base。　　The　members　of



the　West　Wind's　dynasty　are　modified　in　a　way　by　the　regions　they



rule；　as　a　Hohenzollern；　without　ceasing　to　be　himself；　becomes　a



Roumanian　by　virtue　of　his　throne；　or　a　Saxe…Coburg　learns　to　put



the　dress　of　Bulgarian　phrases　upon　his　particular　thoughts；



whatever　they　are。







The　autocratic　sway　of　the　West　Wind；　whether　forty　north　or　forty



south　of　the　Equator；　is　characterized　by　an　open；　generous；　frank；



barbarous　recklessness。　　For　he　is　a　great　autocrat；　and　to　be　a



great　autocrat　you　must　be　a　great　barbarian。　　I　have　been　too　much



moulded　to　his　sway　to　nurse　now　any　idea　of　rebellion　in　my　heart。



Moreover；　what　is　a　rebellion　within　the　four　walls　of　a　room



against　the　tempestuous　rule　of　the　West　Wind？　　I　remain　faithful



to　the　memory　of　the　mighty　King　with　a　double…edged　sword　in　one



hand；　and　in　the　other　holding　out　rewards　of　great　daily　runs　and



famously　quick　passages　to　those　of　his　courtiers　who　knew　how　to



wait　watchfully　for　every　sign　of　his　secret　mood。　　As　we　deep…



water　men　always　reckoned；　he　made　one　year　in　three　fairly　lively



for　anybody　having　business　upon　the　Atlantic　or　down　there　along



the　〃forties〃　of　the　Southern　Ocean。　　You　had　to　take　the　bitter



with　the　sweet；　and　it　cannot　be　denied　he　played　carelessly　with



our　lives　and　fortunes。　　But；　then；　he　was　always　a　great　king；　fit



to　rule　over　the　great　waters　where；　strictly　speaking；　a　man　would



have　no　business　whatever　but　for　his　audacity。







The　audacious　should　not　complain。　　A　mere　trader　ought　not　to



grumble　at　the　tolls　levied　by　a　mighty　king。　　His　mightiness　was



sometimes　very　overwhelming；　but　even　when　you　had　to　defy　him



openly；　as　on　the　banks　of　the　Agulhas　homeward　bound　from　the　East



Indies；　or　on　the　outward　passage　round　the　Horn；　he　struck　at　you



fairly　his　stinging　blows　（full　in　the　face；　too）；　and　it　was　your



business　not　to　get　too　much　staggered。　　And；　after　all；　if　you



showed　anything　of　a　countenance；　the　good…natured　barbarian　would



let　you　fight　your　way　past　the　very　steps　of　his　throne。　　It　was



only　now　and　then　that　the　sword　descended　and　a　head　fell；　but　if



you　fell　you　were　sure　of　impressive　obsequies　and　of　a　roomy；



generous　grave。







Such　is　the　king　to　whom　Viking　chieftains　bowed　their　heads；　and



whom　the　modern　and　palatial　steamship　defies　with　impunity　seven



times　a　week。　　And　yet　it　is　but　defiance；　not　victory。　　The



magnificent　barbarian　sits　enthroned　in　a　mantle　of　gold…lined



clouds　looking　from　on　high　on　great　ships　gliding　like　mechanical



toys　upon　his　sea　and　on　men　who；　armed　with　fire　and　iron；　no



longer　need　to　watch　anxiously　for　the　slightest　sign　of　his　royal



mood。　　He　is　disregarded；　but　he　has　kept　all　his　strength；　all　his



splendour；　and　a　great　part　of　his　power。　　Time　itself；　that　shakes



all　the　thrones；　is　on　the　side　of　that　king。　　The　sword　in　his



hand　remains　as　sharp　as　ever　upon　both　its　edges；　and　he　may　well



go　on　playing　his　royal　game　of　quoits　with　hurricanes；　tossing



them　over　from　the　continent　of　republics　to　the　continent　of



kingdoms；　in　the　assurance　that　both　the　new　republics　and　the　old



kingdoms；　the　heat　of　fire　and　the　strength　of　iron；　with　the



untold　generations　of　audacious　men；　shall　crumble　to　dust　at　the



steps　of　his　throne；　and　pass　away；　and　be　forgotten　before　his　own



rule　comes　to　an　end。















XXX。















The　estuaries　of　rivers　appeal　strongly　to　an　adventurous



imagination。　　This　appeal　is　not　always　a　charm；　for　there　are



estuaries　of　a　particularly　dispiriting　ugliness：　　lowlands；　mud…



flats；　or　perhaps　barren　sandhills　without　beauty　of　form　or



amenity　of　aspect；　covered　with　a　shabby　and　scanty　vegetation



conveying　the　impression　of　poverty　and　uselessness。　　Sometimes



such　an　ugliness　is　merely　a　repulsive　mask。　　A　river　whose　estuary



resembles　a　breach　in　a　sand　rampart　may　flow　through　a　most



fertile　country。　　But　all　the　estuaries　of　great　rivers　have　their



fascination；　the　attractiveness　of　an　open　portal。　　Water　is



friendly　to　man。　　The　ocean；　a　part　of　Nature　furthest　removed　in



the　unchangeableness　and　majesty　of　its　might　from　the　spirit　of



mankind；　has　ever　been　a　friend　to　the　enterprising　nations　of　the



earth。　　And　of　all　the　elements　this　is　the　one　to　which　men　have



always　been　prone　to　trust　themselves；　as　if　its　immensity　held　a



reward　as　vast　as　itself。







From　the　offing　the　open　estuary　promises　every　possible　fruition



to　adventurous　hopes。　　That　road　open　to　enterprise　and　courage



invites　the　explorer　of　coasts　to　new　efforts　towards　the



fulfilment　of　great　expectations。　　The　commander　of　the　first　Roman



galley　must　have　looked　with　an　intense　absorption　upon　the　estuary



of　the　Thames　as　he　turned　the　beaked　prow　of　his　ship　to　the



westward　under　the　brow　of　the　North　Foreland。　　The　estuary　of　the



Thames　is　not　beautiful；　it　has　no　noble　features；　no　romantic



grandeur　of　aspect；　no　smiling　geniality；　but　it　is　wide　open；



spacious；　inviting；　hospitable　at　the　first　glance；　with　a　strange



air　of　mysteriousness　which　lingers　about　it　to　this　very　day。　　The



navigation　of　his　craft　must　have　engrossed　all　the　Roman's



attention　in　the　calm　of　a　summer's　day　（he　would　choose　his



weather）；　when　the　single　row　of　long　sweeps　（the　galley　would　be　a



light　one；　not　a　trireme）　could　fall　in　easy　cadence　upon　a　sheet



of　water　like　plate…glass；　reflecting　faithfully　the　classic　form



of　his　vessel　and　the　contour　of　the　lonely　shores　close　on　his



left　hand。　　I　assume　he　followed　the　land　and　passed　through　what



is　at　present　known　as　Margate　Roads；　groping　his　careful　way　along



the　hidden　sandbanks；　whose　every　tail　and　spit　has　its　beacon　or



buoy　nowadays。　　He　must　have　been　anxious；　though　no　doubt　he　had



collected　beforehand　on　the　shores　of　the　Gauls　a　store　of



information　from　the　talk　of　traders；　adventurers；　fishermen；



slave…dealers；　pirates　…　all　sorts　of　unofficial　men　connected　with



the　sea　in　a　more　or　less　reputable　way。　　He　would　have　heard　of



channels　and　sandbanks；　of　natural　features　of　the　land　useful　for



sea…marks；　of　villages　and　tribes　and　modes　of　barter　and



precautions　to　take：　　with　the　instructive　tales　about　native



chiefs　dyed　more　or　less　blue；　whose　character　for　greediness；



ferocity；　or　amiability　must　have　been　expounded　to　him　with　that



capacity　for　vivid　language　which　seems　joined　naturally　to　the



shadiness　of　moral　character　and　recklessness　of　disposition。　　With



that　sort　of　spiced　food　provided　for　his　anxious　thought；　watchful



for　strange　men；　strange　beasts；　strange　turns　of　the　tide；　he



would　make　the　best　of　his　way　up；　a　military　seaman　with　a　short



sword　on　thigh　and　a　bronze　helmet　on　his　head；　the　pioneer　post…



captain　of　an　imperial　fleet。　　Was　the　tribe　inhabiting　the　Isle　of



Thanet　of　a　ferocious　disposition；　I　wonder；　and　ready　to　fall　with



stone…studded　clubs　and　wooden　lances　hardened　in　the　fire；　upon



the　backs　of　unwary　mariners？







Amongst　the　great　commercial　streams　of　these　islands；　the　Thames



is　the　only　one；　I　think；　open　to　romantic　feeling；　from　the　fact



that　the　sight　of　human　labour　and　the　sounds　of　human　industry　do



not　come　down　its　shores　to　the　very　sea；　destroying　the　suggestion



of　mysterious　vastness　caused　by　the　configuration　of　the　shore。



The　broad　inlet　of　the　shallow　North　Sea　passes　gradually　into　the



contracted　shape　of　the　river；　but　for　a　long　time　the　feeling　of



the　open　water　remains　with　the　ship　steering　to　the　westward



through　one　of　the　lighted　and　buoyed　pa