some reminiscences-第27节

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enigmatical；　with　something　mournful　too　in　the　pose；　like　that



statue　of　Giuliano　（I　think）　de'　Medici　shading　his　face　on　the



tomb　by　Michael　Angelo；　though；　of　course；　he　was　far；　far　from



being　beautiful。　　He　began　by　trying　to　make　me　talk　nonsense。



But　I　had　been　warned　of　that　fiendish　trait；　and　contradicted



him　with　great　assurance。　After　a　while　he　left　off。　　So　far



good。　　But　his　immobility；　the　thick　elbow　on　the　table；　the



abrupt；　unhappy　voice；　the　shaded　and　averted　face　grew　more　and



more　impressive。　　He　kept　inscrutably　silent　for　a　moment；　and



then；　placing　me　in　a　ship　of　a　certain　size；　at　sea；　under



certain　conditions　of　weather；　season；　locality；　&c。　&c。all



very　clear　and　preciseordered　me　to　execute　a　certain



manoeuvre。　　Before　I　was　half　through　with　it　he　did　some



material　damage　to　the　ship。　　Directly　I　had　grappled　with　the



difficulty　he　caused　another　to　present　itself；　and　when　that　too



was　met　he　stuck　another　ship　before　me；　creating　a　very



dangerous　situation。　　I　felt　slightly　outraged　by　this　ingenuity



in　piling　up　trouble　upon　a　man。







〃I　wouldn't　have　got　into　that　mess；〃　I　suggested　mildly。　　〃I



could　have　seen　that　ship　before。〃







He　never　stirred　the　least　bit。







〃No；　you　couldn't。　　The　weather's　thick。〃







〃Oh！　　I　didn't　know；〃　I　apologised　blankly。







I　suppose　that　after　all　I　managed　to　stave　off　the　smash　with



sufficient　approach　to　verisimilitude；　and　the　ghastly　business



went　on。　　You　must　understand　that　the　scheme　of　the　test　he　was



applying　to　me　was；　I　gathered；　a　homeward　passagethe　sort　of



passage　I　would　not　wish　to　my　bitterest　enemy。　　That　imaginary



ship　seemed　to　labour　under　a　most　comprehensive　curse。　　It's　no



use　enlarging　on　these　never…ending　misfortunes；　suffice　it　to



say　that　long　before　the　end　I　would　have　welcomed　with　gratitude



an　opportunity　to　exchange　into　the　〃Flying　Dutchman。〃　　Finally



he　shoved　me　into　the　North　Sea　（I　suppose）　and　provided　me　with



a　lee…shore　with　outlying　sandbanksthe　Dutch　coast　presumably。



Distance；　eight　miles。　　The　evidence　of　such　implacable　animosity



deprived　me　of　speech　for　quite　half　a　minute。







〃Well；〃　he　saidfor　our　pace　had　been　very　smart　indeed　till



then。







〃I　will　have　to　think　a　little；　sir。〃







〃Doesn't　look　as　if　there　were　much　time　to　think；〃　he　muttered



sardonically　from　under　his　hand。







〃No；　sir；〃　I　said　with　some　warmth。　　〃Not　on　board　a　ship　I　could



see。　　But　so　many　accidents　have　happened　that　I　really　can't



remember　what　there's　left　for　me　to　work　with。〃







Still　half　averted；　and　with　his　eyes　concealed；　he　made



unexpectedly　a　grunting　remark。







〃You've　done　very　well。〃







〃Have　I　the　two　anchors　at　the　bow；　sir？〃　I　asked。







〃Yes。〃







I　prepared　myself　then；　as　a　last　hope　for　the　ship；　to　let　them



both　go　in　the　most　effectual　manner；　when　his　infernal　system　of



testing　resourcefulness　came　into　play　again。







〃But　there's　only　one　cable。　　You've　lost　the　other。〃







It　was　exasperating。







〃Then　I　would　back　them；　if　I　could；　and　tail　the　heaviest　hawser



on　board　on　the　end　of　the　chain　before　letting　go；　and　if　she



parted　from　that；　which　is　quite　likely；　I　would　just　do　nothing。



She　would　have　to　go。〃







〃Nothing　more　to　do；　eh？〃







〃No；　sir。　　I　could　do　no　more。〃







He　gave　a　bitter　half…laugh。







〃You　could　always　say　your　prayers。〃







He　got　up；　stretched　himself；　and　yawned　slightly。　　It　was　a



sallow；　strong；　unamiable　face。　　He　put　me　in　a　surly；　bored



fashion　through　the　usual　questions　as　to　lights　and　signals；　and



I　escaped　from　the　room　thankfullypassed！　　Forty　minutes！　　And



again　I　walked　on　air　along　Tower　Hill；　where　so　many　good　men



had　lost　their　heads；　because；　I　suppose；　they　were　not



resourceful　enough　to　save　them。　　And　in　my　heart　of　hearts　I　had



no　objection　to　meeting　that　examiner　once　more　when　the　third



and　last　ordeal　became　due　in　another　year　or　so。　　I　even　hoped　I



should。　　I　knew　the　worst　of　him　now；　and　forty　minutes　is　not　an



unreasonable　time。　　Yes；　I　distinctly　hoped。　。　。







But　not　a　bit　of　it。　　When　I　presented　myself　to　be　examined　for



Master　the　examiner　who　received　me　was　short；　plump；　with　a



round；　soft　face　in　grey；　fluffy　whiskers；　and　fresh；　loquacious



lips。







He　commenced　operations　with　an　easy…going　〃Let's　see。　　H'm。



Suppose　you　tell　me　all　you　know　of　charter…parties。〃　　He　kept　it



up　in　that　style　all　through；　wandering　off　in　the　shape　of



comment　into　bits　out　of　his　own　life；　then　pulling　himself　up



short　and　returning　to　the　business　in　hand。　It　was　very



interesting。　　〃What's　your　idea　of　a　jury…rudder　now？〃　he　queried



suddenly；　at　the　end　of　an　instructive　anecdote　bearing　upon　a



point　of　stowage。







I　warned　him　that　I　had　no　experience　of　a　lost　rudder　at　sea；



and　gave　him　two　classical　examples　of　makeshifts　out　of　a　text…



book。　　In　exchange　he　described　to　me　a　jury…rudder　he　had



invented　himself　years　before；　when　in　command　of　a　3000…ton



steamer。　　It　was；　I　declare；　the　cleverest　contrivance



imaginable。　　〃May　be　of　use　to　you　some　day；〃　he　concluded。　　〃You



will　go　into　steam　presently。　　Everybody　goes　into　steam。〃







There　he　was　wrong。　　I　never　went　into　steamnot　really。　　If　I



only　live　long　enough　I　shall　become　a　bizarre　relic　of　a　dead



barbarism；　a　sort　of　monstrous　antiquity；　the　only　seaman　of　the



dark　ages　who　had　never　gone　into　steamnot　really。







Before　the　examination　was　over　he　imparted　to　me　a　few



interesting　details　of　the　transport　service　in　the　time　of　the



Crimean　War。







〃The　use　of　wire　rigging　became　general　about　that　time　too；〃　he



observed。　〃I　was　a　very　young　master　then。　　That　was　before　you



were　born。〃







〃Yes；　sir。　　I　am　of　the　year　1857。〃







〃The　Mutiny　year；〃　he　commented；　as　if　to　himself；　adding　in　a



louder　tone　that　his　ship　happened　then　to　be　in　the　Gulf　of



Bengal；　employed　under　a　Government　charter。







Clearly　the　transport　service　had　been　the　making　of　this



examiner；　who　so　unexpectedly　had　given　me　an　insight　into　his



existence；　awakening　in　me　the　sense　of　the　continuity　of　that



sea…life　into　which　I　had　stepped　from　outside；　giving　a　touch　of



human　intimacy　to　the　machinery　of　official　relations。　　I　felt



adopted。　　His　experience　was　for　me；　too；　as　though　he　had　been



an　ancestor。







Writing　my　long　name　（it　has　twelve　letters）　with　laborious　care



on　the　slip　of　blue　paper；　he　remarked：







〃You　are　of　Polish　extraction。〃







〃Born　there；　sir。〃







He　laid　down　the　pen　and　leaned　back　to　look　at　me　as　it　were　for



the　first　time。







〃Not　many　of　your　nationality　in　our　service；　I　should　think。　　I



never　remember　meeting　one　either　before　or　after　I　left　the　sea。



Don't　remember　ever　hearing　of　one。　　An　inland　people；　aren't



you？〃







I　said　yesvery　much　so。　　We　were　remote　from　the　sea　not　only



by　situation；　but　also　from　a　complete　absence　of　indirect



association；　not　being　a　commercial　nation　at　all；　but　purely



agricultural。　　He　made　then　the　quaint　reflection　that　it　was　〃a



long　way　for　me　to　come　out　to　begin　a　sea…life〃；　as　if　sea…life



were　not　precisely　a　life　in　which　one　goes　a　long　way　from　home。







I　told　him；　smiling；　that　no　doubt　I　could　have　found　a　ship　much



nearer　my　native　place；　but　I　had　thought　to　myself　that　if　I　was



to　be　a　seaman　then　I　would　be　a　British　seaman　and　no　other。　　It



was　a　matter　of　deliberate　choice。







He　nodded　slightly　at　that；　and　as　he　kept　on　looking　at　me



interrogatively；　I　enlarged　a　little；　confessing　that　I　had　spent



a　little　time　on　the　way　in　the　Mediterranean　and　in　the　West



Indies。　　I　did　not　want　to　present　myself　to　the　British　Merchant



Service　in　an　altogether　green　state。　　It　was　no　use　telling　him



that　my　mysterious　vocation　was　so　strong　that　my　very　wild　oats



had　to　be　sown　at　sea。　　It　was　the　exact　truth；　but　he　would　not



have　understood　the　somewhat　exceptional　psychology　of　my　sea…



going；　I　fear。







〃I　suppose　you've　never　come　across　one　of　your　countrymen　at



sea。　　Have　you　now？〃







I　admitted　I　never　had。　　The　examiner　had　given　himself　up　to　the



spirit　of　gossiping　idleness。　　For　myself；　I　was　in　no　haste　to



leave　that　room。　　Not　in　the　least。　　The