The erection was of solid construction, lighted by six brass-rimmed scuttles4. The door, opening aft, was affording support to a couple of pale-faced, weedy-looking youths, who, on seeing Mostyn appear, made no attempt to shift their position, not even to the extent of removing their hands from their pockets.
The Wireless Officer realized at once who these lads were. Already he had had his suspicions on the point. The fact that he had received no intimation of the presence of a junior wireless operator rather prepared him for the discovery.
"What are you doing here?" he demanded.
The taller of the two boys glanced at his companion as if urging him to reply. Receiving no encouragement from that direction he gazed vacantly into space.
"Bloke dahn there told us to 'ang on 'ere," he announced, in the sing-song voice of a city-bred, elementary schoolboy.
"We're Watchers," added his companion.
"Oh, are you?" rejoined Peter. "Then please to remember that when you are spoken to by an officer you will address him as 'sir'."
Mostyn was not snobbish—far from it, but the attitude and tone of the pair went against the grain. It was the first time that he had found himself "up against" the genus Watcher, and the impression served to support the adverse5 reports he had heard of the general incompetence6 and uselessness of the class.
"Watchers" were the outcome of an ill-advised step on the part of shipowners towards economy. A second-class ship, such as the West Barbican, might carry either two trained and Government-certificated operators—men who were qualified7 in both the practical and technical side of radiography—or she might carry one operator and two Watchers.
The latter were simply and solely8 unskilled youths who were sent on board ship to "listen-in" for wireless messages. They took turns in putting on the telephones and waiting for wireless calls. All they could do—or were expected to do—was to recognize two call signals: the SOS and TTT, the latter an urgent general signal of lesser9 importance than the well-known call for aid. To the Watchers the Morse Code was a sealed book. Their occupation was of a blind-alley nature. They could hardly hope to qualify as operators, lacking the aptitude10, intelligence, and opportunities for gaining their wireless ticket. In short, they were a cheap product whereby their employers sought to cut down expenses by dispensing11 with one of two wireless officers, regardless of the grave risk that an error on the part of these half-baked dabblers in radiography might endanger the ship.
As a class, too, they were resented by the wireless staff proper. Not only would the employment of Watchers tend to diminish the numbers of pukka wireless officers serving afloat; but the wireless officer on a ship carrying Watchers would be always on duty although not actually in the cabin. Instead of taking "tricks" with his "opposite number" he would be liable to be summoned by the Watchers on duty at any hour of the day or night, simply because his assistant could not, and would not be allowed to, receive or send out messages.
"Is this your first voyage?" asked Peter, addressing the taller Watcher.
"Yes," was the reply.
"Yes, what?" demanded Mostyn sharply.
"Yes, sir."
"That's better," continued Peter, as he unlocked the door, the two lads having summoned up enough physical energy to stand aside. "What's your name?"
"Partridge,"—pause—"sir."
"And yours?"
"Plover12, sir."
"Weird13 birds," soliloquized Mostyn; "but perhaps they'll lick into shape."
His first impression of the interior of the cabin was not a good one. The West Barbican had been laid up for nearly four months, and, although her late Sparks had conscientiously14 carried out his written instructions as to the precautions to be taken when "packing up", the prolonged period of idleness had not improved the appearance of the apparatus15. In spite of a liberal coating of vaseline the brasswork was mottled with verdigris16; moisture covered the ebonite and vulcanite keys; the roof had been leaking, the course of the water being indicated by a trail of iron rust17 upon the white paint.
Dust covered everything, while the absence of fresh air, owing to the scuttles having been secured for months, was distressingly18 noticeable.
"Phew! What a reek19!" exclaimed Peter, stepping backwards20 into the open and nearly colliding with the impassive Mahmed.
"Char21, sahib."
Mostyn gulped22 down the hot beverage23, and literally24 girded up his loins for direct action.
"Nip below," he ordered, addressing the still torpid25 Partridge. "Get hold of a bucket of hot water, a squeegee, and some swabs. Look lively, Plover; get busy with those scuttles. Open all of them. Scuttles, man; those round glass windows, if you like."
Watcher Plover tackled his allotted26 task with a zest27 that rather surprised his superior officer, but it was not until five minutes later that Peter found the Watcher trying to unbolt the brass rims28 instead of unthreading the locking screw.
"Belay there," exclaimed Mostyn. "Don't take the whole of the cabin down. Let me show——"
His words were interrupted by a metallic29 clatter30 followed by sounds of falling water. Watcher Partridge's hob-nailed boots had slipped on the brass treads of the ladder, and he had finished up ingloriously upon the deck, sprawling31 upon his back in a puddle32 of coal-grimed water.
While the unlucky Partridge was making a prolonged change and refit, Mostyn with his other assistant tackled the demon33 dirt in his lair34. Not until the dust was removed and the paint-work and floor well scrubbed and dried did Peter begin to overhaul35 the "set".
The dull daylight faded and gave place to night, but still the indefatigable36 wireless operator carried on, until the bell summoning the officers to dinner warned him that it was time to knock off.
"Not so bad," he conceded modestly, as he surveyed the array of glittering brasswork and polished vulcanite. "I'll leave the actual tuning37 up and testing till to-morrow. Buzz off, you fellows. You won't be wanted until two bells in the forenoon watch."
Locking the door, Mostyn made his way to his own quarters. His cabin was of the usual double-berth type, one bunk38 being superimposed immediately above the other. In this instance he was the sole occupant of the cabin, and rather grimly he commented upon the saying that it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good. Had he not been called upon to endure Messrs. Partridge and Plover, he would have had to the share cramped39 quarters with another wireless officer.
In the adjoining cabins the jaded40 occupants were busily engaged in removing the traces left by their arduous41 labours. The coaling operation had been completed. The bunkers had been trimmed, decks washed down, and the hideous42 but necessary coaling-screens stowed away. Yet the ship reeked43 of coal-dust. The alleyways seemed stiff with it. It penetrated44 even into the locked and carefully curtained cabins and saloons.
On board the S.S. West Barbican there was nothing in the way of formal introduction. A newly joined officer simply "blew in" and made himself at home. When off duty the fellows were more like a pack of jolly schoolboys than men on whose shoulders rested a tremendous weight of responsibility. They accepted a newcomer as one of themselves, and, unless he were an out-and-out bounder, soon set him entirely45 at his ease.
In vain Peter scanned the features of his new shipmates in the hope of recognizing a familiar face. For the most part the officers had been on board for lengthy46 periods, the interval47 of idleness notwithstanding. They were a conservative crowd in the Blue Crescent Line, and, since Mostyn had served on vessels48 plying49 between Vancouver, Japan, and China, he was not surprised, although disappointed, to find that his hopes were not realized.
"Have we got our orders yet?" inquired the Chief Engineer, addressing the Acting50 Chief Officer, who, in the absence of the skipper, was sitting at the head of the long table.
"Yes," replied Preston. "We're off to a place called Brocklington, on the East Coast, to pick up the bulk of our cargo—steelwork, worse luck. Next to iron ore I know of nothing worse. It'll make the old hooker roll like a barrel. After that we return to Gravesend on Monday, pick up our passengers, and then away down Channel. Let's hope we don't see London River again until shipping51 looks up considerably52. I've had enough of kicking my heels on the beach, and I guess you have too. Once we go East the owners aren't likely to send us home in ballast."
"Dull times these, especially after the war," remarked Anstey, the Third Officer. "Even those pirate stunts53 in the Atlantic and Pacific are a wash-out."
"Which reminds me," added Preston, indicating the modest Mostyn. "Our Sparks here was in the Donibristle when that Porfirio blighter collared her. For first-hand information apply to our young friend here."
So Peter had to relate briefly54 the hazardous55 adventures of the crew of his former ship, after they had been taken into captivity56 by the swashbuckling pirate Ramon Porfirio. Before the evening was over he felt as if he had known his new messmates for ages.
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1
brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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inscribed
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| v.写，刻( inscribe的过去式和过去分词 )；内接 | |
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wireless
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| adj.无线的；n.无线电 | |
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scuttles
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| n.天窗( scuttle的名词复数 )v.使船沉没( scuttle的第三人称单数 )；快跑，急走 | |
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adverse
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| adj.不利的；有害的；敌对的，不友好的 | |
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incompetence
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| n.不胜任，不称职 | |
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qualified
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| adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的 | |
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solely
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| adv.仅仅，唯一地 | |
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lesser
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| adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地 | |
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aptitude
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| n.(学习方面的)才能，资质，天资 | |
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dispensing
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| v.分配( dispense的现在分词 )；施与；配（药） | |
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plover
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| n.珩，珩科鸟，千鸟 | |
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weird
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| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
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conscientiously
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| adv.凭良心地；认真地，负责尽职地；老老实实 | |
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apparatus
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| n.装置，器械；器具，设备 | |
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verdigris
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| n.铜锈；铜绿 | |
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rust
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| n.锈；v.生锈；(脑子)衰退 | |
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distressingly
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| adv. 令人苦恼地；悲惨地 | |
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reek
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| v.发出臭气；n.恶臭 | |
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backwards
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| adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地 | |
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char
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| v.烧焦；使...燃烧成焦炭 | |
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gulped
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| v.狼吞虎咽地吃，吞咽( gulp的过去式和过去分词 )；大口地吸（气）；哽住 | |
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beverage
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| n.(水，酒等之外的)饮料 | |
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literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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torpid
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| adj.麻痹的，麻木的，迟钝的 | |
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allotted
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| 分配，拨给，摊派( allot的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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zest
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| n.乐趣；滋味，风味；兴趣 | |
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rims
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| n.（圆形物体的）边( rim的名词复数 )；缘；轮辋；轮圈 | |
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29
metallic
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| adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的 | |
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clatter
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| v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声 | |
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sprawling
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| adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
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puddle
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| n.(雨)水坑，泥潭 | |
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demon
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| n.魔鬼，恶魔 | |
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lair
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| n.野兽的巢穴；躲藏处 | |
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overhaul
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| v./n.大修，仔细检查 | |
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indefatigable
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| adj.不知疲倦的，不屈不挠的 | |
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tuning
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| n.调谐，调整，调音v.调音( tune的现在分词 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调 | |
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bunk
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| n.(车、船等倚壁而设的)铺位；废话 | |
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cramped
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| a.狭窄的 | |
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jaded
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| adj.精疲力竭的；厌倦的；（因过饱或过多而）腻烦的；迟钝的 | |
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41
arduous
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| adj.艰苦的，费力的，陡峭的 | |
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hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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43
reeked
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| v.发出浓烈的臭气( reek的过去式和过去分词 )；散发臭气；发出难闻的气味 (of sth)；明显带有（令人不快或生疑的跡象） | |
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44
penetrated
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| adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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45
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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lengthy
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| adj.漫长的，冗长的 | |
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interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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48
vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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49
plying
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| v.使用（工具）( ply的现在分词 )；经常供应（食物、饮料）；固定往来；经营生意 | |
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50
acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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51
shipping
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| n.船运（发货，运输，乘船） | |
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52
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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53
stunts
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| n.惊人的表演( stunt的名词复数 )；（广告中）引人注目的花招；愚蠢行为；危险举动v.阻碍…发育[生长]，抑制，妨碍( stunt的第三人称单数 ) | |
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54
briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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55
hazardous
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| adj.(有)危险的，冒险的；碰运气的 | |
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56
captivity
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| n.囚禁；被俘；束缚 | |
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