But due west, though distant a thousand miles, stretched north and south an almost endless Archipelago, here and there inhabited, but little known; and mostly unfrequented, even by whalemen, who go almost every where. Beginning at the southerly termination of this great chain, it comprises the islands loosely known as Ellice's group; then, the Kingsmill isles7; then, the Radack and Mulgrave clusters. These islands had been represented to me as mostly of coral formation, low and fertile, and abounding8 in a variety of fruits. The language of the people was said to be very similar to that or the Navigator's islands, from which, their ancestors are supposed to have emigrated.
And thus much being said, all has been related that I then knew of the islands in question. Enough, however, that they existed at all; and that our path thereto lay over a pleasant sea, and before a reliable Trade-wind. The distance, though great, was merely an extension of water; so much blankness to be sailed over; and in a craft, too, that properly managed has been known to outlive great ships in a gale11. For this much is true of a whale-boat, the cunningest thing in its way ever fabricated by man.
Upon one of the Kingsmill islands, then, I determined12 to plant my foot, come what come would. And I was equally determined that one of the ship's boats should float me thither13. But I had no idea of being without a companion. It would be a weary watch to keep all by myself, with naught14 but the horizon in sight.
Now, among the crew was a fine old seaman15, one Jarl; how old, no one could tell, not even himself. Forecastle chronology is ever vague and defective16. "Man and boy," said honest Jarl, "I have lived ever since I can remember." And truly, who may call to mind when he was not? To ourselves, we all seem coeval17 with creation. Whence it comes, that it is so hard to die, ere the world itself is departed.
Jarl hailed from the isle6 of Skye, one of the constellated Hebrides. Hence, they often called him the Skyeman. And though he was far from being piratical of soul, he was yet an old Norseman to behold18. His hands were brawny19 as the paws of a bear; his voice hoarse20 as a storm roaring round the old peak of Mull; and his long yellow hair waved round his head like a sunset. My life for it, Jarl, thy ancestors were Vikings, who many a time sailed over the salt German sea and the Baltic; who wedded21 their Brynhildas in Jutland; and are now quaffing23 mead24 in the halls of Valhalla, and beating time with their cans to the hymns25 of the Scalds. Ah! how the old Sagas26 run through me!
Yet Jarl, the descendant of heroes and kings, was a lone27, friendless mariner28 on the main, only true to his origin in the sea-life that he led. But so it has been, and forever will be. What yeoman shall swear that he is not descended29 from Alfred? what dunce, that he is not sprung of old Homer? King Noah, God bless him! fathered us all. Then hold up your heads, oh ye Helots, blood potential flows through your veins30. All of us have monarchs31 and sages33 for kinsmen34; nay35, angels and archangels for cousins; since in antediluvian36 days, the sons of God did verily wed22 with our mothers, the irresistible37 daughters of Eve. Thus all generations are blended: and heaven and earth of one kin5: the hierarchies38 of seraphs in the uttermost skies; the thrones and principalities in the zodiac; the shades that roam throughout space; the nations and families, flocks and folds of the earth; one and all, brothers in essence—oh, be we then brothers indeed! All things form but one whole; the universe a Judea, and God Jehovah its head. Then no more let us start with affright. In a theocracy41, what is to fear? Let us compose ourselves to death as fagged horsemen sleep in the saddle. Let us welcome even ghosts when they rise. Away with our stares and grimaces42. The New Zealander's tattooing43 is not a prodigy44; nor the Chinaman's ways an enigma45. No custom is strange; no creed46 is absurd; no foe47, but who will in the end prove a friend. In heaven, at last, our good, old, white-haired father Adam will greet all alike, and sociality forever prevail. Christian48 shall join hands between Gentile and Jew; grim Dante forget his Infernos49, and shake sides with fat Rabelais; and monk50 Luther, over a flagon of old nectar, talk over old times with Pope Leo. Then, shall we sit by the sages, who of yore gave laws to the Medes and Persians in the sun; by the cavalry51 captains in Perseus, who cried, "To horse!" when waked by their Last Trump52 sounding to the charge; by the old hunters, who eternities ago, hunted the moose in Orion; by the minstrels, who sang in the Milky53 Way when Jesus our Saviour54 was born. Then shall we list to no shallow gossip of Magellans and Drakes; but give ear to the voyagers who have circumnavigated the Ecliptic; who rounded the Polar Star as Cape55 Horn. Then shall the Stagirite and Kant be forgotten, and another folio than theirs be turned over for wisdom; even the folio now spread with horoscopes as yet undeciphered, the heaven of heavens on high.
Now, in old Jarl's lingo56 there was never an idiom. Your aboriginal57 tar39 is too much of a cosmopolitan58 for that. Long companionship with seamen59 of all tribes: Manilla-men, Anglo-Saxons, Cholos, Lascars, and Danes, wear away in good time all mother-tongue stammerings. You sink your clan60; down goes your nation; you speak a world's language, jovially61 jabbering62 in the Lingua-Franca of the forecastle.
True to his calling, the Skyeman was very illiterate63; witless of Salamanca, Heidelberg, or Brazen-Nose; in Delhi, had never turned over the books of the Brahmins. For geography, in which sailors should be adepts64, since they are forever turning over and over the great globe of globes, poor Jarl was deplorably lacking. According to his view of the matter, this terraqueous world had been formed in the manner of a tart40; the land being a mere9 marginal crust, within which rolled the watery65 world proper. Such seemed my good Viking's theory of cosmography. As for other worlds, he weened not of them; yet full as much as Chrysostom.
Ah, Jarl! an honest, earnest Wight; so true and simple, that the secret operations of thy soul were more inscrutable than the subtle workings of Spinoza's.
Thus much be said of the Skyeman; for he was exceedingly taciturn, and but seldom will speak for himself.
Now, higher sympathies apart, for Jarl I had a wonderful liking66; for he loved me; from the first had cleaved67 to me.
It is sometimes the case, that an old mariner like him will conceive a very strong attachment68 for some young sailor, his shipmate; an attachment so devoted69, as to be wholly inexplicable70, unless originating in that heart-loneliness which overtakes most seamen as they grow aged10; impelling71 them to fasten upon some chance object of regard. But however it was, my Viking, thy unbidden affection was the noblest homage72 ever paid me. And frankly73, I am more inclined to think well of myself, as in some way deserving thy devotion, than from the rounded compliments of more cultivated minds.
Now, at sea, and in the fellowship of sailors, all men appear as they are. No school like a ship for studying human nature. The contact of one man with another is too near and constant to favor deceit. You wear your character as loosely as your flowing trowsers. Vain all endeavors to assume qualities not yours; or to conceal75 those you possess. Incognitos76, however desirable, are out of the question. And thus aboard of all ships in which I have sailed, I have invariably been known by a sort of thawing-room title. Not,—let me hurry to say,—that I put hand in tar bucket with a squeamish air, or ascended77 the rigging with a Chesterfieldian mince78. No, no, I was never better than my vocation79; and mine have been many. I showed as brown a chest, and as hard a hand, as the tarriest tar of them all. And never did shipmate of mine upbraid80 me with a genteel disinclination to duty, though it carried me to truck of main-mast, or jib-boom-end, in the most wolfish blast that ever howled.
Whence then, this annoying appellation81? for annoying it most assuredly was. It was because of something in me that could not be hidden; stealing out in an occasional polysyllable; an otherwise incomprehensible deliberation in dining; remote, unguarded allusions82 to Belles-Lettres affairs; and other trifles superfluous83 to mention.
But suffice it to say, that it had gone abroad among the Areturion's crew, that at some indefinite period of my career, I had been a "nob." But Jarl seemed to go further. He must have taken me for one of the House of Hanover in disguise; or, haply, for bonneted84 Charles Edward the Pretender, who, like the Wandering Jew, may yet be a vagrant85. At any rate, his loyalty86 was extreme. Unsolicited, he was my laundress and tailor; a most expert one, too; and when at meal-times my turn came round to look out at the mast-head, or stand at the wheel, he catered87 for me among the "kids" in the forecastle with unwearied assiduity. Many's the good lump of "duff" for which I was indebted to my good Viking's good care of me. And like Sesostris I — was served by a monarch32. Yet in some degree the obligation was mutual88. For be it known that, in sea-parlance, we were chummies.
Now this chummying among sailors is like the brotherhood89 subsisting90 between a brace91 of collegians (chums) rooming together. It is a Fidus-Achates-ship, a league of offense92 and defense93, a copartnership of chests and toilets, a bond of love and good feeling, and a mutual championship of the absent one. True, my nautical94 reminiscenses remind me of sundry95 lazy, ne'er-do-well, unprofitable, and abominable96 chummies; chummies, who at meal times were last at the "kids," when their unfortunate partners were high upon the spars; chummies, who affected97 awkwardness at the needle, and conscientious98 scruples99 about dabbling100 in the suds; so that chummy the simple was made to do all the work of the firm, while chummy the cunning played the sleeping partner in his hammock. Out upon such chummies!
But I appeal to thee, honest Jarl, if I was ever chummy the cunning. Never mind if thou didst fabricate my tarpaulins101; and with Samaritan charity bind102 up the rents, and pour needle and thread into the frightful103 gashes104 that agonized105 my hapless nether106 integuments, which thou calledst "ducks;"—Didst thou not expressly declare, that all these things, and more, thou wouldst do for me, despite my own quaint107 thimble, fashioned from the ivory tusk108 of a whale? Nay; could I even wrest109 from thy willful hands my very shirt, when once thou hadst it steaming in an unsavory pickle110 in thy capacious vat74, a decapitated cask? Full well thou knowest, Jarl, that these things are true; and I — am bound to say it, to disclaim111 any lurking112 desire to reap advantage from thy great good nature.
Now my Viking for me, thought I, when I cast about for a comrade; and my Viking alone.
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1
attained
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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longitude
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| n.经线，经度 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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northward
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| adv.向北；n.北方的地区 | |
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kin
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| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
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isle
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| n.小岛，岛 | |
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isles
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| 岛( isle的名词复数 ) | |
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abounding
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| adj.丰富的，大量的v.大量存在，充满，富于( abound的现在分词 ) | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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gale
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| n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等） | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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naught
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| n.无，零 [=nought] | |
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seaman
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| n.海员，水手，水兵 | |
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defective
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| adj.有毛病的，有问题的，有瑕疵的 | |
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coeval
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| adj.同时代的；n.同时代的人或事物 | |
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behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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brawny
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| adj.强壮的 | |
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hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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wedded
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| adj.正式结婚的；渴望…的，执著于…的v.嫁，娶，（与…）结婚( wed的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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wed
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| v.娶，嫁，与…结婚 | |
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quaffing
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| v.痛饮( quaff的现在分词 )；畅饮；大口大口将…喝干；一饮而尽 | |
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mead
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| n.蜂蜜酒 | |
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hymns
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| n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌( hymn的名词复数 ) | |
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sagas
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| n.萨迦（尤指古代挪威或冰岛讲述冒险经历和英雄业绩的长篇故事）( saga的名词复数 )；（讲述许多年间发生的事情的）长篇故事；一连串的事件（或经历）；一连串经历的讲述（或记述） | |
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lone
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| adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的 | |
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mariner
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| n.水手号不载人航天探测器，海员，航海者 | |
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descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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monarchs
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| 君主，帝王( monarch的名词复数 ) | |
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monarch
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| n.帝王，君主，最高统治者 | |
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sages
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| n.圣人( sage的名词复数 )；智者；哲人；鼠尾草（可用作调料） | |
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kinsmen
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| n.家属，亲属( kinsman的名词复数 ) | |
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nay
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| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
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antediluvian
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| adj.史前的，陈旧的 | |
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irresistible
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| adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的 | |
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hierarchies
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| 等级制度( hierarchy的名词复数 )； 统治集团； 领导层； 层次体系 | |
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tar
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| n.柏油，焦油；vt.涂或浇柏油/焦油于 | |
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tart
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| adj.酸的；尖酸的，刻薄的；n.果馅饼；淫妇 | |
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theocracy
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| n.神权政治；僧侣政治 | |
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grimaces
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| n.（表蔑视、厌恶等）面部扭曲，鬼脸( grimace的名词复数 )v.扮鬼相，做鬼脸( grimace的第三人称单数 ) | |
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43
tattooing
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| n.刺字，文身v.刺青，文身( tattoo的现在分词 )；连续有节奏地敲击；作连续有节奏的敲击 | |
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prodigy
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| n.惊人的事物，奇迹，神童，天才，预兆 | |
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enigma
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| n.谜，谜一样的人或事 | |
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creed
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| n.信条；信念，纲领 | |
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foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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infernos
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| n.地狱( inferno的名词复数 )；很热的地方 | |
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50
monk
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| n.和尚，僧侣，修道士 | |
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cavalry
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| n.骑兵；轻装甲部队 | |
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52
trump
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| n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭 | |
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milky
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| adj.牛奶的，多奶的；乳白色的 | |
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saviour
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| n.拯救者，救星 | |
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cape
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| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
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lingo
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| n.语言不知所云，外国话，隐语 | |
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aboriginal
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| adj.（指动植物）土生的，原产地的，土著的 | |
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cosmopolitan
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| adj.世界性的，全世界的，四海为家的，全球的 | |
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seamen
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| n.海员 | |
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clan
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| n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派 | |
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jovially
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| adv.愉快地，高兴地 | |
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jabbering
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| v.急切而含混不清地说( jabber的现在分词 )；急促兴奋地说话；结结巴巴 | |
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illiterate
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| adj.文盲的；无知的；n.文盲 | |
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adepts
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| n.专家，能手( adept的名词复数 ) | |
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watery
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| adj.有水的，水汪汪的；湿的，湿润的 | |
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liking
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| n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 | |
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cleaved
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| v.劈开，剁开，割开( cleave的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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attachment
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| n.附属物，附件；依恋；依附 | |
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devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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inexplicable
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| adj.无法解释的，难理解的 | |
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71
impelling
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| adj.迫使性的，强有力的v.推动、推进或敦促某人做某事( impel的现在分词 ) | |
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homage
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| n.尊敬，敬意，崇敬 | |
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frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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vat
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| n.(=value added tax)增值税，大桶 | |
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conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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incognitos
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| n.隐姓埋名的（地），使用化名的（地），隐瞒真实身份的（地）( incognito的名词复数 ) | |
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ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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78
mince
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| n.切碎物；v.切碎，矫揉做作地说 | |
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vocation
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| n.职业，行业 | |
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upbraid
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| v.斥责，责骂，责备 | |
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appellation
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| n.名称，称呼 | |
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allusions
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| 暗指，间接提到( allusion的名词复数 ) | |
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superfluous
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| adj.过多的，过剩的，多余的 | |
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bonneted
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| 发动机前置的 | |
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vagrant
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| n.流浪者，游民；adj.流浪的，漂泊不定的 | |
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86
loyalty
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| n.忠诚，忠心 | |
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87
catered
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| 提供饮食及服务( cater的过去式和过去分词 )； 满足需要，适合 | |
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88
mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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89
brotherhood
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| n.兄弟般的关系，手中情谊 | |
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90
subsisting
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| v.（靠很少的钱或食物）维持生活，生存下去( subsist的现在分词 ) | |
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91
brace
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| n. 支柱,曲柄,大括号; v. 绷紧,顶住,(为困难或坏事)做准备 | |
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offense
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| n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪 | |
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defense
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| n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩 | |
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94
nautical
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| adj.海上的，航海的，船员的 | |
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95
sundry
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| adj.各式各样的，种种的 | |
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96
abominable
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| adj.可厌的，令人憎恶的 | |
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97
affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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98
conscientious
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| adj.审慎正直的，认真的，本着良心的 | |
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99
scruples
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| n.良心上的不安( scruple的名词复数 )；顾虑，顾忌v.感到于心不安，有顾忌( scruple的第三人称单数 ) | |
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100
dabbling
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| v.涉猎( dabble的现在分词 )；涉足；浅尝；少量投资 | |
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101
tarpaulins
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| n.防水帆布，防水帆布罩( tarpaulin的名词复数 ) | |
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102
bind
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| vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬 | |
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103
frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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104
gashes
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| n.深长的切口（或伤口）( gash的名词复数 )v.划伤，割破( gash的第三人称单数 ) | |
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105
agonized
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| v.使（极度）痛苦，折磨( agonize的过去式和过去分词 )；苦斗；苦苦思索；感到极度痛苦 | |
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106
nether
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| adj.下部的，下面的；n.阴间；下层社会 | |
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107
quaint
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| adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的 | |
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108
tusk
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| n.獠牙，长牙，象牙 | |
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109
wrest
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| n.扭，拧，猛夺；v.夺取，猛扭，歪曲 | |
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110
pickle
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| n.腌汁，泡菜；v.腌，泡 | |
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111
disclaim
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| v.放弃权利，拒绝承认 | |
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112
lurking
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| 潜在 | |
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