Toward morning, finding the heat of the forecastle unpleasant, I ascended2 to the deck where everything was noiseless. The Trades were blowing with a mild, steady strain upon the canvas, and the ship heading right out into the immense blank of the Western Pacific. The watch were asleep. With one foot resting on the rudder, even the man at the helm nodded, and the mate himself, with arms folded, was leaning against the capstan.
On such a night, and all alone, reverie was inevitable3. I leaned over the side, and could not help thinking of the strange objects we might be sailing over.
But my meditations4 were soon interrupted by a gray, spectral5 shadow cast over the heaving billows. It was the dawn, soon followed by the first rays of the morning. They flashed into view at one end of the arched night, like—to compare great things with small—the gleamings of Guy Fawkes's lantern in the vaults6 of the Parliament House. Before long, what seemed a live ember rested for a moment on the rim7 of the ocean, and at last the blood-red sun stood full and round in the level East, and the long sea-day began.
Breakfast over, the first thing attended to was the formal baptism of Wymontoo, who, after thinking over his affairs during the night, looked dismal8 enough.
There were various opinions as to a suitable appellation9. Some maintained that we ought to call him "Sunday," that being the day we caught him; others, "Eighteen Forty-two," the then year of our Lord; while Doctor Long Ghost remarked that he ought, by all means, to retain his original name,—Wymontoo-Hee, meaning (as he maintained), in the figurative language of the island, something analogous10 to one who had got himself into a scrape. The mate put an end to the discussion by sousing the poor fellow with a bucket of salt water, and bestowing11 upon him the nautical12 appellation of "Luff."
Though a certain mirthfulness succeeded his first pangs13 at leaving home, Wymontoo—we will call him thus—gradually relapsed into his former mood, and became very melancholy14. Often I noticed him crouching15 apart in the forecastle, his strange eyes gleaming restlessly, and watching the slightest movement of the men. Many a time he must have been thinking of his bamboo hut, when they were talking of Sydney and its dance-houses.
We were now fairly at sea, though to what particular cruising-ground we were going, no one knew; and, to all appearances, few cared. The men, after a fashion of their own, began to settle down into the routine of sea-life, as if everything was going on prosperously. Blown along over a smooth sea, there was nothing to do but steer16 the ship, and relieve the "look-outs" at the mast-heads. As for the sick, they had two or three more added to their number—the air of the island having disagreed with the constitutions of several of the runaways17. To crown all, the captain again relapsed, and became quite ill.
The men fit for duty were divided into two small watches, headed respectively by the mate and the Mowree; the latter by virtue18 of his being a harpooner19, succeeding to the place of the second mate, who had absconded20.
In this state of things whaling was out of the question; but in the face of everything, Jermin maintained that the invalids21 would soon be well. However that might be, with the same pale Hue22 sky overhead, we kept running steadily23 to the westward24. Forever advancing, we seemed always in the same place, and every day was the former lived over again. We saw no ships, expected to see none. No sign of life was perceptible but the porpoises25 and other fish sporting under the bows like pups ashore26. But, at intervals27, the gray albatross, peculiar28 to these seas, came flapping his immense wings over us, and then skimmed away silently as if from a plague-ship. Or flights of the tropic bird, known among seamen29 as the "boatswain," wheeled round and round us, whistling shrilly30 as they flew.
The uncertainty31 hanging over our destination at this time, and the fact that we were abroad upon waters comparatively little traversed, lent an interest to this portion of the cruise which I shall never forget.
From obvious prudential considerations the Pacific has been principally sailed over in known tracts32, and this is the reason why new islands are still occasionally discovered by exploring ships and adventurous33 whalers notwithstanding the great number of vessels35 of all kinds of late navigating36 this vast ocean. Indeed, considerable portions still remain wholly unexplored; and there is doubt as to the actual existence of certain shoals, and reefs, and small clusters of islands vaguely37 laid down in the charts. The mere38 circumstance, therefore, of a ship like ours penetrating39 into these regions, was sufficient to cause any reflecting mind to feel at least a little uneasy. For my own part, the many stories I had heard of ships striking at midnight upon unknown rocks, with all sail set, and a slumbering40 crew, often recurred41 to me, especially, as from the absence of discipline, and our being so shorthanded, the watches at night were careless in the extreme.
But no thoughts like these were entertained by my reckless shipmates; and along we went, the sun every evening setting right ahead of our jib boom.
For what reason the mate was so reserved with regard to our precise destination was never made known. The stories he told us, I, for one, did not believe; deeming them all a mere device to lull42 the crew.
He said we were bound to a fine cruising ground, scarcely known to other whalemen, which he had himself discovered when commanding a small brig upon a former voyage. Here, the sea was alive with large whales, so tame that all you had to do was to go up and kill them: they were too frightened to resist. A little to leeward43 of this was a small cluster of islands, where we were going to refit, abounding44 with delicious fruits, and peopled by a race almost wholly unsophisticated by intercourse45 with strangers.
In order, perhaps, to guard against the possibility of anyone finding out the precise latitude46 and longitude47 of the spot we were going to, Jermin never revealed to us the ship's place at noon, though such is the custom aboard of most vessels.
Meanwhile, he was very assiduous in his attention to the invalids. Doctor Long Ghost having given up the keys of the medicine-chest, they were handed over to him; and, as physician, he discharged his duties to the satisfaction of all. Pills and powders, in most cases, were thrown to the fish, and in place thereof, the contents of a mysterious little quarter cask were produced, diluted48 with water from the "butt49." His draughts50 were mixed on the capstan, in cocoa-nut shells marked with the patients' names. Like shore doctors, he did not eschew51 his own medicines, for his professional calls in the forecastle were sometimes made when he was comfortably tipsy: nor did he omit keeping his invalids in good-humour, spinning his yarns52 to them, by the hour, whenever he went to see them.
Owing to my lameness53, from which I soon began to recover, I did no active duty, except standing34 an occasional "trick" at the helm. It was in the forecastle chiefly, that I spent my time, in company with the Long Doctor, who was at great pains to make himself agreeable. His books, though sadly torn and tattered54, were an invaluable55 resource. I read them through again and again, including a learned treatise56 on the yellow fever. In addition to these, he had an old file of Sydney papers, and I soon became intimately acquainted with the localities of all the advertising57 tradesmen there. In particular, the rhetorical flourishes of Stubbs, the real-estate auctioneer, diverted me exceedingly, and I set him down as no other than a pupil of Robins58 the Londoner.
Aside from the pleasure of his society, my intimacy59 with Long Ghost was of great service to me in other respects. His disgrace in the cabin only confirmed the good-will of the democracy in the forecastle; and they not only treated him in the most friendly manner, but looked up to him with the utmost deference60, besides laughing heartily61 at all his jokes. As his chosen associate, this feeling for him extended to me, and gradually we came to be regarded in the light of distinguished62 guests. At meal-times we were always first served, and otherwise were treated with much respect.
Among other devices to kill time, during the frequent calms, Long Ghost hit upon the game of chess. With a jack-knife, we carved the pieces quite tastefully out of bits of wood, and our board was the middle of a chest-lid, chalked into squares, which, in playing, we straddled at either end. Having no other suitable way of distinguishing the sets, I marked mine by tying round them little scarfs of black silk, torn from an old neck-handkerchief. Putting them in mourning this way, the doctor said, was quite appropriate, seeing that they had reason to feel sad three games out of four. Of chess, the men never could make head nor tail; indeed, their wonder rose to such a pitch that they at last regarded the mysterious movements of the game with something more than perplexity; and after puzzling over them through several long engagements, they came to the conclusion that we must be a couple of necromancers.
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1
starry
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| adj.星光照耀的, 闪亮的 | |
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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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inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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meditations
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| 默想( meditation的名词复数 )； 默念； 沉思； 冥想 | |
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spectral
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| adj.幽灵的，鬼魂的 | |
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vaults
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| n.拱顶( vault的名词复数 )；地下室；撑物跳高；墓穴 | |
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rim
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| n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界 | |
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dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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appellation
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| n.名称，称呼 | |
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analogous
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| adj.相似的；类似的 | |
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bestowing
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| 砖窑中砖堆上层已烧透的砖 | |
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nautical
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| adj.海上的，航海的，船员的 | |
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pangs
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| 突然的剧痛( pang的名词复数 )； 悲痛 | |
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melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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steer
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| vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶 | |
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runaways
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| （轻而易举的）胜利( runaway的名词复数 ) | |
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virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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harpooner
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absconded
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| v.（尤指逃避逮捕）潜逃，逃跑( abscond的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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invalids
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| 病人，残疾者( invalid的名词复数 ) | |
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hue
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| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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westward
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| n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西 | |
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porpoises
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| n.鼠海豚( porpoise的名词复数 ) | |
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ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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seamen
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| n.海员 | |
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shrilly
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| 尖声的； 光亮的，耀眼的 | |
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uncertainty
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| n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物 | |
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tracts
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| 大片土地( tract的名词复数 )； 地带； （体内的）道； （尤指宣扬宗教、伦理或政治的）短文 | |
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adventurous
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| adj.爱冒险的；惊心动魄的，惊险的，刺激的 | |
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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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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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navigating
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| v.给（船舶、飞机等）引航，导航( navigate的现在分词 )；（从海上、空中等）横越；横渡；飞跃 | |
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vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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39
penetrating
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| adj.（声音）响亮的，尖锐的adj.（气味）刺激的adj.（思想）敏锐的，有洞察力的 | |
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40
slumbering
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| 微睡，睡眠（slumber的现在分词形式） | |
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recurred
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| 再发生，复发( recur的过去式和过去分词 )； 治愈 | |
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42
lull
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| v.使安静，使入睡，缓和，哄骗；n.暂停，间歇 | |
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43
leeward
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| adj.背风的；下风的 | |
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44
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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45
intercourse
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| n.性交；交流，交往，交际 | |
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46
latitude
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| n.纬度，行动或言论的自由(范围)，(pl.)地区 | |
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longitude
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| n.经线，经度 | |
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48
diluted
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| 无力的，冲淡的 | |
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butt
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| n.笑柄；烟蒂；枪托；臀部；v.用头撞或顶 | |
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50
draughts
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| n. <英>国际跳棋 | |
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51
eschew
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| v.避开，戒绝 | |
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52
yarns
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| n.纱( yarn的名词复数 )；纱线；奇闻漫谈；旅行轶事 | |
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53
lameness
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| n. 跛, 瘸, 残废 | |
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54
tattered
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| adj.破旧的，衣衫破的 | |
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55
invaluable
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| adj.无价的，非常宝贵的，极为贵重的 | |
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56
treatise
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| n.专著；(专题)论文 | |
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advertising
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| n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的 | |
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58
robins
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| n.知更鸟，鸫( robin的名词复数 )；（签名者不分先后，以避免受责的）圆形签名抗议书（或请愿书） | |
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59
intimacy
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| n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行 | |
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deference
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| n.尊重，顺从；敬意 | |
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heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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