But, alas3! those skirts were lamentably4 scanty5; and though, with its quiltings, the jacket was stuffed out about the breasts like a Christmas turkey, and of a dry cold day kept the wearer warm enough in that vicinity, yet about the loins it was shorter than ballet-dancer's skirts; so that while my chest was in the temperate6 zone close adjoining the torrid, my hapless thighs7 were in Nova Zembla, hardly an icicle's toss from the Pole.
Then, again, the repeated soakings and dryings it had undergone, had by this time made it shrink woefully all over, especially in the arms, so that the wristbands had gradually crawled up near to the elbows; and it required an energetic thrust to push the arm through, in drawing the jacket on.
I endeavoured to amend8 these misfortunes by sewing a sort of canvas ruffle9 round the skirts, by way of a continuation or supplement to the original work, and by doing the same with the wristbands.
This is the time for oil-skin suits, dread-naughts, tarred trowsers and overalls10, sea-boots, comforters, mittens11, woollen socks, Guernsey frocks, Havre shirts, buffalo-robe shirts, and moose-skin drawers. Every man's jacket is his wigwam, and every man's hat his caboose.
Perfect license12 is now permitted to the men respecting their clothing. Whatever they can rake and scrape together they put on—swaddling themselves in old sails, and drawing old socks over their heads for night-caps. This is the time for smiting13 your chest with your hand, and talking loud to keep up the circulation.
Colder, and colder, and colder, till at last we spoke14 a fleet of icebergs15 bound North. After that, it was one incessant16 "cold snap," that almost snapped off our fingers and toes. Cold! It was cold as Blue Flujin, where sailors say fire freezes.
And now coming up with the latitude17 of the Cape, we stood southward to give it a wide berth18, and while so doing were becalmed; ay, becalmed off Cape Horn, which is worse, far worse, than being becalmed on the Line.
Here we lay forty-eight hours, during which the cold was intense. I wondered at the liquid sea, which refused to freeze in such a temperature. The clear, cold sky overhead looked like a steel-blue cymbal19, that might ring, could you smite20 it. Our breath came and went like puffs21' of smoke from pipe-bowls. At first there was a long gauky swell22, that obliged us to furl most of the sails, and even send down t'-gallant-yards, for fear of pitching them overboard.
Out of sight of land, at this extremity24 of both the inhabitable and uninhabitable world, our peopled frigate25, echoing with the voices of men, the bleating26 of lambs, the cackling of fowls27, the gruntings of pigs, seemed like Noah's old ark itself, becalmed at the climax28 of the Deluge29.
There was nothing to be done but patiently to await the pleasure of the elements, and "whistle for a wind," the usual practice of seamen30 in a calm. No fire was allowed, except for the indispensable purpose of cooking, and heating bottles of water to toast Selvagee's feet. He who possessed31 the largest stock of vitality32, stood the best chance to escape freezing. It was horrifying33. In such weather any man could have undergone amputation34 with great ease, and helped take up the arteries35 himself.
Indeed, this state of affairs had not lasted quite twenty-four hours, when the extreme frigidity36 of the air, united to our increased tendency to inactivity, would very soon have rendered some of us subjects for the surgeon and his mates, had not a humane37 proceeding38 of the Captain suddenly impelled40 us to vigorous exercise.
And here be it said, that the appearance of the Boat-swain, with his silver whistle to his mouth, at the main hatchway of the gun-deck, is always regarded by the crew with the utmost curiosity, for this betokens41 that some general order is about to be promulgated42 through the ship. What now? is the question that runs on from man to man. A short preliminary whistle is then given by "Old Yarn43," as they call him, which whistle serves to collect round him, from their various stations, his four mates. Then Yarn, or Pipes, as leader of the orchestra, begins a peculiar44 call, in which his assistants join. This over, the order, whatever it may be, is loudly sung out and prolonged, till the remotest corner echoes again. The Boatswain and his mates are the town-criers of a man-of-war.
The calm had commenced in the afternoon: and the following morning the ship's company were electrified45 by a general order, thus set forth46 and declared: "D'ye hear there, for and aft! all hands skylark!"
This mandate47, nowadays never used except upon very rare occasions, produced the same effect upon the men that Exhilarating Gas would have done, or an extra allowance of "grog." For a time, the wonted discipline of the ship was broken through, and perfect license allowed. It was a Babel here, a Bedlam48 there, and a Pandemonium49 everywhere. The Theatricals50 were nothing compared with it. Then the faint-hearted and timorous51 crawled to their hiding-places, and the lusty and bold shouted forth their glee.
Gangs of men, in all sorts of outlandish habiliments, wild as those worn at some crazy carnival52, rushed to and fro, seizing upon whomsoever they pleased—warrant-officers and dangerous pugilists excepted—pulling and hauling the luckless tars53 about, till fairly baited into a genial54 warmth. Some were made fast to and hoisted55 aloft with a will: others, mounted upon oars56, were ridden fore57 and aft on a rail, to the boisterous58 mirth of the spectators, any one of whom might be the next victim. Swings were rigged from the tops, or the masts; and the most reluctant wights being purposely selected, spite of all struggles, were swung from East to West, in vast arcs of circles, till almost breathless. Hornpipes, fandangoes, Donnybrook-jigs, reels, and quadrilles, were danced under the very nose of the most mighty59 captain, and upon the very quarter-deck and poop. Sparring and wrestling, too, were all the vogue61; Kentucky bites were given, and the Indian hug exchanged. The din39 frightened the sea-fowl, that flew by with accelerated wing.
It is worth mentioning that several casualties occurred, of which, however, I will relate but one. While the "sky-larking" was at its height, one of the fore-top-men—an ugly-tempered devil of a Portuguese62, looking on—swore that he would be the death of any man who laid violent hands upon his inviolable person. This threat being overheard, a band of desperadoes, coming up from behind, tripped him up in an instant, and in the twinkling of an eye the Portuguese was straddling an oar23, borne aloft by an uproarious multitude, who rushed him along the deck at a railroad gallop63. The living mass of arms all round and beneath him was so dense64, that every time he inclined one side he was instantly pushed upright, but only to fall over again, to receive another push from the contrary direction. Presently, disengaging his hands from those who held them, the enraged65 seaman66 drew from his bosom67 an iron belaying-pin, and recklessly laid about him to right and left. Most of his persecutors fled; but some eight or ten still stood their ground, and, while bearing him aloft, endeavoured to wrest60 the weapon from his hands. In this attempt, one man was struck on the head, and dropped insensible. He was taken up for dead, and carried below to Cuticle68, the surgeon, while the Portuguese was put under guard. But the wound did not prove very serious; and in a few days the man was walking about the deck, with his head well bandaged.
This occurrence put an end to the "skylarking," further head-breaking being strictly69 prohibited. In due time the Portuguese paid the penalty of his rashness at the gangway; while once again the officers shipped their quarter-deck faces.
点击收听单词发音
1 cape | |
n.海角,岬;披肩,短披风 | |
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2 immortal | |
adj.不朽的;永生的,不死的;神的 | |
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3 alas | |
int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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4 lamentably | |
adv.哀伤地,拙劣地 | |
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5 scanty | |
adj.缺乏的,仅有的,节省的,狭小的,不够的 | |
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6 temperate | |
adj.温和的,温带的,自我克制的,不过分的 | |
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7 thighs | |
n.股,大腿( thigh的名词复数 );食用的鸡(等的)腿 | |
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8 amend | |
vt.修改,修订,改进;n.[pl.]赔罪,赔偿 | |
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9 ruffle | |
v.弄皱,弄乱;激怒,扰乱;n.褶裥饰边 | |
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10 overalls | |
n.(复)工装裤;长罩衣 | |
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11 mittens | |
不分指手套 | |
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12 license | |
n.执照,许可证,特许;v.许可,特许 | |
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13 smiting | |
v.猛打,重击,打击( smite的现在分词 ) | |
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14 spoke | |
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说 | |
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15 icebergs | |
n.冰山,流冰( iceberg的名词复数 ) | |
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16 incessant | |
adj.不停的,连续的 | |
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17 latitude | |
n.纬度,行动或言论的自由(范围),(pl.)地区 | |
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18 berth | |
n.卧铺,停泊地,锚位;v.使停泊 | |
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19 cymbal | |
n.铙钹 | |
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20 smite | |
v.重击;彻底击败;n.打;尝试;一点儿 | |
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21 puffs | |
n.吸( puff的名词复数 );(烟斗或香烟的)一吸;一缕(烟、蒸汽等);(呼吸或风的)呼v.使喷出( puff的第三人称单数 );喷着汽(或烟)移动;吹嘘;吹捧 | |
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22 swell | |
vi.膨胀,肿胀;增长,增强 | |
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23 oar | |
n.桨,橹,划手;v.划行 | |
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24 extremity | |
n.末端,尽头;尽力;终极;极度 | |
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25 frigate | |
n.护航舰,大型驱逐舰 | |
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26 bleating | |
v.(羊,小牛)叫( bleat的现在分词 );哭诉;发出羊叫似的声音;轻声诉说 | |
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27 fowls | |
鸟( fowl的名词复数 ); 禽肉; 既不是这; 非驴非马 | |
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28 climax | |
n.顶点;高潮;v.(使)达到顶点 | |
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29 deluge | |
n./vt.洪水,暴雨,使泛滥 | |
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30 seamen | |
n.海员 | |
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31 possessed | |
adj.疯狂的;拥有的,占有的 | |
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32 vitality | |
n.活力,生命力,效力 | |
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33 horrifying | |
a.令人震惊的,使人毛骨悚然的 | |
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34 amputation | |
n.截肢 | |
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35 arteries | |
n.动脉( artery的名词复数 );干线,要道 | |
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36 frigidity | |
n.寒冷;冷淡;索然无味;(尤指妇女的)性感缺失 | |
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37 humane | |
adj.人道的,富有同情心的 | |
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38 proceeding | |
n.行动,进行,(pl.)会议录,学报 | |
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39 din | |
n.喧闹声,嘈杂声 | |
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40 impelled | |
v.推动、推进或敦促某人做某事( impel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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41 betokens | |
v.预示,表示( betoken的第三人称单数 ) | |
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42 promulgated | |
v.宣扬(某事物)( promulgate的过去式和过去分词 );传播;公布;颁布(法令、新法律等) | |
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43 yarn | |
n.纱,纱线,纺线;奇闻漫谈,旅行轶事 | |
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44 peculiar | |
adj.古怪的,异常的;特殊的,特有的 | |
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45 electrified | |
v.使电气化( electrify的过去式和过去分词 );使兴奋 | |
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46 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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47 mandate | |
n.托管地;命令,指示 | |
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48 bedlam | |
n.混乱,骚乱;疯人院 | |
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49 pandemonium | |
n.喧嚣,大混乱 | |
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50 theatricals | |
n.(业余性的)戏剧演出,舞台表演艺术;职业演员;戏剧的( theatrical的名词复数 );剧场的;炫耀的;戏剧性的 | |
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51 timorous | |
adj.胆怯的,胆小的 | |
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52 carnival | |
n.嘉年华会,狂欢,狂欢节,巡回表演 | |
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53 tars | |
焦油,沥青,柏油( tar的名词复数 ) | |
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54 genial | |
adj.亲切的,和蔼的,愉快的,脾气好的 | |
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55 hoisted | |
把…吊起,升起( hoist的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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56 oars | |
n.桨,橹( oar的名词复数 );划手v.划(行)( oar的第三人称单数 ) | |
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57 fore | |
adv.在前面;adj.先前的;在前部的;n.前部 | |
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58 boisterous | |
adj.喧闹的,欢闹的 | |
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59 mighty | |
adj.强有力的;巨大的 | |
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60 wrest | |
n.扭,拧,猛夺;v.夺取,猛扭,歪曲 | |
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61 Vogue | |
n.时髦,时尚;adj.流行的 | |
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62 Portuguese | |
n.葡萄牙人;葡萄牙语 | |
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63 gallop | |
v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔;飞速发展 | |
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64 dense | |
a.密集的,稠密的,浓密的;密度大的 | |
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65 enraged | |
使暴怒( enrage的过去式和过去分词 ); 歜; 激愤 | |
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66 seaman | |
n.海员,水手,水兵 | |
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67 bosom | |
n.胸,胸部;胸怀;内心;adj.亲密的 | |
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68 cuticle | |
n.表皮 | |
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69 strictly | |
adv.严厉地,严格地;严密地 | |
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