In time of peril3, like the needle to the loadstone, obedience4, irrespective of rank, generally flies to him who is best fitted to command. The truth of this seemed evinced in the case of Mad Jack, during the gale5, and especially at that perilous6 moment when he countermanded7 the Captain's order at the helm. But every seaman8 knew, at the time, that the Captain's order was an unwise one in the extreme; perhaps worse than unwise.
These two orders given, by the Captain and his Lieutenant9, exactly contrasted their characters. By putting the helm hard up, the Captain was for scudding10; that is, for flying away from the gale. Whereas, Mad Jack was for running the ship into its teeth. It is needless to say that, in almost all cases of similar hard squalls and gales11, the latter step, though attended with more appalling12 appearances is, in reality, the safer of the two, and the most generally adopted.
Scudding makes you a slave to the blast, which drives you headlong before it; but running up into the wind's eye enables you, in a degree, to hold it at bay. Scudding exposes to the gale your stern, the weakest part of your hull13; the contrary course presents to it your bows, your strongest part. As with ships, so with men; he who turns his back to his foe14 gives him an advantage. Whereas, our ribbed chests, like the ribbed bows of a frigate15, are as bulkheads to dam off an onset16.
That night, off the pitch of the Cape17, Captain Claret was hurried forth18 from his disguises, and, at a manhood-testing conjuncture, appeared in his true colours. A thing which every man in the ship had long suspected that night was proved true. Hitherto, in going about the ship, and casting his glances among the men, the peculiarly lustreless19 repose20 of the Captain's eye—his slow, even, unnecessarily methodical step, and the forced firmness of his whole demeanour—though, to a casual observer, expressive21 of the consciousness of command and a desire to strike subjection among the crew—all this, to some minds, had only been deemed indications of the fact that Captain Claret, while carefully shunning22 positive excesses, continually kept himself in an uncertain equilibrio between soberness and its reverse; which equilibrio might be destroyed by the first sharp vicissitude23 of events.
And though this is only a surmise24, nevertheless, as having some knowledge of brandy and mankind, White-Jacket will venture to state that, had Captain Claret been an out-and-out temperance man, he would never have given that most imprudent order to hard up the helm. He would either have held his peace, and stayed in his cabin, like his gracious majesty25 the Commodore, or else have anticipated Mad Jack's order, and thundered forth "Hard down the helm!"
To show how little real sway at times have the severest restrictive laws, and how spontaneous is the instinct of discretion26 in some minds, it must here be added, that though Mad Jack, under a hot impulse, had countermanded an order of his superior officer before his very face, yet that severe Article of War, to which he thus rendered himself obnoxious27, was never enforced against him. Nor, so far as any of the crew ever knew, did the Captain even venture to reprimand him for his temerity28.
It has been said that Mad Jack himself was a lover of strong drink. So he was. But here we only see the virtue29 of being placed in a station constantly demanding a cool head and steady nerves, and the misfortune of filling a post that does not at all times demand these qualities. So exact and methodical in most things was the discipline of the frigate, that, to a certain extent, Captain Claret was exempted30 from personal interposition in many of its current events, and thereby31, perhaps, was he lulled32 into security, under the enticing33 lee of his decanter.
But as for Mad Jack, he must stand his regular watches, and pace the quarter-deck at night, and keep a sharp eye to windward. Hence, at sea, Mad Jack tried to make a point of keeping sober, though in very fine weather he was sometimes betrayed into a glass too many. But with Cape Horn before him, he took the temperance pledge outright34, till that perilous promontory35 should be far astern.
The leading incident of the gale irresistibly36 invites the question, Are there incompetent37 officers in the American navy?—that is, incompetent to the due performance of whatever duties may devolve upon them. But in that gallant38 marine39, which, during the late war, gained so much of what is called glory, can there possibly be to-day incompetent officers?
As in the camp ashore40, so on the quarter-deck at sea—the trumpets41 of one victory drown the muffled42 drums of a thousand defeats. And, in degree, this holds true of those events of war which are neuter in their character, neither making renown43 nor disgrace. Besides, as a long array of ciphers44, led by but one solitary45 numeral, swell46, by mere47 force of aggregation48, into an immense arithmetical sum, even so, in some brilliant actions, do a crowd of officers, each inefficient49 in himself, aggregate50 renown when banded together, and led by a numeral Nelson or a Wellington. And the renown of such heroes, by outliving themselves, descends51 as a heritage to their subordinate survivors52. One large brain and one large heart have virtue sufficient to magnetise a whole fleet or an army. And if all the men who, since the beginning of the world, have mainly contributed to the warlike successes or reverses of nations, were now mustered53 together, we should be amazed to behold54 but a handful of heroes. For there is no heroism55 in merely running in and out a gun at a port-hole, enveloped56 in smoke or vapour, or in firing off muskets57 in platoons at the word of command. This kind of merely manual valour is often born of trepidation58 at the heart. There may be men, individually craven, who, united, may display even temerity. Yet it would be false to deny that, in some in-stances, the lowest privates have acquitted59 themselves with even more gallantry than their commodores. True heroism is not in the hand, but in the heart and the head.
But are there incompetent officers in the gallant American navy? For an American, the question is of no grateful cast. White Jacket must again evade60 it, by referring to an historical fact in the history of a kindred marine, which, from its long standing61 and magnitude, furnishes many more examples of all kinds than our own. And this is the only reason why it is ever referred to in this narrative62. I thank God I am free from all national invidiousness.
It is indirectly63 on record in the books of the English Admiralty, that in the year 1808—after the death of Lord Nelson—when Lord Collingwood commanded on the Mediterranean64 station, and his broken health induced him to solicit65 a furlough, that out of a list of upward of one hundred admirals, not a single officer was found who was deemed qualified66 to relieve the applicant67 with credit to the country. This fact Collingwood sealed with his life; for, hopeless of being recalled, he shortly after died, worn out, at his post. Now, if this was the case in so renowned68 a marine as England's, what must be inferred with respect to our own? But herein no special disgrace is involved. For the truth is, that to be an accomplished69 and skillful naval70 generalissimo needs natural capabilities71 of an uncommon72 order. Still more, it may safely be asserted, that, worthily73 to command even a frigate, requires a degree of natural heroism, talent, judgment74, and integrity, that is denied to mediocrity. Yet these qualifications are not only required, but demanded; and no one has a right to be a naval captain unless he possesses them.
Regarding Lieutenants75, there are not a few Selvagees and Paper Jacks76 in the American navy. Many Commodores know that they have seldom taken a line-of-battle ship to sea, without feeling more or less nervousness when some of the Lieutenants have the deck at night.
According to the last Navy Register (1849), there are now 68 Captains in the American navy, collectively drawing about $300,000 annually77 from the public treasury78; also, 297 Commanders, drawing about $200,000; and 377 Lieutenants, drawing about half a million; and 451 Midshipmen (including Passed-midshipmen), also drawing nearly half a million. Considering the known facts, that some of these officers are seldom or never sent to sea, owing to the Navy Department being well aware of their inefficiency79; that others are detailed80 for pen-and-ink work at observatories81, and solvers of logarithms in the Coast Survey; while the really meritorious82 officers, who are accomplished practical seamen83, are known to be sent from ship to ship, with but small interval84 of a furlough; considering all this, it is not too much to say, that no small portion of the million and a half of money above mentioned is annually paid to national pensioners85 in disguise, who live on the navy without serving it.
Nothing like this can be even insinuated86 against the "forward officers"—Boatswains, Gunners, etc.; nor against the petty officers—Captains of the Tops, etc.; nor against the able seamen in the navy. For if any of these are found wanting, they are forthwith disrated or discharged.
True, all experience teaches that, whenever there is a great national establishment, employing large numbers of officials, the public must be reconciled to support many incompetent men; for such is the favouritism and nepotism87 always prevailing88 in the purlieus of these establishments, that some incompetent persons are always admitted, to the exclusion89 of many of the worthy90.
Nevertheless, in a country like ours, boasting of the political equality of all social conditions, it is a great reproach that such a thing as a common seaman rising to the rank of a commissioned officer in our navy, is nowadays almost unheard-of. Yet, in former times, when officers have so risen to rank, they have generally proved of signal usefulness in the service, and sometimes have reflected solid honour upon the country. Instances in point might be mentioned.
Is it not well to have our institutions of a piece? Any American landsman may hope to become President of the union—commodore of our squadron of states. And every American sailor should be placed in such a position, that he might freely aspire91 to command a squadron of frigates92.
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1
jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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countermanding
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| v.取消（命令），撤回( countermand的现在分词 ) | |
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peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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obedience
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| n.服从，顺从 | |
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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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perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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countermanded
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| v.取消（命令），撤回( countermand的过去分词 ) | |
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seaman
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| n.海员，水手，水兵 | |
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lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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10
scudding
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| n.刮面v.（尤指船、舰或云彩）笔直、高速而平稳地移动( scud的现在分词 ) | |
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gales
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| 龙猫 | |
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appalling
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| adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的 | |
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hull
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| n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳 | |
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foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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frigate
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| n.护航舰，大型驱逐舰 | |
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onset
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| n.进攻，袭击，开始，突然开始 | |
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cape
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| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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lustreless
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| adj.无光泽的，无光彩的，平淡乏味的 | |
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repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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expressive
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| adj.表现的，表达…的，富于表情的 | |
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shunning
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| v.避开，回避，避免( shun的现在分词 ) | |
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vicissitude
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| n.变化，变迁，荣枯，盛衰 | |
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surmise
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| v./n.猜想，推测 | |
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majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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discretion
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| n.谨慎；随意处理 | |
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obnoxious
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| adj.极恼人的，讨人厌的，可憎的 | |
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temerity
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| n.鲁莽，冒失 | |
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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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exempted
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| 使免除[豁免]( exempt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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thereby
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| adv.因此，从而 | |
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lulled
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| vt.使镇静，使安静（lull的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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enticing
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| adj.迷人的；诱人的 | |
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outright
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| adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的 | |
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promontory
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| n.海角；岬 | |
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irresistibly
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| adv.无法抵抗地，不能自持地；极为诱惑人地 | |
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incompetent
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| adj.无能力的，不能胜任的 | |
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gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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marine
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| adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵 | |
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ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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41
trumpets
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| 喇叭( trumpet的名词复数 )； 小号； 喇叭形物； （尤指）绽开的水仙花 | |
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42
muffled
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| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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43
renown
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| n.声誉，名望 | |
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ciphers
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| n.密码( cipher的名词复数 )；零；不重要的人；无价值的东西 | |
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45
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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46
swell
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| vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强 | |
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47
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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48
aggregation
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| n.聚合，组合；凝聚 | |
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49
inefficient
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| adj.效率低的，无效的 | |
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50
aggregate
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| adj.总计的，集合的；n.总数；v.合计；集合 | |
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51
descends
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| v.下来( descend的第三人称单数 )；下去；下降；下斜 | |
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52
survivors
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| 幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 ) | |
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53
mustered
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| v.集合，召集，集结（尤指部队）( muster的过去式和过去分词 )；（自他人处）搜集某事物；聚集；激发 | |
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54
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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heroism
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| n.大无畏精神，英勇 | |
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56
enveloped
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| v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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57
muskets
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| n.火枪，（尤指）滑膛枪( musket的名词复数 ) | |
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58
trepidation
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| n.惊恐，惶恐 | |
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59
acquitted
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| 宣判…无罪( acquit的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（自己）作出某种表现 | |
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60
evade
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| vt.逃避，回避；避开，躲避 | |
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61
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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narrative
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| n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的 | |
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indirectly
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| adv.间接地，不直接了当地 | |
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Mediterranean
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| adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的 | |
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solicit
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| vi.勾引；乞求；vt.请求，乞求；招揽(生意) | |
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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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applicant
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| n.申请人，求职者，请求者 | |
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renowned
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| adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的 | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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naval
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| adj.海军的，军舰的，船的 | |
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capabilities
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| n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力 | |
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uncommon
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| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
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worthily
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| 重要地，可敬地，正当地 | |
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judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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lieutenants
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| n.陆军中尉( lieutenant的名词复数 )；副职官员；空军；仅低于…官阶的官员 | |
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jacks
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| n.抓子游戏；千斤顶( jack的名词复数 )；（电）插孔；[电子学]插座；放弃 | |
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annually
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| adv.一年一次，每年 | |
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treasury
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| n.宝库；国库，金库；文库 | |
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inefficiency
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| n.无效率，无能；无效率事例 | |
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detailed
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| adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的 | |
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observatories
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| n.天文台，气象台( observatory的名词复数 ) | |
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meritorious
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| adj.值得赞赏的 | |
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seamen
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| n.海员 | |
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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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pensioners
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| n.领取退休、养老金或抚恤金的人( pensioner的名词复数 ) | |
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86
insinuated
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| v.暗示( insinuate的过去式和过去分词 )；巧妙或迂回地潜入；（使）缓慢进入；慢慢伸入 | |
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nepotism
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| n.任人唯亲；裙带关系 | |
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prevailing
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| adj.盛行的；占优势的；主要的 | |
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exclusion
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| n.拒绝，排除，排斥，远足，远途旅行 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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aspire
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| vi.(to，after)渴望，追求，有志于 | |
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frigates
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| n.快速军舰( frigate的名词复数 ) | |
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