It is worth mentioning here that, in nineteen cases out of twenty, a passage from the Pacific round the Cape1 is almost sure to be much shorter, and attended with less hardship, than a passage undertaken from the Atlantic. The reason is, that the gales2 are mostly from the westward3, also the currents.
But, after all, going before the wind in a frigate4, in such a tempest, has its annoyances5 and drawbacks, as well as many other blessings6. The disproportionate weight of metal upon the spar and gun decks induces a violent rolling, unknown to merchant ships. We rolled and rolled on our way, like the world in its orbit, shipping7 green seas on both sides, until the old frigate dipped and went into it like a diving-bell.
The hatchways of some armed vessels8 are but poorly secured in bad weather. This was peculiarly the ease with those of the Neversink. They were merely spread over with an old tarpaulin9, cracked and rent in every direction.
In fair weather, the ship's company messed on the gun-deck; but as this was now flooded almost continually, we were obliged to take our meals upon the berth-deck, the next one below. One day, the messes of the starboard-watch were seated here at dinner; forming little groups, twelve or fifteen men in each, reclining about the beef-kids and their pots and pans; when all of a sudden the ship was seized with such a paroxysm of rolling that, in a single instant, everything on the berth-deck—pots, kids, sailors, pieces of beef, bread-bags, clothes-bags, and barges—were tossed indiscriminately from side to side. It was impossible to stay one's self; there was nothing but the bare deck to cling to, which was slippery with the contents of the kids, and heaving under us as if there were a volcano in the frigate's hold. While we were yet sliding in uproarious crowds—all seated—the windows of the deck opened, and floods of brine descended10, simultaneously11 with a violent lee-roll. The shower was hailed by the reckless tars12 with a hurricane of yells; although, for an instant, I really imagined we were about being swamped in the sea, such volumes of water came cascading13 down.
A day or two after, we had made sufficient Easting to stand to the northward14, which we did, with the wind astern; thus fairly turning the corner without abating15 our rate of progress. Though we had seen no land since leaving Callao, Cape Horn was said to be somewhere to the west of us; and though there was no positive evidence of the fact, the weather encountered might be accounted pretty good presumptive proof.
The land near Cape Horn, however, is well worth seeing, especially Staten Land. Upon one occasion, the ship in which I then happened to be sailing drew near this place from the northward, with a fair, free wind, blowing steadily16, through a bright translucent17 clay, whose air was almost musical with the clear, glittering cold. On our starboard beam, like a pile of glaciers18 in Switzerland, lay this Staten Land, gleaming in snow-white barrenness and solitude19. Unnumbered white albatross were skimming the sea near by, and clouds of smaller white wings fell through the air like snow-flakes. High, towering in their own turbaned snows, the far-inland pinnacles20 loomed21 up, like the border of some other world. Flashing walls and crystal battlements, like the diamond watch-towers along heaven's furthest frontier.
After leaving the latitude22 of the Cape, we had several storms of snow; one night a considerable quantity laid upon the decks, and some of the sailors enjoyed the juvenile23 diversion of snow-balling. Woe24 unto the "middy" who that night went forward of the booms. Such a target for snow-balls! The throwers could never be known. By some curious sleight25 in hurling26 the missiles, they seemed to be thrown on board by some hoydenish27 sea-nymphs outside the frigate.
At daybreak Midshipman Pert went below to the surgeon with an alarming wound, gallantly28 received in discharging his perilous29 duty on the forecastle. The officer of the deck had sent him on an errand, to tell the boatswain that he was wanted in the captain's cabin. While in the very act of performing the exploit of delivering the message, Mr. Pert was struck on the nose with a snow-ball of wondrous30 compactness. Upon being informed of the disaster, the rogues31 expressed the liveliest sympathy. Pert was no favourite.
After one of these storms, it was a curious sight to see the men relieving the uppermost deck of its load of snow. It became the duty of the captain of each gun to keep his own station clean; accordingly, with an old broom, or "squilgee," he proceeded to business, often quarrelling with his next-door neighbours about their scraping their snow on his premises32. It was like Broadway in winter, the morning after a storm, when rival shop-boys are at work cleaning the sidewalk.
Now and then, by way of variety, we had a fall of hailstones, so big that sometimes we found ourselves dodging33 them.
The Commodore had a Polynesian servant on board, whose services he had engaged at the Society Islands. Unlike his countrymen, Wooloo was of a sedate34, earnest, and philosophic35 temperament36. Having never been outside of the tropics before, he found many phenomena37 off Cape Horn, which absorbed his attention, and set him, like other philosophers, to feign38 theories corresponding to the marvels39 he beheld40. At the first snow, when he saw the deck covered all over with a white powder, as it were, he expanded his eyes into stewpans; but upon examining the strange substance, he decided41 that this must be a species of super-fine flower, such as was compounded into his master's "duffs," and other dainties. In vain did an experienced natural philosopher belonging to the fore-top maintain before his face, that in this hypothesis Wooloo was mistaken. Wooloo's opinion remained unchanged for some time.
As for the hailstones, they transported him; he went about with a bucket, making collections, and receiving contributions, for the purpose of carrying them home to his sweethearts for glass beads42; but having put his bucket away, and returning to it again, and finding nothing but a little water, he accused the by-standers of stealing his precious stones.
This suggests another story concerning him. The first time he was given a piece of "duff" to eat, he was observed to pick out very carefully every raisin43, and throw it away, with a gesture indicative of the highest disgust. It turned out that he had taken the raisins44 for bugs45.
In our man-of-war, this semi-savage, wandering about the gun-deck in his barbaric robe, seemed a being from some other sphere. His tastes were our abominations: ours his. Our creed46 he rejected: his we. We thought him a loon47: he fancied us fools. Had the case been reversed; had we been Polynesians and he an American, our mutual48 opinion of each other would still have remained the same. A fact proving that neither was wrong, but both right.
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1
cape
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| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
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2
gales
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| 龙猫 | |
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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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4
frigate
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| n.护航舰，大型驱逐舰 | |
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annoyances
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| n.恼怒( annoyance的名词复数 )；烦恼；打扰；使人烦恼的事 | |
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blessings
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| n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福 | |
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7
shipping
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| n.船运（发货，运输，乘船） | |
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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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tarpaulin
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| n.涂油防水布，防水衣，防水帽 | |
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descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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tars
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| 焦油，沥青，柏油( tar的名词复数 ) | |
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13
cascading
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| 流注( cascade的现在分词 )； 大量落下； 大量垂悬； 梯流 | |
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northward
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| adv.向北；n.北方的地区 | |
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abating
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| 减少( abate的现在分词 )； 减去； 降价； 撤消（诉讼） | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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translucent
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| adj.半透明的；透明的 | |
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glaciers
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| 冰河，冰川( glacier的名词复数 ) | |
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solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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pinnacles
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| 顶峰( pinnacle的名词复数 )； 顶点； 尖顶； 小尖塔 | |
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loomed
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| v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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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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juvenile
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| n.青少年，少年读物；adj.青少年的，幼稚的 | |
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woe
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| n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
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sleight
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| n.技巧，花招 | |
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hurling
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| n.爱尔兰式曲棍球v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的现在分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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hoydenish
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| adj.顽皮的，爱嬉闹的，男孩子气的 | |
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gallantly
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| adv. 漂亮地，勇敢地，献殷勤地 | |
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perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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30
wondrous
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| adj.令人惊奇的，奇妙的；adv.惊人地；异乎寻常地；令人惊叹地 | |
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31
rogues
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| n.流氓( rogue的名词复数 )；无赖；调皮捣蛋的人；离群的野兽 | |
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premises
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| n.建筑物，房屋 | |
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dodging
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| n.避开，闪过，音调改变v.闪躲( dodge的现在分词 )；回避 | |
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sedate
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| adj.沉着的，镇静的，安静的 | |
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philosophic
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| adj.哲学的，贤明的 | |
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temperament
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| n.气质，性格，性情 | |
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phenomena
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| n.现象 | |
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feign
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| vt.假装，佯作 | |
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39
marvels
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| n.奇迹( marvel的名词复数 )；令人惊奇的事物（或事例）；不平凡的成果；成就v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的第三人称单数 ) | |
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40
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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41
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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42
beads
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| n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链 | |
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43
raisin
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| n.葡萄干 | |
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44
raisins
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| n.葡萄干( raisin的名词复数 ) | |
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45
bugs
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| adj.疯狂的，发疯的n.窃听器( bug的名词复数 )；病菌；虫子；[计算机]（制作软件程序所产生的意料不到的）错误 | |
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46
creed
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| n.信条；信念，纲领 | |
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47
loon
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| n.狂人 | |
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48
mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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