A day or two after the publication of Lemsford's "Songs of the Sirens," a sad accident befell a mess-mate of mine, one of the captains of the mizzen-top. He was a fine little Scot, who, from the premature1 loss of the hair on the top of his head, always went by the name of Baldy. This baldness was no doubt, in great part, attributable to the same cause that early thins the locks of most man-of-war's-men—namely, the hard, unyielding, and ponderous2 man-of-war and navy-regulation tarpaulin3 hat, which, when new, is stiff enough to sit upon, and indeed, in lieu of his thumb, sometimes serves the common sailor for a bench.
Now, there is nothing upon which the Commodore of a squadron more prides himself than upon the celerity with which his men can handle the sails, and go through with all the evolutions pertaining4 thereto. This is especially manifested in harbour, when other vessels6 of his squadron are near, and perhaps the armed ships of rival nations.
Upon these occasions, surrounded by his post-captain sa-traps—each of whom in his own floating island is king—the Commodore domineers over all—emperor of the whole oaken archipelago; yea, magisterial7 and magnificent as the Sultan of the Isles8 of Sooloo.
But, even as so potent9 an emperor and Caesar to boot as the great Don of Germany, Charles the Fifth, was used to divert himself in his dotage10 by watching the gyrations of the springs and cogs of a long row of clocks, even so does an elderly Commodore while away his leisure in harbour, by what is called "exercising guns," and also "exercising yards and sails;" causing the various spars of all the ships under his command to be "braced," "topped," and "cock billed" in concert, while the Commodore himself sits, something like King Canute, on an arm-chest on the poop of his flag-ship.
But far more regal than any descendant of Charlemagne, more haughty11 than any Mogul of the East, and almost mysterious and voiceless in his authority as the Great Spirit of the Five Nations, the Commodore deigns12 not to verbalise his commands; they are imparted by signal.
And as for old Charles the Fifth, again, the gay-pranked, coloured suits of cards were invented, to while away his dotage, even so, doubtless, must these pretty little signals of blue and red spotted13 bunting have been devised to cheer the old age of all Commodores.
By the Commodore's side stands the signal-midshipman, with a sea-green bag swung on his shoulder (as a sportsman bears his game-bag), the signal-book in one hand, and the signal spy-glass in the other. As this signal-book contains the Masonic signs and tokens of the navy, and would there-fore be invaluable14 to an enemy, its binding15 is always bordered with lead, so as to insure its sinking in case the ship should be captured. Not the only book this, that might appropriately be bound in lead, though there be many where the author, and not the bookbinder, furnishes the metal.
As White-Jacket understands it, these signals consist of variously-coloured flags, each standing17 for a certain number. Say there are ten flags, representing the cardinal18 numbers—the red flag, No. 1; the blue flag, No. 2; the green flag, No. 3, and so forth19; then, by mounting the blue flag over the red, that would stand for No. 21: if the green flag were set underneath20, it would then stand for 213. How easy, then, by endless transpositions, to multiply the various numbers that may be exhibited at the mizzen-peak, even by only three or four of these flags.
To each number a particular meaning is applied21. No. 100, for instance, may mean, "Beat to quarters." No. 150, "All hands to grog." No. 2000, "Strike top-gallant-yards." No. 2110, "See anything to windward?" No. 2800, "No."
And as every man-of-war is furnished with a signal-book, where all these things are set down in order, therefore, though two American frigates—almost perfect strangers to each other—came from the opposite Poles, yet at a distance of more than a mile they could carry on a very liberal conversation in the air.
When several men-of-war of one nation lie at anchor in one port, forming a wide circle round their lord and master, the flag-ship, it is a very interesting sight to see them all obeying the Commodore's orders, who meanwhile never opens his lips.
Thus was it with us in Rio, and hereby hangs the story of my poor messmate Bally.
One morning, in obedience22 to a signal from our flag-ship, the various vessels belonging to the American squadron then in harbour simultaneously23 loosened their sails to dry. In the evening, the signal was set to furl them. Upon such occasions, great rivalry24 exists between the First Lieutenants25 of the different ships; they vie with each other who shall first have his sails stowed on the yards. And this rivalry is shared between all the officers of each vessel5, who are respectively placed over the different top-men; so that the main-mast is all eagerness to vanquish27 the fore-mast, and the mizzen-mast to vanquish them both. Stimulated28 by the shouts of their officers, the sailors throughout the squadron exert themselves to the utmost.
"Aloft, topmen! lay out! furl!" cried the First Lieutenant26 of the Neversink.
At the word the men sprang into the rigging, and on all three masts were soon climbing about the yards, in reckless haste, to execute their orders.
Now, in furling top-sails or courses, the point of honour, and the hardest work, is in the bunt, or middle of the yard; this post belongs to the first captain of the top.
"What are you 'bout29 there, mizzen-top-men?" roared the First Lieutenant, through his trumpet30. "D——n you, you are clumsy as Russian bears! don't you see the main—top-men are nearly off the yard? Bear a hand, bear a hand, or I'll stop your grog all round! You, Baldy! are you going to sleep there in the bunt?"
While this was being said, poor Baldy—his hat off, his face streaming with perspiration—was frantically31 exerting himself, piling up the ponderous folds of canvas in the middle of the yard; ever and anon glancing at victorious32 Jack16 Chase, hard at work at the main-top-sail-yard before him.
At last, the sail being well piled up, Baldy jumped with both feet into the bunt, holding on with one hand to the chain "tie," and in that manner was violently treading down the canvas, to pack it close.
"D——n you, Baldy, why don't you move, you crawling caterpillar33;" roared the First Lieutenant.
Baldy brought his whole weight to bear on the rebellious34 sail, and in his frenzied35 heedlessness let go his hold on the tie.
"You, Baldy! are you afraid of falling?" cried the First Lieutenant.
At that moment, with all his force, Baldy jumped down upon the sail; the bunt gasket parted; and a dark form dropped through the air. Lighting36 upon the top-rim, it rolled off; and the next instant, with a horrid37 crash of all his bones, Baldy came, like a thunderbolt, upon the deck.
Aboard of most large men-of-war there is a stout38 oaken platform, about four feet square, on each side of the quarter-deck. You ascend39 to it by three or four steps; on top, it is railed in at the sides, with horizontal brass40 bars. It is called the Horse Block; and there the officer of the deck usually stands, in giving his orders at sea.
It was one of these horse blocks, now unoccupied, that broke poor Baldy's fall. He fell lengthwise across the brass bars, bending them into elbows, and crushing the whole oaken platform, steps and all, right down to the deck in a thousand splinters.
He was picked up for dead, and carried below to the surgeon. His bones seemed like those of a man broken on the wheel, and no one thought he would survive the night. But with the surgeon's skillful treatment he soon promised recovery. Surgeon Cuticle41 devoted42 all his science to this case.
A curious frame-work of wood was made for the maimed man; and placed in this, with all his limbs stretched out, Baldy lay flat on the floor of the Sick-bay, for many weeks. Upon our arrival home, he was able to hobble ashore43 on crutches44; but from a hale, hearty45 man, with bronzed cheeks, he was become a mere46 dislocated skeleton, white as foam47; but ere this, perhaps, his broken bones are healed and whole in the last repose48 of the man-of-war's-man.
Not many days after Baldy's accident in furling sails—in this same frenzied manner, under the stimulus49 of a shouting officer—a seaman50 fell from the main-royal-yard of an English line-of-battle ship near us, and buried his ankle-bones in the deck, leaving two indentations there, as if scooped51 out by a carpenter's gouge52.
The royal-yard forms a cross with the mast, and falling from that lofty cross in a line-of-battle ship is almost like falling from the cross of St. Paul's; almost like falling as Lucifer from the well-spring of morning down to the Phlegethon of night.
In some cases, a man, hurled53 thus from a yard, has fallen upon his own shipmates in the tops, and dragged them down with him to the same destruction with himself.
Hardly ever will you hear of a man-of-war returning home after a cruise, without the loss of some of her crew from aloft, whereas similar accidents in the merchant service—considering the much greater number of men employed in it—are comparatively few.
Why mince54 the matter? The death of most of these man-of-war's-men lies at the door of the souls of those officers, who, while safely standing on deck themselves, scruple55 not to sacrifice an immortal56 man or two, in order to show off the excelling discipline of the ship. And thus do the people of the gun-deck suffer, that the Commodore on the poop may be glorified57.
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1
premature
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| adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的 | |
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2
ponderous
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| adj.沉重的，笨重的，(文章)冗长的 | |
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3
tarpaulin
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| n.涂油防水布，防水衣，防水帽 | |
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pertaining
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| 与…有关系的，附属…的，为…固有的(to) | |
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vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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6
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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7
magisterial
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| adj.威风的，有权威的；adv.威严地 | |
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8
isles
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| 岛( isle的名词复数 ) | |
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9
potent
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| adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的 | |
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10
dotage
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| n.年老体衰；年老昏聩 | |
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11
haughty
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| adj.傲慢的，高傲的 | |
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12
deigns
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| v.屈尊，俯就( deign的第三人称单数 ) | |
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13
spotted
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| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
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14
invaluable
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| adj.无价的，非常宝贵的，极为贵重的 | |
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15
binding
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| 有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的 | |
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16
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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17
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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18
cardinal
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| n.(天主教的)红衣主教；adj.首要的，基本的 | |
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19
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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20
underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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21
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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22
obedience
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| n.服从，顺从 | |
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23
simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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24
rivalry
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| n.竞争，竞赛，对抗 | |
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25
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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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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vanquish
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| v.征服，战胜；克服；抑制 | |
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28
stimulated
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| a.刺激的 | |
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29
bout
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| n.侵袭，发作；一次(阵，回)；拳击等比赛 | |
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30
trumpet
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| n.喇叭，喇叭声；v.吹喇叭，吹嘘 | |
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31
frantically
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| ad.发狂地, 发疯地 | |
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32
victorious
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| adj.胜利的，得胜的 | |
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33
caterpillar
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| n.毛虫，蝴蝶的幼虫 | |
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34
rebellious
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| adj.造反的，反抗的，难控制的 | |
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35
frenzied
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| a.激怒的；疯狂的 | |
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36
lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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37
horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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39
ascend
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| vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上 | |
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40
brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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41
cuticle
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| n.表皮 | |
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42
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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43
ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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44
crutches
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| n.拐杖, 支柱 v.支撑 | |
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45
hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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46
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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47
foam
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| v./n.泡沫，起泡沫 | |
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48
repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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49
stimulus
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| n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物 | |
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50
seaman
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| n.海员，水手，水兵 | |
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51
scooped
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| v.抢先报道( scoop的过去式和过去分词 )；（敏捷地）抱起；抢先获得；用铲[勺]等挖（洞等） | |
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52
gouge
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| v.凿；挖出；n.半圆凿；凿孔；欺诈 | |
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53
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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54
mince
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| n.切碎物；v.切碎，矫揉做作地说 | |
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55
scruple
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| n./v.顾忌，迟疑 | |
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56
immortal
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| adj.不朽的；永生的，不死的；神的 | |
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57
glorified
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| 美其名的，变荣耀的 | |
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