He came in a splendid barge2, rowed by thirty African slaves, who, after the Brazilian manner, in concert rose upright to their oars3 at every stroke; then sank backward again to their seats with a simultaneous groan4.
He reclined under a canopy5 of yellow silk, looped with tassels6 of green, the national colours. At the stern waved the Brazilian flag, bearing a large diamond figure in the centre, emblematical7, perhaps, of the mines of precious stones in the interior; or, it may be, a magnified portrait of the famous "Portuguese8 diamond" itself, which was found in Brazil, in the district of Tejuco, on the banks of the Rio Belmonte.
We gave them a grand salute9, which almost made the ship's live-oak knees knock together with the tremendous concussions10. We manned the yards, and went through a long ceremonial of paying the Emperor homage11. Republicans are often more courteous12 to royalty13 than royalists themselves. But doubtless this springs from a noble magnanimity.
At the gangway, the Emperor was received by our Commodore in person, arrayed in his most resplendent coat and finest French epaulets. His servant had devoted14 himself to polishing every button that morning with rotten-stone and rags—your sea air is a sworn foe15 to metallic16 glosses17; whence it comes that the swords of sea-officers have, of late, so rusted18 in their scabbards that they are with difficulty drawn19.
It was a fine sight to see this Emperor and Commodore complimenting each other. Both were chapeaux-de-bras, and both continually waved them. By instinct, the Emperor knew that the venerable personage before him was as much a monarch20 afloat as he himself was ashore21. Did not our Commodore carry the sword of state by his side? For though not borne before him, it must have been a sword of state, since it looked far to lustrous22 to have been his fighting sword. That was naught23 but a limber steel blade, with a plain, serviceable handle, like the handle of a slaughter-house knife.
Who ever saw a star when the noon sun was in sight? But you seldom see a king without satellites. In the suite of the youthful Emperor came a princely train; so brilliant with gems25, that they seemed just emerged from the mines of the Rio Belmonte.
You have seen cones26 of crystallised salt? Just so flashed these Portuguese Barons27, Marquises, Viscounts, and Counts. Were it not for their titles, and being seen in the train of their lord, you would have sworn they were eldest28 sons of jewelers all, who had run away with their fathers' cases on their backs.
Contrasted with these lamp-lustres of Barons of Brazil, how waned29 the gold lace of our barons of the frigate30, the officers of the gun-room! and compared with the long, jewel-hilted rapiers of the Marquises, the little dirks of our cadets of noble houses—the middies—looked like gilded31 tenpenny nails in their girdles.
But there they stood! Commodore and Emperor, Lieutenants32 and Marquises, middies and pages! The brazen33 band on the poop struck up; the marine34 guard presented arms; and high aloft, looking down on this scene, all the people vigorously hurraed. A top-man next me on the main-royal-yard removed his hat, and diligently35 manipulated his head in honour of the event; but he was so far out of sight in the clouds, that this ceremony went for nothing.
A great pity it was, that in addition to all these honours, that admirer of Portuguese literature, Viscount Strangford, of Great Britain—who, I believe, once went out Ambassador Extraordinary to the Brazils—it was a pity that he was not present on this occasion, to yield his tribute of "A Stanza36 to Braganza!" For our royal visitor was an undoubted Braganza, allied37 to nearly all the great families of Europe. His grandfather, John VI., had been King of Portugal; his own sister, Maria, was now its queen. He was, indeed, a distinguished38 young gentleman, entitled to high consideration, and that consideration was most cheerfully accorded him.
He wore a green dress-coat, with one regal morning-star at the breast, and white pantaloons. In his chapeau was a single, bright, golden-hued feather of the Imperial Toucan39 fowl40, a magnificent, omnivorous41, broad-billed bandit bird of prey42, a native of Brazil. Its perch43 is on the loftiest trees, whence it looks down upon all humbler fowls44, and, hawk-like, flies at their throats. The Toucan once formed part of the savage45 regalia of the Indian caciques of the country, and upon the establishment of the empire, was symbolically46 retained by the Portuguese sovereigns.
His Imperial Majesty47 was yet in his youth; rather corpulent, if anything, with a care-free, pleasant face, and a polite, indifferent, and easy address. His manners, indeed, were entirely48 unexceptionable.
Now here, thought I, is a very fine lad, with very fine prospects49 before him. He is supreme50 Emperor of all these Brazils; he has no stormy night-watches to stand; he can lay abed of mornings just as long as he pleases. Any gentleman in Rio would be proud of his personal acquaintance, and the prettiest girl in all South America would deem herself honoured with the least glance from the acutest angle of his eye.
Yes: this young Emperor will have a fine time of this life, even so long as he condescends51 to exist. Every one jumps to obey him; and see, as I live, there is an old nobleman in his suit—the Marquis d'Acarty they call him, old enough to be his grandfather—who, in the hot sun, is standing52 bareheaded before him, while the Emperor carries his hat on his head.
"I suppose that old gentleman, now," said a young New England tar24 beside me, "would consider it a great honour to put on his Royal Majesty's boots; and yet, White-Jacket, if yonder Emperor and I were to strip and jump overboard for a bath, it would be hard telling which was of the blood royal when we should once be in the water. Look you, Don Pedro II.," he added, "how do you come to be Emperor? Tell me that. You cannot pull as many pounds as I on the main-topsail-halyards; you are not as tall as I: your nose is a pug, and mine is a cut-water; and how do you come to be a 'brigand54,' with that thin pair of spars? A brigand, indeed!"
"Braganza, you mean," said I, willing to correct the rhetoric55 of so fierce a republican, and, by so doing, chastise56 his censoriousness.
"Braganza! bragger57 it is," he replied; "and a bragger, indeed. See that feather in his cap! See how he struts58 in that coat! He may well wear a green one, top-mates—he's a green-looking swab at the best."
"Hush59, Jonathan," said I; "there's the First Duff looking up. Be still! the Emperor will hear you;" and I put my hand on his mouth.
"Take your hand away, White-Jacket," he cried; "there's no law up aloft here. I say, you Emperor—you greenhorn in the green coat, there—look you, you can't raise a pair of whiskers yet; and see what a pair of homeward-bounders I have on my jowls! Don Pedro, eh? What's that, after all, but plain Peter—reckoned a shabby name in my country. Damn me, White-Jacket, I wouldn't call my dog Peter!"
"Clap a stopper on your jaw-tackle, will you?" cried Ringbolt, the sailor on the other side of him. "You'll be getting us all into darbies for this."
"I won't trice up my red rag for nobody," retorted Jonathan. "So you had better take a round turn with yours, Ringbolt, and let me alone, or I'll fetch you such a swat over your figure-head, you'll think a Long Wharf60 truck-horse kicked you with all four shoes on one hoof61! You Emperor—you counter-jumping son of a gun—cock your weather eye up aloft here, and see your betters! I say, top-mates, he ain't any Emperor at all—I'm the rightful Emperor. Yes, by the Commodore's boots! they stole me out of my cradle here in the palace of Rio, and put that green-horn in my place. Ay, you timber-head, you, I'm Don Pedro II., and by good rights you ought to be a main-top-man here, with your fist in a tar-bucket! Look you, I say, that crown of yours ought to be on my head; or, if you don't believe that, just heave it into the ring once, and see who's the best man."
"What's this hurra's nest here aloft?" cried Jack53 Chase, coming up the t'-gallant rigging from the top-sail yard. "Can't you behave yourself, royal-yard-men, when an Emperor's on board?"
"It's this here Jonathan," answered Ringbolt; "he's been blackguarding the young nob in the green coat, there. He says Don Pedro stole his hat."
"How?"
"Crown, he means, noble Jack," said a top-man.
"Jonathan don't call himself an Emperor, does he?" asked Jack.
"Yes," cried Jonathan; "that greenhorn, standing there by the Commodore, is sailing under false colours; he's an impostor, I say; he wears my crown."
"Ha! ha!" laughed Jack, now seeing into the joke, and willing to humour it; "though I'm born a Briton, boys, yet, by the mast! these Don Pedros are all Perkin Warbecks. But I say, Jonathan, my lad, don't pipe your eye now about the loss of your crown; for, look you, we all wear crowns, from our cradles to our graves, and though in double-darbies in the brig, the Commodore himself can't unking us."
"Not a bit; every man who has a sole to his foot has a crown to his head. Here's mine;" and so saying, Jack, removing his tarpaulin63, exhibited a bald spot, just about the bigness of a crown-piece, on the summit of his curly and classical head.
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1
suite
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| n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员 | |
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barge
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| n.平底载货船，驳船 | |
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oars
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| 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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groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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canopy
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| n.天篷，遮篷 | |
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tassels
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| n.穗( tassel的名词复数 )；流苏状物；（植物的）穗；玉蜀黍的穗状雄花v.抽穗， （玉米）长穗须( tassel的第三人称单数 )；使抽穗， （为了使作物茁壮生长）摘去穗状雄花；用流苏装饰 | |
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7
emblematical
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| adj.标志的，象征的，典型的 | |
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8
Portuguese
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| n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语 | |
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9
salute
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| vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮 | |
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10
concussions
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| n.震荡( concussion的名词复数 )；脑震荡；冲击；震动 | |
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11
homage
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| n.尊敬，敬意，崇敬 | |
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12
courteous
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| adj.彬彬有礼的，客气的 | |
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13
royalty
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| n.皇家，皇族 | |
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14
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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metallic
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| adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的 | |
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17
glosses
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| n.（页末或书后的）注释( gloss的名词复数 )；（表面的）光滑；虚假的外表；用以产生光泽的物质v.注解( gloss的第三人称单数 )；掩饰（错误）；粉饰；把…搪塞过去 | |
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18
rusted
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| v.（使）生锈( rust的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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19
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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monarch
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| n.帝王，君主，最高统治者 | |
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ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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lustrous
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| adj.有光泽的；光辉的 | |
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naught
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| n.无，零 [=nought] | |
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tar
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| n.柏油，焦油；vt.涂或浇柏油/焦油于 | |
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25
gems
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| growth； economy； management； and customer satisfaction 增长 | |
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cones
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| n.（人眼）圆锥细胞；圆锥体( cone的名词复数 )；球果；圆锥形东西；（盛冰淇淋的）锥形蛋卷筒 | |
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barons
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| 男爵( baron的名词复数 )； 巨头； 大王； 大亨 | |
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eldest
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| adj.最年长的，最年老的 | |
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waned
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| v.衰落( wane的过去式和过去分词 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡 | |
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frigate
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| n.护航舰，大型驱逐舰 | |
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gilded
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| a.镀金的，富有的 | |
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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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brazen
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| adj.厚脸皮的，无耻的，坚硬的 | |
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34
marine
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| adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵 | |
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diligently
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| ad.industriously;carefully | |
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stanza
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| n.（诗）节，段 | |
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37
allied
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| adj.协约国的；同盟国的 | |
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distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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toucan
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| n.巨嘴鸟，犀鸟 | |
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40
fowl
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| n.家禽，鸡，禽肉 | |
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omnivorous
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| adj.杂食的 | |
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42
prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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43
perch
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| n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于 | |
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44
fowls
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| 鸟( fowl的名词复数 )； 禽肉； 既不是这； 非驴非马 | |
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45
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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46
symbolically
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| ad.象征地，象征性地 | |
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47
majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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48
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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49
prospects
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| n.希望，前途(恒为复数) | |
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50
supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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51
condescends
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| 屈尊，俯就( condescend的第三人称单数 )； 故意表示和蔼可亲 | |
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52
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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53
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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54
brigand
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| n.土匪，强盗 | |
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55
rhetoric
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| n.修辞学，浮夸之言语 | |
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56
chastise
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| vt.责骂，严惩 | |
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57
bragger
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| n.吹牛 | |
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58
struts
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| （框架的）支杆( strut的名词复数 )； 支柱； 趾高气扬的步态； （尤指跳舞或表演时）卖弄 | |
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59
hush
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| int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静 | |
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60
wharf
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| n.码头，停泊处 | |
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61
hoof
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| n.(马，牛等的)蹄 | |
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62
riddle
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| n.谜，谜语，粗筛；vt.解谜，给…出谜，筛，检查，鉴定，非难，充满于；vi.出谜 | |
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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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