Here it must be mentioned, that owing to the strict but necessary regulations of the Liverpool docks, no fires of any kind are allowed on board the vessels5 within them; and hence, though the sailors are supposed to sleep in the forecastle, yet they must get their meals ashore, or live upon cold potatoes. To a ship, the American merchantmen adopt the former plan; the owners, of course, paying the landlord's bill; which, in a large crew remaining at Liverpool more than six weeks, as we of the Highlander6 did, forms no inconsiderable item in the expenses of the voyage. Other ships, however—the economical Dutch and Danish, for instance, and sometimes the prudent7 Scotch—feed their luckless tars8 in dock, with precisely9 the same fare which they give them at sea; taking their salt junk ashore to be cooked, which, indeed, is but scurvy10 sort of treatment, since it is very apt to induce the scurvy. A parsimonious11 proceeding12 like this is regarded with immeasurable disdain13 by the crews of the New York vessels, who, if their captains treated them after that fashion, would soon bolt and run.
It was quite dark, when we all sprang ashore; and, for the first time, I felt dusty particles of the renowned14 British soil penetrating15 into my eyes and lungs. As for stepping on it, that was out of the question, in the well-paved and flagged condition of the streets; and I did not have an opportunity to do so till some time afterward16, when I got out into the country; and then, indeed, I saw England, and snuffed its immortal17 loam—but not till then.
Jackson led the van; and after stopping at a tavern19, took us up this street, and down that, till at last he brought us to a narrow lane, filled with boarding-houses, spirit-vaults, and sailors. Here we stopped before the sign of a Baltimore Clipper, flanked on one side by a gilded20 bunch of grapes and a bottle, and on the other by the British Unicorn21 and American Eagle, lying down by each other, like the lion and lamb in the millennium22.—A very judicious23 and tasty device, showing a delicate apprehension24 of the propriety25 of conciliating American sailors in an English boarding-house; and yet in no way derogating from the honor and dignity of England, but placing the two nations, indeed, upon a footing of perfect equality.
Near the unicorn was a very small animal, which at first I took for a young unicorn; but it looked more like a yearling lion. It was holding up one paw, as if it had a splinter in it; and on its head was a sort of basket-hilted, low-crowned hat, without a rim26. I asked a sailor standing27 by, what this animal meant, when, looking at me with a grin, he answered, "Why, youngster, don't you know what that means? It's a young jackass, limping off with a kedgeree pot of rice out of the cuddy."
Though it was an English boarding-house, it was kept by a broken-down American mariner28, one Danby, a dissolute, idle fellow, who had married a buxom29 English wife, and now lived upon her industry; for the lady, and not the sailor, proved to be the head of the establishment.
She was a hale, good-looking woman, about forty years old, and among the seamen30 went by the name of "Handsome Mary." But though, from the dissipated character of her spouse31, Mary had become the business personage of the house, bought the marketing32, overlooked the tables, and conducted all the more important arrangements, yet she was by no means an Amazon to her husband, if she did play a masculine part in other matters. No; and the more is the pity, poor Mary seemed too much attached to Danby, to seek to rule him as a termagant. Often she went about her household concerns with the tears in her eyes, when, after a fit of intoxication33, this brutal34 husband of hers had been beating her. The sailors took her part, and many a time volunteered to give him a thorough thrashing before her eyes; but Mary would beg them not to do so, as Danby would, no doubt, be a better boy next time.
But there seemed no likelihood of this, so long as that abominable35 bar of his stood upon the premises36. As you entered the passage, it stared upon you on one side, ready to entrap37 all guests.
It was a grotesque38, old-fashioned, castellated sort of a sentry-box, made of a smoky-colored wood, and with a grating in front, that lifted up like a portcullis. And here would this Danby sit all the day long; and when customers grew thin, would patronize his own ale himself, pouring down mug after mug, as if he took himself for one of his own quarter-casks.
Sometimes an old crony of his, one Bob Still, would come in; and then they would occupy the sentry-box together, and swill39 their beer in concert. This pot-friend of Danby was portly as a dray-horse, and had a round, sleek40, oily head, twinkling eyes, and moist red cheeks. He was a lusty troller of ale-songs; and, with his mug in his hand, would lean his waddling41 bulk partly out of the sentry-box, singing:
"No frost, no snow, no wind, I trow,
Can hurt me if I wold, I am so wrapt, and thoroughly42 lapt
In jolly good ale and old,—
I stuff my skin so full within,
Of jolly good ale and old."
Or this,
It is the quintessence of malt,
And they that drink it want no salt.
Come, then, quick come, and take this beer,
And water henceforth you'll forswear."
Alas45! Handsome Mary. What avail all thy private tears and remonstrances46 with the incorrigible47 Danby, so long as that brewery48 of a toper, Bob Still, daily eclipses thy threshold with the vast diameter of his paunch, and enthrones himself in the sentry-box, holding divided rule with thy spouse?
The more he drinks, the fatter and rounder waxes Bob; and the songs pour out as the ale pours in, on the well-known principle, that the air in a vessel4 is displaced and expelled, as the liquid rises higher and higher in it.
But as for Danby, the miserable49 Yankee grows sour on good cheer, and dries up the thinner for every drop of fat ale he imbibes50. It is plain and demonstrable, that much ale is not good for Yankees, and operates differently upon them from what it does upon a Briton: ale must be drank in a fog and a drizzle51.
Entering the sign of the Clipper, Jackson ushered52 us into a small room on one side, and shortly after, Handsome Mary waited upon us with a courtesy, and received the compliments of several old guests among our crew. She then disappeared to provide our supper. While my shipmates were now engaged in tippling, and talking with numerous old acquaintances of theirs in the neighborhood, who thronged53 about the door, I remained alone in the little room, meditating54 profoundly upon the fact, that I was now seated upon an English bench, under an English roof, in an English tavern, forming an integral part of the English empire. It was a staggering fact, but none the less true.
I examined the place attentively55; it was a long, narrow, little room, with one small arched window with red curtains, looking out upon a smoky, untidy yard, bounded by a dingy56 brick-wall, the top of which was horrible with pieces of broken old bottles, stuck into mortar57.
A dull lamp swung overhead, placed in a wooden ship suspended from the ceiling. The walls were covered with a paper, representing an endless succession of vessels of all nations continually circumnavigating the apartment. By way of a pictorial58 mainsail to one of these ships, a map was hung against it, representing in faded colors the flags of all nations. From the street came a confused uproar59 of ballad-singers, bawling60 women, babies, and drunken sailors.
And this is England?
But where are the old abbeys, and the York Minsters, and the lord mayors, and coronations, and the May-poles, and fox-hunters, and Derby races, and the dukes and duchesses, and the Count d'Orsays, which, from all my reading, I had been in the habit of associating with England? Not the most distant glimpse of them was to be seen.
Alas! Wellingborough, thought I, I fear you stand but a poor chance to see the sights. You are nothing but a poor sailor boy; and the Queen is not going to send a deputation of noblemen to invite you to St. James's.
It was then, I began to see, that my prospects61 of seeing the world as a sailor were, after all, but very doubtful; for sailors only go round the world, without going into it; and their reminiscences of travel are only a dim recollection of a chain of tap-rooms surrounding the globe, parallel with the Equator. They but touch the perimeter62 of the circle; hover63 about the edges of terra-firma; and only land upon wharves64 and pier-heads. They would dream as little of traveling inland to see Kenilworth, or Blenheim Castle, as they would of sending a car overland to the Pope, when they touched at Naples.
From these reveries I was soon roused, by a servant girl hurrying from room to room, in shrill65 tones exclaiming, "Supper, supper ready."
Mounting a rickety staircase, we entered a room on the second floor. Three tall brass66 candlesticks shed a smoky light upon smoky walls, of what had once been sea-blue, covered with sailor-scrawls of foul67 anchors, lovers' sonnets68, and ocean ditties. On one side, nailed against the wainscot in a row, were the four knaves69 of cards, each Jack18 putting his best foot foremost as usual. What these signified I never heard.
But such ample cheer! Such a groaning70 table! Such a superabundance of solids and substantial! Was it possible that sailors fared thus?—the sailors, who at sea live upon salt beef and biscuit?
First and foremost, was a mighty71 pewter dish, big as Achilles' shield, sustaining a pyramid of smoking sausages. This stood at one end; midway was a similar dish, heavily laden72 with farmers' slices of head-cheese; and at the opposite end, a congregation of beef-steaks, piled tier over tier. Scattered73 at intervals74 between, were side dishes of boiled potatoes, eggs by the score, bread, and pickles75; and on a stand adjoining, was an ample reserve of every thing on the supper table.
We fell to with all our hearts; wrapt ourselves in hot jackets of beef-steaks; curtailed76 the sausages with great celerity; and sitting down before the head-cheese, soon razed77 it to its foundations.
Toward the close of the entertainment, I suggested to Peggy, one of the girls who had waited upon us, that a cup of tea would be a nice thing to take; and I would thank her for one. She replied that it was too late for tea; but she would get me a cup of "swipes" if I wanted it.
Not knowing what "swipes" might be, I thought I would run the risk and try it; but it proved a miserable beverage78, with a musty, sour flavor, as if it had been a decoction of spoiled pickles. I never patronized swipes again; but gave it a wide berth; though, at dinner afterward, it was furnished to an unlimited79 extent, and drunk by most of my shipmates, who pronounced it good.
But Bob Still would not have pronounced it so; for this stripes, as I learned, was a sort of cheap substitute for beer; or a bastard80 kind of beer; or the washings and rinsings of old beer-barrels. But I do not remember now what they said it was, precisely. I only know, that swipes was my abomination. As for the taste of it, I can only describe it as answering to the name itself; which is certainly significant of something vile81. But it is drunk in large quantities by the poor people about Liverpool, which, perhaps, in some degree, accounts for their poverty.
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1
berth
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| n.卧铺，停泊地，锚位；v.使停泊 | |
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hawsers
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| n.（供系船或下锚用的）缆索，锚链( hawser的名词复数 ) | |
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ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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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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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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highlander
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| n.高地的人，苏格兰高地地区的人 | |
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7
prudent
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| adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的 | |
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8
tars
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| 焦油，沥青，柏油( tar的名词复数 ) | |
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precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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10
scurvy
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| adj.下流的，卑鄙的，无礼的；n.坏血病 | |
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11
parsimonious
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| adj.吝啬的，质量低劣的 | |
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proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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13
disdain
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| n.鄙视，轻视；v.轻视，鄙视，不屑 | |
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14
renowned
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| adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的 | |
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15
penetrating
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| adj.（声音）响亮的，尖锐的adj.（气味）刺激的adj.（思想）敏锐的，有洞察力的 | |
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16
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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immortal
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| adj.不朽的；永生的，不死的；神的 | |
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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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19
tavern
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| n.小旅馆，客栈；小酒店 | |
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gilded
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| a.镀金的，富有的 | |
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21
unicorn
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| n.(传说中的)独角兽 | |
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22
millennium
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| n.一千年，千禧年；太平盛世 | |
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23
judicious
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| adj.明智的，明断的，能作出明智决定的 | |
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24
apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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25
propriety
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| n.正当行为；正当；适当 | |
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26
rim
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| n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界 | |
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27
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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28
mariner
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| n.水手号不载人航天探测器，海员，航海者 | |
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29
buxom
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| adj.（妇女）丰满的，有健康美的 | |
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30
seamen
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| n.海员 | |
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31
spouse
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| n.配偶(指夫或妻) | |
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32
marketing
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| n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西 | |
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33
intoxication
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| n.wild excitement;drunkenness；poisoning | |
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34
brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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35
abominable
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| adj.可厌的，令人憎恶的 | |
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36
premises
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| n.建筑物，房屋 | |
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37
entrap
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| v.以网或陷阱捕捉，使陷入圈套 | |
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38
grotesque
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| adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物） | |
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39
swill
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| v.冲洗；痛饮；n.泔脚饲料；猪食；（谈话或写作中的）无意义的话 | |
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40
sleek
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| adj.光滑的，井然有序的；v.使光滑，梳拢 | |
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41
waddling
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| v.（像鸭子一样）摇摇摆摆地走( waddle的现在分词 ) | |
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42
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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43
detest
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| vt.痛恨，憎恶 | |
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44
barley
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| n.大麦，大麦粒 | |
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45
alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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46
remonstrances
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| n.抱怨，抗议( remonstrance的名词复数 ) | |
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47
incorrigible
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| adj.难以纠正的，屡教不改的 | |
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48
brewery
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| n.啤酒厂 | |
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49
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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50
imbibes
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| v.吸收( imbibe的第三人称单数 )；喝；吸取；吸气 | |
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51
drizzle
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| v.下毛毛雨；n.毛毛雨，蒙蒙细雨 | |
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52
ushered
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| v.引，领，陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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53
thronged
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| v.成群，挤满( throng的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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54
meditating
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| a.沉思的，冥想的 | |
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55
attentively
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| adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神 | |
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56
dingy
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| adj.昏暗的，肮脏的 | |
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57
mortar
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| n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合 | |
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58
pictorial
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| adj.绘画的；图片的；n．画报 | |
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59
uproar
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| n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸 | |
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60
bawling
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| v.大叫，大喊( bawl的现在分词 )；放声大哭；大声叫出；叫卖（货物） | |
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61
prospects
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| n.希望，前途(恒为复数) | |
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62
perimeter
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| n.周边，周长，周界 | |
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63
hover
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| vi.翱翔，盘旋；徘徊；彷徨，犹豫 | |
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64
wharves
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| n.码头，停泊处( wharf的名词复数 ) | |
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65
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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66
brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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67
foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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sonnets
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| n.十四行诗( sonnet的名词复数 ) | |
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69
knaves
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| n.恶棍，无赖( knave的名词复数 )；（纸牌中的）杰克 | |
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70
groaning
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| adj. 呜咽的, 呻吟的 动词groan的现在分词形式 | |
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71
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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72
laden
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| adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的 | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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75
pickles
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| n.腌菜( pickle的名词复数 )；处于困境；遇到麻烦；菜酱 | |
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76
curtailed
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| v.截断，缩短( curtail的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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77
razed
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| v.彻底摧毁，将…夷为平地( raze的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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78
beverage
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| n.(水，酒等之外的)饮料 | |
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unlimited
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| adj.无限的，不受控制的，无条件的 | |
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bastard
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| n.坏蛋，混蛋；私生子 | |
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vile
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| adj.卑鄙的，可耻的，邪恶的；坏透的 | |
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