In discharging the cargo, his business seemed to consist in flagellating the crew with the flat of his saber, an exercise in which long practice had made him exceedingly expert. The poor fellows jumped away with the tackle-rope, elastic9 as cats.
One Sunday, I went aboard of the Irrawaddy, when this oriental usher10 accosted11 me at the gangway, with his sword at my throat. I gently pushed it aside, making a sign expressive12 of the pacific character of my motives13 in paying a visit to the ship. Whereupon he very considerately let me pass.
I thought I was in Pegu, so strangely woody was the smell of the dark-colored timbers, whose odor was heightened by the rigging of kayar, or cocoa-nut fiber14.
The Lascars were on the forecastle-deck. Among them were Malays, Mahrattas, Burmese, Siamese, and Cingalese. They were seated round "kids" full of rice, from which, according to their invariable custom, they helped themselves with one hand, the other being reserved for quite another purpose. They were chattering15 like magpies16 in Hindostanee, but I found that several of them could also speak very good English. They were a small-limbed, wiry, tawny17 set; and I was informed made excellent seamen, though ill adapted to stand the hardships of northern voyaging.
They told me that seven of their number had died on the passage from Bombay; two or three after crossing the Tropic of Cancer, and the rest met their fate in the Channel, where the ship had been tost about in violent seas, attended with cold rains, peculiar18 to that vicinity. Two more had been lost overboard from the flying-jib-boom.
I was condoling19 with a young English cabin-boy on board, upon the loss of these poor fellows, when he said it was their own fault; they would never wear monkey-jackets, but clung to their thin India robes, even in the bitterest weather. He talked about them much as a farmer would about the loss of so many sheep by the murrain.
The captain of the vessel2 was an Englishman, as were also the three mates, master and boatswain. These officers lived astern in the cabin, where every Sunday they read the Church of England's prayers, while the heathen at the other end of the ship were left to their false gods and idols20. And thus, with Christianity on the quarter-deck, and paganism on the forecastle, the Irrawaddy ploughed the sea.
As if to symbolize21 this state of things, the "fancy piece" astern comprised, among numerous other carved decorations, a cross and a miter; while forward, on the bows, was a sort of devil for a figure-head—a dragon-shaped creature, with a fiery22 red mouth, and a switchy-looking tail.
After her cargo was discharged, which was done "to the sound of flutes23 and soft recorders"—something as work is done in the navy to the music of the boatswain's pipe—the Lascars were set to "stripping the ship" that is, to sending down all her spars and ropes.
At this time, she lay alongside of us, and the Babel on board almost drowned our own voices. In nothing but their girdles, the Lascars hopped24 about aloft, chattering like so many monkeys; but, nevertheless, showing much dexterity25 and seamanship in their manner of doing their work.
Every Sunday, crowds of well-dressed people came down to the dock to see this singular ship; many of them perched themselves in the shrouds26 of the neighboring craft, much to the wrath27 of Captain Riga, who left strict orders with our old ship-keeper, to drive all strangers out of the Highlander's rigging. It was amusing at these times, to watch the old women with umbrellas, who stood on the quay28 staring at the Lascars, even when they desired to be private. These inquisitive29 old ladies seemed to regard the strange sailors as a species of wild animal, whom they might gaze at with as much impunity30, as at leopards31 in the Zoological Gardens.
One night I was returning to the ship, when just as I was passing through the Dock Gate, I noticed a white figure squatting32 against the wall outside. It proved to be one of the Lascars who was smoking, as the regulations of the docks prohibit his indulging this luxury on board his vessel. Struck with the curious fashion of his pipe, and the odor from it, I inquired what he was smoking; he replied "Joggerry," which is a species of weed, used in place of tobacco.
Finding that he spoke33 good English, and was quite communicative, like most smokers34, I sat down by Dattabdool-mans, as he called himself, and we fell into conversation. So instructive was his discourse35, that when we parted, I had considerably36 added to my stock of knowledge. Indeed, it is a Godsend to fall in with a fellow like this. He knows things you never dreamed of; his experiences are like a man from the moon—wholly strange, a new revelation. If you want to learn romance, or gain an insight into things quaint37, curious, and marvelous, drop your books of travel, and take a stroll along the docks of a great commercial port. Ten to one, you will encounter Crusoe himself among the crowds of mariners38 from all parts of the globe.
But this is no place for making mention of all the subjects upon which I and my Lascar friend mostly discoursed39; I will only try to give his account of the teakwood and kayar rope, concerning which things I was curious, and sought information.
The "sagoon" as he called the tree which produces the teak, grows in its greatest excellence40 among the mountains of Malabar, whence large quantities are sent to Bombay for shipbuilding. He also spoke of another kind of wood, the "sissor," which supplies most of the "shin-logs," or "knees," and crooked41 timbers in the country ships. The sagoon grows to an immense size; sometimes there is fifty feet of trunk, three feet through, before a single bough42 is put forth43. Its leaves are very large; and to convey some idea of them, my Lascar likened them to elephants' ears. He said a purple dye was extracted from them, for the purpose of staining cottons and silks. The wood is specifically heavier than water; it is easily worked, and extremely strong and durable44. But its chief merit lies in resisting the action of the salt water, and the attacks of insects; which resistance is caused by its containing a resinous45 oil called "poonja."
To my surprise, he informed me that the Irrawaddy was wholly built by the native shipwrights46 of India, who, he modestly asserted, surpassed the European artisans.
The rigging, also, was of native manufacture. As the kayar, of which it is composed, is now getting into use both in England and America, as well for ropes and rigging as for mats and rugs, my Lascar friend's account of it, joined to my own observations, may not be uninteresting.
In India, it is prepared very much in the same way as in Polynesia. The cocoa-nut is gathered while the husk is still green, and but partially47 ripe; and this husk is removed by striking the nut forcibly, with both hands, upon a sharp-pointed stake, planted uprightly in the ground. In this way a boy will strip nearly fifteen hundred in a day. But the kayar is not made from the husk, as might be supposed, but from the rind of the nut; which, after being long soaked in water, is beaten with mallets, and rubbed together into fibers48. After this being dried in the sun, you may spin it, just like hemp49, or any similar substance. The fiber thus produced makes very strong and durable ropes, extremely well adapted, from their lightness and durability50, for the running rigging of a ship; while the same causes, united with its great strength and buoyancy, render it very suitable for large cables and hawsers51.
But the elasticity52 of the kayar ill fits it for the shrouds and standing-rigging of a ship, which require to be comparatively firm. Hence, as the Irrawaddy's shrouds were all of this substance, the Lascar told me, they were continually setting up or slacking off her standing-rigging, according as the weather was cold or warm. And the loss of a foretopmast, between the tropics, in a squall, he attributed to this circumstance.
After a stay of about two weeks, the Irrawaddy had her heavy Indian spars replaced with Canadian pine, and her kayar shrouds with hempen53 ones. She then mustered54 her pagans, and hoisted55 sail for London.
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1
bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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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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celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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cargo
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| n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物 | |
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seamen
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| n.海员 | |
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linen
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| n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的 | |
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8
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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9
elastic
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| n.橡皮圈，松紧带；adj.有弹性的；灵活的 | |
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10
usher
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| n.带位员，招待员；vt.引导，护送；vi.做招待，担任引座员 | |
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11
accosted
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| v.走过去跟…讲话( accost的过去式和过去分词 )；跟…搭讪；（乞丐等）上前向…乞讨；（妓女等）勾搭 | |
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12
expressive
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| adj.表现的，表达…的，富于表情的 | |
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13
motives
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| n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
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14
fiber
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| n.纤维，纤维质 | |
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15
chattering
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| n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式 | |
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16
magpies
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| 喜鹊（magpie的复数形式） | |
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17
tawny
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| adj.茶色的，黄褐色的；n.黄褐色 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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condoling
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| v.表示同情，吊唁( condole的现在分词 ) | |
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idols
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| 偶像( idol的名词复数 )； 受崇拜的人或物； 受到热爱和崇拜的人或物； 神像 | |
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symbolize
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| vt.作为...的象征，用符号代表 | |
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fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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23
flutes
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| 长笛( flute的名词复数 )； 细长香槟杯（形似长笛） | |
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24
hopped
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| 跳上[下]( hop的过去式和过去分词 )； 单足蹦跳； 齐足（或双足）跳行； 摘葎草花 | |
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25
dexterity
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| n.(手的)灵巧，灵活 | |
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26
shrouds
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| n.裹尸布( shroud的名词复数 )；寿衣；遮蔽物；覆盖物v.隐瞒( shroud的第三人称单数 )；保密 | |
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wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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quay
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| n.码头，靠岸处 | |
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29
inquisitive
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| adj.求知欲强的，好奇的，好寻根究底的 | |
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30
impunity
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| n.(惩罚、损失、伤害等的)免除 | |
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31
leopards
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| n.豹( leopard的名词复数 )；本性难移 | |
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32
squatting
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| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的现在分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。 | |
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33
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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smokers
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| 吸烟者( smoker的名词复数 ) | |
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35
discourse
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| n.论文，演说；谈话；话语；vi.讲述，著述 | |
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36
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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37
quaint
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| adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的 | |
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38
mariners
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| 海员，水手（mariner的复数形式） | |
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39
discoursed
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| 演说（discourse的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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40
excellence
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| n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德 | |
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41
crooked
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| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 | |
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42
bough
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| n.大树枝，主枝 | |
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43
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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44
durable
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| adj.持久的，耐久的 | |
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45
resinous
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| adj.树脂的，树脂质的，树脂制的 | |
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46
shipwrights
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| n.造船者，修船者( shipwright的名词复数 ) | |
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47
partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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48
fibers
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| 光纤( fiber的名词复数 )； （织物的）质地； 纤维，纤维物质 | |
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49
hemp
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| n.大麻；纤维 | |
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50
durability
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| n.经久性，耐用性 | |
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51
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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52
elasticity
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| n.弹性，伸缩力 | |
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53
hempen
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| adj. 大麻制的, 大麻的 | |
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54
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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55
hoisted
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| 把…吊起，升起( hoist的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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