[318]
The word 'Gee (g hard) is an abbreviation, by seamen8, of Portugee, the corrupt9 form of Portuguese10. As the name is a curtailment11, so the race is a residuum. Some three centuries ago certain Portuguese convicts were sent as a colony to Fogo, one of the Cape12 de Verdes, off the northwest coast of Africa, an island previously13 stocked with an aboriginal14 race of negroes, ranking pretty high in civility, but rather low in stature15 and morals. In course of time, from the amalgamated16 generation all the likelier sort were drafted off as food for powder, and the ancestors of the since-called 'Gees were left as the caput mortum, or melancholy17 remainder.
Of all men seamen have strong prejudices, particularly in the matter of race. They are bigots here. But when a creature of inferior race lives among them, an inferior tar18, there seems no bound to their disdain19. Now, as ere long will be hinted, the 'Gee, though of an aquatic20 nature, does not, as regards higher qualifications, make the best of sailors. In short, by seamen the abbreviation 'Gee was hit upon in pure contumely; the degree of which may be partially21 inferred from this, that with[319] them the primitive22 word Portugee itself is a reproach; so that 'Gee, being a subtle distillation23 from that word, stands, in point of relative intensity24 to it, as attar of roses does to rose-water. At times, when some crusty old sea-dog has his spleen more than unusually excited against some luckless blunderer of Fogo his shipmate, it is marvelous the prolongation of taunt25 into which he will spin out the one little exclamatory monosyllable Ge-e-e-e-e!
The Isle26 of Fogo, that is, "Fire Isle," was so called from its volcano, which, after throwing up an infinite deal of stones and ashes, finally threw up business altogether, from its broadcast bounteousness27 having become bankrupt. But thanks to the volcano's prodigality28 in its time, the soil of Fogo is such as may be found on a dusty day on a road newly macadamized. Cut off from farms and gardens, the staple29 food of the inhabitants is fish, at catching30 which they are expert. But none the less do they relish31 ship-biscuit, which, indeed, by most islanders, barbarous or semi-barbarous, is held a sort of lozenge.
In his best estate the 'Gee is rather small (he admits it) but, with some exceptions,[320] hardy32; capable of enduring extreme hard work, hard fare, or hard usage, as the case may be. In fact, upon a scientific view, there would seem a natural adaptability33 in the 'Gee to hard times generally. A theory not uncorroborated by his experiences; and furthermore, that kindly34 care of Nature in fitting him for them, something as for his hard rubs with a hardened world Fox the Quaker fitted himself, namely, in a tough leather suit from top to toe. In other words, the 'Gee is by no means of that exquisitely35 delicate sensibility expressed by the figurative adjective thin-skinned. His physicals and spirituals are in singular contrast. The 'Gee has a great appetite, but little imagination; a large eyeball, but small insight. Biscuit he crunches36, but sentiment he eschews37.
His complexion38 is hybrid39; his hair ditto; his mouth disproportionally large, as compared with his stomach; his neck short; but his head round, compact, and betokening40 a solid understanding.
Like the negro, the 'Gee has a peculiar41 savor42, but a different one—a sort of wild, marine43, gamey savor, as in the sea-bird called haglet. Like venison, his flesh is firm but lean.
[321]
His teeth are what are called butter-teeth, strong, durable44, square, and yellow. Among captains at a loss for better discourse45 during dull, rainy weather in the horse-latitudes, much debate has been had whether his teeth are intended for carnivorous or herbivorous purposes, or both conjoined. But as on his isle the 'Gee eats neither flesh nor grass, this inquiry46 would seem superfluous47.
The native dress of the 'Gee is, like his name, compendious48. His head being by nature well thatched, he wears no hat. Wont49 to wade50 much in the surf, he wears no shoes. He has a serviceably hard heel, a kick from which is by the judicious51 held almost as dangerous as one from a wild zebra.
Though for a long time back no stranger to the seafaring people of Portugal, the 'Gee, until a comparatively recent period, remained almost undreamed of by seafaring Americans. It is now some forty years since he first became known to certain masters of our Nantucket ships, who commenced the practice of touching52 at Fogo, on the outward passage, there to fill up vacancies53 among their crews arising from the short supply of men at home. By degrees[322] the custom became pretty general, till now the 'Gee is found aboard of almost one whaler out of three. One reason why they are in request is this: An unsophisticated 'Gee coming on board a foreign ship never asks for wages. He comes for biscuit. He does not know what wages mean, unless cuffs55 and buffets56 be wages, of which sort he receives a liberal allowance, paid with great punctuality, besides perquisites57 of punches thrown in now and then. But for all this, some persons there are, and not unduly58 biassed59 by partiality to him either, who still insist that the 'Gee never gets his due.
His docile60 services being thus cheaply to be had, some captains will go the length of maintaining that 'Gee sailors are preferable, indeed every way, physically61 and intellectually, superior to American sailors—such captains complaining, and justly, that American sailors, if not decently treated, are apt to give serious trouble.
But even by their most ardent62 admirers it is not deemed prudent63 to sail a ship with none but 'Gees, at least if they chance to be all green hands, a green 'Gee being of all green things the greenest. Besides, owing to the clumsiness[323] of their feet ere improved by practice in the rigging, green 'Gees are wont, in no inconsiderable numbers, to fall overboard the first dark, squally night; insomuch that when unreasonable64 owners insist with a captain against his will upon a green 'Gee crew fore54 and aft, he will ship twice as many 'Gees as he would have shipped of Americans, so as to provide for all contingencies65.
The 'Gees are always ready to be shipped. Any day one may go to their isle, and on the showing of a coin of biscuit over the rail, may load down to the water's edge with them.
But though any number of 'Gees are ever ready to be shipped, still it is by no means well to take them as they come. There is a choice even in 'Gees.
Of course the 'Gee has his private nature as well as his public coat. To know 'Gees—to be a sound judge of 'Gees—one must study them, just as to know and be a judge of horses one must study horses. Simple as for the most part are both horse and 'Gee, in neither case can knowledge of the creature come by intuition. How unwise, then, in those ignorant young captains who, on their first voyage, will go and[324] ship their 'Gees at Fogo without any preparatory information, or even so much as taking convenient advice from a 'Gee jockey. By a 'Gee jockey is meant a man well versed66 in 'Gees. Many a young captain has been thrown and badly hurt by a 'Gee of his own choosing. For notwithstanding the general docility67 of the 'Gee when green, it may be otherwise with him when ripe. Discreet68 captains won't have such a 'Gee. "Away with that ripe 'Gee!" they cry; "that smart 'Gee; that knowing 'Gee! Green 'Gees for me!"
For the benefit of inexperienced captains about to visit Fogo, the following may be given as the best way to test a 'Gee: Get square before him, at, say three paces, so that the eye, like a shot, may rake the 'Gee fore and aft, at one glance taking in his whole make and build—how he looks about the head, whether he carry it well; his ears, are they over-lengthy? How fares it in the withers69? His legs, does the 'Gee stand strongly on them? His knees, any Belshazzar symptoms there? How stands it in the regions of the brisket, etc., etc.
Thus far bone and bottom. For the rest, draw close to, and put the centre of the pupil[325] of your eye—put it, as it were, right into the 'Gee's eye—even as an eye-stone, gently, but firmly slip it in there, and then note what speck70 or beam of viciousness, if any, will be floated out.
All this and more must be done; and yet after all, the best judge may be deceived. But on no account should the shipper negotiate for his 'Gee with any middle-man, himself a 'Gee. Because such an one must be a knowing 'Gee, who will be sure to advise the green 'Gee what things to hide and what to display, to hit the skipper's fancy; which, of course, the knowing 'Gee supposes to lean toward as much physical and moral excellence71 as possible. The rashness of trusting to one of these middle-men was forcibly shown in the case of the 'Gee who by his countrymen was recommended to a New Bedford captain as one of the most agile72 'Gees in Fogo. There he stood straight and stout73, in a flowing pair of man-of-war's-man trousers, uncommonly74 well fitted out. True, he did not step around much at the time. But that was diffidence. Good. They shipped him. But at the first taking in of sail the 'Gee hung fire. Come to look, both trousers-legs were full of[326] elephantiasis. It was a long sperm-whaling voyage. Useless as so much lumber75, at every port prohibited from being dumped ashore76, that elephantine 'Gee, ever crunching77 biscuit, for three weary years was trundled round the globe.
Grown wise by several similar experiences, old Captain Hosea Kean, of Nantucket, in shipping78 a 'Gee, at present manages matters thus: He lands at Fogo in the night; by secret means gains information where the likeliest 'Gee wanting to ship lodges80; whereupon with a strong party he surprises all the friends and acquaintances of that 'Gee; putting them under guard with pistols at their heads; then creeps cautiously toward the 'Gee, now lying wholly unawares in his hut, quite relaxed from all possibility of displaying aught deceptive81 in his appearance. Thus silently, thus suddenly, thus unannounced, Captain Kean bursts upon his 'Gee, so to speak, in the very bosom82 of his family. By this means, more than once, unexpected revelations have been made. A 'Gee, noised abroad for a Hercules in strength and an Apollo Belvidere for beauty, of a sudden is discovered all in a wretched heap; forlornly[327] adroop as upon crutches83, his legs looking as if broken at the cart-wheel. Solitude84 is the house of candor85, according to Captain Kean. In the stall, not the street, he says, resides the real nag79.
The innate86 disdain of regularly bred seamen toward 'Gees receives an added edge from this. The 'Gees undersell them working for biscuit where the sailors demand dollars. Hence anything said by sailors to the prejudice of 'Gees should be received with caution. Especially that jeer87 of theirs, that monkey-jacket was originally so called from the circumstance that that rude sort of shaggy garment was first known in Fogo. They often call a monkey-jacket a 'Gee-jacket. However this may be, there is no call to which the 'Gee will with more alacrity88 respond than the word "Man!"
Is there any hard work to be done, and the 'Gees stand round in sulks? "Here, my men!" cries the mate. How they jump. But ten to one when the work is done, it is plain 'Gee again. "Here, 'Gee you 'Ge-e-e-e!" In fact, it is not unsurmised, that only when extraordinary stimulus89 is needed, only when an extra[328] strain is to be got out of them, are these hapless 'Gees ennobled with the human name.
As yet, the intellect of the 'Gee has been little cultivated. No well-attested educational experiment has been tried upon him. It is said, however, that in the last century a young 'Gee was by a visionary Portuguese naval90 officer sent to Salamanca University. Also, among the Quakers of Nantucket, there has been talk of sending five comely91 'Gees, aged92 sixteen, to Dartmouth College; that venerable institution, as is well known, having been originally founded partly with the object of finishing off wild Indians in the classics and higher mathematics. Two qualities of the 'Gee which, with his docility, may be justly regarded as furnishing a hopeful basis for his intellectual training, is his excellent memory, and still more excellent credulity.
The above account may, perhaps, among the ethnologists, raise some curiosity to see a 'Gee. But to see a 'Gee there is no need to go all the way to Fogo, no more than to see a Chinaman to go all the way to China. 'Gees are occasionally to be encountered in our seaports93, but more particularly in Nantucket and New Bedford.[329] But these 'Gees are not the 'Gees of Fogo. That is, they are no longer green 'Gees. They are sophisticated 'Gees, and hence liable to be taken for naturalized citizens badly sunburnt. Many a Chinaman, in a new coat and pantaloons, his long queue coiled out of sight in one of Genin's hats, has promenaded94 Broadway, and been taken merely for an eccentric Georgia planter. The same with 'Gees; a stranger need have a sharp eye to know a 'Gee, even if he see him.
Thus much for a general sketchy95 view of the 'Gee. For further and fuller information apply to any sharp-witted American whaling captain but more especially to the before-mentioned old Captain Hosea Kean, of Nantucket, whose address at present is "Pacific Ocean."
The End
The End
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allude
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| v.提及，暗指 | |
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gees
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| n.（美俚）一千元（gee的复数形式）v.驭马快走或向右（gee的第三人称单数形式） | |
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gee
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| n.马；int.向右！前进！，惊讶时所发声音；v.向右转 | |
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allusions
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| 暗指，间接提到( allusion的名词复数 ) | |
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auditors
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| n.审计员，稽核员( auditor的名词复数 )；（大学课程的）旁听生 | |
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detriment
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| n.损害；损害物，造成损害的根源 | |
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memoranda
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| n. 备忘录, 便条 名词memorandum的复数形式 | |
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seamen
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| n.海员 | |
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corrupt
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| v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的 | |
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Portuguese
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| n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语 | |
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curtailment
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| n.缩减，缩短 | |
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cape
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| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
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previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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aboriginal
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| adj.（指动植物）土生的，原产地的，土著的 | |
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stature
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| n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材 | |
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amalgamated
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| v.（使）（金属）汞齐化( amalgamate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）合并；联合；结合 | |
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melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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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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disdain
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| n.鄙视，轻视；v.轻视，鄙视，不屑 | |
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aquatic
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| adj.水生的，水栖的 | |
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partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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distillation
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| n.蒸馏，蒸馏法 | |
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intensity
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| n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度 | |
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taunt
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| n.辱骂，嘲弄；v.嘲弄 | |
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isle
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| n.小岛，岛 | |
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bounteousness
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prodigality
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| n.浪费，挥霍 | |
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staple
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| n.主要产物，常用品，主要要素，原料，订书钉，钩环；adj.主要的，重要的；vt.分类 | |
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catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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relish
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| n.滋味，享受，爱好，调味品；vt.加调味料，享受，品味；vi.有滋味 | |
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hardy
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| adj.勇敢的，果断的，吃苦的；耐寒的 | |
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adaptability
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| n.适应性 | |
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kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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exquisitely
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| adv.精致地；强烈地；剧烈地；异常地 | |
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crunches
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| n.（突发的）不足( crunch的名词复数 )；需要做出重要决策的困难时刻；紧要关头；嘎吱的响声v.嘎吱嘎吱地咬嚼( crunch的第三人称单数 )；嘎吱作响；（快速大量地）处理信息；数字捣弄 | |
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eschews
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| v.（尤指为道德或实际理由而）习惯性避开，回避( eschew的第三人称单数 ) | |
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complexion
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| n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格 | |
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hybrid
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| n.(动，植）杂种，混合物 | |
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betokening
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| v.预示，表示( betoken的现在分词 ) | |
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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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savor
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| vt.品尝，欣赏；n.味道，风味；情趣，趣味 | |
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marine
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| adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵 | |
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durable
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| adj.持久的，耐久的 | |
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discourse
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| n.论文，演说；谈话；话语；vi.讲述，著述 | |
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inquiry
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| n.打听，询问，调查，查问 | |
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superfluous
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| adj.过多的，过剩的，多余的 | |
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compendious
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| adj.简要的，精简的 | |
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wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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wade
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| v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉 | |
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judicious
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| adj.明智的，明断的，能作出明智决定的 | |
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52
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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53
vacancies
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| n.空房间( vacancy的名词复数 )；空虚；空白；空缺 | |
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fore
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| adv.在前面；adj.先前的；在前部的；n.前部 | |
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cuffs
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| n.袖口( cuff的名词复数 )v.掌打，拳打( cuff的第三人称单数 ) | |
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buffets
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| （火车站的）饮食柜台( buffet的名词复数 )； （火车的）餐车； 自助餐 | |
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perquisites
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| n.（工资以外的）财务补贴( perquisite的名词复数 )；额外收入；（随职位而得到的）好处；利益 | |
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unduly
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| adv.过度地，不适当地 | |
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biassed
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| （统计试验中）结果偏倚的，有偏的 | |
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docile
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| adj.驯服的，易控制的，容易教的 | |
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physically
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| adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律 | |
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ardent
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的 | |
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prudent
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| adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的 | |
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unreasonable
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| adj.不讲道理的，不合情理的，过度的 | |
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contingencies
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| n.偶然发生的事故，意外事故( contingency的名词复数 )；以备万一 | |
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versed
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| adj. 精通，熟练 | |
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docility
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| n.容易教，易驾驶，驯服 | |
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discreet
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| adj.(言行)谨慎的；慎重的；有判断力的 | |
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withers
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| 马肩隆 | |
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speck
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| n.微粒，小污点，小斑点 | |
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71
excellence
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| n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德 | |
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agile
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| adj.敏捷的，灵活的 | |
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uncommonly
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| adv. 稀罕(极，非常) | |
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lumber
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| n.木材，木料；v.以破旧东西堆满；伐木；笨重移动 | |
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ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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77
crunching
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| v.嘎吱嘎吱地咬嚼( crunch的现在分词 )；嘎吱作响；（快速大量地）处理信息；数字捣弄 | |
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78
shipping
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| n.船运（发货，运输，乘船） | |
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79
nag
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| v.(对…)不停地唠叨；n.爱唠叨的人 | |
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80
lodges
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| v.存放( lodge的第三人称单数 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属 | |
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81
deceptive
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| adj.骗人的，造成假象的，靠不住的 | |
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82
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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83
crutches
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| n.拐杖, 支柱 v.支撑 | |
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84
solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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85
candor
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| n.坦白，率真 | |
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86
innate
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| adj.天生的，固有的，天赋的 | |
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87
jeer
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| vi.嘲弄，揶揄；vt.奚落；n.嘲笑，讥评 | |
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88
alacrity
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| n.敏捷，轻快，乐意 | |
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89
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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90
naval
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| adj.海军的，军舰的，船的 | |
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91
comely
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| adj.漂亮的，合宜的 | |
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aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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93
seaports
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| n.海港( seaport的名词复数 ) | |
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94
promenaded
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| v.兜风( promenade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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sketchy
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| adj.写生的，写生风格的，概略的 | |
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