“You will find that you won't get much of that,” the mate, who was president of the mess, said, after listening to their anticipations12 of sport. “I have been on the west coast of Africa and know what it is poking13 about in muddy creeks14 in boats, tramping through the jungle, knee deep in mud, half the crew down with fever, and the rest worn out with work and heat. I can tell you it is not all fun, as you youngsters seem to think, but downright hard work.”
“Ah, well! any amount of work is better than standing15 here doing nothing,” Dick said cheerfully, for the mate was known as a proverbial grumbler16. He had been unfortunate, and, as is usually the case, his misfortunes were in some degree due to himself, for he was fond of liquor, and although, when on board, he took no more than his share, he was often somewhat unsteady in his speech when he returned from a run ashore17; and although the matter was not grave enough for his captains to report altogether unfavorably of him, it was sufficiently18 so for them to shrink from recommending him for promotion19, and in consequence he had seen scores of younger men raised over his head. He had been for some time unemployed20 before he had joined the Serpent, and had been appointed to her only because Captain Forest, who was a friend of his family, had used his interest on his behalf. He had, however, when he joined, spoken frankly21 to him.
“I have asked for you, Morrison,” he said, “simply for the sake of your father; but I tell you frankly, that unless my report is a thoroughly22 favorable one, you are not likely to be again employed. I was told that there was nothing special against you, but that in no case since you passed have you been warmly spoken of. It has been said that you know your duty well; but they had privately23 learned that you were fond of liquor; and although no charge of absolute drunkenness had been brought against you, it was considered that you would not make a desirable officer in a higher rank. Now your future depends upon yourself; if you have the resolution to give up the habit, you may yet retrieve24 yourself. If I find that you do so, I shall certainly take the opportunity of giving you a chance to distinguish yourself, and shall strongly urge your claim to promotion. If I am not able to do this, you must make up your mind to be permanently25 put upon the shelf.”
The admonition had not been in vain, and since joining the Serpent Morrison had made a successful effort to break himself of the habit. He had very seldom gone ashore, and when he did so, never went alone, and always returned at an early hour, and without having taken more than he would have done in the ordinary way on board. He had not, however, given up his habit of grumbling26, and his messmates were so accustomed to his taking a somber27 view of everything that his prognostication as to the nature of their work up the river had but little effect upon them.
“I know nothing about it, except what I have read. They say that the country is healthy; but it stands to reason that this cannot be so while you have got rivers with swamps and jungles and such heat as this. However, we have a good supply of quinine on board, and with that and our allowance of spirits, I hope that we shan't, as Morrison says, have half the ship's company down with the fever. It is all in our favor that we have only just come out, for they say that newcomers can resist the effects of these tropical rivers much better than those whose constitution has been weakened by a residence in the country. As to the sport, I have no desire to kill any animal that does not meddle30 with me. My business is all the other way, and if any of you get mauled, I will do my best to help the doctor to pull you through; but I am very well on board the ship, and have no desire to go tramping about among the swamps, whether it be to hunt animals or fight Malays.”
“You think that everyone should stick to his last, Sandy,” Dick said with a laugh. “Well, I only wish there were more on board of your opinion, for that would give more chances to us who like to stretch our legs ashore for a change.”
“I can stretch my legs here if I want to,” the Scotchman said quietly, “and am not anxious to do more. I suppose, if there are expeditions against the Malays, I shall have to go with them; but the fewer of them there are the better I shall be pleased.”
The talk was more serious aft, where the doctor and first lieutenant were dining with the captain. It ended by the latter saying, “Well, Doctor, if what your friend Hassan said be true, we are likely enough to have our hands pretty full, and shall have to watch this fellow Sehi as sharply as we do his neighbors. He is not under our protection yet, and if he sends his prahus down the river to plunder31 on the coast, as Hassan says, he is not the sort of character likely to do us credit, and the position of a British Resident with him would be the reverse of a pleasant one. However, we must hope that he is not as black as he is painted. He has evidently put the other chiefs' backs up, and we must receive their reports of him with some doubt. However, I have no doubt that, if he turns out badly, we shall be able to give him a lesson that will be of benefit to him.”
The first day's voyage up the river by no means came up to the anticipations of the midshipmen as to the country through which they were to pass. The width of the river varied32 from a quarter of a mile to three hundred yards; the banks on each side were lined with mangroves, presenting a dreary33 and monotonous34 aspect. Progress was slow, the steam launch going ahead and sounding the depth of water, the captain having but little faith in the assertion of the native pilot that he was perfectly35 acquainted with every bank and shallow. Being now the dry season, the tops of many of these shoals were dry, and numbers of alligators37 were lying half in and half out of the water, basking38 in the sun.
Several of the officers who possessed39 rifles amused themselves by shooting at these creatures, but it was very rarely that any attention was paid to their firing, the balls glancing off the scaly40 armor without the alligators appearing to be conscious of anything unusual. There was more amusement in watching how, when the swell41 of the steamer rushed through the shallow water and broke on the shoals, the reptiles42 turned and scrambled43 back into the river, evidently alarmed at this, to them, strange phenomenon.
“I should not care about bathing here, Davis,” Harry Parkhurst remarked to the old sailor.
“You are right, sir; I would rather have a stand up fight with the Malays than trust myself for two minutes in this muddy water. Why, they are worse than sharks, sir; a shark does hoist44 his fin11 as a signal that he is cruising about, but these chaps come sneaking45 along underneath46 the water, and the first you know about them is that they have got you by the leg.”
“Well, as far as the bite goes, Mr. Parkhurst, the shark is the worst. He will take your leg off, or a big 'un will bite a man in two halves. The alligator don't go to work that way: he gets hold of your leg, and no doubt he mangles47 it a bit; but he don't bite right through the bone; he just takes hold of you and drags you down to the bottom of the river, and keeps you there until you are drowned; then he polishes you off at his leisure.”
“The brutes48!” Harry exclaimed, with deep emphasis. “See, the first lieutenant has hit that big fellow there in the eye or the soft skin behind the leg; anyhow, he has got it hard; look how he is roaring and lashing49 his tail.”
“I have heard, sir, that in Africa the natives bait a big hook with a lump of pork, or something of that sort; then, when an alligator has swallowed it, they haul him up, holus bolus. I should say a good plan to kill them would be with 'tricity. The last ship I was in, we had an officer of the Marine3 Artillery51 who knew about such things, and he put a big cartridge52 into a lump of pork, with two wires, and as soon as the shark had swallowed it he would touch a spring or something, and there would be an explosion. There was not as much fun in it as having a hook, but it was quicker, and he did not do it for sport, but because he hated the sharks. I heard say that he had had a young brother killed by one of them. He would sit there on the taffrail for hours on the lookout53 for them, with three or four loaded lumps of pork. Why, I have known him kill as many as a dozen in a day. I expect the best part of his pay must have gone in dynamite54.
“He had a narrow escape one day; somehow the thing went wrong, and in trying to set it right he fell over the taffrail. The shark had bolted the bait, but this was not enough for his appetite, and he went straight at the officer. He had had a young ensign sitting beside him, who had often watched his work, and knew how the thing went. I was standing near at the time, and he began twisting some screws and things as cool as a cucumber, though I could see as his hand shook a bit. Well, he got it right just in time, for the shark was not half a length away from the captain, and was turning himself over for a bite, when the thing went off, and there was an end of the shark. The captain was a bit shaken up, but he made a grab at the rope, and held on to it till we lowered a boat and picked him up. He had to be got up on deck in a chair, and it was two or three days before he was himself again. When he got round he set to work again more earnestly than ever; and I believe that if we had stopped in the West Indies long enough, there would not have been a shark left in those waters.”
“It was a capital plan, Davis, and if we ever take possession of these rivers, we shall have to do something of that sort to get rid of the brutes. Are the Malays afraid of them?”
“I don't know, Mr. Parkhurst, but I think they are. I had a chat with a mate I met in the Myrtle, which went home the day after we relieved them here. He had been up some of the rivers, and told me that every village had a bathing place palisaded off so that the alligators could not get at the bathers.”
“Well, there is one thing—we shall have to be very careful when we are out in boats, for if we were to run upon a sunken log and knock a hole in the boat's bottom, there would not be much chance of our ever reaching the shore.”
“You are about right there, sir. I aint afraid of Malays, but it gives me the creeps down my back when I think of one of them chaps getting hold of me by the leg. Bob Pearson told me that the only chance you have is to send your knife, or if you can't get at that, your thumbs, into the creature's eyes. But it would require a mighty55 cool hand to find the eyes, with the brute's teeth in one's leg, and the water so thick with mud that you could not see an inch beyond your nose.”
“Well, I will make a note of that, anyhow, Davis, and I will take a good look at the next alligator I see dead, so as to know exactly where to feel for its eyes.”
On the second day the scenery changed. In place of the mangroves a dense56 forest lined the river. Birds of lovely plumage occasionally flew across it, and after they had anchored in the evening, the air became full of strange noises; great beasts rose and snorted near the banks; sounds of roaring and growling57 were heard in the wood; and the lads, who had been so eager before to take part in a hunt on shore, listened with something like awe58 to the various strange and often mysterious noises.
“What in the world does it all mean, Doctor?” Dick Balderson asked, as the surgeon came up to the spot where the four midshipmen were leaning on the rail.
“It means that there is a good deal of life in the woods. That splashing sound you hear with deep grunts59 and snorts, is probably made by a hippopotamus60 wallowing in shallow water; but it may be a rhinoceros61, or even a buffalo62. That roar is either a tiger or a panther, and that snarling63 sound on the other bank is, no doubt, made by smaller animals of the same family, indulging in a domestic quarrel. Some of the other sounds are made by night birds of some kind or other and perhaps by monkeys, and I fancy that distant vibrating sound that goes on without intermission is a concert of a party of frogs.”
“What is that?” as a shrill64 cry, as from a child, followed by a confused outburst of cries, chattering65, and, as it seemed to them, a barking sound, followed.
“I fancy that is the death cry of a monkey. Probably some python or other snake has seized it in its sleep; and the other noise is the outcry of its companions heaping abuse upon the snake, but unable to do anything to rescue their friend.”
“I don't think, Doctor,” Harry Parkhurst said, in a tone that was half in earnest, “that I feel so anxious as I did for sport in the forest; and certainly I should decline to take part in it after nightfall.”
“I can quite understand that, lad. At night all the sounds of a tropical forest seem mysterious and weird66, but in the broad daylight the bush will be comparatively still. The nocturnal animals will slink away to their lairs67, and there will seem nothing strange to you in the songs and calls of the birds. I should recommend you all to take a sound dose of quinine tonight; I have a two and a half gallon keg of the stuff mixed, and any officer or man can go and take a glass whenever he feels he wants it. It would be good for your nerves, as well as neutralize68 the effect of the damp rising from the river. I should advise you who are not on the watch to turn in early; it is of no use your exposing yourselves more than is necessary to the miasma69.”
The next day progress was more rapid, for the captain found that the assurance of the pilot that there was amply sufficient water for the Serpent had been verified, and he therefore steamed forward at half speed, without sending the launch on ahead to take soundings. Several villages were passed by the way, but though the inhabitants assembled on the banks and watched the steamer, no boats were put out, nor were any attempts made to barter70 their products with the strangers.
“It does not look as if we were popular, Mr. Ferguson,” the captain said to the first lieutenant. “It may be that they object to our presence altogether, or it may be because they believe that we are going to the assistance of this Rajah Sehi. It certainly does not look well for the future.”
“Not at all, sir. However, we shall be at the rajah's place tomorrow morning, and shall then have a better opportunity of seeing how things are likely to go. At any rate, he is sure to be civil for a time, and we shall be likely to procure71 fruit and vegetables, which, as the doctor says, are absolute necessities if the men are to be kept in good health.”
The next morning they anchored about ten o'clock opposite the campong of the rajah. It was a good deal larger than any that they had passed on the way up, but the houses were mere72 huts, with the exception of a large wooden structure, which they at once concluded was the residence of the rajah. As soon as the Serpent turned the last bend of the river before reaching the place, the sound of drums and gongs was heard, and a large boat, manned by eighteen rowers, shot out from the bank as the anchor was dropped. The two officials on board at once mounted the accommodation ladder, and on reaching the deck were received by the first lieutenant, behind whom stood a guard of honor of the marines.
Upon stating that they came to express, on behalf of the rajah, the pleasure he felt at their arrival, they were conducted to the captain's cabin. Compliments were exchanged through the medium of the interpreter, and a bottle of champagne73 was opened, and its contents appeared to gratify the visitors. They announced that the rajah would receive the captain that afternoon at his palace.
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1
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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marine
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| adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵 | |
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seamen
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| n.海员 | |
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complement
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| n.补足物，船上的定员；补语；vt.补充，补足 | |
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specially
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| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
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lighter
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| n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级 | |
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8
draught
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| n.拉，牵引，拖；一网（饮，吸，阵)；顿服药量，通风；v.起草，设计 | |
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spacious
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| adj.广阔的，宽敞的 | |
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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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fin
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| n.鳍；(飞机的)安定翼 | |
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anticipations
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| 预期( anticipation的名词复数 )； 预测； （信托财产收益的）预支； 预期的事物 | |
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13
poking
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| n. 刺，戳，袋 vt. 拨开，刺，戳 vi. 戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢 | |
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14
creeks
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| n.小湾( creek的名词复数 )；小港；小河；小溪 | |
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15
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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16
grumbler
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| 爱抱怨的人，发牢骚的人 | |
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ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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promotion
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| n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传 | |
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unemployed
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| adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的 | |
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frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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privately
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| adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地 | |
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24
retrieve
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| vt.重新得到，收回；挽回，补救；检索 | |
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permanently
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| adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地 | |
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grumbling
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| adj. 喃喃鸣不平的, 出怨言的 | |
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somber
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| adj.昏暗的，阴天的，阴森的，忧郁的 | |
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harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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scotch
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| n.伤口，刻痕；苏格兰威士忌酒；v.粉碎，消灭，阻止；adj.苏格兰(人)的 | |
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meddle
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| v.干预，干涉，插手 | |
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plunder
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| vt.劫掠财物，掠夺；n.劫掠物，赃物；劫掠 | |
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varied
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| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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dreary
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| adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的 | |
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monotonous
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| adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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alligator
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| n.短吻鳄(一种鳄鱼) | |
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alligators
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| n.短吻鳄( alligator的名词复数 ) | |
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basking
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| v.晒太阳，取暖( bask的现在分词 )；对…感到乐趣；因他人的功绩而出名；仰仗…的余泽 | |
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39
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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40
scaly
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| adj.鱼鳞状的；干燥粗糙的 | |
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swell
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| vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强 | |
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42
reptiles
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| n.爬行动物，爬虫( reptile的名词复数 ) | |
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43
scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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44
hoist
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| n.升高，起重机，推动；v.升起，升高，举起 | |
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45
sneaking
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| a.秘密的，不公开的 | |
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46
underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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47
mangles
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| n.轧布机，轧板机，碾压机（mangle的复数形式）vt.乱砍（mangle的第三人称单数形式） | |
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48
brutes
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| 兽( brute的名词复数 )； 畜生； 残酷无情的人； 兽性 | |
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49
lashing
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| n.鞭打；痛斥；大量；许多v.鞭打( lash的现在分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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50
killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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51
artillery
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| n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队) | |
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52
cartridge
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| n.弹壳，弹药筒；(装磁带等的)盒子 | |
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53
lookout
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| n.注意，前途，瞭望台 | |
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54
dynamite
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| n./vt.(用)炸药(爆破) | |
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55
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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56
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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57
growling
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| n.吠声, 咆哮声 v.怒吠, 咆哮, 吼 | |
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58
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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grunts
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的第三人称单数 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说； 石鲈 | |
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60
hippopotamus
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| n.河马 | |
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rhinoceros
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| n.犀牛 | |
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62
buffalo
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| n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛 | |
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63
snarling
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| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的现在分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
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64
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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65
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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66
weird
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| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
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lairs
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| n.（野兽的）巢穴，窝( lair的名词复数 )；（人的）藏身处 | |
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68
neutralize
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| v.使失效、抵消，使中和 | |
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69
miasma
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| n.毒气；不良气氛 | |
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70
barter
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| n.物物交换，以货易货，实物交易 | |
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71
procure
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| vt.获得，取得，促成；vi.拉皮条 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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champagne
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| n.香槟酒；微黄色 | |
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