But suddenly the stately thoroughfare had given place to a meaner street, its princely shops had degenerated6 into blank walls or grimy yards, on either hand rose tall chimney-stacks belching7 smoke, instead of dashing motor cars, heavy wains and cumbrous wagons8 jogged by, in place of the well-dressed throng2 were figures rough-clad and grimy that hurried along the narrow sidewalks—but these rough-clad people walked fast and purposefully. So we hummed along streets wide or narrow but always grimy, until we were halted at a tall barrier by divers9 policemen, who, having inspected our credentials10, permitted us to pass on to the factory, or series of factories, that stretched themselves[Pg 10] before us, building on building—block on block—a very town.
Here we were introduced to various managers and heads of departments, among whom was one in the uniform of a Captain of Engineers, under whose capable wing I had the good fortune to come, for he, it seemed, had lived among engines and machinery12, had thought out and contrived13 lethal14 weapons from his youth up, and therewith retained so kindly15 and genial16 a personality as drew me irresistibly17. Wherefore I gave myself to his guidance, and he, chatting of books and literature and the like trivialities, led me along corridors and passage ways to see the wonder of the guns. And as we went, in the air about us was a stir, a hum that grew and ever grew, until, passing a massive swing door there burst upon us a rumble18, a roar, a clashing din11.
We stood in a place of gloom lit by many fires, a vast place whose roof was hid by blue vapour; all about us rose the dim forms of huge stamps, whose thunderous stroke beat out a deep diapason to the ring of countless19 hand-hammers. And, lighted by the sudden glare of furnace-fires were figures, bare-armed, smoke-grimed, wild of aspect, figures that whirled heavy sledges20 or worked the levers of the giant steam-hammers, while here and there bars of iron new-glowing from the furnace winked21 and twinkled in the gloom where those wild, half-naked men-shapes flitted to and fro unheard amid the thunderous din. Awed22 and half stunned23, I stood viewing that never-to-be-forgotten[Pg 11] scene until I grew aware that the Captain was roaring in my ear.
"Forge ... rifle barrels ... come and see and mind where you tread!"
Treading as seemingly silent as those wild human shapes, that straightened brawny24 backs to view me as I passed, that grinned in the fire-glow and spoke25 one to another, words lost to my stunned hearing, ere they bent26 to their labour again. Obediently I followed the Captain's dim form until I was come where, bare-armed, leathern-aproned and be-spectacled, stood one who seemed of some account among these salamanders, who, nodding to certain words addressed to him by the Captain, seized a pair of tongs28, swung open a furnace door, and plucking thence a glowing brand, whirled it with practised ease, and setting it upon the dies beneath a huge steam-hammer, nodded his head. Instantly that mighty29 engine fell to work, thumping30 and banging with mighty strokes, and with each stroke that glowing steel bar changed and changed, grew round, grew thin, hunched31 a shoulder here, showed a flat there, until, lo! before my eyes was the shape of a rifle minus the stock! Hereupon the be-spectacled salamander nodded again, the giant hammer became immediately immobile, the glowing forging was set among hundreds of others and a voice roared in my ear:
"Two minutes ... this way."
A door opens, closes, and we are in sunshine again, and the Captain is smilingly reminiscent of books.
"This is greater than books," said I.
[Pg 12]
"Why, that depends," says he, "there are books and books ... this way!"
Up a flight of stairs, through a doorway32 and I am in a shop where huge machines grow small in perspective. And here I see the rough forging pass through the many stages of trimming, milling, turning, boring, rifling until comes the assembling, and I take up the finished rifle ready for its final process—testing. So downstairs we go to the testing sheds, wherefrom as we approach comes the sound of dire33 battle, continuous reports, now in volleys, now in single sniping shots, or in rapid succession.
Inside, I breathe an air charged with burnt powder and behold34 in a long row, many rifles mounted upon crutches35, their muzzles36 levelled at so many targets. Beside each rifle stand two men, one to sight and correct, and one to fire and watch the effect of the shot by means of a telescope fixed37 to hand.
With the nearest of these men I incontinent fell into talk—a chatty fellow this, who, busied with pliers adjusting the back-sight of a rifle, talked to me of lines of sight and angles of deflection, his remarks sharply punctuated38 by rifle-shots, that came now slowly, now in twos and threes and now in rapid volleys.
"Yes, sir," said he, busy pliers never still, "guns and rifles is very like us—you and me, say. Some is just naturally good and some is worse than bad—load up, George! A new rifle's like a kid—pretty sure to fire a bit wide at first—not being used to it—we [Pg 13]was all kids once, sir, remember! But a bit of correction here an' there'll put that right as a rule. On the other hand there's rifles as Old Nick himself nor nobody else could make shoot straight—ready George? And it's just the same with kids! Now, if you'll stick your eyes to that glass, and watch the target, you'll see how near she'll come this time—all right, George!" As he speaks the rifle speaks also, and observing the hit on the target, I sing out:
"Three o'clock!"
Ensues more work with the pliers; George loads and fires and with one eye still at the telescope I give him:
"Five o'clock!"
Another moment of adjusting, again the rifle cracks and this time I announce:
"A bull!"
Hereupon my companion squints39 through the glass and nods: "Right-oh, George!" says he, then, while George the silent stacks the tested rifle with many others, he turns to me and nods, "Got 'im that time, sir—pity it weren't a bloomin' Hun!"
Here the patient Captain suggests we had better go, and unwillingly40 I follow him out into the open and the sounds of battle die away behind us.
And now, as we walked, I learned some particulars of that terrible device the Lewis gun; how that it could spout41 bullets at the rate of 600 per minute; how, by varying pressures of the trigger, it could be fired by single rounds or pour[Pg 14] forth42 its entire magazine in a continuous, shattering volley and how it weighed no more than twenty-six pounds.
"And here," said the Captain, opening a door and speaking in his pleasant voice, much as though he were showing me some rare flowers, "here is where they grow by the hundred, every week."
And truly in hundreds they were, long rows of them standing43 very neatly44 in racks, their walnut45 stocks heel by heel, their grim, blue muzzles in long, serried46 ranks, very orderly and precise; and something in their very orderliness endowed them with a certain individuality as it were, it almost seemed to me that they were waiting, mustered47 and ready, for that hour of ferocious48 roar and tumult49 when their voice should be the voice of swift and terrible death. Now as I gazed upon them, filled with these scarcely definable thoughts, I was startled by a sudden shattering crash near by, a sound made up of many individual reports, and swinging about, I espied50 a man seated upon a stool; a plump, middle-aged51, family sort of man, who sat upon his low stool, his aproned knees set wide, as plump, middle-aged family men often do. As I watched, Paterfamilias squinted52 along the sights of one of these guns and once again came that shivering crash that is like nothing else I ever heard. Him I approached and humbly53 ventured an awed question or so, whereon he graciously beckoned54 me nearer, vacated his stool, and motioning me to sit there, suggested I might try a shot at the target, a far disc lighted by shaded electric bulbs.
[Pg 15]
"She's fixed dead on!" he said, "and she's true—you can't miss. A quick pull for single shots and a steady pressure for a volley."
Hereupon I pressed the trigger, the gun stirred gently in its clamps, the air throbbed55, and a stream of ten bullets (the testing number) plunged56 into the bull's-eye and all in the space of a moment.
"There ain't a un'oly 'un of 'em all could say Hoch the Kaiser' with them in his stomach," said Paterfamilias thoughtfully, laying a hand upon the respectable stomach beneath his apron27, "it's a gun, that is!" And a gun it most assuredly is.
I would have tarried longer with Paterfamilias, for in his own way, he was as arresting as this terrible weapon—or nearly so—but the Captain, gentle-voiced and serene57 as ever, suggested that my companions had a train to catch, wherefore I reluctantly turned away. But as I went, needs must I glance back at Paterfamilias, as comfortable as ever where he sat, but with pudgy fingers on trigger grimly at work again, and from him to the long, orderly rows of guns mustered in their orderly ranks, awaiting their hour.
We walked through shops where belts and pulleys and wheels and cogs flapped and whirled and ground in ceaseless concert, shops where files rasped and hammers rang, shops again where all seemed riot and confusion at the first glance, but at a second showed itself ordered confusion, as it were. And as we went, my Captain spoke of the hospital bay, of wards58 and dispensary (lately enlarged) of sister and nurses and the grand work[Pg 16] they were doing among the employees other than attending to their bodily ills; and talking thus, he brought me to the place, a place of exquisite59 order and tidiness, yet where nurses, blue-uniformed, in their white caps, cuffs60 and aprons61, seemed to me the neatest of all. And here I was introduced to Sister, capable, strong, gentle-eyed, who told me something of her work—how many came to her with wounds of soul as well as body; of griefs endured and wrongs suffered by reason of pitiful lack of knowledge; of how she was teaching them care and cleanliness of minds as well as bodies, which is surely the most blessed heritage the unborn generations may inherit. She told me of the patient bravery of the women, the chivalry62 of grimy men, whose hurts may wait that others may be treated first. So she talked and I listened until, perceiving the Captain somewhat ostentatiously consulting his watch, I presently left that quiet haven63 with its soft-treading ministering attendants.
So we had tea and cigarettes, and when I eventually shook hands with my Captain, I felt that I was parting with a friend.
"Well," said I, "it was either the Lewis gun or Paterfamilias the grim."
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1
rue
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| n.懊悔，芸香，后悔；v.后悔，悲伤，懊悔 | |
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2
throng
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| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
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thronged
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| v.成群，挤满( throng的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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pedestrians
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| n.步行者( pedestrian的名词复数 ) | |
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mundane
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| adj.平凡的；尘世的；宇宙的 | |
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degenerated
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| 衰退，堕落，退化( degenerate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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7
belching
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| n. 喷出，打嗝 动词belch的现在分词形式 | |
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8
wagons
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| n.四轮的运货马车( wagon的名词复数 )；铁路货车；小手推车 | |
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9
divers
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| adj.不同的；种种的 | |
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credentials
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| n.证明，资格，证明书，证件 | |
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din
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| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
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12
machinery
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| n.(总称)机械，机器；机构 | |
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contrived
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| adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的 | |
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14
lethal
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| adj.致死的；毁灭性的 | |
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15
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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16
genial
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| adj.亲切的，和蔼的，愉快的，脾气好的 | |
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17
irresistibly
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| adv.无法抵抗地，不能自持地；极为诱惑人地 | |
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18
rumble
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| n.隆隆声；吵嚷；v.隆隆响；低沉地说 | |
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19
countless
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| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
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20
sledges
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| n.雪橇，雪车( sledge的名词复数 )v.乘雪橇( sledge的第三人称单数 )；用雪橇运载 | |
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21
winked
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| v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
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22
awed
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| adj.充满敬畏的，表示敬畏的v.使敬畏，使惊惧( awe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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23
stunned
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| adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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24
brawny
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| adj.强壮的 | |
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25
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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26
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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27
apron
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| n.围裙；工作裙 | |
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28
tongs
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| n.钳；夹子 | |
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29
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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30
thumping
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| adj.重大的，巨大的；重击的；尺码大的；极好的adv.极端地；非常地v.重击(thump的现在分词)；狠打；怦怦地跳；全力支持 | |
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31
hunched
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| （常指因寒冷、生病或愁苦）耸肩弓身的，伏首前倾的 | |
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32
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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33
dire
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| adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的 | |
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34
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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35
crutches
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| n.拐杖, 支柱 v.支撑 | |
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36
muzzles
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| 枪口( muzzle的名词复数 )； （防止动物咬人的）口套； （四足动物的）鼻口部； （狗）等凸出的鼻子和口 | |
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37
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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38
punctuated
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| v.（在文字中）加标点符号，加标点( punctuate的过去式和过去分词 )；不时打断某事物 | |
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39
squints
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| 斜视症( squint的名词复数 )； 瞥 | |
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40
unwillingly
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| adv.不情愿地 | |
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41
spout
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| v.喷出，涌出；滔滔不绝地讲；n.喷管；水柱 | |
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42
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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43
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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44
neatly
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| adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地 | |
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45
walnut
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| n.胡桃，胡桃木，胡桃色，茶色 | |
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46
serried
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| adj.拥挤的；密集的 | |
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47
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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48
ferocious
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| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
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49
tumult
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| n.喧哗；激动，混乱；吵闹 | |
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50
espied
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| v.看到( espy的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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51
middle-aged
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| adj.中年的 | |
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52
squinted
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| 斜视( squint的过去式和过去分词 )； 眯着眼睛； 瞟； 从小孔或缝隙里看 | |
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53
humbly
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| adv. 恭顺地，谦卑地 | |
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54
beckoned
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| v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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55
throbbed
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| 抽痛( throb的过去式和过去分词 )； （心脏、脉搏等）跳动 | |
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56
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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57
serene
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| adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的 | |
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58
wards
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| 区( ward的名词复数 )； 病房； 受监护的未成年者； 被人照顾或控制的状态 | |
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59
exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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60
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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61
aprons
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| 围裙( apron的名词复数 )； 停机坪，台口（舞台幕前的部份） | |
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62
chivalry
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| n.骑士气概，侠义；（男人）对女人彬彬有礼，献殷勤 | |
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63
haven
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| n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所 | |
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64
enquired
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| 打听( enquire的过去式和过去分词 )； 询问； 问问题； 查问 | |
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