That self-same 'Pool' is not unworthy of notice; for there the tidal waters of the Torridge and the Taw form a spacious6 basin, in which shipping7 of no mean tonnage may swim and swing. It is there that those waters assume the hue8 and mimic9 the mien10 of their capricious stepmother, the ocean, becoming greener and more wavy11; and when the old lady, rushing in over Bideford Bar, takes these children in her arms, the swelling12 and dancing and splashing of that Pool in the pride of its heart is beyond all common belief. It is there, too, that, having parted company for a time, and sailed miles into the country, they return again, and, bidding their tidal convoy13 farewell for a season, allow her to glide14 out by the side of the Burrows15, until she joins once more with the Atlantic in Bideford Bay.
There are not a few who leave smoky cities, and breezeless plains, and monotonous16 landscapes, during the summer months, for seaside air and scenery; and to such we would say, Search out this meeting of the waters. Make acquaintance with North Devon, and pay your respects to Northam, the birthplace and the resting-place of that valiant17 adventurous18 knight19 Sir Amyas Leigh. Run down from thence to the Burrows, with its thousand acres of greensward like a bowling-green, studded with grazing cattle, and fenced by a long sea-wall of innumerable pebbles20, beyond which is a strand21 that would amaze Ilfracombe or Weston. Inhale22 there the strong sea-breezes fresh up from the Atlantic. Walk fearlessly out into the surf, to meet the breakers rolling majestically23, and harmless withal as the ripples24 on a mill-pond. Creep over the slaty25 rocks with oarweed strewed26, surveying thence the frowning head of Hartland, or the burnt turf slopes and beetling27 cliffs of Baggy28, and you will meet with marine29 enjoyments30 which few of the more fashionable resorts have ever dreamt of, and can never hope to supply.
In one of the front rooms of that sombre abode of respectability sat the wealthiest and most renowned31 of Appledore's merchants—and then they were princes indeed. Mr. Phillipson was a shrewd and determined32 man. Descended33 from ancestors who had contributed much to the commercial prosperity of Devon, when Bideford was one of the most stirring and thriving of British trading ports, he inherited their business habits, their passion for speculation34, their greed for gain, and consequently their remorseless rapacity35; and, at the time of which we write, he was busily engaged in the American and Russian trade, which yielded him a handsome income. Though well educated, and accustomed to good society, his manners were anything but refined; and so rough and coarse was his language at times that the common people honoured him with epithets36 not very flattering to his respectability. It was said by those who pretended to know that he was a hard drinker. There were whispers, too, that he had so far departed from the line of rectitude as to traffic in contraband37 goods, and that some of his craft were in fact no better than out-and-out smugglers. These rumours38, however, were attributed by all genteel inhabitants to the tongue of scandal; for true it is that evil-speaking, lying, and slandering39 were very strong-handed in that maritime village. And so it came to pass that money and station did then what they have always done, and will always do—stave off suspicions, make the possibility of crime a hard thing to be believed, and keep a fence around the character which it is next door to sacrilege to touch.
It was a winter morning. The fire which burned brightly on the hearth40 was clear and glowing as a frosty air could make it; and as the merchant gazed on the ruddy mass and flickering41 flame, he seemed absorbed in some dreamy reverie; but, recovering occasionally from the fit of abstraction into which his musings had thrown him, he cast his eyes hurriedly and anxiously on the papers that lay on the table before him.
His reverie was interrupted at the moment he had apparently42 come to some definite conclusion. A servant entered and announced that Captain Stauncy wished to speak with him.
'Show him in,' he said smartly, as though annoyed at being interrupted and intruded43 on just then; adding, in a more self-possessed tone, 'See that no one is admitted whilst the captain is here.'
James Stauncy entered, and a goodly specimen44 of a British tar45 was he. His manly46, open, sunburnt countenance47, his broad and strong-built figure, his smart and jaunty48 air, his bold and sparkling eye, his spruce and expensive fittings, proclaimed him a worthy5 son of Neptune49. Under other circumstances, and with opportunities more favourable50, he would have become an extraordinary man. Generous and disinterested51, brave and devoted52, self-possessed and strong-minded, he would have stood out from and proved himself superior to his class. But his education had been scanty53; and, having reached the quarter-deck through the hawse-hole, as the sailors express it,—that is, having passed through all possible gradations, from the cabin-boy to the captain,—he had not been able to rub off the rough manners of early days, nor had he furnished his mind with any literature beyond that of the log-book.
The habits and associations of the forecastle had marked him strongly; and the only wonder is that, having passed through many a slough54 in his sailor's career, there was comparatively so little mire55 adhering to him. His moral code was for the most part comprised in one word, duty, comprehending fidelity56 to his employer and devotedness57 to his family; and faithfully must it be recorded that he seldom felt much scruple58 about the means, provided the ends were 'all right' in his estimation.
Having respectfully saluted59 his superior, he seated himself near the fire, at the request of the merchant, who, without giving him an immediate60 opportunity of explaining his errand, said, 'You will join me, Mr. Stauncy?' and, taking a bottle of brandy from the cupboard, he held it for a moment in his hand reflectingly; then, raising it between his eye and the window, he smiled as he surveyed the brilliant liquor, and observed, 'Here's something, captain, that never blushed at the face of a gauger61: help yourself;' and he helped himself, remarking, as he smacked62 his lips, 'Prime stuff for priming, Mr. Stauncy, I'll warrant you. Captain,' he added, evidently speaking out of the fulness of his heart, and continuing audibly what he had been revolving63 mentally, 'the road to fortune is what we make it—long or short, broad or narrow. There is the long roundabout turnpike road, and there is the short cut through brake and spinney. I was thinking about this just as you entered, and I should like to have your opinion. It strikes me that two words comprehend everything—work and wit: work is the turnpike—wit is the short cut.'
'I don't know, Mr. Phillipson,' replied the captain; 'short cuts for a sailor are often dangerous things; and the fellows that I am acquainted with who live by their wits are a ragged64 lot, sure enough.'
'Bah! you don't understand me; but you'll be wiser some day. I tell you what it is, Stauncy: the higher up you get in life, the shorter the cuts are. Chances multiply as you run up the ladder. What is knavery65 amongst the poor at the bottom is "unfortunate speculation," or something of that sort, amongst the wealthy at the top; whilst all the way through, according to a graduated scale, artifice66, or roguery if you like, changes both its name and its aspect. Dangerous at one end, it gradually becomes safer and safer; for, whilst it exposes the wits you speak of to a few lessons on the treadmill67, it rewards the wits I speak of with the fawning68 homage69 of everybody. I would only observe,' he added, helping70 himself at the same time, 'that you and I are fools if we don't make our brains serve us as others do. And now, what is it?'
'I came, sir,' replied Stauncy, 'to ask for orders, as we shall be ready to move off to-morrow morning. The men say that the vessel71 is bound to Jersey72 or Marseilles.'
'Never mind what the men say,' exclaimed the merchant; 'there is gossip enough in this place to ballast a man-of-war. The Sarah Ann is bound to a far more comfortable and profitable port.'
'Any where you please, sir,' said the captain, who had been accustomed for some time to receive orders at the last moment. 'I am not particularly curious; and, indeed,' he added, laughing, 'it's part of my agreement, you know, to ask no questions, and do as I'm bid.'
'Exactly so,' Mr. Phillipson responded. 'I do as I am bid by circumstances and chances; you do as you are bid by my honourable73 self; and, as I have always endeavoured to be faithful to my masters, so you have always been faithful to me.'
'Thank you, sir,' replied Stauncy, evidently flattered. 'I hope I know my duty;' and, preparing for himself a fresh potation, he added, 'Long life to you, sir, and all the success you wish for.'
'All the success I wish for, Stauncy, is more than I can expect to secure; but you can help me, if you will, to a large slice of it. I have trusted you more than any man living.'
'Mr. Phillipson,' replied the captain, 'all I say is, I've endeavoured to do my duty.'
'You have, Stauncy; and I'll make a man of you when you return from this voyage. You'll be able to sing "With shiners in my sack" to some purpose.'
'It'll be a short cut, then,' answered the captain, who had often heard the same thing before, but whose love of money was keener than his sense of disappointment; 'and maybe I shall get to the top of the ladder after all. I suppose we are bound for kegs, as usual?'
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1
quay
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| n.码头，靠岸处 | |
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maritime
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| adj.海的，海事的，航海的，近海的，沿海的 | |
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abode
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| n.住处，住所 | |
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humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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spacious
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| adj.广阔的，宽敞的 | |
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shipping
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| n.船运（发货，运输，乘船） | |
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hue
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| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
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mimic
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| v.模仿，戏弄；n.模仿他人言行的人 | |
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mien
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| n.风采；态度 | |
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wavy
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| adj.有波浪的，多浪的，波浪状的，波动的，不稳定的 | |
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swelling
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| n.肿胀 | |
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convoy
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| vt.护送，护卫，护航；n.护送；护送队 | |
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glide
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| n./v.溜，滑行；(时间)消逝 | |
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burrows
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| n.地洞( burrow的名词复数 )v.挖掘（洞穴），挖洞( burrow的第三人称单数 )；翻寻 | |
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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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valiant
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| adj.勇敢的，英勇的；n.勇士，勇敢的人 | |
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adventurous
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| adj.爱冒险的；惊心动魄的，惊险的，刺激的 | |
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knight
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| n.骑士，武士；爵士 | |
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pebbles
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| [复数]鹅卵石； 沙砾； 卵石，小圆石( pebble的名词复数 ) | |
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strand
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| vt.使（船）搁浅，使（某人）困于（某地） | |
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inhale
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| v.吸入(气体等)，吸(烟) | |
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majestically
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| 雄伟地； 庄重地； 威严地； 崇高地 | |
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ripples
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| 逐渐扩散的感觉( ripple的名词复数 ) | |
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slaty
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| 石板一样的，石板色的 | |
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strewed
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| v.撒在…上( strew的过去式和过去分词 )；散落于；点缀；撒满 | |
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beetling
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| adj.突出的，悬垂的v.快速移动( beetle的现在分词 ) | |
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baggy
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| adj.膨胀如袋的，宽松下垂的 | |
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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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enjoyments
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| 愉快( enjoyment的名词复数 )； 令人愉快的事物； 享有； 享受 | |
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renowned
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| adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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speculation
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| n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机 | |
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rapacity
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| n.贪婪，贪心，劫掠的欲望 | |
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epithets
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| n.（表示性质、特征等的）词语( epithet的名词复数 ) | |
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contraband
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| n.违禁品，走私品 | |
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rumours
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| n.传闻( rumour的名词复数 )；风闻；谣言；谣传 | |
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slandering
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| [法]口头诽谤行为 | |
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hearth
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| n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面 | |
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flickering
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| adj.闪烁的，摇曳的，一闪一闪的 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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intruded
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| n.侵入的，推进的v.侵入，侵扰，打扰( intrude的过去式和过去分词 )；把…强加于 | |
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specimen
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| n.样本，标本 | |
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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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manly
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| adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地 | |
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countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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48
jaunty
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| adj．愉快的，满足的；adv.心满意足地，洋洋得意地；n.心满意足；洋洋得意 | |
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Neptune
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| n.海王星 | |
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favourable
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| adj.赞成的，称赞的，有利的，良好的，顺利的 | |
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51
disinterested
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| adj.不关心的，不感兴趣的 | |
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52
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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53
scanty
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| adj.缺乏的，仅有的，节省的，狭小的，不够的 | |
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slough
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| v.蜕皮，脱落，抛弃 | |
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mire
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| n.泥沼，泥泞；v.使...陷于泥泞，使...陷入困境 | |
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56
fidelity
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| n.忠诚，忠实；精确 | |
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57
devotedness
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58
scruple
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| n./v.顾忌，迟疑 | |
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saluted
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| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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gauger
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| n.收税官 | |
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smacked
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| 拍，打，掴( smack的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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revolving
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| adj.旋转的，轮转式的；循环的v.（使）旋转( revolve的现在分词 )；细想 | |
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ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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knavery
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| n.恶行，欺诈的行为 | |
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66
artifice
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| n.妙计，高明的手段；狡诈，诡计 | |
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treadmill
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| n.踏车；单调的工作 | |
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68
fawning
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| adj.乞怜的，奉承的v.（尤指狗等）跳过来往人身上蹭以示亲热( fawn的现在分词 )；巴结；讨好 | |
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homage
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| n.尊敬，敬意，崇敬 | |
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70
helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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71
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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72
jersey
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| n.运动衫 | |
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honourable
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| adj.可敬的；荣誉的，光荣的 | |
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