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CHAPTER XXV THE FIRST LESSON FOR A SAILOR
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 As the engineer was a cripple, Christy Passford had not expected to have any difficulty in bringing him to terms; and the result justified1 his calculations. The Leopard2 was now practically in his possession, for Captain Pecklar was the only person on board, except Percy, who could give him any trouble; and he was too feeble to do any thing.
 
Percy seemed to be very busy in the pilot-house, going through imaginary evolutions at the wheel, and supposing all sorts of orders, and all kinds of positions in which the tug3 might be placed. He did not seem even to observe what his companion was doing, though the engineer had been driven into the forecastle in plain sight from the window of the pilot-house.
 
illustration of quoted scene
"The Engineer Obeyed" (Page 277)
 
The long-boat was still struggling through the 279 waves on her way to the Bellevite, and could hardly have made any worse weather of such a comparatively mild sea. But she had made some considerable progress, for the boat was now making a proper allowance for leeway, and the soldiers were improving in their rowing, possibly under the direction of the major, who could not help seeing how badly they had been doing.
 
Christy decided4 to ascertain5 more definitely the condition of Captain Pecklar, for reports in in regard to him were conflicting. He went to his state-room, and found him in his berth6. He certainly looked like a very sick man, though he appeared to be in no immediate7 danger, so far as the new captain of the Leopard was able to judge from his appearance.
 
"How do you find yourself, Captain Pecklar?" asked Christy in sympathetic tones; for he really pitied the poor man, far away from his friends, and apparently8 on the very brink9 of the grave.
 
"I am a great deal better," replied the invalid10, looking earnestly into the face of the young man in front of him.
 
"I am glad to hear it. Major Pierson has gone 280 in the boat to the Bellevite for Dr. Linscott, and I am sure he will be able to do something for you when he comes," added Christy.
 
"When he comes," repeated Captain Pecklar, with a smile on his thin and blue lips. "I don't expect to see him at present."
 
"But the major has gone for him; at least, he told me he should."
 
"I have no doubt he told you so; but he has not gone for the doctor, though I may see the surgeon of the steamer in the course of the day," replied the captain, turning his gaze upon the floor of his room, as though his mind troubled him as much as his body.
 
"If the major has not gone for the doctor, what has he gone for?" asked Christy.
 
"I know what he has gone for; and, as you belong on board of that steamer, I should think you might easily imagine."
 
"Perhaps I can," added Christy rather vaguely11.
 
"Was it necessary for a major and a lieutenant12, with six soldiers, to go for the doctor, when five at the most could have done it better? But have they gone?" asked the captain anxiously.
 
"They have; they started some time ago. They 281 are making bad weather of it, for they don't know how to handle the boat in a sea," replied Christy.
 
"They have gone!" exclaimed Captain Pecklar, getting out of his bunk13. "Then I need not stay in my berth any longer."
 
Christy looked at him with astonishment14 when he saw him get out of his berth without any apparent difficulty; for he certainly looked like a very sick man, though his appearance had somewhat improved since he left the pilot-house.
 
"Do you feel able to get up, captain?" asked he, as the sufferer put on his coat.
 
"I was exhausted15 and worn out by being on duty all night, and I had a faint turn; but I am subject to them. If you are the son of the man that owns that steamer, you will be able to understand me," replied the captain; and his feeble condition seemed to make him somewhat timid.
 
"I am the son of Captain Passford, who owns the Bellevite," added Christy.
 
"I should not have been down here now, if I could have got away; but they seem to hold on to me, for the reason that I am a pilot of 282 these waters. I was brought up in the pilot-house of a steamer; and they say I know the bottom of this bay better than any other man, though I have been here but two years."
 
"Then you are not in sympathy with the secession movement?"
 
"In sympathy with it? I hate the very sound of the word! I will tell you about it."
 
"Don't be long about it, for I have an affair on my hands," interposed Christy, though he was not sorry to have the advice of one who knew something about the situation in the vicinity.
 
"Only a minute. Major Pierson sent a glass of brandy to me, and I was fit to take my place in the pilot-house then, for I felt a great deal better; in fact, I was as well as usual, and I am now. But I had an idea what the major was about, and I did not want to take any part in getting your father's steamer into trouble. That's the whole of it; all I want is to get on board of her, and get out of this country."
 
"All right, Captain Pecklar!" exclaimed Christy, delighted at the frankness of his companion. "The steamer, I mean the tug, is already in my possession."
 
283 "In your possession! What do you mean by that?" asked the captain with a look of astonishment.
 
"I have driven the engineer into the forecastle, and fastened him down. The major's brother is in the pilot-house, and he has learned something about handling the wheel. I am going to start the boat now; and if I can do nothing more, I can show myself to my father on board of the Bellevite."
 
"I am glad to hear it. I intended to do something, though I hardly knew what, as soon as I was sure that the major and his men had gone," added Captain Pecklar. "I can take the wheel now."
 
"Percy Pierson takes a great deal of interest in his new occupation, and I think it will be best to let him occupy his mind in that way. He steered16 the tug for some time, while I was ascertaining17 what was going on in this part of the boat."
 
"Just as you think best, Mr. Passford."
 
"Call me Christy, for that will sound more natural to me."
 
"As you please, Christy. I am competent to 284 run an engine, and did it once for a couple of years, though the business does not agree with me."
 
"Very well, Captain Pecklar; then you shall run the engine, and I will keep the run of what is going on around us," said Christy, as he walked towards the stern of the tug. "There is a new danger off in the north-west."
 
"What's that?" asked the captain.
 
"There is another steamer coming in this direction, and I suppose she hails from Mobile. There she is."
 
Christy was somewhat disturbed to find that the approaching steamer was overhauling18 the tug very rapidly. It looked as though she would prove to be a more important factor in the immediate future than he had supposed. If he could only get on board of the Bellevite, he was sure that she could run away from any thing that floated. But there was not another moment to be lost, and he hastened on deck to have the Leopard started. He found Percy still engaged with his problems in steering19, going through all the forms as though the boat were actually under way.
 
285 "Now you may do it in earnest, Percy," said he. "We are all ready to go ahead. Strike your gong."
 
"It will be no use to strike it while you are up here," replied the pilot, looking at Christy with interest.
 
"We have not a second to spare; strike your gong, and we will talk about it afterwards," continued Christy impatiently.
 
"But I am not a fool, Christy, and I don't"—
 
"But I do!" interposed the acting20 captain sharply, as he reached over and pulled the bell.
 
"I don't like to have a fellow fool with me when I am in earnest. What good will it do to ring the bell while you are in the pilot-house, Christy?"
 
But before the captain could answer the question, if he intended to do so, the boat began to shake under the pressure of the engine, and the tug moved ahead at half speed. Percy was so much astonished that he could hardly throw over the wheel, and Christy took hold of it himself.
 
"I don't understand it," said he, as he took 286 hold of the spokes21, and looked ahead to get the course of the boat.
 
"You will never make a sailor till you mend your ways," added Christy.
 
"There must be some one in the engine-room," said Percy.
 
"Of course there is."
 
"Why didn't you say so, then? I did not suppose the boat could go ahead while you were up here."
 
"I told you to ring the gong, didn't I?"
 
"What was the use of ringing it when you were in the pilot-house?"
 
"What was the use of ringing it when I did?" demanded Christy, who had but little patience with this kind of a sailor.
 
"You knew there was some one in the engine-room."
 
"But the engine would have started just the same if you had rung the gong."
 
"Well, I didn't know it; and if you had only said you had an engineer, I should have understood it."
 
"You will never make a sailor, as I said before," added Christy.
 
287 "What is the reason I won't?"
 
"Because you don't obey orders, and that is the first and only business of a sailor."
 
"If you had only told me, it would have been all right."
 
"If the captain, in an emergency, should tell you to port the helm, you could not obey the order till he had explained why it was given; and by that time the ship might go to the bottom. I can't trust you with the wheel if you don't do better than you have; for I have no time to explain what I am about, and I should not do it if I had."
 
"It would not have taken over half an hour to tell me there was an engineer in the engine-room," growled22 Percy.
 
"That is not the way to do things on board of a vessel23, and I object to the method. I don't know what there is before us, and I don't mean to give an order which is not likely to be obeyed till I have explained its meaning."
 
"I will do as you say, Christy," said Percy rather doggedly24. "Did Spikeley agree to run the engine?"
 
"No, he did not; he is locked up in the forecastle. 288 Captain Pecklar is at the engine; but he is all ready to take the wheel when I say the word."
 
"I can keep the wheel, for I think I understand it very well now."
 
"I did not wish to take you away from the wheel, for I saw that you liked the work; and I said so to Captain Pecklar. If you have learned the first lesson a sailor has to get through his head, all right; if not, Captain Pecklar will take the wheel."
 
"I understand the case better now, and I will do just what you tell me," protested Percy.
 
"And without asking any questions?"
 
"I won't ask a question if the whole thing drops from under me."
 
Percy steered very well, and Christy had enough to do to watch the steamer astern and the boat ahead.

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 justified 7pSzrk     
a.正当的,有理的
参考例句:
  • She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
  • The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。
2 leopard n9xzO     
n.豹
参考例句:
  • I saw a man in a leopard skin yesterday.我昨天看见一个穿着豹皮的男人。
  • The leopard's skin is marked with black spots.豹皮上有黑色斑点。
3 tug 5KBzo     
v.用力拖(或拉);苦干;n.拖;苦干;拖船
参考例句:
  • We need to tug the car round to the front.我们需要把那辆车拉到前面。
  • The tug is towing three barges.那只拖船正拖着三只驳船。
4 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
5 ascertain WNVyN     
vt.发现,确定,查明,弄清
参考例句:
  • It's difficult to ascertain the coal deposits.煤储量很难探明。
  • We must ascertain the responsibility in light of different situtations.我们必须根据不同情况判定责任。
6 berth yt0zq     
n.卧铺,停泊地,锚位;v.使停泊
参考例句:
  • She booked a berth on the train from London to Aberdeen.她订了一张由伦敦开往阿伯丁的火车卧铺票。
  • They took up a berth near the harbor.他们在港口附近找了个位置下锚。
7 immediate aapxh     
adj.立即的;直接的,最接近的;紧靠的
参考例句:
  • His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
  • We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。
8 apparently tMmyQ     
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎
参考例句:
  • An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽,豁然开朗。
  • He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。
9 brink OWazM     
n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘,边沿
参考例句:
  • The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。
  • The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。
10 invalid V4Oxh     
n.病人,伤残人;adj.有病的,伤残的;无效的
参考例句:
  • He will visit an invalid.他将要去看望一个病人。
  • A passport that is out of date is invalid.护照过期是无效的。
11 vaguely BfuzOy     
adv.含糊地,暖昧地
参考例句:
  • He had talked vaguely of going to work abroad.他含糊其词地说了到国外工作的事。
  • He looked vaguely before him with unseeing eyes.他迷迷糊糊的望着前面,对一切都视而不见。
12 lieutenant X3GyG     
n.陆军中尉,海军上尉;代理官员,副职官员
参考例句:
  • He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
  • He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官,递上了一张简短的便条进去。
13 bunk zWyzS     
n.(车、船等倚壁而设的)铺位;废话
参考例句:
  • He left his bunk and went up on deck again.他离开自己的铺位再次走到甲板上。
  • Most economists think his theories are sheer bunk.大多数经济学家认为他的理论纯属胡说。
14 astonishment VvjzR     
n.惊奇,惊异
参考例句:
  • They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
  • I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。
15 exhausted 7taz4r     
adj.极其疲惫的,精疲力尽的
参考例句:
  • It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长,到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
  • Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。
16 steered dee52ce2903883456c9b7a7f258660e5     
v.驾驶( steer的过去式和过去分词 );操纵;控制;引导
参考例句:
  • He steered the boat into the harbour. 他把船开进港。
  • The freighter steered out of Santiago Bay that evening. 那天晚上货轮驶出了圣地亚哥湾。 来自《简明英汉词典》
17 ascertaining e416513cdf74aa5e4277c1fc28aab393     
v.弄清,确定,查明( ascertain的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • I was ascertaining whether the cellar stretched out in front or behind. 我当时是要弄清楚地下室是朝前还是朝后延伸的。 来自辞典例句
  • The design and ascertaining of permanent-magnet-biased magnetic bearing parameter are detailed introduced. 并对永磁偏置磁悬浮轴承参数的设计和确定进行了详细介绍。 来自互联网
18 overhauling c335839deaeda81ce0dd680301931584     
n.大修;拆修;卸修;翻修v.彻底检查( overhaul的现在分词 );大修;赶上;超越
参考例句:
  • I had no chance of overhauling him. 我没有赶上他的可能。 来自辞典例句
  • Some sites need little alterations but some need total overhauling. 有些网站需要做出细微修改,而有些网站就需要整体改版。 来自互联网
19 steering 3hRzbi     
n.操舵装置
参考例句:
  • He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration. 他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。
  • Steering according to the wind, he also framed his words more amicably. 他真会看风使舵,口吻也马上变得温和了。
20 acting czRzoc     
n.演戏,行为,假装;adj.代理的,临时的,演出用的
参考例句:
  • Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她,她只是假装的。
  • During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代,她的表演生涯黯然失色。
21 spokes 6eff3c46e9c3a82f787a7c99669b9bfb     
n.(车轮的)辐条( spoke的名词复数 );轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动
参考例句:
  • Her baby caught his fingers in the spokes of the pram wheel. 她宝宝的手指被婴儿车轮的辐条卡住了。 来自辞典例句
  • The new edges are called the spokes of the wheel. 新的边称为轮的辐。 来自辞典例句
22 growled 65a0c9cac661e85023a63631d6dab8a3     
v.(动物)发狺狺声, (雷)作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 );低声咆哮着说
参考例句:
  • \"They ought to be birched, \" growled the old man. 老人咆哮道:“他们应受到鞭打。” 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He growled out an answer. 他低声威胁着回答。 来自《简明英汉词典》
23 vessel 4L1zi     
n.船舶;容器,器皿;管,导管,血管
参考例句:
  • The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
  • You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。
24 doggedly 6upzAY     
adv.顽强地,固执地
参考例句:
  • He was still doggedly pursuing his studies.他仍然顽强地进行着自己的研究。
  • He trudged doggedly on until he reached the flat.他顽强地、步履艰难地走着,一直走回了公寓。


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