I sailed from Smyrna in the Amphitrite, a Greek brigantine, which was confidently said to be bound for the coast of Syria; but I knew that this announcement was not to be relied upon with positive certainty, for the Greek mariners1 are practically free from the stringency2 of ship’s papers, and where they will, there they go. However, I had the whole of the cabin for myself and my attendant, Mysseri, subject only to the society of the captain at the hour of dinner. Being at ease in this respect, being furnished too with plenty of books, and finding an unfailing source of interest in the thorough Greekness of my captain and my crew, I felt less anxious than most people would have been about the probable length of the cruise. I knew enough of Greek navigation to be sure that our vessel3 would cling to earth like a child to its mother’s knee, and that I should touch at many an isle4 before I set foot upon the Syrian coast; but I had no invidious preference for Europe, Asia, or Africa, and I felt that I could defy the winds to blow me upon a coast that was blank and void of interest. My patience was extremely useful to me, for the cruise altogether endured some forty days, and that in the midst of winter.
According to me, the most interesting of all the Greeks (male Greeks) are the mariners, because their pursuits and their social condition are so nearly the same as those of their famous ancestors. You will say, that the occupation of commerce must have smoothed down the salience of their minds; and this would be so perhaps if their mercantile affairs were conducted according to the fixed5 businesslike routine of Europeans; but the ventures of the Greeks are surrounded by such a multitude of imagined dangers (and from the absence of regular marts, in which the true value of merchandise can be ascertained), are so entirely6 speculative7, and besides, are conducted in a manner so wholly determined8 upon by the wayward fancies and wishes of the crew, that they belong to enterprise rather than to industry, and are very far indeed from tending to deaden any freshness of character.
The vessels9 in which war and piracy10 were carried on during the years of the Greek Revolution became merchantmen at the end of the war; but the tactics of the Greeks, as naval11 warriors12, were so exceedingly cautious, and their habits as commercial mariners are so wild, that the change has been more slight than you might imagine. The first care of Greeks (Greek Rayahs) when they undertake a shipping13 enterprise is to procure14 for their vessel the protection of some European power. This is easily managed by a little intriguing15 with the dragoman of one of the embassies at Constantinople, and the craft soon glories in the ensign of Russia, or the dazzling Tricolor, or the Union Jack16. Thus, to the great delight of her crew, she enters upon the ocean world with a flaring17 lie at her peak, but the appearance of the vessel does no discredit18 to the borrowed flag; she is frail19 indeed, but is gracefully20 built, and smartly rigged; she always carries guns, and in short, gives good promise of mischief21 and speed.
The privileges attached to the vessel and her crew by virtue22 of the borrowed flag are so great, as to imply a liberty wider even than that which is often enjoyed in our more strictly23 civilised countries, so that there is no pretence24 for saying that the development of the true character belonging to Greek mariners is prevented by the dominion25 of the Ottoman. These men are free, too, from the power of the great capitalist, whose sway is more withering26 than despotism itself to the enterprises of humble27 venturers. The capital employed is supplied by those whose labour is to render it productive. The crew receive no wages, but have all a share in the venture, and in general, I believe, they are the owners of the whole freight. They choose a captain, to whom they entrust28 just power enough to keep the vessel on her course in fine weather, but not quite enough for a gale29 of wind; they also elect a cook and a mate. The cook whom we had on board was particularly careful about the ship’s reckoning, and when under the influence of the keen sea-breezes we grew fondly expectant of an instant dinner, the great author of pilafs would be standing30 on deck with an ancient quadrant in his hands, calmly affecting to take an observation. But then to make up for this the captain would be exercising a controlling influence over the soup, so that all in the end went well. Our mate was a Hydriot, a native of that island rock which grows nothing but mariners and mariners’ wives. His character seemed to be exactly that which is generally attributed to the Hydriot race; he was fierce, and gloomy, and lonely in his ways. One of his principal duties seemed to be that of acting31 as counter-captain, or leader of the opposition32, denouncing the first symptoms of tyranny, and protecting even the cabin-boy from oppression. Besides this, when things went smoothly33 he would begin to prognosticate evil, in order that his more light-hearted comrades might not be puffed34 up with the seeming good fortune of the moment.
It seemed to me that the personal freedom of these sailors, who own no superiors except those of their own choice, is as like as may be to that of their seafaring ancestors. And even in their mode of navigation they have admitted no such an entire change as you would suppose probable. It is true that they have so far availed themselves of modern discoveries as to look to the compass instead of the stars, and that they have superseded35 the immortal36 gods of their forefathers37 by St. Nicholas in his glass case, 11 but they are not yet so confident either in their needle, or their saint, as to love an open sea, and they still hug their shores as fondly as the Argonauts of old. Indeed, they have a most unsailor-like love for the land, and I really believe that in a gale of wind they would rather have a rock-bound coast on their lee than no coast at all. According to the notions of an English seaman38, this kind of navigation would soon bring the vessel on which it might be practised to an evil end. The Greek, however, is unaccountably successful in escaping the consequences of being “jammed in,” as it is called, upon a lee-shore.
These seamen39, like their forefathers, rely upon no winds unless they are right astern or on the quarter; they rarely go on a wind if it blows at all fresh, and if the adverse40 breeze approaches to a gale, they at once fumigate41 St. Nicholas, and put up the helm. The consequence of course is that under the ever-varying winds of the Aegean they are blown about in the most whimsical manner. I used to think that Ulysses with his ten years’ voyage had taken his time in making Ithaca, but my experience in Greek navigation soon made me understand that he had had, in point of fact, a pretty good “average passage.”
Such are now the mariners of the Aegean: free, equal amongst themselves, navigating42 the seas of their forefathers with the same heroic, and yet child-like, spirit of venture, the same half-trustful reliance upon heavenly aid, they are the liveliest images of true old Greeks that time and the new religions have spared to us.
With one exception, our crew were “a solemn company,” 12 and yet, sometimes, when all things went well, they would relax their austerity, and show a disposition43 to fun, or rather to quiet humour. When this happened, they invariably had recourse to one of their number, who went by the name of “Admiral Nicolou.” He was an amusing fellow, the poorest, I believe, and the least thoughtful of the crew, but full of rich humour. His oft-told story of the events by which he had gained the sobriquet44 of “Admiral” never failed to delight his hearers, and when he was desired to repeat it for my benefit, the rest of the crew crowded round with as much interest as if they were listening to the tale for the first time. A number of Greek brigs and brigantines were at anchor in the bay of Beyrout. A festival of some kind, particularly attractive to the sailors, was going on in the town, and whether with or without leave I know not, but the crews of all the craft, except that of Nicolou, had gone ashore45. On board his vessel, however, which carried dollars, there was, it would seem, a more careful, or more influential46 captain, who was able to enforce his determination that one man, at least, should be left on board. Nicolou’s good nature was with him so powerful an impulse, that he could not resist the delight of volunteering to stay with the vessel whilst his comrades went ashore. His proposal was accepted, and the crew and captain soon left him alone on the deck of his vessel. The sailors, gathering47 together from their several ships, were amusing themselves in the town, when suddenly there came down from betwixt the mountains one of those sudden hurricanes which sometimes occur in southern climes. Nicolou’s vessel, together with four of the craft which had been left unmanned, broke from her moorings, and all five of the vessels were carried out seaward. The town is on a salient point at the southern side of the bay, so that “that Admiral” was close under the eyes of the inhabitants and the shore-gone sailors when he gallantly48 drifted out at the head of his little fleet. If Nicolou could not entirely control the manoeuvres of the squadron, there was at least no human power to divide his authority, and thus it was that he took rank as “Admiral.” Nicolou cut his cable, and thus for the time saved his vessel; for the rest of the fleet under his command were quickly wrecked49, whilst “the Admiral” got away clear to the open sea. The violence of the squall soon passed off, but Nicolou felt that his chance of one day resigning his high duties as an admiral for the enjoyments50 of private life on the steadfast51 shore mainly depended upon his success in working the brig with his own hands, so after calling on his namesake, the saint (not for the first time, I take it), he got up some canvas, and took the helm: he became equal, he told us, to a score of Nicolous, and the vessel, as he said, was “manned with his terrors.” For two days, it seems, he cruised at large, but at last, either by his seamanship, or by the natural instinct of the Greek mariners for finding land, he brought his craft close to an unknown shore, that promised well for his purpose of running in the vessel; and he was preparing to give her a good berth52 on the beach, when he saw a gang of ferocious-looking fellows coming down to the point for which he was making. Poor Nicolou was a perfectly53 unlettered and untutored genius, and for that reason, perhaps, a keen listener to tales of terror. His mind had been impressed with some horrible legend of cannibalism54, and he now did not doubt for a moment that the men awaiting him on the beach were the monsters at whom he had shuddered55 in the days of his childhood. The coast on which Nicolou was running his vessel was somewhere, I fancy, at the foot of the Anzairie Mountains, and the fellows who were preparing to give him a reception were probably very rough specimens56 of humanity. It is likely enough that they might have given themselves the trouble of putting “the Admiral” to death, for the purpose of simplifying their claim to the vessel and preventing litigation, but the notion of their cannibalism was of course utterly57 unfounded. Nicolou’s terror had, however, so graven the idea on his mind, that he could never afterwards dismiss it. Having once determined the character of his expectant hosts, the Admiral naturally thought that it would he better to keep their dinner waiting any length of time than to attend their feast in the character of a roasted Greek, so he put about his vessel, and tempted58 the deep once more. After a further cruise the lonely commander ran his vessel upon some rocks at another part of the coast, where she was lost with all her treasures, and Nicolou was but too glad to scramble59 ashore, though without one dollar in his girdle. These adventures seem flat enough as I repeat them, but the hero expressed his terrors by such odd terms of speech, and such strangely humorous gestures, that the story came from his lips with an unfailing zest60, so that the crew, who had heard the tale so often, could still enjoy to their hearts’ content the rich fright of the Admiral, and still shuddered with unabated horror when he came to the loss of the dollars.
The power of listening to long stories (for which, by-the-bye, I am giving you large credit) is common, I fancy, to most sailors, and the Greeks have it to a high degree, for they can be perfectly patient under a narrative61 of two or three hours’ duration. These long stories are mostly founded upon Oriental topics, and in one of them I recognised with some alteration62 an old friend of the “Arabian Nights.” I inquired as to the source from which the story had been derived63, and the crew all agreed that it had been handed down unwritten from Greek to Greek. Their account of the matter does not, perhaps, go very far towards showing the real origin of the tale; but when I afterwards took up the “Arabian Nights,” I became strongly impressed with a notion that they must have sprung from the brain of a Greek. It seems to me that these stories, whilst they disclose a complete and habitual64 KNOWLEDGE of things Asiatic, have about them so much of freshness and life, so much of the stirring and volatile65 European character, that they cannot have owed their conception to a mere66 Oriental, who for creative purposes is a thing dead and dry — a mental mummy, that may have been a live king just after the Flood, but has since lain balmed in spice. At the time of the Caliphat the Greek race was familiar enough to Baghdad: they were the merchants, the pedlars, the barbers, and intriguers-general of south-western Asia, and therefore the Oriental materials with which the Arabian tales were wrought67 must have been completely at the command of the inventive people to whom I would attribute their origin.
We were nearing the isle of Cyprus when there arose half a gale of wind, with a heavy chopping sea. My Greek seamen considered that the weather amounted not to a half, but to an integral gale of wind at the very least, so they put up the helm, and scudded68 for twenty hours. When we neared the mainland of Anadoli the gale ceased, and a favourable69 breeze sprung up, which brought us off Cyprus once more. Afterwards the wind changed again, but we were still able to lay our course by sailing close-hauled.
We were at length in such a position, that by holding on our course for about half-an-hour we should get under the lee of the island and find ourselves in smooth water, but the wind had been gradually freshening; it now blew hard, and there was a heavy sea running.
As the grounds for alarm arose, the crew gathered together in one close group; they stood pale and grim under their hooded70 capotes like monks71 awaiting a massacre72, anxiously looking by turns along the pathway of the storm and then upon each other, and then upon the eye of the captain who stood by the helmsman. Presently the Hydriot came aft, more moody73 than ever, the bearer of fierce remonstrance74 against the continuing of the struggle; he received a resolute75 answer, and still we held our course. Soon there came a heavy sea, that caught the bow of the brigantine as she lay jammed in betwixt the waves; she bowed her head low under the waters, and shuddered through all her timbers, then gallantly stood up again over the striving sea, with bowsprit entire. But where were the crew? It was a crew no longer, but rather a gathering of Greek citizens; the shout of the seamen was changed for the murmuring of the people — the spirit of the old Demos was alive. The men came aft in a body, and loudly asked that the vessel should be put about, and that the storm be no longer tempted. Now, then, for speeches. The captain, his eyes flashing fire, his frame all quivering with emotion — wielding76 his every limb, like another and a louder voice, pours forth77 the eloquent78 torrent79 of his threats and his reasons, his commands and his prayers; he promises, he vows80, he swears that there is safety in holding on — safety, IF GREEKS WILL BE BRAVE! The men hear and are moved; but the gale rouses itself once more, and again the raging sea comes trampling81 over the timbers that are the life of all. The fierce Hydriot advances one step nearer to the captain, and the angry growl82 of the people goes floating down the wind, but they listen; they waver once more, and once more resolve, then waver again, thus doubtfully hanging between the terrors of the storm and the persuasion83 of glorious speech, as though it were the Athenian that talked, and Philip of Macedon that thundered on the weather-bow.
Brave thoughts winged on Grecian words gained their natural mastery over terror; the brigantine held on her course, and reached smooth water at last. I landed at Limasol, the westernmost port of Cyprus, leaving the vessel to sail for Larnaka, where she was to remain for some days.
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1
mariners
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| 海员，水手（mariner的复数形式） | |
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stringency
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| n.严格，紧迫，说服力；严格性；强度 | |
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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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isle
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| n.小岛，岛 | |
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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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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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speculative
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| adj.思索性的，暝想性的，推理的 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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piracy
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| n.海盗行为，剽窃，著作权侵害 | |
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naval
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| adj.海军的，军舰的，船的 | |
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warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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shipping
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| n.船运（发货，运输，乘船） | |
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procure
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| vt.获得，取得，促成；vi.拉皮条 | |
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intriguing
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| adj.有趣的；迷人的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的现在分词)；激起…的好奇心 | |
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jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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flaring
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| a.火焰摇曳的，过份艳丽的 | |
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discredit
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| vt.使不可置信；n.丧失信义；不信，怀疑 | |
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frail
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| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
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gracefully
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| ad.大大方方地；优美地 | |
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mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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pretence
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| n.假装，作假；借口，口实；虚伪；虚饰 | |
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dominion
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| n.统治，管辖，支配权；领土，版图 | |
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withering
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| 使人畏缩的，使人害羞的，使人难堪的 | |
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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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entrust
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| v.信赖，信托，交托 | |
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gale
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| n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等） | |
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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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acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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opposition
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| n.反对，敌对 | |
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smoothly
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| adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地 | |
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puffed
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| adj.疏松的v.使喷出( puff的过去式和过去分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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superseded
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| [医]被代替的，废弃的 | |
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immortal
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| adj.不朽的；永生的，不死的；神的 | |
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forefathers
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| n.祖先，先人；祖先，祖宗( forefather的名词复数 )；列祖列宗；前人 | |
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seaman
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| n.海员，水手，水兵 | |
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seamen
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| n.海员 | |
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adverse
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| adj.不利的；有害的；敌对的，不友好的 | |
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fumigate
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| v.烟熏；用香薰 | |
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navigating
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| v.给（船舶、飞机等）引航，导航( navigate的现在分词 )；（从海上、空中等）横越；横渡；飞跃 | |
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disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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sobriquet
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| n.绰号 | |
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ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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influential
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| adj.有影响的，有权势的 | |
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gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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gallantly
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| adv. 漂亮地，勇敢地，献殷勤地 | |
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wrecked
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| adj.失事的，遇难的 | |
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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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steadfast
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| adj.固定的，不变的，不动摇的；忠实的；坚贞不移的 | |
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berth
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| n.卧铺，停泊地，锚位；v.使停泊 | |
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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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cannibalism
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| n.同类相食；吃人肉 | |
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shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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specimens
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| n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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scramble
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| v.爬行，攀爬，杂乱蔓延，碎片，片段，废料 | |
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zest
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| n.乐趣；滋味，风味；兴趣 | |
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narrative
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| n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的 | |
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alteration
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| n.变更，改变；蚀变 | |
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derived
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| vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
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habitual
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| adj.习惯性的；通常的，惯常的 | |
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volatile
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| adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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67
wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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68
scudded
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| v.（尤指船、舰或云彩）笔直、高速而平稳地移动( scud的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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69
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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70
hooded
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| adj.戴头巾的；有罩盖的；颈部因肋骨运动而膨胀的 | |
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71
monks
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| n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 ) | |
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72
massacre
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| n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀 | |
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73
moody
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| adj.心情不稳的，易怒的，喜怒无常的 | |
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74
remonstrance
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| n抗议，抱怨 | |
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75
resolute
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| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
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76
wielding
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| 手持着使用（武器、工具等）( wield的现在分词 )； 具有； 运用（权力）； 施加（影响） | |
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77
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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78
eloquent
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| adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的 | |
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79
torrent
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| n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发 | |
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80
vows
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| 誓言( vow的名词复数 )； 郑重宣布，许愿 | |
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81
trampling
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| 踩( trample的现在分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯 | |
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82
growl
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| v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣 | |
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83
persuasion
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| n.劝说；说服；持有某种信仰的宗派 | |
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