Once again we are on the end of the quay1 at Grayton. As Fred stands there, all that has occurred during the past year seems to him but a vivid dream.
Captain Guy is there, and Captain Ellice, and Buzzby, and Mrs. Buzzby too, and the two little Buzzbys also, and Mrs. Bright, and Isobel, and Tom Singleton, and old Mr. Singleton, and the crew of the wrecked2 Dolphin, and, in short, the "whole world"—of that part of the country.
It was a great day for Grayton that. It was a wonderful day—quite an indescribable day; but there were also some things about it that made Captain Ellice feel, somehow, that it was a mysterious day, for, while there were hearty4 congratulations, and much sobbing5 for joy, on the part of Mrs. Bright, there were also whisperings which puzzled him a good deal.
"Come with me, brother," said Mrs. Bright, at length, taking him by the arm, "I have to tell you something."
Isobel, who was on the watch, joined them, and Fred also went with them towards the cottage.
"Dear brother," said Mrs. Bright, "I—I—O Isobel, tell him. I cannot."
"What means all this mystery?" said the captain in an earnest tone, for he felt that they had something serious to communicate.
"Dear uncle," said Isobel, "you remember the time when the pirates attacked—"
She paused, for her uncle's look frightened her.
"Go on, Isobel," he said quickly.
"Your dear wife, uncle, was not lost at that time—"
Captain Ellice turned pale. "What mean you, girl? How came you to know this?" Then a thought flashed across him. Seizing Isobel by the shoulder he gasped8, rather than said, "Speak quick—is—is she alive?"
"Yes, dear uncle, she—"
The captain heard no more. He would have fallen to the ground had not Fred, who was almost as much overpowered as his father, supported him. In a few minutes he recovered, and he was told that Alice was alive—in England—in the cottage. This was said as they approached the door. Alice was aware of her husband's arrival. In another moment husband and wife and son were reunited.
Scenes of intense joy cannot be adequately described, and there are meetings in this world which ought not to be too closely touched upon. Such was the present. We will therefore leave Captain Ellice and his wife and son to pour out the deep feelings of their hearts to each other, and follow the footsteps of honest John Buzzby, as he sailed down the village with his wife and children, and a host of admiring friends in tow.
Buzzby's feelings had been rather powerfully stirred up by the joy of all around, and a tear would occasionally tumble over his weather-beaten cheek, and hang at the point of his sunburnt and oft frost-bitten nose, despite his utmost efforts to subdue9 such outrageous10 demonstrations11.
"Sit down, John dear," said Mrs. Buzzby in kind but commanding tones, when she got her husband fairly into his cottage, the little parlour of which was instantly crowded to excess. "Sit down, John dear, and tell us all about it."
"Wot! begin to spin the whole yarn12 o' the Voyage afore I've had time to say, 'How d'ye do?'" exclaimed Buzzby, at the same time grasping his two uproarious sons, who had, the instant he sat down, rushed at his legs like two miniature midshipmen, climbed up them as if they had been two masts, and settled on his knees as if they had been their own favourite cross-trees!
"No, John, not the yarn of the voyage," replied his wife, while she spread the board before him with bread and cheese and beer, "but tell us how you found old Captain Ellice and where, and what's comed of the crew."
"Werry good! then here goes."
Buzzby was a man of action. He screwed up his weather-eye (the one next his wife, of course, that being the quarter from which squalls might be expected). and began a yarn which lasted the better part of two hours.
It is not to be supposed that Buzzby spun14 it off without interruption. Besides the questions that broke in upon him from all quarters, the two Buzzbys junior scrambled15, as far as was possible, into his pockets, pulled his whiskers as if they had been hoisting16 a main-sail therewith, and, generally, behaved in such an obstreperous17 manner as to render coherent discourse18 all but impracticable. He got through with it, however; and then Mrs. Buzzby intimated her wish, pretty strongly, that the neighbours should vacate the premises19, which they did laughingly, pronouncing Buzzby to be "a trump," and his better half "a true blue."
"Good day, old chap," said the last who made his exit; "tiller's fixed20 agin—nailed amid-ships, eh?"
"Hard and fast," replied Buzzby, with a broad grin, as he shut the door and returned to the bosom21 of his family.
Two days later a grand feast was given at Mrs. Bright's cottage, to which all the friends of the family were invited to meet with Captain Ellice and those who had returned from their long and perilous22 voyage. It was a joyful23 gathering24 that, and glad and grateful hearts were there.
Two days later still, and another feast was given. On this occasion Buzzby was the host, and Buzzby's cottage was the scene. It was a joyful meeting, too, and a jolly one to boot, for O'Riley was there, and Peter Grim, and Amos Parr, and David Mizzle, and Mivins—in short, the entire crew of the lost Dolphin—captain, mates, surgeon, and all. Fred and his father were also there, and old Mr. Singleton, and a number of other friends, so that all the rooms in the house had to be thrown open, and even then Mrs. Buzzby had barely room to move. It was on this occasion that Buzzby related to his shipmates how Mrs. Ellice had escaped from drowning on the night they were attacked by pirates on board the West Indiaman. He took occasion to relate the circumstances just before the "people from the house" arrived, and as the reader may perhaps prefer Buzzby's account to ours, we give it as it was delivered.
"You see, it happened this way," began Buzzby.
"Hand us a coal, Buzzby, to light my pipe, before ye begin," said Peter Grim.
"Ah! then, howld yer tongue, Blunderbore," cried O'Riley, handing the glowing coal demanded, with as much nonchalance25 as if his fingers were made of cast-iron.
"Well, ye see," resumed Buzzby, "when poor Mrs. Ellice wos pitched overboard, as I seed her with my own two eyes—"
"Stop, Buzzby," said Mivins; "'ow was 'er 'ead at the time?"
"Shut up, Mivins," cried several of the men; "go on, Buzzby."
"Well, I think her 'ead wos sou'-west, if it warn't nor'-east. Anyhow it wos pintin' somewhere or other round the compass. But, as I wos sayin', when Mrs. Ellice struck the water (an' she told me all about it herself, ye must know) she sank, and then she comed up, and didn't know how it wos, but she caught hold of an oar13 that wos floatin' close beside her, and screamed for help; but no help came, for it wos dark, and the ship had disappeared, so she gave herself up for lost. But in a little the oar struck agin a big piece o' the wreck3 o' the pirate's boat, and she managed to clamber upon it, and lay there, a'most dead with cold, till mornin'. The first thing she saw when day broke forth26 wos a big ship, bearin' right down on her, and she wos jist about run down when one o' the men observed her from the bow.
"'Hard a-port!' roared the man.
"'Port it is,' cried the man at the wheel, an' round went the ship like a duck, jist missin' the bit of wreck as she passed. A boat wos lowered, and Mrs. Ellice wos took aboard. Well, she found that the ship wos bound for the Sandwich Islands, and as they didn't mean to touch at any port in passin', Mrs. Ellice had to go on with her. Misfortins don't come single, howsiver. The ship wos wrecked on a coral reef, and the crew had to take to their boats, which they did, an' got safe to land; but the land they got to wos an out-o'-the-way island among the Feejees, and a spot where ships never come, so they had to make up their minds to stop there."
"I thought," said Amos Parr, "that the Feejees were cannibals, and that whoever was wrecked or cast ashore27 on their coasts was killed and roasted, and eat up at once."
"So ye're right," rejoined Buzzby; "but Providence28 sent the crew to one o' the islands that had bin6 visited by a native Christian29 missionary30 from one o' the other islands, and the people had gin up some o' their worst practices, and wos thinkin' o' turnin' over a new leaf altogether. So the crew wos spared, and took to livin' among the natives, quite comfortable like. But they soon got tired and took to their boats agin, and left. Mrs. Ellice, however, determined31 to remain and help the native Christians32, till a ship should pass that way. For three years nothin' but canoes hove in sight o' that lonesome island; then, at last, a brig came, and cast anchor off shore. It wos an Australian trader that had been blown out o' her course on her way to England, so they took poor Mrs. Ellice aboard, and brought her home—and that's how it wos."
Buzzby's outline, although meagre, is so comprehensive that we do not think it necessary to add a word. Soon after he had concluded, the guests of the evening came in, and the conversation became general.
"Buzzby's jollification," as it was called in the village, was long remembered as one of the most interesting events that had occurred for many years. One of the chief amusements of the evening was the spinning of long yarns33 about the incidents of the late voyage, by men who could spin them well.
Their battles in the Polar Seas were all fought over again. The wondering listeners were told how Esquimaux were chased and captured; how walruses34 were lanced and harpooned35; how bears were speared and shot; how long and weary journeys were undertaken on foot over immeasurable fields of ice and snow; how icebergs36 had crashed around their ship, and chains had been snapped asunder37, and tough anchors had been torn from the ground or lost; how schools had been set agoing and a theatre got up; and how, provisions having failed, rats were eaten—and eaten, too, with gusto. All this and a great deal more was told on that celebrated38 night—sometimes by one, sometimes by another, and sometimes, to the confusion of the audience, by two or three at once, and, not unfrequently, to the still greater confusion of story-tellers and audience alike, the whole proceedings39 were interrupted by the outrageous yells and turmoil40 of the two indomitable young Buzzbys, as they romped41 in reckless joviality42 with Dumps and Poker43. But at length the morning light broke up the party, and stories of the World of Ice came to an end.
And now, reader, our tale is told. But we cannot close without a parting word in regard to those with whom we have held intercourse44 so long.
It must not be supposed that from this date everything in the affairs of our various friends flowed on in a tranquil45, uninterrupted course. This world is a battle-field, on which no warrior46 finds rest until he dies; and yet, to the Christian warrior on that field, the hour of death is the hour of victory. "Change" is written in broad letters on everything connected with Time; and he who would do his duty well, and enjoy the greatest possible amount of happiness here, must seek to prepare himself for every change. Men cannot escape the general law. The current of their particular stream may long run smooth, but sooner or later the rugged47 channel and the precipice48 will come. Some streams run quietly for many a league, and only at the last are troubled. Others burst from their very birth on rocks of difficulty, and rush, throughout their course, in tortuous49, broken channels.
So was it with the actors in our story. Our hero's course was smooth. Having fallen in love with his friend Tom Singleton's profession, he studied medicine and surgery, became an M.D., and returned to practise in Grayton, which was a flourishing sea-port, and, during the course of Fred's career, extended considerably50. Fred also fell in love with a pretty young girl in a neighbouring town, and married her. Tom Singleton also took up his abode51 in Grayton, there being, as he said, "room for two." Ever since Tom had seen Isobel on the end of the quay, on the day when the Dolphin set sail for the Polar Regions, his heart had been taken prisoner. Isobel refused to give it back unless he, Tom, should return the heart which he had stolen from her. This he could not do, so it was agreed that the two hearts should be tied together, and they two should be constituted joint52 guardians53 of both. In short, they were married, and took Mrs. Bright to live with them, not far from the residence of old Mr. Singleton, who was the fattest and jolliest old gentleman in the place, and the very idol54 of dogs and boys, who loved him to distraction55.
Captain Ellice, having had, as he said, "more than his share of the sea," resolved to live on shore, and, being possessed56 of a moderately comfortable income, he purchased Mrs. Bright's cottage on the green hill that overlooked the harbour and the sea. Here he became celebrated for his benevolence57, and for the energy with which he entered into all the schemes that were devised for the benefit of the town of Grayton. Like Tom Singleton and Fred, he became deeply interested in the condition of the poor, and had a special weakness for poor old women, which he exhibited by searching up, and doing good to, every poor old woman in the parish. Captain Ellice was also celebrated for his garden, which was a remarkably58 fine one; for his flagstaff, which was a remarkably tall and magnificent one; and for his telescope, which constantly protruded59 from his drawingroom window, and pointed60 in the direction of the sea.
As for the others—Captain Guy continued his career at sea as commander of an East Indiaman. He remained stout61 and true-hearted to the last, like one of the oak timbers of his own good ship.
Bolton, Saunders, Mivins, Peter Grim, Amos Parr, and the rest of them, were scattered62 in a few years, as sailors usually are, to the four quarters of the globe. O'Riley alone was heard of again. He wrote to Buzzby "by manes of the ritin' he had larn'd aboord the Dolfin," informing him that he had forsaken63 the "say" and become a small farmer near Cork64. He had plenty of murphies and also a pig—the latter "bein'" he said, "so like the wan65 that belonged to his owld grandmother, that he thought it must be the same wan corned alive agin, or its darter."
And Buzzby—poor Buzzby—he also gave up the sea, much against his will, by command of his wife, and took to miscellaneous work, of which there was plenty for an active man in a sea-port like Grayton. His rudder, poor man, was again (and this time permanently) lashed7 amid-ships, and whatever breeze Mrs. Buzzby chanced to blow, his business was to sail right before it. The two little Buzzbys were the joy of their father's heart. They were genuine little true-blues, both of them, and went to sea the moment their legs were long enough, and came home, voyage after voyage, with gifts of curiosities and gifts of money to their worthy66 parents.
Dumps resided during the remainder of his days with Captain Ellice, and Poker dwelt with Buzzby. These truly remarkable67 dogs kept up their attachment68 to each other to the end. Indeed, as time passed by, they drew closer and closer together, for Poker became more sedate69, and, consequently, a more suitable companion for his ancient friend. The dogs formed a connecting link between the Buzzby and Ellice families—constantly reminding each of the other's existence by the daily interchange of visits.
Fred and Tom soon came to be known as the best doctors with which that part of the country had ever been blessed. And the secret of their success lay in this, that while they ministered to the diseased bodies of men, they also ministered to their diseased souls. With skilful70 hands they sought to arrest the progress of decay; but when all their remedies failed, they did not merely cease their efforts and retire—they turned to the pages of divine truth, and directed the gaze of the dying sufferers to Jesus Christ, the Great Physician of souls. When death had done its work, they did not quit the mourning household as if they were needed there no longer, but kneeling down with the bereaved71, they prayed to Him who alone can bind72 up the broken heart, and besought73 the Holy Spirit to comfort the stricken ones in their deep affliction.
Thus Fred and his friend went hand in hand together, respected and blessed by all who knew them—each year as it passed cementing closer and closer that undying friendship which had first started into being in the gay season of boyhood, and had bloomed and ripened74 amid the adventures, dangers, and vicissitudes75 of the World of Ice.
The End
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1
quay
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| n.码头，靠岸处 | |
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wrecked
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| adj.失事的，遇难的 | |
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wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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sobbing
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| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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bin
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| n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件 | |
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lashed
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| adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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subdue
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| vt.制服，使顺从，征服；抑制，克制 | |
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outrageous
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| adj.无理的，令人不能容忍的 | |
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demonstrations
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| 证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威 | |
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yarn
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| n.纱，纱线，纺线；奇闻漫谈，旅行轶事 | |
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oar
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| n.桨，橹，划手；v.划行 | |
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spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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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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hoisting
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| 起重，提升 | |
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obstreperous
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| adj.喧闹的，不守秩序的 | |
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discourse
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| n.论文，演说；谈话；话语；vi.讲述，著述 | |
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premises
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| n.建筑物，房屋 | |
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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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bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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joyful
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| adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的 | |
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gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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nonchalance
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| n.冷淡，漠不关心 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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missionary
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| adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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Christians
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| n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 ) | |
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yarns
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| n.纱( yarn的名词复数 )；纱线；奇闻漫谈；旅行轶事 | |
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walruses
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harpooned
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| v.鱼镖，鱼叉( harpoon的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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icebergs
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asunder
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| adj.分离的，化为碎片 | |
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celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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turmoil
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| n.骚乱，混乱，动乱 | |
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romped
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| v.嬉笑玩闹( romp的过去式和过去分词 )；（尤指在赛跑或竞选等中）轻易获胜 | |
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joviality
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| n.快活 | |
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poker
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| n.扑克；vt.烙制 | |
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intercourse
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| n.性交；交流，交往，交际 | |
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tranquil
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| adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的 | |
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warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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rugged
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| adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的 | |
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precipice
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| n.悬崖，危急的处境 | |
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tortuous
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| adj.弯弯曲曲的，蜿蜒的 | |
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considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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abode
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| n.住处，住所 | |
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joint
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| adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合 | |
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guardians
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| 监护人( guardian的名词复数 )； 保护者，维护者 | |
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idol
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| n.偶像，红人，宠儿 | |
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distraction
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| n.精神涣散，精神不集中，消遣，娱乐 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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benevolence
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| n.慈悲，捐助 | |
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remarkably
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| ad.不同寻常地，相当地 | |
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protruded
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| v.（使某物）伸出，（使某物）突出( protrude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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Forsaken
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| adj. 被遗忘的, 被抛弃的 动词forsake的过去分词 | |
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cork
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| n.软木，软木塞 | |
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wan
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| (wide area network)广域网 | |
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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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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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attachment
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| n.附属物，附件；依恋；依附 | |
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69
sedate
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| adj.沉着的，镇静的，安静的 | |
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70
skilful
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| (=skillful)adj.灵巧的，熟练的 | |
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71
bereaved
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| adj.刚刚丧失亲人的v.使失去（希望、生命等）( bereave的过去式和过去分词)；（尤指死亡）使丧失（亲人、朋友等）；使孤寂；抢走（财物） | |
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72
bind
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| vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬 | |
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73
besought
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| v.恳求，乞求（某事物）( beseech的过去式和过去分词 )；(beseech的过去式与过去分词) | |
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74
ripened
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| v.成熟，使熟( ripen的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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vicissitudes
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| n.变迁，世事变化；变迁兴衰( vicissitude的名词复数 )；盛衰兴废 | |
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