Life on the Raft.
To awake “all at sea”—in other words, ignorant of one’s locality—is a rather common experience, but to awaken1 both at and in the sea, in a similar state of oblivion, is not so common.
At first, when he opened his eyes, he fancied, from the sound of water in his ears, that it must have come on to rain very heavily, but, being regardless of rain, he tried to fall asleep again. Then he felt as if there must be a leak in his berth5 somewhere, he was so wet; but, being sleepy, he shut his eyes, and tried to shut his senses against moisture. Not succeeding, he resolved to turn on his other side, but experienced a strange resistance to that effort. Waxing testy6, he wrenched7 himself round, and in so doing kicked out somewhat impatiently. This, of course, woke him up to the real state of the case. It also awoke Slagg, who received the kick on his shins. He, delivering a cry of pain straight into Sam Shipton’s ear, caused that youth to fling out his fist, which fell on Stumps8’s nose, and thus in rapid succession were the sleepers9 roused effectually to a full sense of their condition.
“It’s cold,” remarked Stumps, with chattering10 teeth.
“You should be thankful that you’re alive to feel the cold, you ungrateful creetur,” said Slagg.
“I am thankful, Jim,” returned the other humbly11, as he sought to undo12 the rope that held him fast; “but you know a feller can scarcely express thanks or—or—otherwise half asleep, an’ his teeth goin’ like a pair o’ nut-crackers.”
“The wind is evidently down,” remarked Sam, who had already undone13 his lashings. “Here, Robin, help me to untie14 this corner of the sail. I had no idea that sleeping with one’s side in a pool of water would make one so cold and stiff.”
“If it had bin3 a pool, Mr Shipton,” said Slagg, “it wouldn’t have made you cold; ’cause why? you’d have made it warm. But it was the sea washin’ out and in fresh that kep’ the temperater low—d’ee see?”
“What a cargo15 o’ rheumatiz we’ve been a-layin’ in this night for old age,” said Stumps ruefully, as he rubbed his left shoulder.
Throwing off the sail, Sam stood up and looked round, while an exclamation16 of surprise and pleasure broke from him. The contrast between the night and morning was more than usually striking. Not only had darkness vanished and the wind gone down, but there was a dead calm which had changed the sea into a sheet of undulating glass, and the sun had just risen, flooding the sky with rosy17 light, and tipping the summit of each swell18 with gleaming gold. The gentle, noiseless heaving of the long swell, so far from breaking the rest of nature, rather deepened it by suggesting the soft breathings of slumber19. There were a few gulls20 floating each on its own image, as if asleep, and one great albatross soared slowly in the bright sky, as if acting21 the part of sentinel over the resting sea.
“How glorious!” exclaimed Robin, as, with flashing eyes, he gazed round the scarce perceptible horizon.
“How hard to believe,” said Sam, in a low voice, “that we may have been brought here to die.”
“But surely you do not think our case so desperate?” said Robin.
“I hope it is not, but it may be so.”
“God forbid,” responded Robin earnestly.
As he spoke22 his arm pressed the little bible which he had rescued from the wreck. Thrusting his hand into his bosom23 he drew it out.
“Darling mother!” he said, “when she gave me this she told me to consult it daily, but especially in times of trouble or danger. I’ll look into it now, Sam.”
He opened the book, and, selecting the verse that first met his eye, read: “In all their affliction he was afflicted24, and the angel of his presence saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed25 them; and he bare them and carried them all the days of old.”
“That’s a grand word for us, isn’t it?—from Isaiah,” said Robin.
“Well, what do you make of it?” asked Sam, whose religious education had not been attended to as well as that of his friend.
“That our God is full of love, and pity, and sympathy, so that we have nothing to fear,” said Robin.
“But surely you can’t regard that as a message to us when you know that you turned to it by mere26 chance,” said Sam.
“I do regard it as a special message to us,” returned Robin with decision.
“Then I should have concluded that God had no special message for us just now, but left us to that general comfort and instruction contained throughout the whole word. When, however, special comfort is sought and found, it seems to me ungrateful to refuse it.”
“But I don’t refuse it, Robin,” returned Sam; “I merely doubt whether it is sent to us or not.”
“Why, Sam, all the bible was sent to us for comfort and instruction.”
“True—true. I have not thought much on that subject, Robin, but I’ll try to believe at present that you are right, for we stand much in need of strong hope at all events. Here we are, none of us knows how far from the nearest land, with little food and less water, on a thing that the first stiff breeze may knock to pieces, without shelter and without compass!”
“Without shelter and compass, Mr Shipton!” said Jim Slagg, who had hitherto listened in silence to the conversation; “why, what d’ye call this?” (taking hold of the sail). “Ain’t that shelter enough, and won’t the sun guide us by day and the stars by night. It seems to me that you are too despondin’, Mr Shipton.”
“Don’t ‘mister’ me any more, Slagg. It was all very well aboard ship where we had our relative positions, but now we are comrades in distress28, and must be on an equal footing.”
“Very good,” replied Slagg, looking round in his comrades’ faces, and raising his voice as if making a speech. “Bein’ equal, as you say, I takes the liberty o’ callin’ a general meetin’ o’ this free and—if I may be allowed the expression—easy Republic. Moreover, I move myself into the chair and second the motion, which, nobody objectin’, is carried unanimously. Gentlemen, the business of this here meetin’ is to appoint a commander to this here ship, an’ what could be more in accordance with the rule o’ three—not to mention the rules o’ four and common sense—than a Shipton takin’ command. Who’s goin’ to make the first reslootion?”
Entering into the spirit of the thing, Robin moved that Samuel Shipton be appointed to command the ship and the party, with the title of captain.
“And without pay,” suggested Slagg.
“And I move,” said Stumps, who was just beginning to understand the joke, though a little puzzled by the fact that it was done in earnest, “I move that Robin Wright be first leftenant.”
“Brayvo, Stumps!” cried Slagg, “your intellec’ is growin’. It on’y remains29 to appoint you ship’s monkey and maid-of-all-work—specially dirty work—and, then, with a hearty30 vote o’ thanks to myself for my conduct in the chair, to vacate the same an’ dissolve the meetin’.”
These matters having been satisfactorily settled, the castaways proceeded to prepare breakfast, and while this was being done the recently appointed captain looked once more anxiously round in the hope of seeing the large raft with their late shipmates on it, but it was not to be seen. Neither raft, ship, nor any other sign of man wos visible on all the glittering sea.
Breakfast was not a tempting31 meal. The biscuits were, indeed, as good as ship’s biscuits ever are, and when moistened with sea water formed a comparatively pleasant as well as strengthening food; but the barrel of pork was raw; they had no means of cooking it, and had not yet experienced those pangs32 of hunger which induce men to luxuriate in anything that will allay33 the craving34. They therefore breakfasted chiefly on biscuit, merely making an attempt, with wry35 faces, to swallow a little pork.
Observing this, Sam said, in a half-jocular manner:—
“Now, my lads, it is quite clear to me that in taking command of this ship, my first duty is to point out the evils that will flow from unrestrained appetite for biscuit;—also to insist on the cultivation36 of a love for raw pork. You have no notion how good it is when fairly believed in. Anyhow you’ll have to try, for it won’t do to eat up all the biscuit, and have to feed at last on pure pork.”
“I calls it impure37 pork,” said Slagg; “hows’-ever, capting, you’ve on’y to give the word and we obey. P’r’aps the best way’ll be to put us on allowance.”
This suggestion was at once acted on, and a considerable part of that bright day was spent by Sam and Robin in calculating how much pork should go to a biscuit, so that they should diminish in an equal ratio, and how much of both it would be safe to allow to each man per diem, seeing that they might be many days, perhaps even weeks, at sea. While the “officers” were thus engaged, Slagg and his friend Stumps busied themselves in making a mast and yard out of one of the planks38—split in two for the purpose—and fitting part of their sail to the same.
Evening found them with the work done, a small sail hoisted39 on the rude mast, the remaining part of the canvas fitted more securely as a covering, and the apportioned40 meal before them. But the sail hung idly from its yard and flapped gently to and fro as the little ark rose and sank on the swell, for the calm still prevailed and the gorgeous sunset, with its golden clouds and bright blue sky, was so faithfully reflected in the sea, that they seemed to be floating in the centre of a crystal ball which had been dipped in the rainbow.
When night descended41, the scene was, if possible, still more impressive, for although the bright colours had vanished, the castaways still floated in the centre of a dark crystal universe, whose unutterable depths were radiant with stars of varied42 size and hue43.
Long they sat and gazed in solemn admiration44 at the scene, talking in subdued45 tones of past, present, and future, until their eyes refused to do their office and the heavy lids began to droop46. Then, reluctantly, they crept beneath the sail-cloth covering and lay down to rest.
The planks were hard, no doubt, but our castaways were hardy47; besides, a few folds of the superfluous48 portions of the large sail helped to soften49 the planks here and there.
“Now, boys,” said Slagg, as he settled himself with a long-drawn sigh, “the on’y thing we wants to make us perfectly50 happy is a submarine telegraph cable ’tween this an’ England, to let us say good-night to our friend, ashore51, an’ hope they won’t be long in sending out to search for us.”
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1
awaken
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| vi.醒，觉醒；vt.唤醒，使觉醒，唤起，激起 | |
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2
robin
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| n.知更鸟，红襟鸟 | |
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3
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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4
wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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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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6
testy
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| adj.易怒的；暴躁的 | |
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7
wrenched
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| v.（猛力地）扭( wrench的过去式和过去分词 )；扭伤；使感到痛苦；使悲痛 | |
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8
stumps
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| （被砍下的树的）树桩( stump的名词复数 )； 残肢； （板球三柱门的）柱； 残余部分 | |
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9
sleepers
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| n.卧铺（通常以复数形式出现）；卧车( sleeper的名词复数 )；轨枕；睡觉（呈某种状态）的人；小耳环 | |
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10
chattering
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| n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式 | |
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11
humbly
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| adv. 恭顺地，谦卑地 | |
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12
undo
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| vt.解开，松开；取消，撤销 | |
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13
undone
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| a.未做完的，未完成的 | |
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14
untie
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| vt.解开，松开；解放 | |
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15
cargo
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| n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物 | |
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16
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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17
rosy
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| adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的 | |
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18
swell
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| vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强 | |
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slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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gulls
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| n.鸥( gull的名词复数 )v.欺骗某人( gull的第三人称单数 ) | |
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21
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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22
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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23
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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24
afflicted
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| 使受痛苦，折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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25
redeemed
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| adj. 可赎回的，可救赎的 动词redeem的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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26
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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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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28
distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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29
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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30
hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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tempting
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| a.诱人的, 吸引人的 | |
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pangs
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| 突然的剧痛( pang的名词复数 )； 悲痛 | |
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33
allay
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| v.消除，减轻(恐惧、怀疑等) | |
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craving
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| n.渴望,热望 | |
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35
wry
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| adj.讽刺的；扭曲的 | |
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36
cultivation
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| n.耕作，培养，栽培（法），养成 | |
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37
impure
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| adj.不纯净的，不洁的；不道德的，下流的 | |
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38
planks
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| （厚）木板( plank的名词复数 )； 政纲条目，政策要点 | |
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39
hoisted
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| 把…吊起，升起( hoist的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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40
apportioned
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| vt.分摊，分配（apportion的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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41
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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42
varied
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| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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43
hue
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| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
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44
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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45
subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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46
droop
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| v.低垂，下垂；凋萎，萎靡 | |
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47
hardy
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| adj.勇敢的，果断的，吃苦的；耐寒的 | |
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48
superfluous
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| adj.过多的，过剩的，多余的 | |
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49
soften
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| v.(使)变柔软；(使)变柔和 | |
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50
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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51
ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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52
literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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53
slumbering
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| 微睡，睡眠（slumber的现在分词形式） | |
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