The vessel in sight was a large hermaphrodite brig, of a Dutch build, and painted black, with a tawdry gilt10 figure-head. She had evidently seen a good deal of rough weather, and, we supposed, had suffered much in the gale11 which had proved so disastrous12 to ourselves; for her foretopmast was gone, and some of her starboard bulwarks14. When we first saw her, she was, as I have already said, about two miles off and to windward, bearing down upon us. The breeze was very gentle, and what astonished us chiefly was, that she had no other sails set than her foremast and mainsail, with a flying jib — of course she came down but slowly, and our impatience15 amounted nearly to phrensy. The awkward manner in which she steered16, too, was remarked by all of us, even excited as we were. She yawed about so considerably18, that once or twice we thought it impossible she could see us, or imagined that, having seen us, and discovered no person on board, she was about to tack19 and make off in another direction. Upon each of these occasions we screamed and shouted at the top of our voices, when the stranger would appear to change for a moment her intention, and again hold on toward us — this singular conduct being repeated two or three times, so that at last we could think of no other manner of accounting20 for it than by supposing the helmsman to be in liquor.
No person was seen upon her decks until she arrived within about a quarter of a mile of us. We then saw three seamen21, whom by their dress we took to be Hollanders. Two of these were lying on some old sails near the forecastle, and the third, who appeared to be looking at us with great curiosity, was leaning over the starboard bow near the bowsprit. This last was a stout22 and tall man, with a very dark skin. He seemed by his manner to be encouraging us to have patience, nodding to us in a cheerful although rather odd way, and smiling constantly, so as to display a set of the most brilliantly white teeth. As his vessel drew nearer, we saw a red flannel23 cap which he had on fall from his head into the water; but of this he took little or no notice, continuing his odd smiles and gesticulations. I relate these things and circumstances minutely, and I relate them, it must be understood, precisely24 as they appeared to us.
The brig came on slowly, and now more steadily25 than before, and — I cannot speak calmly of this event-our hearts leaped up wildly within us, and we poured out our whole souls in shouts and thanksgiving to God for the complete, unexpected, and glorious deliverance that was so palpably at hand. Of a sudden, and all at once, there came wafted26 over the ocean from the strange vessel (which was now close upon us) a smell, a stench, such as the whole world has no name for — no conception of — hellish — utterly27 suffocating28 — insufferable, inconceivable. I gasped29 for breath, and turning to my companions, perceived that they were paler than marble. But we had now no time left for question or surmise30 — the brig was within fifty feet of us, and it seemed to be her intention to run under our counter, that we might board her without putting out a boat. We rushed aft, when, suddenly, a wide yaw threw her off full five or six points from the course she had been running, and, as she passed under our stern at the distance of about twenty feet, we had a full view of her decks. Shall I ever forget the triple horror of that spectacle? Twenty-five or thirty human bodies, among whom were several females, lay scattered31 about between the counter and the galley32 in the last and most loathsome33 state of putrefaction34. We plainly saw that not a soul lived in that fated vessel! Yet we could not help shouting to the dead for help! Yes, long and loudly did we beg, in the agony of the moment, that those silent and disgusting images would stay for us, would not abandon us to become like them, would receive us among their goodly company! We were raving35 with horror and despair — thoroughly36 mad through the anguish37 of our grievous disappointment.
As our first loud yell of terror broke forth38, it was replied to by something, from near the bowsprit of the stranger, so closely resembling the scream of a human voice that the nicest ear might have been startled and deceived. At this instant another sudden yaw brought the region of the forecastle for a moment into view, and we beheld39 at once the origin of the sound. We saw the tall stout figure still leaning on the bulwark13, and still nodding his head to and fro, but his face was now turned from us so that we could not behold40 it. His arms were extended over the rail, and the palms of his hands fell outward. His knees were lodged41 upon a stout rope, tightly stretched, and reaching from the heel of the bowsprit to a cathead. On his back, from which a portion of the shirt had been torn, leaving it bare, there sat a huge sea-gull42, busily gorging43 itself with the horrible flesh, its bill and talons44 deep buried, and its white plumage spattered all over with blood. As the brig moved farther round so as to bring us close in view, the bird, with much apparent difficulty, drew out its crimsoned45 head, and, after eyeing us for a moment as if stupefied, arose lazily from the body upon which it had been feasting, and, flying directly above our deck, hovered46 there a while with a portion of clotted47 and liver-like substance in its beak48. The horrid49 morsel50 dropped at length with a sullen51 splash immediately at the feet of Parker. May God forgive me, but now, for the first time, there flashed through my mind a thought, a thought which I will not mention, and I felt myself making a step toward the ensanguined spot. I looked upward, and the eyes of Augustus met my own with a degree of intense and eager meaning which immediately brought me to my senses. I sprang forward quickly, and, with a deep shudder52, threw the frightful53 thing into the sea.
The body from which it had been taken, resting as it did upon the rope, had been easily swayed to and fro by the exertions54 of the carnivorous bird, and it was this motion which had at first impressed us with the belief of its being alive. As the gull relieved it of its weight, it swung round and fell partially55 over, so that the face was fully56 discovered. Never, surely, was any object so terribly full of awe17! The eyes were gone, and the whole flesh around the mouth, leaving the teeth utterly naked. This, then, was the smile which had cheered us on to hope! this the — but I forbear. The brig, as I have already told, passed under our stern, and made its way slowly but steadily to leeward57. With her and with her terrible crew went all our gay visions of deliverance and joy. Deliberately58 as she went by, we might possibly have found means of boarding her, had not our sudden disappointment and the appalling59 nature of the discovery which accompanied it laid entirely60 prostrate61 every active faculty62 of mind and body. We had seen and felt, but we could neither think nor act, until, alas63! too late. How much our intellects had been weakened by this incident may be estimated by the fact, that when the vessel had proceeded so far that we could perceive no more than the half of her hull64, the proposition was seriously entertained of attempting to overtake her by swimming!
I have, since this period, vainly endeavoured to obtain some clew to the hideous65 uncertainty66 which enveloped67 the fate of the stranger. Her build and general appearance, as I have before stated, led us to the belief that she was a Dutch trader, and the dresses of the crew also sustained this opinion. We might have easily seen the name upon her stern, and, indeed, taken other observations, which would have guided us in making out her character; but the intense excitement of the moment blinded us to every thing of that nature. From the saffron-like hue68 of such of the corpses69 as were not entirely decayed, we concluded that the whole of her company had perished by the yellow fever, or some other virulent70 disease of the same fearful kind. If such were the case (and I know not what else to imagine), death, to judge from the positions of the bodies, must have come upon them in a manner awfully71 sudden and overwhelming, in a way totally distinct from that which generally characterizes even the most deadly pestilences72 with which mankind are acquainted. It is possible, indeed, that poison, accidentally introduced into some of their sea-stores, may have brought about the disaster, or that the eating of some unknown venomous species of fish, or other marine73 animal, or oceanic bird, might have induced it, — but it is utterly useless to form conjectures74 where all is involved, and will, no doubt, remain for ever involved, in the most appalling and unfathomable mystery.
点击收听单词发音
1 afterward | |
adv.后来;以后 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
2 replete | |
adj.饱满的,塞满的;n.贮蜜蚁 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
3 spoke | |
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 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
4 apparently | |
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
5 musket | |
n.滑膛枪 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
6 vessel | |
n.船舶;容器,器皿;管,导管,血管 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
7 syllable | |
n.音节;vt.分音节 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
8 affected | |
adj.不自然的,假装的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
9 extravagant | |
adj.奢侈的;过分的;(言行等)放肆的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
10 gilt | |
adj.镀金的;n.金边证券 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
11 gale | |
n.大风,强风,一阵闹声(尤指笑声等) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
12 disastrous | |
adj.灾难性的,造成灾害的;极坏的,很糟的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
13 bulwark | |
n.堡垒,保障,防御 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
14 bulwarks | |
n.堡垒( bulwark的名词复数 );保障;支柱;舷墙 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
15 impatience | |
n.不耐烦,急躁 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
16 steered | |
v.驾驶( steer的过去式和过去分词 );操纵;控制;引导 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
17 awe | |
n.敬畏,惊惧;vt.使敬畏,使惊惧 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
18 considerably | |
adv.极大地;相当大地;在很大程度上 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
19 tack | |
n.大头钉;假缝,粗缝 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
20 accounting | |
n.会计,会计学,借贷对照表 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
21 seamen | |
n.海员 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
23 flannel | |
n.法兰绒;法兰绒衣服 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
24 precisely | |
adv.恰好,正好,精确地,细致地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
25 steadily | |
adv.稳定地;不变地;持续地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
26 wafted | |
v.吹送,飘送,(使)浮动( waft的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
27 utterly | |
adv.完全地,绝对地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
28 suffocating | |
a.使人窒息的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
29 gasped | |
v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 );喘息;倒抽气;很想要 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
30 surmise | |
v./n.猜想,推测 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
31 scattered | |
adj.分散的,稀疏的;散步的;疏疏落落的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
32 galley | |
n.(飞机或船上的)厨房单层甲板大帆船;军舰舰长用的大划艇; | |
参考例句: |
|
|
33 loathsome | |
adj.讨厌的,令人厌恶的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
34 putrefaction | |
n.腐坏,腐败 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
35 raving | |
adj.说胡话的;疯狂的,怒吼的;非常漂亮的;令人醉心[痴心]的v.胡言乱语(rave的现在分词)n.胡话;疯话adv.胡言乱语地;疯狂地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
36 thoroughly | |
adv.完全地,彻底地,十足地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
37 anguish | |
n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦,烦恼 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
38 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
39 beheld | |
v.看,注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 );瞧;看呀;(叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现)哎哟 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
40 behold | |
v.看,注视,看到 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
41 lodged | |
v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 );暂住;埋入;(权利、权威等)归属 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
42 gull | |
n.鸥;受骗的人;v.欺诈 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
43 gorging | |
v.(用食物把自己)塞饱,填饱( gorge的现在分词 );作呕 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
44 talons | |
n.(尤指猛禽的)爪( talon的名词复数 );(如爪般的)手指;爪状物;锁簧尖状突出部 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
45 crimsoned | |
变为深红色(crimson的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
46 hovered | |
鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 ); 靠近(某事物); (人)徘徊; 犹豫 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
47 clotted | |
adj.凝结的v.凝固( clot的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
48 beak | |
n.鸟嘴,茶壶嘴,钩形鼻 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
49 horrid | |
adj.可怕的;令人惊恐的;恐怖的;极讨厌的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
50 morsel | |
n.一口,一点点 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
51 sullen | |
adj.愠怒的,闷闷不乐的,(天气等)阴沉的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
52 shudder | |
v.战粟,震动,剧烈地摇晃;n.战粟,抖动 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
53 frightful | |
adj.可怕的;讨厌的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
54 exertions | |
n.努力( exertion的名词复数 );费力;(能力、权力等的)运用;行使 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
55 partially | |
adv.部分地,从某些方面讲 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
56 fully | |
adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
57 leeward | |
adj.背风的;下风的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
58 deliberately | |
adv.审慎地;蓄意地;故意地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
59 appalling | |
adj.骇人听闻的,令人震惊的,可怕的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
60 entirely | |
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
61 prostrate | |
v.拜倒,平卧,衰竭;adj.拜倒的,平卧的,衰竭的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
62 faculty | |
n.才能;学院,系;(学院或系的)全体教学人员 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
63 alas | |
int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
64 hull | |
n.船身;(果、实等的)外壳;vt.去(谷物等)壳 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
65 hideous | |
adj.丑陋的,可憎的,可怕的,恐怖的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
66 uncertainty | |
n.易变,靠不住,不确知,不确定的事物 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
67 enveloped | |
v.包围,笼罩,包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
68 hue | |
n.色度;色调;样子 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
69 corpses | |
n.死尸,尸体( corpse的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
70 virulent | |
adj.有毒的,有恶意的,充满敌意的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
71 awfully | |
adv.可怕地,非常地,极端地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
72 pestilences | |
n.瘟疫, (尤指)腺鼠疫( pestilence的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
73 marine | |
adj.海的;海生的;航海的;海事的;n.水兵 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
74 conjectures | |
推测,猜想( conjecture的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
欢迎访问英文小说网 |