During his watch on the bridge Alwyn Burgoyne saw nothing of the passengers. Certainly it was not the kind of weather in which landsmen venture on deck. The whole aspect was a study in greys. The sea, as far as the driving snow permitted to be seen, was a waste of leaden-coloured waves flecked with tumbling grey crests1. Overhead a watery2 sun almost failed to make its presence known through the sombre swiftly-moving clouds. Everything on deck was snow-covered, while wisps of steam mingled3 with an eddying4 volume of smoke from the salt-rimed funnels5.
Crouched6 in the bows was the motionless figure of the look-out man, peering intently through the flurry of snow-flakes, and ready at the first sign of another craft to hail the bridge, where, always within easy distance of the engine-room telegraph, Burgoyne paced ceaselessly to and fro. For the time being the safety of the ship and all who sailed in her depended upon his judgment8. An error on his part or even hesitation9 in carrying out the "Rules and Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea" might easily result in an appalling10 catastrophe11.
Twice during his watch Alwyn had to alter course. Once to avoid a topsail schooner12 that suddenly loomed13 up, grotesquely14 distorted through the snow, at a distance of two cables on the starboard bow. The second occasion was called for by the sighting of a derelict—a timber-ship dismasted and floating just awash. A startled shout from the look-out man, a crisp order from the Third Officer, and the Donibristle, heeling under the effect of helm hard over, literally15 scraped past the waterlogged craft.
Five minutes later, Mostyn, the wireless16 operator, was sending out a general warning to the effect that at such and such a time, and in latitude17 and longitude18 so and so, the S.S. Donibristle had sighted a derelict highly dangerous to navigation.
At last, just as the sun was breaking through and the snow-storm had passed, Burgoyne's relief ascended19 the bridge ladder. Alwyn, having "handed over", went below, ate a hearty20 meal, and, relieved of all responsibility for the time being, turned in with the knowledge that before he took on again the Donibristle would be in a distinctly warmer climate.
He saw nothing of the passengers that evening. Their places at dinner were vacant. According to the steward21, Mr. Tarrant was just able to sit up and take nourishment23; while Mr. Miles, the Canadian commercial traveller, in a valiant24 attempt to ward22 off the dreaded25 mal de mer, had resorted to certain drugs from his sample case, and was now under the care of the steward. Colonel Vivian was attending to his wife, who was obliged to keep to her cabin, while he and his daughter for some unexplained reason were having dinner in the latter's state room.
At noon on the following day Burgoyne, having "shot the sun" and worked out the ship's position, was considerably26 astonished to see Hilda Vivian mounting the bridge with the utmost sang-froid.
"Good morning, Mr. Burgoyne!" she exclaimed; "or is it good afternoon? Quite warm, isn't it? A delightful27 change from yesterday. I've come to have a look round."
"I'm afraid I must tell you that you are trespassing28, Miss Vivian," said Alwyn. "No passengers are allowed on the bridge, you know."
Hilda Vivian's eyes sparkled with ill-concealed mirth.
"That was what my father said," she rejoined. "I had a small bet with him on it. I've won, you see."
"But I can't let you——" began Burgoyne. "Company's regulations and all that sort of thing, you know."
"Supposing I refuse to go?" she inquired archly.
Alwyn pondered. It promised to be a tough proposition. He rather wondered what the Old Man would say to him if he happened to come on deck and espy29 a passenger—a lady passenger, and a young and pretty one at that—standing apparently30 without let or hindrance31 upon the bridge.
His colour deepened under his tan as he replied:
"You'll be getting me into a jolly hole if you persist."
It was a lame32 thing to say, he reflected. After all it seemed a bit futile33 to have to put forward an individual case to support the rights of deck-officers.
"I wouldn't do that," replied the girl earnestly. "It's all right. I asked Captain Blair, and he said I'd find somebody up here to show me round."
"Right-o," said Burgoyne, not at all sorry to have the opportunity. "But excuse me a moment while I finish working out our position."
He retired34 to the chart-house and shut the door, having first asked the quartermaster to show the compass and steam steering-gear to the passenger. He counted on a long and highly technical explanation from the old seaman35, and in this he was not mistaken.
Alwyn used the respite36 profitably. He made no attempt to check his figures; that was a mere37 excuse. Taking up the telephone, he rang up the Captain's cabin. A brief conversation confirmed Miss Vivian's statement, not that he doubted her word, but it was desirable to obtain the Old Man's sanction.
"That leaves me a comparatively free hand," soliloquized the Third Officer, as he replaced the receiver. "There are worse ways of taking a trick than being in the company of a jolly girl."
Jolly she undoubtedly38 was. Without an atom of side, and utterly39 devoid40 of any trace of self-consciousness, Hilda Vivian was decidedly practical without sacrificing her femininity.
Burgoyne's watch passed only too quickly. The girl was a good conversationalist and a splendid listener. Without betraying the faintest sign of boredom41 she followed the Third Officer's somewhat stereotyped42 explanations of the various devices upon which the modern navigator depends in order to take his ship, with uncanny accuracy, across thousands of miles of trackless ocean.
And then conversation drifted into other channels. Hilda explained her presence on board. She was an only daughter; her brother had been wounded and missing at Messines, and her mother had never properly recovered from the shock. Colonel Vivian had been in command of a battalion43 in Egypt and Palestine, and on the homeward voyage the transport had been mined off Cape44 de Gata, in the course of which he had received an injury to his thigh45 that had incapacitated him from further active service.
"I know that bit," said Alwyn to himself. He felt pretty certain of it from the moment he saw the colonel board the Donibristle at Vancouver; but now there was no doubt on the matter. He made no audible remark, but allowed his fair companion to "carry on".
After the Armistice46 Colonel Vivian went on the retired list. He was not a rich man, having little means beyond his pension; and specialists' fees incurred47 by his wife's illness made a heavy drain upon the colonel's exchequer48. One specialist expressed his opinion that the only thing likely to benefit Mrs. Vivian was a voyage round the world. Making sacrifices, Colonel Vivian was now engaged upon the protracted49 tour, taking passages in cargo-boats with limited accommodation in order to cut down expenses, and prolong the "rest cure" by breaking the voyage in various ports.
"I think the voyage is doing Mother good," continued the girl, "and I am enjoying it—every minute in fact. But I do wish I could have brought Peter——"
"And who is Peter?" asked Burgoyne, so abruptly50 that he could have bitten his tongue for having shown such a lively interest—or was it resentment51?—towards Peter.
"He's simply a dear," replied Hilda. "A sheep-dog, you know. Of course, it was impossible to bring him, owing to quarantine restrictions52 and all that sort of thing, so we had to leave him with friends. Are you fond of dogs, Mr. Burgoyne?"
"Beagles," said Alwyn. "Hadn't much time for a dog of my own. We ran a pack of beagles at Dartmouth. Ripping sport."
"Were you at Dartmouth then?" asked Miss Vivian. "At the College?"
Burgoyne nodded.
"Then you were in the navy?"
"Yes," replied the Third Officer. "In the pukka Royal Navy. I came out some months ago, worse luck. But," he added, loyal to his present employers, "this line isn't half-bad—rather decent, in fact."
Miss Vivian made no audible comment. Burgoyne had apparently failed to arouse a sympathetic interest in his case. He felt himself wondering whether she would jump to the conclusion that he was a rotter who had been ignominiously53 court-martialled and dismissed the Service. But, before he could enlarge upon that particular point, Hilda steered54 the conversation into other channels until Phil Branscombe's arrival on the bridge brought Burgoyne's trick to a close.
"My relief," announced Alwyn.
Hilda made no attempt to leave the bridge. Branscombe smiled.
"I'm off duty," persisted the Third Officer. "Would you care to see our wireless cabin? It's a perfectly55 priceless stunt56, and Mostyn, our budding Marconi, is quite harmless while under observation."
"Thanks," replied the girl calmly. "Another day perhaps; when it's not so fine. I'll stay here a little longer; I am interested to know what Mr. Branscombe did in the Great War."
Burgoyne accepted his dismissal with the best grace at his command. He had a certain amount of satisfaction in knowing that Miss Vivian had heard of a joke at the Fourth Officer's expense, although she may not have known the actual facts.
Phil Branscombe had been appointed midshipman, R.N.V.R., a fortnight previous to the signing of the Armistice, although it wasn't his fault that he hadn't been so earlier. Consequently by the time he joined his M.-L. in a Western port hostilities57 were at an end. One evening towards the end of November the commander of the M.-L. flotilla was dozing58 in his cabin, when certain of the younger officers thought it would be a huge joke to pour pyrene down the stove-pipe and put out the fire in the Senior Officer's cabin. Stealthily they emptied the contents of the extinguisher and beat a retreat, chuckling59 at the mental picture of the commander's discomfiture60 when he awoke to find that the stove had gone out and himself shivering in the cold cabin.
Twenty minutes later a signalman conveying a message to the commander found him unconscious. The oxygen-destroying properties of the pyrene had not only extinguished the fire, but had been within an ace7 of suffocating61 the occupant of the cabin. Fortunately the commander recovered. The culprits were discovered, but their victim, convinced that it had not been their intention to drive matters to extremes, accepted their apologies and regrets. But the case did not end there. The Admiralty got to hear of it, and Branscombe and two of his fellow-midshipmen were summarily dismissed.
"That's what I did in the Great War, Miss Vivian," said Branscombe at the end of his recital62. "You see, I wasn't one of the lucky ones. This ship saw some service. She was armed with six 4.7's, and made fourteen double trips across the Atlantic. Angus, our Chief Engineer, was on board her part of the time. He might tell you some yarns63 if you get the right side of him. Once we had some Yanks on board, and one of them asked him the same question that you asked me about what he did in the Great War. Angus simply looked straight at him. 'Ma bit', he replied."
"The Donibristle hasn't guns on board now, I suppose?" inquired the girl.
"No," replied Branscombe. There was a note of regret in his voice. "The Merchant Service doesn't want guns nowadays. I can show you where the decks were strengthened to take the mountings. No, there's no need for guns on this hooker."
But Fourth Officer Philip Branscombe was a bit out in his reckoning.
Meanwhile, as Burgoyne was making his way aft, he encountered Colonel Vivian laboriously64 climbing the companion-ladder.
"Thanks, Mr. Burgoyne," exclaimed the colonel, as the Third Officer stood aside to allow him to pass. "By the by, are you any relation to Major Burgoyne of the Loamshires?"
"My uncle," replied Alwyn.
"Then I must have met you at Cheltenham," resumed Colonel Vivian. "Several times I thought I'd seen your face before."
Burgoyne shook his head.
"I haven't been in Cheltenham since I was twelve," he replied, "but I have an idea that I've seen you before, sir."
"Oh, where?"
"To the best of my belief about twelve miles sou'-sou'-west of Cape de Gata. You were wearing pale blue pyjamas65 and a wristlet watch. When we hiked you out of the ditch you were holding up a Tommy who couldn't swim, and——"
"By Jove! I remember you now," interrupted the Colonel. "You were in charge of one of the Pylon's boats. But I thought you were a midshipman R.N."
"I was," agreed Burgoyne. "I had to resign under the reduction of naval66 personnel stunt. And, by the by, sir, Miss Vivian asked me to tell you that she had been on the bridge for—" he glanced at his watch, "for the last three and a half hours."
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1
crests
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| v.到达山顶（或浪峰）( crest的第三人称单数 )；到达洪峰，达到顶点 | |
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2
watery
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| adj.有水的，水汪汪的；湿的，湿润的 | |
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3
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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4
eddying
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| 涡流，涡流的形成 | |
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funnels
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| 漏斗( funnel的名词复数 )； （轮船，火车等的）烟囱 | |
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6
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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7
ace
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| n.A牌；发球得分；佼佼者；adj.杰出的 | |
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8
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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9
hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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10
appalling
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| adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的 | |
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11
catastrophe
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| n.大灾难，大祸 | |
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12
schooner
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| n.纵帆船 | |
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13
loomed
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| v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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14
grotesquely
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| adv. 奇异地,荒诞地 | |
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15
literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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16
wireless
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| adj.无线的；n.无线电 | |
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17
latitude
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| n.纬度，行动或言论的自由(范围)，(pl.)地区 | |
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18
longitude
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| n.经线，经度 | |
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19
ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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20
hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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21
steward
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| n.乘务员，服务员；看管人；膳食管理员 | |
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22
ward
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| n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开 | |
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23
nourishment
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| n.食物，营养品；营养情况 | |
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24
valiant
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| adj.勇敢的，英勇的；n.勇士，勇敢的人 | |
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25
dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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26
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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27
delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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28
trespassing
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| [法]非法入侵 | |
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29
espy
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| v.（从远处等）突然看到 | |
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30
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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31
hindrance
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| n.妨碍，障碍 | |
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32
lame
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| adj.跛的，(辩解、论据等)无说服力的 | |
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33
futile
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| adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的 | |
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34
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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35
seaman
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| n.海员，水手，水兵 | |
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36
respite
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| n.休息，中止，暂缓 | |
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37
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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38
undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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40
devoid
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| adj.全无的，缺乏的 | |
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41
boredom
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| n.厌烦，厌倦，乏味，无聊 | |
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42
stereotyped
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| adj.(指形象、思想、人物等)模式化的 | |
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43
battalion
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| n.营；部队；大队(的人) | |
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44
cape
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| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
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45
thigh
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| n.大腿；股骨 | |
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46
armistice
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| n.休战，停战协定 | |
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47
incurred
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| [医]招致的，遭受的； incur的过去式 | |
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48
exchequer
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| n.财政部；国库 | |
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49
protracted
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| adj.拖延的；延长的v.拖延“protract”的过去式和过去分词 | |
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50
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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51
resentment
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| n.怨愤，忿恨 | |
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52
restrictions
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| 约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则） | |
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53
ignominiously
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| adv.耻辱地，屈辱地，丢脸地 | |
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54
steered
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| v.驾驶( steer的过去式和过去分词 )；操纵；控制；引导 | |
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55
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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56
stunt
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| n.惊人表演，绝技，特技；vt.阻碍...发育，妨碍...生长 | |
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57
hostilities
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| n.战争；敌意(hostility的复数)；敌对状态；战事 | |
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58
dozing
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| v.打瞌睡,假寐 n.瞌睡 | |
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59
chuckling
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的现在分词 ) | |
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60
discomfiture
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| n.崩溃；大败；挫败；困惑 | |
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61
suffocating
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| a.使人窒息的 | |
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62
recital
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| n.朗诵，独奏会，独唱会 | |
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63
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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64
laboriously
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| adv.艰苦地；费力地；辛勤地；（文体等）佶屈聱牙地 | |
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65
pyjamas
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| n.（宽大的）睡衣裤 | |
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66
naval
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| adj.海军的，军舰的，船的 | |
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