She lay right abreast1 of us, and so close aboard that I could have flung a belaying-pin into her waist.
Our passengers went aft and sat in the shade of the spanker. They appeared very much interested in the English ship.
Her great black hull2 sat well in the water, though she was not loaded deep. At every roll of the swell3 I could see over her high t’gallant-rail and catch a momentary4 glimpse of the men on her main-deck.
Full rigged fore5 and aft, she showed a tremendous spread of canvas from her three skysail-yards to the foot of her courses. Her tall spars and long, tapering6 yards made{117} stunsails unnecessary, and the bright blackness of her standing7 rigging told plainly that she had a mate on board who understood his business.
Below, her copper8 showed a foot clear of the sea, and the water was so quiet and clear that the eye could easily follow it down under her bilge, where it seemed to give forth9 a soft, greenish sheen as the light fell on it at each swing of the hull.
At every roll of the swell her sails slatted against her masts and backed and filled with short, irregular jerks at the clews, until the rattle10 sounded like the distant roll of musketry.
While I stood looking at her, a short, slight man with red whiskers appeared emerging from the after-companionway. He wore a cap with a long visor, and a dark waistcoat flying loose and unbuttoned, which set off the semi-whiteness of his shirt-sleeves to great advantage. He stood looking at us a few moments, and then sung out:
“Hey there! where are you bound?”
“Hongkong, if you don’t foul11 and roll the{118} gear out of us,” answered Crojack, somewhat shortly.
“I will be aboard you in a minute,” came the response, and the small skipper held up his hand as if to ward12 off any further conversation until he arrived.
“Mr. Garnett!” he bawled13, as he advanced to the edge of the poop, “Mr. Garnett!”
“Ay, ay, sir,” came the gruff response from somewhere directly beneath his feet.
The next instant the sturdy figure rose from the main-deck, and a shining bald head was furiously mopped within a foot of the skipper’s knees.
“Mr. Garnett,” roared the little captain, “get that port quarter boat overboard, sir, and don’t keep me waiting here all the morning. Jump, now, for I can’t abide14 waiting for a lazy, worthless set of loafers like your watch.”
A hoarse15 growling17 followed this order, and instantly all was noise and action on the ship. The men rushed for oars16 and tackles,{119} and I was astonished at the large number of them in sight.
Above the turmoil18 could be heard some of Garnett’s favourite oaths, which had more power of expression than any equal number of words before put together.
The tackles were hooked on, and in another minute the boat was over the side and ready.
“Give Mr. Carter the course, but tell him to lie by until we come aboard again, and don’t keep me waiting here, but get into that boat and take me to the American clipper Arrow. Come, bear a hand there.”
“Boat’s all ready, sir,” roared the mate, as he swung himself over the rail and dropped into her stern-sheets, red in the face with exertion19.
“Are the cushions in her?” inquired the skipper, looking cautiously over the rail.
“Ay, ay, sir,” came the answer.
“Is the compass and water-breaker stowed safe?”
“Ay, ay, sir, all safe, sir.”{120}
“Are provisions on board, in case we lose our bearings and can’t get back again?”
“Ay, ay, sir, grub enough to last a week.”
“Have you the ‘navigator’ with you?”
There was a moment of silence.
“Have you the ‘navigator’? No! Well, how many times will I have to tell you, Mr. Garnett, never to start off on a cruise until you are ready? Get the ‘navigator,’ and be quick about it.”
The mate climbed on deck again and went below, reappearing in a moment with the “navigator” tucked lovingly under his arm.
“All right, sir,” he cried, as he dropped over into the boat.
At this the little skipper climbed carefully down into the mizzen channels and stepped into the stern-sheets, while the steward20 came to the rail and passed the skipper’s coat to Mr. Garnett.
“Shove off! don’t sit there looking at me,” and the men let go and shoved clear of the vessel21’s side. Then they raised their oars to a peak.{121}
“Let fall!” and the two oars clattered22 clumsily into the row-locks.
“Give ’way together!” and the boat shot out from the ship’s side and came toward us.
“Git on to th’ style av th’ Johnnie Bull,” chuckled23 O’Toole, who had just come on deck; “wan would think ’twas a man-o’-war sindin’ out a bloomin’ admiral. Now, b’ th’ faith av th’ howly saints! Who’s the mug I see squattin’ there in th’ stern-sheets? Garnett! B’ th’—”
“In bow! Weigh enough!” cried the little skipper, as the boat with six sweeping24 strokes fell alongside.
The next instant he sprang over the rail on to our main-deck, closely followed by his mate.
Then he deliberately25 put on his coat, waved Garnett to stand back, and approached Captain Crojack with a majestic26 step.
“Captain Webster, sir, yes, sir; Captain Webster of the Countess of Warwick,” he{122} cried, as he reached the quarter-deck, where our skipper stood.
“Ah, did I hear aright? Crojack? Captain Crojack, I’m most happy to meet you, sir; most eternally tickled27. Ah, your wife and daughter, I see. Madam, I bow to you. It gives me most uncommon28 pleasure, miss; yes, I may even say delight. But now, sir,” he cried, turning suddenly upon Crojack, “what is this row about, and what do you mean by hailing me and ordering me to stand off?”
His attack upon the skipper was so sudden that Crojack staggered back a pace or two in amazement29 and stared with open-eyed wonder at the little man, while his features worked convulsively as if he didn’t know whether to laugh or throw his guest overboard.
“Come, come, sir; I can’t waste all the morning here. Do you see that flag, sir?” and he pointed30 to the British ensign that hung in folds from his vessel’s peak.
“That is her Majesty’s flag, sir, and I’m her Majesty’s most humble31 servant, though{123} a most uncommon man, sir; and if there’s anything I can do for you, sing out. Don’t stand there staring at me, sir. There’s nothing aggravates32 me so, sir, as to have a man stare at me. Come, come, don’t be afraid of me,” and he held out his hand in a friendly manner.
“Gee-whillikins!” gasped33 Crojack.
“Nothing of the kind, sir; not at all. Lionel Webster, if you please, and an extraordinary man in some respects, if I do venture to say so myself. Come, come, don’t be afraid. But, ah! Maybe the subject will not bear discussion before the ladies, in which case we’ll go below, sir; yes, sir, quite out of sight, sir,” and he grasped Crojack’s hand and led him like a man who is not quite awake down the companionway into the after cabin.
As they disappeared, I turned to meet Garnett, who, with O’Toole, had stood silently watching the skippers in order to render any assistance if necessary.
“Well, well, ’pon me whurd, for a fact! So it’s you, you old bald-headed, bow-legged{124} bean-swiller. Sure, there’s no mistaking that stove-in figurehead av yourn. Say, but I’m glad t’ see ye again, messmate. My, how it brings back the times we windjammers used t’ have together, ’mongst th’ archipelagoes. Well, well, ’pon me whurd, how is it you are afloat again, an’ on a bloody34 Johnnie Bull at that?”
“Don’t meddle35 with family affairs, shipmate. If a respectable married man chooses to follow the sea for a living, why, there it is. There is no more pious36 calling than a mate’s, as you might know yourself. But by the eternal thunder! I wonder they allow a man with a head like yours aboard a vessel carrying soft coal and oil in bulk. May the eternal fire swinge me, but you are a freckle-faced, red-headed bulldog—
“You say you’re for China?”
Then he turned to me.
“Ah, Mr. Gore37, blast me, but it does me good to get amongst the old crowd. Seems like we’ll have a spell o’ weather, hey?” and the old mate mopped his bald head with a dirty red handkerchief.{125}
I shook hands with him and told him I was glad to see him again, for, although he was an old man, he was active yet, and knew more about handling square canvas than any man living.
I’m not a man to bemoan38 my luck, like nearly all sailors, and when I find I’m down I make the best of it. So when old Bill Garnett—who had been mate with my father a score of years before—looked askance at me and called me Mr. instead of captain, knowing my rating, I shook his hand and sat beside him on the main hatch.
Once in the shade of the mainsail the old mate fixed39 himself comfortably and took from his coat pocket a small nickel-plated vial, at which he sniffed40 loudly.
“What in th’ name av the saints have ye got yer fins41 on now?” asked O’Toole, who had seated himself opposite. He stared in wonder at the operation while the odour of peppermint42 filled the air.
“Blarst me if I know,” grunted43 Garnett, still sniffing44 violently at the vial.
“What! peppermint? Ye coom t’ that in{126} yer owld age? ’Pon me whurd, ’twas a different odour ye used to carry about ye.”
“I ain’t as young as I was onct, and that place in my head troubles me more as I grows older. This little thing was sold to me by a fellow on the beach, who said it was good for things in the head, an’ he wasn’t the biggest liar45 I ever knew, for it does me a power o’ good, ’specially at night. You see, I’m too old, anyway, to be cruising about much longer, and if it wasn’t for the money to be gotten out of a cargo46 like we carry, I would stay on the beach. Then, again, there’s family affairs that makes me want to feel the heave of a ship’s deck under me once more; but these are private matters and don’t concern no one but the parties involved.
“This here little thing’s called ‘Killakoff Kurakold,’ which, the fellow said what sold it to me, was Roosian for neuralg’a cure; but it has an almighty47 Yankee smack49 to it. After all, when a man gets along toward his last cruise, like me, he has to take some things for granted—an’ he sees the value of leading{127} an unselfish life, and that the only real pleasures are those what relieve sufferings of others.”
“’Pon me whurd, you have got it down mighty48 fine. Th’ very whurds old Father Easyman used t’ say; an’ I do belave th’ medicine has virtue50 whin it kapes an owld memory alive like that. ‘Sufferin’s av others,’ hey! Which goes t’ show yer mane th’ fellow what invented that little instrument was a thrue philanthropist, an’ a man after yer own heart.”
“I don’t remember hearing those words before,—leastways, not put in that way,—but if you mean to say I didn’t make them up myself, why, I suppose you’re right,” growled51 Garnett.
“As for making words brand-new, it’s a trade I don’t go into much. All words I ever seen or heard, except some in foreign languages, was invented long afore I was afloat,—such as Tom, Bill, and the likes. You say that dapper chap there, talking to Johnson, is third mate? S’help me! I suppose old man Crojack will be shipping52 sky-pilots{128} and holy Joes next,” and he carefully replaced his vial in his pocket, while he listened to Brown talking to one of the boat’s crew who had climbed on deck.
“He’s the best mate I ever sailed with,” I said, as I saw the look of disdain53 gathering54 on the old mate’s face. “But tell us how you came to be aboard an Englishman, and what kind of a cargo it is that pays so well. You say you are bound for the Andamans?”
“I’m coming to that now,” he replied, “if you’ll just give a man time to get his bearings,” and he reached into his pocket and drew forth an enormous piece of plug tobacco. He bit off a couple of ounces and began to manipulate the quid so as to get it securely stowed in his cheek while he replaced the remainder of the plug in his pocket.
He then drew a long breath, as if about to begin his yarn55, and squirted a huge mouthful of tobacco juice on to the clean white deck.
“You see, when I married{129}—”
“Here, Bill, get a swab an’ wipe up th’ dirty mess,” cried O’Toole to a sailor. “This ain’t no bloody Johnnie Bull, an’ we don’t make no pig-pen av the main-deck. But go ahead, messmate; there’s a swab for ye, an’ ye can take snap shots at it betwixt breaths. Leave it lay, Bill.”
Garnett scowled56 at the sailor, who dropped the swab; then, taking no further notice of the interruption, he began.
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收听单词发音
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1
abreast
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| adv.并排地；跟上(时代)的步伐，与…并进地 | |
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hull
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| n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳 | |
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swell
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| vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强 | |
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momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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fore
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| adv.在前面；adj.先前的；在前部的；n.前部 | |
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tapering
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| adj.尖端细的 | |
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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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8
copper
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| n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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12
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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13
bawled
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| v.大叫，大喊( bawl的过去式和过去分词 )；放声大哭；大声叫出；叫卖（货物） | |
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14
abide
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| vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受 | |
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hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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16
oars
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| n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 ) | |
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17
growling
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| n.吠声, 咆哮声 v.怒吠, 咆哮, 吼 | |
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18
turmoil
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| n.骚乱，混乱，动乱 | |
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exertion
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| n.尽力，努力 | |
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steward
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| n.乘务员，服务员；看管人；膳食管理员 | |
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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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22
clattered
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| 发出咔哒声（clatter的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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23
chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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24
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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majestic
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| adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的 | |
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27
tickled
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| （使）发痒( tickle的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）愉快，逗乐 | |
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uncommon
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| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
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29
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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30
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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31
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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32
aggravates
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| 使恶化( aggravate的第三人称单数 )； 使更严重； 激怒； 使恼火 | |
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33
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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34
bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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meddle
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| v.干预，干涉，插手 | |
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pious
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| adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的 | |
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gore
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| n.凝血，血污；v.（动物）用角撞伤，用牙刺破；缝以补裆；顶 | |
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38
bemoan
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| v.悲叹，哀泣，痛哭；惋惜，不满于 | |
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39
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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40
sniffed
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| v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 | |
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41
fins
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| [医]散热片；鱼鳍；飞边；鸭掌 | |
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42
peppermint
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| n.薄荷，薄荷油，薄荷糖 | |
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43
grunted
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说 | |
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44
sniffing
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| n.探查法v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的现在分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 | |
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45
liar
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| n.说谎的人 | |
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46
cargo
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| n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物 | |
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47
almighty
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| adj.全能的，万能的；很大的，很强的 | |
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48
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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49
smack
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| vt.拍，打，掴；咂嘴；vi.含有…意味；n.拍 | |
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50
virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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51
growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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52
shipping
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| n.船运（发货，运输，乘船） | |
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53
disdain
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| n.鄙视，轻视；v.轻视，鄙视，不屑 | |
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54
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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55
yarn
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| n.纱，纱线，纺线；奇闻漫谈，旅行轶事 | |
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56
scowled
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| 怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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