I quickly followed suit, and descending1 into the bar-room accosted2 the grinning landlord very pleasantly. I cherished no malice3 towards him, though he had been skylarking with me not a little in the matter of my bedfellow.
However, a good laugh is a mighty4 good thing, and rather too scarce a good thing; the more's the pity. So, if any one man, in his own proper person, afford stuff for a good joke to anybody, let him not be backward, but let him cheerfully allow himself to spend and to be spent in that way. And the man that has anything bountifully laughable about him, be sure there is more in that man than you perhaps think for.
The bar-room was now full of the boarders who had been dropping in the night previous, and whom I had not as yet had a good look at. They were nearly all whalemen; chief mates, and second mates, and third mates, and sea carpenters, and sea coopers, and sea blacksmiths, and harpooneers, and ship keepers; a brown and brawny6 company, with bosky beards; an unshorn, shaggy set, all wearing monkey jackets for morning gowns.
You could pretty plainly tell how long each one had been ashore7. This young fellow's healthy cheek is like a sun-toasted pear in hue8, and would seem to smell almost as musky; he cannot have been three days landed from his Indian voyage. That man next him looks a few shades lighter9; you might say a touch of satin wood is in him. In the complexion10 of a third still lingers a tropic tawn, but slightly bleached11 withal; he doubtless has tarried whole weeks ashore. But who could show a cheek like Queequeg? which, barred with various tints12, seemed like the Andes' western slope, to show forth13 in one array, contrasting climates, zone by zone.
"Grub, ho!" now cried the landlord, flinging open a door, and in we went to breakfast.
They say that men who have seen the world, thereby14 become quite at ease in manner, quite self-possessed15 in company. Not always, though: Ledyard, the great New England traveller, and Mungo Park, the Scotch16 one; of all men, they possessed the least assurance in the parlor17. But perhaps the mere18 crossing of Siberia in a sledge19 drawn20 by dogs as Ledyard did, or the taking a long solitary21 walk on an empty stomach, in the negro heart of Africa, which was the sum of poor Mungo's performances-- this kind of travel, I say, may not be the very best mode of attaining22 a high social polish. Still, for the most part, that sort of thing is to be had anywhere.
These reflections just here are occasioned by the circumstance that after we were all seated at the table, and I was preparing to hear some good stories about whaling; to my no small surprise nearly every man maintained a profound silence. And not only that, but they looked embarrassed. Yes, here were a set of sea-dogs, many of whom without the slightest bashfulness had boarded great whales on the high seas--entire strangers to them-- and duelled them dead without winking23; and yet, here they sat at a social breakfast table--all of the same calling, all of kindred tastes--looking round as sheepishly at each other as though they had never been out of sight of some sheepfold among the Green Mountains. A curious sight; these bashful bears, these timid warrior24 whalemen!
But as for Queequeg--why, Queequeg sat there among them-- at the head of the table, too, it so chanced; as cool as an icicle. To be sure I cannot say much for his breeding. His greatest admirer could not have cordially justified25 his bringing his harpoon5 into breakfast with him, and using it there without ceremony; reaching over the table with it, to the imminent26 jeopardy27 of many heads, and grappling the beefsteaks towards him. But that was certainly very coolly done by him, and every one knows that in most people's estimation, to do anything coolly is to do it genteelly.
We will not speak of all Queequeg's peculiarities28 here; how he eschewed29 coffee and hot rolls, and applied30 his undivided attention to beefsteaks, done rare. Enough, that when breakfast was over he withdrew like the rest into the public room, lighted his tomahawk-pipe, and was sitting there quietly digesting and smoking with his inseparable hat on, when I sallied out for a stroll.
1 descending | |
n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
2 accosted | |
v.走过去跟…讲话( accost的过去式和过去分词 );跟…搭讪;(乞丐等)上前向…乞讨;(妓女等)勾搭 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
3 malice | |
n.恶意,怨恨,蓄意;[律]预谋 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
4 mighty | |
adj.强有力的;巨大的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
5 harpoon | |
n.鱼叉;vt.用鱼叉叉,用鱼叉捕获 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
6 brawny | |
adj.强壮的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
7 ashore | |
adv.在(向)岸上,上岸 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
8 hue | |
n.色度;色调;样子 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
9 lighter | |
n.打火机,点火器;驳船;v.用驳船运送;light的比较级 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
10 complexion | |
n.肤色;情况,局面;气质,性格 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
11 bleached | |
漂白的,晒白的,颜色变浅的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
12 tints | |
色彩( tint的名词复数 ); 带白的颜色; (淡色)染发剂; 痕迹 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
13 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
14 thereby | |
adv.因此,从而 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
15 possessed | |
adj.疯狂的;拥有的,占有的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
16 scotch | |
n.伤口,刻痕;苏格兰威士忌酒;v.粉碎,消灭,阻止;adj.苏格兰(人)的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
17 parlor | |
n.店铺,营业室;会客室,客厅 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
18 mere | |
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
19 sledge | |
n.雪橇,大锤;v.用雪橇搬运,坐雪橇往 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
20 drawn | |
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
21 solitary | |
adj.孤独的,独立的,荒凉的;n.隐士 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
22 attaining | |
(通常经过努力)实现( attain的现在分词 ); 达到; 获得; 达到(某年龄、水平、状况) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
23 winking | |
n.瞬眼,目语v.使眼色( wink的现在分词 );递眼色(表示友好或高兴等);(指光)闪烁;闪亮 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
24 warrior | |
n.勇士,武士,斗士 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
25 justified | |
a.正当的,有理的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
26 imminent | |
adj.即将发生的,临近的,逼近的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
27 jeopardy | |
n.危险;危难 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
28 peculiarities | |
n. 特质, 特性, 怪癖, 古怪 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
29 eschewed | |
v.(尤指为道德或实际理由而)习惯性避开,回避( eschew的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
30 applied | |
adj.应用的;v.应用,适用 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
欢迎访问英文小说网 |