During my seclusion28 in the library, however, I made the acquaintance of several officers of ships, through whose kindness I obtained quite a respectable lot of clothes, so that I was able to reserve my precious little hoard29 to purchase sea-stock with when the inevitable30 day came. But, in the meantime, I saw as little of Liverpool as I possibly could. Apart from my love of the library and its contents, the town was hateful to me. Its streets seemed to scowl31 at me, and every turning reminded me of misery32. But one day, as I was darting33 across the quadrangle on my return from some errand, a long arm shot out from behind a pillar and grabbed me. Panting with my run, I looked up and saw the form of the doorkeeper towering over me. "Why, where ha' you been stowed away all this time, you young rascal34?" he said. "Here have I ben shoutin' myself hoarse35 after you, an' never a sight of yer could I get. Come along!" And with that he marched me off to the shipping-office in the same building, and handed me over to one of the clerks, who immediately brought me before a jolly-looking captain who was just engaging his crew. What he said I don't remember; but, in a few minutes, I had signed articles as boy at twenty-five shillings per month on board the Western Belle36 of Greenock, bound to Bombay, and sailing two days after, at eight in the morning, from the Alfred Dock, Seacombe. I received a month's advance like the rest, half of which I had to pay for a week's board, as I had been three weeks in the Home. But with my well-kept little hoard I had sufficient to buy my oilskins, bed, hookpot, pannikin and plate, soap, matches, knife, etc., so that I was better off, in those respects, than I had ever been before.
Early on the morning of the appointed day, in company with several others of the crew who had been lodging37 at the Home, I was escorted across the Mersey by the official belonging to the institution, whose business it was to see us safe on board. Like all my companions, I had not the slightest idea what sort of a craft I was going in, except that she was a ship of 1225 tons register. This, however, is one of the most common experiences of the sailor. Of late years it has become more the practice for men to cruise round and choose a ship, handing their discharges to the mate as a sort of guarantee that they will be shipped when she signs articles. But, even now, thousands of men take a leap in the dark, often finding themselves in for a most unpleasant experience, which a little forethought on their part would have saved them. When forethought is a characteristic of the sailor, his lot will rapidly amend38. That, however, is almost too much to hope for.
We soon arrived at our ship's side, finding her to be an old American-built soft-wood ship, fairly comfortable looking, and with a house on deck for the crew instead of the villainous den4 beneath the top-gallant-forecastle, far in the fore-part of the ship, which is the lair39 of seamen40 in most English ships. I was told off to the petty officers' quarters, or "half deck," a fair-sized apartment in the after part of the forward deck-house, with bunks41 for eight, and separated from the men's berth43 by the galley44 and carpenter's shop. There was no time to take stock. She was moving, all hands being on board, and, for a wonder, not so drunk as usual. She was rapidly warped45 down to the dock gates, where one of the powerful tugs47, for which Liverpool has long been justly famous, awaited her—the Constitution. The hawser48 was passed and secured, the ropes which held us to the pier49 cast off, and away we went down the river at a great rate—our voyage was begun. Much to the discomfiture50 of our fellows a large ship, the Stornoway, came rushing past us, bound into dock, having just finished the long round we were beginning. The sight of a "homeward bounder" is always a depressing one for Jack who is just starting again. And it is usually made harder for him by the jocular remarks of the fortunate crew, who shout of "bright pots and pannikins and clean donkey's breakfasts" (straw beds), usually throwing some of their rusty51 tinware overboard, at the same time, to give point to their unkind remarks.
There was little time though for thought, despondent52 or otherwise. We were rapidly nearing the bar, upon which the rising wind was making a heavy sea get up, and our jibboom had to be rigged out. What this means is, I am afraid, impossible to make clear to a landsman. The amount of work involved in getting the long, heavy spar into position, with all its jungle of standing rigging, which looks to the uninstructed eye a hopeless mass of entanglement53, is enormous. When, too, it has to be done as the ship is dragged relentlessly54 through a heavy head sea, as was now the case, the difficulty and danger is certainly doubled. Yet it must be done, and that speedily, for none of the upper spars on all three masts are secure until what seamen call the "head gear" is set up, to say nothing of the urgent necessity which may, at any moment, arise of setting the head sails, as the jibs are termed collectively. So rapidly did the sea rise, and so powerful was the tug46, that before long heavy masses of water began to come on board, and several ugly lumps came over the forecastle head, half drowning the unfortunate men, who, in poor physical condition, were toiling55 at the head gear. Some of them were, of course, compelled to work right over the bows, where, as she plunged56 along, the boiling foam57 now and then surged right over their heads. Under these circumstances some disaster was inevitable. It came. Suddenly I saw the boatswain leap from the forecastle-deck aft, a distance of some twenty feet, yelling, while in the air, "Man overboard!" There was hardly a minute's delay before the tug stopped, and everybody gave a sigh of relief to see that the unfortunate man had caught one of the life-buoys thrown to him. He placed his hands upon the edge of the buoyant ring, which rose edgeways and fell over his head, making him perfectly59 safe. But he was so eager that he got his arms through, and, with both hands on the buoy58, tried to raise himself higher. Unfortunately he succeeded, and immediately overbalanced, his head going down while his legs hung over the sides of the ring. Burdened as he was with oilskins, sea-boots, and much thick clothing underneath60, it was impossible for him to regain61 his position, and when the boat from the tug picked him up he was quite dead. Steaming back alongside of us the skipper of the tug reported the sad fact, suggesting that he might as well take the body back to Liverpool when he had finished towing us. This was of course agreed to, and the towage resumed. But no sooner had the news of our shipmate's death reached us, than there was a rush to the forecastle by our crew, to divide the dead man's belongings—a piece of barbarism quite uncommon62 among seamen. They made such a clean sweep of everything, that when the captain sent to have the deceased seaman63's effects brought aft, all that was produced would hardly have filled a large handkerchief, although he had brought two great bags and a bundle on board with him. So passed from among us poor Peter Hill, a steady middle-aged64 seaman, leaving a widow and two children to mourn their loss, and exist as best they could without the meagre half pay he had left them.
After this calamity65 the speed of the tug was reduced until the jibboom was rigged and the anchors secured. Then the impatient tug-skipper tried to make up for lost time. Green seas rolled over the bows as the bluff66 old ship was towed through the ugly, advancing waves at a rate quite beyond anything she could have done unaided. She strained and groaned67 as if in pain, while the severity of her treatment was attested68 by a long spell at the pumps, the quantity of water she had in her giving rise to many ominous69 mutterings among the crew. At last the Tuskar was reached, the topsails and lower staysails were set, and the tug let go of us, much to our relief, as the motion at once became easier. Then came the muster70 and picking for watches, when the grim fact became apparent that we were grievously undermanned. There were but twelve A.B.'s and one ordinary seaman forward, four tradesmen, i.e. bo'sun, carpenter, sailmaker, and painter, with three boys in the half-deck, steward and cook. Aft were the captain and two officers. Under any circumstances this would have been a very small crew for a ship of her size; but, to make matters worse, she was what sailors call "parish rigged," meaning that all her gear was of the cheapest—common rope, that with a little usage grew swollen71 and clumsy, often requiring the strength of one man to pull the slack of it through the wretched "Armstrong patent" blocks, and not a purchase of any kind to assist labour except two capstans. Already we had gotten a taste of her quality in setting the scanty72 sail she now carried; what would it be, later on, when all sail came to be made, we could easily anticipate. The crew were, as usual, a mixed lot. There was an elderly Yankee bo'sun's mate answering to the name of Nat, who, in spite of his fifty years, was one of the best men on board; a smart little Yorkshireman, very tidy and quiet; and two Liverpool-Irishmen—dirty, slovenly73, and obscene always—Flanagan and Mahoney. They, I learned afterwards, had come home a fortnight before from the East Indies with a fairly good pay-day, which they had never seen a copper74 of, having lain in one continuous state of drunkenness in a cellar, from the evening of their arrival, until the vampires75 who supplied them with liquor had somehow obtained a claim upon all their wages. Then, when the money was drawn76, the two miserable77 fools were flung into the gutter78, sans everything but the filthy79 rags on their backs. A jovial80 darky from Mauritius, with a face whose native ugliness was heightened by an extraordinary marking from smallpox81, kept all hands alive with his incessant82 fun. He signed as Jean Baptiste, which sacred appellation83 was immediately anglicized to Johnny the Baptist, nor did he ever get called anything else. There was also a Frenchman from St. Nazaire, who, though his English was hardly intelligible84, had sailed in our country's ships so long that he had lost all desire for anything French. He was also a fine seaman, but the wrong side of forty. A taciturn Dane, tall and thin, but a good man as far as his strength went, was also of our company; and a brawny85, hairy Nova Scotiaman, John Bradley, able enough, but by no means willing to exert his great strength. Lastly, of those whom I can remember, came Peter Burn and Julius Cæsar. When the first-named signed in Liverpool, he looked like a hale old sea-dog about fifty, worth half a dozen young, unseasoned men. Unfortunately for us, he had come out of the experienced hands of Paddy Finn, a well-known boarding-master renowned86 as a "faker-up" of worn-out and 'long-shore sailors. Rumour87 had it, too, that he had recently married a young woman, who had eloped with several years' savings88, leaving him without any prospect but the workhouse, until Paddy Finn took him in hand for the sake of his month's advance. Be that as it may, it was almost impossible for any one to recognise in the decrepit89, palsied old wreck24 that crawled aft to muster, and answered to the name of Peter Burn, the bluff, hearty90 old seaman that had signed on so boldly two or three days before. Julius Cæsar was a long, cadaverous lad, willing and good-natured, hailing from Vermont, but so weak and inexperienced that you could hardly feel him on a rope. The other three men have entirely faded from my memory.
Of the petty officers with whom I lived, it only needs just now that I note them as all Scotch91, belonging, like the skipper and mate, to the shores of the Firth of Forth, with the exception of the painter. He was a Yarmouth man, really an A.B., but, in consequence of his great ability in decorating, mixing paints, etc., given five shillings a month extra, with a bunk42 in the half-deck. There was no sea-sobriquet for him, like "Bo'sun," "Chips," "Sails," or "Doctor," so he was called by his rightful surname, "Barber." The cook, or "doctor," was a grimy little Maltese, not quite such a living libel on cookery as usual, but dirty beyond belief. I said there were three boys in the half-deck, but that statement needs qualifying. The eldest92 of the trio was as good a man as any on board the ship, and deserves much more than passing notice. He had been, like myself, a London Arab, although never homeless; for his mother, who earned a scanty living by selling water-cresses, always managed to keep a corner for him in her one room up a Shoreditch court. But Bill was far too manly93 to be a burden to his mother a day longer than he could help, so, after trying many ways of earning an honest crust, he finally managed to get taken on board the Warspite training-ship, whence he was apprenticed94 in the Western Belle for four years. He was now in his third year of service, a sturdy, reliable young fellow of eight[182]een, not very brilliant, perhaps, but a first-class seaman: a credit to himself and to his training. The other boy, besides myself, was a keen urchin about my own age, on his first voyage, of respectable parentage, and with a good outfit95. Whatever his previous experience had been I don't remember; I think he came straight from school. Anyhow, he was artful enough to early earn the title of "a young sailor, but a d—-d old soldier," which concise96 character sums up all that a seaman can say as to a person's ability in doing as little as possible. Captain Smith, our chief, was a jolly, easy-going Scotchman of about sixty, always good-tempered, and disinclined to worry about anything. He had his wife and daughter with him, the latter a plain young lady of about twenty-two. Both of them shared the skipper's good qualities, and the ship was certainly more comfortable for their presence. Mr. Edny, the chief mate, was a splendid specimen97 of manhood, a Scotchman about thirty-five years of age, with coal-black hair and eyes. He was the most hirsute98 individual I have ever seen, a shaggy black mane, longer and thicker than any Newfoundland dog's, waving all over his chest and back. Mr. Cottam, the second mate, was a square-built, undersized man from the Midlands, the bane of my existence, but a prime seaman who loved work for its own sake.
《Confessions of a Tradesman》
《A Sack of Shakings》
《Confessions of a Tradesman》
《A Sack of Shakings》
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1
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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solvent
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| n.溶剂；adj.有偿付能力的 | |
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superintendent
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| n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长 | |
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den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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precarious
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| adj.不安定的，靠不住的；根据不足的 | |
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jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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revelled
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| v.作乐( revel的过去式和过去分词 )；狂欢；着迷；陶醉 | |
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inmates
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| n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 ) | |
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throng
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| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
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joyful
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| adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的 | |
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anticipation
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| n.预期，预料，期望 | |
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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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barges
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| 驳船( barge的名词复数 ) | |
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chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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reverberated
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| 回响，回荡( reverberate的过去式和过去分词 )； 使反响，使回荡，使反射 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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query
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| n.疑问，问号，质问；vt.询问，表示怀疑 | |
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enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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vividly
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| adv.清楚地，鲜明地，生动地 | |
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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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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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bellowed
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| v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的过去式和过去分词 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 | |
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urchin
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| n.顽童；海胆 | |
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evade
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| vt.逃避，回避；避开，躲避 | |
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seclusion
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| n.隐遁，隔离 | |
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hoard
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| n./v.窖藏，贮存，囤积 | |
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inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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scowl
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| vi.(at)生气地皱眉，沉下脸，怒视；n.怒容 | |
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misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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darting
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的现在分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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rascal
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| n.流氓；不诚实的人 | |
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hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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belle
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| n.靓女 | |
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lodging
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| n.寄宿，住所；(大学生的)校外宿舍 | |
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amend
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| vt.修改，修订，改进；n.[pl.]赔罪，赔偿 | |
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lair
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| n.野兽的巢穴；躲藏处 | |
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seamen
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| n.海员 | |
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bunks
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| n.（车、船等倚壁而设的）铺位( bunk的名词复数 )；空话，废话v.（车、船等倚壁而设的）铺位( bunk的第三人称单数 )；空话，废话 | |
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42
bunk
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| n.(车、船等倚壁而设的)铺位；废话 | |
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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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galley
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| 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； | |
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45
warped
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| adj.反常的；乖戾的；（变）弯曲的；变形的v.弄弯，变歪( warp的过去式和过去分词 )；使（行为等）不合情理，使乖戾， | |
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46
tug
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| v.用力拖(或拉)；苦干；n.拖；苦干；拖船 | |
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47
tugs
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| n.猛拉( tug的名词复数 )；猛拖；拖船v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的第三人称单数 ) | |
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48
hawser
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| n.大缆；大索 | |
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pier
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| n.码头；桥墩，桥柱；[建]窗间壁，支柱 | |
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50
discomfiture
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| n.崩溃；大败；挫败；困惑 | |
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51
rusty
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| adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的 | |
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52
despondent
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| adj.失望的，沮丧的，泄气的 | |
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53
entanglement
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| n.纠缠，牵累 | |
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54
relentlessly
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| adv.不屈不挠地；残酷地；不间断 | |
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55
toiling
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| 长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的现在分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉 | |
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56
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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foam
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| v./n.泡沫，起泡沫 | |
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58
buoy
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| n.浮标；救生圈；v.支持，鼓励 | |
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59
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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60
underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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regain
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| vt.重新获得，收复，恢复 | |
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uncommon
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| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
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seaman
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| n.海员，水手，水兵 | |
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64
middle-aged
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| adj.中年的 | |
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65
calamity
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| n.灾害，祸患，不幸事件 | |
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bluff
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| v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗 | |
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groaned
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| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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68
attested
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| adj.经检验证明无病的，经检验证明无菌的v.证明( attest的过去式和过去分词 )；证实；声称…属实；使宣誓 | |
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69
ominous
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| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
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70
muster
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| v.集合，收集，鼓起，激起；n.集合，检阅，集合人员，点名册 | |
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71
swollen
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| adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀 | |
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scanty
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| adj.缺乏的，仅有的，节省的，狭小的，不够的 | |
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73
slovenly
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| adj.懒散的，不整齐的，邋遢的 | |
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74
copper
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| n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的 | |
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75
vampires
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| n.吸血鬼( vampire的名词复数 )；吸血蝠；高利贷者；（舞台上的）活板门 | |
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76
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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gutter
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| n.沟，街沟，水槽，檐槽，贫民窟 | |
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filthy
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| adj.卑劣的；恶劣的，肮脏的 | |
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80
jovial
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| adj.快乐的，好交际的 | |
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81
smallpox
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| n.天花 | |
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82
incessant
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| adj.不停的，连续的 | |
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83
appellation
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| n.名称，称呼 | |
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84
intelligible
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| adj.可理解的，明白易懂的，清楚的 | |
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85
brawny
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| adj.强壮的 | |
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86
renowned
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| adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的 | |
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87
rumour
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| n.谣言，谣传，传闻 | |
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88
savings
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| n.存款，储蓄 | |
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89
decrepit
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| adj.衰老的，破旧的 | |
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90
hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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91
scotch
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| 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 | |
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92
eldest
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| adj.最年长的，最年老的 | |
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93
manly
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| adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地 | |
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apprenticed
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| 学徒，徒弟( apprentice的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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95
outfit
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| n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装 | |
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concise
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| adj.简洁的，简明的 | |
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97
specimen
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| n.样本，标本 | |
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98
hirsute
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| adj.多毛的 | |
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