Our progress down the river was but little faster than the flow of the tide, for there was not sufficient breeze to keep the sails full, and we all noticed that the old man seemed to be in an unusual state of nervous agitation29. A tiny pillar of smoke astern seemed to attract most of his attention; so palpably, indeed, did he watch it, that we began to whisper among ourselves that he had been paying somebody with the "fore-topsail sheet" again. And the event proved that we were right in our surmise30, for before long a steam-launch overtook us, and a peremptory31 order was given from on board of her for us to lay the foreyard aback. Our pilot immediately complied, the launch sheered alongside, and a red-uniformed official climbed on board. His first act was to present the skipper with a piece of paper. But that worthy32 had no need to read it; he knew well enough what it contained. Then a white man, very well dressed, came on board, and began slanging the miserable33 captain in rare style. He had been at his old games again; eating and drinking—especially drinking—at somebody else's expense during the whole of our stay in port, and then trying to get away without paying his bill. This time, however, matters looked serious for him, for he had very little money, and his bill amounted to one hundred and fifty rupees. There was a tremendous amount of haggling34 done before the hotel-keeper would accept a compromise; but at last, a number of bolts of new canvas and several coils of rope were transferred to the launch, and with these, I have no doubt, the creditor35 was very well paid indeed. But what excuse the skipper would hatch up to satisfy his owners about those missing stores we could none of us imagine. Undoubtedly36 he placed himself completely in the power of every one on board by his mean and dishonest behaviour. As if we had only been waiting for his discomfiture37, no sooner had the launch left us than we squared away to a spanking38 breeze, which took us well clear of the land before nightfall, fairly started on our long homeward passage.
And now we all pursued a definite course of action. It was unanimously agreed that the skipper had fairly put himself out of court, and that to him no respect whatever was due. The officers, on the other hand, who did their part well under these trying circumstances, were treated by every one with that deference39 which was their right, and consequently the work of the ship went on in seamanlike40 fashion. We were fortunate, too, in getting out of the Bay of Bengal before the setting in of the south-west monsoon41, when the weather is unspeakably vile42. Steaming weather, variable winds, and frequent deluges43 of rain make life at sea in the Bay then a burden almost too grievous to be borne. The ropes swell44 so much that they can hardly be hauled through the blocks without any weight attached to them, and the sails become like boards for stiffness. But we had a steady northerly wind, nights of perfect beauty, and days of unclouded sunshine; so that but for the harassing45 want of good food, which attacked us as soon as we were clear of the land, our lot was as pleasant as any sailor can ever expect. Very little work of any kind was done beyond the necessary handling of the sails, for no doubt the officers felt that it would be unwise to attempt too much under the strained conditions of things.
And now in the long night-watches, when over a quiet sea, flooded with moonlight, the sturdy old vessel46 glided47 silent as a disembodied spirit, not a flap of a sail or creak of a rope breaking the solemn stillness, I spent many, many hours alone communing with my own soul. The old boy-life was fast slipping away from me, and the ugly sordidness48 of much that I had endured for the past seven years was already beginning to be mellowed49 by the softening50 haze51 of time. I felt deep, hungry longings52 for better things—often flushing hotly in the darkness as I remembered how I had wasted my opportunities in Australia, and again thinking wearily how utterly friendless and alone I was in the world. I felt that if I only had some one to work for, some one to whom my well-being53 was a matter in which they took a lively interest, that I was capable even now—in spite of my ignorance—of doing something in the world; and I built whole cities full of castles in the air upon the most filmy foundations. And then all my hopes and dreams would die in thickest darkness of despair. What gleam of bright prospect could there be for me, a mere54 bit of driftweed upon the awful ocean of humanity, with no destination, except that which I shared with all mankind? So I would lay musing55, looking upward into the infinite blue overhead where the never-ceasing glory of the stars kept me most comfortable company. These nights were a grand counterpoise to the petty discomforts56 and miseries of the day, when the discontent of their lot made the men of my watch so humpy and disagreeable that I could hardly keep out of hot water with them. I had no books but a Bible, for which I am now most grateful, because I read that grand old book—a literature in itself—through and through from end to end I know not how many times. And although I know I had not the smallest devotional intent, I am sure that the very fact of saturating57 myself from such a well of English undefiled was of the very greatest service to me. Religion, indeed, was a byword among us. We knew that the owners of the ship were considered a highly religious firm, and that Captain Bunker was believed by them to be a holy man. Illogically, we transferred some of our hatred58 of his hypocrisy59 to his employers, who were probably not in the least to blame for our sufferings. Therefore, in the many discussions which took place in the forecastle on things in general, the conversation usually turned upon the general worthlessness and scoundrelism of religious people in general, and our captain and owners in particular. There were no arguments, for we were all of one way of thinking, and there was no one to show us any light upon the subject. As far as I was concerned my early piety60 had all gone, with the exception of an awful fear of death, in what I felt was my unprepared (!) condition, and an utter inability to accustom61 my tongue to the continual blasphemy62 of sailor-talk. In other directions my language was as foul63 as anybody's, so that I had nothing to brag64 about if I had thought of doing so. As we drew down towards the African land, the question of food became very serious again. The flour which had been bought in Rangoon was already almost uneatable—full of vermin of various kinds, and of a dirty grey colour. Our cargo was not available, being unhusked rice, or "paddy," and the meat was the worst I had ever seen, with the exception of that in my first ship. A portion of it boiled, and left for a few hours, became white and hard as a piece of marble, with the exuding65 salt. There was an increasing monotone of grumbling66, which nothing but the lovely weather and easy times prevented from breaking into open revolt. At last we made the land somewhere about East London, and it began to be whispered about among us that the old man meant going into Algoa Bay for supplies. What foundation there was for the rumour67 I don't know, but it had a marked effect upon every one's spirits, so that she was quite a different ship. Port Elizabeth had been the Harrowby's first port at the beginning of her long voyage, and probably that had some weight in making the skipper determine to call there again. Some of his old cronies would doubtless welcome him, for he had not then begun to practise leaving without settling his accounts. Whatever the cause, the confirmation68 of the rumour that we were going to put in re-invigorated us, and we all showed the utmost willingness at every task.
The weather now began to play tricks upon us: baffling winds, fogs, and cold, raw rain replacing the idyllic69 climate we had so long been enjoying. And, as we gradually crept south, more than one gale70 gave us a severe drubbing—sometimes blowing us so far off the land that we began to fear he would give up the idea of going in, after all. But when one morning the order came to get the anchor over the bows, and bend on the cables, all doubts and fears were silenced, and a general air of expectancy71 took their place. The next night the wind veered72 to the eastward73, and blew hard; but under a heavy press of sail we stood in for the land, heading, as we believed, straight for our port. All through the night a keen look-out was kept, but nothing was seen. When the grey, cheerless dawn broke we were still plunging74 shoreward through the ugly cross-sea, making wretched weather of it, not a dry corner to be found forrard or aft. A dense75 mist prevented us from seeing many ships' lengths ahead, but that gave none of us forrard any uneasiness, as we believed that with all his faults the old man was a fairly good navigator. Two of us were on the look-out, peering through the grey veil, when suddenly on the starboard bow, not more than a mile away, appeared the tall spectre of a lighthouse, the red and white bands upon it just visible. A chill of horror ran through us all, added to the next moment by the appalling76 cry of "Breakers right ahead!" The helm was instantly put up and the yards squared, but oh! how lazily she answered her helm. Then the haze lifted, and, as she slowly paid off, we saw all along our starboard beam, and apparently77 not a cable's length off, the mighty78 foaming79 range of breakers that seemed hungry for us, flinging their tops high into the air and bellowing80 like a thousand savage81 bulls. Just as if there was some almost irresistible82 attraction drawing us broadside on to that tumult83 of death, we crawled along, burying the lee-rail under water with the tremendous press of sail we were carrying, and expecting each moment to hear a crack overhead, and see some of our spars go, sealing our death-warrant. But our end was not yet. Presently the most despondent84 among us could see that we were gaining ground, and gradually we clawed off that frightful85 reef out to the friendly sea again. A good offing having been made, we stood to the westward86 once more, for the lighthouse we had seen was Cape87 Recife, and our objective was but a short distance to the northward88 of it. We had just struck the wrong side of it, that was all. Still, with all our efforts, it was as much as we could do to get into Algoa Bay before dark, and anchor well to seaward of all the other vessels89, in readiness to leave again.
点击收听单词发音
1 cargo | |
n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物 | |
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2 bent | |
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的 | |
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3 anticipations | |
预期( anticipation的名词复数 ); 预测; (信托财产收益的)预支; 预期的事物 | |
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4 fully | |
adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地 | |
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5 prospect | |
n.前景,前途;景色,视野 | |
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6 gaol | |
n.(jail)监狱;(不加冠词)监禁;vt.使…坐牢 | |
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7 condemnation | |
n.谴责; 定罪 | |
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8 scanty | |
adj.缺乏的,仅有的,节省的,狭小的,不够的 | |
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9 favourable | |
adj.赞成的,称赞的,有利的,良好的,顺利的 | |
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10 sneak | |
vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝);偷偷摸摸做;n.潜行;adj.暗中进行 | |
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11 draught | |
n.拉,牵引,拖;一网(饮,吸,阵);顿服药量,通风;v.起草,设计 | |
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12 pint | |
n.品脱 | |
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13 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 | |
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14 feign | |
vt.假装,佯作 | |
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15 utterly | |
adv.完全地,绝对地 | |
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16 toil | |
vi.辛劳工作,艰难地行动;n.苦工,难事 | |
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17 miseries | |
n.痛苦( misery的名词复数 );痛苦的事;穷困;常发牢骚的人 | |
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18 myriads | |
n.无数,极大数量( myriad的名词复数 ) | |
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19 streak | |
n.条理,斑纹,倾向,少许,痕迹;v.加条纹,变成条纹,奔驰,快速移动 | |
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20 doze | |
v.打瞌睡;n.打盹,假寐 | |
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21 wretches | |
n.不幸的人( wretch的名词复数 );可怜的人;恶棍;坏蛋 | |
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22 lawful | |
adj.法律许可的,守法的,合法的 | |
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23 exertions | |
n.努力( exertion的名词复数 );费力;(能力、权力等的)运用;行使 | |
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24 kindly | |
adj.和蔼的,温和的,爽快的;adv.温和地,亲切地 | |
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25 pointed | |
adj.尖的,直截了当的 | |
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26 growled | |
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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27 frankly | |
adv.坦白地,直率地;坦率地说 | |
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28 devoutly | |
adv.虔诚地,虔敬地,衷心地 | |
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29 agitation | |
n.搅动;搅拌;鼓动,煽动 | |
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30 surmise | |
v./n.猜想,推测 | |
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31 peremptory | |
adj.紧急的,专横的,断然的 | |
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32 worthy | |
adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的 | |
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33 miserable | |
adj.悲惨的,痛苦的;可怜的,糟糕的 | |
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34 haggling | |
v.讨价还价( haggle的现在分词 ) | |
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35 creditor | |
n.债仅人,债主,贷方 | |
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36 undoubtedly | |
adv.确实地,无疑地 | |
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37 discomfiture | |
n.崩溃;大败;挫败;困惑 | |
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38 spanking | |
adj.强烈的,疾行的;n.打屁股 | |
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39 deference | |
n.尊重,顺从;敬意 | |
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40 seamanlike | |
海员般的,熟练水手似的 | |
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41 monsoon | |
n.季雨,季风,大雨 | |
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42 vile | |
adj.卑鄙的,可耻的,邪恶的;坏透的 | |
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43 deluges | |
v.使淹没( deluge的第三人称单数 );淹没;被洪水般涌来的事物所淹没;穷于应付 | |
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44 swell | |
vi.膨胀,肿胀;增长,增强 | |
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45 harassing | |
v.侵扰,骚扰( harass的现在分词 );不断攻击(敌人) | |
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46 vessel | |
n.船舶;容器,器皿;管,导管,血管 | |
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47 glided | |
v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 );掠过;(鸟或飞机 ) 滑翔 | |
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48 sordidness | |
n.肮脏;污秽;卑鄙;可耻 | |
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49 mellowed | |
(使)成熟( mellow的过去式和过去分词 ); 使色彩更加柔和,使酒更加醇香 | |
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50 softening | |
变软,软化 | |
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51 haze | |
n.霾,烟雾;懵懂,迷糊;vi.(over)变模糊 | |
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52 longings | |
渴望,盼望( longing的名词复数 ) | |
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53 well-being | |
n.安康,安乐,幸福 | |
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54 mere | |
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
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55 musing | |
n. 沉思,冥想 adj. 沉思的, 冥想的 动词muse的现在分词形式 | |
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56 discomforts | |
n.不舒适( discomfort的名词复数 );不愉快,苦恼 | |
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57 saturating | |
浸湿,浸透( saturate的现在分词 ); 使…大量吸收或充满某物 | |
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58 hatred | |
n.憎恶,憎恨,仇恨 | |
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59 hypocrisy | |
n.伪善,虚伪 | |
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60 piety | |
n.虔诚,虔敬 | |
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61 accustom | |
vt.使适应,使习惯 | |
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62 blasphemy | |
n.亵渎,渎神 | |
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63 foul | |
adj.污秽的;邪恶的;v.弄脏;妨害;犯规;n.犯规 | |
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64 brag | |
v./n.吹牛,自夸;adj.第一流的 | |
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65 exuding | |
v.缓慢流出,渗出,分泌出( exude的现在分词 );流露出对(某物)的神态或感情 | |
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66 grumbling | |
adj. 喃喃鸣不平的, 出怨言的 | |
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67 rumour | |
n.谣言,谣传,传闻 | |
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68 confirmation | |
n.证实,确认,批准 | |
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69 idyllic | |
adj.质朴宜人的,田园风光的 | |
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70 gale | |
n.大风,强风,一阵闹声(尤指笑声等) | |
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71 expectancy | |
n.期望,预期,(根据概率统计求得)预期数额 | |
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72 veered | |
v.(尤指交通工具)改变方向或路线( veer的过去式和过去分词 );(指谈话内容、人的行为或观点)突然改变;(指风) (在北半球按顺时针方向、在南半球按逆时针方向)逐渐转向;风向顺时针转 | |
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73 eastward | |
adv.向东;adj.向东的;n.东方,东部 | |
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74 plunging | |
adj.跳进的,突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 );暴跌;骤降;突降 | |
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75 dense | |
a.密集的,稠密的,浓密的;密度大的 | |
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76 appalling | |
adj.骇人听闻的,令人震惊的,可怕的 | |
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77 apparently | |
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎 | |
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78 mighty | |
adj.强有力的;巨大的 | |
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79 foaming | |
adj.布满泡沫的;发泡 | |
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80 bellowing | |
v.发出吼叫声,咆哮(尤指因痛苦)( bellow的现在分词 );(愤怒地)说出(某事),大叫 | |
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81 savage | |
adj.野蛮的;凶恶的,残暴的;n.未开化的人 | |
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82 irresistible | |
adj.非常诱人的,无法拒绝的,无法抗拒的 | |
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83 tumult | |
n.喧哗;激动,混乱;吵闹 | |
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84 despondent | |
adj.失望的,沮丧的,泄气的 | |
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85 frightful | |
adj.可怕的;讨厌的 | |
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86 westward | |
n.西方,西部;adj.西方的,向西的;adv.向西 | |
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87 cape | |
n.海角,岬;披肩,短披风 | |
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88 northward | |
adv.向北;n.北方的地区 | |
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89 vessels | |
n.血管( vessel的名词复数 );船;容器;(具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的)人 | |
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