To such a greenhorn as I was then, very young, very sick, with consternation11 and astonishment12 working in me like a passion, there was distraction13 and uproar enough here to have justified14 me in concluding that the end of all things was at hand.
In a few moments I found myself on the poop where the midshipmen were hard at work with the reef tackle and other gear preparing the mizzen topsail for reefing, snugging15 the spanker, and so forth16. Their station was aft, and their duty lay in attending to all the sails on the mizzen-mast under the charge of the third mate. He was swinging off upon a rope, when he caught sight of me.
“Come along! come along!” he roared. “All the beef we can get is wanted here!”
I went in a staggering run to where the group were pulling and laid hold of the rope.
[47]
“Belay!” shouted the third mate, and sprang into the weather mizzen rigging, whither he was followed by the rest of the midshipmen. For a moment I hung in the wind, sending one thirsty, dizzy look aloft. “Well, now or never!” thought I; and with that I got on to the hencoop, swung myself into the rigging, and began the ascent17.
“I SEEMED TO BE PINNED TO THE RATLINES.”
The wind came so hard that I seemed to be pinned to the ratlines, and I felt as though all the breath were blown out of my body. I sent a yearning18 look up, and saw the third mate on the weather mizzen-top-sail yard-arm, striding the spar[48] as though it were a horse, his muscular legs dangling19 between the dark heavens and the wool-white water. The lads were sliding out upon the foot-ropes, some to windward, some to leeward20. I tried to make haste, but the sweep of the blast reduced my struggles to a mere21 crawling. It took me a full five minutes to reach to the height of the futtock shrouds22—thin bars of iron which stretch at a sharp angle from the masts to the rim23 of the platform called “the top.” I took these irons in my little hands, but lacked the courage to swing myself by them over into the top. How on earth, then, was I to gain the yard upon which the midshipmen were working? Through the irons I spied a hole in the platform, and with great trouble and a deal of trembling I contrived24 to squeeze through it, and then I found myself on a sort of stage with the ship looking as if she were a mile below me, and the mizzen-royal yard as if it were two miles above me.
The wind screamed frantically25 in my ears, yet not so loudly but that I could hear my small heart thumping26 in them. I clutched a rope, and stood staring wildly at the yard on which my shipmates were knotting the reef-points. I thought Mr. Cock a much more wonderful man than Blondin or any tight-rope walker that ever I had heard of, to be able to sit upon that rocking point of spar without tumbling off, and to be passing the earing as coolly as if he were tying his shoes.
[49]
The sea looked five times bigger than ever I had before seen it. The worst of the squall was over, and past the edge of the flying gloom to windward there was a sort of faintness in the sky, with curls and wisps of scud28 blowing up it out of the hard green of the distant water that looked calm, so far away it was; and right out in the midst of the distant ocean, over which the dim light of the sky was breaking, I saw a ship, like a toy, vanishing and reappearing amongst the surges, flinging the foam away from her in bursts of steam-light cloud; and so little did she look with her three milk-white bands of topsails and marble-like round of foresail, that whilst my eye dwelt upon her, I could scarce persuade myself that she was real: rather, indeed, some craft of fairy-land, which a great strong fellow, such a man as Mr. Cock for instance, might be able to hold in the hollow of his hand.
I was at no great height, yet the captain looked an insignificant29 little creature as he stood at the rail sending his gaze aloft; the man at the wheel resembled one of those dolls which you purchase as sailors for your model boat, and the decks of the ship from poop to forecastle showed like a long wet plank30. It was wonderful to think so narrow a base should support the tall, wide-spreading fabric31 of mast, yard, and gear that was now somewhat[50] nakedly shearing32 through the dusk of the squall, to the plunging33 and long floating rushes of the hull34 over whose side a sea would now and again fling a head of water that swept with the sparkle of a fountain clear into the milk-white race to leeward.
“Two reefs, Mr. Cock!” bawled the mate from the foremost end of the poop.
I watched the lads swinging in a row upon the foot-ropes, tossing up their heels as they brought the reef-points upon the yard, and wondered how long it would take me to learn their trick of working aloft, as coolly as though they toiled35 with the solid earth under them. All three topsails were being reefed at the same time. I could not see forward, but I could hear the voices of the men chorusing as they, lighted, the sails over. Evidently the captain expected dirty weather; and, to be sure, out abeam36 it looked ugly enough, with a kind of rusty37 light growing in the atmosphere that threw a malevolent38 complexion39 of storm upon the sky.
Presently the last knot had been tied in the mizzen topsail, and the midshipmen were in the act of descending40.
“Jump aloft two of you and secure that t’gallants’l before it blows adrift!” roared the captain.
A couple of the mids sprang into the topmast rigging, and in a few moments were giving battle to the sail, that, even as the captain called, began to flog upon the yard.
[51]
Well, thought I, as I stood staring up at them, some day I dare say I shall be able to do that too; but I declare the possibility seemed mighty41 remote from me just then. Indeed, once again I was beginning to feel horribly sea-sick. The higher you mount above the hull of a ship, the wilder of course grows the rolling, and the mizzen-top in which I stood seemed to me to swing through the air a score of times more furiously than the decks below were swaying. It increased my nausea42 moreover to look up and see the two youngsters dizzily whirling under the dark sky, plunging and hauling at the thrashing sail, as though the hold they had with their boots was enough to save their lives if they fell backwards43.
But now the others were swarming44 into the top, and swinging themselves over into the lower rigging, and dancing down the shrouds till, taut45 as those huge ropes were, they leapt again.
“Come along! come along!” bawled the third mate, as he plumped like a cannon46 ball alongside of me, and with a sinewy47 arm poised48 himself an instant before putting his foot on the futtock ratlines: “There’s nothing good enough to look at up here, to keep you staring open mouth as though you were a newly landed cod49. Lay down smartly now, youngster, and tail on to the topsail halliards.”
His prize-fighter’s face vanished over the rim of the top.
[52]
“Lay down!” thought I, “what does he mean?” and I went nervously50 to the edge of the platform to ask him to explain himself, but saw that he was already on deck.
“Mizzen-top there!” cried the captain, “Lay down, will you?”
There can be no mistake about that, thought I. I am not deaf. Twice I had been told to lay down; and with that I stretched myself along on my back, taking care however to keep a hearty51 good hold of some ropes which passed through the top within reach of my grasp.
“Mizzen-top there!” after a little came a roaring hail from the mate; “what are you about up there, sir? Do you mean to lay down or not?”
On hearing this, I crept on my knees to the rim of the top, and looking over, cried out in the shrill52 voice of my childhood, “Please, sir, I am lying down.”
The captain was staring up at me, but on hearing this, he turned his back with a shake of his figure.
“Come down, Master Rockafellar,” sung out the mate in a voice full of laughter.
When I heard this I crawled over to another edge of the top where I could see him, and piped out, “The captain said I was to lay down, sir.”
[53]
It was wonderful that my thin voice should have carried in such a wind, yet I was heard plainly enough. Then arose a shout of laughter from the[55] midshipmen; the mate called something to Mr. Cock, who in a trice came bundling up the mizzen rigging, and flounded with a crimson53 face into the top.
“Why you young guinea pig, why don’t you obey orders?” he bawled; “to lay down at sea means to come down, and you know it too; I see it in your eye! Over with’ee, over with’ee.”
His large nervous fist closed upon the collar of my jacket, and I found myself lifted over the rim at the top.
“Catch hold of the futtock shrouds!” he roared, “those iron bars, d’ye hear?—quick, before I let you go!”
I gripped at something, but whether it was iron or rope I was too horrified54 to know. He let go, and my legs swung out into the air. But green-horns cling too tightly to be in much danger on such occasions as this. A heave of the ship swung me in again, my toes struck something hard, and with the swiftness of a monkey I coiled my little shanks round it. Down I slid, breathless, and with the eyes half out of my head, and was not a little astonished and rejoiced to find my foot upon a ratline in the mizzen rigging, whence the descent was as easy as walking the deck.
“That’s your lesson,” exclaimed the third mate as he jogged down the rigging past me. “You’ll never shirk the futtock shrouds again, will you?”
[56]
But I had no breath with which to answer him. It was a rough lesson, but it did me good. It made me see that climbing and descending were no such terrifying processes as they looked. Possibly I might not have got so much confidence out of this adventure had I known that the third mate had only pretended to let go; that in reality he was maintaining his hold of my collar after my legs had swung out, though I was too much terrified to be sensible of this.
I have always considered that the alarm of this little business cured me of sea-sickness. Whilst in the top, as I have told you, the nausea was over-poweringly strong upon me; but when I had come down I was no longer sensible of it, and from that moment, indeed, I never had a return of it. There can be no doubt that this distressing55 malady56 lies mainly in the nerves, and the fright I had received by being hung out over the top, so to speak, had acted upon me as an electric shock, healing and ending the prostrating57 complaint.
It blew a gale58 of wind for three days. I don’t doubt I should have heard a deal about my adventure aloft from the midshipmen but for the weather. The wet on deck and the discomforts59 below were too much for the youngsters’ spirits, and until the sun shone forth again we were a very sulky lot. The ship was miserably60 uncomfortable. It rained incessantly61, with such a continuous blowing of spray[57] over us, that it was sometimes above one’s ankles on the main deck. There were tarpaulins62 over the hatchways, and the ’tween-decks were as dark as the hold. There had been no time yet for the passengers to grow seasoned to the sea life; most of those in the “cuddy,” as the saloon was then called, kept their cabins. Now and again one of them at long intervals63 crawled into the companion-hatch, where he exhibited a face white as a spectre’s.
But the chief of the misery64 was amongst the emigrants66. Boxes and chests were incessantly breaking loose, and menacing their lives as the poor creatures sat huddled67 in sea-sick groups under the booby-hatch, for the sake of the dim light that sifted68 down through it. There were times when the galley69 fire was washed out, and the emigrants had to content themselves with biscuit and molasses and cold water, and small doses of that nauseous food called “soup and boulli,” nick-named by the sailors soap and bullion70. I have seen a little family of them squatting71 round a sea-chest belonging to one of us midshipmen, an old towel for a table-cloth, and on it a tin dish or two containing hard ship’s biscuit, a mess of soup and boulli, a lump of pork fat, probably two or three days’ old, along with other such cold and throttling72 fare as the ship’s third-class larder73 yielded; and while they were attempting to make a meal off this trough-like collection of victuals74, I have seen the chest slip[58] away from them, the food tumble on to the deck, and the whole family capsized on their backs.
I do not know that the emigrant65 in these days is a person very carefully and hospitably75 looked after at sea; but in my time the treatment he met with on shipboard—that is to say, the utter indifference76 to his comfort exhibited by owners and captains—rendered him the most miserable77 wretch78 afloat.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
uproar
|
|
| n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
vengeance
|
|
| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
foaming
|
|
| adj.布满泡沫的；发泡 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
foam
|
|
| v./n.泡沫，起泡沫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
standing
|
|
| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
shrieked
|
|
| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
hissed
|
|
| 发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 )； 发嘘声表示反对 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
frigate
|
|
| n.护航舰，大型驱逐舰 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
sobs
|
|
| 啜泣（声），呜咽（声）( sob的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
consternation
|
|
| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
astonishment
|
|
| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
distraction
|
|
| n.精神涣散，精神不集中，消遣，娱乐 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
justified
|
|
| a.正当的，有理的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
snugging
|
|
| v.整洁的( snug的现在分词 )；温暖而舒适的；非常舒适的；紧身的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
|
16
forth
|
|
| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
ascent
|
|
| n.(声望或地位)提高；上升，升高；登高 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
yearning
|
|
| a.渴望的；向往的；怀念的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
dangling
|
|
| 悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
leeward
|
|
| adj.背风的；下风的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
mere
|
|
| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
shrouds
|
|
| n.裹尸布( shroud的名词复数 )；寿衣；遮蔽物；覆盖物v.隐瞒( shroud的第三人称单数 )；保密 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
rim
|
|
| n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
contrived
|
|
| adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
frantically
|
|
| ad.发狂地, 发疯地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
thumping
|
|
| adj.重大的，巨大的；重击的；尺码大的；极好的adv.极端地；非常地v.重击(thump的现在分词)；狠打；怦怦地跳；全力支持 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
bawled
|
|
| 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） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
scud
|
|
| n.疾行；v.疾行 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
insignificant
|
|
| adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
plank
|
|
| n.板条，木板，政策要点，政纲条目 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
fabric
|
|
| n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
shearing
|
|
| n.剪羊毛，剪取的羊毛v.剪羊毛( shear的现在分词 )；切断；剪切 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
plunging
|
|
| adj.跳进的，突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
hull
|
|
| n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
toiled
|
|
| 长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的过去式和过去分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
abeam
|
|
| adj.正横着(的) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
rusty
|
|
| adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
malevolent
|
|
| adj.有恶意的，恶毒的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
complexion
|
|
| n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
descending
|
|
| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
mighty
|
|
| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
nausea
|
|
| n.作呕，恶心；极端的憎恶(或厌恶) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
backwards
|
|
| adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
swarming
|
|
| 密集( swarm的现在分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
taut
|
|
| adj.拉紧的，绷紧的，紧张的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
cannon
|
|
| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
sinewy
|
|
| adj.多腱的，强壮有力的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
poised
|
|
| a.摆好姿势不动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
cod
|
|
| n.鳕鱼；v.愚弄；哄骗 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
nervously
|
|
| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
hearty
|
|
| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
shrill
|
|
| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
crimson
|
|
| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
horrified
|
|
| a.(表现出)恐惧的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
distressing
|
|
| a.使人痛苦的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
malady
|
|
| n.病，疾病(通常做比喻) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
prostrating
|
|
| v.使俯伏，使拜倒( prostrate的现在分词 )；（指疾病、天气等）使某人无能为力 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
gale
|
|
| n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
discomforts
|
|
| n.不舒适( discomfort的名词复数 )；不愉快，苦恼 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
miserably
|
|
| adv.痛苦地；悲惨地；糟糕地；极度地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
incessantly
|
|
| ad.不停地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
tarpaulins
|
|
| n.防水帆布，防水帆布罩( tarpaulin的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
intervals
|
|
| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
64
misery
|
|
| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
65
emigrant
|
|
| adj.移居的，移民的；n.移居外国的人，移民 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
66
emigrants
|
|
| n.（从本国移往他国的）移民( emigrant的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
67
huddled
|
|
| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
68
sifted
|
|
| v.筛( sift的过去式和过去分词 )；筛滤；细查；详审 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
69
galley
|
|
| 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； | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
70
bullion
|
|
| n.金条，银条 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
71
squatting
|
|
| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的现在分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
72
throttling
|
|
| v.扼杀( throttle的现在分词 )；勒死；使窒息；压制 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
73
larder
|
|
| n.食物贮藏室，食品橱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
74
victuals
|
|
| n.食物；食品 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
75
hospitably
|
|
| 亲切地，招待周到地，善于款待地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
76
indifference
|
|
| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
77
miserable
|
|
| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
78
wretch
|
|
| n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |