The storm that swept the Channel in the summer of 17—, was long remembered by the folk along the Sussex coast. Hail fell in many places, and fierce squalls of wind, like huge beasts galloping1 with the lesser2 herd3, uprooted4 trees, sent chimneys crashing through the roofs, and scattered5 tiles in many a street. At one village the church-spire fell, and all along the coast ran the rumor6 of ships lost and fishing-vessels caught in the storm.
Off the French coast, and still tangled7 in the lifting fringes of the night, the Sussex Queen lay rolling heavily with the waves washing her lower decks. A squall had struck her soon after sundown, beaten down her masts, and left her drifting like a wounded gull8 with wings trailing in the water. Two men had been killed by the falling of the masts, and another washed overboard by a heavy sea. All through the night the pumps had been clanging, and water gushing9 from the brig’s black sides.
About two o’clock in the morning Captain George lurched down the short stairway leading to the poop-cabin. He was bleeding from a wound over the left temple and had the look of a man who was utterly10 unnerved. Moreover, he smelled of liquor, and his great raw hands trembled as he fumbled11 at the latch12 of the cabin door.
A ship’s lantern creaked and rocked from the beacon13, throwing an uncertain light about the cabin. Ever and again the poop-windows were drenched14 and darkened by the waves that broke over the stern of the ship. Bess was half lying on her bunk15, with her red cloak wrapped round her, Jeffray leaning against the bulkhead, with the St. Thomas à Kempis, that had been his father’s, open in his hand. Captain George looked at them as though half dazed, blood running down his face to soak into his ragged16 beard.
“Well, captain, what news for us?”
“News!” and the man laughed with a spasmodic croaking17 in the throat. “We’re going to the bottom as fast as the ship can take in water.”
“The ship sinking!”
“Here, take it back, I say,” and he threw the belt and purse upon the floor; “take back your damned money. But for the gold I should be safe in the King Harry19, and not here to drown like a rat.”
Jeffray looked at Bess and then at the unnerved sot, who was leaning against the panelling by the door. A wave struck the ship full on the poop, breaking the glass in the windows, the black water pouring in upon the floor. The lamp flared20 and spluttered with the wind and spray, and the narrow cabin seemed full of the gurgling and plashing of the sea.
Jeffray sprang forward and laid his hand on the captain’s shoulder.
“Come, man, are you going to drown without a fight?”
“By God, man, where’s the English grit23 in you? Why aren’t the pumps working? We can’t be far from the French coast now.”
Captain George shook off Jeffray’s hand.
“Let be,” he said, savagely24, “the men have got the liquor out. They’re sick of pumping, I tell ye, and they’re going down drunk, bad blood to ’em!”
Jeffray stood back against the table and looked at the long-limbed sloven25 with a flash of scorn. The man had no courage left in him; he was sulky and sodden26 with his death grapple with the sea. Jeffray turned to the bunk where Bess was lying, took out his pistols from a valise, and levelled one of them calmly at the captain’s head.
“Take down the lantern,” he said, quietly.
“Take down the lantern, or by the love of God I’ll fire on you!”
Captain George climbed the table, and, swaying from side to side, took down the lantern from its hook. Jeffray turned and spoke28 to Bess, steadying himself against the bunk as the ship rolled with the waves.
“God keep you, dear; it may be our last chance! I must do my best.”
She looked up at him and smiled.
“I am not afraid of the dark,” she answered.
Jeffray had thrown his cloak over his shoulders, and he kept his pistols covered so that the priming should not be damped in the pans.
“Where are your men, captain?”
“In the fo’c’sle.”
“Lead on, and let me see what I can do with them.”
They went out together, Jeffray closing the cabin door and calling back to Bess to shoot the bolts. Captain George, sulky and silent, leaned against the hand-rail, shading the lamp behind his coat. To Jeffray it seemed that the force of the wind had lessened29, and that the ship groaned30 and tumbled less in the troughs of the sea. A wet moon shone out now and again through the ragged clouds, lighting31 up the dishevelled waters that raced under the hurrying sky.
Captain George and Jeffray took the lower deck where the darkness was utter save for the lamp the seaman32 carried. The port-holes oozed33 with every thundering up of the sea, the perpetual thudding of the waves reverberating34 through the body of the ship. Piled about the shaft35 of the main-mast were the trunks and boxes that the Rodenham coach had brought from Lewes, and Jeffray looked at them with a tightening36 of the mouth. There was a depth of pathos37 in the thought that all these rich stuffs that he had bought for Bess might be torn to shreds38 by the remorseless sea. The pity of it strengthened all the manhood in him, and made him realize for what he fought.
Captain George had halted suddenly, and stood listening, the lantern swinging in his hand.
“D’yer hear ’em? It ben’t no use, sir, I tell you, it ben’t no use.”
Jeffray heard laughter and rough voices rising above the racket of the storm. There was a note of fierce defiance39 in the sound, as though the tired and disheartened men were going to death with blasphemy40 upon their lips.
Captain George shivered as though cold.
“They’re getting the drink in ’em,” he said, peering forward into the darkness.
Jeffray pushed the coward forward.
“Our duty’s clear,” he said, “we must pitch the devil’s juice into the sea.”
A dirty lamp was burning in the fo’c’sle, the ill-trimmed wick smoking and flaring41 in the wind. On the floor sat three men, half naked, with a keg of rum between them, and a tin cup passing from hand to hand. In one of the bunks42, a man, whose back had been broken by a falling spar, lay groaning43 and biting the coat that covered him, in a paroxysm of pain. Near him on an upturned bucket another fellow sat with his head between his hands, as though the dread44 of death were heavy on his soul.
Jeffray stood on the threshold, holding his pistols behind his back. The rough faces, the faces of men who drank to drown despair, were turned to him half threateningly under the light of the flaring lamp. The man in the bunk was groaning, and trying to pray. From without came the roar and ferment45 of the sea.
“Well, lads, tired of pumping, eh?”
They looked at him sullenly, as though resenting any authority at such an hour.
“What d’ yer want?”
“Pass the mug, Jim; let the dandy go to the devil.”
Jeffray steadied himself against the door-post, and brought his pistols from behind his back. He was cool and resolute46, a man whose grimness was not to be denied.
“drop that drink—drop it, or by Heaven, I’ll send a bullet through your body.”
The men gaped47 at him, huddling48 back a little across the floor, their eyes fixed49 on Jeffray’s unflinching face and the pistol that covered them.
“drop the drink. One—two—”
The man who held the tin mug, with neat rum swelling50 over the lip thereof, let the thing fall as though it burned his fingers.
“Good. Stand up, all of you. Now, listen to me.”
They obeyed him sullenly, like men in whom utter weariness of soul and body had numbed51 all strength and self-respect. Jeffray understood the crude pessimism52 that possessed53 them. They had lacked leadership, for the shivering sot who held the lamp had been the first to confess defeat at the hands of the sea.
“Come, lads, we’ll have no more drinking. Captain George, will you have the stuff thrown over into the sea? Steady, steady, stand back for the captain.”
The man who had been crouching54 on the bucket, started up, and, pushing his comrades aside, seized on the keg of rum and carried it to the door.
“I’m with you, sir,” he said; “you’ve got the right stuff in you, by damn, you have!”
From that moment Jeffray’s personality dominated the ship. He spoke to the men bluntly, bravely, and the frank manliness55 of his words went home into each rough heart.
“Come, lads,” he said, “we are all British to the bone. Who says die?”
He tossed his pistols aside on to a bunk, stripped off his coat and waistcoat, and rolled up his sleeves.
“I’m one of you, and I’ll work till my back breaks. I have my lass on board, and I’ll fight to the last before I see her drown.”
That touch of humanism perfected it. The men gave him a cheer, shook the hands he held out to them, and went to work like heroes at the pumps.
For an hour Bess knelt in the cabin under the poop with Jeffray’s St. Thomas à Kempis in her hands. She was listening, listening through the rush of wind and waters, for any sound that might betray the purpose of the night. All the past happenings of the year seemed to flash before her eyes, even as memories flash through the brain of a drowning man. She held Jeffray’s book against her bosom56, careless of how the water from the broken windows soaked her dress.
Bess was growing cold and hopeless as she knelt, when she heard a voice calling to her through the weakening wailing57 of the wind.
“Bess! Bess!”
She sprang up and unlocked the door, to find herself in Jeffray’s arms.
“We have won! We have won!”
“The old ship will float.”
“Thank God!”
“Come out with me and see the dawn.”
She unclasped her cloak and wrapped it round him, though he tried to protest against the deed. Together they went out on the deck, and stood hand in hand, sheltered by the bulwarks59 from the wind. In the east, above the grayness of the sea, the first golden breaking of the day fired the clouds with burning light. The storm was dying, and the Sussex Queen lay like a sick woman who rests in peace after the delirium60 of the night.
Jeffray stood with one arm about Bess’s body, his head thrown back as though in triumph. He pointed61 southward over the sea to where, not a mile away, the shores of France were lit by the rising sun.
“The sea gave you to me, dear,” he said, “and I have fought to save you from the sea.”
Bess held close to him and smiled.
“I shall wear my wedding-clothes for you,” she answered.
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1
galloping
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| adj. 飞驰的, 急性的 动词gallop的现在分词形式 | |
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2
lesser
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| adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地 | |
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3
herd
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| n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起 | |
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4
uprooted
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| v.把（某物）连根拔起( uproot的过去式和过去分词 )；根除；赶走；把…赶出家园 | |
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5
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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rumor
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| n.谣言，谣传，传说 | |
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7
tangled
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| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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8
gull
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| n.鸥；受骗的人；v.欺诈 | |
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9
gushing
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| adj.迸出的；涌出的；喷出的；过分热情的v.喷，涌( gush的现在分词 )；滔滔不绝地说话 | |
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10
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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11
fumbled
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| （笨拙地）摸索或处理（某事物）( fumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 乱摸，笨拙地弄； 使落下 | |
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12
latch
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| n.门闩，窗闩；弹簧锁 | |
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13
beacon
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| n.烽火，（警告用的）闪火灯，灯塔 | |
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14
drenched
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| adj.湿透的；充满的v.使湿透( drench的过去式和过去分词 )；在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液体） | |
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15
bunk
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| n.(车、船等倚壁而设的)铺位；废话 | |
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16
ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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17
croaking
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| v.呱呱地叫( croak的现在分词 )；用粗的声音说 | |
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18
buckle
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| n.扣子，带扣；v.把...扣住，由于压力而弯曲 | |
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19
harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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20
Flared
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| adj. 端部张开的, 爆发的, 加宽的, 漏斗式的 动词flare的过去式和过去分词 | |
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21
shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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22
sullenly
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| 不高兴地，绷着脸，忧郁地 | |
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23
grit
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| n.沙粒，决心，勇气；v.下定决心，咬紧牙关 | |
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24
savagely
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| adv. 野蛮地，残酷地 | |
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25
sloven
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| adj.不修边幅的 | |
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26
sodden
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| adj.浑身湿透的；v.使浸透；使呆头呆脑 | |
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27
muzzle
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| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
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28
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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29
lessened
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| 减少的，减弱的 | |
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30
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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31
lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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32
seaman
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| n.海员，水手，水兵 | |
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33
oozed
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| v.（浓液等）慢慢地冒出，渗出( ooze的过去式和过去分词 )；使（液体）缓缓流出；（浓液）渗出，慢慢流出 | |
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34
reverberating
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| 回响，回荡( reverberate的现在分词 )； 使反响，使回荡，使反射 | |
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35
shaft
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| n.(工具的)柄，杆状物 | |
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36
tightening
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| 上紧，固定，紧密 | |
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37
pathos
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| n.哀婉，悲怆 | |
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38
shreds
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| v.撕碎，切碎( shred的第三人称单数 )；用撕毁机撕毁（文件） | |
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39
defiance
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| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
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40
blasphemy
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| n.亵渎，渎神 | |
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41
flaring
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| a.火焰摇曳的，过份艳丽的 | |
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42
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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43
groaning
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| adj. 呜咽的, 呻吟的 动词groan的现在分词形式 | |
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44
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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45
ferment
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| vt.使发酵；n./vt.（使）激动，（使）动乱 | |
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46
resolute
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| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
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47
gaped
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| v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的过去式和过去分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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48
huddling
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| n. 杂乱一团, 混乱, 拥挤 v. 推挤, 乱堆, 草率了事 | |
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49
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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50
swelling
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| n.肿胀 | |
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51
numbed
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| v.使麻木，使麻痹( numb的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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52
pessimism
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| n.悲观者，悲观主义者，厌世者 | |
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53
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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54
crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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55
manliness
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| 刚毅 | |
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56
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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57
wailing
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的现在分词 )；沱 | |
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58
aglow
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| adj.发亮的；发红的；adv.发亮地 | |
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59
bulwarks
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| n.堡垒( bulwark的名词复数 )；保障；支柱；舷墙 | |
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60
delirium
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| n. 神智昏迷,说胡话;极度兴奋 | |
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61
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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