The Dangerous Archipelago — Atolls at a Distance
IN the early morning of 4th September a whale-boat manned by natives dragged us down the green lane of the anchorage and round the spouting1 promontory2. On the shore level it was a hot, breathless, and yet crystal morning; but high overhead the hills of Atuona were all cowled in cloud, and the ocean-river of the trades streamed without pause. As we crawled from under the immediate3 shelter of the land, we reached at last the limit of their influence. The wind fell upon our sails in puffs4, which strengthened and grew more continuous; presently the CASCO heeled down to her day’s work; the whale-boat, quite outstripped5, clung for a noisy moment to her quarter; the stipulated6 bread, rum, and tobacco were passed in; a moment more and the boat was in our wake, and our late pilots were cheering our departure.
This was the more inspiriting as we were bound for scenes so different, and though on a brief voyage, yet for a new province of creation. That wide field of ocean, called loosely the South Seas, extends from tropic to tropic, and from perhaps 123 degrees W. to 150 degrees E., a parallelogram of one hundred degrees by forty — seven, where degrees are the most spacious7. Much of it lies vacant, much is closely sown with isles8, and the isles are of two sorts. No distinction is so continually dwelt upon in South Sea talk as that between the ‘low’ and the ‘high’ island, and there is none more broadly marked in nature. The Himalayas are not more different from the Sahara. On the one hand, and chiefly in groups of from eight to a dozen, volcanic10 islands rise above the sea; few reach an altitude of less than 4000 feet; one exceeds 13,000; their tops are often obscured in cloud, they are all clothed with various forests, all abound11 in food, and are all remarkable12 for picturesque13 and solemn scenery. On the other hand, we have the atoll; a thing of problematic origin and history, the reputed creature of an insect apparently14 unidentified; rudely annular15 in shape; enclosing a lagoon16; rarely extending beyond a quarter of a mile at its chief width; often rising at its highest point to less than the stature17 of a man — man himself, the rat and the land crab18, its chief inhabitants; not more variously supplied with plants; and offering to the eye, even when perfect, only a ring of glittering beach and verdant19 foliage20, enclosing and enclosed by the blue sea.
In no quarter are the atolls so thickly congregated21, in none are they so varied22 in size from the greatest to the least, and in none is navigation so beset23 with perils24, as in that archipelago that we were now to thread. The huge system of the trades is, for some reason, quite confounded by this multiplicity of reefs, the wind intermits, squalls are frequent from the west and south-west, hurricanes are known. The currents are, besides, inextricably intermixed; dead reckoning becomes a farce25; the charts are not to be trusted; and such is the number and similarity of these islands that, even when you have picked one up, you may be none the wiser. The reputation of the place is consequently infamous26; insurance offices exclude it from their field, and it was not without misgiving27 that my captain risked the CASCO in such waters. I believe, indeed, it is almost understood that yachts are to avoid this baffling archipelago; and it required all my instances — and all Mr. Otis’s private taste for adventure — to deflect28 our course across its midst.
For a few days we sailed with a steady trade, and a steady westerly current setting us to leeward29; and toward sundown of the seventh it was supposed we should have sighted Takaroa, one of Cook’s so — called King George Islands. The sun set; yet a while longer the old moon — semi-brilliant herself, and with a silver belly30, which was her successor — sailed among gathering31 clouds; she, too, deserted32 us; stars of every degree of sheen, and clouds of every variety of form disputed the sub-lustrous night; and still we gazed in vain for Takaroa. The mate stood on the bowsprit, his tall grey figure slashing33 up and down against the stars, and still
‘nihil astra praeter
Vidit et undas.
The rest of us were grouped at the port anchor davit, staring with no less assiduity, but with far less hope on the obscure horizon. Islands we beheld34 in plenty, but they were of ‘such stuff as dreams are made on,’ and vanished at a wink35, only to appear in other places; and by and by not only islands, but refulgent36 and revolving37 lights began to stud the darkness; lighthouses of the mind or of the wearied optic nerve, solemnly shining and winking38 as we passed. At length the mate himself despaired, scrambled39 on board again from his unrestful perch40, and announced that we had missed our destination. He was the only man of practice in these waters, our sole pilot, shipped for that end at Tai-o-hae. If he declared we had missed Takaroa, it was not for us to quarrel with the fact, but, if we could, to explain it. We had certainly run down our southing. Our canted wake upon the sea and our somewhat drunken — looking course upon the chart both testified with no less certainty to an impetuous westward41 current. We had no choice but to conclude we were again set down to leeward; and the best we could do was to bring the CASCO to the wind, keep a good watch, and expect morning.
I slept that night, as was then my somewhat dangerous practice, on deck upon the cockpit bench. A stir at last awoke me, to see all the eastern heaven dyed with faint orange, the binnacle lamp already dulled against the brightness of the day, and the steersman leaning eagerly across the wheel. ‘There it is, sir!’ he cried, and pointed43 in the very eyeball of the dawn. For awhile I could see nothing but the bluish ruins of the morning bank, which lay far along the horizon, like melting icebergs44. Then the sun rose, pierced a gap in these DEBRIS45 of vapours, and displayed an inconsiderable islet, flat as a plate upon the sea, and spiked46 with palms of disproportioned altitude.
So far, so good. Here was certainly an atoll; and we were certainly got among the archipelago. But which? And where? The isle9 was too small for either Takaroa: in all our neighbourhood, indeed, there was none so inconsiderable, save only Tikei; and Tikei, one of Roggewein’s so-called Pernicious Islands, seemed beside the question. At that rate, instead of drifting to the west, we must have fetched up thirty miles to windward. And how about the current? It had been setting us down, by observation, all these days: by the deflection of our wake, it should be setting us down that moment. When had it stopped? When had it begun again? and what kind of torrent47 was that which had swept us eastward48 in the interval49? To these questions, so typical of navigation in that range of isles, I have no answer. Such were at least the facts; Tikei our island turned out to be; and it was our first experience of the dangerous archipelago, to make our landfall thirty miles out.
The sight of Tikei, thrown direct against the splendour of the morning, robbed of all its colour, and deformed50 with disproportioned trees like bristles51 on a broom, had scarce prepared us to be much in love with atolls. Later the same day we saw under more fit conditions the island of Taiaro. LOST IN THE SEA is possibly the meaning of the name. And it was so we saw it; lost in blue sea and sky: a ring of white beach, green underwood, and tossing palms, gem-like in colour; of a fairy, of a heavenly prettiness. The surf ran all around it, white as snow, and broke at one point, far to seaward, on what seems an uncharted reef. There was no smoke, no sign of man; indeed, the isle is not inhabited, only visited at intervals52. And yet a trader (Mr. Narii Salmon53) was watching from the shore and wondering at the unexpected ship. I have spent since then long months upon low islands; I know the tedium54 of their undistinguished days; I know the burden of their diet. With whatever envy we may have looked from the deck on these green coverts55, it was with a tenfold greater that Mr. Salmon and his comrades saw us steer42, in our trim ship, to seaward.
The night fell lovely in the extreme. After the moon went down, the heaven was a thing to wonder at for stars. And as I lay in the cockpit and looked upon the steersman I was haunted by Emerson’s verses:
‘And the lone56 seaman57 all the night
Sails astonished among stars.’
By this glittering and imperfect brightness, about four bells in the first watch we made our third atoll, Raraka. The low line of the isle lay straight along the sky; so that I was at first reminded of a towpath, and we seemed to be mounting some engineered and navigable stream. Presently a red star appeared, about the height and brightness of a danger signal, and with that my simile58 was changed; we seemed rather to skirt the embankment of a railway, and the eye began to look instinctively59 for the telegraph-posts, and the ear to expect the coming of a train. Here and there, but rarely, faint tree-tops broke the level. And the sound of the surf accompanied us, now in a drowsy60 monotone, now with a menacing swing.
The isle lay nearly east and west, barring our advance on Fakarava. We must, therefore, hug the coast until we gained the western end, where, through a passage eight miles wide, we might sail southward between Raraka and the next isle, Kauehi. We had the wind free, a lightish air; but clouds of an inky blackness were beginning to arise, and at times it lightened — without thunder. Something, I know not what, continually set us up upon the island. We lay more and more to the nor’ard; and you would have thought the shore copied our manoeuvre61 and outsailed us. Once and twice Raraka headed us again — again, in the sea fashion, the quite innocent steersman was abused — and again the CASCO kept away. Had I been called on, with no more light than that of our experience, to draw the configuration62 of that island, I should have shown a series of bow — window promontories63, each overlapping64 the other to the nor’ard, and the trend of the land from the south-east to the north-west, and behold65, on the chart it lay near east and west in a straight line.
We had but just repeated our manoeuvre and kept away — for not more than five minutes the railway embankment had been lost to view and the surf to hearing — when I was aware of land again, not only on the weather bow, but dead ahead. I played the part of the judicious66 landsman, holding my peace till the last moment; and presently my mariners68 perceived it for themselves.
‘Land ahead!’ said the steersman.
‘By God, it’s Kauehi!’ cried the mate.
And so it was. And with that I began to be sorry for cartographers. We were scarce doing three and a half; and they asked me to believe that (in five minutes) we had dropped an island, passed eight miles of open water, and run almost high and dry upon the next. But my captain was more sorry for himself to be afloat in such a labyrinth69; laid the CASCO to, with the log line up and down, and sat on the stern rail and watched it till the morning. He had enough of night in the Paumotus.
By daylight on the 9th we began to skirt Kauehi, and had now an opportunity to see near at hand the geography of atolls. Here and there, where it was high, the farther side loomed70 up; here and there the near side dipped entirely71 and showed a broad path of water into the lagoon; here and there both sides were equally abased72, and we could look right through the discontinuous ring to the sea horizon on the south. Conceive, on a vast scale, the submerged hoop73 of the duck-hunter, trimmed with green rushes to conceal74 his head — water within, water without — you have the image of the perfect atoll. Conceive one that has been partly plucked of its rush fringe; you have the atoll of Kauehi. And for either shore of it at closer quarters, conceive the line of some old Roman highway traversing a wet morass75, and here sunk out of view and there re-arising, crowned with a green tuft of thicket76; only instead of the stagnant77 waters of a marsh78, the live ocean now boiled against, now buried the frail79 barrier. Last night’s impression in the dark was thus confirmed by day, and not corrected. We sailed indeed by a mere80 causeway in the sea, of nature’s handiwork, yet of no greater magnitude than many of the works of man.
The isle was uninhabited; it was all green brush and white sand, set in transcendently blue water; even the coco-palms were rare, though some of these completed the bright harmony of colour by hanging out a fan of golden yellow. For long there was no sign of life beyond the vegetable, and no sound but the continuous grumble81 of the surf. In silence and desertion these fair shores slipped past, and were submerged and rose again with clumps82 of thicket from the sea. And then a bird or two appeared, hovering83 and crying; swiftly these became more numerous, and presently, looking ahead, we were aware of a vast effervescence of winged life. In this place the annular isle was mostly under water, carrying here and there on its submerged line a wooded islet. Over one of these the birds hung and flew with an incredible density84 like that of gnats85 or hiving bees; the mass flashed white and black, and heaved and quivered, and the screaming of the creatures rose over the voice of the surf in a shrill86 clattering87 whirr. As you descend88 some inland valley a not dissimilar sound announces the nearness of a mill and pouring river. Some stragglers, as I said, came to meet our approach; a few still hung about the ship as we departed. The crying died away, the last pair of wings was left behind, and once more the low shores of Kauehi streamed past our eyes in silence like a picture. I supposed at the time that the birds lived, like ants or citizens, concentred where we saw them. I have been told since (I know not if correctly) that the whole isle, or much of it, is similarly peopled; and that the effervescence at a single spot would be the mark of a boat’s crew of egg-hunters from one of the neighbouring inhabited atolls. So that here at Kauehi, as the day before at Taiaro, the CASCO sailed by under the fire of unsuspected eyes. And one thing is surely true, that even on these ribbons of land an army might lie hid and no passing mariner67 divine its presence.
收听单词发音 |
1
spouting
|
|
| n.水落管系统v.（指液体）喷出( spout的现在分词 )；滔滔不绝地讲；喋喋不休地说；喷水 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
promontory
|
|
| n.海角；岬 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
immediate
|
|
| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
puffs
|
|
| n.吸( puff的名词复数 )；（烟斗或香烟的）一吸；一缕（烟、蒸汽等）；（呼吸或风的）呼v.使喷出( puff的第三人称单数 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
outstripped
|
|
| v.做得比…更好，（在赛跑等中）超过( outstrip的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
stipulated
|
|
| vt.& vi.规定；约定adj.[法]合同规定的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
spacious
|
|
| adj.广阔的，宽敞的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
isles
|
|
| 岛( isle的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
isle
|
|
| n.小岛，岛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
volcanic
|
|
| adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
abound
|
|
| vi.大量存在；(in，with)充满，富于 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
remarkable
|
|
| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
picturesque
|
|
| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
apparently
|
|
| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
annular
|
|
| adj.环状的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
lagoon
|
|
| n.泻湖，咸水湖 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
stature
|
|
| n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
crab
|
|
| n.螃蟹，偏航，脾气乖戾的人，酸苹果；vi.捕蟹，偏航，发牢骚；vt.使偏航，发脾气 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
verdant
|
|
| adj.翠绿的，青翠的，生疏的，不老练的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
foliage
|
|
| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
congregated
|
|
| （使）集合，聚集( congregate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
varied
|
|
| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
beset
|
|
| v.镶嵌；困扰，包围 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
perils
|
|
| 极大危险( peril的名词复数 )； 危险的事（或环境） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
farce
|
|
| n.闹剧，笑剧，滑稽戏；胡闹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
infamous
|
|
| adj.声名狼藉的，臭名昭著的，邪恶的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
misgiving
|
|
| n.疑虑，担忧，害怕 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
deflect
|
|
| v.(使)偏斜，(使)偏离，(使)转向 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
leeward
|
|
| adj.背风的；下风的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
belly
|
|
| n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
gathering
|
|
| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
deserted
|
|
| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
slashing
|
|
| adj.尖锐的；苛刻的；鲜明的；乱砍的v.挥砍( slash的现在分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
beheld
|
|
| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
wink
|
|
| n.眨眼，使眼色，瞬间；v.眨眼，使眼色，闪烁 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
refulgent
|
|
| adj.辉煌的，灿烂的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
revolving
|
|
| adj.旋转的，轮转式的；循环的v.（使）旋转( revolve的现在分词 )；细想 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
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： |
|
|
|
|
39
scrambled
|
|
| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
perch
|
|
| n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
westward
|
|
| n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
steer
|
|
| vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
pointed
|
|
| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
icebergs
|
|
| n.冰山，流冰( iceberg的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
debris
|
|
| n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
spiked
|
|
| adj.有穗的；成锥形的；有尖顶的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
torrent
|
|
| n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
eastward
|
|
| adv.向东；adj.向东的；n.东方，东部 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
interval
|
|
| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
deformed
|
|
| adj.畸形的；变形的；丑的，破相了的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
bristles
|
|
| 短而硬的毛发，刷子毛( bristle的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
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： |
|
|
|
|
53
salmon
|
|
| n.鲑，大马哈鱼，橙红色的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
tedium
|
|
| n.单调；烦闷 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
coverts
|
|
| n.隐蔽的，不公开的，秘密的( covert的名词复数 )；复羽 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
lone
|
|
| adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
seaman
|
|
| n.海员，水手，水兵 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
simile
|
|
| n.直喻，明喻 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
instinctively
|
|
| adv.本能地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
drowsy
|
|
| adj.昏昏欲睡的，令人发困的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
manoeuvre
|
|
| n.策略，调动；v.用策略，调动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
configuration
|
|
| n.结构，布局，形态，(计算机)配置 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
promontories
|
|
| n.岬，隆起，海角( promontory的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
|
64
overlapping
|
|
| adj./n.交迭（的） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
65
behold
|
|
| v.看，注视，看到 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
66
judicious
|
|
| adj.明智的，明断的，能作出明智决定的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
67
mariner
|
|
| n.水手号不载人航天探测器，海员，航海者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
68
mariners
|
|
| 海员，水手（mariner的复数形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
69
labyrinth
|
|
| n.迷宫；难解的事物；迷路 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
70
loomed
|
|
| v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
71
entirely
|
|
| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
72
abased
|
|
| 使谦卑( abase的过去式和过去分词 )； 使感到羞耻； 使降低（地位、身份等）； 降下 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
73
hoop
|
|
| n.（篮球）篮圈，篮 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
74
conceal
|
|
| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
75
morass
|
|
| n.沼泽，困境 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
76
thicket
|
|
| n.灌木丛，树林 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
77
stagnant
|
|
| adj.不流动的，停滞的，不景气的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
78
marsh
|
|
| n.沼泽，湿地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
79
frail
|
|
| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
80
mere
|
|
| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
81
grumble
|
|
| vi.抱怨；咕哝；n.抱怨，牢骚；咕哝，隆隆声 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
82
clumps
|
|
| n.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的名词复数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声v.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的第三人称单数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
83
hovering
|
|
| 鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
84
density
|
|
| n.密集，密度，浓度 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
85
gnats
|
|
| n.叮人小虫( gnat的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
86
shrill
|
|
| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
87
clattering
|
|
| 发出咔哒声（clatter的现在分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
88
descend
|
|
| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |