Chapter 34

 'IT'S TOO BAD THE GHOST HAS LOST her masts. Why, we could sail away in her. Don't you think we could, Humphrey?'

 I sprang excitedly to my feet.

 'I wonder- I wonder,' I repeated, pacing up and down.

 Maud's eyes were shining with anticipation¹ as they followed me. She had such faith in me! And the thought of it was so much added power. I remembered Michelet's: 'To man, woman is as the earth was to her legendary² son; he has but to fall down and kiss her breast and he is strong again.' For the first time I knew the wonderful truth of his words. Why, I was living them. Maud was all this to me, an unfailing source of strength and courage. I had but to look at her, or think of her, and be strong again.

 'It can be done- it can be done,' I was thinking and asserting aloud. 'What men have done I can do, and if they have never done this before, still I can do it.'

 'What, for goodness' sake?' Maud demanded. 'Do be merciful. What is it you can do?'

 'We can do it,' I amended³. 'Why, nothing else than put the masts back into the Ghost and sail away.'

 'Humphrey!' she exclaimed.

 And I felt as proud of my conception as if it were already a fact accomplished⁴.

 'But how is it possibly to be done?' she asked.

 'I don't know,' was my answer. 'I know only that I am capable of doing anything these days.'

 I smiled proudly at her- too proudly, for she dropped her eyes and was for the moment silent.

 'But there is Captain Larsen,' she objected.

 'Blind and helpless,' I answered promptly⁵, waving him aside as a straw.

 'But those terrible hands of his! You know how he leaped across the opening of the lazaret.'

 'And you know also how I crept about and avoided him,' I contended gaily⁶.

 'And lost your shoes.'

 'You'd hardly expect him to avoid Wolf Larsen without my feet inside of them.'

 We both laughed, and then went seriously to work constructing the plan whereby we were to step the masts of the Ghost and return to the world. I remembered hazily⁷ the physics of my schooldays, while the last few months had given me practical experience with mechanical purchases. I must say, though, when we walked down to the Ghost to inspect more closely the task before us, that the sight of the great masts lying in the water almost disheartened me. Where were we to begin? If there had been one mast standing⁸, something high up to which to fasten blocks and tackles! But there was nothing. It reminded me of the problem of lifting oneself by one's bootstraps. I understood the mechanics of levers; but where was I to get a fulcrum⁹?

 There was the mainmast, fifteen inches in diameter at what was now the butt¹⁰, still sixty-five feet in length, and weighing, I roughly calculated, at least three thousand pounds. And then came the foremast, larger in diameter and weighing surely thirty-five hundred pounds. Where was I to begin? Maud stood silently by my side while I evolved in my mind the contrivance known among sailors as 'shears¹¹.' But, though known to sailors, I invented it there on Endeavor Island. By crossing and lashing¹² the ends of two spars and then elevating them in the air like an inverted¹³ V, I could get a point above the deck to which to make fast my hoisting-tackle. To this tackle I could, if necessary, attach a second tackle. And then there was the windlass!

 Maud saw that I had achieved a solution, and her eyes warmed sympathetically.

 'What are you going to do?' she asked.

 'Clear that raffle¹⁴,' I answered, pointing to the tangled¹⁶ wreckage¹⁷ overside.

 Ah, the decisiveness, the very sound of the words, was good in my ears. 'Clear that raffle!' Imagine so salty a phrase on the lips of the Humphrey Van Weyden of a few months gone!

 There must have been a touch of the melodramatic in my pose and voice, for Maud smiled. Her appreciation¹⁸ of the ridiculous was keen, and in all things she unerringly saw and felt, where it existed, the touch of sham¹⁹, the overshading, the overtone. It was this which had given poise²⁰ and penetration²¹ to her own work and made her of worth to the world. The serious critic, with the sense of humor and the power of expression, must inevitably²² command the world's ear. And so it was that she had commanded. Her sense of humor was really the artist's instinct for proportion.

 'I'm sure I've heard it before, somewhere, in books,' she murmured gleefully.

 I had an instinct for proportion myself, and I collapsed²³ forthwith, descending²⁵ from the dominant²⁶ pose of a master of matter to a state of humble²⁷ confusion which was, to say the least, very miserable²⁸.

 Her hand leaped out at once to mine.

 'I'm so sorry,' she said.

 'No need to be,' I gulped²⁹. 'It does me good. There's too much of the schoolboy in me. All of which is neither here nor there. What we've got to do is actually and literally³⁰ to clear that raffle. If you'll come with me in the boat, we'll get to work and straighten things out.'

 '"When the topmen clear the raffle with their clasp-knives in their teeth,"' she quoted at me; and for the rest of the afternoon we made merry over our labor³¹.

 Her task was to hold the boat in position while I worked at the tangle¹⁵. And such a tangle- halyards, sheets, guys, downhauls, shrouds³², stays, all washed about and back and forth²⁴ and through and twined and knitted by the sea. I cut no more than was necessary, and what with passing the long ropes under and around the booms and masts, of unreeving the halyards and sheets, of coiling down in the boat and uncoiling in order to pass through another knot in the bight, I was soon wet to the skin.

 The sails did require some cutting, and the canvas, heavy with water, tried my strength severely³³; but I succeeded before nightfall in getting it all spread out on the beach to dry. We were both very tired when we knocked off for supper, and we had done good work, too, though to the eye it appeared insignificant³⁴.

 Next morning, with Maud as able assistant, I went into the hold of the Ghost to clear the steps of the mast-butts. We had no more than begun work when the sound of my knocking and hammering brought Wolf Larsen.

 'Hello, below!' he cried down the open hatch.

 The sound of his voice made Maud quickly draw close to me, as for protection, and she rested one hand on my arm while we parleyed.

 'Hello, on deck!' I replied. 'Good morning to you.'

 'What are you doing down there?' he demanded. 'Trying to scuttle³⁵ my ship for me?'

 'Quite the opposite; I'm repairing her,' was my answer.

 'But what in thunder are you repairing?' There was puzzlement in his voice.

 'Why, I'm getting everything ready for restepping the masts,' I replied easily, as though it were the simplest project imaginable.

 'It seems as though you're standing on your own legs at last, Hump,' we heard him say; and then for some time he was silent.

 'But I say, Hump,' he called down, 'you can't do it.'

 'Oh, yes, I can,' I retorted. 'I'm doing it now.'

 'But this is my vessel³⁶, my particular property. What if I forbid you?'

 'You forget,' I replied. 'You are no longer the biggest bit of the ferment³⁷. You were once, and able to eat me, as you were pleased to phrase it; but there has been a diminishing, and I am now able to eat you. The yeast³⁸ has grown stale.'

 He gave a short, disagreeable laugh. 'I see you're working on my philosophy back on me for all it is worth. But don't make the mistake of underestimating me. For your own good I warn you.'

 'Since when have you become an altruist³⁹?' I queried⁴⁰. 'Confess, now, in warning me for my own good, that you are very inconsistent.'

 He ignored my sarcasm⁴¹, saying, 'Suppose I clap the hatch on now? You won't fool me as you did in the lazaret.'

 'Wolf Larsen,' I said sternly, for the first time addressing him by this his most familiar name, 'I am unable to shoot a helpless, unresisting man. You have proved that to my satisfaction as well as yours. But I warn you now, and not so much for your own good as for mine, that I shall shoot you the moment you attempt a hostile act. I can shoot you now, as I stand here; and if you are so minded, just go ahead and try to clap on the hatch.'

 'Nevertheless I forbid you; I distinctly forbid your tampering⁴² with my ship.'

 'But, man!' I expostulated. 'You advance the fact that it is your ship as though it were a moral right. You have never considered moral rights in your dealings with others. You surely do not dream that I'll consider them in dealing⁴³ with you?'

 I had stepped underneath⁴⁴ the open hatchway so that I could see him. The lack of expression on his face, so different from when I had watched him unseen, was enhanced by the unblinking, staring eyes. It was not a pleasant face to look upon.

 'And none so poor, not even Hump, to do him reverence,' he sneered⁴⁶.

 The sneer⁴⁵ was wholly in his voice. His face remained expressionless as ever.

 'How do you do, Miss Brewster?' he said suddenly, after a pause.

 I started. She had made no noise whatever, had not even moved. Could it be that some glimmer⁴⁷ of vision remained to him? Or that his vision was coming back?

 'How do you do, Captain Larsen?' she answered. 'Pray how did you know I was here?'

 'Heard you breathing, of course. I say, Hump's improving; don't you think so?'

 'I don't know,' she answered, smiling at me. 'I have never seen him otherwise.'

 'You should have seen him before, then.'

 'Wolf Larsen in large doses,' I murmured, 'before and after taking.'

 'I want to tell you again, Hump,' he said threateningly, 'that you'd better leave things alone.'

 'But don't you care to escape as well as we?' I asked incredulously.

 'No,' was his answer. 'I intend dying here.'

 'Well, we don't,' I concluded defiantly⁴⁸, beginning again my knocking and hammering.

1 anticipation   

n.预期，预料，期望

参考例句：

• We waited at the station in anticipation of her arrival.我们在车站等着，期待她的到来。
• The animals grew restless as if in anticipation of an earthquake.各种动物都变得焦躁不安，像是感到了地震即将发生。

2 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

3 Amended   

adj. 修正的 动词amend的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He asked to see the amended version. 他要求看修订本。
• He amended his speech by making some additions and deletions. 他对讲稿作了些增删修改。

4 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。

5 promptly   

adv.及时地，敏捷地

参考例句：

• He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
• She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。

6 gaily   

adv.欢乐地，高兴地

参考例句：

• The children sing gaily.孩子们欢唱着。
• She waved goodbye very gaily.她欢快地挥手告别。

7 hazily   

ad. vaguely, not clear

参考例句：

• He remembered her only hazily. 他只是模模糊糊地记得她。
• We saw the distant hills hazily. 我们朦胧地看到了远处的山丘。

8 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

9 fulcrum   

n.杠杆支点

参考例句：

• Give me a fulcrum on which to rest,and I will move the earth.给我一个支承的支点，我就会搬动地球。
• The decision is the strategic fulcrum of the budget.这一决定是预算案的战略支点。

10 butt   

n.笑柄；烟蒂；枪托；臀部；v.用头撞或顶

参考例句：

• The water butt catches the overflow from this pipe.大水桶盛接管子里流出的东西。
• He was the butt of their jokes.他是他们的笑柄。

11 shears   

n.大剪刀

参考例句：

• These garden shears are lightweight and easy to use.这些园丁剪刀又轻又好用。
• With a few quick snips of the shears he pruned the bush.他用大剪刀几下子就把灌木给修剪好了。

12 lashing   

n.鞭打；痛斥；大量；许多v.鞭打( lash的现在分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥

参考例句：

• The speaker was lashing the crowd. 演讲人正在煽动人群。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The rain was lashing the windows. 雨急打着窗子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 inverted   

adj.反向的，倒转的v.使倒置，使反转( invert的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Only direct speech should go inside inverted commas. 只有直接引语应放在引号内。
• Inverted flight is an acrobatic manoeuvre of the plane. 倒飞是飞机的一种特技动作。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 raffle   

n.废物，垃圾，抽奖售卖；v.以抽彩出售

参考例句：

• The money was raised by the sale of raffle tickets.这笔款子是通过出售购物彩券筹集的。
• He won a car in the raffle.他在兑奖售物活动中赢得了一辆汽车。

15 tangle   

n.纠缠；缠结；混乱；v.(使)缠绕；变乱

参考例句：

• I shouldn't tangle with Peter.He is bigger than me.我不应该与彼特吵架。他的块头比我大。
• If I were you, I wouldn't tangle with them.我要是你，我就不跟他们争吵。

16 tangled   

adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• Your hair's so tangled that I can't comb it. 你的头发太乱了，我梳不动。
• A movement caught his eye in the tangled undergrowth. 乱灌木丛里的晃动引起了他的注意。

17 wreckage   

n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏

参考例句：

• They hauled him clear of the wreckage.他们把他从形骸中拖出来。
• New states were born out of the wreckage of old colonial empires.新生国家从老殖民帝国的废墟中诞生。

18 appreciation   

n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨

参考例句：

• I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to you all.我想对你们所有人表达我的感激和谢意。
• I'll be sending them a donation in appreciation of their help.我将送给他们一笔捐款以感谢他们的帮助。

19 sham   

n./adj.假冒(的)，虚伪(的)

参考例句：

• They cunningly played the game of sham peace.他们狡滑地玩弄假和平的把戏。
• His love was a mere sham.他的爱情是虚假的。

20 poise   

vt./vi. 平衡，保持平衡；n.泰然自若，自信

参考例句：

• She hesitated briefly but quickly regained her poise.她犹豫片刻，但很快恢复了镇静。
• Ballet classes are important for poise and grace.芭蕾课对培养优雅的姿仪非常重要。

21 penetration   

n.穿透，穿人，渗透

参考例句：

• He is a man of penetration.他是一个富有洞察力的人。
• Our aim is to achieve greater market penetration.我们的目标是进一步打入市场。

22 inevitably   

adv.不可避免地；必然发生地

参考例句：

• In the way you go on,you are inevitably coming apart.照你们这样下去，毫无疑问是会散伙的。
• Technological changes will inevitably lead to unemployment.技术变革必然会导致失业。

23 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

24 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

25 descending   

n. 下行 adj. 下降的

参考例句：

• The results are expressed in descending numerical order . 结果按数字降序列出。
• The climbers stopped to orient themselves before descending the mountain. 登山者先停下来确定所在的位置，然后再下山。

26 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。

27 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

28 miserable   

adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的

参考例句：

• It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他，这是可耻的。
• Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。

29 gulped   

v.狼吞虎咽地吃，吞咽( gulp的过去式和过去分词 )；大口地吸（气）；哽住

参考例句：

• He gulped down the rest of his tea and went out. 他把剩下的茶一饮而尽便出去了。
• She gulped nervously, as if the question bothered her. 她紧张地咽了一下，似乎那问题把她难住了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

30 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

31 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

32 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：

• 'For instance,' returned Madame Defarge, composedly,'shrouds.' “比如说，”德伐日太太平静地回答，“裹尸布。” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
• Figure 3-10 illustrates the result of a study or conical shrouds. 图3-10表明了对锥形外壳的研究结果。 来自辞典例句

33 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

34 insignificant   

adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的

参考例句：

• In winter the effect was found to be insignificant.在冬季，这种作用是不明显的。
• This problem was insignificant compared to others she faced.这一问题与她面临的其他问题比较起来算不得什么。

35 scuttle   

v.急赶，疾走，逃避；n.天窗；舷窗

参考例句：

• There was a general scuttle for shelter when the rain began to fall heavily.下大雨了，人们都飞跑着寻找躲雨的地方。
• The scuttle was open,and the good daylight shone in.明朗的亮光从敞开的小窗中照了进来。

36 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

37 ferment   

vt.使发酵；n./vt.（使）激动，（使）动乱

参考例句：

• Fruit juices ferment if they are kept a long time.果汁若是放置很久，就会发酵。
• The sixties were a time of theological ferment.六十年代是神学上骚动的时代。

38 yeast   

n.酵母；酵母片；泡沫；v.发酵；起泡沫

参考例句：

• Yeast can be used in making beer and bread.酵母可用于酿啤酒和发面包。
• The yeast began to work.酵母开始发酵。

39 altruist   

n.利他主义者，爱他主义者

参考例句：

40 queried   

v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 )；询问

参考例句：

• She queried what he said. 她对他说的话表示怀疑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• \"What does he have to do?\" queried Chin dubiously. “他有什么心事？”琴向觉民问道，她的脸上现出疑惑不解的神情。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）

41 sarcasm   

n.讥讽，讽刺，嘲弄，反话 （adj.sarcastic）

参考例句：

• His sarcasm hurt her feelings.他的讽刺伤害了她的感情。
• She was given to using bitter sarcasm.她惯于用尖酸刻薄语言挖苦人。

42 tampering   

v.窜改( tamper的现在分词 )；篡改；（用不正当手段）影响；瞎摆弄

参考例句：

• Two policemen were accused of tampering with the evidence. 有两名警察被控篡改证据。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• As Harry London had forecast, Brookside's D-day caught many meter-tampering offenders. 正如哈里·伦敦预见到的那样，布鲁克赛德的D日行动抓住了不少非法改装仪表的人。 来自辞典例句

43 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

44 underneath   

adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。

45 sneer   

v.轻蔑；嘲笑；n.嘲笑，讥讽的言语

参考例句：

• He said with a sneer.他的话中带有嘲笑之意。
• You may sneer,but a lot of people like this kind of music.你可以嗤之以鼻，但很多人喜欢这种音乐。

46 sneered   

讥笑，冷笑( sneer的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He sneered at people who liked pop music. 他嘲笑喜欢流行音乐的人。
• It's very discouraging to be sneered at all the time. 成天受嘲讽是很令人泄气的。

47 glimmer   

v.发出闪烁的微光；n.微光，微弱的闪光

参考例句：

• I looked at her and felt a glimmer of hope.我注视她，感到了一线希望。
• A glimmer of amusement showed in her eyes.她的眼中露出一丝笑意。

48 defiantly   

adv.挑战地，大胆对抗地

参考例句：

• Braving snow and frost, the plum trees blossomed defiantly. 红梅傲雪凌霜开。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• She tilted her chin at him defiantly. 她向他翘起下巴表示挑衅。 来自《简明英汉词典》