end of the tether-第1章

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End　of　the　Tether







by　Joseph　Conrad

























I







For　a　long　time　after　the　course　of　the　steamer　Sofala



had　been　altered　for　the　land；　the　low　swampy　coast　had



retained　its　appearance　of　a　mere　smudge　of　darkness



beyond　a　belt　of　glitter。　　The　sunrays　seemed　to　fall



violently　upon　the　calm　seaseemed　to　shatter　them…



selves　upon　an　adamantine　surface　into　sparkling　dust；



into　a　dazzling　vapor　of　light　that　blinded　the　eye　and



wearied　the　brain　with　its　unsteady　brightness。







Captain　Whalley　did　not　look　at　it。　　When　his



Serang；　approaching　the　roomy　cane　arm…chair　which



he　filled　capably；　had　informed　him　in　a　low　voice　that



the　course　was　to　be　altered；　he　had　risen　at　once　and



had　remained　on　his　feet；　face　forward；　while　the　head



of　his　ship　swung　through　a　quarter　of　a　circle。　　He



had　not　uttered　a　single　word；　not　even　the　word　to



steady　the　helm。　　It　was　the　Serang；　an　elderly；　alert；



little　Malay；　with　a　very　dark　skin；　who　murmured　the



order　to　the　helmsman。　　And　then　slowly　Captain



Whalley　sat　down　again　in　the　arm…chair　on　the　bridge



and　fixed　his　eyes　on　the　deck　between　his　feet。







He　could　not　hope　to　see　anything　new　upon　this　lane



of　the　sea。　　He　had　been　on　these　coasts　for　the　last



three　years。　　From　Low　Cape　to　Malantan　the　distance



was　fifty　miles；　six　hours'　steaming　for　the　old　ship　with



the　tide；　or　seven　against。　　Then　you　steered　straight



for　the　land；　and　by…and…by　three　palms　would　appear



on　the　sky；　tall　and　slim；　and　with　their　disheveled　heads



in　a　bunch；　as　if　in　confidential　criticism　of　the　dark



mangroves。　　The　Sofala　would　be　headed　towards　the



somber　strip　of　the　coast；　which　at　a　given　moment；　as



the　ship　closed　with　it　obliquely；　would　show　several



clean　shining　fracturesthe　brimful　estuary　of　a　river。



Then　on　through　a　brown　liquid；　three　parts　water　and



one　part　black　earth；　on　and　on　between　the　low　shores；



three　parts　black　earth　and　one　part　brackish　water；　the



Sofala　would　plow　her　way　up…stream；　as　she　had



done　once　every　month　for　these　seven　years　or　more；



long　before　he　was　aware　of　her　existence；　long　before



he　had　ever　thought　of　having　anything　to　do　with　her



and　her　invariable　voyages。　　The　old　ship　ought　to　have



known　the　road　better　than　her　men；　who　had　not　been



kept　so　long　at　it　without　a　change；　better　than　the



faithful　Serang；　whom　he　had　brought　over　from　his



last　ship　to　keep　the　captain's　watch；　better　than　he



himself；　who　had　been　her　captain　for　the　last　three



years　only。　　She　could　always　be　depended　upon　to



make　her　courses。　　Her　compasses　were　never　out。　　She



was　no　trouble　at　all　to　take　about；　as　if　her　great　age



had　given　her　knowledge；　wisdom；　and　steadiness。　　She



made　her　landfalls　to　a　degree　of　the　bearing；　and　al…



most　to　a　minute　of　her　allowed　time。　　At　any　moment；



as　he　sat　on　the　bridge　without　looking　up；　or　lay　sleep…



less　in　his　bed；　simply　by　reckoning　the　days　and　the



hours　he　could　tell　where　he　wasthe　precise　spot　of　the



beat。　　He　knew　it　well　too；　this　monotonous　huckster's



round；　up　and　down　the　Straits；　he　knew　its　order　and



its　sights　and　its　people。　　Malacca　to　begin　with；　in　at



daylight　and　out　at　dusk；　to　cross　over　with　a　rigid



phosphorescent　wake　this　highway　of　the　Far　East。



Darkness　and　gleams　on　the　water；　clear　stars　on　a　black



sky；　perhaps　the　lights　of　a　home　steamer　keeping　her



unswerving　course　in　the　middle；　or　maybe　the　elusive



shadow　of　a　native　craft　with　her　mat　sails　flitting　by



silentlyand　the　low　land　on　the　other　side　in　sight



at　daylight。　　At　noon　the　three　palms　of　the　next　place



of　call；　up　a　sluggish　river。　　The　only　white　man　re…



siding　there　was　a　retired　young　sailor；　with　whom　he



had　become　friendly　in　the　course　of　many　voyages。



Sixty　miles　farther　on　there　was　another　place　of　call；



a　deep　bay　with　only　a　couple　of　houses　on　the　beach。



And　so　on；　in　and　out；　picking　up　coastwise　cargo　here



and　there；　and　finishing　with　a　hundred　miles'　steady



steaming　through　the　maze　of　an　archipelago　of　small



islands　up　to　a　large　native　town　at　the　end　of　the　beat。



There　was　a　three　days'　rest　for　the　old　ship　before



he　started　her　again　in　inverse　order；　seeing　the　same



shores　from　another　bearing；　hearing　the　same　voices　in



the　same　places；　back　again　to　the　Sofala's　port　of　regis…



try　on　the　great　highway　to　the　East；　where　he　would



take　up　a　berth　nearly　opposite　the　big　stone　pile　of



the　harbor　office　till　it　was　time　to　start　again　on　the



old　round　of　1600　miles　and　thirty　days。　　Not　a　very



enterprising　life；　this；　for　Captain　Whalley；　Henry



Whalley；　otherwise　Dare…devil　HarryWhalley　of　the



Condor；　a　famous　clipper　in　her　day。　　No。　　Not　a　very



enterprising　life　for　a　man　who　had　served　famous　firms；



who　had　sailed　famous　ships　（more　than　one　or　two　of



them　his　own）；　who　had　made　famous　passages；　had



been　the　pioneer　of　new　routes　and　new　trades；　who　had



steered　across　the　unsurveyed　tracts　of　the　South　Seas；



and　had　seen　the　sun　rise　on　uncharted　islands。　　Fifty



years　at　sea；　and　forty　out　in　the　East　（〃a　pretty　thor…



ough　apprenticeship；〃　he　used　to　remark　smilingly）；　had



made　him　honorably　known　to　a　generation　of　ship…



owners　and　merchants　in　all　the　ports　from　Bombay　clear



over　to　where　the　East　merges　into　the　West　upon　the



coast　of　the　two　Americas。　　His　fame　remained　writ；



not　very　large　but　plain　enough；　on　the　Admiralty



charts。　　Was　there　not　somewhere　between　Australia



and　China　a　Whalley　Island　and　a　Condor　Reef？　　On



that　dangerous　coral　formation　the　celebrated　clipper



had　hung　stranded　for　three　days；　her　captain　and　crew



throwing　her　cargo　overboard　with　one　hand　and　with



the　other；　as　it　were；　keeping　off　her　a　flotilla　of　savage



war…canoes。　　At　that　time　neither　the　island　nor　the　reef



had　any　official　existence。　　Later　the　officers　of　her



Majesty's　steam　vessel　Fusilier；　dispatched　to　make　a



survey　of　the　route；　recognized　in　the　adoption　of　these



two　names　the　enterprise　of　the　man　and　the　solidity　of



the　ship。　　Besides；　as　anyone　who　cares　may　see；　the



〃General　Directory；〃　vol。　ii。　p。　410；　begins　the　descrip…



tion　of　the　〃Malotu　or　Whalley　Passage〃　with　the



words：　〃This　advantageous　route；　first　discovered　in



1850　by　Captain　Whalley　in　the　ship　Condor；〃　&c。；



and　ends　by　recommending　it　warmly　to　sailing　vessels



leaving　the　China　ports　for　the　south　in　the　months



from　December　to　April　inclusive。







This　was　the　clearest　gain　he　had　out　of　life。　　Nothing



could　rob　him　of　this　kind　of　fame。　　The　piercing　of　the



Isthmus　of　Suez；　like　the　breaking　of　a　dam；　had　let



in　upon　the　East　a　flood　of　new　ships；　new　men；　new



methods　of　trade。　　It　had　changed　the　face　of　the　East…



ern　seas　and　the　very　spirit　of　their　life；　so　that　his



early　experiences　meant　nothing　whatever　to　the　new



generation　of　seamen。







In　those　bygone　days　he　had　handled　many　thousands



of　pounds　of　his　employers'　money　and　of　his　own；　he



had　attended　faithfully；　as　by　law　a　shipmaster　is　ex…



pected　to　do；　to　the　conflicting　interests　of　owners；



charterers；　and　underwriters。　　He　had　never　lost　a　ship



or　consented　to　a　shady　transaction；　and　he　had　lasted



well；　outlasting　in　the　end　the　conditions　that　had　gone



to　the　making　of　his　name。　　He　had　buried　his　wife　（in



the　Gulf　of　Petchili）；　had　married　off　his　daughter　to



the　m