the mirror of the sea-第12章

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knowledge　of　the　language；　since　he　managed　invariably　to　interpret



in　the　contrary　sense　everything　that　was　said　to　him。







Notwithstanding　the　little　iron　stove；　the　ink　froze　on　the　swing…



table　in　the　cabin；　and　I　found　it　more　convenient　to　go　ashore



stumbling　over　the　arctic　waste…land　and　shivering　in　glazed



tramcars　in　order　to　write　my　evening　letter　to　my　owners　in　a



gorgeous　cafe　in　the　centre　of　the　town。　　It　was　an　immense　place；



lofty　and　gilt；　upholstered　in　red　plush；　full　of　electric　lights



and　so　thoroughly　warmed　that　even　the　marble　tables　felt　tepid　to



the　touch。　　The　waiter　who　brought　me　my　cup　of　coffee　bore；　by



comparison　with　my　utter　isolation；　the　dear　aspect　of　an　intimate



friend。　　There；　alone　in　a　noisy　crowd；　I　would　write　slowly　a



letter　addressed　to　Glasgow；　of　which　the　gist　would　be：　　There　is



no　cargo；　and　no　prospect　of　any　coming　till　late　spring



apparently。　　And　all　the　time　I　sat　there　the　necessity　of　getting



back　to　the　ship　bore　heavily　on　my　already　half…congealed　spirits



…　the　shivering　in　glazed　tramcars；　the　stumbling　over　the　snow…



sprinkled　waste　ground；　the　vision　of　ships　frozen　in　a　row；



appearing　vaguely　like　corpses　of　black　vessels　in　a　white　world；



so　silent；　so　lifeless；　so　soulless　they　seemed　to　be。







With　precaution　I　would　go　up　the　side　of　my　own　particular　corpse；



and　would　feel　her　as　cold　as　ice　itself　and　as　slippery　under　my



feet。　　My　cold　berth　would　swallow　up　like　a　chilly　burial　niche　my



bodily　shivers　and　my　mental　excitement。　　It　was　a　cruel　winter。



The　very　air　seemed　as　hard　and　trenchant　as　steel；　but　it　would



have　taken　much　more　than　this　to　extinguish　my　sacred　fire　for　the



exercise　of　my　craft。　　No　young　man　of　twenty…four　appointed　chief



mate　for　the　first　time　in　his　life　would　have　let　that　Dutch



tenacious　winter　penetrate　into　his　heart。　　I　think　that　in　those



days　I　never　forgot　the　fact　of　my　elevation　for　five　consecutive



minutes。　　I　fancy　it　kept　me　warm；　even　in　my　slumbers；　better　than



the　high　pile　of　blankets；　which　positively　crackled　with　frost　as



I　threw　them　off　in　the　morning。　　And　I　would　get　up　early　for　no



reason　whatever　except　that　I　was　in　sole　charge。　　The　new　captain



had　not　been　appointed　yet。







Almost　each　morning　a　letter　from　my　owners　would　arrive；　directing



me　to　go　to　the　charterers　and　clamour　for　the　ship's　cargo；　to



threaten　them　with　the　heaviest　penalties　of　demurrage；　to　demand



that　this　assortment　of　varied　merchandise；　set　fast　in　a　landscape



of　ice　and　windmills　somewhere　up…country；　should　be　put　on　rail



instantly；　and　fed　up　to　the　ship　in　regular　quantities　every　day。



After　drinking　some　hot　coffee；　like　an　Arctic　explorer　setting　off



on　a　sledge　journey　towards　the　North　Pole；　I　would　go　ashore　and



roll　shivering　in　a　tramcar　into　the　very　heart　of　the　town；　past



clean…faced　houses；　past　thousands　of　brass　knockers　upon　a



thousand　painted　doors　glimmering　behind　rows　of　trees　of　the



pavement　species；　leafless；　gaunt；　seemingly　dead　for　ever。







That　part　of　the　expedition　was　easy　enough；　though　the　horses　were



painfully　glistening　with　icicles；　and　the　aspect　of　the　tram…



conductors'　faces　presented　a　repulsive　blending　of　crimson　and



purple。　　But　as　to　frightening　or　bullying；　or　even　wheedling　some



sort　of　answer　out　of　Mr。　Hudig；　that　was　another　matter



altogether。　　He　was　a　big；　swarthy　Netherlander；　with　black



moustaches　and　a　bold　glance。　　He　always　began　by　shoving　me　into　a



chair　before　I　had　time　to　open　my　mouth；　gave　me　cordially　a　large



cigar；　and　in　excellent　English　would　start　to　talk　everlastingly



about　the　phenomenal　severity　of　the　weather。　　It　was　impossible　to



threaten　a　man　who；　though　he　possessed　the　language　perfectly；



seemed　incapable　of　understanding　any　phrase　pronounced　in　a　tone



of　remonstrance　or　discontent。　　As　to　quarrelling　with　him；　it



would　have　been　stupid。　　The　weather　was　too　bitter　for　that。　　His



office　was　so　warm；　his　fire　so　bright；　his　sides　shook　so　heartily



with　laughter；　that　I　experienced　always　a　great　difficulty　in



making　up　my　mind　to　reach　for　my　hat。







At　last　the　cargo　did　come。　　At　first　it　came　dribbling　in　by　rail



in　trucks；　till　the　thaw　set　in；　and　then　fast；　in　a　multitude　of



barges；　with　a　great　rush　of　unbound　waters。　　The　gentle　master



stevedore　had　his　hands　very　full　at　last；　and　the　chief　mate



became　worried　in　his　mind　as　to　the　proper　distribution　of　the



weight　of　his　first　cargo　in　a　ship　he　did　not　personally　know



before。







Ships　do　want　humouring。　　They　want　humouring　in　handling；　and　if



you　mean　to　handle　them　well；　they　must　have　been　humoured　in　the



distribution　of　the　weight　which　you　ask　them　to　carry　through　the



good　and　evil　fortune　of　a　passage。　　Your　ship　is　a　tender



creature；　whose　idiosyncrasies　must　be　attended　to　if　you　mean　her



to　come　with　credit　to　herself　and　you　through　the　rough…and…tumble



of　her　life。















XV。















So　seemed　to　think　the　new　captain；　who　arrived　the　day　after　we



had　finished　loading；　on　the　very　eve　of　the　day　of　sailing。　　I



first　beheld　him　on　the　quay；　a　complete　stranger　to　me；　obviously



not　a　Hollander；　in　a　black　bowler　and　a　short　drab　overcoat；



ridiculously　out　of　tone　with　the　winter　aspect　of　the　waste…lands；



bordered　by　the　brown　fronts　of　houses　with　their　roofs　dripping



with　melting　snow。







This　stranger　was　walking　up　and　down　absorbed　in　the　marked



contemplation　of　the　ship's　fore　and　aft　trim；　but　when　I　saw　him



squat　on　his　heels　in　the　slush　at　the　very　edge　of　the　quay　to



peer　at　the　draught　of　water　under　her　counter；　I　said　to　myself；



〃This　is　the　captain。〃　　And　presently　I　descried　his　luggage　coming



along　…　a　real　sailor's　chest；　carried　by　means　of　rope…beckets



between　two　men；　with　a　couple　of　leather　portmanteaus　and　a　roll



of　charts　sheeted　in　canvas　piled　upon　the　lid。　　The　sudden；



spontaneous　agility　with　which　he　bounded　aboard　right　off　the　rail



afforded　me　the　first　glimpse　of　his　real　character。　　Without



further　preliminaries　than　a　friendly　nod；　he　addressed　me：　　〃You



have　got　her　pretty　well　in　her　fore　and　aft　trim。　　Now；　what　about



your　weights？〃







I　told　him　I　had　managed　to　keep　the　weight　sufficiently　well　up；



as　I　thought；　one…third　of　the　whole　being　in　the　upper　part　〃above



the　beams；〃　as　the　technical　expression　has　it。　　He　whistled



〃Phew！〃　scrutinizing　me　from　head　to　foot。　　A　sort　of　smiling



vexation　was　visible　on　his　ruddy　face。







〃Well；　we　shall　have　a　lively　time　of　it　this　passage；　I　bet；〃　he



said。







He　knew。　　It　turned　out　he　had　been　chief　mate　of　her　for　the　two



preceding　voyages；　and　I　was　already　familiar　with　his　handwriting



in　the　old　log…books　I　had　been　perusing　in　my　cabin　with　a　natural



curiosity；　looking　up　the　records　of　my　new　ship's　luck；　of　her



behaviour；　of　the　good　times　she　had　had；　and　of　the　troubles　she



had　escaped。







He　was　right　in　his　prophecy。　　On　our　passage　from　Amsterdam　to



Samarang　with　a　general　cargo；　of　which；　alas！　only　one…third　in



weight　was　stowed　〃above　the　beams；〃　we　had　a　lively　time　of　it。



It　was　lively；　but　not　joyful。　　There　was　not　even　a　single　moment



of　comfort　in　it；　because　no　seaman　can　feel　comfortable　in　body　or



mind　when　he　has　made　his　ship　uneasy。







To　travel　along　with　a　cranky　ship　for　ninety　days　or　so　is　no



doubt　a　nerve…trying　experience；　but　in　this　case　what　was　wrong



with　our　craft　was　this：　　that　by　my　system　of　loading　she　had　been



made　much　too　stable。







Neither　before　nor　since　have　I　felt　a　ship　roll　so　abruptly；　so



violently；　so　heavily。　　Once　she　began；　you　felt　that　she　would



never　stop；　and　this　hope