the mirror of the sea-第14章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


Who　can　say？　　Perhaps　the　men　she　carried　had　asked　her　to　do　too



much；　had　stretched　beyond　breaking…point　the　enduring　faithfulness



which　seems　wrought　and　hammered　into　that　assemblage　of　iron　ribs



and　plating；　of　wood　and　steel　and　canvas　and　wire；　which　goes　to



the　making　of　a　ship　…　a　complete　creation　endowed　with　character；



individuality；　qualities　and　defects；　by　men　whose　hands　launch　her



upon　the　water；　and　that　other　men　shall　learn　to　know　with　an



intimacy　surpassing　the　intimacy　of　man　with　man；　to　love　with　a



love　nearly　as　great　as　that　of　man　for　woman；　and　often　as　blind



in　its　infatuated　disregard　of　defects。







There　are　ships　which　bear　a　bad　name；　but　I　have　yet　to　meet　one



whose　crew　for　the　time　being　failed　to　stand　up　angrily　for　her



against　every　criticism。　　One　ship　which　I　call　to　mind　now　had　the



reputation　of　killing　somebody　every　voyage　she　made。　　This　was　no



calumny；　and　yet　I　remember　well；　somewhere　far　back　in　the　late



seventies；　that　the　crew　of　that　ship　were；　if　anything；　rather



proud　of　her　evil　fame；　as　if　they　had　been　an　utterly　corrupt　lot



of　desperadoes　glorying　in　their　association　with　an　atrocious



creature。　　We；　belonging　to　other　vessels　moored　all　about　the



Circular　Quay　in　Sydney；　used　to　shake　our　heads　at　her　with　a



great　sense　of　the　unblemished　virtue　of　our　own　well…loved　ships。







I　shall　not　pronounce　her　name。　　She　is　〃missing〃　now；　after　a



sinister　but；　from　the　point　of　view　of　her　owners；　a　useful　career



extending　over　many　years；　and；　I　should　say；　across　every　ocean　of



our　globe。　　Having　killed　a　man　for　every　voyage；　and　perhaps



rendered　more　misanthropic　by　the　infirmities　that　come　with　years



upon　a　ship；　she　had　made　up　her　mind　to　kill　all　hands　at　once



before　leaving　the　scene　of　her　exploits。　　A　fitting　end；　this；　to



a　life　of　usefulness　and　crime　…　in　a　last　outburst　of　an　evil



passion　supremely　satisfied　on　some　wild　night；　perhaps；　to　the



applauding　clamour　of　wind　and　wave。







How　did　she　do　it？　　In　the　word　〃missing〃　there　is　a　horrible　depth



of　doubt　and　speculation。　　Did　she　go　quickly　from　under　the　men's



feet；　or　did　she　resist　to　the　end；　letting　the　sea　batter　her　to



pieces；　start　her　butts；　wrench　her　frame；　load　her　with　an



increasing　weight　of　salt　water；　and；　dismasted；　unmanageable；



rolling　heavily；　her　boats　gone；　her　decks　swept；　had　she　wearied



her　men　half　to　death　with　the　unceasing　labour　at　the　pumps　before



she　sank　with　them　like　a　stone？







However；　such　a　case　must　be　rare。　　I　imagine　a　raft　of　some　sort



could　always　be　contrived；　and；　even　if　it　saved　no　one；　it　would



float　on　and　be　picked　up；　perhaps　conveying　some　hint　of　the



vanished　name。　　Then　that　ship　would　not　be；　properly　speaking；



missing。　　She　would　be　〃lost　with　all　hands；〃　and　in　that



distinction　there　is　a　subtle　difference　…　less　horror　and　a　less



appalling　darkness。















XVII。















The　unholy　fascination　of　dread　dwells　in　the　thought　of　the　last



moments　of　a　ship　reported　as　〃missing〃　in　the　columns　of　the



SHIPPING　GAZETTE。　　Nothing　of　her　ever　comes　to　light　…　no　grating；



no　lifebuoy；　no　piece　of　boat　or　branded　oar　…　to　give　a　hint　of



the　place　and　date　of　her　sudden　end。　　The　SHIPPING　GAZETTE　does



not　even　call　her　〃lost　with　all　hands。〃　　She　remains　simply



〃missing〃；　she　has　disappeared　enigmatically　into　a　mystery　of　fate



as　big　as　the　world；　where　your　imagination　of　a　brother…sailor；　of



a　fellow…servant　and　lover　of　ships；　may　range　unchecked。







And　yet　sometimes　one　gets　a　hint　of　what　the　last　scene　may　be



like　in　the　life　of　a　ship　and　her　crew；　which　resembles　a　drama　in



its　struggle　against　a　great　force　bearing　it　up；　formless；



ungraspable；　chaotic　and　mysterious；　as　fate。







It　was　on　a　gray　afternoon　in　the　lull　of　a　three　days'　gale　that



had　left　the　Southern　Ocean　tumbling　heavily　upon　our　ship；　under　a



sky　hung　with　rags　of　clouds　that　seemed　to　have　been　cut　and



hacked　by　the　keen　edge　of　a　sou'…west　gale。







Our　craft；　a　Clyde…built　barque　of　1；000　tons；　rolled　so　heavily



that　something　aloft　had　carried　away。　　No　matter　what　the　damage



was；　but　it　was　serious　enough　to　induce　me　to　go　aloft　myself　with



a　couple　of　hands　and　the　carpenter　to　see　the　temporary　repairs



properly　done。







Sometimes　we　had　to　drop　everything　and　cling　with　both　hands　to



the　swaying　spars；　holding　our　breath　in　fear　of　a　terribly　heavy



roll。　　And；　wallowing　as　if　she　meant　to　turn　over　with　us；　the



barque；　her　decks　full　of　water；　her　gear　flying　in　bights；　ran　at



some　ten　knots　an　hour。　　We　had　been　driven　far　south　…　much



farther　that　way　than　we　had　meant　to　go；　and　suddenly；　up　there　in



the　slings　of　the　foreyard；　in　the　midst　of　our　work；　I　felt　my



shoulder　gripped　with　such　force　in　the　carpenter's　powerful　paw



that　I　positively　yelled　with　unexpected　pain。　　The　man's　eyes



stared　close　in　my　face；　and　he　shouted；　〃Look；　sir！　look！　　What's



this？〃　pointing　ahead　with　his　other　hand。







At　first　I　saw　nothing。　　The　sea　was　one　empty　wilderness　of　black



and　white　hills。　　Suddenly；　half…concealed　in　the　tumult　of　the



foaming　rollers　I　made　out　awash；　something　enormous；　rising　and



falling　…　something　spread　out　like　a　burst　of　foam；　but　with　a



more　bluish；　more　solid　look。







It　was　a　piece　of　an　ice…floe　melted　down　to　a　fragment；　but　still



big　enough　to　sink　a　ship；　and　floating　lower　than　any　raft；　right



in　our　way；　as　if　ambushed　among　the　waves　with　murderous　intent。



There　was　no　time　to　get　down　on　deck。　　I　shouted　from　aloft　till



my　head　was　ready　to　split。　　I　was　heard　aft；　and　we　managed　to



clear　the　sunken　floe　which　had　come　all　the　way　from　the　Southern



ice…cap　to　have　a　try　at　our　unsuspecting　lives。　　Had　it　been　an



hour　later；　nothing　could　have　saved　the　ship；　for　no　eye　could



have　made　out　in　the　dusk　that　pale　piece　of　ice　swept　over　by　the



white…crested　waves。







And　as　we　stood　near　the　taffrail　side　by　side；　my　captain　and　I；



looking　at　it；　hardly　discernible　already；　but　still　quite　close…to



on　our　quarter；　he　remarked　in　a　meditative　tone：







〃But　for　the　turn　of　that　wheel　just　in　time；　there　would　have　been



another　case　of　a　'missing'　ship。〃







Nobody　ever　comes　back　from　a　〃missing〃　ship　to　tell　how　hard　was



the　death　of　the　craft；　and　how　sudden　and　overwhelming　the　last



anguish　of　her　men。　　Nobody　can　say　with　what　thoughts；　with　what



regrets；　with　what　words　on　their　lips　they　died。　　But　there　is



something　fine　in　the　sudden　passing　away　of　these　hearts　from　the



extremity　of　struggle　and　stress　and　tremendous　uproar　…　from　the



vast；　unrestful　rage　of　the　surface　to　the　profound　peace　of　the



depths；　sleeping　untroubled　since　the　beginning　of　ages。















XVIII。















But　if　the　word　〃missing〃　brings　all　hope　to　an　end　and　settles　the



loss　of　the　underwriters；　the　word　〃overdue〃　confirms　the　fears



already　born　in　many　homes　ashore；　and　opens　the　door　of



speculation　in　the　market　of　risks。







Maritime　risks；　be　it　understood。　　There　is　a　class　of　optimists



ready　to　reinsure　an　〃overdue〃　ship　at　a　heavy　premium。　　But



nothing　can　insure　the　hearts　on　shore　against　the　bitterness　of



waiting　for　the　worst。







For　if　a　〃missing〃　ship　has　never　turned　up　within　the　memory　of



seamen　of　my　generation；　the　name　of　an　〃overdue〃　ship；　trembling



as　it　were　on　the　edge　of　the　fatal　heading；　has　been　known　to



appear　as　〃arrived。〃







It　must　blaze　up；　indeed；　with　a　great　brilliance　the　dull



printer's　ink　expended　on　the　assemblage　of　the　few　letters　that



form　the　ship's　name　to　the　anxious　eyes　scanning　the　page　in　fear



and　trembling。　　It　is　like　the　messag