the mirror of the sea-第24章

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mood。　　He　is　disregarded；　but　he　has　kept　all　his　strength；　all　his



splendour；　and　a　great　part　of　his　power。　　Time　itself；　that　shakes



all　the　thrones；　is　on　the　side　of　that　king。　　The　sword　in　his



hand　remains　as　sharp　as　ever　upon　both　its　edges；　and　he　may　well



go　on　playing　his　royal　game　of　quoits　with　hurricanes；　tossing



them　over　from　the　continent　of　republics　to　the　continent　of



kingdoms；　in　the　assurance　that　both　the　new　republics　and　the　old



kingdoms；　the　heat　of　fire　and　the　strength　of　iron；　with　the



untold　generations　of　audacious　men；　shall　crumble　to　dust　at　the



steps　of　his　throne；　and　pass　away；　and　be　forgotten　before　his　own



rule　comes　to　an　end。















XXX。















The　estuaries　of　rivers　appeal　strongly　to　an　adventurous



imagination。　　This　appeal　is　not　always　a　charm；　for　there　are



estuaries　of　a　particularly　dispiriting　ugliness：　　lowlands；　mud…



flats；　or　perhaps　barren　sandhills　without　beauty　of　form　or



amenity　of　aspect；　covered　with　a　shabby　and　scanty　vegetation



conveying　the　impression　of　poverty　and　uselessness。　　Sometimes



such　an　ugliness　is　merely　a　repulsive　mask。　　A　river　whose　estuary



resembles　a　breach　in　a　sand　rampart　may　flow　through　a　most



fertile　country。　　But　all　the　estuaries　of　great　rivers　have　their



fascination；　the　attractiveness　of　an　open　portal。　　Water　is



friendly　to　man。　　The　ocean；　a　part　of　Nature　furthest　removed　in



the　unchangeableness　and　majesty　of　its　might　from　the　spirit　of



mankind；　has　ever　been　a　friend　to　the　enterprising　nations　of　the



earth。　　And　of　all　the　elements　this　is　the　one　to　which　men　have



always　been　prone　to　trust　themselves；　as　if　its　immensity　held　a



reward　as　vast　as　itself。







From　the　offing　the　open　estuary　promises　every　possible　fruition



to　adventurous　hopes。　　That　road　open　to　enterprise　and　courage



invites　the　explorer　of　coasts　to　new　efforts　towards　the



fulfilment　of　great　expectations。　　The　commander　of　the　first　Roman



galley　must　have　looked　with　an　intense　absorption　upon　the　estuary



of　the　Thames　as　he　turned　the　beaked　prow　of　his　ship　to　the



westward　under　the　brow　of　the　North　Foreland。　　The　estuary　of　the



Thames　is　not　beautiful；　it　has　no　noble　features；　no　romantic



grandeur　of　aspect；　no　smiling　geniality；　but　it　is　wide　open；



spacious；　inviting；　hospitable　at　the　first　glance；　with　a　strange



air　of　mysteriousness　which　lingers　about　it　to　this　very　day。　　The



navigation　of　his　craft　must　have　engrossed　all　the　Roman's



attention　in　the　calm　of　a　summer's　day　（he　would　choose　his



weather）；　when　the　single　row　of　long　sweeps　（the　galley　would　be　a



light　one；　not　a　trireme）　could　fall　in　easy　cadence　upon　a　sheet



of　water　like　plate…glass；　reflecting　faithfully　the　classic　form



of　his　vessel　and　the　contour　of　the　lonely　shores　close　on　his



left　hand。　　I　assume　he　followed　the　land　and　passed　through　what



is　at　present　known　as　Margate　Roads；　groping　his　careful　way　along



the　hidden　sandbanks；　whose　every　tail　and　spit　has　its　beacon　or



buoy　nowadays。　　He　must　have　been　anxious；　though　no　doubt　he　had



collected　beforehand　on　the　shores　of　the　Gauls　a　store　of



information　from　the　talk　of　traders；　adventurers；　fishermen；



slave…dealers；　pirates　…　all　sorts　of　unofficial　men　connected　with



the　sea　in　a　more　or　less　reputable　way。　　He　would　have　heard　of



channels　and　sandbanks；　of　natural　features　of　the　land　useful　for



sea…marks；　of　villages　and　tribes　and　modes　of　barter　and



precautions　to　take：　　with　the　instructive　tales　about　native



chiefs　dyed　more　or　less　blue；　whose　character　for　greediness；



ferocity；　or　amiability　must　have　been　expounded　to　him　with　that



capacity　for　vivid　language　which　seems　joined　naturally　to　the



shadiness　of　moral　character　and　recklessness　of　disposition。　　With



that　sort　of　spiced　food　provided　for　his　anxious　thought；　watchful



for　strange　men；　strange　beasts；　strange　turns　of　the　tide；　he



would　make　the　best　of　his　way　up；　a　military　seaman　with　a　short



sword　on　thigh　and　a　bronze　helmet　on　his　head；　the　pioneer　post…



captain　of　an　imperial　fleet。　　Was　the　tribe　inhabiting　the　Isle　of



Thanet　of　a　ferocious　disposition；　I　wonder；　and　ready　to　fall　with



stone…studded　clubs　and　wooden　lances　hardened　in　the　fire；　upon



the　backs　of　unwary　mariners？







Amongst　the　great　commercial　streams　of　these　islands；　the　Thames



is　the　only　one；　I　think；　open　to　romantic　feeling；　from　the　fact



that　the　sight　of　human　labour　and　the　sounds　of　human　industry　do



not　come　down　its　shores　to　the　very　sea；　destroying　the　suggestion



of　mysterious　vastness　caused　by　the　configuration　of　the　shore。



The　broad　inlet　of　the　shallow　North　Sea　passes　gradually　into　the



contracted　shape　of　the　river；　but　for　a　long　time　the　feeling　of



the　open　water　remains　with　the　ship　steering　to　the　westward



through　one　of　the　lighted　and　buoyed　passage…ways　of　the　Thames；



such　as　Queen's　Channel；　Prince's　Channel；　Four…Fathom　Channel；　or



else　coming　down　the　Swin　from　the　north。　　The　rush　of　the　yellow



flood…tide　hurries　her　up　as　if　into　the　unknown　between　the　two



fading　lines　of　the　coast。　　There　are　no　features　to　this　land；　no



conspicuous；　far…famed　landmarks　for　the　eye；　there　is　nothing　so



far　down　to　tell　you　of　the　greatest　agglomeration　of　mankind　on



earth　dwelling　no　more　than　five　and　twenty　miles　away；　where　the



sun　sets　in　a　blaze　of　colour　flaming　on　a　gold　background；　and　the



dark；　low　shores　trend　towards　each　other。　　And　in　the　great



silence　the　deep；　faint　booming　of　the　big　guns　being　tested　at



Shoeburyness　hangs　about　the　Nore　…　a　historical　spot　in　the



keeping　of　one　of　England's　appointed　guardians。















XXXI。















The　Nore　sand　remains　covered　at　low…water；　and　never　seen　by　human



eye；　but　the　Nore　is　a　name　to　conjure　with　visions　of　historical



events；　of　battles；　of　fleets；　of　mutinies；　of　watch　and　ward　kept



upon　the　great　throbbing　heart　of　the　State。　　This　ideal　point　of



the　estuary；　this　centre　of　memories；　is　marked　upon　the　steely



gray　expanse　of　the　waters　by　a　lightship　painted　red　that；　from　a



couple　of　miles　off；　looks　like　a　cheap　and　bizarre　little　toy。　　I



remember　how；　on　coming　up　the　river　for　the　first　time；　I　was



surprised　at　the　smallness　of　that　vivid　object　…　a　tiny　warm　speck



of　crimson　lost　in　an　immensity　of　gray　tones。　　I　was　startled；　as



if　of　necessity　the　principal　beacon　in　the　water…way　of　the



greatest　town　on　earth　should　have　presented　imposing　proportions。



And；　behold！　the　brown　sprit…sail　of　a　barge　hid　it　entirely　from



my　view。







Coming　in　from　the　eastward；　the　bright　colouring　of　the　lightship



marking　the　part　of　the　river　committed　to　the　charge　of　an　Admiral



（the　Commander…in…Chief　at　the　Nore）　accentuates　the　dreariness　and



the　great　breadth　of　the　Thames　Estuary。　　But　soon　the　course　of



the　ship　opens　the　entrance　of　the　Medway；　with　its　men…of…war



moored　in　line；　and　the　long　wooden　jetty　of　Port　Victoria；　with



its　few　low　buildings　like　the　beginning　of　a　hasty　settlement　upon



a　wild　and　unexplored　shore。　　The　famous　Thames　barges　sit　in　brown



clusters　upon　the　water　with　an　effect　of　birds　floating　upon　a



pond。　　On　the　imposing　expanse　of　the　great　estuary　the　traffic　of



the　port　where　so　much　of　the　world's　work　and　the　world's　thinking



is　being　done　becomes　insignificant；　scattered；　streaming　away　in



thin　lines　of　ships　stringing　themselves　out　into　the　eastern



quarter　through　the　various　navigable　channels　of　which　the　Nore



lightship　marks　the　divergence。　　The　coasting　traffic　inclines　to



the　north；　the　deep…water　ships　steer　east　with　a　southern



inclination；　on　through　the　Downs；　to　the　most　remote　ends　of　the



world。　　In　the　wi