the mirror of the sea-第28章

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showers　of　soot。







To　a　man　who　has　never　seen　the　extraordinary　nobility；　strength；



and　grace　that　the　devoted　generations　of　ship…builders　have



evolved　from　some　pure　nooks　of　their　simple　souls；　the　sight　that



could　be　seen　five…and…twenty　years　ago　of　a　large　fleet　of



clippers　moored　along　the　north　side　of　the　New　South　Dock　was　an



inspiring　spectacle。　　Then　there　was　a　quarter　of　a　mile　of　them；



from　the　iron　dockyard…gates　guarded　by　policemen；　in　a　long；



forest…like　perspective　of　masts；　moored　two　and　two　to　many　stout



wooden　jetties。　　Their　spars　dwarfed　with　their　loftiness　the



corrugated…iron　sheds；　their　jibbooms　extended　far　over　the　shore；



their　white…and…gold　figure…heads；　almost　dazzling　in　their　purity；



overhung　the　straight；　long　quay　above　the　mud　and　dirt　of　the



wharfside；　with　the　busy　figures　of　groups　and　single　men　moving　to



and　fro；　restless　and　grimy　under　their　soaring　immobility。







At　tide…time　you　would　see　one　of　the　loaded　ships　with　battened…



down　hatches　drop　out　of　the　ranks　and　float　in　the　clear　space　of



the　dock；　held　by　lines　dark　and　slender；　like　the　first　threads　of



a　spider's　web；　extending　from　her　bows　and　her　quarters　to　the



mooring…posts　on　shore。　　There；　graceful　and　still；　like　a　bird



ready　to　spread　its　wings；　she　waited　till；　at　the　opening　of　the



gates；　a　tug　or　two　would　hurry　in　noisily；　hovering　round　her　with



an　air　of　fuss　and　solicitude；　and　take　her　out　into　the　river；



tending；　shepherding　her　through　open　bridges；　through　dam…like



gates　between　the　flat　pier…heads；　with　a　bit　of　green　lawn



surrounded　by　gravel　and　a　white　signal…mast　with　yard　and　gaff；



flying　a　couple　of　dingy　blue；　red；　or　white　flags。







This　New　South　Dock　（it　was　its　official　name）；　round　which　my



earlier　professional　memories　are　centred；　belongs　to　the　group　of



West　India　Docks；　together　with　two　smaller　and　much　older　basins



called　Import　and　Export　respectively；　both　with　the　greatness　of



their　trade　departed　from　them　already。　　Picturesque　and　clean　as



docks　go；　these　twin　basins　spread　side　by　side　the　dark　lustre　of



their　glassy　water；　sparely　peopled　by　a　few　ships　laid　up　on　buoys



or　tucked　far　away　from　each　other　at　the　end　of　sheds　in　the



corners　of　empty　quays；　where　they　seemed　to　slumber　quietly



remote；　untouched　by　the　bustle　of　men's　affairs　…　in　retreat



rather　than　in　captivity。　　They　were　quaint　and　sympathetic；　those



two　homely　basins；　unfurnished　and　silent；　with　no　aggressive



display　of　cranes；　no　apparatus　of　hurry　and　work　on　their　narrow



shores。　　No　railway…lines　cumbered　them。　　The　knots　of　labourers



trooping　in　clumsily　round　the　corners　of　cargo…sheds　to　eat　their



food　in　peace　out　of　red　cotton　handkerchiefs　had　the　air　of



picnicking　by　the　side　of　a　lonely　mountain　pool。　　They　were



restful　（and　I　should　say　very　unprofitable）；　those　basins；　where



the　chief　officer　of　one　of　the　ships　involved　in　the　harassing；



strenuous；　noisy　activity　of　the　New　South　Dock　only　a　few　yards



away　could　escape　in　the　dinner…hour　to　stroll；　unhampered　by　men



and　affairs；　meditating　（if　he　chose）　on　the　vanity　of　all　things



human。　　At　one　time　they　must　have　been　full　of　good　old　slow　West



Indiamen　of　the　square…stern　type；　that　took　their　captivity；　one



imagines；　as　stolidly　as　they　had　faced　the　buffeting　of　the　waves



with　their　blunt；　honest　bows；　and　disgorged　sugar；　rum；　molasses；



coffee；　or　logwood　sedately　with　their　own　winch　and　tackle。　　But



when　I　knew　them；　of　exports　there　was　never　a　sign　that　one　could



detect；　and　all　the　imports　I　have　ever　seen　were　some　rare　cargoes



of　tropical　timber；　enormous　baulks　roughed　out　of　iron　trunks



grown　in　the　woods　about　the　Gulf　of　Mexico。　　They　lay　piled　up　in



stacks　of　mighty　boles；　and　it　was　hard　to　believe　that　all　this



mass　of　dead　and　stripped　trees　had　come　out　of　the　flanks　of　a



slender；　innocent…looking　little　barque　with；　as　likely　as　not；　a



homely　woman's　name　…　Ellen　this　or　Annie　that　…　upon　her　fine



bows。　　But　this　is　generally　the　case　with　a　discharged　cargo。



Once　spread　at　large　over　the　quay；　it　looks　the　most　impossible



bulk　to　have　all　come　there　out　of　that　ship　along…side。







They　were　quiet；　serene　nooks　in　the　busy　world　of　docks；　these



basins　where　it　has　never　been　my　good　luck　to　get　a　berth　after



some　more　or　less　arduous　passage。　　But　one　could　see　at　a　glance



that　men　and　ships　were　never　hustled　there。　　They　were　so　quiet



that；　remembering　them　well；　one　comes　to　doubt　that　they　ever



existed　…　places　of　repose　for　tired　ships　to　dream　in；　places　of



meditation　rather　than　work；　where　wicked　ships　…　the　cranky；　the



lazy；　the　wet；　the　bad　sea　boats；　the　wild　steerers；　the



capricious；　the　pig…headed；　the　generally　ungovernable　…　would　have



full　leisure　to　take　count　and　repent　of　their　sins；　sorrowful　and



naked；　with　their　rent　garments　of　sailcloth　stripped　off　them；　and



with　the　dust　and　ashes　of　the　London　atmosphere　upon　their



mastheads。　　For　that　the　worst　of　ships　would　repent　if　she　were



ever　given　time　I　make　no　doubt。　　I　have　known　too　many　of　them。



No　ship　is　wholly　bad；　and　now　that　their　bodies　that　had　braved　so



many　tempests　have　been　blown　off　the　face　of　the　sea　by　a　puff　of



steam；　the　evil　and　the　good　together　into　the　limbo　of　things　that



have　served　their　time；　there　can　be　no　harm　in　affirming　that　in



these　vanished　generations　of　willing　servants　there　never　has　been



one　utterly　unredeemable　soul。







In　the　New　South　Dock　there　was　certainly　no　time　for　remorse；



introspection；　repentance；　or　any　phenomena　of　inner　life　either



for　the　captive　ships　or　for　their　officers。　　From　six　in　the



morning　till　six　at　night　the　hard　labour　of　the　prison…house；



which　rewards　the　valiance　of　ships　that　win　the　harbour　went　on



steadily；　great　slings　of　general　cargo　swinging　over　the　rail；　to



drop　plumb　into　the　hatchways　at　the　sign　of　the　gangway…tender's



hand。　　The　New　South　Dock　was　especially　a　loading　dock　for　the



Colonies　in　those　great　（and　last）　days　of　smart　wool…clippers；



good　to　look　at　and　…　well　…　exciting　to　handle。　　Some　of　them　were



more　fair　to　see　than　the　others；　many　were　（to　put　it　mildly）



somewhat　over…masted；　all　were　expected　to　make　good　passages；　and



of　all　that　line　of　ships；　whose　rigging　made　a　thick；　enormous



network　against　the　sky；　whose　brasses　flashed　almost　as　far　as　the



eye　of　the　policeman　at　the　gates　could　reach；　there　was　hardly　one



that　knew　of　any　other　port　amongst　all　the　ports　on　the　wide　earth



but　London　and　Sydney；　or　London　and　Melbourne；　or　London　and



Adelaide；　perhaps　with　Hobart　Town　added　for　those　of　smaller



tonnage。　　One　could　almost　have　believed；　as　her　gray…whiskered



second　mate　used　to　say　of　the　old　Duke　of　S…；　that　they　knew　the



road　to　the　Antipodes　better　than　their　own　skippers；　who；　year　in；



year　out；　took　them　from　London　…　the　place　of　captivity　…　to　some



Australian　port　where；　twenty…five　years　ago；　though　moored　well



and　tight　enough　to　the　wooden　wharves；　they　felt　themselves　no



captives；　but　honoured　guests。















XXXIV。















These　towns　of　the　Antipodes；　not　so　great　then　as　they　are　now；



took　an　interest　in　the　shipping；　the　running　links　with　〃home；〃



whose　numbers　confirmed　the　sense　of　their　growing　importance。



They　made　it　part　and　parcel　of　their　daily　interests。　　This　was



especially　the　case　in　Sydney；　where；　from　the　heart　of　the　fair



city；　down　the　vista　of　important　streets；　could　be　seen　the　wool…



clippers　lying　at　the　Circular　Quay　…　no　walled　prison…house　of　a



dock　that；　but　the　integral　part　of　one　of　the　finest；　most



beautiful；　vast；　and　safe　bays　the　sun　ever　shone　upon。　　Now　great



steam…liners