the mirror of the sea-第31章

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immense　net；　in　whose　close　mesh；　black　against　the　sky；　the　heavy



yards　seemed　to　be　entangled　and　suspended。







It　was　a　sight。　　The　humblest　craft　that　floats　makes　its　appeal　to



a　seaman　by　the　faithfulness　of　her　life；　and　this　was　the　place



where　one　beheld　the　aristocracy　of　ships。　　It　was　a　noble



gathering　of　the　fairest　and　the　swiftest；　each　bearing　at　the　bow



the　carved　emblem　of　her　name；　as　in　a　gallery　of　plaster…casts；



figures　of　women　with　mural　crowns；　women　with　flowing　robes；　with



gold　fillets　on　their　hair　or　blue　scarves　round　their　waists；



stretching　out　rounded　arms　as　if　to　point　the　way；　heads　of　men



helmeted　or　bare；　full　lengths　of　warriors；　of　kings；　of　statesmen；



of　lords　and　princesses；　all　white　from　top　to　toe；　with　here　and



there　a　dusky　turbaned　figure；　bedizened　in　many　colours；　of　some



Eastern　sultan　or　hero；　all　inclined　forward　under　the　slant　of



mighty　bowsprits　as　if　eager　to　begin　another　run　of　11；000　miles



in　their　leaning　attitudes。　　These　were　the　fine　figure…heads　of



the　finest　ships　afloat。　　But　why；　unless　for　the　love　of　the　life



those　effigies　shared　with　us　in　their　wandering　impassivity；



should　one　try　to　reproduce　in　words　an　impression　of　whose



fidelity　there　can　be　no　critic　and　no　judge；　since　such　an



exhibition　of　the　art　of　shipbuilding　and　the　art　of　figure…head



carving　as　was　seen　from　year's　end　to　year's　end　in　the　open…air



gallery　of　the　New　South　Dock　no　man's　eye　shall　behold　again？　　All



that　patient；　pale　company　of　queens　and　princesses；　of　kings　and



warriors；　of　allegorical　women；　of　heroines　and　statesmen　and



heathen　gods；　crowned；　helmeted；　bare…headed；　has　run　for　good　off



the　sea　stretching　to　the　last　above　the　tumbling　foam　their　fair；



rounded　arms；　holding　out　their　spears；　swords；　shields；　tridents



in　the　same　unwearied；　striving　forward　pose。　　And　nothing　remains



but　lingering　perhaps　in　the　memory　of　a　few　men；　the　sound　of



their　names；　vanished　a　long　time　ago　from　the　first　page　of　the



great　London　dailies；　from　big　posters　in　railway…stations　and　the



doors　of　shipping　offices；　from　the　minds　of　sailors；　dockmasters；



pilots；　and　tugmen；　from　the　hail　of　gruff　voices　and　the　flutter



of　signal　flags　exchanged　between　ships　closing　upon　each　other　and



drawing　apart　in　the　open　immensity　of　the　sea。







The　elderly；　respectable　seaman；　withdrawing　his　gaze　from　that



multitude　of　spars；　gave　me　a　glance　to　make　sure　of　our　fellowship



in　the　craft　and　mystery　of　the　sea。　　We　had　met　casually；　and　had



got　into　contact　as　I　had　stopped　near　him；　my　attention　being



caught　by　the　same　peculiarity　he　was　looking　at　in　the　rigging　of



an　obviously　new　ship；　a　ship　with　her　reputation　all　to　make　yet



in　the　talk　of　the　seamen　who　were　to　share　their　life　with　her。



Her　name　was　already　on　their　lips。　　I　had　heard　it　uttered　between



two　thick；　red…necked　fellows　of　the　semi…nautical　type　at　the



Fenchurch　Street　Railway…station；　where；　in　those　days；　the



everyday　male　crowd　was　attired　in　jerseys　and　pilot…cloth　mostly；



and　had　the　air　of　being　more　conversant　with　the　times　of　high…



water　than　with　the　times　of　the　trains。　　I　had　noticed　that　new



ship's　name　on　the　first　page　of　my　morning　paper。　　I　had　stared　at



the　unfamiliar　grouping　of　its　letters；　blue　on　white　ground；　on



the　advertisement…boards；　whenever　the　train　came　to　a　standstill



alongside　one　of　the　shabby；　wooden；　wharf…like　platforms　of　the



dock　railway…line。　　She　had　been　named；　with　proper　observances；　on



the　day　she　came　off　the　stocks；　no　doubt；　but　she　was　very　far　yet



from　〃having　a　name。〃　　Untried；　ignorant　of　the　ways　of　the　sea；



she　had　been　thrust　amongst　that　renowned　company　of　ships　to　load



for　her　maiden　voyage。　　There　was　nothing　to　vouch　for　her



soundness　and　the　worth　of　her　character；　but　the　reputation　of　the



building…yard　whence　she　was　launched　headlong　into　the　world　of



waters。　　She　looked　modest　to　me。　　I　imagined　her　diffident；　lying



very　quiet；　with　her　side　nestling　shyly　against　the　wharf　to　which



she　was　made　fast　with　very　new　lines；　intimidated　by　the　company



of　her　tried　and　experienced　sisters　already　familiar　with　all　the



violences　of　the　ocean　and　the　exacting　love　of　men。　　They　had　had



more　long　voyages　to　make　their　names　in　than　she　had　known　weeks



of　carefully　tended　life；　for　a　new　ship　receives　as　much　attention



as　if　she　were　a　young　bride。　　Even　crabbed　old　dock…masters　look



at　her　with　benevolent　eyes。　　In　her　shyness　at　the　threshold　of　a



laborious　and　uncertain　life；　where　so　much　is　expected　of　a　ship；



she　could　not　have　been　better　heartened　and　comforted；　had　she



only　been　able　to　hear　and　understand；　than　by　the　tone　of　deep



conviction　in　which　my　elderly；　respectable　seaman　repeated　the



first　part　of　his　saying；　〃Ships　are　all　right　。　。　。〃







His　civility　prevented　him　from　repeating　the　other；　the　bitter



part。　　It　had　occurred　to　him　that　it　was　perhaps　indelicate　to



insist。　　He　had　recognised　in　me　a　ship's　officer；　very　possibly



looking　for　a　berth　like　himself；　and　so　far　a　comrade；　but　still　a



man　belonging　to　that　sparsely…peopled　after…end　of　a　ship；　where　a



great　part　of　her　reputation　as　a　〃good　ship；〃　in　seaman's



parlance；　is　made　or　marred。







〃Can　you　say　that　of　all　ships　without　exception？〃　I　asked；　being



in　an　idle　mood；　because；　if　an　obvious　ship's　officer；　I　was　not；



as　a　matter　of　fact；　down　at　the　docks　to　〃look　for　a　berth；〃　an



occupation　as　engrossing　as　gambling；　and　as　little　favourable　to



the　free　exchange　of　ideas；　besides　being　destructive　of　the　kindly



temper　needed　for　casual　intercourse　with　one's　fellow…creatures。







〃You　can　always　put　up　with　'em；〃　opined　the　respectable　seaman



judicially。







He　was　not　averse　from　talking；　either。　　If　he　had　come　down　to　the



dock　to　look　for　a　berth；　he　did　not　seem　oppressed　by　anxiety　as



to　his　chances。　　He　had　the　serenity　of　a　man　whose　estimable



character　is　fortunately　expressed　by　his　personal　appearance　in　an



unobtrusive；　yet　convincing；　manner　which　no　chief　officer　in　want



of　hands　could　resist。　　And；　true　enough；　I　learned　presently　that



the　mate　of　the　Hyperion　had　〃taken　down〃　his　name　for　quarter…



master。　　〃We　sign　on　Friday；　and　join　next　day　for　the　morning



tide；〃　he　remarked；　in　a　deliberate；　careless　tone；　which



contrasted　strongly　with　his　evident　readiness　to　stand　there



yarning　for　an　hour　or　so　with　an　utter　stranger。







〃Hyperion；〃　I　said。　　〃I　don't　remember　ever　seeing　that　ship



anywhere。　　What　sort　of　a　name　has　she　got？〃







It　appeared　from　his　discursive　answer　that　she　had　not　much　of　a



name　one　way　or　another。　　She　was　not　very　fast。　　It　took　no　fool；



though；　to　steer　her　straight；　he　believed。　　Some　years　ago　he　had



seen　her　in　Calcutta；　and　he　remembered　being　told　by　somebody



then；　that　on　her　passage　up　the　river　she　had　carried　away　both



her　hawse…pipes。　　But　that　might　have　been　the　pilot's　fault。　　Just



now；　yarning　with　the　apprentices　on　board；　he　had　heard　that　this



very　voyage；　brought　up　in　the　Downs；　outward　bound；　she　broke　her



sheer；　struck　adrift；　and　lost　an　anchor　and　chain。　　But　that　might



have　occurred　through　want　of　careful　tending　in　a　tideway。　　All



the　same；　this　looked　as　though　she　were　pretty　hard　on　her　ground…



tackle。　　Didn't　it？　　She　seemed　a　heavy　ship　to　handle；　anyway。



For　the　rest；　as　she　had　a　new　captain　and　a　new　mate　this　voyage；



he　understood；　one　couldn't　say　how　she　would　turn　out。　。　。　。







In　such　marine　shore…talk　as　this　is　the　name　of　a　ship　slowly



established；　her　fame　made　for　her；　the　tale　of　her　qualities　and



of　her　defects　kept；　her　idiosyncrasies　commented　upon　with　the



zest　of　personal　gossip；　her　ach