the mirror of the sea-第8章

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one　could　lay　to　heart。　　He　kept　his　ship　in　apple…pie　order；　which



would　have　been　seamanlike　enough　but　for　a　finicking　touch　in　its



details。　　His　officers　affected　a　superiority　over　the　rest　of　us；



but　the　boredom　of　their　souls　appeared　in　their　manner　of　dreary



submission　to　the　fads　of　their　commander。　　It　was　only　his



apprenticed　boys　whose　irrepressible　spirits　were　not　affected　by



the　solemn　and　respectable　mediocrity　of　that　artist。　　There　were



four　of　these　youngsters：　　one　the　son　of　a　doctor；　another　of　a



colonel；　the　third　of　a　jeweller；　the　name　of　the　fourth　was



Twentyman；　and　this　is　all　I　remember　of　his　parentage。　　But　not



one　of　them　seemed　to　possess　the　smallest　spark　of　gratitude　in



his　composition。　　Though　their　commander　was　a　kind　man　in　his　way；



and　had　made　a　point　of　introducing　them　to　the　best　people　in　the



town　in　order　that　they　should　not　fall　into　the　bad　company　of



boys　belonging　to　other　ships；　I　regret　to　say　that　they　made　faces



at　him　behind　his　back；　and　imitated　the　dignified　carriage　of　his



head　without　any　concealment　whatever。







This　master　of　the　fine　art　was　a　personage　and　nothing　more；　but；



as　I　have　said；　there　was　an　infinite　diversity　of　temperament



amongst　the　masters　of　the　fine　art　I　have　known。　　Some　were　great



impressionists。　　They　impressed　upon　you　the　fear　of　God　and



Immensity　…　or；　in　other　words；　the　fear　of　being　drowned　with



every　circumstance　of　terrific　grandeur。　　One　may　think　that　the



locality　of　your　passing　away　by　means　of　suffocation　in　water　does



not　really　matter　very　much。　　I　am　not　so　sure　of　that。　　I　am；



perhaps；　unduly　sensitive；　but　I　confess　that　the　idea　of　being



suddenly　spilt　into　an　infuriated　ocean　in　the　midst　of　darkness



and　uproar　affected　me　always　with　a　sensation　of　shrinking



distaste。　　To　be　drowned　in　a　pond；　though　it　might　be　called　an



ignominious　fate　by　the　ignorant；　is　yet　a　bright　and　peaceful



ending　in　comparison　with　some　other　endings　to　one's　earthly



career　which　I　have　mentally　quaked　at　in　the　intervals　or　even　in



the　midst　of　violent　exertions。







But　let　that　pass。　　Some　of　the　masters　whose　influence　left　a



trace　upon　my　character　to　this　very　day；　combined　a　fierceness　of



conception　with　a　certitude　of　execution　upon　the　basis　of　just



appreciation　of　means　and　ends　which　is　the　highest　quality　of　the



man　of　action。　　And　an　artist　is　a　man　of　action；　whether　he



creates　a　personality；　invents　an　expedient；　or　finds　the　issue　of



a　complicated　situation。







There　were　masters；　too；　I　have　known；　whose　very　art　consisted　in



avoiding　every　conceivable　situation。　　It　is　needless　to　say　that



they　never　did　great　things　in　their　craft；　but　they　were　not　to　be



despised　for　that。　　They　were　modest；　they　understood　their



limitations。　　Their　own　masters　had　not　handed　the　sacred　fire　into



the　keeping　of　their　cold　and　skilful　hands。　　One　of　those　last　I



remember　specially；　now　gone　to　his　rest　from　that　sea　which　his



temperament　must　have　made　a　scene　of　little　more　than　a　peaceful



pursuit。　　Once　only　did　he　attempt　a　stroke　of　audacity；　one　early



morning；　with　a　steady　breeze；　entering　a　crowded　roadstead。　　But



he　was　not　genuine　in　this　display　which　might　have　been　art。　　He



was　thinking　of　his　own　self；　he　hankered　after　the　meretricious



glory　of　a　showy　performance。







As；　rounding　a　dark；　wooded　point；　bathed　in　fresh　air　and



sunshine；　we　opened　to　view　a　crowd　of　shipping　at　anchor　lying



half　a　mile　ahead　of　us　perhaps；　he　called　me　aft　from　my　station



on　the　forecastle　head；　and；　turning　over　and　over　his　binoculars



in　his　brown　hands；　said：　　〃Do　you　see　that　big；　heavy　ship　with



white　lower　masts？　　I　am　going　to　take　up　a　berth　between　her　and



the　shore。　　Now　do　you　see　to　it　that　the　men　jump　smartly　at　the



first　order。〃







I　answered；　〃Ay；　ay；　sir；〃　and　verily　believed　that　this　would　be　a



fine　performance。　　We　dashed　on　through　the　fleet　in　magnificent



style。　　There　must　have　been　many　open　mouths　and　following　eyes　on



board　those　ships　…　Dutch；　English；　with　a　sprinkling　of　Americans



and　a　German　or　two　…　who　had　all　hoisted　their　flags　at　eight



o'clock　as　if　in　honour　of　our　arrival。　　It　would　have　been　a　fine



performance　if　it　had　come　off；　but　it　did　not。　　Through　a　touch　of



self…seeking　that　modest　artist　of　solid　merit　became　untrue　to　his



temperament。　　It　was　not　with　him　art　for　art's　sake：　　it　was　art



for　his　own　sake；　and　a　dismal　failure　was　the　penalty　he　paid　for



that　greatest　of　sins。　　It　might　have　been　even　heavier；　but；　as　it



happened；　we　did　not　run　our　ship　ashore；　nor　did　we　knock　a　large



hole　in　the　big　ship　whose　lower　masts　were　painted　white。　　But　it



is　a　wonder　that　we　did　not　carry　away　the　cables　of　both　our



anchors；　for；　as　may　be　imagined；　I　did　not　stand　upon　the　order　to



〃Let　go！〃　that　came　to　me　in　a　quavering；　quite　unknown　voice　from



his　trembling　lips。　　I　let　them　both　go　with　a　celerity　which　to



this　day　astonishes　my　memory。　　No　average　merchantman's　anchors



have　ever　been　let　go　with　such　miraculous　smartness。　　And　they



both　held。　　I　could　have　kissed　their　rough；　cold　iron　palms　in



gratitude　if　they　had　not　been　buried　in　slimy　mud　under　ten



fathoms　of　water。　　Ultimately　they　brought　us　up　with　the　jibboom



of　a　Dutch　brig　poking　through　our　spanker　…　nothing　worse。　　And　a



miss　is　as　good　as　a　mile。







But　not　in　art。　　Afterwards　the　master　said　to　me　in　a　shy　mumble；



〃She　wouldn't　luff　up　in　time；　somehow。　　What's　the　matter　with



her？〃　　And　I　made　no　answer。







Yet　the　answer　was　clear。　　The　ship　had　found　out　the　momentary



weakness　of　her　man。　　Of　all　the　living　creatures　upon　land　and



sea；　it　is　ships　alone　that　cannot　be　taken　in　by　barren　pretences；



that　will　not　put　up　with　bad　art　from　their　masters。















X。















From　the　main　truck　of　the　average　tall　ship　the　horizon　describes



a　circle　of　many　miles；　in　which　you　can　see　another　ship　right



down　to　her　water…line；　and　these　very　eyes　which　follow　this



writing　have　counted　in　their　time　over　a　hundred　sail　becalmed；　as



if　within　a　magic　ring；　not　very　far　from　the　Azores　…　ships　more



or　less　tall。　　There　were　hardly　two　of　them　heading　exactly　the



same　way；　as　if　each　had　meditated　breaking　out　of　the　enchanted



circle　at　a　different　point　of　the　compass。　　But　the　spell　of　the



calm　is　a　strong　magic。　　The　following　day　still　saw　them　scattered



within　sight　of　each　other　and　heading　different　ways；　but　when；　at



last；　the　breeze　came　with　the　darkling　ripple　that　ran　very　blue



on　a　pale　sea；　they　all　went　in　the　same　direction　together。　　For



this　was　the　homeward…bound　fleet　from　the　far…off　ends　of　the



earth；　and　a　Falmouth　fruit…schooner；　the　smallest　of　them　all；　was



heading　the　flight。　　One　could　have　imagined　her　very　fair；　if　not



divinely　tall；　leaving　a　scent　of　lemons　and　oranges　in　her　wake。







The　next　day　there　were　very　few　ships　in　sight　from　our　mast…heads



…　seven　at　most；　perhaps；　with　a　few　more　distant　specks；　hull



down；　beyond　the　magic　ring　of　the　horizon。　　The　spell　of　the　fair



wind　has　a　subtle　power　to　scatter　a　white…winged　company　of　ships



looking　all　the　same　way；　each　with　its　white　fillet　of　tumbling



foam　under　the　bow。　　It　is　the　calm　that　brings　ships　mysteriously



together；　it　is　your　wind　that　is　the　great　separator。







The　taller　the　ship；　the　further　she　can　be　seen；　and　her　white



tallness　breathed　upon　by　the　wind　first　proclaims　her　size。　　The



tall　masts　holding　aloft　the　white　canvas；　spread　out　like　a　snare



for　catching　the　invisible　power　of　the　air；　emerge　gradually　from



the　water；　sail　after　sail；　yard　after　yard；　growing　big；　till；



under　the　towerin