第1章

ThefirstappearanceofPierreLoti\'sworks，twentyyearsago，causedasensationthroughoutthosecircleswhereinthecreationsofintellectandimaginationarefelt，studied，anddiscussed。Theauthorwasonewho，withapowerwhichnoonehadwieldedbeforehim，carriedoffhisreadersintoexoticlands，andwhoseart，inappearancemostsimple，provedagenuineenchantmentfortheimagination。ItwasthetimewhenM。Zolaandhisschoolstoodattheheadoftheliterarymovement。TherebreathedforthfromLoti\'swritingsanall-penetratingfragranceofpoesy，whichliberatedFrenchliteraryidealsfromtheheavyandoppressiveyokeoftheNaturalisticschool。Truthnowsoaredonunhamperedpinions，andthereadingworldwascompletelywonbytheunsurpassedintensityandfaithfulaccuracywithwhichhedepictedthealluringcharmsoffar-offscenes，andpaintedthenaivesouloftheracesthatseemtoendureintheislesofthePacificassurvivingrepresentativesoftheworld\'sinfancy。 ItwasthenlearnedthatthisindependentwriterwasnamedinreallifeLouisMarieJulienViaud，andthathewasanavalofficer。Thisveryfact，thathewasnotawriterbyprofession，addedindeedtohissuccess。Heactuallyhadseenthatwhichhewasdescribing，hehadlivedthatwhichhewasrelating。Whatinanyothermanwouldhaveseemedbutresearchandoddity，remainednaturalinthecaseofasailorwhoreturnedeachyearwithamanuscriptinhishand。Africa，Asia，theislesofthePacific，weretheusualscenesofhisdramas。 FinallyfromFranceitself，andfromtheoldestprovincesofFrance，hedrewsubject-matterfortwoofhisnovels，/AnIcelandFisherman/ and/Ramuntcho/。Thisprovedasurprise。OurBretonsailorsandourBasquemountaineerswerenotlessforeigntotheParisiandrawing-roomthanwasAziyadeorthelittleRahahu。OneclaimedtohaveaknowledgeofBrittany，orofthePyrenees，becauseonehadvisitedDinardorBiarritz；whileinrealityneitherTahitinortheIsleofPaquescouldhaveremainedmorecompletelyunknowntous。 Thedevelopmentsofhumanindustryhavebroughttheextremitiesoftheworldnearertogether；butthesoulofeachracecontinuestocloakitselfinitsownindividualityandtoremainamysterytotherestoftheworld。Onetraitaloneiscommontoall:theinfinitesadnessofhumandestiny。ThisitwasthatLotiimpressedsovividlyonthereadingworld。 Hissuccesswasgreat。Thoughayoungmanasyet，LotisawhisworkcrownedwithwhatinFrancemaybeconsideredthesupremesanction:hewaselectedtomembershipintheFrenchAcademy。HisnamebecamecoupledwiththoseofBernardindeSt。PierreandofChateaubriand。 Withthesoleexceptionoftheauthorof/PaulandVirginia/andofthewriterof/Atala/，heseemedtobeonewithoutpredecessorandwithoutamaster。Itmaybewellheretoinquirehowmuchreasonthereisforthisassertion，andwhatnovelfeaturesarepresentedinhiswork。 IthasbecomeatritesayingthatFrenchgeniuslacksthesenseofNature，thattheFrenchtongueiscolourless，andthereforewantsthemoststrikingfeatureofpoetry。Ifweabandonedforonemomentthedomainoflettersandtookacomprehensiveviewofthefieldofart，wemightbepermittedtoexpressastonishmentatthepassingofsosummaryajudgmentonthegeniusofanationwhichhas，intherealsenseoftheterm，producedtwosuchpaintersofNatureasClaudeLorrainandCorot。Butevenintherealmoflettersitiseasilyseenthatthismodeofthinkingisduelargelytoinsufficientknowledgeofthelanguage\'sresources，andtoastudyofFrenchliteraturewhichdoesnotextendbeyondtheseventeenth century。WithoutgoingbacktotheDukeofOrleansandtoVillon，oneneedonlyreadafewofthepoetsofthesixteenthcenturytobestruckbytheprominencegiventoNatureintheirwritings。NothingismoredelightfulthanRonsard\'sword-paintingsofhissweetcountryofVendome。UntilthedayofMalherbe，thedidacticRegnierandtheCalvinisticMarotaretheonlytwowhocouldbesaidtogivecolourtothepreconceivedandprevalentnotionastothedrynessofFrenchpoetry。AndevenafterMalherbe，intheseventeenthcentury，wefindthatLaFontaine，themosttrulyFrenchofFrenchwriters，wasapassionateloverofNature。Hewhocanseenothinginthelatter\'sfablesbeyondthelittledramaswhichtheyunfoldandtheordinarymoralwhichthepoetdrawstherefrom，mustconfessthathefailstounderstandhim。Hislandscapespossessprecision，accuracy，andlife，whilesuchisthefragranceofhisspeechthatitseemsladenwiththefreshperfumeofthefieldsandfurrows。 Racinehimself，themostpenetratingandthemostpsychologicalofpoets，istoowellversedinthehumansoulnottohavefeltitsintimateunionwithNature。HismagnificentverseinPhedre，\"Ah，quenesuis-jeassiseal\'ombredesforets!\" isbutthecryofdespair，theappeal，filledwithanguish，ofaheartthatistroubledandwhichofthassoughtpeaceandalleviationamidthecoldindifferenceofinanimatethings。ThesmallplacegiventoNatureintheFrenchliteratureoftheseventeenthcenturyisnottobeascribedtothelanguagenorexplainedbyalackofsensibilityonthepartoftherace。Thetruecauseistobefoundinthespiritofthatperiod；forinvestigationwilldisclosethattheverysameconditionthencharacterizedtheliteraturesofEngland，ofSpain，andofItaly。 Wemustbearinmindthat，owingtoanalmostuniquecombinationofcircumstances，thereneverhasbeenaperiodwhenmanwasmoreconvincedofthenobilityand，Idaresayit，ofthesovereigntyofman，orwasmoreinclinedtolookuponthelatterasabeingindependentoftheexternalworld。Hedidnotsuspecttheintimatelyclosebondswhichunitethecreaturetothemediuminwhichitlives。 Amanoftheworldintheseventeenthcenturywasutterlywithoutanotionofthosetruthswhichintheirensembleconstitutethenaturalsciences。Hecrossedthethresholdoflifepossessedofadeepclassicalinstruction，andall-imbuedwithstoicalideasofvirtue。Atthesametime，hehadreceivedthemouldofastrongbutnarrowChristianeducation，inwhichnothingfiguredsavehisrelationswithGod。Thistwofoldtrainingelevatedhissoulandfortifiedhiswill，butwrenchedhimviolentlyfromallcommunionwithNature。ThisisthestandpointfromwhichwemustviewtheheroesofCorneille，ifwewouldunderstandthoseextraordinarysoulswhich，alwaysatthehighestdegreeoftension，denythemselves，asaweakness，everythingthatresemblestendernessorpity。Again，thusandthusalonecanweexplainhowDescartes，andwithhimallthephilosophersofhiscentury，rancountertoallcommonsense，andrefusedtorecognisethatanimalsmightpossessasoul-likeprinciplewhich，howeverremotely，mightlinkthemtothehumanbeing。 When，intheeighteenthcentury，mindsbecameemancipatedfromthenarrowrestrictionsofreligiousdiscipline，andwhenmethodwasintroducedintothestudyofscientificproblems，Naturetookherrevengeaswellinliteratureasinallotherfieldsofhumanthought。 RousseauitwaswhoinauguratedthemovementinFrance，andthewholeofEuropefollowedinthewakeofFrance。Itmayevenbedeclaredthatthereactionagainsttheseventeenthcenturywasinmanyrespectsexcessive，fortheeighteenthcenturygaveitselfuptoaspeciesofsentimentaldebauch。Itisnonethelessafactthattheauthorof/LaNouvelleHeloise/wasthefirsttoblendthemorallifeofmanwithhisexteriorsurroundings。HefeltthesavagebeautyandgrandeurofthemountainsofSwitzerland，thegraceoftheSavoyhorizons，andthemorefamiliareleganceoftheParisiansuburbs。Wemaysaythatheopenedtheeyeofhumanitytothespectaclewhichtheworldofferedit。InGermany，Lessing，Goethe，Hegel，Schellinghaveproclaimedhimtheirmaster；whileeveninEngland，Byron，andGeorgeEliotherself，haverecognisedallthattheyowedtohim。 ThefirstofRosseau\'sdisciplesinFrancewasBernardindeSt。 Pierre，whosenamehasfrequentlybeenrecalledinconnectionwithLoti。Indeed，thecharmingmasterpieceof/PaulandVirginia/wasthefirstexampleofexoticisminliterature；andtherebyitexcitedthecuriosityofourfathersatthesametimethatitdazzledthembythewealthandbrilliancyofitsdescriptions。 ThencameChateaubriand；butNaturewithhimwasnotamerebackground。Hesoughtfromitanaccompaniment，inthemusicalsenseoftheterm，tothemovementsofhissoul；andbeingsomewhatpronetomelancholy，histasteseemstohavefavouredsombrelandscapes，stormyandtragical。Theentireromanticschoolwasbornfromhim，VictorHugoandGeorgeSand，TheophileGautierwhodrawsfromtheFrenchtongueresourcesunequalledinwealthandcolour，andevenM。Zolahimself，whosenaturalism，afterall，isbutthelastformand，asitwere，theendofromanticism，sinceitwouldbedifficulttodiscoverinhimanycharacteristicthatdidnotexist，asagermatleast，inBalzac。 IhavejustsaidthatChateaubriandsoughtinNatureanaccompanimenttothemovementsofhissoul:thiswasthecasewithalltheromanticists。WedonotfindRene，Manfred，Indiana，livinginthemidstofatranquilandmonotonousNature。Thestormsofheavenmustrespondtothestormsoftheirsoul；anditisafactthatallthesegreatwriters，ByronaswellasVictorHugo，havenotsomuchcontemplatedandseenNatureastheyhaveinterpreteditthroughthemediumoftheirownpassions；anditisinthissensethatthekeenAmielcouldjustlyremarkthatalandscapeisaconditionorastateofthesoul。 M。Lotidoesnotmerelyinterpretalandscape；thoughperhaps，tobeginwith，heisunconsciousofdoingmore。Withhim，thehumanbeingisapartofNature，oneofitsveryexpressions，likeanimalsandplants，mountainformsandskytints。Hischaractersarewhattheyareonlybecausetheyissueforthfromthemediuminwhichtheylive。Theyaretrulycreatures，andnotgodsinhabitingtheearth。Hencetheirprofoundandstrikingreality。 HencealsooneofthepeculiarcharacteristicsofLoti\'sworkers。Helovestopaintsimplesouls，heartsclosetoNature，whoseprimitivepassionsaresingularlysimilartothoseofanimals。HeishappyintheislesofthePacificoronthebordersofSenegal；andwhenheshiftshisscenesintooldEuropeitisneverwithmenandwomenoftheworldthatheentertainsus。 Whatwecallamanoftheworldisthesameeverywhere；heismouldedbythesocietyofmen，butNatureandtheuniversehavenoplaceinhislifeandthought。M。PaulBourget\'sheroesmightlivewithoutdistinctioninNewportorinMonteCarlo；theytakerootnowhere，butliveinthelargecities，inwinterresortsandindrawing-roomsastransientvisitorsintemporaryabiding-places。 LotiseekshisheroesandhisheroinesamongthoseantiqueracesofEuropewhichhavesurvivedallconquests，andwhichhavepreserved，withtheirnativetongue，theindividualityoftheircharacter。HemetRamuntchointheBasquecountry，butdearerthanalltohimisBrittany:hereitwasthathemethisIcelandfishermen。 TheBretonsoulbearsanimprintofArmorica\'sprimitivesoil:itismelancholyandnoble。Thereisanundefinablecharmaboutthosearidlandsandthosesod-flankedhillsofgranite，whosesolehorizonisthefar-stretchingsea。Europeendshere，andbeyondremainsonlythebroadexpanseoftheocean。Thepoorpeoplewhodwellherearesilentandtenacious:theirheartisfulloftendernessandofdreams。Yann，theIcelandfisherman，andhissweetheart，GaudofPaimpol，canonlylivehere，inthesmallhousesofBrittany，wherepeoplehuddletogetherinastandagainstthestormswhichcomehowlingfromthedepthsoftheAtlantic。 Loti\'snovelsarenevercomplicatedwithamassofincidents。Thecharactersareofhumblestationandtheirlifeisassimpleastheirsoul。/Aziyade/，/TheRomanceofaSpahi/，/AnIcelandFisherman/，/Ramuntcho/，allpresentthestoryofaloveandaseparation。A departure，ordeathitself，intervenestoputanendtotheromance。 Butthecausematterslittle；theseparationisthesame；theheartsarebroken；Naturesurvives；itcoversoverandabsorbsthemiserableruinswhichweleavebehindus。NoonebetterthanLotihaseverbroughtoutthefrailtyofallthingspertainingtous，fornoonebetterthanhehasmadeusrealizethepersistencyoflifeandtheindifferenceofNature。 ThiscircumstanceimpartstothereadingofM。Loti\'sworksacharacterofpeculiarsadness。Thetrendofhisnovelsisnotonethatincitescuriosity；hisheroesaresimple，andtheatmosphereinwhichtheyliveisforeigntous。Whatsaddensusisnottheirhistory，buttheundefinableimpressionthatourpleasuresarenothingandthatwearebutanaccident。Thisisathoughtcommontothedegreeoftritenessamongmoralistsandtheologians；butastheypresentit，itfailstomoveus。IttroublesusaspresentedbyM。Loti，becausehehasknownhowtogiveitalltheforceofasensation。 Howhasheaccomplishedthis？ Hewriteswithextremesimplicity，andisnotaversetotheuseofvagueandindefiniteexpressions。AndyetthewealthandprecisionofGautier\'sandHugo\'slanguagefailtoendowtheirlandscapeswiththestrikingcharmandintenselifewhicharetobefoundinthoseofLoti。IcanfindnootherreasonforthisthanthatwhichIhavesuggestedabove:thelandscape，inHugo\'sandinGautier\'sscenes，isabackgroundandnothingmore；whileLotimakesitthepredominatingfigureofhisdrama。OursensibilitiesarenecessarilyarousedbeforethisapparitionofNature，blind，inaccessible，andall-powerfulastheFatesofold。 ItmayproveinterestingtoinquirehowLoticontrivedtosoundsuchanewnoteinart。 Heboasted，onthedayofhisreceptionintotheFrenchAcademy，thathehadneverread。Manyprotested，somesmiled，andalargenumberofpersonsrefusedtobelievetheassertion。Yetthestatementwasactuallyquitecredible，forthefoundationandbasisofM。Lotirestonanaivesimplicitywhichmakeshimverysensitivetothethingsoftheoutsideworld，andgiveshimaperfectcomprehensionofsimplesouls。Heisnotareader，forheisnotimbuedwithbooknotionsofthings；hisideasofthemaredirect，andeverythingwithhimisnotmemory，butreflectedsensation。 Ontheotherhand，thatsailor-lifewhichhadenabledhimtoseetheworld，musthaveconfirmedinhimthismentalattitude。Thedeckofficerwhowatchesthevessel\'scoursemaydonothingwhichcoulddistracthisattention；butwhileeverreadytoactandalwaysunoccupied，hethinks，hedreams，helistenstothevoicesofthesea； andeverythingabouthimisofinteresttohim，theshapeoftheclouds，theaspectofskiesandwaters。Heknowsthatamereboard\'sthicknessisallthatseparateshimanddefendshimfromdeath。SuchisthehabitualstateofmindwhichM。Lotihasbroughttothecolouringofhisbooks。 Hehasrelatedtoushow，whenstillalittlechild，hefirstbeheldthesea。Hehadescapedfromtheparentalhome，alluredbythebriskandpungentairandbythe\"peculiarnoise，atoncefeebleandgreat，\" whichcouldbeheardbeyondlittlehillsofsandtowhichledacertainpath。Herecognisedthesea；\"beforemesomethingappeared，somethingsombreandnoisy，whichhadloomedupfromallsidesatonce，andwhichseemedtohavenoend；amovingexpansewhichstruckmewithmortalvertigo；……abovewasstretchedoutfullaskyallofonepiece，ofadarkgraycolourlikeaheavymantle；very，veryfaraway，inunmeasurabledepthsofhorizon，couldbeseenabreak，anopeningbetweenseaandsky，alongemptycrack，ofalightpaleyellow。\"Hefeltasadnessunspeakable，asenseofdesolatesolitude，ofabandonment，ofexile。Heranbackinhastetounburdenhissouluponhismother\'sbosom，and，ashesays，\"toseekconsolationwithherforathousandanticipated，indescribablepangs，whichhadwrungmyheartatthesightofthatvastgreen，deepexpanse。\" Apoetoftheseahadbeenborn，andhisgeniusstillbearsatraceoftheshudderoffearexperiencedthateveningbyPierreLotithelittlechild。 Lotiwasbornnotfarfromtheocean，inSaintonge，ofanoldHuguenotfamilywhichhadnumberedmanysailorsamongitsmembers。WhileyetamerechildhethumbedtheoldBiblewhichformerly，inthedaysofpersecution，hadbeenreadonlywithcautioussecrecy；andheperusedthevessel\'sancientrecordswhereinmarinerslongsincegonehadnoted，almostacenturybefore，that\"theweatherwasgood，\"that\"thewindwasfavourable，\"andthat\"doradoesorgilt-headswerepassingneartheship。\" Hewaspassionatelyfondofmusic。Hehadfewcomrades，andhisimaginationwasoftheexaltedkind。Hisfirstambitionwastobeaminister，thenamissionary；andfinallyhedecidedtobecomeasailor。Hewantedtoseetheworld，hehadthecuriosityofthings；hewasinclinedtosearchforthestrangeandtheunknown；hemustseekthatsensation，delightfulandfascinatingtocomplexsouls，ofbetakinghimselfoff，ofwithdrawingfromhisownworld，ofbreakingwithhisownmodeoflife，andofcreatingforhimselfvoluntaryregrets。 HefeltinthepresenceofNatureaspeciesofdisquietude，andexperiencedtherefromsensationswhichmightalmostbeexpressedincolours:hishead，hehimselfstates，\"mightbecomparedtoacamera，filledwithsensitiveplates。\"Thispowerofvisionpermittedhimtoapprehendonlytheappearanceofthings，nottheirreality；hewasconsciousofthenothingnessofnothing，ofthedustofdust。Theremnantsofhisreligiouseducationintensifiedstillmorethisdistastefortheexternalworld。 HewaswonttospendhissummervacationinthesouthofFrance，andhepreserveditswarmsunnyimpressions。ItwasonlylaterthathebecameacquaintedwithBrittany。Sheinspiredhimatfirstwithafeelingofoppressionandofsadness，anditwaslongbeforehelearnedtoloveher。 Thuswasformedanddeveloped，farfromliterarycirclesandfromParisiancoteries，oneofthemostoriginalwritersthathadappearedforalongtime。Henotedhisimpressionswhiletouringtheworld；onefinemorninghepublishedthem，andfromtheveryfirstthereadingpublicwaswon。Herelatedhisadventuresandhisownromance。Thequestioncouldthenberaisedwhetherhisskillandartwouldproveasconsummateifheshoulddeviatefromhisownpersonalitytowritewhatmightbetermedimpersonalpoems；anditispreciselyinthislastdirectionthathesubsequentlyproducedwhatarenowconsideredhismasterpieces。 Astrangewriterassuredlyisthis，atoncelogicalandillusive，whomakesusfeelatthesametimethesensationofthingsandthatoftheirnothingness。AmidsomanyworkswhereintheluxuriesoftheOrient，thequasianimallifeofthePacific，theburningpassionsofAfrica，arepaintedwithavigourofimaginationneverwitnessedbeforehisadvent，/AnIcelandFisherman/shinesforthwithincomparablebrilliancy。SomethingofthepuresoulofBrittanyistobefoundinthesemelancholypages，which，solongastheFrenchtongueendures，mustevoketheadmirationofartists，andmustarousethepityandstirtheemotionsofmen。 JULESCAMBON。 BIOGRAPHICALNOTE TherealnameofPIERRELOTIisLOUISMARIEJULIENVIAUD。HewasbornofProtestantparents，intheoldcityofRochefort，onthe14thofJanuary，1850。Inoneofhispleasantvolumesofautobiography，\"LeRomand\'unEnfant，\"hehasgivenaverypleasingaccountofhischildhood，whichwasmosttenderlycaredforandsurroundedwithindulgences。Ataveryearlyagehebegantodevelopthatextremesensitivenesstoexternalinfluenceswhichhasdistinguishedhimeversince。HewasfirsttaughtataschoolinRochefort，butattheageofseventeen，beingdestinedforthenavy，heenteredthegreatFrenchnavalschool，LeBorda，andhasgraduallyriseninhisprofession。Hispseudonymissaidtohavehadreferencetohisextremeshynessandreserveinearlylife，whichmadehiscomradescallhimafter\"leLoti，\"anIndianflowerwhichlovestoblushunseen。Hewasnevergiventobooksorstudy(whenhewasreceivedattheFrenchAcademy，hehadthecouragetosay，\"Lotinesaitpaslire\")，anditwasnotuntilhisthirtiethyearthathewaspersuadedtowritedownandpublish certaincuriousexperiencesatConstantinople，in\"Aziyade，\"abookwhich，likesomanyofLoti\'s，seemshalfaromance，halfanautobiography。HeproceededtotheSouthSeas，and，onleavingTahiti，publishedthePolynesianidyl，originallycalled\"Raharu，\"whichwasreprintedas\"LeMariagedeLoti\"(1880)，andwhichfirstintroducedtothewiderpublicanauthorofremarkableoriginalityandcharm。 Lotinowbecameextremelyprolific，andinasuccessionofvolumeschronicledoldexoticmemoriesormanipulatedthejournalofnewtravels。\"LeRomand\'unSpahi，\"arecordofthemelancholyadventuresofasoldierinSenegambia，belongsto1881。In1882Lotiissuedacollectionofshortstudiesunderthegeneraltitleof\"Fleursd\'Ennui。\"In1883heachievedthewidestcelebrity，fornotonlydidhepublish\"MonFrereYves，\"anoveldescribingthelifeofaFrenchbluejacketinallpartsoftheworld——perhaps，onthewhole，tothisdayhismostcharacteristicproduction——buthewasinvolvedinapublicdiscussioninamannerwhichdidhimgreatcredit。WhiletakingpartasanavalofficerintheTonquinwar，LotihadexposedinaParisiannewspaperaseriesofscandalswhichsucceededonthecaptureofHue，and，beingrecalled， hewasnowsuspendedfromtheserviceformorethanayear。Hecontinuedforsometimenearlysilent，butin1886，hepublishedanoveloflifeamongtheBretonfisher-folk，entitled\"Pecheursd\'Islande\"；thishasbeenthemostpopularofallhiswritings。In1887hebroughtoutavolumeofextraordinarymerit，whichhasneverreceivedtheattentionitdeserves；thisis\"Proposd\'Exil，\"aseriesofshortstudiesofexoticplaces，inLoti\'speculiarsemi-autobiographicstyle。ThefantasticromanceofJapanesemanners，\"MadameChrysantheme，\"belongstothesameyear。Passingoveroneortwoslighterproductions，wecometo1890，to\"AuMaroc，\"therecordofajourneytoFezincompanywithaFrenchembassy。A collectionofstrangelyconfidentialandsentimentalreminiscences，called\"LeLivredelaPitieetdelaMort，\"belongsto1891。LotiwasonboardhisshipattheportofAlgierswhennewswasbroughttohimofhiselection，onthe21stofMay，1891，totheFrenchAcademy。 SincehehasbecomeanImmortaltheliteraryactivityofPierreLotihassomewhatdeclined。In1892hepublished\"Fantomed\'Orient，\" anotherdreamystudyoflifeinConstantinople，asortofcontinuationof\"Aziyade。\"HehasdescribedavisittotheHolyLandinthreevolumes，\"LeDesert，\"\"Jerusalem，\"\"LaGalilee\"(1895-96)，andhehaswrittenonenovel，\"Ramentcho\"(1897)，astoryofmannersintheBasqueprovince，whichisquiteonalevelwithhisbestwork。In1898 hecollectedhislateressaysas\"FiguresetChosesquipassaient。\"In1899-1900LotivisitedBritishIndia，andintheautumnofthelatteryearChina；andhehasdescribedwhathesawthere，aftertheseige，inacharmingvolume，\"DerniersJoursdePekin，\"1902。 E。G。 ANICELANDFISHERMAN byPierreLotiPART1 ONTHEICYSEA CHAPTERI THEFISHERMEN Theretheywere，fivehuge，square-builtseamen，drinkingawaytogetherinthedismalcabin，whichreekedoffish-pickleandbilge- water。Theoverheadbeamscamedowntoolowfortheirtallstatures，androundedoffatoneendsoastoresembleagull\'sbreast，seenfromwithin。Thewholerolledgentlywithamonotonouswail，incliningoneslowlytodrowsiness。 Outside，beyonddoubt，laytheseaandthenight；butonecouldnotbequitesureofthat，forasingleopeninginthedeckwasclosedbyitsweather-hatch，andtheonlylightcamefromanoldhanging-lamp，swingingtoandfro。Afireshoneinthestove，atwhichtheirsaturatedclothesweredrying，andgivingoutsteamthatmingledwiththesmokefromtheirclaypipes。 Theirmassivetable，fittedexactlytoitsshape，occupiedthewholespace；andtherewasjustenoughroomformovingaroundandsittinguponthenarrowlockersfastenedtothesides。Thickbeamsranabovethem，verynearlytouchingtheirheads，andbehindthemyawnedtheberths，apparentlyhollowedoutofthesolidtimbers，likerecessesofavaultwhereintoplacethedead。Allthewainscotingwasroughandworn，impregnatedwithdampandsalt，defacedandpolishedbythecontinualrubbingsoftheirhands。 Theyhadbeendrinkingwineandciderintheirpannikins，andthesheerenjoymentoflifelituptheirfrank，honestfaces。Now，theylingeredattablechatting，inBretontongue，onwomenandmarriage。A chinastatuetteoftheVirginMarywasfastenedonabracketagainstthemidshippartition，intheplaceofhonour。Thispatronsaintofoursailorswasratherantiquated，andpaintedwithverysimpleart； yettheseporcelainimageslivemuchlongerthanrealmen，andherredandbluerobestillseemedveryfreshinthemidstofthesombregreysofthepoorwoodenbox。Shemusthavelistenedtomanyanardentprayerindeadlyhours；atherfeetwerenailedtwonosegaysofartificialflowersandarosary。 Thesehalf-dozenmenweredressedalike；athickbluewoollenjerseyclungtothebody，drawninbythewaist-belt；ontheheadwaswornthewaterproofhelmet，knownasthesou\'-wester。Thesemenwereofdifferentages。Theskippermighthavebeenaboutforty；thethreeothersbetweentwenty-fiveandthirty。Theyoungest，whomtheycalledSylvestreor\"Lurlu，\"wasonlyseventeen，yetalreadyamanforheightandstrength；afinecurlyblackbeardcoveredhischeeks；stillhehadchildlikeeyes，bluish-greyinhue，andsweetandtenderinexpression。 Huddledagainstoneanother，forwantofspace，theyseemedtofeeldownrightcomfort，snuglypackedintheirdarkhome。 Outsidespreadtheoceanandnight——theinfinitesolitudeofdarkfathomlesswaters。Abrasswatch，hungonthewall，pointedtoeleveno\'clock——doubtlesselevenatnight——anduponthedeckpatteredthedrizzlingrain。 Amongthemselves，theytreatedthesequestionsofmarriageverymerrily；butwithoutsayinganythingindecent。No，indeed，theyonlysketchedplansforthosewhowerestillbachelors，orrelatedfunnystorieshappeningathomeatwedding-feasts。Sometimeswithahappylaughtheymadesomerathertoofreeremarksaboutthefuninlove- making。Butlove-making，asthesemenunderstandit，isalwaysahealthysensation，andforallitscoarsenessremainstolerablychaste。 ButSylvestrewasworried，becauseamatecalledJean(whichBretonspronounce\"Yann\")didnotcomedownbelow。WherecouldYannbe，bytheway？washelashedtohisworkondeck？Whydidhenotcomebelowtotakehisshareintheirfeast？ \"It\'scloseonmidnight，hows\'ever，\"observedthecaptain；anddrawinghimselfupheraisedthescuttlewithhishead，soastocallYannthatway。 Thenaweirdglimmerfellfromabove。 \"Yann!Yann!Lookalive，matey!\" \"Matey\"answeredroughlyfromoutsidewhilethroughthehalf-openedhatchwaythefaintlightkeptenteringlikethatofdawn。Nearlymidnight，yetitlookedlikeapeepofday，orthelightofthestarrygloaming，sentfromafarthroughmysticlensesofmagicians。 Whentheapertureclosed，nightreignedagain，saveforthesmalllamp，\"sended\"nowandagainaside，whichsheditsyellowlight。Amaninclogswasheardcomingdownthewoodensteps。 Heenteredbentintwolikeabigbear，forhewasagiant。Atfirsthemadeawryface，holdinghisnose，becauseoftheacridsmellofthesouse。 Heexceededalittletoomuchtheordinaryproportionsofman，especiallyinbreadth，thoughhewasstraightasapoplar。Whenhefacedyouthemusclesofhisshoulders，mouldedunderhisbluejersey，stoodoutlikegreatglobesatthetopsofhisarms。Hislargebrowneyeswereverymobile，withagrand，wildexpression。 SylvestrethrewhisarmsroundYann，anddrewhimtowardshimtenderly，afterthefashionofchildren。SylvestrewasbetrothedtoYann\'ssister，andhetreatedhimasanelderbrother，ofcourse。AndYannallowedhimselftobepulledaboutlikeayounglion，answeringbyakindsmilethatshowedhiswhiteteeth。Theseweresomewhatfarapart，andappearedquitesmall。Hisfairmoustachewasrathershort，althoughnevercut。Itwastightlycurledinsmallrollsabovehislips，whichweremostexquisitelyanddelicatelymodelled，andthenfrizzedoffattheendsoneithersideofthedeepcornersofhismouth。Theremainderofhisbeardwasshaven，andhishighlycolouredcheeksretainedafreshbloomlikethatoffruitneveryethandled。 WhenYannwasseated，themugswerefilledupanew。 Thelightingofallthepipeswasanexcuseforthecabinboytosmokeafewwiffshimself。Hewasarobustlittlefellow，withroundcheeks——akindoflittlebrothertothemall，moreorlessrelatedtooneanotherastheywere；otherwisehisworkhadbeenhardenoughforthedarlingofthecrew。Yannlethimdrinkoutofhisownglassbeforehewassenttobed。Thereupontheimportanttopicofmarriagewasrevived。 \"ButIsay，Yann，\"askedSylvestre，\"whenarewegoingtocelebrateyourwedding？\" \"Yououghttobeashamed，\"saidthemaster；\"ahulkingchaplikeyou，twenty-sevenyearsoldandnotyetspliced；ho，ho!Whatmustthelassesthinkofyouwhentheyseeyourollby？\" Yannansweredbysnappinghisthickfingerswithacontemptuouslookforthewomenfolk。Hehadjustworkedoffhisfiveyears\'governmentnavalservice；anditwasasmaster-gunnerofthefleetthathehadlearnedtospeakgoodFrenchandholdscepticalopinions。Hehemmedandhawedandthenrattledoffhislatestloveadventure，whichhadlastedafortnight。 IthappenedinNantes，aFree-and-Easysingerfortheheroine。Oneevening，returningfromthewaterside，beingslightlytipsy，hehadenteredthemusichall。Atthedoorstoodawomansellingbigbouquetsattwentyfrancsapiece。Hehadboughtonewithoutquiteknowingwhatheshoulddowithit，andbeforehewasmuchmorethaninhadthrownitwithgreatforceatthevocalistuponthestage，strikingherfullintheface，partlyasaroughdeclarationoflove，partlythroughdisgustforthepainteddollthatwastoopinkforhistaste。Theblowhadfelledthewomantotheboards，and——sheworshippedhimduringthethreefollowingweeks。 \"Why，blessye，lads，whenIleftshemademethisherepresentofarealgoldwatch。\" Thebettertoshowitthemhethrewituponthetablelikeaworthlesstoy。 Thiswastoldwithcoarsewordsandoratoricalflourishesofhisown。 Yetthiscommonplaceofcivilizedlifejarredsadlyamongsuchsimplemen，withthegrandsolemnityoftheoceanaroundthem；intheglimmeringofmidnight，fallingfromabove，wasanimpressionofthefleetingsummersofthefarnorthcountry。 ThesewaysofYanngreatlypainedandsurprisedSylvestre。Hewasagirlishboy，broughtupinrespectforholythings，byanoldgrandmother，thewidowofafishermaninthevillageofPloubazlanec。 Asatinychildheusedtogoeverydaywithhertokneelandtellhisbeadsoverhismother\'sgrave。FromthechurchyardonthecliffthegreywatersoftheChannel，whereinhisfatherhaddisappearedinashipwreck，couldbeseeninthefardistance。 Ashisgrandmotherandhimselfwerepoorhehadtotaketofishinginhisearlyyouth，andhischildhoodhadbeenspentoutontheopenwater。Everynighthesaidhisprayers，andhiseyesstillworetheirreligiouspurity。Hewascaptivatingthough，andnexttoYannthefinest-builtladofthecrew。Hisvoicewasverysoft，anditsboyishtonescontrastedmarkedlywithhistallheightandblackbeard；ashehadshotupveryrapidlyhewasalmostpuzzledtofindhimselfgrownsuddenlysotallandbig。HeexpectedtomarryYann\'ssistersoon，butneveryethadansweredanygirl\'sloveadvances。 Therewereonlythreesleepingbunksaboard，onebeingdouble-berthed，sothey\"turnedin\"alternately。 Whentheyhadfinishedtheirfeast，celebratingtheAssumptionoftheirpatronsaint，itwasalittlepastmidnight。Threeofthemcreptawaytobedinthesmalldarkrecessesthatresembledcoffin-shelves； andthethreeotherswentupondecktogetonwiththeirofteninterrupted，heavylabouroffish-catching；thelatterwereYann，Sylvestre，andoneoftheirfellow-villagersknownasGuillaume。 Itwasdaylight，theeverlastingdayofthoseregions——apale，dimlight，resemblingnoother——bathingallthings，likethegleamsofasettingsun。Aroundthemstretchedanimmensecolourlesswaste，andexceptingtheplanksoftheirship，allseemedtransparent，ethereal，andfairy-like。Theeyecouldnotdistinguishwhatthescenemightbe: firstitappearedasaquiveringmirrorthathadnoobjectstoreflect；andinthedistanceitbecameadesertofvapour；andbeyondthatavoid，havingneitherhorizonnorlimits。 Thedampfreshnessoftheairwasmoreintenselypenetratingthandryfrost；andwhenbreathingit，onetastedtheflavourofbrine。Allwascalm，andtherainhadceased；overheadtheclouds，withoutformorcolour，seemedtoconcealthatlatentlightthatcouldnotbeexplained；theeyecouldseeclearly，yetonewasstillconsciousofthenight；thisdimnesswasallofanindefinablehue。 Thethreemenondeckhadlivedsincetheirchildhooduponthefrigidseas，intheverymidstoftheirmists，whicharevagueandtroubledasthebackgroundofdreams。Theywereaccustomedtoseethisvaryinginfinitudeplayabouttheirpaltryarkofplanks，andtheireyeswereasusedtoitasthoseofthegreatfreeocean-birds。 Theboatrolledgentlywithitseverlastingwail，asmonotonousasaBretonsongmoanedbyasleeper。YannandSylvestrehadgottheirbaitandlinesready，whiletheirmateopenedabarrelofsalt，andwhettinghislongknifewentandsatbehindthem，waiting。 Hedidnothavelongtowait，ortheyeither。Theyscarcelyhadthrowntheirlinesintothecalm，coldwaterinfact，beforetheydrewinhugeheavyfish，ofasteel-greysheen。Andtimeaftertimethecodfishletthemselvesbehookedinarapidandunceasingsilentseries。Thethirdmanrippedthemopenwithhislongknife，spreadthemflat，saltedandcountedthem，andpiledupthelot——whichupontheirreturnwouldconstitutetheirfortune——behindthem，allstillredlystreamingandstillsweetandfresh。