第4章

类别:其他 作者:佚名字数:16012更新时间:18/12/14 15:32:51
Theyhadbeenrangedclosely,afterhavingbeenshakenintosubmission,cuffedalittletoallayexcitement,addressedingruffwordsofencouragementthatsoundedlikepromisesofevil。 Theysatonthedeckinghastly,droopingrows,andattheendthecarpenter,withtwohandstohelphim,movedbusilyfromplacetoplace,settingtautandhitchingthelife-lines。Theboatswain,withonelegandonearmembracingastanchion,struggledwithalamppressedtohisbreast,tryingtogetalight,andgrowlingallthetimelikeanindustriousgorilla。 Thefiguresofseamenstoopedrepeatedly,withthemovementsofgleaners,andeverythingwasbeingflungintothebunker: clothing,smashedwood,brokenchina,andthedollars,too,gatheredupinmen\'sjackets。Nowandthenasailorwouldstaggertowardsthedoorwaywithhisarmsfullofrubbish;anddolorous,slantingeyesfollowedhismovements。 WitheveryrolloftheshipthelongrowsofsittingCelestialswouldswayforwardbrokenly,andherheadlongdivesknockedtogetherthelineofshavenpollsfromendtoend。Whenthewashofwaterrollingonthedeckdiedawayforamoment,itseemedtoJukes,yetquiveringfromhisexertions,thatinhismadstruggledowntherehehadovercomethewindsomehow:thatasilencehadfallenupontheship,asilenceinwhichtheseastruckthunderouslyathersides。 Everythinghadbeenclearedoutofthe\'tween-deck——allthewreckage,asthemensaid。Theystooderectandtotteringabovethelevelofheadsanddroopingshoulders。Hereandthereacooliesobbedforhisbreath。Wherethehighlightfell,Jukescouldseethesalientribsofone,theyellow,wistfulfaceofanother;bowednecks;orwouldmeetadullstaredirectedathisface。Hewasamazedthattherehadbeennocorpses;butthelotofthemseemedattheirlastgasp,andtheyappearedtohimmorepitifulthaniftheyhadbeenalldead。 Suddenlyoneofthecooliesbegantospeak。Thelightcameandwentonhislean,strainingface;hethrewhisheaduplikeabayinghound。Fromthebunkercamethesoundsofknockingandthetinkleofsomedollarsrollingloose;hestretchedouthisarm,hismouthyawnedblack,andtheincomprehensiblegutturalhootingsounds,thatdidnotseemtobelongtoahumanlanguage,penetratedJukeswithastrangeemotionasifabrutehadtriedtobeeloquent。 TwomorestartedmouthingwhatseemedtoJukesfiercedenunciations;theothersstirredwithgruntsandgrowls。Jukesorderedthehandsoutofthe\'tweendeckshurriedly。Heleftlasthimself,backingthroughthedoor,whilethegruntsrosetoaloudmurmurandhandswereextendedafterhimasafteramalefactor。Theboatswainshotthebolt,andremarkeduneasily,\"Seemsasifthewindhaddropped,sir。\" Theseamenweregladtogetbackintothealleyway。Secretlyeachofthemthoughtthatatthelastmomenthecouldrushoutondeck——andthatwasacomfort。Thereissomethinghorriblyrepugnantintheideaofbeingdrownedunderadeck。NowtheyhaddonewiththeChinamen,theyagainbecameconsciousoftheship\'sposition。 Jukesoncomingoutofthealleywayfoundhimselfuptotheneckinthenoisywater。Hegainedthebridge,anddiscoveredhecoulddetectobscureshapesasifhissighthadbecomepreternaturallyacute。Hesawfaintoutlines。TheyrecallednotthefamiliaraspectoftheNan-Shan,butsomethingremembered-anolddismantledsteamerhehadseenyearsagorottingonamudbank。Sherecalledthatwreck。 Therewasnowind,notabreath,exceptthefaintcurrentscreatedbythelurchesoftheship。Thesmoketossedoutofthefunnelwassettlingdownuponherdeck。Hebreatheditashepassedforward。Hefeltthedeliberatethroboftheengines,andheardsmallsoundsthatseemedtohavesurvivedthegreatuproar: theknockingofbrokenfittings,therapidtumblingofsomepieceofwreckageonthebridge。Heperceiveddimlythesquatshapeofhiscaptainholdingontoatwistedbridge-rail,motionlessandswayingasifrootedtotheplanks。TheunexpectedstillnessoftheairoppressedJukes。 \"Wehavedoneit,sir,\"hegasped。 \"Thoughtyouwould,\"saidCaptainMacWhirr。 \"Didyou?\"murmuredJukestohimself。 \"Windfellallatonce,\"wentontheCaptain。 Jukesburstout:\"Ifyouthinkitwasaneasyjob——\" Buthiscaptain,clingingtotherail,paidnoattention。 \"Accordingtothebookstheworstisnotoveryet。\" \"Ifmostofthemhadn\'tbeenhalfdeadwithseasicknessandfright,notoneofuswouldhavecomeoutofthat\'tween-deckalive,\"saidJukes。 \"Hadtodowhat\'sfairbythem,\"mumbledMacWhirr,stolidly。 \"Youdon\'tfindeverythinginbooks。\" \"Why,IbelievetheywouldhaverisenonusifIhadn\'torderedthehandsoutofthatprettyquick,\"continuedJukeswithwarmth。 Afterthewhisperoftheirshouts,theirordinarytones,sodistinct,rangoutveryloudtotheirearsintheamazingstillnessoftheair。Itseemedtothemtheyweretalkinginadarkandechoingvault。 Throughajaggedapertureinthedomeofcloudsthelightofafewstarsfellupontheblacksea,risingandfallingconfusedly。 Sometimestheheadofawateryconewouldtoppleonboardandminglewiththerollingflurryoffoamontheswampeddeck;andtheNan-Shanwallowedheavilyatthebottomofacircularcisternofclouds。Thisringofdensevapours,gyratingmadlyroundthecalmofthecentre,encompassedtheshiplikeamotionlessandunbrokenwallofanaspectinconceivablysinister。Within,thesea,asifagitatedbyaninternalcommotion,leapedinpeakedmoundsthatjostledeachother,slappingheavilyagainsthersides;andalowmoaningsound,theinfiniteplaintofthestorm\'sfury,camefrombeyondthelimitsofthemenacingcalm。 CaptainMacWhirrremainedsilent,andJukes\'readyearcaughtsuddenlythefaint,longdrawnroarofsomeimmensewaverushingunseenunderthatthickblackness,whichmadetheappallingboundaryofhisvision。 \"Ofcourse,\"hestartedresentfully,\"theythoughtwehadcaughtatthechancetoplunderthem。Ofcourse!Yousaid——pickupthemoney。Easiersaidthandone。Theycouldn\'ttellwhatwasinourheads。Wecamein,smash——rightintothemiddleofthem。 Hadtodoitbyarush。\" \"Aslongasit\'sdone……,\"mumbledtheCaptain,withoutattemptingtolookatJukes。\"Hadtodowhat\'sfair。\" \"Weshallfindyetthere\'sthedeviltopaywhenthisisover,\" saidJukes,feelingverysore。\"Letthemonlyrecoverabit,andyou\'llsee。Theywillflyatourthroats,sir。Don\'tforget,sir,sheisn\'taBritishshipnow。Thesebrutesknowitwell,too。ThedamnedSiameseflag。\" \"Weareonboard,allthesame,\"remarkedCaptainMacWhirr。 \"Thetrouble\'snotoveryet,\"insistedJukes,prophetically,reelingandcatchingon。\"She\'sawreck,\"headded,faintly。 \"Thetrouble\'snotoveryet,\"assentedCaptainMacWhirr,halfaloud……\"Lookoutforheraminute。\" \"Areyougoingoffthedeck,sir?\"askedJukes,hurriedly,asifthestormweresuretopounceuponhimassoonashehadbeenleftalonewiththeship。 Hewatchedher,batteredandsolitary,labouringheavilyinawildsceneofmountainousblackwaterslitbythegleamsofdistantworlds。Shemovedslowly,breathingintothestillcoreofthehurricanetheexcessofherstrengthinawhitecloudofsteam——andthedeeptonedvibrationoftheescapewaslikethedefianttrumpetingofalivingcreatureoftheseaimpatientfortherenewalofthecontest。Itceasedsuddenly。Thestillairmoaned。AboveJukes\'headafewstarsshoneintoapitofblackvapours。Theinkyedgeofthecloud-discfrownedupontheshipunderthepatchofglitteringsky。Thestars,too,seemedtolookatherintently,asifforthelasttime,andtheclusteroftheirsplendoursatlikeadiademonaloweringbrow。 CaptainMacWhirrhadgoneintothechart-room。Therewasnolightthere;buthecouldfeelthedisorderofthatplacewhereheusedtolivetidily。Hisarmchairwasupset。Thebookshadtumbledoutonthefloor:hescrunchedapieceofglassunderhisboot。 Hegropedforthematches,andfoundaboxonashelfwithadeepledge。Hestruckone,andpuckeringthecornersofhiseyes,heldoutthelittleflametowardsthebarometerwhoseglitteringtopofglassandmetalsnoddedathimcontinuously。 Itstoodverylow——incrediblylow,solowthatCaptainMacWhirrgrunted。Thematchwentout,andhurriedlyheextractedanother,withthick,stifffingers。 Againalittleflameflaredupbeforethenoddingglassandmetalofthetop。Hiseyeslookedatit,narrowedwithattention,asifexpectinganimperceptiblesign。WithhisgravefaceheresembledabootedandmisshapenpaganburningincensebeforetheoracleofaJoss。Therewasnomistake。Itwasthelowestreadinghehadeverseeninhislife。 CaptainMacWhirremittedalowwhistle。Heforgothimselftilltheflamediminishedtoabluespark,burnthisfingersandvanished。Perhapssomethinghadgonewrongwiththething! Therewasananeroidglassscrewedabovethecouch。Heturnedthatway,struckanothermatch,anddiscoveredthewhitefaceoftheotherinstrumentlookingathimfromthebulkhead,meaningly,nottobegainsaid,asthoughthewisdomofmenweremadeunerringbytheindifferenceofmatter。Therewasnoroomfordoubtnow。CaptainMacWhirrpshawedatit,andthrewthematchdown。 Theworstwastocome,then——andifthebookswererightthisworstwouldbeverybad。Theexperienceofthelastsixhourshadenlargedhisconceptionofwhatheavyweathercouldbelike。 \"It\'llbeterrific,\"hepronounced,mentally。Hehadnotconsciouslylookedatanythingbythelightofthematchesexceptatthebarometer;andyetsomehowhehadseenthathiswaterbottleandthetwotumblershadbeenflungoutoftheirstand。Itseemedtogivehimamoreintimateknowledgeofthetossingtheshiphadgonethrough。\"Iwouldn\'thavebelievedit,\"hethought。Andhistablehadbeencleared,too;hisrulers,hispencils,theinkstand——allthethingsthathadtheirsafeappointedplaces——theyweregone,asifamischievoushandhadpluckedthemoutonebyoneandflungthemonthewetfloor。Thehurricanehadbrokeninupontheorderlyarrangementsofhisprivacy。Thishadneverhappenedbefore,andthefeelingofdismayreachedtheveryseatofhiscomposure。 Andtheworstwastocomeyet!Hewasgladthetroubleinthe\'tween-deckhadbeendiscoveredintime。Iftheshiphadtogoafterall,then,atleast,shewouldn\'tbegoingtothebottomwithalotofpeopleinherfightingteethandclaw。Thatwouldhavebeenodious。Andinthatfeelingtherewasahumaneintentionandavaguesenseofthefitnessofthings。 Theseinstantaneousthoughtswereyetintheiressenceheavyandslow,partakingofthenatureoftheman。Heextendedhishandtoputbackthematchboxinitscorneroftheshelf。Therewerealwaysmatchesthere——byhisorder。Thestewardhadhisinstructionsimpresseduponhimlongbefore。\"Abox……justthere,see?Notsoveryfull……whereIcanputmyhandonit,steward。Mightwantalightinahurry。Can\'ttellonboardshipwhatyoumightwantinahurry。Mind,now。\" Andofcourseonhissidehewouldbecarefultoputitbackinitsplacescrupulously。Hedidsonow,butbeforeheremovedhishanditoccurredtohimthatperhapshewouldneverhaveoccasiontousethatboxanymore。Thevividnessofthethoughtcheckedhimandforaninfinitesimalfractionofasecondhisfingersclosedagainonthesmallobjectasthoughithadbeenthesymbolofalltheselittlehabitsthatchainustothewearyroundoflife。Hereleaseditatlast,andlettinghimselffallonthesettee,listenedforthefirstsoundsofreturningwind。 Notyet。Heheardonlythewashofwater,theheavysplashes,thedullshocksoftheconfusedseasboardinghisshipfromallsides。Shewouldneverhaveachancetoclearherdecks。 Butthequietudeoftheairwasstartlinglytenseandunsafe,likeaslenderhairholdingaswordsuspendedoverhishead。Bythisawfulpausethestormpenetratedthedefencesofthemanandunsealedhislips。Hespokeoutinthesolitudeandthepitchdarknessofthecabin,asifaddressinganotherbeingawakenedwithinhisbreast。 \"Ishouldn\'tliketoloseher,\"hesaidhalfaloud。 Hesatunseen,apartfromthesea,fromhisship,isolated,asifwithdrawnfromtheverycurrentofhisownexistence,wheresuchfreaksastalkingtohimselfsurelyhadnoplace。Hispalmsreposedonhisknees,hebowedhisshortneckandpuffedheavily,surrenderingtoastrangesensationofwearinesshewasnotenlightenedenoughtorecognizeforthefatigueofmentalstress。 Fromwherehesathecouldreachthedoorofawashstandlocker。 Thereshouldhavebeenatowelthere。Therewas。Good…… Hetookitout,wipedhisface,andafterwardswentonrubbinghiswethead。Hetowelledhimselfwithenergyinthedark,andthenremainedmotionlesswiththetowelonhisknees。Amomentpassed,ofastillnesssoprofoundthatnoonecouldhaveguessedtherewasamansittinginthatcabin。Thenamurmurarose。 \"Shemaycomeoutofityet。\" WhenCaptainMacWhirrcameoutondeck,whichhedidbrusquely,asthoughhehadsuddenlybecomeconsciousofhavingstayedawaytoolong,thecalmhadlastedalreadymorethanfifteenminutes——longenoughtomakeitselfintolerableeventohisimagination。Jukes,motionlessontheforepartofthebridge,begantospeakatonce。Hisvoice,blankandforcedasthoughheweretalkingthroughhard-setteeth,seemedtoflowawayonallsidesintothedarkness,deepeningagainuponthesea。 \"Ihadthewheelrelieved。Hackettbegantosingoutthathewasdone。He\'slyingintherealongsidethesteering-gearwithafacelikedeath。AtfirstIcouldn\'tgetanybodytocrawloutandrelievethepoordevil。Thatboss\'n\'sworsethannogood,I alwayssaid。ThoughtIwouldhavehadtogomyselfandhauloutoneofthembytheneck。\" \"Ah,well,\"mutteredtheCaptain。HestoodwatchfulbyJukes\' side。 \"Thesecondmate\'sinthere,too,holdinghishead。Ishehurt,sir?\" \"No——crazy,\"saidCaptainMacWhirr,curtly。 \"Looksasifhehadatumble,though。\" \"Ihadtogivehimapush,\"explainedtheCaptain。 Jukesgaveanimpatientsigh。 \"Itwillcomeverysudden,\"saidCaptainMacWhirr,\"andfromoverthere,Ifancy。Godonlyknowsthough。Thesebooksareonlygoodtomuddleyourheadandmakeyoujumpy。Itwillbebad,andthere\'sanend。Ifweonlycansteamherroundintimetomeetit……\" Aminutepassed。Someofthestarswinkedrapidlyandvanished。 \"Youleftthemprettysafe?\"begantheCaptainabruptly,asthoughthesilencewereunbearable。 \"Areyouthinkingofthecoolies,sir?Iriggedlifelinesallwaysacrossthat\'tween-deck。\" \"Didyou?Goodidea,Mr。Jukes。\" \"Ididn\'t……thinkyoucaredto……know,\"saidJukes——thelurchingoftheshipcuthisspeechasthoughsomebodyhadbeenjerkinghimaroundwhilehetalked——\"howIgotonwith…… thatinfernaljob。Wedidit。Anditmaynotmatterintheend。\" \"Hadtodowhat\'sfair,forall——theyareonlyChinamen。Givethemthesamechancewithourselves——hangitall。Sheisn\'tlostyet。Badenoughtobeshutupbelowinagale——\" \"That\'swhatIthoughtwhenyougavemethejob,sir,\" interjectedJukes,moodily。 \"——withoutbeingbatteredtopieces,\"pursuedCaptainMacWhirrwithrisingvehemence。\"Couldn\'tletthatgooninmyship,ifI knewshehadn\'tfiveminutestolive。Couldn\'tbearit,Mr。 Jukes。\" Ahollowechoingnoise,likethatofashoutrollinginarockychasm,approachedtheshipandwentawayagain。Thelaststar,blurred,enlarged,asifreturningtothefierymistofitsbeginning,struggledwiththecolossaldepthofblacknesshangingovertheship——andwentout。 \"Nowforit!\"mutteredCaptainMacWhirr。\"Mr。Jukes。\" \"Here,sir。\" Thetwomenweregrowingindistincttoeachother。 \"Wemusttrusthertogothroughitandcomeoutontheotherside。That\'splainandstraight。There\'snoroomforCaptainWilson\'sstorm-strategyhere。\" \"No,sir。\" \"Shewillbesmotheredandsweptagainforhours,\"mumbledtheCaptain。\"There\'snotmuchleftbythistimeabovedeckfortheseatotakeaway——unlessyouorme。\" \"Both,sir,\"whisperedJukes,breathlessly。 \"Youarealwaysmeetingtroublehalfway,Jukes,\"CaptainMacWhirrremonstratedquaintly。\"Thoughit\'safactthatthesecondmateisnogood。D\'yehear,Mr。Jukes?Youwouldbeleftaloneif……\" CaptainMacWhirrinterruptedhimself,andJukes,glancingonallsides,remainedsilent。 \"Don\'tyoubeputoutbyanything,\"theCaptaincontinued,mumblingratherfast。\"Keepherfacingit。Theymaysaywhattheylike,buttheheaviestseasrunwiththewind。Facingit—— alwaysfacingit——that\'sthewaytogetthrough。Youareayoungsailor。Faceit。That\'senoughforanyman。Keepacoolhead。\" \"Yes,sir,\"saidJukes,withaflutteroftheheart。 InthenextfewsecondstheCaptainspoketotheengine-roomandgotananswer。 ForsomereasonJukesexperiencedanaccessofconfidence,asensationthatcamefromoutsidelikeawarmbreath,andmadehimfeelequaltoeverydemand。Thedistantmutteringofthedarknessstoleintohisears。Henoteditunmoved,outofthatsuddenbeliefinhimself,asamansafeinashirtofmailwouldwatchapoint。 Theshiplabouredwithoutintermissionamongsttheblackhillsofwater,payingwiththishardtumblingthepriceofherlife。Sherumbledinherdepths,shakingawhiteplummetofsteamintothenight,andJukes\'thoughtskimmedlikeabirdthroughtheengine-room,whereMr。Rout——goodman——wasready。Whentherumblingceaseditseemedtohimthattherewasapauseofeverysound,adeadpauseinwhichCaptainMacWhirr\'svoicerangoutstartlingly。 \"What\'sthat?Apuffofwind?\"——itspokemuchlouderthanJukeshadeverhearditbefore——\"Onthebow。That\'sright。 Shemaycomeoutofityet。\" Themutterofthewindsdrewnearapace。Intheforefrontcouldbedistinguishedadrowsywakingplaintpassingon,andfaroffthegrowthofamultipleclamour,marchingandexpanding。Therewasthethrobasofmanydrumsinit,aviciousrushingnote,andlikethechantofatrampingmultitude。 Jukescouldnolongerseehiscaptaindistinctly。Thedarknesswasabsolutelypilingitselfupontheship。Atmosthemadeoutmovements,ahintofelbowsspreadout,ofaheadthrownup。 CaptainMacWhirrwastryingtodoupthetopbuttonofhisoilskincoatwithunwontedhaste。Thehurricane,withitspowertomaddentheseas,tosinkships,touproottrees,tooverturnstrongwallsanddashtheverybirdsoftheairtotheground,hadfoundthistaciturnmaninitspath,and,doingitsutmost,hadmanagedtowringoutafewwords。Beforetherenewedwrathofwindsswoopedonhisship,CaptainMacWhirrwasmovedtodeclare,inatoneofvexation,asitwere:\"Iwouldn\'tliketoloseher。\" Hewassparedthatannoyance。 VI ONAbrightsunshinyday,withthebreezechasinghersmokefarahead,theNan-ShancameintoFu-chau。Herarrivalwasatoncenoticedonshore,andtheseameninharboursaid:\"Look!Lookatthatsteamer。What\'sthat?Siamese——isn\'tshe?Justlookather!\" Sheseemed,indeed,tohavebeenusedasarunningtargetforthesecondarybatteriesofacruiser。Ahailofminorshellscouldnothavegivenherupperworksamorebroken,torn,anddevastatedaspect:andshehadabouthertheworn,wearyairofshipscomingfromthefarendsoftheworld——andindeedwithtruth,forinhershortpassageshehadbeenveryfar;sighting,verily,eventhecoastoftheGreatBeyond,whencenoshipeverreturnstogiveuphercrewtothedustoftheearth。Shewasincrustedandgraywithsalttothetrucksofhermastsandtothetopofherfunnel;asthough(assomefacetiousseamansaid) \"thecrowdonboardhadfishedheroutsomewherefromthebottomoftheseaandbroughtherinhereforsalvage。\"Andfurther,excitedbythefelicityofhisownwit,heofferedtogivefivepoundsforher——\"asshestands。\" Beforeshehadbeenquiteanhouratrest,ameagrelittleman,withared-tippednoseandafacecastinanangrymould,landedfromasampanonthequayoftheForeignConcession,andincontinentlyturnedtoshakehisfistather。 Atallindividual,withlegsmuchtoothinforarotundstomach,andwithwateryeyes,strolledupandremarked,\"Justlefther—— eh?Quickwork。\" Heworeasoiledsuitofblueflannelwithapairofdirtycricketingshoes;adingygraymoustachedroopedfromhislip,anddaylightcouldbeseenintwoplacesbetweentherimandthecrownofhishat。 \"Hallo!whatareyoudoinghere?\"askedtheexsecond-mateoftheNan-Shan,shakinghandshurriedly。 \"Standingbyforajob——chanceworthtaking——gotaquiethint,\"explainedthemanwiththebrokenhat,injerky,apatheticwheezes。 ThesecondshookhisfistagainattheNan-Shan。\"There\'safellowtherethatain\'tfittohavethecommandofascow,\"hedeclared,quiveringwithpassion,whiletheotherlookedaboutlistlessly。 \"Isthere?\" Buthecaughtsightonthequayofaheavyseaman\'schest,paintedbrownunderafringedsailclothcover,andlashedwithnewmanilaline。Heeyeditwithawakenedinterest。 \"Iwouldtalkandraisetroubleifitwasn\'tforthatdamnedSiameseflag。Nobodytogoto——orIwouldmakeithotforhim。 Thefraud!Toldhischiefengineer——that\'sanotherfraudforyou——Ihadlostmynerve。Thegreatestlotofignorantfoolsthateversailedtheseas。No!Youcan\'tthink……\" \"Gotyourmoneyallright?\"inquiredhisseedyacquaintancesuddenly。 \"Yes。Paidmeoffonboard,\"ragedthesecondmate。\"\'Getyourbreakfastonshore,\'sayshe。\" \"Meanskunk!\"commentedthetallman,vaguely,andpassedhistongueonhislips。\"Whatabouthavingadrinkofsomesort?\" \"Hestruckme,\"hissedthesecondmate。 \"No!Struck!Youdon\'tsay?\"Themaninbluebegantobustleaboutsympathetically。\"Can\'tpossiblytalkhere。Iwanttoknowallaboutit。 Struck——eh?Let\'sgetafellowtocarryyourchest。Iknowaquietplacewheretheyhavesomebottledbeer……\" Mr。Jukes,whohadbeenscanningtheshorethroughapairofglasses,informedthechiefengineerafterwardsthat\"ourlatesecondmatehasn\'tbeenlonginfindingafriend。Achaplookinguncommonlylikeabummer。Isawthemwalkawaytogetherfromthequay。\" ThehammeringandbangingoftheneedfulrepairsdidnotdisturbCaptainMacWhirr。Thestewardfoundintheletterhewrote,inatidychart-room,passagesofsuchabsorbinginterestthattwicehewasnearlycaughtintheact。ButMrs。MacWhirr,inthedrawing-roomoftheforty-poundhouse,stifledayawn——perhapsoutofself-respect——forshewasalone。 Shereclinedinaplush-bottomedandgilthammockchairnearatiledfireplace,withJapanesefansonthemantelandaglowofcoalsinthegrate。Liftingherhands,sheglancedwearilyhereandthereintothemanypages。Itwasnotherfaulttheyweresoprosy,socompletelyuninteresting——from\"Mydarlingwife\"atthebeginning,to\"Yourlovinghusband\"attheend。Shecouldn\'tbereallyexpectedtounderstandalltheseshipaffairs。Shewasglad,ofcourse,tohearfromhim,butshehadneveraskedherselfwhy,precisely。 \"……Theyarecalledtyphoons……Thematedidnotseemtolikeit……Notinbooks……Couldn\'tthinkoflettingitgoon……\" Thepaperrustledsharply。\"……Acalmthatlastedmorethantwentyminutes,\"shereadperfunctorily;andthenextwordsherthoughtlesseyescaught,onthetopofanotherpage,were: \"seeyouandthechildrenagain……\"Shehadamovementofimpatience。Hewasalwaysthinkingofcominghome。Hehadneverhadsuchagoodsalarybefore。Whatwasthematternow? Itdidnotoccurtohertoturnbackoverleaftolook。Shewouldhavefounditrecordedtherethatbetween4and6A。M。onDecember25th,CaptainMacWhirrdidactuallythinkthathisshipcouldnotpossiblyliveanotherhourinsuchasea,andthathewouldneverseehiswifeandchildrenagain。Nobodywastoknowthis(hislettersgotmislaidsoquickly)——nobodywhateverbutthesteward,whohadbeengreatlyimpressedbythatdisclosure。 Somuchso,thathetriedtogivethecooksomeideaofthe\"narrowsqueakweallhad\"bysayingsolemnly,\"Theoldmanhimselfhadadam\'pooropinionofourchance。\" \"Howdoyouknow?\"asked,contemptuously,thecook,anoldsoldier。\"Hehasn\'ttoldyou,maybe?\" \"Well,hedidgivemeahinttothateffect,\"thestewardbrazeneditout。 \"Getalongwithyou!Hewillbecomingtotellmenext,\"jeeredtheoldcook,overhisshoulder。 Mrs。MacWhirrglancedfarther,onthealert。\"……Dowhat\'sfair……Miserableobjects……Onlythree,withabrokenlegeach,andone……Thoughthadbetterkeepthematterquiet……hopetohavedonethefairthing……\" Sheletfallherhands。No:therewasnothingmoreaboutcominghome。Musthavebeenmerelyexpressingapiouswish。Mrs。 MacWhirr\'smindwassetatease,andablackmarbleclock,pricedbythelocaljewellerat£;318s。6d。,hadadiscreetstealthytick。 Thedoorflewopen,andagirlinthelong-legged,short-frockedperiodofexistence,flungintotheroom。 Alotofcolourless,ratherlankyhairwasscatteredoverhershoulders。Seeinghermother,shestoodstill,anddirectedherpalepryingeyesupontheletter。 \"Fromfather,\"murmuredMrs。MacWhirr。\"Whathaveyoudonewithyourribbon?\" Thegirlputherhandsuptoherheadandpouted。 \"He\'swell,\"continuedMrs。MacWhirrlanguidly。\"AtleastIthinkso。Heneversays。\"Shehadalittlelaugh。Thegirl\'sfaceexpressedawanderingindifference,andMrs。MacWhirrsurveyedherwithfondpride。 \"Goandgetyourhat,\"shesaidafterawhile。\"Iamgoingouttodosomeshopping。ThereisasaleatLinom\'s。\" \"Oh,howjolly!\"utteredthechild,impressively,inunexpectedlygravevibratingtones,andboundedoutoftheroom。 Itwasafineafternoon,withagrayskyanddrysidewalks。 Outsidethedraper\'sMrs。MacWhirrsmileduponawomaninablackmantleofgenerousproportionsarmouredinjetandcrownedwithflowersbloomingfalselyaboveabiliousmatronlycountenance。 Theybrokeintoaswiftlittlebabbleofgreetingsandexclamationsbothtogether,veryhurried,asifthestreetwerereadytoyawnopenandswallowallthatpleasurebeforeitcouldbeexpressed。 Behindthemthehighglassdoorswerekeptontheswing。Peoplecouldn\'tpass,menstoodasidewaitingpatiently,andLydiawasabsorbedinpokingtheendofherparasolbetweenthestoneflags。Mrs。MacWhirrtalkedrapidly。 \"Thankyouverymuch。He\'snotcominghomeyet。Ofcourseit\'sverysadtohavehimaway,butit\'ssuchacomforttoknowhekeepssowell。\"Mrs。MacWhirrdrewbreath。\"Theclimatethereagreeswithhim,\"sheadded,beamingly,asifpoorMacWhirrhadbeenawaytouringinChinaforthesakeofhishealth。 Neitherwasthechiefengineercominghomeyet。Mr。Routknewtoowellthevalueofagoodbillet。 \"Solomonsayswonderswillnevercease,\"criedMrs。Routjoyouslyattheoldladyinherarmchairbythefire。Mr。Rout\'smothermovedslightly,herwitheredhandslyinginblackhalf-mittensonherlap。 Theeyesoftheengineer\'swifefairlydancedonthepaper。 \"Thatcaptainoftheshipheisin——arathersimpleman,youremember,mother?——hasdonesomethingratherclever,Solomonsays。\" \"Yes,mydear,\"saidtheoldwomanmeekly,sittingwithbowedsilveryhead,andthatairofinwardstillnesscharacteristicofveryoldpeoplewhoseemlostinwatchingthelastflickersoflife。\"IthinkIremember。\" SolomonRout,OldSol,FatherSol,theChief,\"Rout,goodman\"—— Mr。Rout,thecondescendingandpaternalfriendofyouth,hadbeenthebabyofhermanychildren——alldeadbythistime。Andsherememberedhimbestasaboyoften——longbeforehewentawaytoservehisapprenticeshipinsomegreatengineeringworksintheNorth。Shehadseensolittleofhimsince,shehadgonethroughsomanyyears,thatshehadnowtoretraceherstepsveryfarbacktorecognizehimplainlyinthemistoftime。Sometimesitseemedthatherdaughter-in-lawwastalkingofsomestrangeman。 Mrs。Routjuniorwasdisappointed。\"H\'m。H\'m。\"Sheturnedthepage。\"Howprovoking!Hedoesn\'tsaywhatitis。SaysI couldn\'tunderstandhowmuchtherewasinit。Fancy!Whatcoulditbesoveryclever?Whatawretchedmannottotellus!\" Shereadonwithoutfurtherremarksoberly,andatlastsatlookingintothefire。Thechiefwrotejustawordortwoofthetyphoon;butsomethinghadmovedhimtoexpressanincreasedlongingforthecompanionshipofthejollywoman。\"Ifithadn\'tbeenthatmothermustbelookedafter,Iwouldsendyouyourpassage-moneyto-day。Youcouldsetupasmallhouseouthere。 Iwouldhaveachancetoseeyousometimesthen。Wearenotgrowingyounger……\" \"He\'swell,mother,\"sighedMrs。Rout,rousingherself。 \"Healwayswasastronghealthyboy,\"saidtheoldwoman,placidly。 ButMr。Jukes\'accountwasreallyanimatedandveryfull。HisfriendintheWesternOceantradeimparteditfreelytotheotherofficersofhisliner。\"AchapIknowwritestomeaboutanextraordinaryaffairthathappenedonboardhisshipinthattyphoon——youknow——thatwereadofinthepaperstwomonthsago。It\'sthefunniestthing!Justseeforyourselfwhathesays。I\'llshowyouhisletter。\" Therewerephrasesinitcalculatedtogivetheimpressionoflight-hearted,indomitableresolution。Jukeshadwrittenthemingoodfaith,forhefeltthuswhenhewrote。Hedescribedwithlurideffectthescenesinthe\'tween-deck。\"……ItstruckmeinaflashthatthoseconfoundedChinamencouldn\'ttellweweren\'tadesperatekindofrobbers。\'Tisn\'tgoodtoparttheChinamanfromhismoneyifheisthestrongerparty。Weneedhavebeendesperateindeedtogothievinginsuchweather,butwhatcouldthesebeggarsknowofus?So,withoutthinkingofittwice,Igotthehandsawayinajiffy。Ourworkwasdone——thattheoldmanhadsethishearton。Weclearedoutwithoutstayingtoinquirehowtheyfelt。Iamconvincedthatiftheyhadnotbeensounmercifullyshaken,andafraid——eachindividualoneofthem——tostandup,wewouldhavebeentorntopieces。Oh!Itwasprettycomplete,Icantellyou;andyoumayruntoandfroacrossthePondtotheendoftimebeforeyoufindyourselfwithsuchajobonyourhands。\" Afterthishealludedprofessionallytothedamagedonetotheship,andwentonthus: \"Itwaswhentheweatherquieteddownthatthesituationbecameconfoundedlydelicate。Itwasn\'tmadeanybetterbyushavingbeenlatelytransferredtotheSiameseflag;thoughtheskippercan\'tseethatitmakesanydifference——\'aslongasweareonboard\'-hesays。Therearefeelingsthatthismansimplyhasn\'tgot——andthere\'sanendofit。Youmightjustaswelltrytomakeabedpostunderstand。ButapartfromthisitisaninfernallylonelystateforashiptobegoingabouttheChinaseaswithnoproperconsuls,notevenagunboatofherownanywhere,norabodytogotoincaseofsometrouble。 \"MynotionwastokeeptheseJohnniesunderhatchesforanotherfifteenhoursorso;asweweren\'tmuchfartherthanthatfromFu-chau。Wewouldfindthere,mostlikely,somesortofaman-of-war,andonceunderhergunsweweresafeenough;forsurelyanyskipperofaman-of-war——English,FrenchorDutch-wouldseewhitementhroughasfarasrowonboardgoes。WecouldgetridofthemandtheirmoneyafterwardsbydeliveringthemtotheirMandarinorTaotai,orwhatevertheycallthesechapsingogglesyouseebeingcarriedaboutinsedan-chairsthroughtheirstinkingstreets。 \"Theoldmanwouldn\'tseeitsomehow。Hewantedtokeepthematterquiet。Hegotthatnotionintohishead,andasteamwindlasscouldn\'tdragitoutofhim。Hewantedaslittlefussmadeaspossible,forthesakeoftheship\'snameandforthesakeoftheowners——\'forthesakeofallconcerned,\'sayshe,lookingatmeveryhard。 Itmademeangryhot。Ofcourseyoucouldn\'tkeepathinglikethatquiet;butthechestshadbeensecuredintheusualmannerandweresafeenoughforanyearthlygale,whilethishadbeenanaltogetherfiendishbusinessIcouldn\'tgiveyouevenanideaof。 \"Meantime,Icouldhardlykeeponmyfeet。Noneofushadaspellofanysortfornearlythirtyhours,andtheretheoldmansatrubbinghischin,rubbingthetopofhishead,andsobotheredhedidn\'teventhinkofpullinghislongbootsoff。 \"\'Ihope,sir,\'saysI,\'youwon\'tbelettingthemoutondeckbeforewemakereadyfortheminsomeshapeorother。\'Not,mindyou,thatIfeltverysanguineaboutcontrollingthesebeggarsiftheymeanttotakecharge。AtroublewithacargoofChinamenisnochild\'splay。Iwasdam\'tired,too。\'Iwish,\'saidI,\'youwouldletusthrowthewholelotofthesedollarsdowntothemandleavethemtofightitoutamongstthemselves,whilewegetarest。\' \"\'Nowyoutalkwild,Jukes,\'sayshe,lookingupinhisslowwaythatmakesyouacheallover,somehow。\'Wemustplanoutsomethingthatwouldbefairtoallparties。\' \"Ihadnoendofworkonhand,asyoumayimagine,soIsetthehandsgoing,andthenIthoughtIwouldturninabit。Ihadn\'tbeenasleepinmybunktenminuteswheninrushesthestewardandbeginstopullatmyleg。 \"\'ForGod\'ssake,Mr。Jukes,comeout!Comeondeckquick,sir。 Oh,docomeout!\' \"Thefellowscaredallthesenseoutofme。Ididn\'tknowwhathadhappened:anotherhurricane——orwhat。Couldhearnowind。 \"\'TheCaptain\'slettingthemout。Oh,heislettingthemout! Jumpondeck,sir,andsaveus。Thechiefengineerhasjustrunbelowforhisrevolver。\' \"That\'swhatIunderstoodthefooltosay。However,FatherRoutswearshewentinthereonlytogetacleanpocket-handkerchief。 Anyhow,Imadeonejumpintomytrousersandflewondeckaft。 Therewascertainlyagooddealofnoisegoingonforwardofthebridge。Fourofthehandswiththeboss\'nwereatworkabaft。I passeduptothemsomeoftheriflesalltheshipsontheChinacoastcarryinthecabin,andledthemonthebridge。OnthewayIranagainstOldSol,lookingstartledandsuckingatanunlightedcigar。 \"\'Comealong,\'Ishoutedtohim。 \"Wecharged,thesevenofus,uptothechart-room。Allwasover。 Therestoodtheoldmanwithhissea-bootsstilldrawnuptothehipsandinshirt-sleeves-gotwarmthinkingitout,Isuppose。 BunHin\'sdandyclerkathiselbow,asdirtyasasweep,wasstillgreenintheface。IcouldseedirectlyIwasinforsomething。 \"\'Whatthedevilarethesemonkeytricks,Mr。Jukes?\'askstheoldman,asangryaseverhecouldbe。Itellyoufranklyitmademelosemytongue。\'ForGod\'ssake,Mr。Jukes,\'sayshe,\'dotakeawaytheseriflesfromthemen。Somebody\'ssuretogethurtbeforelongifyoudon\'t。Damme,ifthisshipisn\'tworsethanBedlam!Looksharpnow。IwantyouupheretohelpmeandBunHin\'sChinamantocountthatmoney。Youwouldn\'tmindlendingahand,too,Mr。Rout,nowyouarehere。Themoreofusthebetter。\' \"HehadsettleditallinhismindwhileIwashavingasnooze。 HadwebeenanEnglishship,oronlygoingtolandourcargoofcooliesinanEnglishport,likeHong-Kong,forinstance,therewouldhavebeennoendofinquiriesandbother,claimsfordamagesandsoon。ButtheseChinamenknowtheirofficialsbetterthanwedo。 \"Thehatcheshadbeentakenoffalready,andtheywereallondeckafteranightandadaydownbelow。Itmadeyoufeelqueertoseesomanygaunt,wildfacestogether。Thebeggarsstaredaboutatthesky,atthesea,attheship,asthoughtheyhadexpectedthewholethingtohavebeenblowntopieces。Andnowonder!Theyhadhadadoingthatwouldhaveshakenthesouloutofawhiteman。ButthentheysayaChinamanhasnosoul。Hehas,though,somethingabouthimthatisdeucedtough。Therewasafellow(amongstothersofthebadlyhurt)whohadhadhiseyeallbutknockedout。Itstoodoutofhisheadthesizeofhalfahen\'segg。Thiswouldhavelaidoutawhitemanonhisbackforamonth:andyettherewasthatchapelbowinghereandthereinthecrowdandtalkingtotheothersasifnothinghadbeenthematter。Theymadeagreathubbubamongstthemselves,andwhenevertheoldmanshowedhisbaldheadontheforesideofthebridge,theywouldallleaveoffjawingandlookathimfrombelow。 \"ItseemsthatafterhehaddonehisthinkinghemadethatBunHin\'sfellowgodownandexplaintothemtheonlywaytheycouldgettheirmoneyback。Hetoldmeafterwardsthat,allthecoolieshavingworkedinthesameplaceandforthesamelengthoftime,hereckonedhewouldbedoingthefairthingbythemasnearaspossibleifhesharedallthecashwehadpickedupequallyamongthelot。Youcouldn\'ttelloneman\'sdollarsfromanother\'s,hesaid,andifyouaskedeachmanhowmuchmoneyhebroughtonboardhewasafraidtheywouldlie,andhewouldfindhimselfalongwayshort。Ithinkhewasrightthere。AstogivingupthemoneytoanyChineseofficialhecouldscareupinFu-chau,hesaidhemightjustaswellputthelotinhisownpocketatonceforallthegooditwouldbetothem。Isupposetheythoughtso,too。 \"Wefinishedthedistributionbeforedark。Itwasratherasight:thesearunninghigh,theshipawrecktolookat,theseChinamenstaggeringuponthebridgeonebyonefortheirshare,andtheoldmanstillbooted,andinhisshirt-sleeves,busypayingoutatthechartroomdoor,perspiringlikeanything,andnowandthencomingdownsharponmyselforFatherRoutaboutonethingoranothernotquitetohismind。HetooktheshareofthosewhoweredisabledhimselftothemontheNo。2hatch。 Therewerethreedollarsleftover,andthesewenttothethreemostdamagedcoolies,onetoeach。Weturned-toafterwards,andshovelledoutondeckheapsofwetrags,allsortsoffragmentsofthingswithoutshape,andthatyoucouldn\'tgiveanameto,andletthemsettletheownershipthemselves。 \"Thiscertainlyiscomingasnearascanbetokeepingthethingquietforthebenefitofallconcerned。What\'syouropinion,youpamperedmail-boatswell?Theoldchiefsaysthatthiswasplainlytheonlythingthatcouldbedone。Theskipperremarkedtometheotherday,\'Therearethingsyoufindnothingaboutinbooks。\'Ithinkthathegotoutofitverywellforsuchastupidman。\"