第4章

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。\"