"Well,Leach,areyougoingfor’ard?"WolfLarsenasked。
"Yes,sir,"cametheanswerofaspiritcowed。
"Andyou?"Iwasasked。
"I’llgiveyouathousand——"Ibegan,butwasinterrupted。
"Stowthat!Areyougoingtotakeupyourdutiesascabin—boy?OrdoIhavetotakeyouinhand?"
WhatwasItodo?Tobebrutallybeaten,tobekilledperhaps,wouldnothelpmycase。Ilookedsteadilyintothecruelgrayeyes。Theymighthavebeengraniteforallthelightandwarmthofahumansoultheycontained。
Onemayseethesoulstirinsomemen’seyes,buthiswerebleak,andcold,andgrayastheseaitself。
"Well?"
"Yes,"Isaid。
"Say`yes,sir。’"
"Yes,sir,"Icorrected。
"Whatisyourname?"
"VanWeyden,sir。"
"Firstname?"
"Humphrey,sir;HumphreyVanWeyden。"
"Age?"
"Thirty—five,sir。"
"That’lldo。Gotothecookandlearnyourduties。"
AndthusitwasthatIpassedintoastateofinvoluntaryservitudetoWolfLarsen。HewasstrongerthanI,thatwasall。Butitwasveryunrealatthetime。ItisnolessunrealnowthatIlookbackuponit。Itwillalwaysbetomeamonstrous,inconceivablething,ahorriblenightmare。
"Holdon,don’tgoyet。"
Istoppedobedientlyinmywalktowardthegalley。
"Johansen,callallhands。Nowthatwe’veeverythingcleanedup,we’llhavethefuneralandgetthedecksclearedofuselesslumber。"
WhileJohansenwassummoningthewatchbelow,acoupleofsailors,underthecaptain’sdirection,laidthecanvas—swathedcorpseuponahatch—cover。
Oneithersidethedeck,againsttherailandbottomsup,werelashedanumberofsmallboats。Severalmenpickedupthehatch—coverwithitsghastlyfreight,carriedittotheleeside,andresteditontheboats,thefeetpointingoverboard。Tothefeetwasattachedthesackofcoalwhichthecookhadfetched。
Ihadalwaysconceivedaburialatseatobeaverysolemnandawe—inspiringevent,butIwasquicklydisillusioned,bythisburialatanyrate。Oneofthehunters,alittledark—eyedmanwhomhismatescalled"Smoke,"wastellingstories,liberallyintersprinkledwithoathsandobscenities;andeveryminuteorsothegroupofhuntersgavemouthtoalaughterthatsoundedtomelikeawolf—chorusorthebarkingofhell—hounds。Thesailorstroopednoisilyaft,someofthewatchbelowrubbingthesleepfromtheireyes,andtalkedinlowtonestogether。Therewasanominousandworriedexpressionontheirfaces。Itwasevidentthattheydidnotliketheoutlookofavoyageundersuchacaptainandbegunsoinauspiciously。FromtimetotimetheystoleglancesatWolfLarsen,andIcouldseethattheywereapprehensiveoftheman。
Hesteppeduptothehatch—cover,andallcapscameoff。Iranmyeyesoverthem——twentymenalltold,twenty—twoincludingthemanatthewheelandmyself。Iwaspardonablycuriousinmysurvey,foritappearedmyfatetobepentupwiththemonthisminiaturefloatingworldforIknewnothowmanyweeksormonths。Thesailors,inthemain,wereEnglishandScandinavian,andtheirfacesseemedoftheheavy,stolidorder。Thehunters,ontheotherhand,hadstrongerandmorediversifiedfaces,withhardlinesandthemarksofthefreeplayofpassions。Strangetosay,andInoteditatonce,WolfLarsen’sfeaturesshowednosuchevilstamp。Thereseemednothingviciousinthem。True,therewerelines,buttheywerethelinesofdecisionandfirmness。Itseemed,rather,afrankandopencountenance,whichfranknessoropennesswasenhancedbythefactthathewassmooth—
shaven。Icouldhardlybelieve,untilthenextincidentoccurred,thatitwasthefaceofamanwhocouldbehaveashehadbehavedtothecabin—boy。
Atthismoment,asheopenedhismouthtospeak,puffafterpuffstrucktheschoonerandpressedhersideunder。Thewindshriekedawildsongthroughtherigging。Someofthehuntersglancedanxiouslyaloft。Theleerail,wherethedeadmanlay,wasburiedinthesea,andastheschoonerliftedandrightedthewatersweptacrossthedeck,wettingusaboveourshoe—tops。Ashowerofraindrovedownuponus,eachdropstinginglikeahailstone。Asitpassed,WolfLarsenbegantospeak,thebare—headedmenswayinginunisontotheheaveandlungeofthedeck。
"Ionlyrememberonepartoftheservice,"hesaid,"andthatis,`Andthebodyshallbecastintothesea。’Socastitin。"
Heceasedspeaking。Themenholdingthehatch—coverseemedperplexed,puzzlednodoubtbythebriefnessoftheceremony。Heburstupontheminafury。
"Liftupthatendthere,damnyou!Whatthehell’sthematterwithyou?"
Theyelevatedtheendofthehatch—coverwithpitifulhaste,and,likeadogflungoverside,thedeadmanslidfeetfirstintothesea。Thecoalathisfeetdraggedhimdown。Hewasgone。
"Johansen,"WolfLarsensaidbrisklytothenewmate,"keepallhandsondecknowthey’rehere。Getinthetopsailsandjibsandmakeagoodjobofit。We’reinforasou’easter。Betterreefthejibandmainsail,too,whileyou’reaboutit。"
Inamomentthedeckswereincommotion,Johansenbellowingordersandthemenpullingorlettinggoropesofvarioussorts——allnaturallyconfusingtoalandsmansuchasmyself。Butitwastheheartlessnessofitthatespeciallystruckme。Thedeadmanwasanepisodethatwaspast,anincidentthatwasdropped,inacanvascoveringwithasackofcoal,whiletheshipspedalongandherworkwenton。Nobodyhadbeenaffected。ThehunterswerelaughingatafreshstoryofSmoke’s;themenpullingandhauling,andtwoofthemclimbingaloft;WolfLarsenwasstudyingthecloudingskytowindward;andthedeadman,dyingobscenely,buriedsordidly,andsinkingdown,down——
Thenitwasthatthecrueltyofthesea,itsrelentlessnessandawfulness,rusheduponme。Lifehadbecomecheapandtawdry,abeastlyandinarticulatething,asoullessstirringoftheoozeandslime。heldontotheweatherrail,closebytheshrouds,andgazedoutacrossthedesolatefoamingwavestothelow—lyingfog—banksthathidSanFranciscoandtheCaliforniacoast。
Rain—squallsweredrivinginbetween,andIcouldscarcelyseethefog。
Andthisstrangevessel,withitsterriblemen,pressedunderbywindandseaandeverleapingupandout,washeadingawayintothesouthwest,intothegreatandlonelyPacificexpanse。
TheSeaWolf:Chapter4CHAPTER4
Whathappenedtomenextonthesealing—schoonerGhost,asstrovetofitintomynewenvironment,aremattersofhumiliationandpain。Thecook,whowascalled"thedoctor"bythecrew,"Tommy"bythehunters,and"Cooky"byWolfLarsen,wasachangedperson。Thedifferenceworkedinmystatusbroughtaboutacorrespondingdifferenceintreatmentfromhim。Servileandfawningashehadbeenbefore,hewasnowasdomineeringandbellicose。Intruth,Iwasnolongerthefinegentlemanwithaskinsoftasa"lydy’s,"butonlyanordinaryandveryworthlesscabin—boy。
HeabsurdlyinsisteduponmyaddressinghimasMr。Mugridge,andhisbehaviorandcarriagewereinsufferableasheshowedmemyduties。Besidesmyworkinthecabin,withitsfoursmallstaterooms,wassupposedtobehisassistantinthegalley,andmycolossalignoranceconcerningsuchthingsaspeelingpotatoesorwashinggreasypotswasasourceofunendingandsarcasticwondertohim。HerefusedtotakeintoconsiderationwhatIwas,or,rather,whatmylifeandthethingsIwasaccustomedtohadbeen。Thiswaspartoftheattitudehechosetoadopttowardme;andI
confess,erethedaywasdone,thathatedhimwithmorelivelyfeelingsthanIhadeverhatedanyoneinmylifebefore。
ThisfirstdaywasmademoredifficultformefromthefactthattheGhost,underclosereefs,(termssuchastheseIdidnotlearntilllater),wasplungingthroughwhatMr。Mugridgecalledan"’owlin’sou’easter。"
Athalf—pastfive,underhisdirections,Isetthetableinthecabin,withrough—weathertraysinplace,andthencarriedtheteaandcookedfooddownfromthegalley。Inthisconnectioncannotforbearrelatingmyfirstexperiencewithaboardingsea。
"Looksharporyou’llgetdoused,"wasMr。Mugridge’spartinginjunction,asIleftthegalleywithabigtea—potinonehand,andinthehollowoftheotherarmseveralloavesoffresh—bakedbread。Oneofthehunters,atall,loose—jointedchapnamedHenderson,wasgoingaftatthetimefromthesteerage,(thenamethehuntersfacetiouslygavetheirmidshipssleepingquarters),tothecabin。WolfLarsenwasonthepoop,smokinghiseverlastingcigar。
"’Ereshecomes。Slingyer’ook!"thecookcried。
Istopped,forIdidnotknowwhatwascoming,andsawthegalleydoorslideshutwithabang。ThenIsawHendersonleapinglikeamadmanforthemainrigging,upwhichheshot,ontheinside,tillhewasmanyfeethigherthanmyhead。AlsoIsawagreatwave,curlingandfoaming,poisedfarabovetherail。Iwasdirectlyunderit。Myminddidnotworkquickly,everythingwassonewandstrange。IgraspedthatIwasindanger,butthatwasall。Istoodstill,intrepidation。ThenWolfLarsenshoutedfromthepoop:
"Grabholdsomething,you——youHump!"
Butitwastoolate。Isprangtowardtherigging,towhichmighthaveclung,andwasmetbythedescendingwallofwater。Whathappenedafterthatwasveryconfusing。Iwasbeneaththewater,suffocatinganddrowning。
Myfeetwereoutfromunderme,andIwasturningoverandoverandbeingsweptalongIknewnotwhere。SeveraltimesIcollidedagainsthardobjects,oncestrikingmyrightkneeaterribleblow。ThenthefloodseemedsuddenlytosubsideandIwasbreathingthegoodairagain。Ihadbeensweptagainstthegalleyandaroundthesteeragecompanionwayfromtheweathersideintotheleescuppers。Thepainfrommyhurtkneewasagonizing。Icouldnotputmyweightonit,or,atleast,IthoughtIcouldnotputmyweightonit;andIfeltsurethelegwasbroken。Butthecookwasafterme,shoutingthroughtheleegalleydoor:
"’Ere,you!Don’ttykeallnightaboutit!Where’sthepot?Lostoverboard?
Serveyoubloodywellrightifyerneckwasbroke!"
Imanagedtostruggletomyfeet。Thegreattea—potwasstillinmyhand。Ilimpedtothegalleyandhandedittohim。Buthewasconsumingwithindignation,realorfeigned。
"Gawdblimemeifyouayn’taslob。Wot’reyougoodforanyw’y,I’dliketoknow?Eh?Wot’reyougoodforanyw’y?Cawn’tevencarryabitofteaaftwithoutlosin’it。NowI’ll’avetoboilsomemore。
"An’wot’reyousnifflin’about?"heburstoutatme,withrenewedrage。
"’Cosyou’ve’urtyerporelittleleg,porelittlemamma’sdarlin’。"
Iwasnotsniffling,thoughmyfacemightwellhavebeendrawnandtwitchingfromthepain。ButIcalledupallmyresolution,setmyteeth,andhobbledbackandforthfromgalleytocabinandcabintogalleywithoutfurthermishap。TwothingsIhadacquiredbymyaccident:aninjuredkneecapthatwentundressedandfromwhichsufferedforwearymonths,andthenameof"Hump,"whichWolfLarsenhadcalledmefromthepoop。Thereafter,foreandaft,Iwasknownbynoothername,untilthetermbecameapartofmythought—processesandidentifieditwithmyself,thoughtofmyselfasHump,asthoughHumpwereIandhadalwaysbeenI。
Itwasnoeasytask,waitingonthecabintable,wheresatWolfLarsen,Johansen,andthesixhunters。Thecabinwassmall,tobeginwith,andtomovearound,asIwascompelledto,wasnotmadeeasierbytheschooner’sviolentpitchingandwallowing。Butwhatstruckmemostforciblywasthetotallackofsympathyonthepartofthemenwhomserved。Icouldfeelmykneethroughmyclothes,swelling,andswelling,andIwassickandfaintfromthepainofit。Icouldcatchglimpsesofmyface,whiteandghastly,distortedwithpain,inthecabinmirror。Allthemenmusthaveseenmycondition,butnotonespokeortooknoticeofme,tillIwasalmostgratefultoWolfLarsen,lateron,(Iwaswashingthedishes),whenhesaid:
"Don’tletalittlethinglikethatbotheryou。You’llgetusedtosuchthingsintime。Itmaycrippleyousome,butallthesameyou’llbelearningtowalk。
"That’swhatyoucallaparadox,isn’tit?"headded。
HeseemedpleasedwhenInoddedmyheadwiththecustomary"Yes,sir。"
"Isupposeyouknowabitaboutliterarythings?Eh?Good。I’llhavesometalkswithyousometime。"
Andthen,takingnofurtheraccountofme,heturnedhisbackandwentupondeck。
Thatnight,whenIhadfinishedanendlessamountofwork,wassenttosleepinthesteerage,whereImadeupasparebunk。Iwasgladtogetoutofthedetestablepresenceofthecookandtobeoffmyfeet。Tomysurprise,myclotheshaddriedonmeandthereseemednoindicationsofcatchingcold,eitherfromthelastsoakingorfromtheprolongedsoakingfromthefounderingoftheMartinez。Underordinarycircumstances,afterallthatIhadundergone,Ishouldhavebeenfitforbedandatrainednurse。
Butmykneewasbotheringmeterribly。AswellasIcouldmakeout,thekneecapseemedturneduponedgeinthemidstoftheswelling。AsI
satinmybunkexaminingit,(thesixhunterswereallinthesteerage,smokingandtalkinginloudvoices),Hendersontookapassingglanceatit。
"Looksnasty,"hecommented。"Tiearagarounditandit’llbeallright。"
Thatwasall;andonthelandIwouldhavebeenlyingonthebroadofmyback,withasurgeonattendingonme,andwithstrictinjunctionstodonothingbutrest。ButImustdothesemenjustice。Callousastheyweretomysuffering,theywereequallycalloustotheirownwhenanythingbefellthem。Andthiswasdue,Ibelieve,first,tohabit;andsecond,tothefactthattheywerelesssensitivelyorganized。Ireallybelievethatafinelyorganized,high—strungmanwouldsuffertwiceandthriceasmuchastheyfromalikeinjury。
TiredasIwas,exhausted,infact,Iwaspreventedfromsleepingbythepaininmyknee。ItwasallIcoulddotokeepfromgroaningaloud。
AthomeIshouldundoubtedlyhavegivenventtomyanguish;butthisnewandelementalenvironmentseemedtocallforasavagerepression。Likethesavage,theattitudeofthesemenwasstoicalingreatthings,childishinlittlethings。Iremember,laterinthevoyage,seeingKerfoot,anotherofthehunters,loseafingerbyhavingitsmashedtoajelly;andhedidnotevenmurmurorchangetheexpressiononhisface。YetIhaveseenthesameman,timeandagain,flyintothemostoutrageouspassionoveratrifle。
Hewasdoingitnow,vociferating,bellowing,wavinghisarms,andcursinglikeafiend,andallbecauseofadisagreementwithanotherhunterastowhetherasealpupknewinstinctivelyhowtoswim。Heheldthatitdid,thatitcouldswimthemomentitwasborn。Theotherhunter,Latimer,alean,Yankee—lookingfellowwithshrewd,narrow—slittedeyes,heldotherwise,heldthatthesealpupwasbornonthelandfornootherreasonthanthatitcouldnotswim,thatitsmotherwascompelledtoteachittoswimasbirdswerecompelledtoteachtheirnestlingshowtofly。
Forthemostpart,theremainingfourhuntersleanedonthetableorlayintheirbunksandleftthediscussiontothetwoantagonists。Buttheyweresupremelyinterested,foreverylittlewhiletheyardentlytooksides,andsometimesallweretalkingatonce,tilltheirvoicessurgedbackandforthinwavesofsoundlikemimicthunder—rollsintheconfinedspace。Childishandimmaterialasthetopicwas,thequalityoftheirreasoningwasstillmorechildishandimmaterial。Intruth,therewasverylittlereasoningornoneatall。Theirmethodwasoneofassertion,assumption,anddenunciation。Theyprovedthatasealpupcouldswimornotswimatbirthbystatingthepropositionverybellicoselyandthenfollowingitupwithanattackontheopposingman’sjudgment,commonsense,nationality,orpasthistory。Rebuttalwaspreciselysimilar。IhaverelatedthisinordertoshowthementalcaliberofthemenwithwhomIwasthrownincontact。
Intellectuallytheywerechildren,inhabitingthephysicalformsofmen。
Andtheysmoked,incessantlysmoked,usingacoarse,cheap,andoffensive—smellingtobacco。Theairwasthickandmurkywiththesmokeofit;andthis,combinedwiththeviolentmovementoftheshipasshestruggledthroughthestorm,wouldsurelyhavemademeseasickhadbeenavictimtothatmalady。Asitwas,itmademequitesqueamish,thoughthisnauseamighthavebeenduetothepainofmylegandexhaustion。
AsIlaytherethinking,Inaturallydweltuponmyselfandmysituation。
Itwasunparalleled,undreamed—of,thatI,HumphreyVanWeyden,ascholarandadilettante,ifyouplease,inthingsartisticandliterary,shouldbelyinghereonaBeringSeaseal—huntingschooner。Cabin—boy!Ihadneverdoneanyhardmanuallabor,orscullionlabor,inmylife。Ihadlivedaplacid,uneventful,sedentaryexistenceallmydays——thelifeofascholarandarecluseonanassuredandcomfortableincome。Violentlifeandathleticsportshadneverappealedtome。Ihadalwaysbeenabook—worm;
somysistersandfatherhadcalledmeduringmychildhood。Ihadgonecampingbutonceinmylife,andthenIleftthepartyalmostatitsstartandreturnedtothecomfortsandconveniencesofaroof。AndhereIwas,withdrearyandendlessvistasbeforemeoftable—setting,potato—peeling,anddish—washing。AndIwasnotstrong。ThedoctorshadalwayssaidthatIhadaremarkableconstitution,butIhadneverdevelopeditormybodythroughexercise。Mymusclesweresmallandsoft,likeawoman’s,orsothedoctorshadsaidtimeandagaininthecourseoftheirattemptstopersuademetogoinforphysical—culturefads。ButIhadpreferredtousemyhead,ratherthanmybody;andhereIwas,innofitconditionfortheroughlifeinprospect。
Thesearemerelyafewofthethingsthatwentthroughmymind,andarerelatedforthesakeofvindicatingmyselfinadvanceintheweakandhelplessr攍eIwasdestinedtoplay。ButIthought,also,ofmymotherandsisters,andpicturedtheirgrief。IwasamongthemissingdeadoftheMartinezdisaster,anunrecoveredbody。Icouldseethehead—linesinthepapers;thefellowsattheUniversityClubandtheBibelotshakingtheirheadsandsaying,"Poorchap!"AndIcouldseeCharleyFuruseth,asIhadsaidgood—bytohimthatmorning,lounginginadressing—gownonthebe—pillowedwindowcouchanddeliveringhimselfoforacularandpessimisticepigrams。
Andallthewhile,rolling,plunging,climbingthemovingmountainsandfallingandwallowinginthefoamingvalleys,theschoonerGhostwasfightingherwayfartherandfartherintotheheartofthePacific——andIwasonher。Icouldhearthewindabove。Itcametomyearsasamuffledroar。Nowandagainfeetstampedoverhead。Anendlesscreakingwasgoingonallaboutme,thewoodworkandthefittingsgroaningandsqueakingandcomplaininginathousandkeys。Thehunterswerestillarguingandroaringlikesomesemi—humanamphibiousbreed。Theairwasfilledwithoathsandindecentexpressions。Icouldseetheirfaces,flushedandangry,thebrutalitydistortedandemphasizedbythesicklyyellowofthesea—lampswhichrockedbackandforthwiththeship。Throughthedimsmoke—hazethebunkslookedlikethesleepingdensofanimalsinamenagerie。Oilskinsandsea—bootswerehangingfromthewalls,andhereandthereriflesandshotgunsrestedsecurelyintheracks。Itwasasea—fittingforthebuccaneersandpiratesofbygoneyears。Myimaginationranriot,andstillIcouldnotsleep。Anditwasalong,longnight,wearyanddrearyandlong。TheSeaWolf:Chapter5CHAPTER5
Butmyfirstnightinthehunters’steeragewasalsomylast。NextdayJohansen,thenewmate,wasroutedfromthecabinbyWolfLarsen,andsentintothesteeragetosleepthereafter,whileItookpossessionofthetinycabinstate—room,which,onthefirstdayofthevoyage,hadalreadyhadtwooccupants。Thereasonforthischangewasquicklylearnedbythehunters,andbecamethecauseofadealofgrumblingontheirpart。ItseemedthatJohansen,inhissleep,livedovereachnighttheeventsoftheday。HisincessanttalkingandshoutingandbellowingofordershadbeentoomuchforWolfLarsen,whohadaccordinglyfoistedthenuisanceuponhishunters。
Afterasleeplessnight,Iaroseweakandinagony,tohobblethroughmyseconddayontheGhost。ThomasMugridgeroutedmeoutathalf—pastfive,muchinthefashionthatBillSykesmusthaveroutedouthisdog;
butMr。Mugridge’sbrutalitytomewaspaidbackinkindandwithinterest。
Theunnecessarynoisehemade,(Ihadlainwide—eyedthewholenight),musthaveawakenedoneofthehunters;foraheavyshoewhizzedthroughthesemi—darkness,andMr。Mugridge,withasharphowlofpain,humblybeggedeverybody’spardon。Lateron,inthegalley,noticedthathisearwasbruisedandswollen。Itneverwententirelybacktoitsnormalshape,andwascalleda"cauliflowerear"bythesailors。
Thedaywasfilledwithmiserablevariety。Ihadtakenmydriedclothesdownfromthegalleythenightbefore,andthefirstthingIdidwastoexchangethecook’sgarmentsforthem。Ilookedformypurse。Inadditiontosomesmallchange,(andIhaveagoodmemoryforsuchthings),ithadcontainedonehundredandeighty—fivedollarsingoldandpaper。ThepurseIfound,butitscontents,withtheexceptionofthesmallsilver,hadbeenabstracted。Ispoketothecookaboutit,whenIwentondecktotakeupmydutiesinthegalley,andthoughIhadlookedforwardtoasurlyanswer,IhadnotexpectedthebelligerentharanguethatIreceived。
"Look’ere,’Ump,"hebegan,amaliciouslightinhiseyesandasnarlinhisthroat;"d’yewantyernosepunched?IfyouthinkI’mathief,justkeepittoyerself,oryou’llfind’owbloodywellmistykenyouare。Strikemeblindifthisayn’tgratitudeforyer!’Ereyoucome,aporemis’rablespecimenof’umanscum,an’Itykesyerintomygalleyan’treatsyer’ansom,an’thisiswotIgetforit。Nex’timeyoucangoto’ell,sayI,an’
I’veagoodmindtogiveyouwhat—foranyw’y。"
Sosaying,heputuphisfistsandstartedforme。Tomyshamebeit,Icoweredawayfromtheblowandranoutthegalleydoor。WhatelsewasItodo?Force,nothingbutforce,obtainedonthisbrute—ship。Moralsuasionwasathingunknown。Pictureittoyourself:amanofordinarystature,slenderofbuild,andwithweak,undevelopedmuscles,whohaslivedapeaceful,placidlife,andisunusedtoviolenceofanysort——
whatcouldsuchamanpossiblydo?TherewasnomorereasonthatIshouldstandandfacethesehumanbeaststhanthatshouldstandandfaceaninfuriatedbull。
SoIthoughtitoutatthetime,feelingtheneedforvindicationanddesiringtobeatpeacewithmyconscience。Butthisvindicationdidnotsatisfy。NortothisdaycanIpermitmymanhoodtolookbackuponthoseeventsandfeelentirelyexonerated。Thesituationwassomethingthatreallyexceededrationalformulasforconductanddemandedmorethanthecoldconclusionsofreason。Whenviewedinthelightofformallogic,thereisnotonethingofwhichtobeashamed;butneverthelessashameriseswithinmeattherecollection,andintheprideofmymanhoodIfeelthatmymanhoodhasinunaccountablewaysbeensmirchedandsullied。
Allofwhichisneitherherenorthere。Thespeedwithwhichranfromthegalleycausedexcruciatingpaininmyknee,andIsankdownhelplesslyatthebreakofthepoop。ButtheCockneyhadnotpursuedme。
"Lookat’imrun!Lookat’imrun!"Icouldhearhimcrying。"An’withagymelegatthat!Comeonback,youporelittlemamma’sdarling。Iwon’t’ityer;no,Iwon’t。"
Icamebackandwentonwithmywork;andheretheepisodeendedforthetime,thoughfurtherdevelopmentswereyettotakeplace。Isetthebreakfast—tableinthecabin,andatseveno’clockwaitedonthehuntersandofficers。Thestormhadevidentlybrokenduringthenight,thoughahugeseawasstillrunningandastiffwindblowing。Sailhadbeenmadeintheearlywatches,sothattheGhostwasracingalongundereverythingexceptthetwotopsailsandtheflyingjib。Thesethreesails,Igatheredfromtheconversation,weretobesetimmediatelyafterbreakfast。Ilearned,also,thatWolfLarsenwasanxioustomakethemostofthestorm,whichwasdrivinghimtothesouthwestintothatportionoftheseawhereheexpectedtopickupwiththenortheasttrades。ItwasbeforethissteadywindthathehopedtomakethemajorportionoftheruntoJapan,curvingsouthintothetropicsandnorthagainasheapproachedthecoastofAsia。
AfterbreakfastIhadanotherunenviableexperience。Whenhadfinishedwashingthedishes,Icleanedthecabinstoveandcarriedtheashesupondecktoemptythem。WolfLarsenandHendersonwerestandingnearthewheel,deepinconversation。Thesailor,Johnson,wassteering。AsIstartedtowardtheweathersideIsawhimmakeasuddenmotionwithhishead,whichImistookforatokenofrecognitionandgoodmorning。Inreality,hewasattemptingtowarnmetothrowmyashesovertheleeside。Unconsciousofmyblunder,IpassedbyWolfLarsenandthehunterandflungtheashesoverthesidetowindward。Thewinddrovethemback,andnotonlyoverme,butoverHendersonandWolfLarsen。Thenextinstantthelatterkickedme,violently,asacuriskicked。Ihadnotrealizedtherecouldbesomuchpaininakick。reeledawayfromhimandleanedagainstthecabininahalf—faintingcondition。Everythingwasswimmingbeforemyeyes,andIturnedsick。Thenauseaoverpoweredme,andImanagedtocrawltothesideofthevessel。ButWolfLarsendidnotfollowmeup。Brushingtheashesfromhisclothes,hehadresumedhisconversationwithHenderson。
Johansen,whohadseentheaffairfromthebreakofthepoop,sentacoupleofsailorsafttocleanupthemess。
LaterinthemorningIreceivedasurpriseofatotallydifferentsort。
Followingthecook’sinstructions,IhadgoneintoWolfLarsen’sstate—roomtoputittorightsandmakethebed。Againstthewall,neartheheadofthebunk,wasarackfilledwithbooks。glancedoverthem,notingwithastonishmentsuchnamesasShakespeare,Tennyson,Poe,andDeQuincey。
Therewerescientificworks,too,amongwhichwererepresentedmensuchasTyndall,Proctor,andDarwin。Astronomyandphysicswererepresented,andIremarkedBulfinch’s"AgeofFable,"Shaw’s"HistoryofEnglishandAmericanLiterature,"andJohnson’s"NaturalHistory"intwolargevolumes。
Thentherewereanumberofgrammars,suchasMetcalf’s,andReedandKellogg’s;
andIsmiledasIsawacopyof"TheDean’sEnglish。"
IcouldnotreconcilethesebookswiththemanfromwhatIhadseenofhim,andIwonderedifhecouldpossiblyreadthem。ButwhencametomakethebedIfound,betweentheblankets,droppedapparentlyashehadsunkofftosleep,acompleteBrowning,theCambridgeEdition。Itwasopenat"InaBalcony,"andInoticed,hereandthere,passagesunderlinedinpencil。Further,lettingdropthevolumeduringalurchoftheship,asheetofpaperfellout。Itwasscrawledoverwithgeometricaldiagramsandcalculationsofsomesort。
Itwaspatentthatthisterriblemanwasnoignorantclod,suchasonewouldinevitablysupposehimtobefromhisexhibitionsofbrutality。Atoncehebecameanenigma。Onesideortheotherofhisnaturewasperfectlycomprehensible;butbothsidestogetherwerebewildering。Ihadalreadyremarkedthathislanguagewasexcellent,marredwithanoccasionalslightinaccuracy。Ofcourse,incommonspeechwiththesailorsandhunters,itsometimesfairlybristledwitherrors,whichwasduetothevernacularitself;butinthefewwordshehadheldwithmeithadbeenclearandcorrect。
ThisglimpseIhadcaughtofhisothersidemusthaveemboldenedme,forIresolvedtospeaktohimaboutthemoneyIhadlost。
"Ihavebeenrobbed,"Isaidtohim,alittlelater,whenfoundhimpacingupanddownthepoopalone。