Chapter 2 Chapter two

Indeed, not a moment was to be wasted, for with a little luck the Norfolk, blown by the north-east trade wind, even the period between breakfast and lunch might be long enough to send her to the ship. A full latitude voyage south is, at the same time, nearer to the vast Pacific Ocean, which, once there, can easily disappear without a trace.But no sooner had this state of emergency begun than Captain Aubrey was compelled to waste much time: many moments, many minutes, many hours, even many days slipped away and passed away irretrievably. First, as a matter of general courtesy, he was obliged to receive a courtesy call from Mr. Keel, the navigation officer on the frigate, and Mr. Porel, the ship's ordnance officer, both of whom had been promoted to the seventies. The four-gun "Bulford" went aboard, to say goodbye.And, out of common courtesy, he had to make a special effort to say something polite in return for their thanks for his kind recommendation.Next came Abel Hymes and Amos Day, his main and foremast captains respectively, the former now sailing the brig Fry The latter is the sail master of the "Iclair".At first they struggled to express their gratitude, but once they did, they wretchedly didn't know how to stop.Finally, he sent all four of them off the ship.The comrades on board cheered enthusiastically.But as soon as the people were sent away, the "Berwick" entered the port, and then sent the yacht "Surprise" over, and the assistant navigator William Horney commanded the yacht.Horney was the man Jack had sent from the coast of Africa to Port Mahon, and he had sailed the dangerous four hundred miles with the news that the French frigate was wounded, and Horney had every reason to be glad of his success, not to listen It is very unreasonable to listen to his sailing experience.Just as Horney finished speaking, another boat brought in the Reverend Mr. Martin from the "Berwick", the chaplain of the "Berwick", a naturalist, and a good friend of Stephen.The small boat also brought Colonel Prince, who used to be a very capable first lieutenant under Jack, and has now been promoted to be a colonel—but at present there is no warship under his command, and the chance of commanding a warship is very slim. The rank of colonel is also only nominal - his official rank is commander (of course his meager half salary is also at the commander level).Both of them, dressed in their best clothes, had made a special trip to visit Captain Aubrey, so Aubrey had to come out of the food storage compartment and chatted with them about his previous service on various warships.Captain Aubrey greeted them with a particularly gruff smile, and as soon as Martin had taken his leave to show Stephen a rainbowfish—a female stingray—Oubrey said to Prince, "Tom, if I I beg your pardon for being unhospitable, I have just been ordered to load six months' reserves as quickly as possible. Keel has been transferred to the 'Bulford' and no new navigator has been appointed— - Porel is gone too - Louwan is still on his way, coming back from Malta - Maitland has a tooth pulled in the hospital - we are twenty-eight men short of quota - and unless I go to the wharf with the barrel shop We'll stay here till the warships run aground, on our own ox bones."

"Oh, sir," cried Prince, who immediately understood the meaning of the six-month emergency reserve, "is that true?" "By the way, sir," said Jack's butler nonchalantly as he walked in, "I must take that shirt." Then he saw Prince, his acerbic, housewife-like face A smile broke across his face; he raised his hand in salute and said, "At my service, sir, I hope you are well?" "Very good, Kirik, very good," Prince said, shaking his hand, before shedding his ornate blue coat with gold epaulettes. "Fold it carefully, if you please, and bring me a frock coat." Then he said to Jack, "If you don't think Movitt will mind, sir, I'll be more than happy to take care of the storage compartment for you, Or the water tank, or the armory. You know, I'm free right now."

"Where's Movitt jumping up for joy and begging God bless you," Jack said. "I should, too. If you'd help me look after the storage pod, I could run to the goddamn—to the I have gone to the office of the commander of the naval port, and I can go to the barrel shop dock. There is no such evil monster as the barrel maker. Satan can't compare with him." He left the den of the Behemoth five guineas poorer than he had been before, but his mind was a little more at ease when he was assured of diligent work.Jack hurried to the Waterp gate again, and beside him the short-legged cadet trotted along.Jack was holding a piece of paper in his hand, looking at it from time to time, while explaining to the waiting students.Even for a sixth-class warship, the amount of naval food reserves it needs is astonishingly large.Each sailor on board a warship is given a weekly ration of seven pounds of biscuits, seven gallons of beer, four pounds of beef, two pounds of pork, a quarter of peas, a pint and a half of oats, six ounces of sugar, the same weight of butter, and twelve ounces of cheese and half a pint of vinegar, not to mention lime juice, and what must have been copious amounts of fresh water in which to soak the cured meat, plus two pounds of tobacco per person per lunar month, for which he had to pay a pound a pound. The price of sevenpence in sterling—when multiplied by two hundred, the sum is enormous.Furthermore, sailors are a very conservative type of people, they will be extremely fanatical to defend their rights.Although their beer rations are few and far between, they are willing to compromise on the matter of beer, in fact, whenever warships are on duty in the Mediterranean region, they will happily accept a pint of wine as a substitute, and other ships farther afield. In foreign seas they will accept a half pint of rum and water, and they will agree that, on certain occasions, raisin pudding is the equivalent of meat.But even so, almost any other change is sure to invite trouble, and wise captains avoid reinvention at all costs.Fortunately, Jack had a capable quartermaster, Mr. Adams, but even Mr. Adams could not make the local pawns of the Logistics Committee more obliging.Anyway; Jack suspected that the quartermaster, like the master-sailmaster, might have been a little unhappy, a little reluctant to go all out, because Jack had recommended the navigator and the ordnance officer, but not Mr. Adams or Mr. Holla.To be honest, the "Surprise" has reached a very high standard in the operation of cannons and large-caliber cannons. Apart from looking after the munitions inventory, the warship hardly needs an ordnance officer; and Jack himself can fully assume the duties of the navigation officer and navigation. (He could, in fact, do better than Mr. Keel); but at this juncture a skilled and relatively honest quartermaster is of the utmost importance, while a good sailmaster is essential at all times , especially now that Jack has lost two excellent sailors, the main and foretop captains.In Captain Aubrey's mind there was a constant conflict between loyalty to his shipmates and to the ship; in the end, of course, the ship won, but a certain guilt haunted his conscience.If it is said that his conscience can no longer be moved by other things, but when it comes to these things, his conscience is still sensitive.

On the opposite side of the abbey he met Sir Francis's captain, Kenkenson.Up to this point, when meeting acquaintances on the road, Jack would nod and wave while hurrying, but now he stopped.After a few simple greetings, he said, "According to the establishment, there are still twenty-eight people missing from the 'Surprise'. Mr. Kenkenson, you know, the commander was very warm to me yesterday, so warm that I don't even want to mention it." matter. Do you think it is possible for me to mention this matter before he sails today?" "I very much doubt it, sir," said Jenkinson without hesitation. "I very much doubt it would be the right time to do so." He explained respectfully that Jack would have to settle the matter with the Harbor Commander himself.After explaining this, he asked again, "Did you know that Dr. Maturin is also supposed to come to the flagship for lunch today? I think Mr. Pocock still has a lot to discuss with him, and the admiral is worried about his invitation." Not very clear. I was going to go to your ship on the way back."

"I have to confess, I didn't know the admiral invited the doctor," Jack said. "But I'll make sure he visits Sir Francis." He wrote a few lines in his notebook, tore off a page, and handed it to the cadets, "Calami, run back to the ship and give this to the Okay, doctor? If he's not on the ship, you'll have to find him even if you go to O'Hara Tower. But he's probably more likely to be in the hospital." A hundred yards further on, Jack came face to face with his old friend, Captain Dundas of the Edinburgh.When you meet him, of course you can't just nod your head and wave your hands.

"Well, Jack," said Dondas, "you look very preoccupied. What's the matter? Why are you running around in those ugly breeches and bowler hat? If the Admiral sees you in this look, he'll arrest you for dressing like a shopkeeper." "Walk with me, Heng, and I'll tell you," Jack said. "To be honest, I do have a lot on my mind. Yesterday I was ordered to load six months' reserves. I've been running around negotiating with these slow, cautious, crafty fellows, and things are still going on. Not a clue--I've lost my navigator, ordnance officer, and two junior sergeants--I've only got one aide-de-camp on board--I'm short of twenty-eight men. As for clothes, that's all I have left now Kirik took all the other clothes, except my civilian clothes, and went to the washerwoman in Gibraltar to wash them with clean water, just in order to have lunch with the admiral this afternoon, please. God help - go waste a few hours stuffing my mouth with things I don't want to eat. I don't even have five minutes to spare right now, just grab some cold beef with bread and butter and eat as you go .”

"Anyway," said Dundas, "you don't have to go home now, and the poor Ronky isn't going to be turned into a spare or worse. I'm glad for you anyway. I Can I ask where you've been? Maybe I shouldn't?" "I could tell you," said Jack in a low voice, "but I don't want anyone to know. Our mission is to protect the whaling ship. I remember, you always take a lot of books with you when you sail. You have whaling Books on the subject? I am a complete layman in whaling." "Northern or Southern whaling?" "south." "I used to have Cornell's book, and I was stupid enough to lend it to someone else. But I have a better way—Jack, by God, I have a much better way than books. Gibraltar has My name is Allen, Mike Allen, he has been a sailing officer on the 'Tiger', he was sick and retired a few months ago, he is a trained sailor. We also served on the same warship at one point Well, and less than half an hour ago, I greeted him on the promenade. He is in good health and wants to serve. Besides, he and Cornell sailed together!"

"Who is Cornell?" "You don't know who Cornell is? Jack, for God's sake!" "If I knew, would I still ask you?" "But even you must have heard of Cornell; everyone has heard of Cornell." "Your nagging is really funny, Heng." Jack said dissatisfied. "Never heard of Cornell. God! It's unimaginable. But you must remember Cornell. Before the last war, I think it was in 1992, some merchant ships asked the Admiralty to send a warship to go. Looking for a place where South Sea whaling ships can replenish firewood, fresh water, and moor for repairs. The Admiralty gave them a multi-sail sloop 'Rattler', and gave Kornai a long vacation and sent him to command. He used to He was Cook's cadet, and he sailed around Cape Horn to the Pacific..."

"Forgive me, Hannake," said Jack. "I have to go to the office of the Commander of the Naval Port. Please go to the Richardson Tavern first." He nodded towards the open door of the tavern in the shade of the tree. "Wait for me with a drink. I won't delay for long ,I promise you that." He did not delay long.He bowed his head before the beam and entered the sandy lobby, his naturally ruddy face a little redder than usual, and his bright blue eyes a little brighter than usual with anger.He sat down to drink a glass of ale and whistled again. "Do you know the words to this passage?" he asked, and Dondas replied:

"We're going to make you feel good, old dog, commander of the naval port, may God curse you." "Exactly," said Jack. At about the same moment Stephen said to Martin, "That's eight more black storks, and I think there are seventeen in all." "Seventeen, indeed," Martin said, checking the list on his knee. "What kind of bird is that little bird on the lower left?" "It's just a godwit with a striped tail," said Stephen. "Just a godwit with a striped tail," repeated Martin, laughing happily. "Heaven must be like this."

"Perhaps Heaven is softer and less angular than here," said Stephen.A few slices of his ham bread rest on the edge of the rough limestone. "According to Mandeville's report, the walls of Paradise are covered with moss. Don't think I'm complaining," he added.In fact, although he was usually withdrawn and unsmiling, he now had a rather cheerful expression on his face. Two people sit high on the ridge or edge of Gibraltar's rocky peak, with a vast cloudless soft blue sky above their heads. On the left, gray hanging rocks hang almost straight into the Mediterranean Sea; Ships of all kinds were moored, and straight ahead, the misty peaks of Africa rose from the blue mist.Their cheeks felt the coolness of the soft southwesterly wind as the long, loose formations of birds passed across the strait.They soared easily and unhurriedly, sometimes in single file, sometimes much denser, in flocks, but the sky was always full of birds, and was never empty for a moment.Some were huge, like the black vulture and the stork, and others were small, like the weary falcon, who sat on a rock not ten yards from them, grooming his red tail; but Big and small, they all continued to soar without any sign of hostility.Sometimes their flight paths are like tight spirals to gain altitude, but most of the birds fly right over their heads, so low that sometimes they can even see the blood-red eyes of bearded vultures , and the orange eyes of the goshawk. "There's another regal eagle," Martin said. "Yeah, another one," said Stephen. "God bless him." They had long since given up counting white storks, various kites, kittens, kites, and other more common birds of prey, and now concentrated their attention on extremely rare birds.On the left, behind the small falcon, on the cliff above the sea, a peregrine falcon has been calling loudly, shrill and intermittent, presumably expressing desire; while on the lower right, Barbary can be heard The sound of partridges.The sun-heated scent of lavender, mastic, and hundreds of other aromatic shrubs fills the air. "Look there, look there!" cried Stephen. "Below the storks—look to the right—that's a wattled-faced vulture, my dear lord. At last I see it, my wattled-faced vulture. You can still see its shapely gray thighs. , almost white." "You've got your heart set," Martin said, stalking the bird with his one eye, carefully shaded from the sun.A few minutes after it had disappeared, he added, "There's a strange bird almost exactly on the other side of your ship." Stephen locked on it with his pocket telescope, and said, "I think it's probably a crane, a lonely crane. How strange." He locked on Jack Aubrey on the after deck of the "Marvel".Jack was pacing back and forth, waving his arms like Ajax. "Well, it looks like he's agitated," he murmured indulgently.He had seen much of the excitement of executive officers in preparation for sailing.But he was so excited that he had never seen it before.Captain Aubrey had just received a message from Dr. Maturin from the frightened, panting, purple-faced Karami.The message said that Dr. Maturin had sent his regards, but had decided not to return. "It's decided not to come back," Captain Aubrey shouted. "Fiery hell and bloody death." "He said he didn't think he might have lunch at all today," Karami trembled. "You bring me such a message, poor boy? Don't you see that in such a case you must insist, you must explain?" "I'm terribly sorry, sir," Karami said.Although he is only twelve years old, he is already very sensible. He knows that he can't talk back at this time, and he can't say that he has persisted and explained it until he is really slapped. If he doesn't walk away immediately, he will continue to talk. It would have been worse to disturb the birds there—his unnecessarily violent gestures had already scared away three Andalusian kittiqualls, which were about to land—where did he suffer Education, nagging the elders like this?Do you know nothing about shame and decency?Now he bowed his head, and his captain asked him if he didn't understand that a man who was going to be an officer in the future couldn't accept their prevarication, no matter how high their knowledge and morals were, they were essentially civilians official? Jack, though, was never one to make long speeches.Now is the time when every second counts: he speaks even more briefly.He stopped, looked fore and aft, and tried to remember who was still on board and who was ashore. "Word for Sergeant James," he said, and then to the sergeant, "get four fastest Marines and go up to the top of the pinnacle with Bunton. Be quick. Mr. Karami will Guidance. Bunton, go and explain the situation to the two men, as far as possible that even the civil servants can understand: Whatever happens, I expect to see the doctor here at two o'clock. Kirrick will give him the best clothes are ready." When the afternoon watch clock struck four times, in other words, at two o'clock in town, Jack was sitting in front of the small glass mirror in his cabin, with his freshly starched tie spread out on the table, and the topmast The sail is about the same size.He was about to fold his tie around his neck when he heard a chaotic thud on the deck, followed by Kirik's shrill, angry, shrewlike voice.Kirik's voice is half that of a very bored maid who has long had a grudge, and half that of an extremely rough, ordinary sailor wearing a tar canvas cap and chewing tobacco.An inaudible curse followed. Before the five bells were rung he went on deck, fully clothed, the Order of the Nile fastened in the buttonhole, his Turkish medal a medal--glittering in a gold-brimmed cap, his patriot worth a hundred guineas The fund saber is hanging by his side.On the deck he saw a frowning Stephen, who was wearing a good coat that he seldom wore, and a darker color.The frigate's barge was moored just off the starboard main chain stand, the bargemen in dazzling white trousers and frock coats and wide straw hats, the captain's boatman standing at the tiller, the cadet Mr Williamson and the broadside guard of honour. The sailors waited at the rail while the sailmaster and his mates stood ready to call; all this was an astonishing waste of time, but the extravagance of ceremony was like setting off for the Restoration of King Charles and the Gunpowder Plot. Gunpowder, no doubt necessary to the naval interest.Jack scanned the harbour, and saw small boats from the various Royal warships converging to the Caledonian, and the Harbor Admiral's barge had already set off from the shore.He smiled at Stephen, who gave him a look of resentment.Jack said, "Lead the way, Macbeth." Macbeth sprang up from the port gangway, and had been standing by one of the tackles, ready to resume his urgent work as soon as the ceremony was over.He walked up to the captain, with his naked, red, bony figure feet squarely pressed together, took off his blue beanie, and asked, "Where are you going, sir?" "No, no, Macbeth," said Jack, "I didn't mean you; I meant Macduff..." "Macduff, Macduff," the voice rang through the ship, "Sonny Macduff is on the quarterdeck at once." "Hey, wait a minute," Jack called. "Stop. No, no. I mean the officers can disembark now." This scene didn’t calm down Stephen’s anger.He followed behind the candidate, muttering as he was helped onto the boat.With the howling of the silver trumpet, Jack followed closely behind him. The Commander-in-Chief's sudden act of kindness attracted an astonishing number of guests, and Stephen found himself seated at the lower end of the table, crowded tightly between the Caledonia's chaplain and a man in a dress. Among the gentlemen in black coats.This gentleman had come here on purpose to act as acting prosecutor-martial in a particularly vexing court-martial.However, although this banquet has too many guests and makes people uncomfortable, it still has its advantages.The lesser guests, seated at a distance from the generals and separated by a thick phalanx of colonels and captains, could chat at will, almost as if the gods of Olympus were not present.Right now they were making a feasting noise. The lawyer appeared to be a man of great knowledge and willingness to converse, and Stephen asked him how a case of tyranny and oppression was conducted in a naval court, where there was an extreme unequal rank.To take an entirely hypothetical example, if a rebellious commander-in-chief and his accomplices in the rank of colonel persecuted an innocent subordinate, would they be tried before the officers of the same district, or would they be handed over to the Admiralty? the High Court, or to the Privy Council, or to the Regent himself? "Well, sir," said the lawyer, "if the persecution were a civil tort, or if it took place at sea, or even on fresh water, or on fairly wet ground, the Court of the Admiralty would undoubtedly have jurisdiction. .” "Exactly, sir," said Stephen, "how wet the ground must be?" "Oh, I think it must be rather damp, quite damp. It is within the jurisdiction of the judge, that he may deal with any case which arises in the sea, on the sea, by the sea, or in a public creek, or in a freshwater port, or in a river, or between the ebb and flow of the tide. The areas and corners you go through, and the adjacent coasts and riverbanks — all pretty wet places." At this time, Stephen began to notice that Dr. Harrington was sitting on the upper side of the table, raising his glass and smiling at him. "A glass of wine to you, Doctor Maturin," he said, nodding politely. Stephen also smiled at him and nodded sincerely.A heavy-breathing marine filled his glass with wine, and he drank.It was the same Hillary that Jack had drank the day before, and it tasted even better. "What a fine wine," Stephen commented to himself, "but the wine is definitely not harmless." He added, drinking the rest of the wine slowly.Due to the hustle and bustle on board the frigate, he had nothing to eat in the morning except a cup of coffee; a pack of sandwiches, together with a bottle of Niggs cold wine, which he forgot to take up the mountain, was still in the cabin, being captured by a growing group Rats and cockroaches looked after.His usual lunch time is two hours earlier than now, and he has had another big setback in the second half of the morning. He has been hot, dusty, and has been rushing. So far he has only eaten A bread crust.He felt the strength of the wine even before he had finished it—his head twitched very slightly, and a certain generosity and affection arose in him, a desire to be pleasing to others. "" he muttered. "Wine certainly destroys free will. Jupiter made Hector by turns bold and cowardly and cowardly and daring again, so that there was no personal quality in his heroism, and no shame in his escape. Wine. God Bacchus has also changed me from a cynic to a gregarious person... But on the other hand, I have smiled and nodded, I have at least made a gesture of graciousness, and how many times I have observed , the act of imitation leads to an act of sincerity." He realized that for some time his neighbor had been explaining to him the nuances of English law. "... offerings are similar," continued the attorney, "if a man falls and breaks his neck by jumping on a moving cart, no matter how slow the cart is moving, the cart and everything on it Everything is an offering, and must be confiscated to the king. But if the cart is stationary, and someone climbs on the wheel and falls to his death, then only the wheel is an offering. Similarly, if the moored boat is a For the death of a man, only the hull is an offering, but if it is under voyage, the cargo is also confiscated, so long as it is within the jurisdiction of the common law, because, if on the high seas, my dear lord, by Some very different regulations." "Dedication," said the chaplain to Stephen's right. "My brother's protector lived in Kent, and he was given the right to receive all offerings from Doddham Dominion. He showed me a brick that killed a mason, and a gun that exploded when fired, and There was a very irascible bull whose owner wouldn't pay for it back. He told me about another nuance in the law—if a child falls off a ladder and dies, the ladder isn't confiscated; but if His father fell to his death, then the ladder would be confiscated. I mean, in the second case the ladder is an offering, but in the first case it is not." "Exactly," said the lawyer. "Blackstone explained the article in this way: In the superstitious period of the Papacy, infants were considered innocent and innocent, and did not require offerings in exchange for the Mass of Atonement, or rather, In exchange for the passage of the Mass. But another authority..." Stephen's concentration had slackened.The chaplain touched his sleeve and said, "Dr. Harrington is talking to you, sir." "Colleague, I'm sure you will agree with me." Harrington shouted towards the table, "What I want to say is that among the officers and soldiers who died, those who were directly killed by the enemy, or died due to injuries in battle, ten Less than one of them. Almost all of them died of disease or accident." "Of course I agree with you," said Stephen. "Perhaps it should be said that these figures indicate the relative importance of combat and non-combat officers." "Or perhaps," said a very funny, flushed Marine officer, "the doctor killed nine for every one the enemy killed, ha, ha, ha!" "All right, Powers, be careful," said the admiral. "Dr. Harrington, Dr. Maturin, I offer you a toast." At this point they switched to a fine Hermitage (for the occasion the Admiral had nearly exhausted his Gibraltar cellars).While savoring the wine, Stephen thought, "I'll remember to ask Harrington for an assistant." He did.After the luncheon, the flushed, well-fed and high-spirited guests walked about the quarterdeck and poop deck, holding small coffee cups, waiting for the boat to fetch them back.Stephen said to the crowd: "Dear colleague, may I ask you to help me find an assistant? You know, generally speaking, unless I'm on a two-decked warship, I'd rather not have an assistant. Most medic assistants are ignorant And like bragging, pathetic vagrants. But now that we're going on a long voyage, I feel I must have a capable young man, someone with a specialty in tooth extraction. I've never Very dissatisfied. When I was young, tooth extraction was regarded as a craft unworthy of the doctor's dignity. I have never learned the tricks of extracting teeth, and I have had some extremely unfortunate experiences in extracting teeth recently. Of course , given time, I can do it well, but the tooth often comes out much slower than the patient expects, and the tooth often breaks into small pieces. If the barber on the warship happens to be knowledgeable in this field, I usually put the Entrust him with tooth extraction, and send him to the hospital if possible." "That's a curious thing," said Dr. Harrington, "for I've seen you amputate very quickly and with apparent ease." "But it is true," said Stephen. "My old nurse used to say that those who can do great things are not always able to do small things; and if you could find me a young man with exceptionally quick hands, I should be very obliged." "If it's just a tooth extraction," said Dr. Harrington, "I know a dude who would take your teeth out in such a way that you'd be dumbfounded. Look."—he opened his mouth wide, and turned his head toward the sun, toward the Pointing with his mouth. "Look." Pointing to a gap in his teeth, he said with his mouth open, breathless and slurred, "second molar, upper right jaw." Then, in a voice more like his own, "five days It was just pulled out before, as you can see, with almost no wound left. The tooth he pulled out with just his fingers is remarkable. To tell you the truth, Maturin, he is not very young." Dr. Harrington bent over and approached He added, covering his mouth, "He's a quack. I don't know how the Admiralty Board got him through. Seems like he barely knows Latin at all." "If he can get his teeth pulled like that, it's all right for me if he knows English," said Stephen. "Where can I find him, please?" "At the hospital, his name was Higgins. But I can't vouch for anything but his extraction; he's probably just a quack with little experience, or worse." "Doctor Maturin, sir," said an orderly.So Stephen was taken to the secretary's cabin, where Mr. Arlow and Mr. Pocock were already waiting for him.Mr. Pocock said he had a letter which Dr. Maturin had recently sent to Mr. Woodrie by courier, and that it was on its way.Stephen thanked him and said nine times out of ten it would save a lot of time, which was very important to him.A short silence followed. "I'm a little embarrassed to know how to begin," said Pocock, "because the information I'm going to convey to you now is conveyed to me in a deliberately veiled manner, so I must appear as if I'm hiding a lot of the truth. Dr. Maturin must be surprised, perhaps even displeased." "Quite the opposite," Maturin said. "If, as I surmise, it is a matter of secrecy, I prefer to know only those details which concern me. That way, virtually any error or omission on my part will not cause the rest of the secret to leak out." "That's all right," said Mr. Pocock. "It appears that the government sent a gentleman to one or more of the Spanish colonies in South America, with a large sum of money with him. He took the name of Cunningham and took the 'Danai' from the Cape of Good Hope. , which is a very fast square-sailed brig. But now the minister is very concerned that the 'Danai' may be captured by the 'Norfolk.' If the J. Ronkey encounters this liner, It should warn the liners of this danger, and if it can be done without losing much time, the Surprise should escort it to some port in South America. But if the Ron can't do that, or the The port is on the east coast, that is to say, on the Atlantic coast, so other measures must be taken. The gentleman has brought two chests of coins, which are to be kept in his own safekeeping, but he also has a sum of banknotes, securities, etc. hidden in his cabin, amounting to要大得多。他自己并不知情，但我估计这笔钱的接收人肯定收到了寻找它的指令。不管怎么样，这是找钱的指令。”——他递过来一张纸——“根据它，你就可以找到包裹，把它转移到安全的地方去。这是一封信，可以保证那位绅士了解事情的来龙去脉。就这些了。所有要求我说的，我都说完了。” 已经有很长一段时间，“卡勒多尼亚”号上充满了几百人在起锚机绞盘附近来回奔走的熟悉的脚步声，还有通常在起锚时发出的各种各样的哨声和人们的叫喊声。现在声音停顿了下来，亚娄先生说：“大概他们正在把猫拉走，好把鱼钓住。” 坡科克说：“也许他们会用一条狗来制动。” 斯蒂芬说：“我看，他们已经拉起了一只老鼠，而且他们用一只狐狸抓住了老鼠，现在他们正要把蜥蜴安上去。” “噢，上帝啊，这些老实人发明了多少行话切口啊。”坡科克说。自从斯蒂芬认识他以来，还是第一次看见他这样开怀大笑。“你的说法标准地道吗？” “都是纯正的行话，”斯蒂芬说，“而且还有猎狗呢，在桅杆附近。” “我的猫和鱼也在桅杆附近。”亚娄说，“航行官昨天才解释给我听。他还提到了马匹、海豚、苍蝇、蜜蜂，简直是个真正的方舟，哈，哈，哈！” “绅土们，请。”高个子严肃的上尉参谋在门口说，于是三个文职人员马上停止了微笑，“上将在等你们离开。” “惊奇”号的小艇很早就把它的舰长和驳船手们送回去劳作了，旗舰宽大的舷梯也消失了。站在中甲板上，斯蒂芬注视着陡峭危险的下船扶梯，注视着渐渐增强的西南柔风鼓动起的狂暴海浪，注视着由两个水陆两栖的陌生人操作着，像软木塞一样上下晃动，木盆一样的港湾小艇。他迟疑着，而坡科克太理解他的迟疑了。坡科克说，“要是你先抓住我的手，向下走一步，同时亚娄先生抓住我的另一只手，再抓住这个环，我看我们就可以结成人链一起向前走，不至于有太大的危险。” 或许他们的样子很可笑，不过人链还是起到了作用，于是在旗舰扯满风帆，右舷迎风，堂皇地驶向欧罗巴点的当口，港湾小艇也把马图林大夫送回了极端忙碌的“惊奇”号，马图林大夫从头到脚都很干燥，他的怀表也仍旧在走（他每次落到海里，怀表都常常会受损），他刚刚收到的奇怪的密写文件也没有被海水弄得模糊不清。他从船尾扶梯爬上了船，发现自己身处最紧张的忙碌之中。杰克已经扔掉了他的好衣服，站在起锚机绞盘上，正朝一些水兵们呼喊着命令，这些水兵正准备把船朝迎风方向拖出两锚链的距离，而同时从他身旁或者沿着跳板或者在船腰里或者在船首楼上，都有严肃专注的水兵们走过。“你回来了，大夫。”杰克看见了斯蒂芬，叫道。“我很抱歉，只得撇下你先走。可是你知道，'花开堪折就须折'。我们正在把军舰拖到脏迪克的铺子那边的码头上去——蜡烛、煤、沥青、斯德哥尔摩柏油——要是你在岸上有什么事要做，现在正是时候。你肯定已经考虑过你的医药柜、便携肉汤、夹板等等了。” “我要马上到医院去。”斯蒂芬说，而等到护卫舰靠上码头，他就这么做了。 “请问，艾德华兹大夫，”他对主管医生说，“你是否认识希金斯先生？” “我认识一位希金斯先生，他的医生身份不是正式的，只要我们有事情叫他做，他时不时会来帮忙。奥克斯先生经常叫他帮忙拔牙，我可以告诉你，为了这件事，我们自己的理发师鼻子都快气歪了。不过，看来他确实有这方面的天赋。而且毫无疑问，他还会割鸡眼呢。”他轻蔑地大笑起来。“要是你想找他拔牙——他还给哈林顿大夫拔过牙，毫不夸张——我会让人把他叫来的。他现在正在洗衣房拔牙呢。” “我宁愿亲眼看看他做事。求你不要去叫人，我知道怎么走。” 就算斯蒂芬不知道怎么走，鼓声也会给他带路的。他打开洗衣房大门的时候，鼓声正在变得急促起来，而他看见希金斯先生挽着袖子，正俯身靠近一个水兵，同时长凳上坐满的其他病人，都面带非常急切的关注神情，在观看着这一切。鼓声变得越来越密集，变得越来越响、更响。那个水兵不由自主地发出一声令人毛骨悚然的、呼吸不畅的尖叫，而希金斯直起身来，手里拿着那颗牙齿。所有病人都发出宽慰的叹息声，希金斯转过身来，看见斯蒂芬站在那儿。“我能怎样荣幸地为你效劳，阁下？”他问道，一边非常恭敬地鞠了一躬。这是因为他马上认出了斯蒂芬的制服。军医的制服绝对没有舰长的制服那么豪华，可对一个失业的军医助手来说，它却更有意义得多，因为穿这种衣服的人很可能需要一个助手。 “恳求你继续工作，阁下。”斯蒂芬说，“我想看看。” “我请你原谅，这儿嘈杂得和集市一样，阁下。”希金斯不自在地大笑着说，一边给马图林大夫端来了一把椅子。他是个瘦削结实的小个子中年人，头发剪得很短，而他现在表现出的文雅的殷勤和他没洗干净的、长满胡须的脸很不相称。 “丝毫没有关系，丝毫没有关系。”斯蒂芬说。“一切对病人有利的声音都是正当的，甚至是值得称赞的。我以前还用过手枪呢。” 希金斯有点紧张，或许这妨碍了他的发挥，但尽管如此，他的表现还是出色的。一旦他对牙齿有了把握，就会朝鼓手点点头——两个人的配合非常默契——鼓声一开始，他就俯在病人头上面，大声朝病人的耳朵说话，拉扯他的头发，用一只手按住他的脸颊，另一只手摸病人的牙龈和牙齿，然后他再一次点点头，鼓声就变得狂暴起来，在鼓声最激烈的时候，病人的知觉也模糊了，这时候他会使出恰如其分的力量——有时候用牙钳，有时候光用手指——他的手法非常稳当、有效、熟练。 等病人们仪式般地用干净手帕捂着脸，喜笑颜开地离去时，斯蒂芬说：“我是'惊奇'号上的军医。” “噢，阁下，这儿每个行医的人都知道马图林大夫，”希金斯叫道，“还有马图林大夫价值丰富的论文。”他带着某种迟疑又加上了一句。 斯蒂芬鞠了一躬，又继续说，“我正在找一个熟练的牙科手术助手。哈林顿大夫、我的船伴麦特兰先生对你的才能都评价很高，而且我也看了你的手术。要是你愿意的话，我会求奥布雷舰长给你申请职位的。” “能在你手下出航，我太高兴了，阁下。”希金斯说。“我是否可以请问'惊奇'号去哪儿？” “目的地还没有公开宣布，”斯蒂芬说，“但我知道，我们是到世界的另一边去。我听人说起过巴塔维亚。” “噢。”希金斯说，他的兴奋心情一时间被抑制了。这是因为，巴塔维亚对健康的不利，是最为出名的，它比西印度群岛还要不如，而在西印度群岛，整船的官兵都有可能死于黄热病。“可就算这样，舰长是那么有名的捕获敌船的能手，肯定有发财的大好机会，我还是很乐意的。” Indeed.杰克·奥布雷以前捕获了很多敌船，他因此在海军里享有“幸运者杰克·奥布雷”的称号。作为小得难堪的十四炮横帆双桅军舰“索菲”号的年轻指挥官，他就曾经在马洪港塞满了法国和西班牙的商船，用最致命的方式骚扰了敌人的贸易；而等敌人特地派出一艘名叫“卡卡富艾古”号的三十二炮三桅护卫舰，去阻止他的骚扰，他却连它也一并捕获了。后来，作为护卫舰的舰长，除了别的收获，他又捕获了一艘西班牙的珍宝船，他还分到了一大批毛里求斯的战利品，另外还有重新夺回的东印度公司船只——东印度公司的商船可以算是海上最富有的捕获了。固然，上将把西班牙财宝从他手里拿走了，理由是从法律上说还没有宣战，而且由于他的单纯轻信，各种各样狡诈的码头骗子又骗走了他大部分的毛里求斯财宝，还牵连到他余下的财富，他和他的律师们都无法确定，他最终还能保留多少财产；但即便如此，他却仍旧保持着“幸运者杰克·奥布雷”的光环以及绰号。 希金斯先生并不是唯一希望致富的人，“惊奇”号即将远航的消息传开之后，很多人都要求和它一起出航；这是因为，在战争的这个阶段，只有护卫舰才有希望碰到辉煌的战果，才有希望让人一天下午就赚到一百年的薪水。同时，有几个男孩子的父母和其他亲属都表示了强烈的愿望，要把他们的孩子送到杰克的后甲板上来，大家觉得杰克是最优秀的护卫舰舰长之一，有出色的战斗记录，还知道他很关心候补生的成长——他们强烈地希望把孩子送到“惊奇”号军舰上来，哪怕它去的地方是恶臭熏天、热病泛滥的爪哇泽国。 杰克在指挥地中海军舰时，几乎根本没人和他纠缠不休，因为人家知道他只不过是一两次特别任务的临时指挥而已。但尽管现在的情形有所不同（至少在某种程度上），这次任命的时间还是不算长，他还是不能安下心来培养候补生。如果运气不错，他会在荷恩角之前就截获“诺尔福克”号；就算不行，他也希望几个月之后就能返回。因此，他本来是应该拒绝所有候补生的，可他自己也有个年幼的儿子乔治，杰克已经求了好几个舰长答应，在时机成熟的时候接收他儿子当候补生，以此来保证儿子的前途。现在，这些舰长和他们的亲戚要求他做同样的事，他是不太好意思开口拒绝的。要做得体面的话，也不能把巴塔维亚对健康的不利当成借口，因为他知道得很清楚，那儿并不是他的目的地——整个事情都是斯蒂芬轻微的诡计，其用意是伪装他们的动向，以免直布罗陀以及附近的外国密探或者来回穿过海峡的中立舰船得知消息。为了添加储备或者打听传言，这些中立舰船是经常进港的。结果现在除了卡拉米和威廉逊以外，他又收了四个候补生，四个侥幸人选的男孩子，都是海军家庭出身，活泼可爱，干净，很懂礼貌，不过对他来说仍然是可悲的累赘。“我来告诉你我会怎么办。”有一次在街上碰到斯蒂芬之后，杰克说起了候补生的事。那是他俩在镇上很少有的一次会面，两人都是去买琴弦、松香、乐谱，“我得去招一个教师来。加上卡拉米和威廉逊，现在一共有六个小畜生了。闲着的时候，我可以教他们一点导航术，他们讨打的时候，还可以打他们一顿。可要是他们对历史、法语、一窍不通，就把他们送到社会上去，总归是件卑鄙的事。航海术固然很美妙，可它不是唯一的技能，尤其在陆地上，就更是如此。而且我经常感到自己缺乏教育——我经常嫉妒那些有教养的家伙，他们写起官文来一挥而就，读起来还琅琅上口，他们能用法语滔滔不绝地聊天，随口还能扔出些拉丁语格言，甚至还有希腊语的，上帝保佑——他们知道狄摩西尼是谁，还知道是什么地方。可你用拉丁名言就能把我砍倒。况且去叫一个普通的健康男孩坐下来读格里高里的《礼貌教育》或者罗宾逊的《古史简编》是没有效果的。除非他是一代完人，除非他是像圣文森或者科林武德那样的人，一定得有一个教师管着，他才会去念书。” “我想你们海军军官可能把文学看得太高了。”斯蒂芬说。“话又说回来，我也知道些航海的蠢材，他们能驾船到对跖点再驾船回来，风帆也调整得很好，却没有能力把他们的经历有条有理地用嘴说出来，更不要说写下来了，真是丢脸。” “正是这样。这就是我想避免的。可我见过的两个教师都只懂数学，而且还都是醉醺醺的野蛮人。” “你有没有考虑过请马丁先生？他数学不是很强，但我看他现在了解导航术的基本知识；不过他法语说得很好，一般牧师都掌握的拉丁语和希腊语，他也都掌握，而且他读书很多。他不太满意自己现在的军舰，而且我跟他说起我们要到世界的另一边去——因为我也并不知道得更确切——他说他宁愿丢掉两只耳朵也想和我们一起去。确确实实，他的原话是'愿意献出我的两只耳朵'。” “当然，他是个牧师，而水兵们都觉得牧师不吉利，”杰克考虑着说。“况且大多数舰上的牧师都是很糟糕的人。可他们习惯了马丁先生；他们喜欢他这个人——当然我也一样喜欢他，他和人相处是最有绅士风度的——再说他们也确实喜欢可以定期临时搭建教堂……我从来没自愿载过牧师出海，可马丁不同。确实，他可能是个自以为比别人虔诚的家伙，但他从来不把教条硬塞进别人的喉咙；况且我还从没见他喝醉过。假如他是诚心的，斯蒂芬，求你去告诉他，要是有可能转舰的话，我会很高兴有他陪我们到世界的另一边去。” “到世界的另一边去。”他微笑着对自己重复说，一边走向古老的防波堤。在大街的另一边，他看见一个非常漂亮的年轻女人。对漂亮脸蛋，杰克总是目光敏捷的，但她却更早就看见了杰克，而且正特别执着地盯着他看。她肯定不是直布罗陀众多妓女中的一个（不过她还是引起了他肉欲上的想法），他们的目光相遇的刹那，她就淑静地移开了自己的视线，不过还是面带着一种谨慎的、发自内心的微笑。是否这坚持的目光是个信号，是否意味着，要是他强行靠近她的话，不会遭到太猛烈地抗拒？他不是很有把握，但他可以肯定，她不是普普通通的小姐。要是他再年轻几岁，他本来是会穿过马路去找到答案的。年轻的时候，对一切有成功希望的挑战，有时候甚至对根本没有成功希望的挑战，他都会接受；可现在他已经是个上校舰长了，而且正赶去赴约会，他只是继续在自己这边的人行道上走着，在他们相对走过时，给了她迷恋、欣赏的一瞥。这是个娇好的、黑眼睛的年轻女人，她走路的样子有点与众不同，她的步态就好像骑了马似的有点僵硬。“也许我还会见到她。”他想。而与此同时，另一个年轻女人又朝他打起了招呼，这一个不那么漂亮，但是丰满活泼，她是佩尔金斯小姐，只要“伯维克”号的随军教士不在舰上，她就经常和“伯维克”号的本奈特舰长一起出航。他们握了握手，她告诉他“哈里希望可以促成他沉闷的老牧师去休个长长的假，这样他们就可以护送斯米尔娜贸易船队到地中海去了，到那些美妙的海岛上去，多么可爱啊”。她又邀请他去和他们一起吃午饭，他却只得谢绝了。可惜，他没办法自己作主，因为他已经有约在先了，现在就得像兔子一样跑起来。 衡奈基·顿达斯是约他的人，现在他们舒服地在瑞德饭店楼上的小房间里吃着午饭，一边俯视着沃特坡尔特大街，议论着从下面走过的朋友和熟人。 “这就是那个笨蛋贝克。”顿达斯说，一边朝“艾里斯”号舰长的方向点点头。“他昨天到我舰上来，想要我的一个水兵，一个叫兰瑟的船首楼水兵。” “为什么他要那么干？”杰克问。 “因为他用彩虹的各种颜色，把自己的驳船手打扮起来，而且喜欢他们有相应的名字。他已经有名字叫绿、棕、黑、白、灰的，甚至有叫深红的，他很想要我的约翰·兰瑟，想用法国海盗船上缴获的九磅黄铜大炮和我交换。肯定有人跟他说过，'艾里斯'在希腊语里的意思是彩虹。”看见杰克仍然疑惑不解，要不就是十足地蠢笨，顿达斯又加上一句。 “真的吗？”杰克说。“不一定吧。也许他早就知道。他是个相当博学的家伙，况且他在学习开怀大笑起来——可是，你知道我确实不喜欢那种把人当猴耍的做法。他在亲自己的手，朝大街这边的这个人致意呢。” “那是恰坡尔太太，”顿达斯说，“桅杆手的妻子。”停了一会儿他又叫道，“看啊！那人就是我和你说起过的艾伦，他知道很多捕鲸的事情。可大概你已经和他谈过了。” “我还没和他谈过。”杰克说，“我派人到他住处去过，可他正好不在。同住的人说他到卡笛兹去一两天。”他说话时专心地看着艾伦。这是个高个子、腰杆挺直的中年人，脸色健康，身穿皇家海军航行官的普通制服。他迎面碰到了一个上级军官，一个还不满二十岁的上尉。他脱帽致礼的时候，杰克看见了他花白的头发。“我喜欢他的样子。”他说，“上帝啊，有一队步调一致的军官，每人都知道自己的使命，又不互相争吵，这有多么重要啊。” “当然，”顿达斯说，“一次出航任务是愉快还是糟糕，都取决于军官队伍的好坏。你的副官问题有没有进展？” “有进展，”杰克说，“而且我觉得问题已经解决了。汤姆·普林斯非常大方地提出来，自己愿意作为志愿者和我们一起走，我本来估计他也会那么做的；就算娄万来不及从马耳他赶回来，我也可以让贺尼或者麦特兰当代理，毕竟，你我在比他们年轻的时候，就做了代理副官，负责起值班岗哨了。” “军港司令和他的年轻人怎么样了？” “我根本不想接收那个装腔作势、扭扭捏捏的下流胚上我的后甲板。”杰克说。“军港司令可以去见鬼。” “我很想看看你当面对他这么说，哈，哈，哈！”顿达斯说。 好在杰克已经没必要这样做了。杰克一走进他的办公室，修斯上将就叫道，“噢，奥布雷，恐怕只好让你失望了……是迈特考夫的事……他母亲给他在海防民军找了个位置。不过，先坐下来，坐下来；你看上去相当疲乏。”杰克看上去确实很疲乏，他是个又高又壮的人，现在每天从天亮到黄昏，甚至更晚，都一直推动着自己十六英石的体重，在骄阳炙烤的直布罗陀来回奔波，去催促那些迟缓的官员们和自己同样迅速地行动起来，这样劳作的后果在他身上可以看得出来。“不过，”上将继续说，“我正好有你想要的航行官。他和科尔耐一起出航过——你听说过科尔耐吗，奥布雷？” “唔，阁下，我看大多数关心本职的军官们，都相当熟悉科尔耐船长和他的书。”杰克说。 “和科尔耐一起出航过，”上将点着头说，“况且一切情况都表明，他是个一流的水兵。”他摇了摇铃，对书记员说，“叫艾伦先生进来。” 幸好顿达斯对艾伦先生评价很高，不然的话，杰克本来是会很轻视他的。艾伦一点也没能展示自己的优点。从少年时代开始，杰克就一直是个爽快、友善的人，他指望自己会喜欢他人，也指望别人喜欢自己，而且虽然他根本不是个唐突的、或者过于自信的人，但他面对生人的时候却一点也不畏缩，他觉得自己很难设想，已经是个五十岁或者五十出头的男人了，情绪仍旧可以把他左右到瘫痪的境地，仍旧可以让他冷淡到令人生厌的地步，除了回答直接的提问，他不回应任何礼貌的友好表示，既不微笑也不说话。 “很好。这就行了。”上将说，看来他也同样失望。“等委任令一发出，艾伦先生就可以上任了。你的军械官应该已经报到了。我看就这些事了，我不想多耽搁你们。”他摸了摸铃。 “请原谅我，阁下，”杰克站起身来说，“可我还有人手问题：我非常非常缺编。另外当然还有随军教士的事情。” “水兵缺编？”上将叫了起来，好像是第一次听说有这个问题。“你指望我能做什么？我可没法让埋在土里的人复活，你知道，我又不是该死的卡德摩斯。” “噢，不，阁下。”杰克十分真诚地叫道，“我从来也没把你当成卡德摩斯。” “嗯，”上将稍稍缓和了一些，又说，“你明天来见我。不行，明天不行。明天我要去看病。后天吧。” 艾伦和他的新舰长走到了街上。“那我们明天见，艾伦先生？”杰克在人行道上停下来说。“请你早些来报到。我非常着急，想尽早出航。” “要是你准许的话，阁下，”艾伦说，“我宁可马上就去报到。如果我不从最底下一层开始就照看货舱装载的话，我是不会了解情况的。” “你说得很对，艾伦先生。”杰克叫道，“还有船首舱也需要非常留心照看。'隙奇'号是艘很精良的军舰——它抢风行驶的时候，在海军中没有哪艘船比得过——就算收缩起大桅上桅帆的帆篷，也快过'德鲁依德'号或者'阿迈西斯特'号——不过需要恰到好处地调整风帆，它才能发挥得最好。船尾列板一半处，龙骨前端也不能加任何重的东西。” “我也这样想，阁下。”艾伦说，“我和'布尔福德'号的基尔先生谈起过，他说他想到船首舱就睡不安稳。” 现在他们到了露天，周围全都是人，谈着对两人都非常重要的话题，比如船的偏航倾向，比如转弯可能对它产生的影响，艾伦的矜持渐渐消退了，在他们一起走向军舰的时候，他说，“阁下，我能不能请问卡德摩斯是什么东西？” “唔，至于这个么，艾伦先生，”杰克说，“在这样的公共场合，有女土们在附近，我可能不便给你解释。也许你可以去查一查布乾的《家用医学》。” 在舰上，比平常更加心事重重的莫维特迎接了他们。军需官退回了一大批牛肉桶，这些牛肉已经两次出海，去过西印度群岛又运了回来；军需官说牛肉桶分量不足，而且时间太久，已经不适合人吃了，而普林斯已经去供应处看有什么办法解决了；马图林把便携肉汤扔进了海里，他的理由是，它们只能算普通的粘胶，是假冒伪劣、粗制滥造的东西；而舰长的厨师起初轻率地错怪了舰长管家把杰克的葡萄酒拿去卖钱，后来又害怕出海之后基里克会做出对他不利的事，于是就开溜当了逃兵，到出航的几内亚公司商船上去了。“可至少军械官来报到了，而且我觉得你会对他满意的。他的名字叫荷纳，以前在'贝莱特'号上，而且他还在菲利普爵士手下服役过。他对炮术有正确看法。我的意思是说，他和我们的看法一样，阁下。现在他在弹药库里；要我派人去叫他过来吗？” “不用了，不用了，莫维特，我们暂时不要打扰他。”“惊奇”号的舰长说，一边扫视着他的军舰，军舰看上去就像刚刚经过了一场特别有破坏性的海战，储备、缆绳、圆材、帆脚索、帆布一堆堆地四处散放着。但混乱更多的只是表面现象，况且因为麻利的航行官已经在储备舱里忙碌起来（艾伦先生一上船，几乎马上就消失了），受过布罗克训练的军械官也在弹药库忙碌着，所以军舰准时出海并非完全不可能的事，首先这取决于，他是否能够成功地诱使修斯上将给他更多的水兵。他正在扫视，却看见一个熟悉的身影从船头方向的跳板走了过来，来人是心宽体胖的兰姆太太，船匠的妻子。她提着一只篮子，还提着两只母鸡，母鸡都被绑住了鸡爪，这些东西都是为出航准备的，即将成为兰姆家庭私人储藏的组成部分。不过她身边还有另外一个人，她有些眼熟，但既不体胖也不心宽，她正是杰克在沃特坡特大街见过的年轻女人。她完全意识到杰克的目光正停留在她身上，她登上甲板，稍稍屈膝行礼，然后用一种特别端庄负责的样子提着自己的篮子，跟随兰姆太太从船头的升降口走了下去。 “她是谁？”杰克问。 “荷纳太太，阁下，军械官的妻子。瞧那个新鸡笼，在它船尾方向的那头小猪就是她的。” “上帝啊！你是说她和我们一起出航？” “唔，对啊，阁下。是荷纳要求的，我想起你以前说过，我们要找个人照顾这些候补生，就马上准许了。可要是我做错了……” “不，不，你没有做错。”杰克摇摇头。他不可能去推翻自己第一副官的决定，况且不管怎么说，接收荷纳太太是完全符合海军惯例的，只是她的体态并不符合；既然她已经安顿好了，现在再把她赶下船，他就会犯暴虐和压迫罪，同时这还意味着，他会和一个完全心怀不满的军械官一起出航。 奥布雷舰长和马图林大夫以前在私下里从来不议论其他军官，不谈论马图林在下级军官室的室友们，不过那天深夜却是个例外。当时斯蒂芬照常来到杰克的大舱，来吃烤奶酪晚饭，再拉一两个小时的琴——两人拉提琴的技艺虽不十分精湛，却都非常热衷于音乐。事实上，在上一次战争中，他们的友谊就是从米诺卡的一次音乐会开始的。虽然有这条不议论其他军官的惯例，但杰克还是告诉了斯蒂芬，他们共同的朋友汤姆·普林斯会作为志愿者和他们一起出航。杰克并没有提出要普林斯这么做，甚至连暗示也没有给过，尽管从军舰的角度来看，这是件大好事，不过事实上这也是个完全合理的举动，普林斯岸上的朋友们都赞许他这么做。他在最近的将来，没有任何独立指挥军舰的可能性，与其在岸上坐等一年左右，他非常明智地选择了出航，这样的话，假如航行成功，等他回来之后，他受雇的机会就要大得多了。“白厅那些人喜欢热忱，”杰克评论道，“尤其是不用他们花钱的时候。我记得菲利普·布罗克第一次被任命为上校舰长的时候，指挥的是条旧得可怕的'夏克'号，他回到岸上，用他父亲的佃户组织了一支民兵，日夜训练；海军部马上给了他'德鲁依德'号，三十二炮，一艘航行性能非常出色的军舰。现在汤姆没有农民可以训练，可是保卫捕鲸船也体现了同样多的热忱，甚至是更多的热忱。” “你有没有料想过，两个第一副官在一起会造成不方便？” “要是换了其他军舰，换了其他人，我本来是该有所顾虑的。不过普林斯和莫维特自从候补生的时候就一起出航过——他们是非常亲近的朋友。他们会自己安排妥当的。” “我好像听说第一副官就好比是和军舰结婚的人。这么说来，这是个一妻多夫的例子了。” “比如，在兄弟间？” “我的意思是说多个丈夫。书上说，在西藏一个女人可以同时嫁给好几个兄弟；而在印度的某些地方，要是几个丈夫之间有任何程度的亲属关系，大家就会认为那是不名誉的。” “两种情况都很难对付，”杰克考虑着说，“再说我也不见得自己会喜欢。” 他给自己的小提琴调着音，脑海里闪现出荷纳太太的模样，“我最真诚地希望，这次航行任务中，我们再不会看见别的一妻多夫的例子。” “我也并不十分拥护一妻多夫。”斯蒂芬说，一边伸手去拿他的大提琴。“我连一夫多妻制也不提倡。事实上，有时候我想，在男女之间是否可能有任何令人满意的关系……”他打断自己的话，又接着问，“马丁先生的事，你有没有提醒过军港司令？” “我提醒过他了，还提醒了他我们缺少人手的事，看在上帝的分上。我后天再去见他。”他抬起琴弓，用脚在地板上点了三次，在脚第三次点地的时候，他们开始拉起琴来。这首曲子是科莱里的C 大调，他们经常拉，可每次都觉得新鲜。 离开制索厂，和厂里特别顽固的厂长告别之后，杰克一路奔跑，在预定的时间，又热又乏地走进了军港司令的办公室。“嗯，奥布雷，”军港司令说，“我看我解决了你的问题，同时我们决定给你送一份大礼。” 杰克以前受过很多码头骗子的欺诈，非常可怜地被人轻松骗走了自己辛辛苦苦冒险挣来的捕获赏金，可在和出航有