Chapter 7 Chapter VII

It was a sultry day, with low skies and dark clouds, and the Surprise sailed along the waterway between Abemarle and Narborough Islands.These two islands are the westernmost of the Galapagos archipelago. The Surprise's course was very difficult, for, although the soft capricious wind happened to be blowing in its favour, the ship had to contend with a strong tide.This tide is coming from the north for no reason--no reason because, as Mr. , is flowing in the opposite direction at four or five miles an hour, and the tide between Abermarle and James Island, though not far to the east, is in the same direction as the current.Between the Galapagos Islands, the "Surprise" has been shuttling back and forth like a hound, although it has long been accustomed to very strong currents and unreasonable climates-the great equator. Foggy weather, for God's sake, the penguins in the fog on the equator are bluffing! ——But there were various indications that the current was very likely to turn into a particularly dangerous big wave, and this waterway full of reefs was unfamiliar to the navigation officer, so Jack personally commanded the navigation on the deck .

He didn't like this kind of navigation task at all, but this was his last chance to find the Norfolk in the archipelago: there were three or four hidden harbors ahead, and the Norfolk was probably anchored in one of them. In a harbor, the speed of loading turtles is eight knots. These turtles weighing two or three hundred pounds on Narborough Island are especially delicious, loaded with fresh water and firewood that can be found in the local area, and the "surprise" is likely to be in it. Raid it unnoticed.Therefore, this waterway must be crossed, but this voyage is indeed very difficult, the wind has been weakening and erratic, and the current is constantly increasing, there is not much room for maneuvering the warship, and there are beaches surrounded by rocks on both sides— —and, most unfairly, both sides are very much like the lee shore, for, while the wind blowing over the frigate's broadsides pushes the warship towards the reefs of Narborough, the irregular tides and currents tend to push It hit the rocks at Abermarle, and if the wind did turn, the warship would indeed hit the rocks at Abermarle.The atmosphere on the deck was tense, and all the sailors were in their positions.Skiffs, carrying small anchors and heavy ropes, were sent out to the water on either side of the warship.And on the side chain platform, a sailor was continuously dropping the lead for measuring the sea depth, and kept shouting: "This line has not touched the bottom, no, no."

The straits were narrowing, and Jack felt that even if the starboard main anchor were to sink to a hundred fathoms, he would almost certainly have to drop anchor and wait for the current to peak. "Bring me the deep sea rope," he said.The banks had for some time seemed closer than musket range, and now they were much closer together, making the current all the more powerful.Everyone looked seriously at the two banks—the black rocky rocks on both sides were beaten by sinister breaking waves, and the naked gray-black volcanic rocks full of cracks stretched openly on both sides, slanting towards the indistinct peaks covered by mist, Here and there were huge piles of volcanic cinders, mostly black, but sometimes a sickly red, like the wreckage of a gigantic ironwork; here and there a few craters could be seen—it was a harsh, wild place. scene.A more precise statement should be that almost everyone is looking at both sides of the strait seriously.Although the warship is now in a very dangerous position due to the possible high seas, the unmeasured depth of the sea, the soft wind in the direction, and the narrow room for maneuver, the doctor and the priest, either because of ignorance or because of Completely detached, he actually settled down on the leeward side of the railing, and adjusted his binoculars with eager, even trembling hands.Earlier, they had tried to keep both sides of the strait, shouting at each other from opposite ends of the deck, announcing their respective discoveries, so as not to miss anything, but the officer on duty stopped them as soon as Jack appeared on deck. An absurd irregularity, for to the captain the windward side was inviolable; and now they were content to observe only the Narborough side.Even so, they still admit that the things on this side alone are so rich that twenty naturalists can't handle it.They had long since discovered that the miserable state of barrenness on the lower slopes was really only superficial; and that among the naturally formed cinder-heaps a few stunted, leafless bushes could be discerned, which were almost certainly related to the larger ones. The genus is a close relative; and on the high sides of the hills very tall prickly prickly pears, together with tall columnar cactuses, are everywhere; but, though certainly interesting on land, it is much more interesting at sea.As the channel narrowed, the marine life seemed to grow denser: the shores on either side were crowded with earless and eared seals, and with sea lions and sea bears.Not only on the narrow beach covered with black sand and stones, but even on the ledges that seem impossible to climb, they can be seen everywhere, some lying on their stomachs, some on their sides, some on their backs, some sleeping, Some were mating, some were just roaring, others were playing in the breaking waves, or cruising the broadside of a man-of-war, their necks stretched out, staring with extreme curiosity.On the higher ledges, all the clearings left by the seals were taken up by marine iguanas, black with spines and a yard long.Penguins and wingless pelicans share the water, swimming swiftly just below the surface, past schools of silvery-white fish that look like sardines.In the wake of the "Surprise", a group of female sperm whales and calf whales are floating on the sea and spraying water.There are also a large number of seabirds flying above the deck of the warship, which in itself could not be more common.Uncommonly, many seabirds gather on the rigging, on the grids of the hammocks, and on the bell pavilions, and the large amount of feces they leave will quickly corrode the cannon.The sailors were annoyed with the seabirds because they had to constantly remove the guano.When the doctor was not paying attention, the sailors continued to secretly drive away the big birds with broomsticks, but it was useless. The seabirds settled on the tops of the boats and even on the oars with stubborn obedience.Most seabirds are boobies, there are masked boobies, there are brown boobies, there are piebald boobies, and most importantly, blue-faced boobies.The dull-witted, glazed-eyed, expressionless boobies were once a rare species in the far reaches of the Atlantic, and now, though their intelligence increases with mating season, the membranes on their feet It also turned into a more lovely turquoise, but they still can't compare with the rare land birds flying past.As far as they could tell, these land birds—the sooty little gray finch and the crake—are unknown to today's academic circles.But though boobies were everywhere, one pair caught Stephen's eye.They perched on the back of a sea turtle, which was dozing off.This pair of boobies is very affectionate, with bright claws. Their desire is very urgent. The speed is eight knots. The weather on this day is very warm, which is conducive to the estrus of the boobies, and the courtship ceremony is very fast.Doubtless the male booby would have had his wish if the turtle had not dived prematurely, but now he was very confused and confused.

The navigator stopped behind them, pointed to Narborough Island and said, "Gentlemen, I think this is Sodom and Gomorrah. But if you go up the slope, the higher place is not too bad." .If the clouds part, you can see some green, with a kind of Spanish moss growing on the trees and bushes." "Oh, we're all pretty sure," said Martin, turning to him happily. "We've never been this close to land, close enough to see the ground—clearly see the iguana." "I especially like cacti that are straight and tall," says Stephen. "We call it a torch thistle," said the navigator, "and if you cut it off, it has a juice that you can drink; but it gives you wet colic."

The warship continued sailing.The scaly black shore slowly moved back.Amid the shouts of sailing orders, the clatter of bare feet, the creak of yards, and the chorus of rigging in the wind, Stephen's thoughts wandered elsewhere.A small bird landed on his binoculars, tilted its head and looked at him curiously, then combed its black feathers, flew back to the island, and disappeared into the background of volcanic rocks. "It's almost certainly an unclassified bird," he said, before going on, "I've been thinking about our own mating rituals. Sometimes they're as short as a booby's ritual. Like sometimes two like-minded people look at each other, and then retreat to a place of avoidance after talking for a while. What I think of is the Greek and Amazon warriors described by Herodotus. The people here would walk into the bushes in groups; I also think of some examples that I have observed that are closer to us. And at other times, the formal dance, with its feints and retreats, of which Ritualized dedications and symbolic gestures are delayed to the point of infinity, perhaps for years, before the real purpose is achieved. I mean, assuming the real purpose has not been corrupted after all the delays, it does. It is achieved. There are endless variations, according to ages, countries, and classes, and it is a fascinating study to find the common factor among all these differences."

"Yes, indeed," Martin said. "Obviously, it is the most important thing for the continuation of the human race. I was thinking that maybe some writers have made them their own special research objects. I said It's a mating ritual, not an act of mating, and the act of mating itself is obscene, vulgar, and short." He pondered for a while, then smiled and continued, "But on a warship, you can't do that. Kind of research. Which is to say..." His smile faded slowly, and his voice trailed off as he remembered last Friday.On that day, as is customary at sea, an auction of Herner's personal belongings, among which a few poor shawls and petticoats could be seen, was held under the mainmast on the upper deck.Everyone felt that they should not participate in the bidding, and even Wilkin, the current acting ordnance officer of the frigate, did not bid.

"Here you are, Doc," Howard said, handing him a hat with several dead birds in it, "how well have I done? No bird is ever the same." Under pressure from public opinion, Howard Having given up shooting birds with a gun, his pastime now was to kill Birds perched on rigging.Boobies, owls, frigatebirds, brown pelicans, and hawks, which he managed to strangle; smaller birds, which he killed with a thin wooden pole.Since Stephen didn't like to kill specimens with his own hands, he accepted Howard's dead birds, but he has tried everything possible to advise the marine to keep moderation, no more than a few of each bird, and to prevent his men from people endanger birds.

"You've been very good, Mr. Howard," said Stephen. "I want to thank you especially for this yellow-breasted wren. I've never had that kind of bird—" "Oh, oh," cried Martin, "I saw a giant turtle! I saw two giant turtles. God, such a big turtle!" "Where? Where?" "Beside that cactus." The tall cactus has a tree-like trunk.A sea turtle stretched its neck, raised its paws, and was grabbing a branch, stretching its flexible neck and its huge shell body, and pulling it with all its strength; another turtle also grabbed the same branch , is also pulling, but in a different direction.It was, Martin explained, an instance of slightly errant mutual aid; Stephen, an instance of selfishness; Each turtle crawled away dragging its own half.

"How I should like to walk around at least one island," said Martin. "In every field, how many discoveries could be made! If reptiles have achieved this degree of magnificence, how can they be found in beetles, butterflies? How much more will we discover in terms of family and flowering plants? But the thought of the warship probably going on and on and on, makes me miserable." At this time, Aspasia the goat ran to Stephen's side for protection.The little dark gray finches with their thick beaks had been ravaging him ever since the warship arrived off the coast of Abermar Island, perched on its back and plucked it for its own nest.It has experienced storms, thunder and lightning, two fleet naval battles, and four single-ship battles; it has endured the harassment of cadets, trainee sailors, and many kinds of dogs; When the faint twittering of birds approached the warship, it would hasten to Stephen's side. "Oh, not afraid, not afraid," said Stephen, "a goat as big as you is not ashamed." But he waved to the chicks, and went on to Martin, "Don't worry. Captain Aubrey promised , once the task of searching for the 'Norfolk' is completed, the warship will stop, or stop against the wind, or drop anchor, and then we will be allowed to go ashore."

"You put me at ease. I really can't bear it...Look, look, there's another turtle—a Goliath, going downhill, getting closer. What heavy steps!" They focused the binoculars on Goliath, and he paused in their field of view, facing the light just right, and they were even able to count the plates on his back and compare them to those of the Aubrey turtle.The Aubrey turtle lives in the Indian Ocean and was discovered, described, and named by Maturin.Maturin's naming of the turtle gave Jack the only possibility of immortality in the world.They also compared it to Rodriguez's sea turtle, which has a thinner shell and weighs less but is still respectable.They discussed the turtles of the islands, their origins—discussed turtles in general, whether they were deaf—seldom heard their calls—but they could squeak and, more commonly, hiss hiss - they are all oviparous and careless with their offspring - even crocodiles are more diligent with their offspring - though in general turtles are more compassionate - fully capable of attachment - turtles Instances of affection.

"What are they yelling about?" Stephen asked, keeping his eyes on the telescope.A whole troop of turtles came into view, climbing incessantly up the hill along an apparently well-traveled path. "Perhaps they saw a boat—someone was shouting about a boat," said Martin. "Do you think there are toads on this island? I like toads more than almost any reptile, and a toad of this size." ..." "If there were turtles, why weren't there toads? In retrospect, I hardly ever saw any frog-like animals in Rodriguez, and, despite my realistic imitation of the frog's movements, and the frog's cry, I It's still almost impossible to get any intelligent native to understand what I mean by a frog." "Excuse me, my lord, excuse me," roared the leader of the sailors on duty on the aft deck, pushing his way through them unceremoniously, while at the same time the whistle blew, "All sailors in place, change course!" command, the sailors ran to their posts one after another. "What's the matter? Beckett, what happened?" Stephen asked. But before Beckett had time to answer, the "Surprise" had already begun to turn smoothly.First came the familiar cry of "Turn to lee," followed by "Leave horns, reins," and then "Lower mainsail."Although there were small boats on both sides of the warship, it still turned the bow briskly. At this time, Stephen looked forward, only to see a small boat in the distance, a whaler, heading towards them at high tide. . The Surprise had her port sail fully covered, and though the tide was almost at its highest and was leveling, within a quarter of an hour the Surprise was back where she had been three hours before.The whale-boat was visibly drawing nearer with each passing minute, and there were half a dozen sailors in the skiff, but they were all very anxious, though the distance was less than a hundred yards, and with every breath the distance They were all approaching, and they were still pushing forward, still yelling "Boy, hello" as hard as they could. When they boarded the warship smiling and full of joy, their voices were almost completely silent.But when they finished drinking two small barrels of fresh water, their spokesman, the whaling master gunner, stood on the deck, and in a hoarse low voice, mixed with hoarse laughter; narrated their experience.They belonged to the "Brave Fox" in London, captained by James Holland. The "Brave Fox" has been at sea for exactly two years, and although it has not been very successful, after arriving in the Galapagos Islands, they feel that they can return with a lot of hope, because they found that there are many whales here.They killed three of them on the first day, and after another three days, the fog fell, and all the boats were sent out.Their skiff had been in hot pursuit of a young and lively male the size of a forty-pipe-barrel, and he had taken them dancing all the way to the far north of Redondo Rock, away from his fellow boat mates. .The companions could therefore neither see them nor bring them new whale-lines.Eventually the whales escaped with harpoons and lines, leaving them a harsh day and night against the wind and current without a drop of water to drink, let alone food.When they got back to where they came from, what did they see?Alas, they saw the poor "Brave Fox" have an American frigate nearly torn apart, with not only the brand new fore-mast and top-mast removed, but all the whale oil, spermaceti--foremast, perhaps There was still half the middle store full, and no more—all transferred to another whaler, the Ameria, also from the River London.Fortunately it was night, and they sailed along the coast, and were hidden from land, so they were not seen.The whaling master-gunner had been in these waters—he knew the island well—and they sailed into a narrow cove, hid the skiff under driftwood, and climbed ashore to an old pirate's shed.There was still some water there, but it was salty and was evaporating fast. There were turtles and land lizards, and the boobies had started laying eggs, so they were generally doing well, but they were dry mouthed.Immediately they saw the Amelia setting off, cheered by the American frigate.It hoisted the American flag and sailed south and slightly east.Then the Americans transported two or three hundred sea turtles to the beach the next day, carried them to the warship in small boats, set fire to the "Fox", weighed anchor, left the strait, and sailed straight west. gone.They hastened down the hill, trying to put out the fire, but in vain, for five or six lute-casks were gouged, and the oil flowed all over the deck, and the fire was so strong that they could not come any nearer.If the captain had continued along the strait, he could still have seen its charred hull: the "Fox" ran aground on a reef north of Banks Bay, and the bottom of the ship was cut, and that place was at the anchorage. Not far in the past. "When the Americans leave the channel, do they go straight west?" Jack asked. "Well, sir," said the whaler's master gunner, "perhaps a compass point to the south. Moses Thomas and I went back to the shed, and we watched it disappear below the horizon, straight west, by a mere Southerly, with topsails drawn by foremast and mainmast." "To Malgasus, Master Gunner of the Whaling?" "That's right, man. There's half a dozen of our boats out there, and some Yankee boats, because the Sandwich Islands ain't what it used to be, and New Zealand ain't got a lot of hope, and if you set foot ashore, they'll take You eat it." "Well, very well. Mr. Movitt, put these men on the ship's book. I'm sure they're good sailors, and can be made private. Mr. Adams will send them hammocks, bedding, clothes. A couple of For God's sake, relieve them of all duties, so that they may regain their strength. Mr. Allen, when the tide turns, we shall leave the Channel and chart a course to Malgasus." "Stop catching turtles, sir?" Movitt asked. "No more sea turtles. We have always been frugal with the food reserves on board, and we can give up the delicacy of sea turtles. No, no, it set off eighteen days earlier than us, and we can't take it for sea turtles, caviar, or tea. Cream wastes a second." Having said this, he stepped off deck, looking completely content.A few minutes later, Stephen hurried to the big cabin. "When shall we stop?" he cried. "You promised we would." "My commitment is subordinated to the demands of the Navy. Listen, Stephen, the tide, current, and gentle wind are all in my favour—the enemy has set out long before us, so I must not waste a moment—do I Can conscience waste time for an iguana or a beetle—interesting, no doubt, but not directly useful for warfare. Frankly, isn't it?" "They drove Banksy to Outahite to observe the movement of Venus, which has no direct practical effect." "You forget that Banksy paid for the Endeavor himself, and you forget that we didn't happen to be at war with anyone at the time. Endeavor wasn't tracking anything but knowledge." Stephen didn't know this: if the words had any effect it was to make him more angry, but he restrained himself and said, "I know you're going to round the top of this long island on the left and start sailing, Leave from the other side of the island." Jack nodded noncommittally. "Well, if Martin and I had walked across, we'd have gotten to the other side much earlier than the warship. The ratio of length to breadth of an island is ten to one, that's true. A small boat could easily take us to the other end." and pick us up from the shore. We'll be walking fast, stopping only to make some important observations, and we'll almost certainly be gaining some valuable insights into freshwater springs, ores, antiscorbic plants, and the like. Discovery of value." "Stephen," said Jack, "if the light wind and the tide were against us, I should have agreed, but it wasn't. I had to object." Getting them ashore through the breaking waves was difficult; It would have been almost impossible for them to be picked up from shore; besides, two obsessed natural philosophers, traversing a remote island full of plants and creatures unknown to science, might well have waited until the frigate sank at anchorage, Or wait until it's aground on its own beef bone, and their "flying walk" isn't over yet - Jake has seen Maturin on shore before that, just for a Madeira wood louse, completely lost the concept of time.Still, he regretted his friend's disappointment.Maturin's disappointment was far stronger than Jack could have guessed from the extreme desolation of the islands.Seeing the angry flush on Stephen's usually calm and impassive face, and hearing the stern tone of his answer, Jack was all the more sorry.Stephen said: "Very well, sir. It appears that I must obey the orders of my superiors. I must be content to be a mere part of a military expedition which hastily misses jewels of inestimable value, and ignores all discoveries. Destined only for destruction." - don't want to spend even five minutes on discovery. I don't want to mention the corruption and abuse of power, I just want to say that I have always regarded promises as binding, and until now I never thought you would disagree with this Opinion—I didn't expect you to break your word." "My promise must be conditional," said Jack. "I'm in command of a Royal Navy ship, not a private yacht, you forget." Then, Jack smiled more gently, "But I tell you, Stephen, I'll try to stay as close to the shore as possible, and you can use my The best achromatic binoculars for watching animals." - Pulling out a beautiful five-mirror Hollander.Because of Stephen's tendency to drop things into the sea, Jack had never let him use the telescope before. "You can take your achromat..." Stephen stopped himself, paused, and added: "You're very kind, but I have one myself. I don't want to trouble you any more." He was utterly outraged: his solution—taking the shorter side of the triangle than the two very long sides—seemed to him beyond doubt to make sense.What makes him feel even more angry is that almost everyone on the ship is now extra friendly and caring to him, not only his old friends, such as Bunton and Killick, but also Joe Price who enjoys special treatment. He almost regarded the man who opened his head as his own private property, and was in a state of permanent hostility with Rogers, who lost only one arm), even Patin, and the newly added "Defender" The sailors, even the little boys in the cadet ranks, showed great concern for him.Always proud of myself for feeling like I can hold up better than most.He could have sworn he was completely unaware of his distress, but now even illiterate sailors in tar caps comforted him. With sullen satisfaction he observed that, despite the change of the tide, the Surprise was actually moving very slowly on these two stretches of water, because the gentle wind had twice become unfavorable for navigation.They sailed slowly past two marvelous beaches where a small boat would have taken them ashore and taken them back to the man-of-war, the first just beyond the reef where the black wreck of the whaler lay. the first cove.He knew very well that he and Martin would have had extra time if they had crawled across the island on all fours. "In half the time," he muttered, tapping on the railing in extreme frustration. He watched the dim, cloud-shrouded Galapagos disappear behind the boat before going to bed early.The last stanza of his series of prayers was not meant for a mind as full of resentment as his.Then he took two ounces of laudanum, lay down on his cot, and picked up Bocius's Essay on Philosophical Consolation. But even so, he was irritated when Patin woke him up at two o'clock in the middle of the night.Pattin told him, very slowly and with great difficulty, in English and Irish, that Mr. Blakeney had swallowed a four-pound grapeshot. "That kind of thing is totally out of the question," said Stephen, "that nasty little bastard is lying--showing off--chargers--to get attention. Wait until I give him a dose and make him suffer —he'll be annoyed, and Munster's sorrows are nothing compared to that." But after he saw the little beast, he realized that the so-called grape shot was just a small shell used by the yacht's four-pound cannon, and nine small shells made up a round.The little beast, pale and panic-stricken, excused himself, and they had placed him beside the lantern on half-deck.Immediately having him held upside down by the feet, he ran to get a gavage pump, and poured a large amount of mild salt water and rum into his body.Amid the painful retching, he heard the clang of the iron ball falling into the basin, and he thought happily that he not only cured the potentially fatal digestive tract blockage, but also weaned the patient for a long time to come. A hobby for alcoholic beverages. Even so, despite his physical and moral victory this time around, he was still in a bad mood the next day.Adams mentioned that the captain would be at the junior officer's lunch today—and that the lunch would be so elaborate that it was the Lord Mayor's feast, but Stephen just said, "Oh, really?" happy. "I know how that guy was stranded in port before," he said to himself, watching Jack from the leeward gangway.Now the Surprise sailed smoothly across the vast South Sea, pure blue from one side of the ocean to the unimaginable other. "I know how this guy used to be stranded in port, and as long as it was about women—and Nelson, and a lot of captains, a lot of officers, as long as it was about adultery—then All scruples were left behind, even the slightest scruples about the Royal Warships. No, no, their scruples were reserved for natural philosophy, or any useful discovery. His soul was given to the devil, and the Honest, hypocritical dog, though he may not be aware of his hypocrisy—the heart is first of all absurd, and elusive. Who knows what a heart is?" But although Stephen was sullen and vindictive, his upbringing had made him take hospitality very seriously.The captain was a guest in the junior wardroom, and it was not for the ship's doctor to sit there silently with stubborn resentment.Using considerable self-control, Stephen said four polite words, and after an appropriate interval, he bowed deeply again and said, "Your Excellency, have a drink with you." "I must congratulate you most heartily, Doctor. Congratulations on saving young Blakeney." Jack returned his bow, and said, "otherwise I don't know how to face my old shipmate and tell him Say, for a grapeshot we let his son die. I mean grapeshot in this case, not a French or an American shell." "How could he swallow something like that?" Martin asked. "When I was an understudy, if anyone talked too much, we'd put one in his mouth," Jack said. "We call it a lollipop. That's probably how it happened." "May I give you a piece of bonito, sir?" said Howard from the middle of the table. "Please. The fish is first class, bonito, first class. I could eat it all day long." "I caught seven this morning, my lord. I sat on the mizzen stand, hooked next to the wake. I sent one to the ward, one to the midshipmen, and three to my navy Marines, keep the best for ourselves." "First class, first class," Jack said again.Indeed, it was a first-class lunch: the best green turtles, the delicious flying squid that came on board in the evening, and all kinds of fish, and dolphin pies, and the most wonderful one was made of teal A dish.In terms of taste, the teal of the Galapagos Islands is comparable to the teal of Christian Island.Howard's sergeant was a former poacher, and the teal came from his net.Stephen noticed, not without irritation, that as the eating and drinking progressed, his etiquette became less and less artificial, and his deliberately polite expression was getting closer and closer to a spontaneous smile, and he was already almost relaxing. up. As the glass was refilled, Movitt said in a moment of silence—he and Martin had been discussing poetry for some time—“That’s the kind of stuff I’m talking about.” "Did you write this, Movitt?" Jack asked. "No, sir," Movitt said. "That's—that's what another guy wrote." "Creeping invisible wind," Maitland repeated. "I heard pigs can see the wind." "Wait a minute, gentlemen," cried Howard, holding up one hand, flushing, and looking around with shining eyes. "You'll have to forgive me, but I seldom come up with a good joke on the spur of the moment. Probably haven't had one since this voyage, but one near the Platte River was a bit off. So, with your permission, Your Excellency,"—he bowed to Jack—"there was an old woman in Colk Bay who lived in a shed with only one room; she bought a pig—a pig, er, the是笑话的关键，不然这个笑话就不会这么妥帖了——因为它只能和她住在同一间屋子里，你们听明白了吗？那头猪只能和她住在同一间屋子里，所以大家就问，'那臭味怎么办呢？'她说，'噢，哎呀，上帝啊，它只好慢慢去习惯了，' ——你懂吗，她还以为……” 霍华德的解释淹没在狂笑的大风里，站在杰克椅子后面的基里克笑得最欢。杰克自己也说：“它只好慢慢去习惯了。”他仰起头大笑起来，脸色深红，蓝眼睛比往常更加明亮了。“哎呀呀，哎呀呀。”他终于说道，他用手绢擦了擦眼睛，又说，“在这个眼泪的深谷里，时不时大笑一场对人很有好处。” 他们安静下来之后，军需官越过他的邻座，盯着第一副官说：“你刚才念的是诗吗？在猪的笑话之前。” “是啊。”莫维特说。 “它不押韵。”亚当斯说。“我自己又念叨了一遍，发现它不压韵。要是娄万在的话，他会把你的诗人教训一顿的。他的诗总是押韵。我还记得他写的一首，就像是昨天的事： 航船倾斜着，龙骨咯吱咯吱地尖叫， 在异常的抖晃中，水兵们摇摇欲倒。” “我看诗的种类几乎就像缆索的种类一样多。”航行官评论道。 “确实如此。”斯蒂芬说，“你还记得那个阿麦德·史迈斯吗？他是斯坦厚普先生的东方秘书，我们去坎朋时见过他。他跟我说起过一种奇怪的马来诗歌，这种诗歌的名称我记不起来了，可我还记得一个例子：森林旁边长着一棵菩提树， 在渔人的岸滩上鱼网散乱； 我坐在你的腿上，千真万确， 但是你不要以为， 你因此可以对我动手动脚。” “用马来语念它押韵吗？”在一阵安静的停顿之后，军需官问道。 “押韵的。”斯蒂芬说，“第一句和第三句……” 布丁的到来把他的话打断了，那是一个异常豪华的布丁，把它端上餐桌的水兵神态自豪，大家都鼓起掌来。 “什么，这是什么？”杰克叫道。 “我们料到你会惊喜的，阁下。”莫维特说。“这是一个浮岛，或者更准确地说，是一个漂浮的群岛。” “这就是加拉帕戈斯群岛啊。”杰克说。“这儿是阿伯马尔岛，这儿是纳尔伯罗岛，这儿是洽罕岛和胡德岛……我不知道舰上还有会做这种东西的人，我敢发誓，这是一件杰作，配得上一艘旗舰。” “是一个捕鲸人做的，阁下。他当水手之前，是但泽的糕点师傅。” “我加上了经线和纬线，”航行官说，“是用棉花糖做的；还有赤道也是，可我把赤道加粗了，还用葡萄酒着了色。” “加拉帕戈斯群岛，”杰克说，“完全吻合，就连雷东渡巨石和考里的迷岛也在，方位也都安排得很准确。不容易，想想我们从来也没有踏上过哪怕一个岛屿……我们的职业有时候是个要求很高的职业……” “上帝之声的严厉女儿！噢，职责！”莫维特说。但杰克注视着在军舰的起伏中摇晃的群岛，没有听见他的话，杰克继续说，“可是我告诉你们，先生们，一旦完成了任务，要是我们还原路返回，我们要在詹姆斯岛上艾伦先生的小港里停泊几天，每个人都可以尽情地漫游。” “你要一些加拉帕戈斯吗，阁下，不然它要漂走了？”莫维特说。 “要破坏这样一件艺术品，我有点犹豫，”杰克说，“可是，除非我们不吃布丁了”——带着心照不宣的表情，他把勺子放在糕点厨师的赤道上——“我看我必须越过赤道。” 赤道，赤道，每天沿着赤道，或者稍稍偏南，他们向西航行着。他们几乎马上就远离了企鹅、海狮，远离了所有的内陆鸟和几乎所有的鱼；他们也离开了忧伤的氛围、寒冷的海水、低垂的乌云；现在他们航行在天穹下一个不断更新着的深蓝色圆盘上，而淡蓝色的天穹，间或被非常高的卷云点缀着。然而他们航行得一点也不快。尽管“惊奇”号展开了辉煌的晴天轻帆——上上下下的补助帆、甚至所有的最上帆和第三层帆，连同第三层帆上的三角帆——可在两次观测之间，它航行的距离很少超过一百英里。几乎每天下午都有两三个小时，柔风要打瞌睡，或者甚至完全睡着，让风帆的众多金字塔处在凄凉的松弛状态，而同时广阔的死寂铺满了海面，只被偶尔会经过的鲸鱼和抹香鲸的队列所打断。鲸鱼们彼此间隔很远地排成一队，数目超过两三百头，它们朝秘鲁方向游去。每天晚上，在安排值班岗哨时，“惊奇”号还把其他风帆降下来，只留下那些中桅帆。虽说白天像羔羊一样无辜，晚上说不定还会有突然的暴风。 这是海军里大部分人都不熟悉的水域，拜伦、瓦里斯和库克的航线要么比这靠南，要么比这靠北。这样缓慢的爬行本来会让杰克着急，不过他已经从航行官那儿了解到，在太阳开始从回归线回移的时期，这儿一直就是这样的。况且对“诺尔福克”号来说，情况也是一样，说不定还更糟。艾伦和捕鲸主炮手交谈了多次。捕鲸主炮手是个名叫霍格的中年人，他三次到过马尔盖萨斯群岛；两次到过三明治群岛，他的第一手和第二手经验，对舰上的所有人都是极大的宽慰。他们尽快地航行着，但并不像看见追逐目标时那样，像紧急的日子里那样打湿风帆。因为他们知道，“诺尔福克”号会以更加迟缓的步调行进，而它到达马尔盖萨斯群岛之后，还会花费大量的时间，在岛屿之间游弋，去寻找在那儿捕鱼的不列颠捕鲸船。一刻也不能浪费，确实如此，但并非每一刻都必须快马加鞭。 军舰再一次以令人惊奇的速度，回复到一种完全正规的、自足的生存状态中。很快，这又重新成了自然的生活方式，“惊奇”人隔膜地回顾起他们在荷恩角以南遥远而酷寒的日子，甚至连他们沿着智利和秘鲁海岸的令人忧烦的航行，都恍若隔世了。 每天早上，太阳总是不偏不倚地正好从护卫舰的尾波里升起，照耀在刚刚清洗过的甲板上，但不久甲板就被凉棚隐藏了起来。这是因为，虽然这儿不像几内亚湾那么炎热，并没有热到沥青从木板缝里冒出气泡，柏油从高处滴下来的程度，比起记忆中红海臭名昭著的酷热就差得更远，但气温还是有华氏八十几度，因此遮阳是大有必要的。除非被邀请到舰长的大舱去，每个人都只穿帆布衣服，而即使在舰长的大舱，候补生们也被免除了厚厚的开司米背心。 然而对回复到正常的深海航行，候补生们也许是舰上惟独感到不太满意的一群人了，因为现在每件事都那么讲究，那么有条有理，那么服从布里斯托规矩。虽说除了在南纬五六十度最艰苦的那段日子，拉丁语和希腊语从来也没有撂荒过，现在两门课程却不仅恢复了正常，而且加倍地紧张了起来。而既然奥布雷有了时间，可以领他们游历导航术的迷宫，晚上他还让他们学习很多星星的名字、赤纬、赤经，找出它们和各行星以及月亮之间的角距离。他和莫维特也有了时间，可以着手提高他们的道德水准了；道德在海军的环境下意味着，很早就从舒适的吊床上起身，在钟声敲响之前很早就接替岗哨，决不把手放在口袋里，不倚靠在栏杆或者大口径短炮的滑动炮架上，在缩帆的时候总是在桅楼里照料。“你们叫缩帆人，”莫维特有一天对他们说，“你们的铺位豪华，你们像斗鸡一样给喂养着，要你们做的就是在桅楼里照看。可是我发现了什么呢？有人在厕所里照看大桅上桅帆……” “噢，阁下，我只有那一次给抓住了。”奈斯比叫道，他觉得不公平。 “……而且前桅上桅帆显然在自己缩帆，那个候补生却在底下什么地方像猪一样打盹。要是海军由你们这种人组成，我为这样的海军感到非常痛心，你们只想着吃睡，玩忽职守。我从来没在哪艘舰上见过你们这样的，我以后也不愿意再见到你们这样的。” “这些候补生对自己的轻松考虑太多了。”杰克说，“他们是一群赫洛特人。” “请问赫洛特有什么特定的航海含义吗，像狗、猫、鱼等等那样？”斯蒂芬问道。 “噢，只是普通意义上的懒散小鬼，你知道的——撒旦的四肢。我得激励他们，还要让他们的生活变得悲惨些。” 不管他怎么尝试，结果都不成功。“惊奇”号有一个生气勃勃、情绪高涨的候补士官生团队，没有真正年纪最长的成员，因此没有哪个成员可以去欺凌其他人，而且到现在为止，至少所有成员都吃得很饱。他们早已从南方的磨难中恢复了过来，虽然威廉逊的脚趾头和耳垂不可能失而复得了，但伯伊尔的肋骨却愈合得很好，而稀疏的软毛不仅开始覆盖卡拉米光秃的头皮，而且也开始覆盖他仍然像姑娘一样的下巴。尽管任务和功课都很重，尽管他们在道德上有所进步，但他们一直开开心心，甚至还学会了游泳。下午，军舰因为无风而停航的时候，船上大部分人都从船边跳了下去，其中大多数跳进了凹陷的风帆，把它当做浅浅的游泳澡盆，不过也有一些人直接跳进了海里，这是因为，自从加拉帕戈斯群岛以来，还没有见过鲨鱼，至少没有见过跟着军舰的鲨鱼。 这是他们向西航行的消遣之一，另外一种消遣是几乎每天晚上都有的、全体集合时的开炮或者射击比赛；但消遣还有很多，其中最受珍视的、大家深深喜欢的，是捕鲸人在最初几个星期里的举止，尤其是他们的头领捕鲸主炮手霍格的举止。霍格从来没在皇家海军里呆过，虽然自从他年幼时开始，战争就在不间断地进行着，他却从来没被强制征兵过。 作为一个南海的捕鲸者和叉鱼手，他是有免征证的，可他从来也没用过。不论是抓兵队，还是征兵军官，都没有找过他的麻烦，事实上在“惊奇”号之前，他从来就没踏上过军舰。他的一生全部是在捕鲸船上度过的，而捕鲸船是特别民主的一类航船，水手们不拿工资，而是分取捕鲸船可能获得的利润；而且在捕鲸船上，虽然有必要的、最低限度的纪律，可是在三十来个人中间，很少有等级森严的感觉。然而海军则完全不同，舰上的人员要多得多，桅杆前面和桅杆后面的世界完全不同，军舰上人员之间的素质也有很大差别。他是个聪明人——他能导航——不过他头脑有些单纯；而且因为他在瓦品野蛮的贫民窟里度过了童年，又在捕鲸船上度过了余下的日子，他和文明很少有接触。举例来说，他第一天看见当值军官时，叫道：“你过得怎么样啊，伙计？棒极了，我希望，棒极了。”而教堂搭建起来之后，很花了一番力气才把他安顿在自己的位置上，等他终于在倒放的伙食木桶上坐定，他又大声说，“哎呀，这可不太妙啊。”他在唱赞歌的时候眼睛瞪得大大的，赞歌结束时还鼓了掌。马丁穿上白色法衣的时候，他的邻座用在水兵中还算得上悄悄话的声音告诉他：“牧师现在要给他们布道了。”“就是他吗？”霍格叫道，他双手放在膝盖上，身体前倾，目不转睛地盯着随军教士：“我还从没听过布道呢。”接着，几分钟后他又说：“你一下子翻过了两页。嗨，喂，你一下子翻过了两页。”他说得没错。这是因为，马丁是个平庸的布道者，一般总是宣读某些更有才华的人写的布道词，比如说扫斯或者巴罗写的，而现在因为这新来的教徒把他扰得心烦意乱，他确实犯了个可悲的明显错误。 “肃静，全体官兵们。”莫维特叫道。 “可他一下子翻过了两页。”霍格说。 “邦敦，”杰克顾不得大家正坐在教堂里，说道，“把霍格先生带到船头去，告诉他在海军里我们是怎么做的。” 邦敦告诉了他，不过邦敦肯定没有把原则讲清楚，这是因为，第二天又出事了。最小的候补生奈斯比，在前桅楼朝一些水兵喊叫命令的时候用了一个粗俗的说法，于是霍格突然回过身来，用一只手把他提了起来，用另一只手拍他的屁股，还告诉他说，这些水兵和他父亲一样年纪，他这样对他们说话，应该感到害羞。根据霍格的罪行，任何听审的军事法庭都会只好判他死刑，因为海军惩治条例第二十二款并没有提供任何更轻的惩罚。杰克命令莫维特和艾伦去找霍格，他们两人和他谈了很长时间，让他对自己的深重罪恶有了一些认识。就算这样，舰上的其他人对捕鲸船船员们也并不绝望，他们还是有信心看到好戏的，比如，看到捕鲸船船员们去告诉亚当斯先生自己对军需官蜡烛的看法，或者看到他们想喝酒的时候，去麻烦舰长给倒一杯最好的白兰地；而且他们也经常怂恿捕鲸船船员们这样做：“去啊，伙计。”他们会说：“别害羞。舰长喜欢桅前水兵的，要是你礼貌地去讨，总会给你一杯酒喝的。”这倒不是因为他们不喜欢自己的新船伴，事实上远非如此，因为捕鲸船船员们不仅和蔼可亲，而且也是训练有素的水手。不过这些人的无知是持续不断的诱惑，而原则上，“惊奇”人被诱惑的时候就一定会堕落。 再次搭建教堂之前，捕鲸船船员们就变得小心谨慎起来。虽然他们还是会从半睡的状态里，被“它在喷水了”的叫声逗引得从吊床上跳起来，他们再也不去船匠助手那儿讨一个小长桌，也不去军械官的军士那儿要半英寻的导火线了；不过，有艘美国捕鲸船出现在迎风面的时候，他们仍旧提供了很多单纯无害的消遣。美国捕鲸船离得非常远，正在向东面直驶，根据它主甲板上双层的桅楼守望台，它马上就给认了出来。霍格和他的朋友们满怀狂野的复仇激情，一起奔到了船尾，听到当值的荷尼不愿意马上抢风驶船，他们就开始透过天窗朝杰克大叫，杰克只好命令海军陆战队把他们带走。 杰克考虑了一会儿工夫，觉得要是去追逐美国人，会损失太多的时间。他让人把捕鲸主炮手叫来，说道：“霍格，我们一直对你和你的船伴们非常耐心，可要是你继续这样下去，我就只好惩罚你了。” “他们烧了我们的船。”霍格嘟囔着说。 杰克假装没有听见，可是看到他愤怒和失望的热泪，他又说，“不要担心，伙计。'诺尔福克'号可能离我们不是太远，你可以找他们报仇。” 即使它本来已经在马尔盖萨斯，现在它也不会离得太远，因为在广阔、浩瀚的太平洋，一千英里的跨度看上去是自然的长度单位。另外的长度单位是一首诗，斯蒂芬在给莫维特念，他一天只念一篇，一点也不多念，以此让快乐维持更长的时间；离开加拉帕戈斯之后不久他就开始念了，现在正在念第十二篇，他估计按照目前航行的速度，他会恰好在到达马尔盖萨斯之前念完。他总是在下午念，这是因为，要是把他们西向航程的这几个必要的星期单独拿出来看，现在这些日子既是平静而安宁的，而且还是一个独立自足的整体，于是他和杰克就把晚上的时间全部用来拉琴了，在此前更加忙碌的水域，他们都一直只好放弃音乐。 夜复一夜他们在大舱里演奏着，船尾窗户打开着，军舰的尾波在黑暗中越流越远。没有什么可以给他们更多的欢乐；虽然他们的国籍、教育程度、宗教信仰、长相、思维习惯极端不同，但在他们即兴演奏时，或者在他们把主题进行变奏时，在把主题传来递去时，在用小提琴和大提琴对话时，他们却完全一致；只不过杰克运用起这种语言来，比他的朋友更加流利，更加风趣，更加独创，更加精通而已。他们的音乐趣味相似，而且作为业余爱好者，他们的演奏技巧都相当高，他们对音乐都有不倦的喜爱。 然而在斯蒂芬调解阿喀琉斯和阿伽门农那天的晚上，他们却一个曲子也没有演奏。那天护卫舰的尾波足有两千英里长。他们没有演奏，部分的原因是，军舰正驶过一个发出荧光的海洋生物种群，而且自从暗红色太阳的圆盘被牙樯整齐地分割着，落入迷雾茫茫的海面，军舰就一直驶在这个种群里了。更大的原因是，大家被命令召集到船首楼去唱歌跳舞了，而他们发出的声音比平常更响得多。命令纯粹是形式上的，因为大家早已经在那儿了，航行顺利的日子，要是晚上天气好，大家一直是这样唱歌跳舞的。命令的唯一作用，是让他们知道，他们可以一直玩下去，因为今天是捕鲸船船员们特定的聚餐日。 “幸亏我今天取消了候补生的课。”杰克从打开的天窗往外看着，说道，“天上几乎没有一颗星星可看。木星也模模糊糊的，而且我不知道五分钟之后还能不能看得见它。” “也许是星期三。”斯蒂芬站在船尾窗户前，远远地探出身去，回答说。 “我是说五分钟后连木星都会看不见了。”杰克说，他有意把声音提高，来盖过船头的欢声笑语，可是他失算了，因为他没有把捕鲸人考虑进去。现在捕鲸船船员们正在唱着“走吧，我的孩子们，走吧，我的孩子们，时间到了，我们该走了”，他们的声音大得可以和鲸鱼们相匹配。“也许是星期三，我是说。” 斯蒂芬相当不耐烦地回答道。“你能不能把有长杆的那个网递给我，行吗？我都求过你三次了。下面有条鱼，我够不着……” 杰克很快找到了有长杆的网，不过等他走过来递给斯蒂芬，却发现船尾窗前不见了斯蒂芬的人影，只有一个呼吸不畅的声音从尾波里传出来：“绳子，绳子。” “跳到单桅快艇上去。”杰克叫道，随后直接跳进了海里。他冒出水面时没有朝军舰呼喊，因为他知道红色单桅快艇拖在船尾。要么斯蒂芬自己会抓住它，要么杰克会把他拖到快艇上去，这样一来，他们两个就可以重新爬上船尾窗户，军舰的航行也用不着中断，它的军医的本来面目——出生的人当中最不可救药的蠢货——也用不着被进一步揭露了。 没有快艇，肯定有人把它吊到船舷边上去了。也没有斯蒂芬。正在这时，他看见并且听见了翻腾的、闪着荧光的海水中升起又沉下一个喘息的水泡。他重新潜入水里，越游越深，终于在发光的海面映衬下，看见了自己的朋友。斯蒂芬被他自己的网奇怪地缠着，他的头和一只胳膊紧裹在网里，网柄插在他后背的衬衣里。杰克把他拉了上来，可是要折断结实的杆子，扯下他的衬衫，同时还得举着他，让他的头露出水面，这花费了不少的时间。等他终于吸了一口气，喊出“惊奇，嗨”的时候，他的呼喊和舰上所有人参与的咆哮的合唱“它在喷水了，它在喷水了，它在喷水了”时间重合了。他让斯蒂芬浮在他的背上，在水面平静时，斯蒂芬勉强可以做得好，但是，一个不幸的涟漪，在斯蒂芬正要吸气时，刷过了他的脸，让他又沉了下去。杰克只好再次把他捞上来，而这时候杰克全力大声的“惊奇，嗨”带上了一丝焦急。这是因为，虽然军舰航行得不快，但每一分钟它还是会移动一百多码，况且在雾气中它的灯光已经开始暗淡下去了。 喊了又喊，喊了又喊，喊声足以把死人惊醒，但是，等它变得和晚上早先那模糊的行星差不多时，他沉默了。斯蒂芬说：“我极其担忧，杰克，我的笨拙给你带来了非常严重的危险。” “上帝保佑你，”杰克说，“也不是那么太严重。基里克半个小时左右肯定会到大舱去的，然后莫维特就会马上掉转船头。” “可是你觉得他们能看见我们吗，雾这么大，又没有月亮，一点月光也没有？” “他们也许会有些困难，不过在夜里的海上，浮在水面上的东西，只要你想找它就很容易看见，真是令人惊奇。不管怎么说，我时不时会喊的，就像时炮一样帮他们找。可是你要知道，就算我们得等到天亮，也没有很大的害处。海水暖和得像牛奶，除了海涌也没什么海浪，要是你伸出胳膊，挺出肚子，把头向后仰，一直到耳朵碰着水面，你会发现你可以浮起来，就和吻我的手一样简单。” 时炮一样的呼喊一声接着一声，串连成长长的一列；斯蒂芬轻松地浮着；他们在赤道洋流里，朝西——或许稍稍偏北——漂去。杰克考虑着运动的相对性，考虑着在船上测量洋流速度和趋向的困难，因为要是船本身也在随着洋流移动，你既不能抛锚，也没法观测岸上的不动点；而且他想知道，一旦有了警报，莫维特会怎样着手开始搜寻的工作。要是每天的观测是尽职完成的，测程仪是精确地收上来的，数据又是精确地读出和记录下来的，那么他就不难做到掉转船头，顶风行船，或者甚至朝顺风方向偏一个罗经点，他就不难返回原地。考虑的时候总是假定柔风恒定，方向保持东南偏南，而且假定他对洋流的估计是正确的：每一度的误差，就会让四节半速度行驶的船差到……在他计算的时候，他慢慢地意识到斯蒂芬躺在他背上像块木板一样一动不动，正在变得筋疲力尽。“斯蒂芬。”他说，一边推推他。斯蒂芬的头仰起得很厉害，所以不容易听见，“斯蒂芬，转过身来，双手抱住我的脖子，我们游一会儿。”然后，他腿上感到了斯蒂芬的脚，他又说，“你还没有踢掉鞋子。你不知道应该踢掉你的鞋子吗？你这个人啊，斯蒂芬。” 他们就这样继续着，有时候缓慢地游水，有时候浮在温吞的海水里，在非常长而又规则的海涌中沉浮着。他们不怎么交谈，不过确实斯蒂芬说了，既然现在可以不时地变换姿势，对他来说一切都简单得多了，就连浮水的技艺也在运用中变得更自然了——“我看我可以扮成特赖登海神了。”另外一次，他说，“你这样驮着我，我非常感激。” 有一次杰克发现他肯定睡着了一会儿；另一次他们被附近突如其来的喷水摇撼了，在海涌中隐现出一个形状，一头巨大的鲸鱼出现在他们旁边。在荧光里可以约略分辨出，那是头成年的雄鲸鱼，比八十英尺还要长，它在那儿浮了十分钟，隔着恒定的间歇喷水——他们可以看见白色的水柱，还微弱地听到了声音——然后它大声吸了口气，低下头，把尾鳍翘出海面，又静静地消失了。 此后不久，雾气开始消散了，星星显露了出来，它们一开始暗淡，随后变得清晰明亮起来。杰克宽慰地发现，黎明比他预计的要早。倒不是说他现在还指望可以获救。获救与否，取决于基里克上床之前是否到大舱去看了一下，而基里克没有什么特别的理由非去大舱看一下不可，况且基里克显然没有那么做，不然莫维特早在第一值班岗结束之前就会掉转船头了。他会扯起军舰可以承负的所有风帆，快速航行。所有的小艇也会在两边呼叫距离以内铺排开来，仔细搜索一大片海域，在午夜值班岗的某个时候就把他们救起来了，可是现在午夜值班岗已经结束了。但要是莫维特到早晨才得知他们失踪的消息，那么显然“惊奇”号会向西航行得过远，在天黑以前它就不会回来得太早。洋流造成误差的可能性也会大很多，而且不管怎么说，他知道天亮之后他们不可能支撑太久了——几乎肯定不可能支撑到下午靠近晚上的时候。虽然海水一开始看来很暖和，但现在他们都痉挛地打起了寒颤；他们都被水浸泡得浮胖；就连杰克自己也已经饿得厉害；再说两人都害怕鲨鱼的袭击。他们已经有很长时间没有说话了，只是在变换位置的时候，还有杰克把斯蒂芬放到肩上拖的时候，两人才简短地交谈几句。 他承认，现在希望非常小了，可是他仍旧渴望天亮。太阳的热量可能会让他们的体力神奇地恢复过来。况且，前面出现一片珊瑚礁，也并不是完全不可设想的，虽然在航海图上，直到三四百英里之外，并没有标明有珊瑚礁，但这儿大部分是未经探测的海域。霍格说过，这儿有些岛屿，只有捕鲸船和檀香木小艇才知道，它们的位置并不公开。然而他真正期望的，是一块浮木，棕榈树干几乎是无法损坏的，而且在以前的几天里，他看见过几根棕榈树干漂在洋流里，可能是从关岛海岸漂来的。只要有这么一根，可以让他们浮在上面，那他们就可以支撑一天，甚至支撑长得多的时间。他在脑子里反复想着——对付棕榈树干的各种办法，如何用叉架、用南海的做法让它平稳。这些几乎都是完全无用的想法，不过还是比最近几个小时里一直折磨着他的尖锐的、毫无结果的懊悔要好得多：他懊悔离开索菲，让她一个人被诉讼包围着，懊悔他没有更加明智地处理事务，懊悔他不得不离开生活，离开他喜欢的人们。 大地在旋转，海洋也随着转动；他们在其中沉浮的这片海洋转向了太阳。西面是黑夜的最后残余，而在东面，在顶风的方向，则是一天的开始。那儿，在渐渐变亮的天空背景下，可以清楚地看见一艘海船，而且它已经很近了。那是一艘有很大的双桅杆、双船体的木舟，有着宽阔的平台或者甲板，平台覆盖在两个船身上面，平台上有座草顶的木屋。这艘船有两面高高的前后帆，每一面帆都有朝前弯曲的冠顶。这些细节一开始并不是杰克有意识的观察所得，直到他发出大声的吼叫，人才变得清醒了一些，喊声也唤醒了斯蒂芬，斯蒂芬在离昏迷不远的状态里已经有一段时间了。 “南海帆船。”杰克指点着，又一次呼喊起来。这艘船很像库克船长称为帕希的那种船。 “你觉得他们会把我们救上去吗？”斯蒂芬问到。 “噢，当然。”杰克说，他看见一条窄窄的划子从大船船舷边放下，升起了三角帆，朝他们划了过来。一个年轻的女人坐在船尾掌着舵；另一个骑跨在连接狭窄船身和叉架的悬臂上，她平衡着自己的身体，姿态神奇的优雅。她手里拿着一杆标枪，等另一个姑娘松开帆脚索，把船停在离他们三码远的地方，她几乎就要把梭镖投掷过来。不过等她看清了他们，她就停了下来，皱起眉头，显出相当惊奇的神色。另一个姑娘大笑了起来，露出闪耀的白牙齿。她们两个都是年轻女人，漂亮得怵目惊心，棕色皮肤，长腿，穿着小短裙，除此之外一丝不挂。通常杰克对优美的体态、优美的胸脯、匀称的形体，是非常留心的，而现在就算她们是老雄狒狒，他也无所谓，只要她们把他和斯蒂芬带上船就行了。他抬起双手，发出哀求的哇哇声，斯蒂芬也同样做了，但两个姑娘大笑着升起帆，顺原路驶了回去。她们的驾船技术极其高超，划子的速度极快，划子顶着风，和上风方向接近得令人难以置信。可她们划走的时候还在微笑着，还做着动作，也许是在表示，小划子太脆弱了，载不了太重，杰克和斯蒂芬可以游到双桅船上来。 这是杰克一厢情愿的头脑得出的解释。确实，他们游向双体木舟的时候，木舟也在朝他们冲过来。等他们接近木舟，刚才的这两个姑娘，还有另外几个人，把他们拉到铺着席子的甲板上。看来船上有很大一群年轻女人，还有不少年长一些、壮实一些的女人，但这不是进行细致观察的时候。杰克非常诚恳地对高兴的掌舵女人说：“谢谢你，谢谢你。”因为拉他上船的时候，掌舵女人尤其热心。杰克又满怀感激地看着其他的女人，而同时斯蒂芬说：“女士们，我无限地感激你们。”然后他们坐了下来，低垂着头，几乎察觉不到自己的愉快，他们浑身的水滴到甲板上，都不由自主地打起了寒颤。在他们的头顶，女人们一直在谈论着他们。当然两三个年长一些的女人还跟他们说起了话，还问了他们什么问题，而有时候棕色的手也拨拉起他们的头发和衣服，可是他们浑然不觉，一直等太阳逐渐升高，等杰克感到太阳的热力把他暖透，他才真正清醒了过来。 他的寒颤停止了；饥饿和干渴以加倍的力量重新占据了他，那些女人们仍旧在仔细地观察他，他朝她们做起了手势，求她们给他食物和水。她们议论了一阵，两个年长的女人似乎不同意，但几个年轻女人走到右舷船身里，拿来了绿色的椰子、一小束鱼干、两个篮子，一个篮子里装着面包果的酸果肉，另一个装着香蕉干。 人性和活着的愉快，随着食物、饮料和太阳的温暖流转了回来！他俩四处张望，又微笑了起来，又再次感谢了她们。拿梭镖的、严肃的宽肩膀姑娘，还有她那个比较快活的同伴，看来在某种程度上把他们当成了自己的财物。其中一个打开椰子递给了他们，另一