Chapter 9 Chapter nine

Jack Aubrey lay in his crib, reflecting on his new life.It was Sunday morning, and according to the old naval custom, the schedule of life for the day was half an hour earlier than usual—the wake-up whistle was blown at the sixth rather than the seventh hour, so that the people on board the warship You can wash, shave, and tidy yourself up for crew parades and church services.Usually he wakes up at the same time as others, but today he intentionally rests for a while, allowing himself to enjoy the completely relaxed laziness and the comfort of the small bed.His bed was infinitely soft and graceful compared with the rough tufts of leaves of the coconut tree; and infinitely warm and dry compared with the sea.The usual scrubbing and sanding of the deck a few feet above his head did not wake him, for Movitt asked the sailors to sweep only the part of the deck facing aft of the mainmast in a quiet, roughly token manner.Yet, despite Movitt's carefulness, Jack knew the time well enough that the strong sunlight and the smell of roasted coffee were the clock itself, and yet he lay still, consciously enjoying being alive.

Finally the smell of coffee faded, followed by the same fresh smell of the sea every day, the smell of pitch and warm wood and cables, and the smell of bilge water in the distance, and his ears, too, picked up The sound of Kirik's helper's pestle grinding coffee beans in a brass mortar.The mortar belonged to the injury room, because Stephen was more particular about coffee than Jack.On a voyage to the Red Sea where he learned the authentic Arab way of making coffee (a voyage that yielded little else), he has since abandoned ordinary mills.Jack's ears caught Killick's screeching insults as he scolded his helper for spilling a few beans.There was exactly the same tone of righteous indignation in Killick's insults as did Pash's dreaded sailmaster's mate, and Sophie's mother, Mrs. Williams.Jack smiled again.What a joy it is to be alive.Mrs. Williams had always lived with them; his old, extremely energetic father, General Aubrey, a member of Parliament, was radical and seemed hell-bent on ruining Jack's career; The Admiralty, too, has been manifestly unfair to Jack since his appointment as Naval Commander, promising him warships and then putting others in command, and refusing to promote his subordinates, though they infinitely deserved, And constant inquiries of one kind or another about the terribly complicated accounts he had to keep, constant threats of dismissal and fear of being thrown ashore, lamentably living on half pay.But how insignificant all these things, even the suit, were compared with life!Jack's blissful and grateful thoughts, reveling in the lost and found.Stephen, being a Catholic, had fulfilled his own prayer of thanksgiving; and now Jack's mind was doing much the same thing, only less formally.

A soft patter of hooves could be heard above, and Aspasia had just been milked.Realizing that it was later than he thought, he sat up.Killick was obviously listening outside the cabin, for the door opened at once, letting in the eastern sun. "Good morning, Killick," said Jack. "Good morning, sir," Kirik said, towel in hand. "Are you going into the water?" In these waters Jack usually swam before breakfast.Sometimes, in order not to interfere with the navigation of the warship, he just jumped from the bow chain and climbed up from the stern ladder, but now he said no, he would rather have a pot of hot water.His skin, especially the fat around his belly, was still strangely white and puffy from the water, and swimming in the sea did not appeal to him now.

"Is the doctor up?" he called, stopping the razor. "Not yet, sir," Kirik replied from the cabin, where he was setting the breakfast table. "He was woken up at night, and Mr. Adams, celebrating the safe return of the doctor, ate and drank too much, and had a severe abdominal pain. But the enema cured him. How I wish I had made him ill Yeah, the bastard—" Killick lowered his voice again when he was sure Jack couldn't hear.This was because the quartermaster objected to Killick's routine deprivation of the foremen, marines, commissioned officers, cadets, and junior wardrooms to keep the quarters well supplied.

Hora and his assistants yelled down the hatches.Their voices were muffled by the distance and the soft wind following the ship, but they could still be heard: "Do you hear, crew? Five bells assembled, clean shirts. Long frock coat canvas, white trousers." "Did you hear, clean shirts, shave beards, assemble at five o'clock." "Clean shirt, sir," Kirrick said, handing it over. "Thank you, Killick," Jack said.He pulled on his second-best white trousers and found to his regret that, despite all the hunger, deprivation and prolonged submersion he had endured these days, the trousers were still so tight at the waist that the top hook had to be unfastened Yes, though, his long vest will cover the gap.

"Not far from the triple bell, sir," said Killick. "It's too late to invite others, that's fine, Aspasia is almost out of milk." There is no soft bread, so toast is out of the question, as are the eggs, bacon, beef steak and onions, but Jack's chefs still make the delicious cod of Juan Hernández, richly seasoned Dry, crunchy top half.There were only a few jars of marmalade left at Ash Park Cottage, and Killick had brought a jar too, and the marmalade went well with the ship's bread. "I wish Sophie was here too," he said aloud, looking at the label she had written in the distance.

Three times the bell rang.He drank the last drop of coffee, stood up, slung the belt of his saber over his shoulder, and put on the gorgeous blue army coat that Kirik had handed him.It was a dress of the utmost grandeur, with huge gold epaulettes and the ribbons of the Order of the Nile in the buttonholes, but it was a heavy velvet uniform for the Channel rather than the Equator. "But anyway," he thought, while his temperature was rising, "I don't have to button it all up. Others are much worse off than I am." He put on his cocked hat happily, and thought again, " "

"Good morning, Oakes," he said to the Marine Sentinel.After stepping onto the quarter deck, he said, "Good morning, gentlemen." Amid a chorus of "Good morning, sir," many hats were quickly taken off, and then a dozen vests were incompletely removed. Disappeared under the buttoned coat. Involuntarily Jack looked up at the sail and the cables and the sky.Everything was as he had hoped for—there was a real topsail wind blowing in the sky, and even the foremast topsail could be pulled up if the warship was in a hurry.However, the sea was not what he hoped to see at all.Last night, in order to prevent possible strong winds, his warship installed portlight covers. Although the strong wind has not yet appeared, the sea swell from the direction of the stern has not weakened. Difficult to pack their bags, and to wash the middle decks, the sailors carried their bags up on deck, usually arranged in a pyramid shape on booms, but they were disturbed by strange obliquely moving cross-swells which restlessly , irritably cut the surface of the sea into pieces.It was a bad, bad wave, and though he'd been through a lot, he hadn't seen much like it.But he knew the rites that were about to take place by heart; barring a particularly severe storm, it took place once a week on all well-managed ships, and he himself must have seen it a thousand times.

The muffled conversation on the quarterdeck died away.The helmsman cleared his throat at the helm, and when the last sand fell into the lower part of the half-hour hourglass, he called: "Turn the hourglass and ring the bell." During the big turbulence, under the watchful eyes of all the officers and men on the ship, he was very careful about his steps. He walked carefully to the bow and rang the bell five times. "Mr. Boyle," said the duty officer Maitland to the cadet who served as the assistant on the duty, "the drums are assembled, and all officers and men parade to review."

Boyle turned to the Marine drummer; the drummer was standing, sticks held in midair.Boyle said: "Beat the drums and assemble, and all the officers and soldiers will line up to review." The drums immediately roared. The sailors stood in a disorderly manner, all wearing their best clothes, which were clean and ironed, and many of them were embroidered. They took great care of their clothes for fear of getting them dirty.Now they all hastened to line up according to their respective divisions—foremast, mainmast, gunners, aft-deck watch, since the Surprise had no midship sailors—they were in the rear Both sides of the deck, on the gangplank, and on the foremast, stood in their familiar positions.At the end of the stern, near the transom rail, the Marines were also lined up.The cadets checked all the sailors in the detachment and told them to stand up straight like soldiers and stop talking, then reported to the adjutants and the navigator who checked them again and told them to stop looking around and keep going He pulled up his trousers and reported Movitt, saying that everyone was "at the scene and clean and tidy".Movitt walked across the deck to report to Captain Aubrey, and all the officers "Reported, Your Excellency."

"Then let's start patrolling the warship, Mr. Movitt, please," Jack said.He turned first to the stern, where the marines in their crimson uniform jackets stood upright as shotguns.Their cross-belts were polished with clay, their muskets and pistols shiny, their hair perfectly powdered, their wide leather collars pulled as tight as possible to let only a little of the blood circulation.Even though the cloth tents were set up, and even though the sun in the east had not yet risen to its highest point, the heat from the sun shining on their backs was still astonishing.They may not be beautiful, but they are definitely suffering.Accompanied by Howard and Movitt with sabers in hand, Jack inspected teams of marines, many of whom he could not name even now, and all of them had calm faces, staring behind him In the distance, there was no expression on his face. "Very commendable, Mr. Howard," said Jack, "I see you can disband your men now. They can put on their canvas coats and wait quietly under the forecastle for the sermon to begin." Then, again, Movitt Accompanied by the respective officers of each squadron in turn, he walked through the rest of the warship. This part of the ceremony is very different.He knew everyone here, many of them—most of them, in fact—he knew them well, his virtues and flaws, his strengths and weaknesses.And there was no indifferent stare, no one looking straight ahead in order to avoid charges of presumptuousness or arrogance.Far from it.Everyone was so happy to see him, they smiled, they nodded as he walked by — Davis even laughed out loud.Moreover, everyone knew very well that it was impossible for a captain who had just been rescued by virtue of extraordinary luck and extraordinary efforts to be critical of the officers and men on board his ship just after returning to the ship.As a parade, therefore, his rounds were a mere formality of geniality; and the parade was almost turned into a farce, for the cat with the long sail was also on the rounds, with its high tail, marching incessantly in front of the captain. Deep below the warship, in the comforting fresh air provided by canvas ventilators, Stephen was sitting with his patient, Martin.They weren't really arguing, but it was clear that the rebuttals were brisk.Priest because of his injury, and Stephen because of a more distressed night than usual, plus two very difficult days. "Maybe you're right," he said, "but in the public mind, the Navy is often associated with alcoholism, sodomy, and brutal punishment." "I used to go to a very well-known English public school," said Martin, "and the vices you describe are not uncommon there. I think that wherever there is a large group of men together, These vices would become quite common. What is unusual is that there is an essential honesty in the Navy, and it is something I have never seen anywhere else. I do not mention the courage and selflessness of the sailors, which is I don't need to comment, but I'll never forget those wonderful companions who pulled me back from the Pasch to the frigate..." Although Stephen was a bit stubborn this morning, he really couldn't raise any objections.He waited for Martin to finish, and then said: "Did you happen to notice a young woman, tall, slender, broad-shouldered, with a pike in her hand, who looked very much like Athena without her clothes?" "No," said Martin, "I saw nothing but a bunch of dark, ugly, savage women, full of vicious rage, a disgrace to their own sex." "Probably they've been abused, poor people," said Stephen. "Perhaps they were abused," said Martin, "but it seems to me barbaric, and terribly wicked, to take resentment to the point of castration, as you call it." "Oh, when it comes to desexualization, how are we qualified to throw stones? In our society, any girl who can't find a husband is desexualized. If she is high status, or low status , she can do her own thing, but she has to bear the risk of it, if she is not high or low, then she is either sexless or humiliated. She is full of burning desire, and she is laughed at because of desire. Not to mention male tyranny—a wife or daughter is, in most laws or customs, mere chattel—and bestial brute force—not to mention, there are dozens of Wan's girls are de facto desexualized, and barren women are despised like eunuchs. I assure you, if I were a woman, I would stride with torch and sword, I Will be castrated everywhere. As for the women on Pasch, I'm appalled at their restraint." "You would have been more amazed at the strength of their sticks." "It is a great disgrace to the world that they are deprived of the joy of love--is the joy that Tiresias says they can enjoy ten times greater than that of men, or thirty times?--not to mention far more Unreliable joys of motherhood and housekeeping." "Tiresias embodies Homer's ardent imagination, and that's all. Respectable women don't take pleasure in that kind of behavior, but seek—" "nonsense." "You don't like interruptions, and I quite agree with you on that, Maturin," said Martin. "I beg your forgiveness," Stephen pricked up his ears, and moved to the side of the canvas ventilator, "Why are there so many people cheering on the deck?" "There's no doubt they've captured Pasch, and now you can put your theory of tolerance into practice," Martin said, though he wasn't really angry. They listened intently, and while they were listening, there was the sound of footsteps running towards the stern.Patin opened the door and stood babbling, pointing his thumb behind his shoulder. "He came in person, didn't he?" said Stephen.Patin smiled, he nodded, and handed Stephen his coat.Stephen put on his coat, buttoned it up, and stood up as soon as the captain and first adjutant entered. "Good morning, doctor," said Jack. "How are your patients?" "Good morning, sir," said Stephen. "A few were a little argumentative and irascible, but the comfort of a thick liquid at noon would do the trick. The others were doing well, and were waiting for their Sunday raisin pudding. " "I am genuinely glad to hear that. And I presumably you will be, too. We have picked up another lute barrel from the Norfolk. This time a pork barrel, recently The ones thrown into the sea floated high, with the words Boston last December printed on it." "Does this mean that we are very close to it?" "Not sure in a week. But it does show that we're probably in the same ocean." After discussing the barrel, the drift of the barrel, the signs of wear, Martin said, "My lord, I heard you were going to read a sermon from the Bishop of Dorn this morning. I have spoken to Killick and told Where can he be found?" "Yes, sir, thank you, he did find it. But after reading it, I think it would be more appropriate for a real learned man, a real priest, to deliver this sermon. I'm confining myself to It's within the scope of the Navy's punishment regulations, I do understand the regulations, and besides, it must be read once a month according to the regulations." He did, and after the hymn was sung, Ward stepped forward, took a thin folio of the Navy Code of Penalties from under the Bible, and handed it to Jack.Ward acted as pastoral clerk on these occasions, as well as the captain's clerk.Jack began to read in a strong, menacing voice (though not without some interest), "In God's favor, the chief dependance of the wealth, security, and strength of this kingdom is the royal navy, warships, and Its sea power. In order to regulate and better regulate the Royal Navy, ships of war, and its sea power, His Majesty the Most Eminent, with the advice and assent of his religious and secular MPs, as well as the common people, in the present Parliament...  ..." His words passed down the canvas ventilator, but only in fragments.This is because, at the height of the swell, the wind of the soft wind will increase, and when the "surprise" falls into the trough of the swell, the wind will become weaker again, so the fragments of the regulations are mixed with the dialogue between Stephen and Martin Together.Now the conversation between the two has shifted through the valarope to the less dangerous realm of birds. "Have you ever seen a valarope before?" Stephen asked. "Unfortunately, I've never seen it alive, only in books, and the illustrations in the books are terrible." "Do you want me to tell you?" "please." "All flagship officers, and all persons in or attached to royal ships and warships, who are guilty of blasphemy, cursing, swearing, drunkenness, foulness, or other hideous and disgraceful acts demeaning the glory of God and corrupting decency... ..." "But the female is much bigger and brightly colored. She doesn't feel that the female's responsibility is just to take care of the nest, to incubate the eggs, and to feed the chicks. I was lucky enough to observe a pair when I lived in a fisherman's house. In the small wooden shed, on a very remote point in Maiyou County; there is a group near the wooden shed, but the couple I observed, they are very close to the small wooden shed." "If any ship is taken captive and turned into a capture ship, no officer, sailor, or other person on board may be stripped, or in any way, plundered, beaten, or ill-treated..." "He gave birth to the last of the litter that night—" "Forgive me," Martin put his hand on Stephen's knee, "but how many are there?" "Four, about the same shape and color as a snipe egg. But that same night, he went away, and the male bird had to look after them. I was afraid he'd do any harm, but there wasn't any, and there he was— - I recognized him from the strange white stripes on the sides of his head and chest - he was swimming in the sea, and in the little lake on the other side of the sea, playing with other females and unpaired males Well. But that poor fellow was hatching within fifteen yards of me at this time. He was under the hay, trying to keep the eggs out of the rain, and eating less than five minutes a day. Little bird After hatching the four little birds were chirping all day and this time it was even worse as apparently he had to feed them all by himself; and he wasn't very good at cleaning them up. He became anxious, wasted away and partly bald But it is in the small lake, chasing and being chased by other valaropes, puripuri, and never works its beak. It really only knows how to live bird." "But, Maturin, as a married man, surely you would not approve of the behavior of the female valarope?" "Well, as for that," said Stephen, as the vivid image of Diana dancing quadruplet suddenly flashed before him, "perhaps it was a little too much. Still, it did play a part in correcting a balance so ignominiously tilted to one side. A little bit." "Any member of the Fleet who unlawfully burns or ignites any ammunition depot, or ammunition store, or galley, boat, brig, hoy, or vessel, equipment, rigging, or rigging therein, if they were not then Belonging to enemies, pirates, rebels ... shall be punished by death." The words came down through the vents with extraordinary force, and after a rather solemn pause Martin asked, "How is Hoy defined, Maturin?" "Since it's Sunday, I'm going to tell you frankly that I don't know," said Stephen, "but I've heard the word used in scolding, like, 'You bloody brig Hoey, this place Ah, like Hoy sent from the grave.'” Only a moment later, Jack used the same words, because it was Sunday, to refuse a request from the sailors, which was submitted by the top captains to the sail master, and then passed on to the first adjutant, and then through Mowett. to the captain.The idea was that since the doctor wanted to see a boxing match so badly, his escape could be celebrated that night with a series of bouts on the forecastle, and besides, the marines, even the whalers, had been bragging about their boxing. Extraordinary skill and courage on the field. "No," said Jack, "because it's Sunday, and I'm afraid I can't allow a boxing match. I'm sure Mr. Martin would agree that Sunday isn't a day for half-carnage, or a day for real fighting, or fighting with bare hands. If they Let the sailmakers make thick padded gloves, if they're serious about it, punch like Christians, don't beat people to death, don't wrestle, don't throw around the waist, don't pick the eyes, don't strangle the neck, don't pinch the head Under the armpits, and no pigtails, well, I don't think the Archbishop of Canterbury would object." Then, turning to Stephen, "I never heard you were interested in boxing." "You never asked me," said Stephen, "of course I've seen a lot of nasty scuffles, lots of scuffles like the one at Donnybrook Fair, but as I told Bunton the other day, although boxing is a modern part of life, but I've never seen distinctively British boxing. I almost ran into it once. I met a particularly friendly young man in a stagecoach, a boxer named Henry Peirce—" "The gamecock?" Jack and Movitt called out simultaneously. "Probably him, they told me he was a celebrity. He invited me to watch him play another great guy - Thomas Criber - and at the last minute I missed it." "So you've seen gamecocks," said Movitt, looking at Stephen with newfound respect. "I've seen him fight Vappin Sleicher at Epsom Meadows till they were dazed and blinded with blood, and after an hour and seventeen minutes and forty-one rounds, Peirce was the only one still on the starting line, but he was knocked out five times, and Sleicher fell on him twice and beat him with all his strength. When the prize money was particularly high, some fighters would Do it." "I can't imagine how you haven't seen a boxing match until now," Jack said.Jack used to travel fifty miles to see Mendoza or Belcher or Sam the Dutchman, who haunted Gentleman Jackson's tavern, and Jack himself had lost two teeth in friendly games. "But tonight, at least, we can change that. We have some good men on board: Bonton won the Ribbon at Pompeii, eight battleships, three frigates; Davis is a boxer. Fierce hand, he'll stand like a Trojan until he cuts off his legs; and there's a whaler who's said to be very strong too. Movit, if we had the kind that wraps the rope for a knife Leather, if it's soft enough, is better than canvas." "I'll go and see, sir." "God, Stephen," said Jack, when the two of them were alone together, "it's such a pleasure to be back on board, don't you think?" "Of course." Stephen said. "I was thinking this morning how right they were, that it's better to be a dead horse than a living lion." He stared out the porthole, apparently repeating the words in his head. "No, I mean, I'd rather flog a dead horse than a live lion." "I very much agree." "Still not quite right. I know it's about dead horses, but I'm afraid I'm not getting my head around this time, but I've always thought I could speak proverbs, use them properly in conversation, and get to the point, I've always been proud of it." "Don't trouble yourself. Brother, I'm sure you're right. It's a valuable proverb, and it warns us never to underestimate an enemy, because flogging a dead horse is a child's play, but what to do to a lion The same thing, even if you are careful, can be dangerous." The enemy this time is Hai Chung, because everyone underestimated it because of the desire for entertainment, and until the last possible moment of redemption, until beyond this moment, everyone continued to underestimate it regardless of the evidence provided by their own reason.Even after the swell had grown so violent, and the ship pitched so that the bow rail was out of the water, and it was almost impossible for anyone not to hold on to the rail without slipping, still some people swear It's just a gust of wind - it's sure to die before dark - they're definitely supposed to race, whoever the sodomite made in Holland, he's a whooping thing, a crow, a douchebag if he says the opposite , he is not a sailor. "I'm afraid you're about to miss another chance," said Jack. "But if the waves calm down, if the work on the ship allows, you can watch the game tomorrow." The swell, being a slow constant up and down motion, was of course smaller, but Stephen lay there awake in the morning and felt a strange uneasy movement, neither a sharp jolt nor a heavy jolt, but a rapid The sudden tilt, without any definite direction, was unlike anything he had experienced before.The heeling caused the planks to loosen, and apparently had been going on for some time, for there was a lot of water sloshing around in his cabin, and his shoes were floating on the water. "Padding," he called several times.He stopped and listened for a while, then said, "Where is that black thief, did he sell his soul to the devil?" "May God and Mary be with you, sir," said Patin, and he opened the door, allowing more water to flow in. "God and Mary, and Patrick, be with you," Stephen said. Patin pointed to the direction of the deck above his head, took a few breaths, and said in English: "The devil is on the shoulders." "Perhaps he is indeed on board," said Stephen. "Listen, Pattin, get me a pair of dry shoes from the little net bag on the wall, will you?" His cabin was not far from the center of gravity of the warship, and as he climbed up the ladder, the shaking increased, and twice he almost fell, once to the side and the other to the back.In the junior officer's room, Stephen only saw Howard's Marine Corps orderly, and the orderly said with a startled expression on his face, "All officers are on deck, Your Excellency." They were all there, even the quartermaster and Horney; Horney was on the midnight watch and was supposed to be sleeping.Although everyone got together, few people spoke, and Stephen himself didn't say a word except "good morning".The surrounding sea level is a dark purple, and the entire sky is covered with huge dark copper-colored clouds, which are moving at strange and unnatural speeds in all directions, and lightning flashes almost continuously everywhere Then, in the distance towards the stern of the ship, the rumbling thunder in the air trembled and gradually approached.A steep, irregular sea, with great breaking waves, as if blown by a very strong wind.In fact, the wind is not too strong.But although the wind was not strong, it was extremely cold, and it whistled among the cables, making a particularly sharp and thrilling sound. The upper mast has been lowered and placed on the deck, and all the sailors are busy fixing the boat on the boom with double-strand ropes, busy sending protective shrouds, shrouds, shrouds, backstays, etc. The ropes were put on the cannons, the hatches and portholes in the bow were covered with tarpaulin, and the gussets were nailed on.Aspasia came running, nuzzled his hand, and clung to his leg like an anxious dog.A sudden jolt nearly pushed it into the water, and he grabbed it by its horns to save it. "Hang on, doctor," Jack called from the windward rail. "The warship is a little panicked today." "What do these all mean?" Stephen asked. "It means there's a storm coming," Jack said. "Forecastle, look over there. Mr. Boyle is fixing the anchors with stays. I'll explain to you at breakfast. Did you see the bird?" "Not yet. I haven't seen a bird in days. What kind of bird is it?" "I think it's an albatross, maybe a big gull. It's been following the boat—there's it, it's going through the wake—it's over the side." Stephen caught a glimpse of wings—huge wings—and he ran along the gangway toward the bow to get a better look.It was not more than six feet from the gangway to the waist, but Stephen was thrown with such violence that his head hit the iron escape rope of a cannon. They carried him aft and put him in Jack's cot.He was lifeless save for barely perceptible breathing and a faint pulse.Martin climbed up from the depths of the ship and found him there. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Martin," cried Jack. "But you certainly shouldn't be walking, your leg... because you know medicine, I sent someone to ask you if you should bled him. We can't wake him up;" "I can't agree to bloodletting." Martin said, stroking Stephen's unresponsive, unconscious head. "I don't recommend using brandy either." He looked at the two bottles of wine, one from the main cabin and the other from the junior officer's office. "I do know something about medicine, and I think it's a concussion—not a general coma, since there's no snoring—and it should be treated with rest, silence, and darkness. I'll look up a doctor's book, if I can, but in On this point, I don't think the medical book will contradict me; and the medical book will agree with me: he is much better downstairs, because there is much less shaking from side to side downstairs." "I'm sure you're right," said Jack, and then to Killick, "Go and get Bunton. Bunton, you and Coleman, and Davis, you can carry the doctor down without disturbing him." Go, perhaps you would rather use the tackle?" "Use the tackle, sir. Give me all the gold in the world, and I won't let him slide." "Go ahead, Bunton," said Jack.While loading the tackle, he asked, "What do you think, Mr. Martin? Is he in danger? Seriously?" "My opinion is of no value, but it is obviously much more serious than the average falling coma. I have read that some comas last for many days, and sometimes the coma gets deeper and deeper, and finally leads to death. Sometimes the coma subsides like natural sleep. In the absence of fractures, I see internal bleeding often being the deciding factor." "It's all ready, sir," said Bunton.Together with him, the strongest men on the ship squeezed between the pillars and bulkheads, and lifted Stephen down inch by inch, as carefully as if his skin was made of eggshells.They finally returned him to his crib, and Patin stood by the side of the bed to stop it from shaking.卧舱很小，还有点不通气，但里面很暗，也很安静，这是舰上晃动最轻微的地方。在这儿，在黑色的寂静中，时间越他而过。 过了半个小时，他们正把大桅中桅杆降下来的时候，甲板上变得一片混乱。正当一阵温暖的瓢泼大雨砸到舰上，穿过桅栓孔的保险索崩裂了。暴雨令人几乎无法呼吸，更不要说睁开眼睛了。从那时候开始，一直到天完全黑下来，甚至一直到深夜，他们都在无休止地搏斗着。风从四面八方疯狂地吹来，雷电在头顶上轰鸣，令人无法置信、难以解释的陡峭海浪，以巨大的力量喷溅开来，就像要把军舰吞噬一样——海浪喷溅，就好像下面有暗礁似的，但舰上所有测海深的绳索都测不到海底。除了这些，还有更为出奇的事情：水龙卷也突然倾倒在他们惊愕的头顶上，有几分钟把主甲板变得和海水相平；雷鸣接连不断地在他们四周轰响着，同时圣艾尔牟的火在牙樯和锚架间闪烁，燃烧。因为正常的时间观念已经彻底消失了，所以只能说，这是一系列瞬时的权宜之计和紧急措施，这是在惊人的雷击下和雨水的入侵下一系列的幸免，而在雷击和雨水的间歇，他们还要系紧松脱的单桅艇、罗经柜和吊杆。在整个这段时间里，水泵都一直在拼命地工作，摔出成吨的海水，而海洋或者天空又重新把水摔了进来。但尽管如此，在水泵上工作的水兵却是最少被骚扰的，虽然他们必须干到直不起腰来，经常站在齐腰深的水里，经常被飞溅的水花，比水花还多的雨水——不可计量的雨水，呛得半死，但至少他们明确知道自己该干些什么。而对其他人来说，每时每刻都是重新开始的紧急状况，每时每刻任何事情都可能发生——闻所未闻的、险恶惊人的事故随时会有。比如，捉摸不定的海浪，把七十尺长的棕榈树干摔到了舰上，树干的尖端卡在大桅支桅索里，树干的其他部分开始谋杀般地来回扫荡跳板和船首楼，而与此同时，同样捉摸不定的暴风把军舰仅敢扯起的结实小帆变成了逆帆，让船停了下来，就像军舰已经触礁了一样，暴风把它倾侧得非常厉害，很多人都以为它终于要沉了。确实，只要迎风面有一门大炮松开，在这极端紧张的时刻，大炮必定会把船舷砸穿的。 直到日落时分，暴风才有了方向，才稍稍可以看出一点暴风的意图。回旋着、转折着、没有形状的狂风终于朝北方和西方吹去，紧跟在后面的是郁积已久的东南风，虽然它充满了间歇发作的暴雨和偏向的飑风，但还是以巨大的力量吹着，最终引起了庞大的海涌。海涌的庞大程度足以和他们在南纬五十度附近很南面的地方遇到的相比。 这是非常厉害的暴风，非常非常厉害的暴风，另外还有从船尾方向涌来的危险的大浪；但这些都是他们在海军生涯里习以为常的，因此比起狂躁的白天来，这确确实实是个安慰。水兵们半班半班地被哨子叫去吃非常晚的晚饭；杰克命令编接大桅转帆索，然后朝下层走去。他知道今天会有受伤的人，于是首先去了伤病室，在伤病室他看见马丁正非常熟练地用夹板夹住霍格的断胳膊。普拉特站在一旁，手里拿着绷带和麻布。显然，马丁已经接手了。“你心肠真好，马丁先生。”他叫道。“我希望你自己已经不太疼了。你的绷带上怎么有血？” “没关系。”牧师说，“我喝了马图林的药水，喝了那种溶剂——请你拿住这头——就没觉得疼。我刚从他那儿回来，他没有什么变化。现在兰姆太太在照看他呢。” “我会先看望你的其他病人，然后，要是没什么害处的话，我再去看他。” 相对于今天极端严酷的天气，伤员出人意料地少，而且除了断胳臂以外，其他人伤势都不严重。他走下扶梯的时候很受鼓舞，打开门的时候满怀希望。然而，在摇晃的灯笼下，斯蒂芬看上去像个死人：他的太阳穴凹陷，他的鼻孔收缩，嘴唇上也没有血色，他仰卧着，灰色的、封闭的、完全一动不动的脸不近人情似的毫无表情。“不到五分钟以前，我还以为他死了呢。”兰姆太太说。“可能潮流变向之后……” 在午夜值班岗两遍钟时，杰克走下来和他坐了一会才去睡觉，这时候情况还是没有变化。早上，马丁蹒跚着走到破败的后甲板上，来呼吸新鲜空气，这时候斯蒂芬的情况仍旧没有变化。后甲板上从前面到后面都是一片凄凉。军舰只扯起收缩了帆篷的中桅帆和三角帆，缆索的末端飘动着，甲板上到处是断裂的圆材，索具发出的声音比通常降低了整整两个音阶。马丁站了一会儿，看着军舰急速地驶过黑暗的靛蓝色海面，海面上混杂着泡沫和碎浪的白色细流，船后的巨浪紧跟着，升到后桅楼的高度。 “你们现在怎么办呢？”早饭时，在下级军官室里，马丁回答完他们有关斯蒂芬的所有问题之后，问道。 “怎么办？”莫维特说，“唔，随便什么船，有这样的大风，该怎么办？——只好顺风急驶，还要祈祷，祈祷船尾不要给大浪砸坏了，祈祷晚上不会撞到什么东西上去。顷风急驶，一边系紧缆绳，编接缆索。” 等马丁到大舱去吃临时准备的午餐时，斯蒂芬的情况还是没有变化。杰克说：“我不是想教你医术，马丁先生，可是我突然想到，或许和普莱斯差不多相同的伤，同样的手术也会起作用。” “我也在想这件事，”马丁说，“而且现在我有时间读一些他这方面的书了。开颅的通常理由是凹陷骨折，虽然我没有发现凹陷骨折，但恐怕在受到碰撞的地方，颅内会有淤血块，这也会引起同样的症状。” “你是否该尝试手术呢？那样的话是否会减轻脑部压力？” “我不敢做。” “普莱斯动手术的时候，你转过把手的。” “是啊，可那时候我身边有个专家。不行，不行，还有其他的考虑——我还有很多书要读——很多事情我还不清楚。不管怎么说，船晃动得这么厉害，一个外行是不可能做手术的。” 杰克只好承认他说得对，但他的脸色还是变得严峻起来。他用饼干轻轻地敲起了桌面，过了一会儿，强作微笑地说：“我答应过你的，等我们有机会喘口气，我就会给你解释这种天气。看来，我们是在台风的南面，靠近它的尾巴，台风是朝西北方向移动的。这就可以解释为什么有旋风和各种方向的海浪了，你同意吗，莫维特先生？” “我同意，阁下。”莫维特说。“我们现在想必是在相当不同的水域了。你注意到了吗？军舰周围有很多又长又瘦的灰白色鲨鱼，我们在主链台下面拖着一块阉牛皮，想把它泡软，有头鲨鱼还把它拖走了。我下去看霍格的时候，他说他在靠近马尔盖萨斯的地方经常看见这样的鲨鱼，而且他说天气还没有完全好转，还远远没有好转呢。” 午餐就这样结束了。马丁离开的时候，说他下午要读书，还要非常仔细地观察病人的症状，或许还要在他和马图林收集的海狮头骨上练习使用开颅环钻。 那天深夜，他说他越来越相信必须动手术了，这首先是因为斯蒂芬的呼吸变得稍微有些鼾声；他引用了珀特和拉法耶书里的段落来支持自己的观点。但是，他问，军舰这么颠簸，增长的信念又有什么用呢？在这样精密的手术中，只要稍微有点倾侧，稍微有点失去平衡，失去准确的控制，就都意味着病人的死亡。有可能顶风停船吗？ “顶风停船并不能改变绝对运动。”杰克说。“事实上，它反而会让颠簸和摇摆来得更快。不行，唯一的希望是海浪变得平静，但除非出现奇迹，这样的事情不会在三四天里发生的，另外的希望是我们可以泊在某个暗礁或岛屿的背风处。可是从航海图上看，一直到马尔盖萨斯群岛都没有暗礁或者岛屿。当然，还有另外的选择——怎么说呢？——你该硬起心肠来。毕竟海军军医是不能坐等好天气的；而且要是我没记错的话，普莱斯动手术的时候，风就大得必须把中桅帆的帆篷收起来。” “你说得很对，不过那时候海面还是很平静的。可是我们得把胆怯和卤莽区分开来；而且不管怎么说，就算我对手术的必要性相当肯定，考虑到我没有经验，考虑到我还有一丝疑虑，没有大白天的亮光，我当然还是不能做手术。” 但即便等到有了大白天的亮光，马丁还是没有十足的信心，他仍旧被迟疑不定的心绪撕扯着。 “我不能容忍看着马图林因为缺乏医疗——因为缺乏大胆的行动——而慢慢死去。”杰克说。在他专注的手下，脉搏是如此地微弱，隔了五分钟他才明确感到了一次。 “我不能容忍马图林因为我缺乏技术，或者因为我脚下甲板的突然晃动而被杀死。”马丁说。他临时准备的拉瓦锡开颅环钻在练习用的头盖骨上造成了很多令人震惊的穿透。“蠢人往往蜂拥到天使们害怕落脚的地方。” 在同样暗蓝色的剧烈翻腾的海浪中，在布满高高白云的耀眼的天空下，“惊奇”号向西急驶，一边在重新安装索具、重新穿绳人孔，用夹箍撑夹折断的后桅杆。它迎风面的大桅支桅索，原先被棕榈树干捣碎了，而现在已经换了新的，又安装了起来，扎好了梯绳。它的舰长也恢复了通常的散步。后甲板只有五十英尺长，甲板上有个特定的环端螺栓，已经磨得很薄，而且像银子一样发亮，要是他每次在这儿停下，他转五十圈就相当于陆地上的一个英里。伴随着军舰忙碌的声音，伴随着平稳不变、无所不在的巨大风声，伴随着非常强劲的海浪声，他来来回回地走着。后甲板上的其他人，看见他表情严峻地低着头，好像陷人了沉思，于是他们说话都压低了声音，并且走到背风的地方，但实际上他完全意识到船头发生着什么。第一声“陆地，嘿”的喊叫刚从大桅楼传出来，他马上就跳上了支桅索。他爬得非常困难，因为大风把他吹向侧面，他的衬衣也吹开了，在耳边翻腾着，他很庆幸嘹望没有被派到更高的地方。“在哪儿，辛姆斯？”他问道，一边通过桅楼升降口钻进桅楼。 “右舷船头方向偏三个罗经点，阁下。”辛姆斯指点着说。确实，军舰在海涌中升起时，可以看见陆地——很高的陆地——带着一丝绿色，这个岛屿差不多有十一二里格远。 “干得好，辛姆斯。”杰克说，他随后重新穿过洞滑了下来。还没落到甲板，他就开始吼叫，把在船首楼里忙着的掌帆长叫了出来。“先不要管那些，霍拉先生，”他说，“给我往桅顶上系大索。” “是，阁下。”霍拉微笑着说。这是舰长的老伎俩了，这伎俩看上去很可怕，却神奇地有效。毛茸茸的、野蛮的大索和左捻三根三股索可以让船张起更多的风帆，否则那些风帆会把桅杆折断，这伎俩在以前已经让护卫舰赢得了很多捕获，也让它逃脱了很多性能优越的敌船的追赶。 “莫维特先生，安排四个最精干的人掌舵，每半个小时替换他们一次。我们要满帆快开。艾伦先生，请你指挥操舵；航向西北偏西，偏西角度减半。” 半个小时之后，他看见霍格被他的同伴扶着走在跳板上，他走上前去说：“捕鲸主炮手，你能看得出来吗？” “是啊，伙计，我能看得出来。”霍格说，“要是你看那片不动的云，在云底下，你是不是可以看见有发亮的一圈，中间还有点暗？” “我大概看到了。是啊，我肯定看到了。”杰克说。 “亮的是碎浪和珊瑚沙，暗的是树，没有多少泻湖。” "How did you know?" “哦，当然，因为我们靠近的时候，泻湖会慢慢显出绿色来。” “从云的多少来看，这是个很高的岛。我奇怪你怎么一直没看到，比尔，” ——最后这句话是对扶他的人说的，“再明显不过了。” “一切准备就绪了，阁下。”掌帆长说。 “很好，霍拉先生。”杰克说，然后他又提高了声音，“所有水兵扯帆。” 新的航线让大风几乎直对护卫舰的船侧后部，而他井井有条地开始了升帆。他们早就已经扯起了中桅杆，不过当然上桅杆还没扯上去，他首先给了船一个风暴时用的高高的小三角帆，然后是大桅支索帆，然后他没有扯起帆篷收缩的大桅中桅帆，而是扯起了大桅中桅杆的支索帆。每一次他都停顿一下，好让“惊奇”号完全承受新的推力。带着令他心动的巨大活力，带着轻松活泼的优雅，它也正是这样做的——世上从没有过这样好的船。而等它的航速达到前所未有的高度，等它背风面的锚架深深地浸在船头波的泡沫里，他把一只手放在船舷的转折处，感受起它船身发出的低音，就像他感受小提琴的振动那样，又把另一只手放在后支索上，揣测拉力的确实程度。 他们对舰长早已习惯了。几乎所有人都见过他这样满帆前进，他们几乎肯定他还没有结束。不过没有人预料到，他会下命令升起前桅最下大横帆，于是面带严肃焦虑表情的他们投入了工作。需要五十七个人才能把前桅最下大横帆拉到船头来，再拉好帆脚索，拴在系索桩上；随着风帆负担的增加，“惊奇”号开始倾侧，露出一条列钣，又一条列钣，再一条列饭，直到在迎风面的船舷，它露出一大片的黄铜包底，而索具的呼啸变得越来越尖锐，几乎到了崩溃的极点。然后军舰稳定了下来，穿过海面，把船头浪高高地抛向背风面，以致太阳送下来两条彩虹。谨慎的欢呼从船头开始发出，又传到了船尾，在后甲板上每个人都咧嘴微笑起来。 “注意你桅杆上的风向指示器。”杰克对舵手说。“要是你让它转到背风面，你就再也见不到普特茅斯点了。霍华德先生，请让你的人排队站在迎风面跳板上。” 四遍钟。伯伊尔拿着测程板和测程线，小心地走下倾斜的甲板，后面紧跟着手拿小沙漏的舵工。 “留出双倍的冗余线。”杰克叫道，他要精确的测量，在清点节数以前，他要测程板远远地离开尾波。 “留出了双倍的冗余线，阁下。”伯伊尔用他瘦小的身躯所能做到的尽可能低沉的声音回答说。红色的饰穗漂移了十五英寻之后，他站到栏杆旁边的岗位上，问道：“你的沙漏空了吗？”一听到回答说：“沙漏空了，阁下。”他就把测程板向外远远地投出去，把测程线圈高举在左手。冗余线的尽头过去之后，他叫道：“转沙漏。”沙流了下来，测程线圈呼呼地旋转着，结一个一个飞了过去，有空观看的所有水兵都目不转睛地看着。舵工张开嘴叫道“掐住”，但在最后的沙粒流下去之前，伯伊尔发出了一声尖叫，测程线圈从他手里射了出去。 “我非常遗憾，阁下。”在一阵慌乱之后，他对莫维特说，“我松开了测程线。” 莫维特走到杰克跟前，说道：“伯伊尔非常遗憾，阁下，他松开了测程线。全飞出去了，我猜是测程板上的木栓不灵活，他没有防备。” “不要紧。”杰克说，虽然他心里极端焦虑，但他还是被这精彩的测速感动了。“让他用十四秒沙漏在六遍钟的时候再试一次。” 到六遍钟的时候，甲板上的人已经可以很清楚地看见岛屿的上半部分，那是个多山的小岛，云紧紧地飘在上面；从大桅楼里，可以看见巨大的碎浪拍击着它的海岸。在迎风的一面，没有泻湖，不过，看来有暗礁从东北和西南方向延伸出去，暗礁后面是浅颜色的海水。 风现在变小了，“惊奇”号没有测到令人惊异的结点数，但拥有了一段不可磨灭的、对所有人都珍贵的记忆。在沙漏漏完之前，一百五十英寻的线从测程线圈上飞走了。不管怎么说，每隔四到五分钟，风还是在把他们朝陆地推近一个英里。 “马丁先生，”杰克在伤病室里说，“大概你也听说了，我们看见了一个岛，再过一个小时我们就可以到它的背风面了，也许我们还可以登陆。不管是哪种情况，我都恳求你做好手术准备。” “我们去看看他。”马丁说。帕丁·科尔曼双手撑着头坐在那儿，他摇摇头，没有说话，他的意思是“没有变化”。 “这是个难办的决定。”马丁说。他们随着军舰摇摆着，朝下望着船尾挡板。“首先是因为他的症状和随便哪本医书上写的都不太吻合。”他再一次解释了自己对病情的理解，这一次他说得更详细了。 他还在解释的时候，莫维特来了，轻声说：“我求你原谅，阁下，可是岛上传来了信号。” 杰克在军舰下层的这段时间里，岛屿靠近了很多，用他的望远镜可以相当清楚地看见信号：那是一面撕破的蓝白旗，挂在一块高高的岩石上。杰克和他的第一副官爬上前桅楼，从那儿看，海岸线已经再清楚不过了：东面是峭壁，海浪高高地在上面进溅，一条暗礁伸向南面和西面。他朝下面叫出了命令，把军舰转到顺风方向，把大一接帆和前桅最下大横帆的帆篷收缩起来。军舰切过暗礁的尽头，沿着暗礁的边缘迎风转向，到达了岛屿背风处的边缘。暗礁在这儿围起了一个很大的泻湖，泻湖靠岛屿那边的岸滩，在耀眼的天空下泛出强烈的白光，他看见了岸上的几个人，从裤子和偶或的衬衫来看，他们可能是白种人。一些人在跑来跑去，但大部分人朝北面做着强调的手势。 “惊奇”号现在差不多减慢到不够使舵生效的低速，小心翼翼地沿着暗礁的外沿移动着。它离暗礁相当近，不过仍旧在很深的水里。链台上的人一直在叫着：“这线没有底，没有到底，没有，没有。” 尽管仍有强大的海涌，风在这儿变得非常非常小。近乎沉默的风给他们缓慢的滑行添上了一种梦幻的感觉。暗礁在他们身旁滑过去，有时候暗礁露出水面，形成长满椰子树的小岛，椰子树常常是倒卧的，或者是拦腰折断的，而暗礁后面就是平静的泻湖；泻湖后面是闪光的岸滩，岸滩背后首先是椰子树林，后面是升起的一大片绿色，只有从望远镜里，才可以看清它们被狂风摧残后的状况。在岸滩上，白人们奔跑着，雀跃着，指点着。他们离军舰不过一英里，可是岛屿背风面游移不定的空气，无法传达他们的声音，只能零星地听到微弱的“嗨，船，嗨”或者混乱不清的叫嚷声。 “我看这儿是个缺口，阁下。”莫维特说，一边沿着宽阔的暗礁朝前指着。前面的一个小岛上，有三棵连根拔起的椰子树，另外三棵椰子树仍旧站立着，紧靠小岛的背后确实有水道通向泻湖。 “朝后收紧前桅的支索。”杰克叫道，一边目不转睛地盯视着。“惊奇”号渐渐靠近缺口的时候，他听到岸滩上传来协同一致的吼叫，那无疑是警告，因为一艘沉船横贯着躺在水道里。不管怎么说，这警告是不必要的，因为海水清澈，又在退潮，可以清楚地从它的船头看到船尾。它的船头恰好在水面以下，卡在小岛的珊瑚礁之间，它的船尾深陷在水道另一边的石头里；它的牙樯和桅杆都倒在甲板上，它的龙骨断了，它船腰的炮门被挤破了；从它右舷主链台到它船尾看台有个深深的大洞，长长的浅灰色鲨鱼在游进游出，被涟漪和海涌变得模糊不清；不过完全可以认得出，那就是“诺尔福克”号。杰克马上喊道：“升起短三角旗和舰旗。” 看来这引起了岸上的一场震惊。大多数人都朝北面跑去；有几个仍旧站着瞪眼观望。嬉闹停止了，也没有了任何手势。杰克回到了后甲板上，军舰沿着暗礁缓缓地向前驶去。海岸向内弯转，前面出现了一个小海湾，这儿岸上搭着很多帐篷和棚子，一条小河从树林里伸出来，流过沙地。这儿的人更多了，因为泻湖更开阔，人就显得更远，几乎听不见他们的声音，但现在他们都用右手指向北面，显然是有人在命令他们这么做。沿着他们手指的方向，可以看见小河流过暗礁中长而弯曲的水道，暗礁在这地方的宽度大约有四分之一英里。 这是海岸最受遮蔽的部分，因此没有细碎的浪花，但即便如此，海涌还是高高地升起，淹没闪光的珊瑚礁，又在宏大的叹息声中退下。“正在退潮，又没有测水深，我可不愿意冒险把军舰驶进去。”杰克看着浅绿色的水道说，随后他下命令叫一只小艇下水。 回到军舰上的贺尼说，勉强可以做到，不过低潮的时候，肯定会磕磕碰碰；而且水道两边和底下的珊瑚礁都像剃刀一样锋利。现在没有大的水流，很接近平潮；但海潮冲过水道的速度肯定极大，水道的底下才会这么干净，除非这些确实是暴风的后果。要是军舰真要穿过水道，或许最好在一两个最糟糕的地方用浮标指示一下。 “不用了。”杰克说。“这些都并不重要。我们是在四十英寻深的水里，可以清楚地看见水底；要是不行，我们总可以抛锚。莫维特先生，我在这儿来回行驶，你乘我的驳船，带上一个海军陆战队卫兵，到岸上去——当然还要带上休战旗和舰旗——转达我对'诺尔福克'号舰长的问候，要他不耽搁时间上军舰来投降。” 自从自普拉特河以来，驳船还没油漆过；驳船手们也没时间更新他们的宽檐扁索帽；上尉、候补生和海军陆战队员的制服，在经历过南极的寒冷和赤道的炎热之后，都不像以前那么新鲜了；但即便如此，“惊奇”人对他们三个人的装束还是感到相当骄傲，毕竟这儿离家那么远，又刚刚经历了这么不寻常的野蛮的狂风。他们看着驳船穿过水道，越过宽阔平静的泻湖，而在漫长的靠岸过程中，下层的很多值班水兵把一架私人小望远镜递来递去，搜寻起岸上的女人来。虽然他们在帕希上有过惊人的经历，但他们还是在寻找女人，事实上他们还非常急切。到过南海的水手们都拥有专心安静的听众：“她又漂亮又情愿，就像我吻自己的手一样简单。”霍格在说他认识的第一个，那是在奥阿华岛上的事。“其他的也都一样。我们只好把有的水手绑起来，吊在木杆上，抬到船上来，不然他们四五十镑的分红也不要了，不想跟船走了。” “根本没有女人，”普莱斯瞪大眼睛搜索了半天之后，对一个年轻的大桅楼水兵说，“连男人也没有。这是个荒岛，只有这些波士顿大豆在走来走去。可是，看看小河边那个最大的帐篷，大概旁边是棵面包果树。” “你可以——你的面包果树。”年轻的大桅楼水兵恨恨地说。 “他论年纪可以做你爸爸，你不可以这样对他说话，耐德·哈里斯。”船首楼领队说。 “没礼貌的小杂种。”另外两个说。 “我是开个玩笑，”哈里斯涨红着脸说，“我是随便说的。” “你的屁股想要吃鞭子。”信号员说道。 “这儿有很大一群鲨鱼。”哈里斯改变话题说。“又长又瘦又灰白，很不寻常啊。” “你不要管它们是灰白色还是粉红色带橙色条的，”船首楼领队说，“你只要管好嘴巴，耐德·哈里斯，这就够了。” “他们和美国舰长一起动身了，阁下。”基里克在大舱里说。 “给我解开这该死的扣子好吗，基里克？”杰克边穿制服边说。“我肯定在变胖。” 他走进自己的餐室，为了欢迎“诺尔福克”号的舰长，里面准备了冷茶点，他吃了一小块咸饼干，然后佩上了军刀。俘虏已经在上路了，他不想显得急不可耐，在后甲板上趾高气扬地走来走去——不管怎么说，就算别人没有得意洋洋地向你示威，投降也总不是件非常愉快的事情，这从他自己的经历就可以知道——话又说回来，他也不想显得随便，显得好像一个舰长的投降对他无足轻重。 他一直等到自己看来出现得尽可能合适的时间才戴上三角帽，走上了甲板。他迅速地扫了一眼，就知道贺尼把一切都安排妥当了。候补生们相当体面，舷侧仪仗队员们梳洗得很干净，白手套也准备好了——他们现在已经长得满脸胡须，骨架魁梧了——海军陆战队也到了，而军舰本来一直在打着来回，现在也顶着海潮向岸边慢行，去迎接驳船。 他开始像往常一样踱起步来。踱到第三圈的时候，他看见游艇上有个矮个子，在小艇尾台里坐在卡拉米和莫维特中间，于是他又更加使劲地看了一眼。虽然已经太晚，不便用望远镜仔细察看了，但他在波士顿当过战俘，从那时候起就很熟悉美国海军的制服，他觉得有什么东西不对劲。 等驳船再靠近了一点，他对海军陆战队哨兵说：“特罗洛普，喊那条小艇。” 那个海军陆战队员刚想说，“可那是我们的驳船啊，阁下。”他的眼神就变得像蒙上薄翳似的，显出服从纪律的样子。他闭上嘴，深吸了一口气，叫道：“小艇嗨。” “不，不。”邦敦的回答非常响亮清楚，意思是说没有任命军官到“惊奇”号上来。 “继续，贺尼先生。”杰克说完，退到了船尾栏杆边上。舷侧仪仗队员们把白手套塞进了口袋，候补生们也放松了尊敬的表情，霍华德也把他手下的人解散了。驳船钩住了军舰，莫维特从船舷登上了甲板。他匆匆赶到船尾去见杰克，样子很吃惊。“我非常遗憾，阁下，”他叫道，“可是战争结束了。” 一个矮小粗壮、圆脑袋的人，身穿普通制服外套，兴冲冲地紧跟在他身后，他擦身越过贺尼，喜气洋洋地微笑着走近杰克，向他伸出手来。“我亲爱的奥布雷舰长，我带给你和平的喜讯。”他说。“我很高兴再次见到你，你的胳膊怎么样了？很好，我看得出来，就像我预计的那样，而且还跟另一只胳膊一样长呢。你不记得我了吗，阁下，我不是自夸，你的胳膊还全亏了我呢。那时候伊文斯先生真的在锉锯齿了，可是我说，我们再等一天吧——我叫布切，'康斯替图欣'号前助理军医，现在是'诺尔福克'号的军医。” “我当然记得你，布切先生。”杰克说。美国“康斯替图欣”号俘虏了英国“爪哇”号之后，作为受伤的俘虏，杰克曾被带往波士顿。现在他脑子里充满了对那次痛苦航程的回忆。“可是帕尔莫舰长在哪儿？他在'诺尔福克'号的沉船事故中幸免了吗？” “噢，是的，是的。他受了伤，不过没有淹死。我们没有损失非常多的人，本来情况也许更惨。可我们的衣服全丢了，我是唯一还有体面外套的人。这也是派我来的原因——穿着破衬衫、不戴帽子就到英国军舰上来，帕尔莫舰长是不能忍受的——当然，他托我带来最亲切的问候——在波士顿他有幸和劳伦斯舰长一起见到过你——他希望你还有你的军官们明天下午三点可以和他共进午餐，吃岛上的野味。” “你刚才提到了和平，布切先生？” “噢，是的，他可以比我更详细地告诉你。我们一开始是从一艘英国捕鲸船上得到的消息——我们傻了眼，只好把他们放走了，本来那是一笔丰厚的捕获赏金——然后又从一艘南塔凯特来的军舰上得到了消息。可是请告诉我，马图林大夫怎么了，你希望给他开颅？