Chapter 10 chapter Ten

A hole in the wall overlooked a patch of rain-washed water, the only way to approach the island from the west, where the Surprise might end up.Jack's eyes never left the small hole for a moment. He said: "Two thoughts came to my mind. One thought was: comparison, in general, I haven't encountered it in any mission. Such bad weather." "Even that terrible 'Leopard' number?" Stephen asked. "I seem to remember, the wind was so strong, the waves were so high..." He also remembered the remote bay surrounded by land in Antarctica, where they had stayed for several weeks at anchor for repairs.They were in the company of albatrosses, whalebirds, gigantic petrels, blue-eyed cormorants, and various penguins, all of which were tame and unafraid of the touch of the human hand.

"That one on the Leopard was really good," said Jack, "and I was on the Namur, too. I was a midshipman then, and we were escorting the Angelica wine trade. My partner and I just melted the ice into water, washed our hair in fresh water, and braided each other's hair - you know, we used to grow our hair very long, when sailors were all the same, and it wasn't time for action , don’t tie up your hair—as soon as you braided your hair, you were ordered to go up and retract the sail. The wind was blowing from the north-northeast with dense and hard hailstones. I helped on the mast. I was trying to make up the sail of a large bow-sail, which was very difficult, for one of the hawsers came loose and was blown suddenly to leeward--I had been sitting on the yard-end to the windward. Anyway, we At last it was done, and when I was about to eat, my hat flew away, and I heard a snap behind my ear, and it snapped my pig's tail. It was frozen hard, and snapped in two. Stephen, I swear it absolutely broke like a dry stick. They picked it up off the deck and I kept it for a girl I liked at the time who lived in Cape Pompeii Hill, I thought she'd like it; but she doesn't." He paused. "You see, it's soaking wet, so it's freezing."

"I think I can understand," Stephen said. "But, my dear, are you digressing a bit?" "What I want to say is that even if other storms may be more violent, they don't last long. If we only talk about pure storms and pure rainfall, I would almost say the volume of the storm. This mission won the first prize. Another thought that came to me was," he said, turning his head, "it's extremely awkward to talk to a man with a beard, you can't tell what he's thinking, what he's saying, whether he's Lying. There are some people with blue glasses who talk pretty much the same."

"I have no doubt that you are referring to Captain Palmer." "Exactly. A while ago, we huddled with Martin and Coleman, and you were in poor health. I never wanted to mention him." The previous period refers to three consecutive days of extremely violent storms. Almost never for more than an hour, they had to hide in the shed.Now the wind has weakened to a strong wind of level eight, and although it has started to rain again, it is not as suffocating and blinding as it was during the previous heavy rain.And everyone has already started to crawl around on the island, collecting smashed breadfruit, especially breadfruit with seeds as big as chestnuts, and coconuts. Although the coconut shell is very hard, many coconuts are still broke. "Exactly. I really don't know what to make of him. My first thought was that Butcher and Palmer were telling the truth - the war was really over. I never thought an officer would tell such an unmistakable lie."

"Oh, don't say that, for God's sake! You're an officer too, but I know you've lied a thousand times, like Ulysses. I've seen you hang a flag saying you're a Dutch ship, yes French merchant ships, Spanish warships - say you're a friend, an ally - say anything if you can fool the other side. Well, as long as the government, whether dynastic or republican, puts a man in service and keeps him away Lie, stay away from pride, envy, sloth, cunning, greed, wrath, and presumptuousness, and heaven on earth will soon come." At the word lie, Jack's face darkened; at the word presumptuous, his face brightened again. "Oh," he exclaimed, "these are just war plots, and they're perfectly legal, they're not plain lies; it's quite different when you know the war is going on, but you say there's peace. It's like It is perfectly justifiable to approach an enemy ship with a false flag, but to fire at an enemy ship without lowering the false flag at the last moment and hoisting your own flag is very despicable and pure piracy .Anyone who does that is guilty of a crime punishable by hanging. Perhaps the difference between the two is too subtle for a civilian, but I assure you, for a sailor it is very Clear. Anyway, I didn't think Palmer would lie at the time, and my first thought was, take them all to Malgasus and ask the officers to swear that if anything goes wrong, like the treaty Not sanctioned, or something like that, out of service until the captives are exchanged, and then they're released. But I wanted to make things clear at the time, even though I thought the captives were just a formality. I didn't want to Be polite all the time, eat and drink with them, and then say: 'By the way, I have to trouble you to hand over your saber.' So I told him the first time we met that he was a prisoner of war. When I said these things, Not really an understatement - he was, among other things, much older than I was, with a gray beard - but with some obvious exaggeration, since I said he didn't have to go back to the warship with me that night and his subordinates don't have to be in handcuffs. It amazes me that he took my words seriously, and it's only then that I start to think that maybe something is wrong. I wondered why the people of 'Norfolk' were not very happy to see us now that the war was over and we saved them. At that time, I felt that things were a little out of tune, very seriously out of tune."

"Tell me, Jack. What did you expect him to say when you told him he was a prisoner?" "Based on what I was thinking at the time, I expected any naval officer to curse at me, in a civilized way, of course; or to cross his fingers and beg me not to lock them up and whip them no more than twice a day. times. I mean, assuming he really believes the war is over." "Perhaps, the cetacean wit that I have often noticed in the Royal Navy may not have crossed the Atlantic. Then again, if there is deception, may not the lie also come from that British whaler ? After all, the 'Vega' must have tried its best to avoid capture by enemy ships."

"Of course, the 'Vega' may have tried. Anyway, I was so skeptical by then that I never spoke to Palmer about release under oath or Malgasus or anything of the sort. , because if the war is really going on, I definitely should lock them all up. To do otherwise would be serious dereliction of duty. What makes me suspicious is not only his seriousness, but also many other little things that can't be said, actually It's the whole atmosphere, but I haven't figured out his whole motive. Then, on the way back to the shack, I learned that in addition to a few ordinary deserters, Palmer's ship had some 'Hermion' I'm sure I've told you about the Hermion?" he said, seeing the blank expression on Stephen's face.

"Brother, maybe you haven't mentioned it." "Well, maybe I didn't mention that. Leaving aside the glorious ending, it was the worst thing I've ever seen in my life. In a nutshell it goes like this: a man who shouldn't have been promoted to be a captain in the first place— —a man who should not have been an officer at all—was appointed captain of the Hermion. It was a thirty-two-gun frigate, and this man turned the ship into a water hell. In the Indies, the mutiny of the crew killed him. Some might say he deserved it, but they also murdered three adjutants and officers of the marines in a very grisly way, the quartermaster, the surgeon, the clerk, and the sailmaster. And searched the ship and hunted down a midshipman, then they drove it to La Gaila and gave it to the Spaniards, and we were fighting the Spaniards at the time. It's been a mess from start to finish Horrible thing. But some time later the Spaniards took it to Puedo Cabello, while Ned Hamilton commanded the Surprise, and he had a good crew. One night, He commanded his sailors to destroy it in skiffs, although it was moored there, protected from head to tail by a mighty battery, and the Spaniards also patrolled in skiffs, but to no avail. I remember, his The Surgeon also commanded a runabout, a distinguished man named Mullen. The Surprise killed many of the Spaniards, but most of the mutinies escaped. When the Spaniards joined us against the French , many of them went to America again. Some of them became sailors on cargo ships, which is really stupid, because cargo ships are often searched, and if mutinies are found, they are immediately arrested and hanged without hope. Yes Accurate descriptions of them, tattoos and all, are published in all ports, and bids for their heads are very high."

"You mean how many of these unfortunates are now on the Norfolk?" "Yes. One of them is willing to identify the others on the condition that he will be allowed to report his fellow criminals and get a reward." "These whistleblowers — God! The world is full of whistleblowers, it is." "But in this way, the situation looks completely different. There are about twenty people from the 'Hermion' on Palmer's ship, and there are other deserters. Once caught, the other deserters are likely to Hanged, then again, five hundred lashes might have been enough had they been foreigners, but the Hermion would have certainly been; and though they were doubtless a worthless bunch people, but they were his men, and it was Palmer's express duty to protect them. Even nominal captives, they were grouped together, inspected, and logged in the ship's archives, and they almost certainly would be recognized and chained till they were hanged; and if they were only peacetime distress, they could mingle with the rest of the ship. That was his idea, it seemed to me. "

"Perhaps these are the people that Mr. Ingenious Mr. Keel mentioned in the letter. Remember that letter we found on the mail ship? I remember it saying, 'We have some settlers who want to Go to my Uncle Palmer's heaven, these people wish to live as far away from their fellow man as possible.'” "May I come in?" Martin asked at the door.He wore an oilskin raincoat, and in one wet hand he carried the hoop of a lute bucket, also covered with oilskin, which served as a primitive umbrella, and because his chest was stuffed with coconuts and bread As a result, he held the top half of the shirt together with his other hand. "Please take these things out before they fall on the floor," he said.When Jack turned his head from the hole, he asked again: "I guess you didn't see the warship, sir?"

"Oh, no," said Jack. "It can't come today. I'm just adjusting my tube so that it can sweep as much of the northwestern horizon as possible." "Is it possible to estimate how long it will take to return?" Stephen asked. "There's a lot to consider," said Jack, "if they can go a little northerly on the evening of the first day, when the storm has died down a bit, and then be able to steer the wind two compass points aft Blow on the side, keep the yaw as low as possible, wait until after the third day, when they can make a return route, then we can start waiting within a week. Mr. Martin, can you give me the coat ? I want to go and see those people." "While I was walking, or crawling, I met Mr. Butcher," said Martin, as Captain Aubrey's footsteps clattered further and further away in the rain-soaked marshes. "He had shoes, too, and he walked along the creek almost to the source. He asked you very sincerely, and said he was pleased with what I told him. He also said that if you felt any pain or discomfort again, he would immediately Hurry up. But what he mentioned about the warship made me very uneasy. It seems that there is a long chain of reefs and submerged islets not far to the west. The chain is very long, maybe a hundred miles. , and it seems almost entirely unlikely that the Surprise will miss it at all." "Mr. Butcher may be an excellent doctor, but he's not a sailor." "Perhaps he wasn't. But he said that was the opinion of the officers on the Norfolk." "I don't like their opinion any more than Captain Aubrey's. Captain Aubrey knows about these reefs, he mentioned it when we talked about the odd tide, but he's still the same when it comes to the return of the warship. Pretty confident." "Oh, I didn't know he knew these reefs too. I'm very relieved, very very relieved. I'm light again. Let me tell you about my walk. I did reach the bare plateau; An unconformable deposit of broken obsidian and trachyte, where the creek could be forded, and it was there that I met Mr. Butcher, who agreed that it was a volcanic island; There, I saw a crake that couldn't fly, and I think it was, but maybe it was just wet." Got wet.The whole island is drenched and saturated with moisture.The very steep slope, which had been overgrown with trees, giant ferns, and bushes, was now a landslide, with black rock exposed; Thick mud and gravel are fed into the lagoon. Jack walked along the left bank of the lagoon, which was littered with tree trunks and broken, tangled branches, and at the other end of the road he saw Captain Palmer, took off his hat, and called, "You Well, Your Excellency." And Palmer bowed and said something like "The wind has subsided—there might be heavy rain again." These mutual greetings, sometimes repeated twice a day, were the only communication they had for the next week.Overall it was a dismal week with a lot of rain and the creek kept swollen.Their hopes of catching fish were not fulfilled.The fruit food that can be easily reached has been collected.Most broken coconuts and bruised breadfruit spoil quickly in the humid heat. With great effort, the Surprises unraveled the cables and wove the lines as quickly as possible.But the lagoon is in such a state of incomparable filth that most of its inhabitants have fled, though a few do remain stranded on the high waterline of the lagoon, wrapped in stinking leaves and die.The lean gray and white sharks were still in the lake anyway, so wading and fishing became surprisingly dangerous because the sharks had a way of swimming into very shallow waters.But then again, fishing can only harvest driftwood.Even after they had refitted the yacht—and yacht refits are very difficult to do—the catches from paddling out were not much better.Most of the fish they caught were intercepted by sharks with their hooks, and the ones they struggled to save were sickly, bloated, purple-looking things with livid backs that the whalers One of them, Edwards, an old sailor who has been to the South China Sea, said that the spine of the fish is poisonous--the spine is poisonous, and the fish is also harmful.Fishing on reefs at low tide is slightly better, but it has its drawbacks.There are large areas of thorny coral on the reef, and there are many sea urchins. Once the sea urchin's nasty spine is stepped on, it will break off and penetrate deeply into the bare feet, causing the feet to fester and inflame; two people were touching clams. , was bitten by moray eels, and a harmless-looking fish not dissimilar to the stone whiting of Juan Hernandez Island gave scarlet rashes to anyone who ate it, and Vomited a black liquid, and temporarily lost sight; and many of the sailors became lame, for, though the sailors were accustomed to run barefoot on the deck, the smooth mast gave them no suppleness in their feet. —for example, they usually climbed up the mast wearing shoes—and the thorns, volcanic glass, and coral reefs soon wounded them. In spite of the constant rain, though the tangled bushes were sometimes almost impassable, and though it was very uncomfortable to walk barefoot because of the prickly reptiles, hunger drove the people about the island, and in one case, Walking is also driven by fear.Bunton said to Jack on Thursday: "Your Excellency, that fellow Haines, the man on the Hermion who wants to tell on his companions, is about to strangle him, he fears they already know. Did he say he could come to us?" Jack held back the strong answer he was about to say, thought for a while and said, "If he wants to find a shelter in the woods behind us, move over and hide by himself, and wait until the warship comes in, I don't see anything to stop him." with him." Of course, walking is less painful for a man with shoes on, and Martin and Butcher met very frequently; Hoping for a visit from a Russian warship, which they know is on an exploratory voyage in the central Pacific, the Norfolk have been waiting for any New Bedford or Nantucket whaling ship, either If you work in this water area, you will either pass through it.But as these hopes, though strong, must be indefinite, they also prepared to build a boat out of the wreckage, which an officer and two or three of the best sailors would drive to Washifah. ask for help.Once the trade winds returned to their old steady state, the voyage, even counting the extra long doglegs to avoid the dreaded western reefs, was only about four hundred miles long, compared to Captain Briff's Four thousand miles in the same ocean is nothing.But they were so short of tools—only a small tool-box sent to the reef by the unpredictable waves—and the wreckage was hardly chipped; A barely useful raft for fishing. Towards the end of the week the rain began to lighten; fording the upper part of the creek became easier, and more and more people came into contact on both banks.This caused the first trouble.Like other whalers, Edwards bitterly resented the Americans for burning the Brave Fox, and when he met an American, he called him not a sailor but a whore-bred porter with syphilis. The illegitimate child of a nigger, and gave the American a kick with the wooden stick he had; the American didn't answer, but immediately kicked him in the privates.The boatman and one of his assistants separated them in time, and as the Americans retreated, there were shouts of "Yankee puppies" and "Stay over the creek" behind them, because, the "surprise" felt , the area on this side of the river belongs to oneself, this is a self-evident truth.The creek must have been taken as a natural boundary, because on the same day, at a lower level, Blakeney was also driven back to this side of the creek by a tall American cadet, who also told Blakeney If he caught him poaching on their reservation again, he'd chop him up for bait. But these events received little attention, and all thoughts turned to Sunday, the earliest date the captain had said the warship might be seen.Although the weather for most of this week is rainy and makes everyone wet from head to toe, it is beneficial to the return of the warship. This is because the wind has become weaker and the southeast direction is maintained. The ever-shattering sea swell subsided to a steady, indistinct thunder. When Sunday came, the officers took turns borrowing Jack's razor, and the two surgical instruments repaired all the forward common sailors, and as none of the sailors was a professional shave--which is the work of barbers-everyone was They cut and scraped, and made themselves sore, but they endured the pain happily, because, on board the ship, there was a pagan belief that the more they suffered, the more certain they would see the ship.The church was improvised in the lee of the yacht, the cloth canopy was stretched, the stretcher and the dinghy were tied rather than nailed into a table.Jack sent Captain Palmer a note that they were welcome to worship if he or his officers and sailors would attend; but Palmer declined on the grounds that he had few of them Those who belong to the Church of England, and those who belong to the Church of England, are inconvenient to attend public ceremonies.His reply was courteous and well worded, but it must have been an oral reply, because, like everything else, the "Norfolk" lacked pen and paper, and it was brought by Mr. Butcher. here.Butcher stayed on to attend the service, which was completed satisfactorily despite the lack of books.Among the Surprises who came ashore were five of the most determined true singers, and others followed them in convincing volumes of familiar hymns and hymns, over the lagoon and far across the reef.Instead of risking his own sermons, Mr. Martin once again turned to the Bishop of Dorn for help, quoting directly where he could remember, and paraphrasing otherwise in his own words.The sermon was heard by all present except for the twenty or so Americans scattered on the far shore of the lake, which had a very real benefit to such a deeply conservative group of believers.They sanctioned the sermon, they admired it, and they listened to it with the same earnestness with which their eyes searched the horizon, and endeavored to discern, against the background of the pure blue sky, the The tiniest white spot of the mast-sail. Anyone who has sailed should have grown accustomed to the uncertainty of the ocean, and the unpredictability of anything connected with navigation.It is strange that in the eyes of so many sailors the first day Jack's forecast should have such importance, as if it possessed some magical power; but it was so on both sides of the creek, and Once the frigate didn't show up that Sunday, at least the "Marvel" folks were oddly downcast. The warship did not appear on Monday, nor on Tuesday, nor on Wednesday, although the weather was very fine;Jack noticed that Palmer's bow was also getting less deep with each passing day, and by Friday his bow was little more than a casual nod.A lot can be read from the look of the greeting, and it doesn't take a great deal of insight to see that the Norfolk are perfectly aware that they are outnumbered by the Surprise four to one Most, it doesn't take a great deal of insight to see that the confidence and morale of the "Norfolk" are growing every day, and that it is difficult for Palmer to deal with the growing hostility of his men Yes, and the now isolated strife and scuffle are in danger of developing into a general confrontation. Jack blamed himself terribly. He should have stayed on his warship.He had not done more to facilitate Stephen's operation ashore than the other officers.He behaved like an anxious old woman.Or, if he thought it absolutely necessary to come ashore and deal with Palmer, he should also watch the tide first.This is because, although the hurricane has partially drowned the tide, the eye of a wise sailor can still detect the signs of its unusual cycle, and still detect the strong force with which it flows through the waterway; , and perhaps even the yacht's cannon.And now, all the Marvel had was his own saber, Blakeney's short sword, the pistol, and the boat hook.Most of the sailors had daggers, of course, but so did most of the Norfolk. "I'm afraid you're grieving for the Surprise, brother," said Stephen, as the two of them sat alone outside the shed, overlooking the evening sea. "I guess you're not desperate for our friend?" "Desperate? Oh, God, I'm not desperate," Jack cried. "It's a solid, well-armed, windward ship, and Movitt has a well-trained crew of sailors. While he may not know the reef, I'm sure the ship's anchor chain was Let go, and his first instinct would be to try to keep it from turning to leeward. From the change in wind direction I remember, and from where I know the shallows are, I'm sure he must have overshot the northern end of it. No, I Worried about that poor mizzenmast with the clamps. Mr. Lamb was worried too. He regrets he didn't hurry up to double-safe it." "Is it serious if the mizzen mast breaks?" "It's not so serious for sailing with the wind, because the wind is directly against the stern, so it doesn't do much damage to the sail; but for heeling, turning the bow, in a word, for returning to this island, the mizzenmast is definitely a problem. Crucial. If the clamped mizzenmast were to break, the Surprise would obviously have no choice but to change course. She must be heading west, and Mowett might be going to Wahiva." "Anyway, he can come back when he finds a new mast?" "Yes. But it will take time to find, and since Mr. Lamb and his helpers are here, it will take time to assemble, rig and set up on the mast, but most of all, he will The trade winds and the currents. It might take him a month to get here." "Oh, oh," said Stephen, with a meaningful look on his face. "Exactly. It won't last a month here, and it won't last that long anyway." Voices came from behind the shed, and though, as shipmates, as Whether it is the sailors, Captain Aubrey has a high opinion of the sailors on the yacht, but he also knows that they all have the habit of eavesdropping-this kind of common eavesdropping behavior makes the theoretically airtight warship cabin Houses were all pierced, most of the plot was known in advance by those who were to carry it out, long before the order was given, and most people's domestic affairs were the subject of their expertise.Overhearing certainly had its uses, and it brought something akin to a family atmosphere to the warship; but in the present case Jack did not want his views to be widely known.This is because the contact between personnel on both sides is not entirely hostile.In the high woods, that is to say, in the vaguely demarcated no-man's land above the creek, the more peaceful men of the two ships, if they met, would often strike up a conversation, if they happened to be neutrals. , in particular.For example, it was a Finn who told Jakluski, a Pole aboard the Surprise, that a gang led by two unreasonable sailors claimed that since the officers of the Norfolk They lost both their ships and their missions, and they lost their authority at the same time, and especially since the sailmaster and the tyrannical first adjutant, whom everyone feared aboard the Norfolk, were drowned, the sailors' Chaos makes it difficult for them to maintain discipline. In fact, the voices Jack and Stephen heard were those of Martin and Butcher, who were walking down the trail together.Butche came to visit Maturin, to deliver Captain Palmer's message to Captain Aubrey.Captain Palmer expressed his most sincere greetings, and earnestly reminded Captain Aubrey that the two sides agreed to use a small river to mark the boundaries of their respective domains, but the Norfolks could not be in front of the beaches of the waters on the side of the Surprises. With permission, pass unhindered to reach the head of the eastern reef.But Captain Palmer reported with concern that his small group had been turned back this morning, ridiculed and thrown with seaweed.He trusted Captain Aubrey to take appropriate measures at once. "Please tell Captain Palmer, I send him my regards," said Jack, "and tell him that if this is more than a hoax, those involved will be held accountable, and that he can come and see for himself if he chooses." Punishment, or send an officer to inspect. In any case, you must convey my regret and assurance that such a thing will not happen again." "Now, Stephen," said Jack, when they were alone again, "I'll help you up to the top of the hill. There's a level place behind that black cliff, and there's a wonderful view from there. You haven't been there yet." "Okay," Stephen said. "On the way we might see that crake that Martin said couldn't fly. But maybe you'll have to carry me off. My legs are still very weak." Hearing Captain Aubrey's heavy, panting approach, the flightless crakes crept silently into the bushes, but the volcanic platform they finally reached did show them a white-spotted three- Ten miles out to the west.On either end of the ocean, there are schools of whales, one on the north and one on the south.The platform also gave them a view over the entire leeward side of the island, seeing the tumbling dark creek flowing into the still murky lagoon, the white lines of the reefs and tiny figures walking on the sand. Mr. Lamb and two assistants are busy.They had begun building themselves a shed since that ominous Sunday when the warship was absent, and they were now putting the finishing touches on it. The young shipwright of the "Norfolk" came towards them from the woods and greeted them kindly: "How are you guys?" "How are you?" They answered him in noncommittal tones, putting down their tools and looking at him with deliberately deadpan faces. "Maybe it will be windy tonight, but so far the weather is fine, nothing to complain about." The "Amazing" man was also noncommittal to his words.After a pause, the "Norfolk" man said again: "I guess you wouldn't lend the saw pliers to anyone? I left mine on the ship." "No, man, no," said Mr. Lamb. "Why? Because first of all I never lend tools to anyone, and second because to lend you is to help the king's enemies, and it is a sin to be hanged at the yards. May God have mercy on your soul, Amen." "But the war is over," cried the "Norfolk" man. "You tell the marines, fool," said Mr. Lamb, pressing his right index finger to his nose. "I wasn't born yesterday." "I met your helper in the woods on Thursday," said the "Norfolk" man, pointing to the shipwright's assistant, Henry Collus, "under a breadfruit tree." "Under a breadfruit tree, indeed," said Kolles, nodding gravely. "That tree has three broken branches, and they're all as thick as a mainmast. That's what I said." "We also wished each other the joy of peace. So he believed it was peaceful now. Of course it was." "Henry Coulus is a fine craftsman, and very honest, as you can see," said Mr. Lamb, looking at him impartially; "but the trouble with him is that he was born in Surrey. This side, and not too long since you were born. No, young man," Mr. Lamb said, turning to the "Norfolk" man again, quite gently, "when I was full of teachers, you were still shitting Well, besides, in peacetime, I have never seen anything like your guys doing it. I guess you are making up lies to send them home for free and to take away our head bounty." “斯蒂芬，”杰克把他的袖珍小望远镜递过去说，“要是你一直盯着这边的海平线看，朝我指的方向看，大概你会看见一条比较规则的白浪的长线，一直伸到右边。我觉得这就是他们说的浅滩。这东西在晚上背风的时候你是很难发现的。在现在这种柔风下，从这儿你几乎得朝正北方向驶上半天。”“现在这种柔风”是温暖稳定的贸易风，在这片掩蔽的平台上，柔风在他们四周旋转着，但在高高的山脊背后，柔风却恒稳地歌唱着，真是绝佳的上桅帆柔风。“不过，我真正想要说的是：我想加长游艇，让它把我们带到华希伐去。必须完工得相当早，否则我们连可以加长的游艇也会丢掉，双方的敌意在增强，而且岛上的食物全部吃光之后，敌意显然还会更强。我想帕尔莫舰长对他的手下没有强有力的控制，而且'赫米翁'人比其他人更有动机来教训我们一顿，这首先是因为海恩斯现在逃走了，而且他们也知道自己被发现了。'惊奇'号一天不出现，他们就一天比一天变得更大胆。” “你为什么得加长游艇呢？” “为了可以载上每一个人。我们把你载上岸的时候，它吃水到了舷缘。想要它驶到开阔的海面上去，就得加长。” “这件事一共要花费多长时间？” “大概不到一个星期就够了。” “我本来不想问的，可你想过没有，我们把它加长之后，甚至还没来得及完工的时候，他们就可能把它抢走？我知道他们自己也想离开这儿去华希伐，去找一艘捕鲸船回来把人接走，但愿他们不会成功。” “我也想到过。我觉得他们的士气还不够高，在我们着手加长之前他们是不会冒险来抢的；而且我觉得要是我们行动迅速的话，在完工之后，我们也可以找到劝阻他们的办法。不是的，我主要操心的是食物储备，因为我没有什么工具，行程又可能很长，食物储备可能会成问题。至于说淡水么，我们那些琵琶桶里的水，节省的话还可以维持两个星期，我希望我们还能找到几百个完好的椰子果，可问题是食物。现在钓鱼失败了，我本来指望像在胡安·赫南戴斯那时候一样晒些鱼干，我想知道你是否有什么建议。灰白水龙骨的木心？树根？树皮？捣碎的树叶？” “在上山的路上，我们肯定见过一种矮小的山芋，毫无疑问是参薯。我还喊了你，想指给你看，你却在前面走得老远，哼着鼻子，不屑一顾。不过它们在这儿不太兴旺，就像这儿的山螃蟹，这真是可惜，我们该把主要的依靠放在鲨鱼身上。它也许不太可口，它的样子也不招人待见，可它的肉，像大多数鲨类一样，相当安全、富有营养。而且我们很容易抓住它，我建议把它上半身的肉割成细长条，晒干，再用烟熏好。” “可是，斯蒂芬，”杰克瞟了一眼“诺尔福克”号的残骸说，“想一想它们大概一直在吃什么？” “我亲爱的，我们还是不要像个小姐似的天真吧。世上的所有植物，在某种程度上都分享了自从亚当以来的无数的死人，而所有海里的鱼类都第一手，或者第二手，或者第一百手地分享了所有淹死的人。不管怎么说，”看见杰克厌恶的样子，他又加上了一句，“你知道，鲨鱼很像知更鸟，它们保卫自己领域的嫉妒心也和知更鸟同样地重。要是我们在远处那个水道里抓鲨鱼，那就谁也没办法责备我们是吃人肉的人了，差了好几档呢。” “嗯，”杰克说，“我反正太胖了。请给我看你的山芋。” 山芋散布在一片碎石堆上。碎石堆从岛屿最高点向下延伸着，通向平台的小路切过坡地的下端，在这儿斯蒂芬指点着攀缘的茎梗、典型的叶片，又翻了几块石头，找到一块畸形的球根。“它们在这儿并不高兴，这些可怜的发育不良的东西；它们并不需要碎石堆，它们需要的是潮湿的深土。不过要是你爬到碎石堆的顶上，在早就填满的火山口里，很有可能你会找到这些矮子的父母，长势兴旺，球根粗壮，这儿的这些悲惨东西就是从那边泛滥下来的。我很虚弱，就在这儿等你了。要是在上去的路上，你碰巧看见什么甲虫，请你轻轻把它们放在手绢里。” 斯蒂芬坐了下来。立刻，怀着剧烈的心跳和那种非常特别的强烈而新鲜的幸福感，他看到不能飞的秧鸡走了出来。这种幸福感，自从他的童年时期以来一直就没有改变过。秧鸡走到一片光秃秃的地上，伸出一只虽然无用但却富有装饰性的翅膀，挠了挠自己，打了个哈欠，最终走开了，这才让斯蒂芬重新能够呼吸。 杰克沿着碎石堆的边缘爬着，不时停下来察看山芋的长势。要说有什么变化的话，它们开始变得更加短小、畸形了，和他在家里自己种的土豆不无相像之处。但他希望看看斯蒂芬的火山口，而且他还想起以前见过的硕大球根，那种淡而无味的大家伙，可以把一条小艇的乘员喂饱一天。被这些想法刺激着，他继续朝上爬着。山顶比他想的还要高，最近的一场洪水，堵住了火山口的出口，把它变成了一个湖，毫无疑问，巨大的山芋正在十英尺深的恶臭的水里腐烂着。不过，山顶给了他更宽阔的视野，给了他更广大的洋面。他坐在那儿喘息着，凝视起西面远处的暗礁，或者说一长串凹陷的岛屿。海平线现在离它很远，他可以更清楚地看出暗礁的长度和宽度。它确实是很难对付的浅滩，他看不见一点缺口或者水道。他努力让自己的头脑尽量地冷静、客观、细致，并且开始估量，在和那个恶劣的夜晚等同的境况下，“惊奇”号成功越过暗礁的机会有多大。他的答案是三次中不会超过一次，而他的眼里充满了泪水。 他想，北方远处的一系列环礁，是最危险的地方。他盯着这片环礁，把肉眼视野中的景物全部收入眼底，觉得好像看见了环礁以外有个什么黑色的东西，于是伸手拿过了望远镜。确实是黑色的，确实是一艘船。他平卧在地上，把望远镜放在一块石头上，用外套盖住头，遮住外面的光线。他马上就知道，那艘船不是“惊奇”号，但他花了十分钟，一刻钟，非常仔细的聚焦，盯视，确定了那是一艘美国捕鲸船，它正朝南面行驶着。 它在这片极长的浅滩的西面。要是它想接近海岛，就必须远远绕道，然后迎风斜驶，但除非风力变大，它可以在一星期之内轻松地做到这一点。他让自己镇定下来，又跑下了碎石堆。“请原谅我，斯蒂芬，”他说，“我得赶回营地去了，一分钟也不能耽搁。你在后面跟着我，慢慢走吧。” “兰姆先生，”他的呼吸恢复正常之后，用平稳的声调说，“我要和你说句话。”他们沿着高水线走了起来。“我希望你把游艇加长八英尺，这样它才可以把我们载到华希伐，或许在那儿重新和军舰会合。用你手头的工具和材料你可以办到吗？” “噢上帝啊，可以办到的，阁下。离岸不到五十码的地方，我们可以砍到一些结实的自然的护船木和肋材。” “我的意思是立刻，用你现有的木料。一分钟也不能耽搁了。” “嗯，先生，我猜我可以做到，不过我们得马上拆掉大夫的地方。” “他会有帐篷住的。可在加长游艇之前，我们要武装自己。在不影响你工作的条件下，有什么东西可以改成短刀、矛尖？” 船匠想了一下。“因为我要用锯子，所以没什么可以改成短刀或者大刀；可是矛尖，上帝爱你，阁下，”他非常高兴地大笑起来，“如果需要的话，我可以装备所有的米甸人。我把一整桶的十英寸长钉扔到小艇上了，亨利·寇勒斯以为我忘了，又扔了一整桶。十英寸的长钉，在铁砧上把头砸平了再砸弯，恰到好处地整形，烧成樱桃红再放到温吞的海水里淬火，就成了很好用的矛尖。他们可能会说，这不是伦敦塔那一类的活计；可要是他们的武器里有了六寸长改造过的长钉，不管是伦敦造的还是当地造的，都没什么两样。” “你这儿有锻炉和铁砧吗？” “没有，阁下，可我花费不长的时间就可以捣鼓出一对风箱来，而且这儿有这么多黑石头做砧。萨姆·约翰逊，那个军械士的助手，摇前桨的，正是合适的人选。他在一个刀匠的手下干过，非常精干。” “很好，很好。那就马上动手吧，同时也把梭镖的柄做起来。二十把足够了，我有军刀，布莱克尼先生有短剑还有手枪——不管怎么说，他是玩不转梭镖的，而且我想马丁先生也不会愿意用。我们还需要三个鲨鱼钩，装在我们可以省下来的最长的系船链上。事实上，应该先做鱼钩，这样可以给锻炉生火做伪装。不过兰姆先生，整个事情要做得越隐蔽越好，最好是在树林里做。鱼钩做好之后，游艇就出发去钓鱼，还需要一个轻的架子，可以用来烤干、烟熏三十石的鲨鱼条。同时，还要保证水桶不漏水。而且我没办法对你说得更强调了，兰姆先生，一刻也不能浪费，所有人都要昼夜干活。” 所有人对此都感到很吃惊。他们在老索德伯雷岛上的几个星期里，由于舰上的常规只剩下了形式上的骨架，也由于他们自己一直在树林里、暗礁上漫游，一直在寻找食物，或者从岩石上用绳子钓鱼，他们已经丧失了快速行动和不假思索马上服从的习惯。他们还在因为没有烟草和掺水淡酒而怒气冲冲，而且他们一听见自己的舰长，像普莱斯说的那样，“像矮树林里的公牛”那样吼叫，就感到恼怒和义愤。舰长要求他们每一件事都要用加倍的速度——最好是三倍的速度——来完成，舰长甚至挥舞起了鞭子——这种武器，除了在大舱里用在候补生们身上，还很少有人见他用过呢——况且他挥舞起来，力量和精确度都大得可怕。 “就像在俘虏船上一样，”乔治·阿贝尔说，约翰逊不在的时候，他做了代理前桨手，“比俘虏船上还糟糕。'快干，你这个懒散的蠢货。说话要快，行动要精干，诅咒你的眼睛。'他到底怎么了，比管奴隶的工头还厉害。” “可能这东西会让他满意的。”普莱斯说，一边朝拖在水里的一头中等个头的鲨鱼吐了口唾沫，一群鲨鱼在后面追赶着它。 “停桨！”邦敦大叫道，随后游艇嘎扎嘎扎地冲上了岸滩。阿贝尔马上跳了下来，但他没有去抓系船索，而是抓住了系在鲨鱼尾巴上的粗绳。他和另外五六个人把鲨鱼拖上岸来，紧跟在后的那群鲨鱼猛游过来咬了最后一口，它们也差一点搁浅了。 阿贝尔和同伴们用船匠的斧子割下了鲨鱼头，抬起眼来等待舰长的首肯——因为这头鱼正好符合要求的尺寸，而且几乎没被咬过。舰长告诉他们，现在不是闲看的时候；这儿不是巴瑟罗缪集市；他们可以加入布莱克尼先生的行列，跑步，跑步，而不是摇摇摆摆地晃荡，到岛上的东北角去，那儿还可以找到椰子果。哪个人不带回来二十个椰子，肯定会诅咒他自己生日的。 他们加快脚步离开了，他们路过了林中的锻炉，那儿风箱在呼呼作响，流汗的军械士浑身赤裸，只裹了围裙，正在敲打着；而且他们看见一队队神情忧虑的人，抬着木料，从木棚的废墟跑下来；其他同样着急的人，扛下来一捆捆尽可能直的、木结尽可能少的、做梭镖柄的木料。 他们就这样度过白天，他们从来也不坐下，时刻都步履匆匆；但这还不够。他们又分成不同的值班岗，就像在舰上一样，每一班岗在晚上花一段时间，把架子上的长条鲨鱼肉放在火上翻烤，把椰子果纤维梳理成填絮，用来给加长的游艇堵缝；他们沉睡的头脑，又回复到舰上的时间和它四小时一班岗的节奏。这真是令人惊异——每一班岗替换前一班，准时得就像钟整晚都在敲着一样。他们就像在甲板上一样安排值班岗。这样做也有道理，因为早晨两点起了一阵奇怪的风，从西北方向猛吹了三四个小时，逆着海涌鼓起汹涌的三角浪，而且风还危及了他们的火，危及了他们难吃的、闻起来像糨糊一样的食物，更危及了他们新搭的帐篷。 这股三角浪通过两个水道猛地灌进了泻湖；那时候正好涨潮，海浪嘶嘶作响，高高地涌过海滩，而没有一个水兵不清楚，海浪肯定会撞上沉没的护卫舰。“诺尔福克”人一般起床不是很早，但日出之后不久，“惊奇”人正吃早饭的时候，他们中的一小群人却穿过了小河，沿着潮水线匆忙地赶向暗礁开始的地方。虽然双方都同意他们有路权，不过在这么多“惊奇”人和他们的军官面前，“诺尔福克”人不愿意靠近，大多数人假装没有看见“惊奇”人，只有两个比较友好、比较爱说话的，才发出一声谨慎的叫喊，竖了竖大拇指。 虽然事实上残骸还没有明显地散架，虽然红头发候补生也把这个情况报告给了帕尔莫，但一早晨还是有更多的人路过了，直到十一点半才回来。他们一共有二十五到三十个人，他们拖着“诺尔福克”号的右舷船头栏杆，还拖着一些船首楼的木板。到这个时候，大部分“惊奇”人都已经分散在岛屿的各处，担负起各种各样的紧急任务，船匠们几乎是孤单的，他们正忙着把游艇一锯为二，只有兰姆先生悄悄地走进了灌木丛。除此之外，海滩上只有海恩斯先生，他的本行是铜匠，通过给马丁先生帮忙做下手，他赢得了半心半意的接受，现在他正在处理非常麻烦的琵琶桶。他一看见“诺尔福克”人就跑开了，“诺尔福克”人在后面大叫“犹大”。不过，这群人中间没有前“赫米翁”号的人，他们没有去追他——有几个假装想抓住他，但只是为了好玩。另一群人来到船匠们旁边，问他们在做什么——评论起他们的工具、他们的手艺——说既然沉船已经散架了，他们也准备马上造一条自己的小艇——尽管船匠们给他们的回答很傲慢，或者根本就不回答，他们还是继续聊了一段时间。突然，他们中领头的那个人手指岛内的方向叫道“看哪！看哪！”船匠们转过头去。“诺尔福克”人抓过一把截圆锯、一张游艇用的铜板、一大把长钉、一把钳子、一个小螺钻和一把木锉，大笑着跑了开去。在起初的一百码，这还是值得大笑的事情。接着一个人就绊了一跤，丢了木锉，另一个想跑得更快，于是扔下了游艇用的铜板；可是等寇勒斯追上拿截圆锯的人，他却已经和同伴们在一起了。寇勒斯想把截圆锯从他手里夺过来，但他们把他推倒在地上。寇勒斯的朋友们跑来帮忙，其中有一个用船匠的大木槌砸对方，马上就砸断了一条胳膊，而兰姆先生也从树林里带着十几个“惊奇”人冲了出来。“诺尔福克”人见状退缩成一团，挥舞着木板，一直撤退过小河，进入自己的领地，把大多数木料都留在了岸边。“惊奇”人有两把船匠的斧子，还有一把手斧，本来还会继续去要回他们的工具，这时小河的这边传来一声大吼，“停下！”奥布雷舰长在小山的半山腰上叫道。 他们急忙向他跑去，船匠们同时说着话，要带上梭镖马上去突袭，重新夺回工具。 “兰姆先生，”他问，“抢走的工具对现在手头的工作有多必要？”但他不得不摇晃起船匠的肩膀来。兰姆的脸，本来因为愤怒而变得苍白，这才显出了不少理智。杰克再次摇晃他的肩膀，才从他嘴里得到了有条有理的答复，大意是截圆锯明天用得着。 “那好吧，”杰克说，“继续工作到午饭时间。我下午会处理这件事的。” 他在斯蒂芬和马丁的陪同下，吃了午饭——一片令人沮丧的烤鲨鱼肉，还有椰子果做的布丁。斯蒂芬和马丁泛泛谈论着不会飞的鸟，遥远海岛的殖民化，他们说的他都听得很清楚；但他的大部分头脑都在考虑和帕尔莫即将进行的会谈。 今天早上的事件必须处理，这是毫无疑问的。再有这类事情发生，肯定会导致公开的血战，况且虽然他可以用梭镖和斧头来应战，但持续的公开冲突会不可容忍地推迟小艇下水的日期，甚至让小艇下水变得根本不可能。小艇不仅需要加长，而且要重新安装缆索，要用麻丝堵缝，要准备食品，还有成千上万件别的事情。如果他们的意图是发动攻击，夺取加长了的游艇——那就又是另一回事了。而且要是通过他可以想到的各种各样的策略，这种攻击仍旧不能避免的话，那他差不多相信，用强力也是可以对付的。要是他预先把梭镖存放起来，充分发挥出其不意的震慑效果，那么强力就尤其能够起到作用。他的目标，是今后三天的相对平静，然后，在小艇还没有明显完工的时候，就可以在星期四晚上月亮升起之前，把它弄到海滩上，送到泻湖里，用一个四爪锚把它泊在那儿，远远地离开海滩，在湖里装上桅杆，重新安装好缆索，修好半甲板，然后趁晚潮的时候离开。问题是，帕尔莫舰长对他手下究竟有多少控制？他失去了几乎所有的军官，或者是因为淹死，或者是因为被派去运送捕获船——他无疑还派出了很多最好的水兵——他现在差不多是孤家寡人，没有什么帮衬。“赫米翁”号的人到底在多少程度上是“诺尔福克”号船员不可分割的一部分？他们到底可以带动多少其他“诺尔福克”人？剩下的军官们，还有军医，还有总是躲在幕后的影子般的航行官和副官，他们到底在多大程度上影响着帕尔莫？这些都是今天下午他希望在帕尔莫谜一样的、多毛的脸上读出答案的问题。 吃完午饭，他在帐篷前平坦的草地上转了几圈，然后叫他的艇手。“邦敦，” 他说，“我要去见'诺尔福克'号的舰长。把我的帽子、外套在船舷外面拍打拍打，好吗？” “是，阁下，”邦敦说，他完全准备好了这次访问，“我磨快了你的军刀，快得可以刮胡须了，我拿上了布莱克尼的手枪，取来了火药，还晒干了，敲好了打火石。” “这些东西对狩猎探险正合适，邦敦，”杰克说，“可我们这是上流社会的午后正式访问啊。” “正式访问我的屁眼。”邦敦嘟囔着，一边朝背风方向猛烈地抖晃着大衣。“我多希望我们有大口径短炮啊。”他把一支手枪塞进了口袋——他的腰带里已经藏了一把又长又薄、非常危险的称为噶里的刀，围着脖子的系刀绳上也有一把大折刀——他递过帽子，跟随舰长出发了。 杰克确实给这次拜访赋予了社交访问的外观，而帕尔莫是个有教养的人，他也用同类型的家常话回应了杰克。寒暄在平稳乏味地进行着，但杰克却观察到，自从上一次交谈以来，帕尔莫变了很多。他显然在生病，看上去老得多了，皱缩了，处在极大的紧张之中，而且杰克感觉到他在最近几个小时内和人激烈地争吵过。 “唔，阁下，”杰克终于说，“看来今天早上我们的一些人卷入了一场愚蠢的扭打。我不相信有人真的想伤害对方，可这场恶作剧本来有可能会变得很恶劣。” “事实上已经变得很恶劣了。约翰·亚当斯的胳膊断了，现在布切先生正在接骨呢。” “我为此感到遗憾。可我说的恶劣，是指为了一把可怜的截圆锯——为了一个年轻的愚蠢水兵的恶作剧，五六个人躺在地上死掉。我确实设法制止了我的船匠们——你知道，他们有斧头——可这并不容易做到，而且我也不愿意这样的事再次发生。或许你也注意到了，要是军舰不在身边，上岸的水兵是不容易控制的。” “我根本没注意到这样的事。”帕尔莫敏锐地说，从细密的睫毛下射出怀疑的目光。 “但我注意到了，”杰克说，“而且看来，帕尔莫舰长，我们的人员之间敌对状态非常严重。我们就像拿着明火坐在弹药库上一样，最小的事情都会引起爆炸，所以我必须恳求你下达非常严格的命令，要求这一类危险的嬉闹决不能再次重复了。顺便说一句，我得要回我的截圆锯。我不认为真的有人想抢走它。” 帐篷稍微鼓了进来，显然帕尔莫和外面的什么人保持着联系，要么通过耳语，要么通过触碰。“你会拿到截圆锯的。”他说，“不过我得告诉你，奥布雷舰长，我正准备传唤你……” “传唤我？”杰克大笑着说，“噢，不对，不对，不对。荒唐。指挥军舰的舰长们是不可以相互传唤的，我亲爱的阁下。而且就算他们确实忘乎所以了，我还得提醒你，至少在法律上，你是我的俘虏。” “那么就说，我正希望你来，这样我就可以正式通告你，根据首先发现者的所有权，这个岛屿是属于美国领土的，并且命令你转移到北暗礁的另一头，这样你的人员就不至于妨碍'诺尔福克'号上木料和食物储备的收复。” “我暂时不能接受你关于主权的争议。”杰克说。“不管怎么说，这是个政治问题，它在我的能力之外。但我完全同意你的想法，确实要让我们之间的人员保持更大的距离。你肯定已经留意到了，我们正在加长小艇。一旦完成，我就带上我的人远远离开，这样就很少有可能再出麻烦了。可是为此我也得要回我的工具。” “会把工具还给你的。”帕尔莫说，接着他发出一声呼喊，喊声开始很响，不过却是在非常可怜的颤抖中结束的。“会把工具还给你的。”他用手揉揉眼睛，又嘟嚷着说。工具是红头发的候补生送进来的，包在一块帆布里，里面有一些长钉，有钳子和截圆锯。杰克正在礼貌地表示他的满意，帕尔莫突然大声说：“最后，奥布雷舰长，既然你声称战争状态仍在继续，你就必须准备好接受你断言的逻辑结论。” “我不明白你的话，阁下。”杰克说。然而帕尔莫显然身体欠佳，他仅仅喉咙哽噎地告了辞，就匆匆离开了帐篷。杰克在门口站了一会儿，随后对候补生说，要是布切先生想要咨询马图林大夫，就请他帮忙传话，然后又把工具交给了邦敦，就告辞离开了。 从帐篷到小河的小路两边，都围着茂密的灰白水龙骨，在深沉的树影里两边各站着十多个人，杰克猜想在那些树干后面还藏着更多。杰克走近时，他们默不作声，等他经过之后，他可以听见他们压低的、急迫的声音——英国的口音——他们在争论着什么。“快勒死这个家伙。”其中一个叫道，一块石头击中了杰克的肩膀。而几乎马上，候补生响亮的、金属般的波士顿口音在树林里回荡了起来。杰克继续走着，在惯常的地方越过了小河。 “兰姆先生，”他走近拆散了架的游艇说，“你的工具在这儿，像个英雄一样使劲用吧，我看我们还是可能在我计划的那天下水。你可以要随便哪个水兵来帮你抬木板、削木钉。” 这天晚上和第二天，游艇开始重新成型了，而在星期三，游艇上差不多站满了水兵，在他们舰长的直接指挥下，装配着，接合着，上着榫，锉着，锤着，这是因为，现在食物储备已经照原来的计划完成了。一包包的椰子在等着装载；气味强烈的鲨鱼干包装成平整的帆布大包；只有那些水桶还放在一旁，仍然漏得厉害。游艇用随意遮盖的帆布挡着，避开公众的目光，而且杰克认为“诺尔福克”人不太可能知道他们进展到什么地步。他告诉马丁虽然游艇可能星期五晚些时候就会完工，由于普通水兵的迷信，他要等到第二天才把它送下水；而这些事情马丁完全信以为真地传达给了布切。即使撇开这件事不谈，杰克也差不多相信，就算他们确实有企图的话，最少到星期五的凌晨，他们不会来夺取游艇；而到那个时候，游艇早就在泻湖里浮了几个小时了。不过出于谨慎的考虑，他把梭镖存放在了手边，他还随意地用手枪开了一两枪，以显示他们有足够的弹药。 自从他远远看见美国捕鲸船以来，这整个时期大家一直非常紧迫匆忙，然而这个星期三比其他任何一天都更忙。虽然为了欺骗，游艇的所有桅杆都没有竖在桅座上，但很多索具却是可以预先准备的，所以那天下午所有有技术的水兵都在苦干——船匠们、装配索具的人们、缝帆的人们、用麻丝堵缝的人们、制索的人们，全都光着膀子，在椰子树的树阴底下专心地干活，几乎没有人说话。 在这种意义下，教士和医生都不能算熟练水兵，于是他们被派去用网包收集山芋。他们非常尽职地塞满了所有网包，不过他们甚至花了更多的时间去摧残一只秧鸡，他们跟着它爬过灌木丛，追得它冲过碎石堆的开阔地带，跑得像鹧鸪一样快，然后绝望地叫了一声，跳下了十英尺高的悬崖。现在，在下山去访问布切，询问帕尔莫舰长的病情之前，他们正在那个高平台上休息，头枕山芋躺着，仰望着岛屿上空的云。云不断被撕扯到背风的方向，又不断有东南方的云彩补充进来。 “格美林说西伯利亚秧鸡是埋在雪里睡觉的。”马丁说。 “你在哪儿看到的？” “在达尔文的书里。在谈到早春开花的珊瑚藓的时候，他说， “白色群峰上，融雪的急流涌下， “草地变绿，紫色的是朵朵鲜花； “秧鸡迟钝的翅膀尝试着欢跃， “骑上柔和的大风，在天空嬉闹—— “为了证明自己的正确性，他在一条注释里引用了约翰·乔治·格美林的话作为根据。” “当然，我尊敬格美林，可有关秧鸡的某些东西常常激起人们的轻信。在爱尔兰我长大的那个地方，大家说陆秧鸡在初秋会变成水秧鸡，然后在春天重新变回来。我觉得达尔文博士并不真正相信这种避寒方式，他是个体面的人。” “你读过他的《动物生理学》吗？” “我没有读过。可我确实记得他《种族起源》中的几行诗，我一个下流的表弟过去经常背诵的： “看啊！他叫，海洋！大地！辽阔的天幕！ “让我们向性爱的两位神祉欢呼！ “所有形态的生命都让这一对天神欢喜， “他们把情投意合的世界用性紧紧联系。 “你觉得，马丁，他们正在下面做这件事吗，在岸滩上？我的意思是说，向那两个神祉欢呼。根据我的经验，航海的人非常崇拜他们。” “他们的叫喊声很大，这一点很肯定。” “听起来很欢乐。” “癫狂。” “我要从崖边朝下面看看，”斯蒂芬说着站起身来，“噢，我的上帝。”他叫道，这是因为，在他的左边，在离岸不到两英里的地方，有一艘美国捕鲸船。它已经绕过了南面的海岬，从岸上完全可以看得很清楚。岸上挤满了“诺尔福克”人，吼叫着，欢呼着，如痴如狂。红头发的候补生和另一个年轻人一起，已经沿着暗礁以难以置信的速度飞奔过去，去警告它留心被沉船堵塞的危险水路。一些人毫无目的地来回奔走着，吼叫着，挥舞着手臂，但另外二十来个人，组成紧密、迫切的一帮，正追逐着穿红格子衬衫的海恩斯。海恩斯在琵琶桶之间，在柴火堆里，在食物储备中东躲西藏；从树林的掩蔽中，他被赶开，从游艇旁边，他被赶开，现在正沿着海边被紧紧追赶。他们在小河边把他打翻在地，把他开肠剖肚，然后把他扔进了水里。但绝大多数人却蜂拥在游艇周围，而“惊奇”人正拼命试图把游艇推下去，推到坚实的沙地上去，推到海里去。有些人抢走了游艇上的滑动炮架，另一些人把它宝贵的食物储备扔了下去，或者用大石头疯狂地砸着水桶，还有一些人，完全不怕梭镖或别的武器，正勾脚绊倒那些推着游艇的人，或者朝他们扔东西——随便什么在高水线上可以找到的东西，海藻、浮木、珊瑚块——或者甚至从另外的方向推游艇。有些人的行动被终止了——杰克握军刀的那只胳膊红到了臂弯，不过这没起到任何效果，现在游艇毫无希望地深陷在干沙里。等情况变成这样，等游艇的逃离不再可能，攻击者们就退了回去，沿着海边站着，朝他们盼望已久的捕鲸船欢呼起来。所有的“惊奇”人都躲进了小艇，小艇的四周伸出密密麻麻的梭镖，它目前还是个无法攻陷的堡垒。可是还能坚持多久呢？ 斯蒂芬心里涨满了强烈的忧伤，到了进裂的程度。即使在他心神不定左右环视的时候，他的头脑还是在告诉他，有什么东西不对劲，这主要是因为现在欢呼声已经几乎完全平息了。捕鲸船扯起了非常多的风帆，风帆多到让它不可能进入泻湖。它顶着巨大的船头波疾驶，快速驶过了更远处那个水道的入口。在过了人口一锚链距离的地方，它的主桅杆和前桅杆的上桅都断成了两截，就像被一炮打中那样。它马上抢风驶船，同时降下它的旗帜。它的追击者从南端的海岬后面出现在视野中，上上下下的翼帆在两舷张开着，飞快地驶来——山下的“诺尔福克”人一动不动、毫无声息——它朝背风的方向，慷慨地偏舷