end of the tether-第14部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！





You　have　made　me　curse　the　day　I　was　born。　。　。　。〃







〃Mr。　Massy；〃　said　Captain　Whalley　suddenly；　with…



out　stirring。







The　engineer　started　violently。







〃If　that　is　so　I　can　only　beg　you　to　forgive　me。〃







〃Starboard；〃　muttered　the　Serang　to　the　helmsman；



and　the　Sofala　began　to　swing　round　the　bend　into　the



second　reach。







〃Ough！〃　　Massy　shuddered。　　〃You　make　my　blood



run　cold。　　What　made　you　come　here？　　What　made　you



come　aboard　that　evening　all　of　a　sudden；　with　your



high　talk　and　your　moneytempting　me？　　I　always



wondered　what　was　your　motive？　　You　fastened　yourself



on　me　to　have　easy　times　and　grow　fat　on　my　life　blood；



I　tell　you。　　Was　that　it？　　I　believe　you　are　the　greatest



miser　in　the　world；　or　else　why　。　。　。〃







〃No。　　I　am　only　poor；〃　interrupted　Captain　Whalley；



stonily。







〃Steady；〃　murmured　the　Serang。　　Massy　turned　away



with　his　chin　on　his　shoulder。







〃I　don't　believe　it；〃　he　said　in　his　dogmatic　tone。



Captain　Whalley　made　no　movement。　　〃There　you　sit



like　a　gorged　vultureexactly　like　a　vulture。〃







He　embraced　the　middle　of　the　reach　and　both　the



banks　in　one　blank　unseeing　circular　glance；　and　left　the



bridge　slowly。











IX







On　turning　to　descend　Massy　perceived　the　head　of



Sterne　the　mate　loitering；　with　his　sly　confident　smile；



his　red　mustaches　and　blinking　eyes；　at　the　foot　of　the



ladder。







Sterne　had　been　a　junior　in　one　of　the　larger　shipping



concerns　before　joining　the　Sofala。　　He　had　thrown　up



his　berth；　he　said；　〃on　general　principles。〃　　The　pro…



motion　in　the　employ　was　very　slow；　he　complained；　and



he　thought　it　was　time　for　him　to　try　and　get　on　a　bit



in　the　world。　　It　seemed　as　though　nobody　would　ever



die　or　leave　the　firm；　they　all　stuck　fast　in　their　berths



till　they　got　mildewed；　he　was　tired　of　waiting；　and　he



feared　that　when　a　vacancy　did　occur　the　best　servants



were　by　no　means　sure　of　being　treated　fairly。　　Besides；



the　captain　he　had　to　serve　underCaptain　Provost



was　an　unaccountable　sort　of　man；　and；　he　fancied；　had



taken　a　dislike　to　him　for　some　reason　or　other。　　For



doing　rather　more　than　his　bare　duty　as　likely　as　not。



When　he　had　done　anything　wrong　he　could　take　a



talking　to；　like　a　man；　but　he　expected　to　be　treated



like　a　man　too；　and　not　to　be　addressed　invariably　as



though　he　were　a　dog。　　He　had　asked　Captain　Provost



plump　and　plain　to　tell　him　where　he　was　at　fault；　and



Captain　Provost；　in　a　most　scornful　way；　had　told　him



that　he　was　a　perfect　officer；　and　that　if　he　disliked　the



way　he　was　being　spoken　to　there　was　the　gangway



he　could　take　himself　off　ashore　at　once。　　But　everybody



knew　what　sort　of　man　Captain　Provost　was。　　It　was　no



use　appealing　to　the　office。　　Captain　Provost　had　too



much　influence　in　the　employ。　　All　the　same；　they　had



to　give　him　a　good　character。　　He　made　bold　to　say



there　was　nothing　in　the　world　against　him；　and；　as　he



had　happened　to　hear　that　the　mate　of　the　Sofala　had



been　taken　to　the　hospital　that　morning　with　a　sun…



stroke；　he　thought　there　would　be　no　harm　in　seeing



whether　he　would　not　do。　。　。　。







He　had　come　to　Captain　Whalley　freshly　shaved；　red…



faced；　thin…flanked；　throwing　out　his　lean　chest；　and



had　recited　his　little　tale　with　an　open　and　manly　as…



surance。　　Now　and　then　his　eyelids　quivered　slightly；



his　hand　would　steal　up　to　the　end　of　the　flaming　mus…



tache；　his　eyebrows　were　straight；　furry；　of　a　chestnut



color；　and　the　directness　of　his　frank　gaze　seemed　to



tremble　on　the　verge　of　impudence。　　Captain　Whalley



had　engaged　him　temporarily；　then；　the　other　man　hav…



ing　been　ordered　home　by　the　doctors；　he　had　remained



for　the　next　trip；　and　then　the　next。　　He　had　now　at…



tained　permanency；　and　the　performance　of　his　duties



was　marked　by　an　air　of　serious；　single…minded　appli…



cation。　　Directly　he　was　spoken　to；　he　began　to　smile



attentively；　with　a　great　deference　expressed　in　his



whole　attitude；　but　there　was　in　the　rapid　winking



which　went　on　all　the　time　something　quizzical；　as



though　he　had　possessed　the　secret　of　some　universal



joke　cheating　all　creation　and　impenetrable　to　other



mortals。







Grave　and　smiling　he　watched　Massy　come　down　step



by　step；　when　the　chief　engineer　had　reached　the　deck



he　swung　about；　and　they　found　themselves　face　to　face。



Matched　as　to　height　and　utterly　dissimilar；　they　con…



fronted　each　other　as　if　there　had　been　something　be…



tween　themsomething　else　than　the　bright　strip　of



sunlight　that；　falling　through　the　wide　lacing　of　two



awnings；　cut　crosswise　the　narrow　planking　of　the　deck



and　separated　their　feet　as　it　were　a　stream；　something



profound　and　subtle　and　incalculable；　like　an　unex…



pressed　understanding；　a　secret　mistrust；　or　some　sort



of　fear。







At　last　Sterne；　blinking　his　deep…set　eyes　and　sticking



forward　his　scraped；　clean…cut　chin；　as　crimson　as　the



rest　of　his　face；　murmured







〃You've　seen？　　He　grazed！　　You've　seen？〃







Massy；　contemptuous；　and　without　raising　his　yellow；



fleshy　countenance；　replied　in　the　same　pitch







〃Maybe。　　But　if　it　had　been　you　we　would　have　been



stuck　fast　in　the　mud。〃







〃Pardon　me；　Mr。　Massy。　　I　beg　to　deny　it。　　Of　course



a　shipowner　may　say　what　he　jolly　well　pleases　on　his



own　deck。　　That's　all　right；　but　I　beg　to　。　。　。〃







〃Get　out　of　my　way！〃







The　other　had　a　slight　start；　the　impulse　of　suppressed



indignation　perhaps；　but　held　his　ground。　　Massy's



downward　glance　wandered　right　and　left；　as　though　the



deck　all　round　Sterne　had　been　bestrewn　with　eggs　that



must　not　be　broken；　and　he　had　looked　irritably　for



places　where　he　could　set　his　feet　in　flight。　　In　the　end



he　too　did　not　move；　though　there　was　plenty　of　room



to　pass　on。







〃I　heard　you　say　up　there；〃　went　on　the　mate〃and



a　very　just　remark　it　was　toothat　there's　always



something　wrong。　。　。　。〃







〃Eavesdropping　is　what's　wrong　with　YOU；　Mr。



Sterne。〃







〃Now；　if　you　would　only　listen　to　me　for　a　moment；



Mr。　Massy；　sir；　I　could　。　。　。〃







〃You　are　a　sneak；〃　interrupted　Massy　in　a　great



hurry；　and　even　managed　to　get　so　far　as　to　repeat；　〃a



common　sneak；〃　before　the　mate　had　broken　in　argu…



mentatively







〃Now；　sir；　what　is　it　you　want？　　You　want　。　。　。〃







〃I　wantI　want；〃　stammered　Massy；　infuriated　and



astonished〃I　want。　　How　do　you　know　that　I　want



anything？　　How　dare　you？　。　。　。　　What　do　you



mean？　。　。　。　　What　are　you　afteryou　。　。　。〃







〃Promotion。〃　　Sterne　silenced　him　with　a　sort　of



candid　bravado。　　The　engineer's　round　soft　cheeks　quiv…



ered　still；　but　he　said　quietly　enough







〃You　are　only　worrying　my　head　off；〃　and　Sterne



met　him　with　a　confident　little　smile。







〃A　chap　in　business　I　know　（well　up　in　the　world



he　is　now）　used　to　tell　me　that　this　was　the　proper　way。



'Always　push　on　to　the　front；'　he　would　say。　　'Keep



yourself　well　before　your　boss。　　Interfere　whenever　you



get　a　chance。　　Show　him　what　you　know。　　Worry　him



into　seeing　you。'　　That　was　his　advice。　　Now　I　know



no　other　boss　than　you　here。　　You　are　the　owner；　and



no　one　else　counts　for　THAT　much　in　my　eyes。　　See；　Mr。



Massy？　　I　want　to　get　on。　　I　make　no　secret　of　it　that



I　am　one　of　the　sort　that　means　to　get　on。　　These　are



the　men　to　make　use　of；　sir。　　You　haven't　arrived　at



the　top　of　the　tree；　sir；　without　finding　that　outI



dare　say。〃







〃Worry　your　boss　in　order　to　get　on；〃　mumbled



Massy；　as　if　awestruck　by　the　irreverent　originality　of



the　idea。　　〃I　shouldn't　wonder　if　this　was　just　what　the



Blue　Anchor　people　kicked　you　out　of　the　employ　for。



Is　that　what　you　call　getting　on？　　You　shall　get　on　in



the　same　way　here　if　you　aren't　carefulI　can　promise



you。〃







At　this　Sterne　hung　his　head；　thoughtful；　perplexed；



winking　hard　at　the　deck。　　All　his　attempts　to　enter　into



confidential　relations　with　his　owner　had　led　of　late



to　nothing　better　than　these　dark　threats　of　dismissal；



and　a　threat　of　dismissal　would　check　him　at　once　into



a　hesitating　silence　as　though　he　were　not　sure　that



the　proper　time　for　defying　it　had　come。　　On　this　occa…



sion　he　seemed　to　have　lost　his　tongue　for　a　moment；　and



Massy；　getting　in　motion；　heavily　passed　him　by　with



an　abortive　attempt　at　shouldering。　　Sterne　defeated　it



by　stepping　aside。　　He　turned　then　swiftly；　opening



his　mouth　very　wide　as　if　to　shout　something　after　the



engineer；　but　seemed　to　think　better　of　it。







Alwaysas　he　was　ready　to　confesson　the　lookout



for　an　opening　to　get　on；　it　had　become　an　instinct　with



him　to　watch　the　conduct　of　his　immediate　superiors　for



something　〃that　one　could　lay　hold　of。〃　　It　was　his



belief　that　no　skipper　in　the　world　would　keep　his　com…



mand　for　a　day　if　only　the　owners　could　be　〃made　to



know。〃　　This　romantic　and　naive　theory　had　led　him



into　trouble　more　than　once；　but　he　remained　incorrigi…



ble；　and　his　character　was　so　instinctively　disloyal　that



whenever　he　joined　a　ship　the　intention　of　ousting　his



commander　out　of　the　berth　and　taking　his　place　was



always　present　at　the　back　of　his　head；　as　a　matter　of



course。　　It　filled　the　leisure