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  \"Well,Leach,areyougoingfor’ard?\"WolfLarsenasked。

  \"Yes,sir,\"cametheanswerofaspiritcowed。

  \"Andyou?\"Iwasasked。

  \"I’llgiveyouathousand——\"Ibegan,butwasinterrupted。

  \"Stowthat!Areyougoingtotakeupyourdutiesascabin—boy?OrdoIhavetotakeyouinhand?\"

  WhatwasItodo?Tobebrutallybeaten,tobekilledperhaps,wouldnothelpmycase。Ilookedsteadilyintothecruelgrayeyes。Theymighthavebeengraniteforallthelightandwarmthofahumansoultheycontained。

  Onemayseethesoulstirinsomemen’seyes,buthiswerebleak,andcold,andgrayastheseaitself。

  \"Well?\"

  \"Yes,\"Isaid。

  \"Say`yes,sir。’\"

  \"Yes,sir,\"Icorrected。

  \"Whatisyourname?\"

  \"VanWeyden,sir。\"

  \"Firstname?\"

  \"Humphrey,sir;HumphreyVanWeyden。\"

  \"Age?\"

  \"Thirty—five,sir。\"

  \"That’lldo。Gotothecookandlearnyourduties。\"

  AndthusitwasthatIpassedintoastateofinvoluntaryservitudetoWolfLarsen。HewasstrongerthanI,thatwasall。Butitwasveryunrealatthetime。ItisnolessunrealnowthatIlookbackuponit。Itwillalwaysbetomeamonstrous,inconceivablething,ahorriblenightmare。

  \"Holdon,don’tgoyet。\"

  Istoppedobedientlyinmywalktowardthegalley。

  \"Johansen,callallhands。Nowthatwe’veeverythingcleanedup,we’llhavethefuneralandgetthedecksclearedofuselesslumber。\"

  WhileJohansenwassummoningthewatchbelow,acoupleofsailors,underthecaptain’sdirection,laidthecanvas—swathedcorpseuponahatch—cover。

  Oneithersidethedeck,againsttherailandbottomsup,werelashedanumberofsmallboats。Severalmenpickedupthehatch—coverwithitsghastlyfreight,carriedittotheleeside,andresteditontheboats,thefeetpointingoverboard。Tothefeetwasattachedthesackofcoalwhichthecookhadfetched。

  Ihadalwaysconceivedaburialatseatobeaverysolemnandawe—inspiringevent,butIwasquicklydisillusioned,bythisburialatanyrate。Oneofthehunters,alittledark—eyedmanwhomhismatescalled\"Smoke,\"wastellingstories,liberallyintersprinkledwithoathsandobscenities;andeveryminuteorsothegroupofhuntersgavemouthtoalaughterthatsoundedtomelikeawolf—chorusorthebarkingofhell—hounds。Thesailorstroopednoisilyaft,someofthewatchbelowrubbingthesleepfromtheireyes,andtalkedinlowtonestogether。Therewasanominousandworriedexpressionontheirfaces。Itwasevidentthattheydidnotliketheoutlookofavoyageundersuchacaptainandbegunsoinauspiciously。FromtimetotimetheystoleglancesatWolfLarsen,andIcouldseethattheywereapprehensiveoftheman。

  Hesteppeduptothehatch—cover,andallcapscameoff。Iranmyeyesoverthem——twentymenalltold,twenty—twoincludingthemanatthewheelandmyself。Iwaspardonablycuriousinmysurvey,foritappearedmyfatetobepentupwiththemonthisminiaturefloatingworldforIknewnothowmanyweeksormonths。Thesailors,inthemain,wereEnglishandScandinavian,andtheirfacesseemedoftheheavy,stolidorder。Thehunters,ontheotherhand,hadstrongerandmorediversifiedfaces,withhardlinesandthemarksofthefreeplayofpassions。Strangetosay,andInoteditatonce,WolfLarsen’sfeaturesshowednosuchevilstamp。Thereseemednothingviciousinthem。True,therewerelines,buttheywerethelinesofdecisionandfirmness。Itseemed,rather,afrankandopencountenance,whichfranknessoropennesswasenhancedbythefactthathewassmooth—

  shaven。Icouldhardlybelieve,untilthenextincidentoccurred,thatitwasthefaceofamanwhocouldbehaveashehadbehavedtothecabin—boy。

  Atthismoment,asheopenedhismouthtospeak,puffafterpuffstrucktheschoonerandpressedhersideunder。Thewindshriekedawildsongthroughtherigging。Someofthehuntersglancedanxiouslyaloft。Theleerail,wherethedeadmanlay,wasburiedinthesea,andastheschoonerliftedandrightedthewatersweptacrossthedeck,wettingusaboveourshoe—tops。Ashowerofraindrovedownuponus,eachdropstinginglikeahailstone。Asitpassed,WolfLarsenbegantospeak,thebare—headedmenswayinginunisontotheheaveandlungeofthedeck。

  \"Ionlyrememberonepartoftheservice,\"hesaid,\"andthatis,`Andthebodyshallbecastintothesea。’Socastitin。\"

  Heceasedspeaking。Themenholdingthehatch—coverseemedperplexed,puzzlednodoubtbythebriefnessoftheceremony。Heburstupontheminafury。

  \"Liftupthatendthere,damnyou!Whatthehell’sthematterwithyou?\"

  Theyelevatedtheendofthehatch—coverwithpitifulhaste,and,likeadogflungoverside,thedeadmanslidfeetfirstintothesea。Thecoalathisfeetdraggedhimdown。Hewasgone。

  \"Johansen,\"WolfLarsensaidbrisklytothenewmate,\"keepallhandsondecknowthey’rehere。Getinthetopsailsandjibsandmakeagoodjobofit。We’reinforasou’easter。Betterreefthejibandmainsail,too,whileyou’reaboutit。\"

  Inamomentthedeckswereincommotion,Johansenbellowingordersandthemenpullingorlettinggoropesofvarioussorts——allnaturallyconfusingtoalandsmansuchasmyself。Butitwastheheartlessnessofitthatespeciallystruckme。Thedeadmanwasanepisodethatwaspast,anincidentthatwasdropped,inacanvascoveringwithasackofcoal,whiletheshipspedalongandherworkwenton。Nobodyhadbeenaffected。ThehunterswerelaughingatafreshstoryofSmoke’s;themenpullingandhauling,andtwoofthemclimbingaloft;WolfLarsenwasstudyingthecloudingskytowindward;andthedeadman,dyingobscenely,buriedsordidly,andsinkingdown,down——

  Thenitwasthatthecrueltyofthesea,itsrelentlessnessandawfulness,rusheduponme。Lifehadbecomecheapandtawdry,abeastlyandinarticulatething,asoullessstirringoftheoozeandslime。heldontotheweatherrail,closebytheshrouds,andgazedoutacrossthedesolatefoamingwavestothelow—lyingfog—banksthathidSanFranciscoandtheCaliforniacoast。

  Rain—squallsweredrivinginbetween,andIcouldscarcelyseethefog。

  Andthisstrangevessel,withitsterriblemen,pressedunderbywindandseaandeverleapingupandout,washeadingawayintothesouthwest,intothegreatandlonelyPacificexpanse。

  TheSeaWolf:Chapter4CHAPTER4

  Whathappenedtomenextonthesealing—schoonerGhost,asstrovetofitintomynewenvironment,aremattersofhumiliationandpain。Thecook,whowascalled\"thedoctor\"bythecrew,\"Tommy\"bythehunters,and\"Cooky\"byWolfLarsen,wasachangedperson。Thedifferenceworkedinmystatusbroughtaboutacorrespondingdifferenceintreatmentfromhim。Servileandfawningashehadbeenbefore,hewasnowasdomineeringandbellicose。Intruth,Iwasnolongerthefinegentlemanwithaskinsoftasa\"lydy’s,\"butonlyanordinaryandveryworthlesscabin—boy。

  HeabsurdlyinsisteduponmyaddressinghimasMr。Mugridge,andhisbehaviorandcarriagewereinsufferableasheshowedmemyduties。Besidesmyworkinthecabin,withitsfoursmallstaterooms,wassupposedtobehisassistantinthegalley,andmycolossalignoranceconcerningsuchthingsaspeelingpotatoesorwashinggreasypotswasasourceofunendingandsarcasticwondertohim。HerefusedtotakeintoconsiderationwhatIwas,or,rather,whatmylifeandthethingsIwasaccustomedtohadbeen。Thiswaspartoftheattitudehechosetoadopttowardme;andI

  confess,erethedaywasdone,thathatedhimwithmorelivelyfeelingsthanIhadeverhatedanyoneinmylifebefore。

  ThisfirstdaywasmademoredifficultformefromthefactthattheGhost,underclosereefs,(termssuchastheseIdidnotlearntilllater),wasplungingthroughwhatMr。Mugridgecalledan\"’owlin’sou’easter。\"

  Athalf—pastfive,underhisdirections,Isetthetableinthecabin,withrough—weathertraysinplace,andthencarriedtheteaandcookedfooddownfromthegalley。Inthisconnectioncannotforbearrelatingmyfirstexperiencewithaboardingsea。

  \"Looksharporyou’llgetdoused,\"wasMr。Mugridge’spartinginjunction,asIleftthegalleywithabigtea—potinonehand,andinthehollowoftheotherarmseveralloavesoffresh—bakedbread。Oneofthehunters,atall,loose—jointedchapnamedHenderson,wasgoingaftatthetimefromthesteerage,(thenamethehuntersfacetiouslygavetheirmidshipssleepingquarters),tothecabin。WolfLarsenwasonthepoop,smokinghiseverlastingcigar。

  \"’Ereshecomes。Slingyer’ook!\"thecookcried。

  Istopped,forIdidnotknowwhatwascoming,andsawthegalleydoorslideshutwithabang。ThenIsawHendersonleapinglikeamadmanforthemainrigging,upwhichheshot,ontheinside,tillhewasmanyfeethigherthanmyhead。AlsoIsawagreatwave,curlingandfoaming,poisedfarabovetherail。Iwasdirectlyunderit。Myminddidnotworkquickly,everythingwassonewandstrange。IgraspedthatIwasindanger,butthatwasall。Istoodstill,intrepidation。ThenWolfLarsenshoutedfromthepoop:

  \"Grabholdsomething,you——youHump!\"

  Butitwastoolate。Isprangtowardtherigging,towhichmighthaveclung,andwasmetbythedescendingwallofwater。Whathappenedafterthatwasveryconfusing。Iwasbeneaththewater,suffocatinganddrowning。

  Myfeetwereoutfromunderme,andIwasturningoverandoverandbeingsweptalongIknewnotwhere。SeveraltimesIcollidedagainsthardobjects,oncestrikingmyrightkneeaterribleblow。ThenthefloodseemedsuddenlytosubsideandIwasbreathingthegoodairagain。Ihadbeensweptagainstthegalleyandaroundthesteeragecompanionwayfromtheweathersideintotheleescuppers。Thepainfrommyhurtkneewasagonizing。Icouldnotputmyweightonit,or,atleast,IthoughtIcouldnotputmyweightonit;andIfeltsurethelegwasbroken。Butthecookwasafterme,shoutingthroughtheleegalleydoor:

  \"’Ere,you!Don’ttykeallnightaboutit!Where’sthepot?Lostoverboard?

  Serveyoubloodywellrightifyerneckwasbroke!\"

  Imanagedtostruggletomyfeet。Thegreattea—potwasstillinmyhand。Ilimpedtothegalleyandhandedittohim。Buthewasconsumingwithindignation,realorfeigned。

  \"Gawdblimemeifyouayn’taslob。Wot’reyougoodforanyw’y,I’dliketoknow?Eh?Wot’reyougoodforanyw’y?Cawn’tevencarryabitofteaaftwithoutlosin’it。NowI’ll’avetoboilsomemore。

  \"An’wot’reyousnifflin’about?\"heburstoutatme,withrenewedrage。

  \"’Cosyou’ve’urtyerporelittleleg,porelittlemamma’sdarlin’。\"

  Iwasnotsniffling,thoughmyfacemightwellhavebeendrawnandtwitchingfromthepain。ButIcalledupallmyresolution,setmyteeth,andhobbledbackandforthfromgalleytocabinandcabintogalleywithoutfurthermishap。TwothingsIhadacquiredbymyaccident:aninjuredkneecapthatwentundressedandfromwhichsufferedforwearymonths,andthenameof\"Hump,\"whichWolfLarsenhadcalledmefromthepoop。Thereafter,foreandaft,Iwasknownbynoothername,untilthetermbecameapartofmythought—processesandidentifieditwithmyself,thoughtofmyselfasHump,asthoughHumpwereIandhadalwaysbeenI。

  Itwasnoeasytask,waitingonthecabintable,wheresatWolfLarsen,Johansen,andthesixhunters。Thecabinwassmall,tobeginwith,andtomovearound,asIwascompelledto,wasnotmadeeasierbytheschooner’sviolentpitchingandwallowing。Butwhatstruckmemostforciblywasthetotallackofsympathyonthepartofthemenwhomserved。Icouldfeelmykneethroughmyclothes,swelling,andswelling,andIwassickandfaintfromthepainofit。Icouldcatchglimpsesofmyface,whiteandghastly,distortedwithpain,inthecabinmirror。Allthemenmusthaveseenmycondition,butnotonespokeortooknoticeofme,tillIwasalmostgratefultoWolfLarsen,lateron,(Iwaswashingthedishes),whenhesaid:

  \"Don’tletalittlethinglikethatbotheryou。You’llgetusedtosuchthingsintime。Itmaycrippleyousome,butallthesameyou’llbelearningtowalk。

  \"That’swhatyoucallaparadox,isn’tit?\"headded。

  HeseemedpleasedwhenInoddedmyheadwiththecustomary\"Yes,sir。\"

  \"Isupposeyouknowabitaboutliterarythings?Eh?Good。I’llhavesometalkswithyousometime。\"

  Andthen,takingnofurtheraccountofme,heturnedhisbackandwentupondeck。

  Thatnight,whenIhadfinishedanendlessamountofwork,wassenttosleepinthesteerage,whereImadeupasparebunk。Iwasgladtogetoutofthedetestablepresenceofthecookandtobeoffmyfeet。Tomysurprise,myclotheshaddriedonmeandthereseemednoindicationsofcatchingcold,eitherfromthelastsoakingorfromtheprolongedsoakingfromthefounderingoftheMartinez。Underordinarycircumstances,afterallthatIhadundergone,Ishouldhavebeenfitforbedandatrainednurse。

  Butmykneewasbotheringmeterribly。AswellasIcouldmakeout,thekneecapseemedturneduponedgeinthemidstoftheswelling。AsI

  satinmybunkexaminingit,(thesixhunterswereallinthesteerage,smokingandtalkinginloudvoices),Hendersontookapassingglanceatit。

  \"Looksnasty,\"hecommented。\"Tiearagarounditandit’llbeallright。\"

  Thatwasall;andonthelandIwouldhavebeenlyingonthebroadofmyback,withasurgeonattendingonme,andwithstrictinjunctionstodonothingbutrest。ButImustdothesemenjustice。Callousastheyweretomysuffering,theywereequallycalloustotheirownwhenanythingbefellthem。Andthiswasdue,Ibelieve,first,tohabit;andsecond,tothefactthattheywerelesssensitivelyorganized。Ireallybelievethatafinelyorganized,high—strungmanwouldsuffertwiceandthriceasmuchastheyfromalikeinjury。

  TiredasIwas,exhausted,infact,Iwaspreventedfromsleepingbythepaininmyknee。ItwasallIcoulddotokeepfromgroaningaloud。

  AthomeIshouldundoubtedlyhavegivenventtomyanguish;butthisnewandelementalenvironmentseemedtocallforasavagerepression。Likethesavage,theattitudeofthesemenwasstoicalingreatthings,childishinlittlethings。Iremember,laterinthevoyage,seeingKerfoot,anotherofthehunters,loseafingerbyhavingitsmashedtoajelly;andhedidnotevenmurmurorchangetheexpressiononhisface。YetIhaveseenthesameman,timeandagain,flyintothemostoutrageouspassionoveratrifle。

  Hewasdoingitnow,vociferating,bellowing,wavinghisarms,andcursinglikeafiend,andallbecauseofadisagreementwithanotherhunterastowhetherasealpupknewinstinctivelyhowtoswim。Heheldthatitdid,thatitcouldswimthemomentitwasborn。Theotherhunter,Latimer,alean,Yankee—lookingfellowwithshrewd,narrow—slittedeyes,heldotherwise,heldthatthesealpupwasbornonthelandfornootherreasonthanthatitcouldnotswim,thatitsmotherwascompelledtoteachittoswimasbirdswerecompelledtoteachtheirnestlingshowtofly。

  Forthemostpart,theremainingfourhuntersleanedonthetableorlayintheirbunksandleftthediscussiontothetwoantagonists。Buttheyweresupremelyinterested,foreverylittlewhiletheyardentlytooksides,andsometimesallweretalkingatonce,tilltheirvoicessurgedbackandforthinwavesofsoundlikemimicthunder—rollsintheconfinedspace。Childishandimmaterialasthetopicwas,thequalityoftheirreasoningwasstillmorechildishandimmaterial。Intruth,therewasverylittlereasoningornoneatall。Theirmethodwasoneofassertion,assumption,anddenunciation。Theyprovedthatasealpupcouldswimornotswimatbirthbystatingthepropositionverybellicoselyandthenfollowingitupwithanattackontheopposingman’sjudgment,commonsense,nationality,orpasthistory。Rebuttalwaspreciselysimilar。IhaverelatedthisinordertoshowthementalcaliberofthemenwithwhomIwasthrownincontact。

  Intellectuallytheywerechildren,inhabitingthephysicalformsofmen。

  Andtheysmoked,incessantlysmoked,usingacoarse,cheap,andoffensive—smellingtobacco。Theairwasthickandmurkywiththesmokeofit;andthis,combinedwiththeviolentmovementoftheshipasshestruggledthroughthestorm,wouldsurelyhavemademeseasickhadbeenavictimtothatmalady。Asitwas,itmademequitesqueamish,thoughthisnauseamighthavebeenduetothepainofmylegandexhaustion。

  AsIlaytherethinking,Inaturallydweltuponmyselfandmysituation。

  Itwasunparalleled,undreamed—of,thatI,HumphreyVanWeyden,ascholarandadilettante,ifyouplease,inthingsartisticandliterary,shouldbelyinghereonaBeringSeaseal—huntingschooner。Cabin—boy!Ihadneverdoneanyhardmanuallabor,orscullionlabor,inmylife。Ihadlivedaplacid,uneventful,sedentaryexistenceallmydays——thelifeofascholarandarecluseonanassuredandcomfortableincome。Violentlifeandathleticsportshadneverappealedtome。Ihadalwaysbeenabook—worm;

  somysistersandfatherhadcalledmeduringmychildhood。Ihadgonecampingbutonceinmylife,andthenIleftthepartyalmostatitsstartandreturnedtothecomfortsandconveniencesofaroof。AndhereIwas,withdrearyandendlessvistasbeforemeoftable—setting,potato—peeling,anddish—washing。AndIwasnotstrong。ThedoctorshadalwayssaidthatIhadaremarkableconstitution,butIhadneverdevelopeditormybodythroughexercise。Mymusclesweresmallandsoft,likeawoman’s,orsothedoctorshadsaidtimeandagaininthecourseoftheirattemptstopersuademetogoinforphysical—culturefads。ButIhadpreferredtousemyhead,ratherthanmybody;andhereIwas,innofitconditionfortheroughlifeinprospect。

  Thesearemerelyafewofthethingsthatwentthroughmymind,andarerelatedforthesakeofvindicatingmyselfinadvanceintheweakandhelplessr攍eIwasdestinedtoplay。ButIthought,also,ofmymotherandsisters,andpicturedtheirgrief。IwasamongthemissingdeadoftheMartinezdisaster,anunrecoveredbody。Icouldseethehead—linesinthepapers;thefellowsattheUniversityClubandtheBibelotshakingtheirheadsandsaying,\"Poorchap!\"AndIcouldseeCharleyFuruseth,asIhadsaidgood—bytohimthatmorning,lounginginadressing—gownonthebe—pillowedwindowcouchanddeliveringhimselfoforacularandpessimisticepigrams。

  Andallthewhile,rolling,plunging,climbingthemovingmountainsandfallingandwallowinginthefoamingvalleys,theschoonerGhostwasfightingherwayfartherandfartherintotheheartofthePacific——andIwasonher。Icouldhearthewindabove。Itcametomyearsasamuffledroar。Nowandagainfeetstampedoverhead。Anendlesscreakingwasgoingonallaboutme,thewoodworkandthefittingsgroaningandsqueakingandcomplaininginathousandkeys。Thehunterswerestillarguingandroaringlikesomesemi—humanamphibiousbreed。Theairwasfilledwithoathsandindecentexpressions。Icouldseetheirfaces,flushedandangry,thebrutalitydistortedandemphasizedbythesicklyyellowofthesea—lampswhichrockedbackandforthwiththeship。Throughthedimsmoke—hazethebunkslookedlikethesleepingdensofanimalsinamenagerie。Oilskinsandsea—bootswerehangingfromthewalls,andhereandthereriflesandshotgunsrestedsecurelyintheracks。Itwasasea—fittingforthebuccaneersandpiratesofbygoneyears。Myimaginationranriot,andstillIcouldnotsleep。Anditwasalong,longnight,wearyanddrearyandlong。TheSeaWolf:Chapter5CHAPTER5

  Butmyfirstnightinthehunters’steeragewasalsomylast。NextdayJohansen,thenewmate,wasroutedfromthecabinbyWolfLarsen,andsentintothesteeragetosleepthereafter,whileItookpossessionofthetinycabinstate—room,which,onthefirstdayofthevoyage,hadalreadyhadtwooccupants。Thereasonforthischangewasquicklylearnedbythehunters,andbecamethecauseofadealofgrumblingontheirpart。ItseemedthatJohansen,inhissleep,livedovereachnighttheeventsoftheday。HisincessanttalkingandshoutingandbellowingofordershadbeentoomuchforWolfLarsen,whohadaccordinglyfoistedthenuisanceuponhishunters。

  Afterasleeplessnight,Iaroseweakandinagony,tohobblethroughmyseconddayontheGhost。ThomasMugridgeroutedmeoutathalf—pastfive,muchinthefashionthatBillSykesmusthaveroutedouthisdog;

  butMr。Mugridge’sbrutalitytomewaspaidbackinkindandwithinterest。

  Theunnecessarynoisehemade,(Ihadlainwide—eyedthewholenight),musthaveawakenedoneofthehunters;foraheavyshoewhizzedthroughthesemi—darkness,andMr。Mugridge,withasharphowlofpain,humblybeggedeverybody’spardon。Lateron,inthegalley,noticedthathisearwasbruisedandswollen。Itneverwententirelybacktoitsnormalshape,andwascalleda\"cauliflowerear\"bythesailors。

  Thedaywasfilledwithmiserablevariety。Ihadtakenmydriedclothesdownfromthegalleythenightbefore,andthefirstthingIdidwastoexchangethecook’sgarmentsforthem。Ilookedformypurse。Inadditiontosomesmallchange,(andIhaveagoodmemoryforsuchthings),ithadcontainedonehundredandeighty—fivedollarsingoldandpaper。ThepurseIfound,butitscontents,withtheexceptionofthesmallsilver,hadbeenabstracted。Ispoketothecookaboutit,whenIwentondecktotakeupmydutiesinthegalley,andthoughIhadlookedforwardtoasurlyanswer,IhadnotexpectedthebelligerentharanguethatIreceived。

  \"Look’ere,’Ump,\"hebegan,amaliciouslightinhiseyesandasnarlinhisthroat;\"d’yewantyernosepunched?IfyouthinkI’mathief,justkeepittoyerself,oryou’llfind’owbloodywellmistykenyouare。Strikemeblindifthisayn’tgratitudeforyer!’Ereyoucome,aporemis’rablespecimenof’umanscum,an’Itykesyerintomygalleyan’treatsyer’ansom,an’thisiswotIgetforit。Nex’timeyoucangoto’ell,sayI,an’

  I’veagoodmindtogiveyouwhat—foranyw’y。\"

  Sosaying,heputuphisfistsandstartedforme。Tomyshamebeit,Icoweredawayfromtheblowandranoutthegalleydoor。WhatelsewasItodo?Force,nothingbutforce,obtainedonthisbrute—ship。Moralsuasionwasathingunknown。Pictureittoyourself:amanofordinarystature,slenderofbuild,andwithweak,undevelopedmuscles,whohaslivedapeaceful,placidlife,andisunusedtoviolenceofanysort——

  whatcouldsuchamanpossiblydo?TherewasnomorereasonthatIshouldstandandfacethesehumanbeaststhanthatshouldstandandfaceaninfuriatedbull。

  SoIthoughtitoutatthetime,feelingtheneedforvindicationanddesiringtobeatpeacewithmyconscience。Butthisvindicationdidnotsatisfy。NortothisdaycanIpermitmymanhoodtolookbackuponthoseeventsandfeelentirelyexonerated。Thesituationwassomethingthatreallyexceededrationalformulasforconductanddemandedmorethanthecoldconclusionsofreason。Whenviewedinthelightofformallogic,thereisnotonethingofwhichtobeashamed;butneverthelessashameriseswithinmeattherecollection,andintheprideofmymanhoodIfeelthatmymanhoodhasinunaccountablewaysbeensmirchedandsullied。

  Allofwhichisneitherherenorthere。Thespeedwithwhichranfromthegalleycausedexcruciatingpaininmyknee,andIsankdownhelplesslyatthebreakofthepoop。ButtheCockneyhadnotpursuedme。

  \"Lookat’imrun!Lookat’imrun!\"Icouldhearhimcrying。\"An’withagymelegatthat!Comeonback,youporelittlemamma’sdarling。Iwon’t’ityer;no,Iwon’t。\"

  Icamebackandwentonwithmywork;andheretheepisodeendedforthetime,thoughfurtherdevelopmentswereyettotakeplace。Isetthebreakfast—tableinthecabin,andatseveno’clockwaitedonthehuntersandofficers。Thestormhadevidentlybrokenduringthenight,thoughahugeseawasstillrunningandastiffwindblowing。Sailhadbeenmadeintheearlywatches,sothattheGhostwasracingalongundereverythingexceptthetwotopsailsandtheflyingjib。Thesethreesails,Igatheredfromtheconversation,weretobesetimmediatelyafterbreakfast。Ilearned,also,thatWolfLarsenwasanxioustomakethemostofthestorm,whichwasdrivinghimtothesouthwestintothatportionoftheseawhereheexpectedtopickupwiththenortheasttrades。ItwasbeforethissteadywindthathehopedtomakethemajorportionoftheruntoJapan,curvingsouthintothetropicsandnorthagainasheapproachedthecoastofAsia。

  AfterbreakfastIhadanotherunenviableexperience。Whenhadfinishedwashingthedishes,Icleanedthecabinstoveandcarriedtheashesupondecktoemptythem。WolfLarsenandHendersonwerestandingnearthewheel,deepinconversation。Thesailor,Johnson,wassteering。AsIstartedtowardtheweathersideIsawhimmakeasuddenmotionwithhishead,whichImistookforatokenofrecognitionandgoodmorning。Inreality,hewasattemptingtowarnmetothrowmyashesovertheleeside。Unconsciousofmyblunder,IpassedbyWolfLarsenandthehunterandflungtheashesoverthesidetowindward。Thewinddrovethemback,andnotonlyoverme,butoverHendersonandWolfLarsen。Thenextinstantthelatterkickedme,violently,asacuriskicked。Ihadnotrealizedtherecouldbesomuchpaininakick。reeledawayfromhimandleanedagainstthecabininahalf—faintingcondition。Everythingwasswimmingbeforemyeyes,andIturnedsick。Thenauseaoverpoweredme,andImanagedtocrawltothesideofthevessel。ButWolfLarsendidnotfollowmeup。Brushingtheashesfromhisclothes,hehadresumedhisconversationwithHenderson。

  Johansen,whohadseentheaffairfromthebreakofthepoop,sentacoupleofsailorsafttocleanupthemess。

  LaterinthemorningIreceivedasurpriseofatotallydifferentsort。

  Followingthecook’sinstructions,IhadgoneintoWolfLarsen’sstate—roomtoputittorightsandmakethebed。Againstthewall,neartheheadofthebunk,wasarackfilledwithbooks。glancedoverthem,notingwithastonishmentsuchnamesasShakespeare,Tennyson,Poe,andDeQuincey。

  Therewerescientificworks,too,amongwhichwererepresentedmensuchasTyndall,Proctor,andDarwin。Astronomyandphysicswererepresented,andIremarkedBulfinch’s\"AgeofFable,\"Shaw’s\"HistoryofEnglishandAmericanLiterature,\"andJohnson’s\"NaturalHistory\"intwolargevolumes。

  Thentherewereanumberofgrammars,suchasMetcalf’s,andReedandKellogg’s;

  andIsmiledasIsawacopyof\"TheDean’sEnglish。\"

  IcouldnotreconcilethesebookswiththemanfromwhatIhadseenofhim,andIwonderedifhecouldpossiblyreadthem。ButwhencametomakethebedIfound,betweentheblankets,droppedapparentlyashehadsunkofftosleep,acompleteBrowning,theCambridgeEdition。Itwasopenat\"InaBalcony,\"andInoticed,hereandthere,passagesunderlinedinpencil。Further,lettingdropthevolumeduringalurchoftheship,asheetofpaperfellout。Itwasscrawledoverwithgeometricaldiagramsandcalculationsofsomesort。

  Itwaspatentthatthisterriblemanwasnoignorantclod,suchasonewouldinevitablysupposehimtobefromhisexhibitionsofbrutality。Atoncehebecameanenigma。Onesideortheotherofhisnaturewasperfectlycomprehensible;butbothsidestogetherwerebewildering。Ihadalreadyremarkedthathislanguagewasexcellent,marredwithanoccasionalslightinaccuracy。Ofcourse,incommonspeechwiththesailorsandhunters,itsometimesfairlybristledwitherrors,whichwasduetothevernacularitself;butinthefewwordshehadheldwithmeithadbeenclearandcorrect。

  ThisglimpseIhadcaughtofhisothersidemusthaveemboldenedme,forIresolvedtospeaktohimaboutthemoneyIhadlost。

  \"Ihavebeenrobbed,\"Isaidtohim,alittlelater,whenfoundhimpacingupanddownthepoopalone。

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