\"Sir,\"hecorrected,notharshly,butsternly。
\"Ihavebeenrobbed,sir,\"Iamended。
\"Howdidithappen?\"heasked。
ThenItoldhimthewholecircumstance,howmyclotheshadbeenlefttodryinthegalley,andhow,later,IwasnearlybeatenbythecookwhenImentionedthematter。
Hesmiledatmyrecital。\"Pickings,\"heconcluded;\"Cooky’spickings。
Anddon’tyouthinkyourmiserablelifeworththeprice?Besides,consideritalesson。You’lllearnintimehowtotakecareofyourmoneyforyourself。
Isuppose,uptonow,yourlawyerhasdoneitforyou,oryourbusinessagent。\"
Icouldfeelthequietsneerthroughhiswords,butdemanded,\"HowcanIgetitbackagain?\"
\"That’syourlookout。Youhaven’tanylawyerorbusinessagentnow,soyou’llhavetodependonyourself。Whenyougetadollar,hangontoit。Amanwholeaveshismoneylyingaround,thewayyoudid,deservestoloseit。Besides,youhavesinned。Youhavenorighttoputtemptationinthewayofyourfellow—creatures。YoutemptedCooky,andhefell。Youhaveplacedhisimmortalsoulinjeopardy。Bytheway,doyoubelieveintheimmortalsoul?\"
Hislidsliftedlazilyasheaskedthequestion,anditseemedthatthedeepswereopeningtomeandthatIwasgazingintohissoul。Butitwasanillusion。Farasitmighthaveseemed,nomanhaseverseenveryfarintoWolfLarsen’ssoul,orseenitatall;ofthisamconvinced。Itwasaverylonelysoul,Iwastolearn,thatneverunmasked,thoughatraremomentsitplayedatdoingso。
\"Ireadimmortalityinyoureyes,\"Ianswered,droppingthe\"sir,\"——
anexperiment,forIthoughttheintimacyoftheconversationwarrantedit。
Hetooknonotice。\"Bythat,Itakeit,youseesomethingthatisalive,butthatnecessarilydoesnothavetoliveforever。\"
\"Ireadmorethanthat,\"Icontinuedboldly。
\"Thenyoureadconsciousness。Youreadtheconsciousnessoflifethatitisalive;butstillnofurtheraway,noendlessnessoflife。\"
Howclearlyhethought,andhowwellheexpressedwhathethought!Fromregardingmecuriously,heturnedhisheadandglancedoutovertheleadenseatowindward。Ableaknesscameintohiseyes,andthelinesofhismouthgrewsevereandharsh。Hewasevidentlyinapessimisticmood。
\"Thentowhatend?\"hedemandedabruptly,turningbacktome。\"IfI
amimmortal,why?\"
Ihalted。HowcouldIexplainmyidealismtothisman?HowcouldIputintospeechasomethingfelt,asomethinglikethestrainsofmusicheardinsleep,asomethingthatconvincedyettranscendedutterance?
\"Whatdoyoubelieve,then?\"Icountered。
\"Ibelievethatlifeisamess,\"heansweredpromptly。\"Itislikeyeast,aferment,athingthatmovesandmaymoveforaminute,anhour,ayear,orahundredyears,butthatintheendwillceasetomove。Thebigeatthelittlethattheymaycontinuetomove,thestrongeattheweakthattheymayretaintheirstrength。Theluckyeatthemostandmovethelongest,thatisall。Whatdoyoumakeofthosethings?\"
Heswepthisarminanimpatientgesturetowardanumberofthesailorswhowereworkingonsomekindofropestuffamidships。
\"Theymove;sodoesthejellyfishmove。Theymoveinordertoeatinorderthattheymaykeepmoving。Thereyouhaveit。Theylivefortheirbelly’ssake,andthebellyisfortheirsake。It’sacircle;yougetnowhere。
Neitherdothey。Intheendtheycometoastandstill。Theymovenomore。
Theyaredead。\"
\"Theyhavedreams,\"Iinterrupted,\"radiant,flashingdreams——\"
\"Ofgrub,\"heconcludedsententiously。
\"Andofmore——\"
\"Grub。Ofalargerappetiteandmoreluckinsatisfyingit。\"Hisvoicesoundedharsh。Therewasnolevityinit。\"Forlookyou,theydreamofmakingluckyvoyageswhichwillbringthemmoremoney,ofbecomingthematesofships,offindingfortunes——inshort,ofbeinginabetterpositionforpreyingontheirfellows,ofhavingallnightin,goodgrub,andsomebodyelsetodothedirtywork。YouandIarejustlikethem。Thereisnodifference,exceptthatwehaveeatenmoreandbetter。Iameatingthemnow,andyou,too。ButinthepastyouhaveeatenmorethanIhave。Youhavesleptinsoftbeds,andwornfineclothes,andeatengoodmeals。Whomadethosebeds?andthoseclothes?andthosemeals?Notyou。Younevermadeanythinginyourownsweat。Youliveonanincomewhichyourfatherearned。Youarelikeafrigatebirdswoopingdownupontheboobiesandrobbingthemofthefishtheyhavecaught。Youareonewithacrowdofmenwhohavemadewhattheycallagovernment,whoaremastersofalltheothermen,andwhoeatthefoodtheothermengetandwouldliketoeatthemselves。
Youwearthewarmclothes。Theymadetheclothes,buttheyshiverinragsandaskyou,thelawyer,orbusinessagentwhohandlesyourmoney,forajob。\"
\"Butthatisbesidethematter,\"Icried。
\"Notatall。\"Hewasspeakingrapidly,now,andhiseyeswereflashing。
\"Itispiggishness,anditislife。Ofwhatuseorsenseisanimmortalityofpiggishness?Whatistheend?Whatisitallabout?Youhavemadenofood。Yetthefoodyouhaveeatenorwastedmighthavesavedthelivesofascoreofwretcheswhomadethefoodbutdidnoteatit。Whatimmortalenddidyouserve?Ordidthey?Consideryourselfandme。Whatdoesyourboastedimmortalityamounttowhenyourliferunsfoulofmine?Youwouldliketogobacktotheland,whichisafavorableplaceforyourkindofpiggishness。Itisawhimofminetokeepyouaboardthisship,wheremypiggishnessflourishes。AndkeepyouIwill。Imaymakeorbreakyou。Youmaydieto—day,thisweek,ornextmonth。Icouldkillyounow,withablowofmyfist,foryouareamiserableweakling。Butifweareimmortal,whatisthereasonforthis?TobepiggishasyouandIhavebeenallourlivesdoesnotseemtobejustthethingforimmortalstobedoing。Again,what’sitallabout?WhyhaveIkeptyouhere?\"
\"Becauseyouarestronger,\"Imanagedtoblurtout。
\"Butwhystronger?\"hewentonatoncewithhisperpetualqueries。\"BecauseIamabiggerbitofthefermentthanyou?Don’tyousee?Don’tyousee?\"
\"Butthehopelessnessofit,\"Iprotested。
\"Iagreewithyou,\"heanswered。\"Thenwhymoveatall,sincemovingisliving?Withoutmovingandbeingpartoftheyeasttherewouldbenohopelessness。But,——andthereitis,——wewanttoliveandmove,thoughwehavenoreasonto,becauseithappensthatitisthenatureoflifetoliveandmove,towanttoliveandmove。Ifitwerenotforthis,lifewouldbedead。Itisbecauseofthislifethatisinyouthatyoudreamofyourimmortality。Thelifethatisinyouisaliveandwantstogoonbeingaliveforever。Bah!Aneternityofpiggishness!\"
Heabruptlyturnedonhisheelandstartedforward。Hestoppedatthebreakofthepoopandcalledmetohim。
\"Bytheway,howmuchwasitthatCookygotawaywith?\"heasked。
\"Onehundredandeighty—fivedollars,sir,\"Ianswered。
Henoddedhishead。Amomentlater,asIstarteddownthecompanionstairstolaythetablefordinner,Iheardhimloudlycursingsomemenamidships。TheSeaWolf:Chapter6CHAPTER6
BythefollowingmorningthestormhadblownitselfquiteoutandtheGhostwasrollingslightlyonacalmseawithoutabreathofwind。
Occasionallightairswerefelt,however,andWolfLarsenpatrolledthepoopconstantly,hiseyeseversearchingtheseatothenortheastward,fromwhichdirectionthegreattrade—windmustblow。
Themenwereallondeckandbusypreparingtheirvariousboatsfortheseason’shunting。Therearesevenboatsaboard,thecaptain’sdingey,andthesixwhichthehunterswilluse。Three,ahunter,aboat—puller,andaboat—steerer,composeaboat’screw。Onboardtheschoonertheboat—pullersandsteerersarethecrew。Thehunters,too,aresupposedtobeincommandofthewatches,subject,always,totheordersofWolfLarsen。
Allthis,andmore,Ihavelearned。TheGhostisconsideredthefastestschoonerinboththeSanFranciscoandVictoriafleets。Infact,shewasonceaprivateyacht,andwasbuiltforspeed。Herlinesandfittings——thoughIknownothingaboutsuchthings——speakforthemselves。JohnsonwastellingmeaboutherinashortchatIhadwithhimduringyesterday’sseconddog—watch。Hespokeenthusiastically,withtheloveforafinecraftsuchassomemenfeelforhorses。Heisgreatlydisgustedwiththeoutlook,andIamgiventounderstandthatWolfLarsenbearsaveryunsavoryreputationamongthesealingcaptains。ItwastheGhostherselfthatluredJohnsonintosigningforthevoyage,butheisalreadybeginningtorepent。
Ashetoldme,theGhostisaneighty—tonschoonerofaremarkablyfinemodel。Herbeam,orwidth,istwenty—threefeet,andherlengthalittleoverninetyfeet。Aleadkeeloffabulousbutunknownweightmakesherverystable,whileshecarriesanimmensespreadofcanvas。Fromthedecktothetruckofthemaintopmastissomethingoverahundredfeet,whiletheforemastwithitstopmastiseightortenfeetshorter。Iamgivingthesedetailssothatthesizeofthislittlefloatingworldwhichholdstwenty—twomenmaybeappreciated。Itisaverylittleworld,amote,aspeck,andImarvelthatmenshoulddaretoventuretheseaonacontrivancesosmallandfragile。
WolfLarsenhas,also,areputationforrecklesscarryingonofsail。
IoverheardHendersonandanotherofthehunters,Standish,aCalifornian,talkingaboutit。TwoyearsagohedismastedtheGhostinagaleonBeringSea,whereuponthepresentmastswereputin,whicharestrongerandheavierineveryway。Heissaidtohaveremarked,whenheputthemin,thathepreferredturningherovertolosingthesticks。
Everymanaboard,withtheexceptionofJohansen,whoisratherovercomebyhispromotion,seemstohaveanexcuseforhavingsailedontheGhost。
Halfthemenforwardaredeep—watersailors,andtheirexcuseisthattheydidnotknowanythingaboutherorhercaptain。Andthosewhodoknow,whisperthatthehunters,whileexcellentshots,weresonotoriousfortheirquarrelsomeandrascallyproclivitiesthattheycouldnotsignonanydecentschooner。
Ihavemadetheacquaintanceofanotheroneofthecrew,——Louisheiscalled,arotundandjovial—facedNovaScotiaIrishman,andaverysociablefellow,pronetotalkaslongashecanfindalistener。Intheafternoon,whilethecookwasbelowasleepandIwaspeelingtheeverlastingpotatoes,Louisdroppedintothegalleyfora\"yarn。\"Hisexcuseforbeingaboardwasthathewasdrunkwhenhesigned。Heassuredmeagainandagainthatitwasthelastthingintheworldhewoulddreamofdoinginasobermoment。
Itseemsthathehasbeenseal—huntingregularlyeachseasonforadozenyears,andisaccountedoneofthetwoorthreeverybestboat—steerersinbothfleets。
\"Ah,myboy,\"heshookhisheadominouslyatme,\"’tistheworstschooneryecouldivselected,norwereyedrunkatthetimeaswasI。’Tissealin’
isthesailor’sparadise——onothershipsthanthis。Thematewasthefirst,butmarkmewords,there’llbemoredeadmenbeforethetripisdonewith。Hist,now,betweenyouan’meselfandthestanchionthere,thisWolfLarsenisaregulardevil,an’theGhost’llbeahell—shiplikeshe’salwaysbensincehehadholdivher。Don’tIknow?Don’tIknow?
Don’tIrememberhiminHakodatetwoyearsgone,whenhehadarowan’
shotfourivhismen?Wasn’tIa—layin’ontheEmmaL。,notthreehundredyardsaway?An’therewasamanthesameyearhekilledwithablowivhisfist。Yes,sir,killed’imdead—oh。Hisheadmustivsmashedlikeaneggshell。An’wasn’ttheretheGovernorofKuraIsland,an’theChiefivPolice,Japanesegentlemen,sir,an’didn’ttheycomeaboardtheGhostashisguests,abringin’theirwivesalong——weean’prettylittlebitsofthingslikeyousee’empaintedonfans。An’ashewasa—gettin’
underway,didn’tthefondhusbandsgetleftastern—likeintheirsampan,asitmightbebyaccident?An’wasn’titaweeklaterthatthepoorlittleladieswasputashoreontheothersideoftheisland,withnothin’before’embuttowalkhomeacrostthemountainsontheirweeny—teenylittlestrawsandalswhichwouldn’thangtogetheramile?Don’tknow?’Tisthebeastheis,thisWolfLarsen——thegreatbigbeastmentionedivinRevelation;
an’nogoodendwillheevercometo。ButI’vesaidnothin’toye,mindye。I’vewhisperedneveraword;foroldfatLouis’lllivethevoyageoutifthelastmother’ssonofyezgotothefishes。\"
\"WolfLarsen!\"hesnortedamomentlater。\"Listentotheword,willye!Wolf——’tiswhatheis。He’snotblack—heartedlikesomemen。’Tisnohearthehasatall。Wolf,justwolf,’tiswhatheis。D’yewonderhe’swellnamed?\"
\"Butifheissowellknownforwhatheis,\"Iqueried,\"howisitthathecangetmentoshipwithhim?\"
\"An’howisityecangetmentodoanythingonGod’searthan’sea?\"
LouisdemandedwithCelticfire。\"Howd’yefindmeaboardif’twasn’tthatIwasdrunkasapigwhenIputmenamedown?There’sthemthatcan’tsailwithbettermen,likethehunters,andthemthatdon’tknow,likethepoordevilsofwind—jammersfor’ardthere。Butthey’llcometoit,they’llcometoit,an’besorrythedaytheywasborn。Icouldweepforthepoorcreatures,didIbutforgetpooroldfatLouisandthetroublesbeforehim。But’tisnotawhisperI’vedropped,mindye,notawhisper。\"
\"Themhuntersisthewickedboys,\"hebrokeforthagain,forhesufferedfromaconstitutionalplethoraofspeech。\"Butwaittilltheygettocuttingupivjinksandrowin’’round。He’stheboy’llfix’em。’Tishimthat’llputthefearofGodintheirrottenblackhearts。Lookatthathunterivmine,Horner。`Jock’Hornertheycallhim,soquiet—likean’easy—goin’,soft—spokenasagirl,tillye’dthinkbutterwouldn’tmeltinthemouthivhim。Didn’thekillhisboat—steererlastyear?’Twascalledasadaccident,butImettheboat—pullerinYokohamaan’thestraightivitwasgivenme。An’there’sSmoke,theblacklittledevil——didn’ttheRoosianshavehimforthreeyearsinthesaltminesofSiberia,forpoachin’onCopperIsland,whichisaRoosianpreserve?Shackledhewas,handan’foot,withhismate。An’didn’ttheyhavewordsoraructionofsomekind?——for’twastheotherfellowSmokesentupinthebucketstothetopofthemine;
an’apieceatthetimehewentup,alegto—day,an’to—morrowanarm,thenextdaythehead,an’soon。\"
\"Butyoucan’tmeanit!\"Icriedout,overcomewiththehorrorofit。
\"Meanwhat?\"hedemanded,quickasaflash。\"’Tisnothin’I’vesaid。
DeefIam,anddumb,asyeshouldbeforthesakeivyourmother;an’neveroncehaveIopenedmelipsbuttosayfinethingsivtheman’him,Godcursehissoul,an’mayherotinpurgatorytenthousandyears,andthengodowntothelastan’deepesthellivall!\"
Johnson,themanwhohadchafedmerawwhenIfirstcameaboard,seemedtheleastequivocalofthemenforwardoraft。Infact,therewasnothingequivocalabouthim。Onewasstruckatoncebyhisstraightforwardnessandmanliness,which,inturn,weretemperedbyamodestywhichmightbemistakenfortimidity。Buttimidhewasnot。Heseemed,rather,tohavethecourageofhisconvictions,thecertaintyofhismanhood。Itwasthisthatmadehimprotest,atthecommencementofouracquaintance,againstbeingcalledYonson。Anduponthis,andhim,Louispassedjudgmentandprophecy。
\"’Tisafinechap,thatsquareheadJohnsonwe’vefor’ardwithus,\"hesaid。\"Thebestsailormaninthefo’c’sle。He’smyboat—puller。Butit’stotroublehe’llcomewithWolfLarsen,asthesparksflyupward。It’smeselfthatknows。Icanseeitbrewin’an’comin’uplikeastorminthesky。I’vetalkedtohimlikeabrother,butit’slittleheseesintakin’
inhislightsorflyin’falsesignals。Hegrumblesoutwhenthingsdon’tgotosuithim,andthere’llbealwayssometelltalecarryin’wordivitafttotheWolf。TheWolfisstrong,andit’sthewayofawolftohatestrength,an’strengthitishe’llseeinJohnson——noknucklin’under,anda`Yes,sir,thankyekindly,sir,’foracurseorablow。Oh,she’sa—comin’!She’sa—comin’!An’GodknowswhereI’llgetanotherboat—puller!
Whatdoesthefoolupan’say,whentheoldmancallshimYonson,but`MenameisJohnson,sir,’an’thenspellsitout,letterforletter。Yeshouldivseentheoldman’sface!Ithoughthe’dletdriveathimonthespot。
Hedidn’t,buthewill,an’he’llbreakthatsquarehead’sheart,orit’slittleIknowivthewaysivmenontheshipsivthesea。\"
ThomasMugridgeisbecomingunendurable。IamcompelledtoMisterhimandtoSirhimwitheveryspeech。OnereasonforthisisthatWolfLarsenseemstohavetakenafancytohim。Itisanunprecedentedthing,Itakeit,foracaptaintobechummywiththecook;butthisiscertainlywhatWolfLarsenisdoing。TwoorthreetimesheputhisheadintothegalleyandchaffedMugridgegood—naturedly,andonce,thisafternoon,hestoodbythebreakofthepoopandchattedwithhimforfullyfifteenminutes。
Whenitwasover,andMugridgewasbackinthegalley,hebecamegreasilyradiant,andwentabouthiswork,hummingcostersongsinanerve—rackinganddiscordantfalsetto。
\"Ialwaysgetalongwiththeofficers,\"heremarkedtomeinaconfidentialtone。\"Iknowthew’y,Ido,tomykemyselfuppreciyted。Therewasmylastskipper——w’yIthoughtnothin’ofdroppin’downinthecabinforalittlechatandafriendlyglass。`Mugridge,’sez’etome,`Mugridge,’sez’e,`you’vemissedyervokytion。’`An’’ow’sthat?’sezI。`Yershould’abeenbornagentleman,an’never’adtoworkforyerlivin’。’Godstrikemedead,’Ump,ifthatayn’twot’esez,an’mea—sittin’therein’isowncabin,jolly—likean’comfortable,a—smokin’’iscigarsan’drinkin’’isrum。\"
Thischitter—chatterdrovemetodistraction。IneverheardavoiceIhatedso。Hisoily,insinuatingtones,hisgreasysmile,andhismonstrousself—conceitgratedonmynervestillsometimesIwasallinatremble。
Positively,hewasthemostdisgustingandloathsomepersonIhaveevermet。Thefilthofhiscookingwasindescribable;and,ashecookedeverythingthatwaseatenaboard,IwascompelledtoselectwhatIatewithgreatcircumspection,choosingfromtheleastdirtyofhisconcoctions。
Myhandsbotheredmeagreatdeal,unusedastheyweretowork。Thenailswerediscoloredandblack,whiletheskinwasalreadygrainedwithdirtwhichevenascrubbing—brushcouldnotremove。Thenblisterscame,inapainfulandnever—endingprocession,andIhadagreatburnonmyforearm,acquiredbylosingmybalanceinarolloftheshipandpitchingagainstthegalleystove。Norwasmykneeanybetter。Theswellinghadnotgonedown,andthecapwasstilluponedge。Hobblingaboutonitfrommorningtonightwasnothelpingitany。WhatIneededwasrest,ifitwereevertogetwell。
Rest!Ineverbeforeknewthemeaningoftheword。Ihadbeenrestingallmylifeanddidnotknowit。Butnow,couldIsitstillforonehalf—houranddonothing,noteventhink,itwouldbethemostpleasurablethingintheworld。Butitisarevelation,ontheotherhand。Ishallbeabletoappreciatethelivesoftheworkingpeoplehereafter。Ididnotdreamthatworkwassoterribleathing。Fromhalf—pastfiveinthemorningtillteno’clockatnightIameverybody’sslave,withnotonemomenttomyself,exceptsuchasIcanstealneartheendoftheseconddog—watch。Letmepauseforaminutetolookoutovertheseasparklinginthesun,ortogazeatasailorgoingalofttothegaff—topsails,orrunningoutthebowsprit,andIamsuretohearthehatefulvoice,\"’Ere,you,’Ump,nosodgerin’。
I’vegotmypeepersonyer。\"
Therearesignsoframpantbadtemperinthesteerage,andthegossipisgoingaroundthatSmokeandHendersonhavehadafight。Hendersonseemsthebestofthehunters,aslow—goingfellow,andhardtorouse;butrousedhemusthavebeen,forSmokehadabruisedanddiscoloredeye,andlookedparticularlyviciouswhenhecameintothecabinforsupper。
Acruelthinghappenedjustbeforesupper,indicativeofthecallousnessandbrutishnessofthesemen。Thereisonegreenhandinthecrew,Harrisonbyname,aclumsy—lookingcountryboy,mastered,imagine,bythespiritofadventure,andmakinghisfirstvoyage。Inthelightbafflingairstheschoonerhadbeentackingaboutagreatdeal,atwhichtimesthesailspassfromonesidetotheotherandamanissentalofttoshiftoverthefore—gaff—topsail。Insomeway,whenHarrisonwasaloft,thesheetjammedintheblockthroughwhichitrunsattheendofthegaff。AsIunderstoodit,thereweretwowaysofgettingitcleared,——first,byloweringtheforesail,whichwascomparativelyeasyandwithoutdanger;andsecond,byclimbingoutthepeak—halyardstotheendofthegaffitself,anexceedinglyhazardousperformance。
JohansencalledouttoHarrisontogooutthehalyards。Itwaspatenttoeverybodythattheboywasafraid。Andwellhemightbe,eightyfeetabovethedeck,totrusthimselfonthosethinandjerkingropes。Hadtherebeenasteadybreezeitwouldnothavebeensobad,buttheGhostwasrollingemptilyinalongsea,andwitheachrollthecanvasflappedandboomedandthehalyardsslackedandjerkedtaut。Theywerecapableofsnappingamanofflikeaflyfromawhip—lash。
Harrisonheardtheorderandunderstoodwhatwasdemandedofhim,buthesitated。Itwasprobablythefirsttimehehadbeenaloftinhislife。
Johansen,whohadcaughtthecontagionofWolfLarsen’smasterfulness,burstoutwithavolleyofabuseandcurses。
\"That’lldo,Johansen,\"WolfLarsensaidbrusquely。\"I’llhaveyouknowthatIdotheswearingonthisship。IfIneedyourassistance,I’llcallyouin。\"
\"Yes,sir,\"themateacknowledgedsubmissively。
InthemeantimeHarrisonhadstartedoutonthehalyards。waslookingupfromthegalleydoor,andIcouldseehimtrembling,aswithague,ineverylimb。Heproceededveryslowlyandcautiously,aninchatatime。
Outlinedagainsttheclearblueofthesky,hehadtheappearanceofanenormousspidercrawlingalongthetraceryofitsweb。
Itwasaslightuphillclimb,fortheforesailpeakedhigh;andthehalyards,runningthroughvariousblocksonthegaffandmast,gavehimseparateholdsforhandsandfeet。Butthetroublelayinthatthewindwasnotstrongenoughnorsteadyenoughtokeepthesailfull。Whenhewashalfwayout,theGhosttookalongrolltowindwardandbackagainintothehollowbetweentwoseas。Harrisonceasedhisprogressandheldontightly。Eightyfeetbeneath,Icouldseetheagonizedstrainofhismusclesashegrippedforverylife。Thesailemptiedandthegaffswungamidships。Thehalyardsslackened,and,thoughitallhappenedveryquickly,Icouldseethemsagbeneaththeweightofhisbody。Thenthegaffswungtothesidewithanabruptswiftness,thegreatsailboomedlikeacannon,andthethreerowsofreef—pointsslattedagainstthecanvaslikeavolleyofrifles。Harrison,clingingon,madethegiddyrushthroughtheair。Thisrushceasedabruptly。Thehalyardsbecameinstantlytaut。
Itwasthesnapofthewhip。Hisclutchwasbroken。Onehandwastornloosefromitshold。Theotherlingereddesperatelyforamoment,andfollowed。
Hisbodypitchedoutanddown,butinsomewayhemanagedtosavehimselfwithhislegs。Hewashangingbythem,headdownward。Aquickeffortbroughthishandsuptothehalyardsagain;buthewasalongtimeregaininghisformerposition,wherehehung,apitiableobject。
\"I’llbethehasnoappetiteforsupper,\"IheardWolfLarsen’svoice,whichcametomefromaroundthecornerofthegalley。\"Standfromunder,you,Johansen!Watchout!Hereshecomes!\"
Intruth,Harrisonwasverysick,asapersonisseasick;andforalongtimeheclungtohisprecariousperchwithoutattemptingtomove。
Johansen,however,continuedviolentlytourgehimontothecompletionofhistask。
\"Itisashame,\"IheardJohnsongrowlinginpainfullyslowandcorrectEnglish。Hewasstandingbythemainrigging,afewfeetawayfromme。
\"Theboyiswillingenough。Hewilllearnifhehasachance。Butthisis——\"Hepausedawhile,fortheword\"murder\"washisfinaljudgment。
\"Hist,willye!\"Louiswhisperedtohim。\"Fortheloveivyourmotherholdyourmouth!\"
ButJohnson,lookingon,stillcontinuedhisgrumbling。
\"Lookhere,\"thehunter,Standish,spoketoWolfLarsen,\"that’smyboat—puller,andIdon’twanttolosehim。\"
\"That’sallright,Standish,\"wasthereply。\"He’syourboat—pullerwhenyou’vegothimintheboat;buthe’smysailorwhenIhavehimaboard,andI’lldowhatIdamnwellpleasewithhim。\"
\"Butthat’snoreason——\"Standishbeganinatorrentofspeech。
\"That’lldo,easyasshegoes,\"WolfLarsencounselledback。\"I’vetoldyouwhat’swhat,andletitstopatthat。Theman’smine,andI’llmakesoupofhimandeatitifIwantto。\"