第2章

\"Thenbehold，thesmokesuddenlydecreased。Were— doubledoureffortstofloodthebottomoftheship。Intwodaystherewasnosmokeatall。Everybodywasonthebroadgrin。ThiswasonaFriday。OnSaturdaynowork，butsailingtheshipofcoursewasdone。Themenwashedtheirclothesandtheirfacesforthefirsttimeinafortnight，andhadaspecialdinnergiventhem。Theyspokeofspontaneouscombustionwithcontempt，andimpliedTHEYweretheboystoputoutcombustions。Some— howweallfeltasthoughweeachhadinheritedalargefortune。Butabeastlysmellofburninghungabouttheship。CaptainBeardhadholloweyesandsunkencheeks。 Ihadnevernoticedsomuchbeforehowtwistedandbowedhewas。HeandMahonprowledsoberlyabouthatchesandventilators，sniffing。ItstruckmesuddenlypoorMahonwasavery，veryoldchap。Astome，IwasaspleasedandproudasthoughIhadhelpedtowinagreatnavalbattle。O！Youth！ \"Thenightwasfine。Inthemorningahomeward— boundshippassedushulldown，——thefirstwehadseenformonths；butwewerenearingthelandatlast，JavaHeadbeingabout190milesoff，andnearlyduenorth。 \"Nextdayitwasmywatchondeckfromeighttotwelve。Atbreakfastthecaptainobserved，’It’swonder— fulhowthatsmellhangsaboutthecabin。’Aboutten，thematebeingonthepoop，Isteppeddownonthemain— deckforamoment。Thecarpenter’sbenchstoodabaftthemainmast：Ileanedagainstitsuckingatmypipe，andthecarpenter，ayoungchap，cametotalktome。Heremarked，’Ithinkwehavedoneverywell，haven’twe？’ andthenIperceivedwithannoyancethefoolwastry— ingtotiltthebench。Isaidcurtly，’Don’t，Chips，’andimmediatelybecameawareofaqueersensation，ofanabsurddelusion，——Iseemedsomehowtobeintheair。I heardallroundmelikeapent—upbreathreleased——asifathousandgiantssimultaneouslyhadsaidPhoo！—— andfeltadullconcussionwhichmademyribsachesud— denly。Nodoubtaboutit——Iwasintheair，andmybodywasdescribingashortparabola。Butshortasitwas，Ihadthetimetothinkseveralthoughtsin，asfarasIcanremember，thefollowingorder：’Thiscan’tbethecarpenter——Whatisit？——Someaccident——Submarinevolcano？——Coals，gas！——ByJove！wearebeingblownup——Everybody’sdead——Iamfallingintotheafter— hatch——Iseefireinit。’ \"Thecoal—dustsuspendedintheairoftheholdhadgloweddull—redatthemomentoftheexplosion。Inthetwinklingofaneye，inaninfinitesimalfractionofasecondsincethefirsttiltofthebench，Iwassprawlingfulllengthonthecargo。Ipickedmyselfupandscram— bledout。Itwasquicklikearebound。Thedeckwasawildernessofsmashedtimber，lyingcrosswiseliketreesinawoodafterahurricane；animmensecurtainofsoiledragswavedgentlybeforeme——itwasthemainsailblowntostrips。Ithought，Themastswillbetopplingoverdirectly；andtogetoutofthewayboltedonall—fourstowardsthepoop—ladder。ThefirstpersonIsawwasMahon，witheyeslikesaucers，hismouthopen，andthelongwhitehairstandingstraightonendroundhisheadlikeasilverhalo。Hewasjustabouttogodownwhenthesightofthemain—deckstirring，heavingup，andchangingintosplintersbeforehiseyes，petrifiedhimonthetopstep。Istaredathiminunbelief，andhestaredatmewithaqueerkindofshockedcuriosity。IdidnotknowthatIhadnohair，noeyebrows，noeyelashes，thatmyyoungmustachewasburntoff，thatmyfacewasblack，onecheeklaidopen，mynosecut，andmychinbleeding。Ihadlostmycap，oneofmyslippers，andmyshirtwastorntorags。OfallthisIwasnotaware。 Iwasamazedtoseetheshipstillafloat，thepoop—deckwhole——and，mostofall，toseeanybodyalive。Alsothepeaceoftheskyandtheserenityoftheseawereistinctlysurprising。IsupposeIexpectedtoseethemconvulsedwithhorror……Passthebottle。 \"Therewasavoicehailingtheshipfromsomewhere——intheair，inthesky——Icouldn’ttell。PresentlyI sawthecaptain——andhewasmad。Heaskedmeeagerly，’Where’sthecabin—table？’andtohearsuchaquestionwasafrightfulshock。Ihadjustbeenblownup，youunderstand，andvibratedwiththatexperience，——Iwasn’tquitesurewhetherIwasalive。Mahonbegantostampwithbothfeetandyelledathim，’GoodGod！don’tyouseethedeck’sblownoutofher？’Ifoundmyvoice，andstammeredoutasifconsciousofsomegrossneglectofduty，’Idon’tknowwherethecabin—tableis。’Itwaslikeanabsurddream。 \"Doyouknowwhathewantednext？Well，hewantedtotrimtheyards。Veryplacidly，andasiflostinthought，heinsistedonhavingtheforeyardsquared。 ’Idon’tknowifthere’sanybodyalive，’saidMahon，almosttearfully。’Surely，’hesaidgently，’therewillbeenoughlefttosquaretheforeyard。’ \"Theoldchap，itseems，wasinhisownberth，wind— ingupthechronometers，whentheshocksenthimspin— ning。Immediatelyitoccurredtohim——ashesaidafter— wards——thattheshiphadstrucksomething，andheranoutintothecabin。There，hesaw，thecabin—tablehadvanishedsomewhere。Thedeckbeingblownup，ithadfallendownintothelazaretteofcourse。Wherewehadourbreakfastthatmorninghesawonlyagreatholeinthefloor。Thisappearedtohimsoawfullymysterious，andimpressedhimsoimmensely，thatwhathesawandheardafterhegotondeckweremeretriflesincom— parison。And，mark，henoticeddirectlythewheelde— sertedandhisbarkoffhercourse——andhisonlythoughtwastogetthatmiserable，stripped，undecked，smolderingshellofashipbackagainwithherheadpointingatherportofdestination。Bankok！That’swhathewasafter。Itellyouthisquiet，bowed，bandy— legged，almostdeformedlittlemanwasimmenseinthesinglenessofhisideaandinhisplacidignoranceofouragitation。Hemotionedusforwardwithacom— mandinggesture，andwenttotakethewheelhim— self。 \"Yes；thatwasthefirstthingwedid——trimtheyardsofthatwreck！Noonewaskilled，orevendisabled，buteveryonewasmoreorlesshurt。Youshouldhaveseenthem！Somewereinrags，withblackfaces，likecoal— heavers，likesweeps，andhadbulletheadsthatseemedcloselycropped，butwereinfactsingedtotheskin。 Others，ofthewatchbelow，awakenedbybeingshotoutfromtheircollapsingbunks，shiveredincessantly，andkeptongroaningevenaswewentaboutourwork。Buttheyallworked。ThatcrewofLiverpoolhardcaseshadinthemtherightstuff。It’smyexperiencetheyalwayshave。Itistheseathatgivesit——thevastness，thelone— linesssurroundingtheirdarkstolidsouls。Ah！Well！ westumbled，wecrept，wefell，webarkedourshinsonthewreckage，wehauled。Themastsstood，butwedidnotknowhowmuchtheymightbecharreddownbelow。 Itwasnearlycalm，butalongswellranfromthewestandmadeherroll。Theymightgoatanymoment。Welookedatthemwithapprehension。Onecouldnotfore— seewhichwaytheywouldfall。 \"Thenweretreatedaftandlookedaboutus。Thedeckwasatangleofplanksonedge，ofplanksonend，ofsplinters，ofruinedwoodwork。Themastsrosefromthatchaoslikebigtreesaboveamattedundergrowth。 Theintersticesofthatmassofwreckagewerefullofsomethingwhitish，sluggish，stirring——ofsomethingthatwaslikeagreasyfog。Thesmokeoftheinvisiblefirewascomingupagain，wastrailing，likeapoisonousthickmistinsomevalleychokedwithdeadwood。Alreadylazywispswerebeginningtocurlupwardsamongstthemassofsplinters。Hereandthereapieceoftimber，stuckupright，resembledapost。Halfofafife—railhadbeenshotthroughtheforesail，andtheskymadeapatchofgloriousblueintheignoblysoiledcanvas。A portionofseveralboardsholdingtogetherhadfallenacrosstherail，andoneendprotrudedoverboard，likeagangwayleadinguponnothing，likeagangwayleadingoverthedeepsea，leadingtodeath——asifinvitingustowalktheplankatonceandbedonewithourridiculoustroubles。Andstilltheair，thesky——aghost，somethinginvisiblewashailingtheship。 \"Someonehadthesensetolookover，andtherewasthehelmsman，whohadimpulsivelyjumpedoverboard，anxioustocomeback。Heyelledandswamlustilylikeamerman，keepingupwiththeship。Wethrewhimarope，andpresentlyhestoodamongstusstreamingwithwaterandverycrest—fallen。Thecaptainhadsurren— deredthewheel，andapart，elbowonrailandchininhand，gazedattheseawistfully。Weaskedourselves，Whatnext？Ithought，Now，thisissomethinglike。 Thisisgreat。Iwonderwhatwillhappen。Oyouth！ \"SuddenlyMahonsightedasteamerfarastern。Cap— tainBeardsaid，’Wemaydosomethingwithheryet。’ Wehoistedtwoflags，whichsaidintheinternationallanguageofthesea，’Onfire。Wantimmediateassis— tance。’Thesteamergrewbiggerrapidly，andby—and— byspokewithtwoflagsonherforemast，’Iamcomingtoyourassistance。’ \"Inhalfanhourshewasabreast，towindward，withinhail，androllingslightly，withherenginesstopped。Welostourcomposure，andyelledalltogetherwithexcite— ment，’We’vebeenblownup。’Amaninawhitehelmet，onthebridge，cried，’Yes！Allright！allright！’andhenoddedhishead，andsmiled，andmadesoothingmo— tionswithhishandasthoughatalotoffrightenedchil— dren。Oneoftheboatsdroppedinthewater，andwalkedtowardsusupontheseawithherlongoars。FourCalashespulledaswingingstroke。ThiswasmyfirstsightofMalayseamen。I’veknownthemsince，butwhatstruckmethenwastheirunconcern：theycamealongside，andeventhebowmanstandingupandholdingtoourmain—chainswiththeboat—hookdidnotdeigntolifthisheadforaglance。Ithoughtpeoplewhohadbeenblownupdeservedmoreattention。 \"Alittleman，drylikeachipandagilelikeamonkey，clamberedup。Itwasthemateofthesteamer。Hegaveonelook，andcried，’Oboys——youhadbetterquit。’ \"Weweresilent。Hetalkedapartwiththecaptainforatime，——seemedtoarguewithhim。Thentheywentawaytogethertothesteamer。 \"WhenourskippercamebackwelearnedthatthesteamerwastheSommerville，CaptainNash，fromWestAustraliatoSingaporeviaBataviawithmails，andthattheagreementwassheshouldtowustoAnjerorBa— tavia，ifpossible，wherewecouldextinguishthefirebyscuttling，andthenproceedonourvoyage——toBankok！ Theoldmanseemedexcited。’Wewilldoityet，’hesaidtoMahon，fiercely。Heshookhisfistatthesky。 Nobodyelsesaidaword。 \"Atnoonthesteamerbegantotow。Shewentaheadslimandhigh，andwhatwasleftoftheJudeafollowedattheendofseventyfathomoftow—rope，——followedherswiftlylikeacloudofsmokewithmastheadspro— trudingabove。Wewentalofttofurlthesails。Wecoughedontheyards，andwerecarefulaboutthebunts。 Doyouseethelotofusthere，puttinganeatfurlonthesailsofthatshipdoomedtoarrivenowhere？Therewasnotamanwhodidn’tthinkthatatanymomentthemastswouldtoppleover。Fromaloftwecouldnotseetheshipforsmoke，andtheyworkedcarefully，passingthegasketswitheventurns。’Harborfurl——aloftthere！’criedMahonfrombelow。 \"Youunderstandthis？Idon’tthinkoneofthosechapsexpectedtogetdownintheusualway。WhenwedidIheardthemsayingtoeachother，’Well，I thoughtwewouldcomedownoverboard，inalump—— sticksandall——blamemeifIdidn’t。’’That’swhatI wasthinkingtomyself，’wouldanswerwearilyanotherbatteredandbandagedscarecrow。And，mind，theseweremenwithoutthedrilled—inhabitofobedience。Toanonlookertheywouldbealotofprofanescallywagswithoutaredeemingpoint。Whatmadethemdoit—— whatmadethemobeymewhenI，thinkingconsciouslyhowfineitwas，madethemdropthebuntoftheforesailtwicetotryanddoitbetter？What？Theyhadnopro— fessionalreputation——noexamples，nopraise。Itwasn’tasenseofduty；theyallknewwellenoughhowtoshirk，andlaze，anddodge——whentheyhadamindtoit——andmostlytheyhad。Wasitthetwopoundstenamonththatsentthemthere？Theydidn’tthinktheirpayhalfgoodenough。No；itwassomethinginthem，somethinginbornandsubtleandeverlasting。Idon’tsayposi— tivelythatthecrewofaFrenchorGermanmerchant— manwouldn’thavedoneit，butIdoubtwhetheritwouldhavebeendoneinthesameway。Therewasacomplete— nessinit，somethingsolidlikeaprinciple，andmasterfullikeaninstinct——adisclosureofsomethingsecret——ofthathiddensomething，thatgift，ofgoodorevilthatmakesracialdifference，thatshapesthefateofnations。 \"Itwasthatnightattenthat，forthefirsttimesincewehadbeenfightingit，wesawthefire。Thespeedofthetowinghadfannedthesmolderingdestruction。A bluegleamappearedforward，shiningbelowthewreckofthedeck。Itwaveredinpatches，itseemedtostirandcreeplikethelightofaglowworm。Isawitfirst，andtoldMahon。’Thenthegame’sup，’hesaid。’Wehadbetterstopthistowing，orshewillburstoutsuddenlyforeandaftbeforewecanclearout。’Wesetupayell； rangbellstoattracttheirattention；theytowedon。AtlastMahonandIhadtocrawlforwardandcuttheropewithanax。Therewasnotimetocastoffthelashings。 Redtonguescouldbeseenlickingthewildernessofsplintersunderourfeetaswemadeourwaybacktothepoop。 \"Ofcoursetheyverysoonfoundoutinthesteamerthattheropewasgone。Shegavealoudblastofherwhistle，herlightswereseensweepinginawidecircle，shecameuprangingclosealongside，andstopped。Wewereallinatightgrouponthepooplookingather。Everymanhadsavedalittlebundleorabag。Suddenlyacon— icalflamewithatwistedtopshotupforwardandthrewupontheblackseaacircleoflight，withthetwovesselssidebysideandheavinggentlyinitscenter。CaptainBeardhadbeensittingonthegratingsstillandmuteforhours，butnowheroseslowlyandadvancedinfrontofus，tothemizzen—shrouds。CaptainNashhailed：’Comealong！Looksharp。Ihavemail—bagsonboard。IwilltakeyouandyourboatstoSingapore。’ \"’Thankyou！No！’saidourskipper。’Wemustseethelastoftheship。’ \"’Ican’tstandbyanylonger，’shoutedtheother。 ’Mails——youknow。’ \"’Ay！ay！Weareallright。’ \"’Verywell！I’llreportyouinSingapore…… Good—by！’ \"Hewavedhishand。Ourmendroppedtheirbundlesquietly。Thesteamermovedahead，andpassingoutofthecircleoflight，vanishedatoncefromoursight，daz— zledbythefirewhichburnedfiercely。AndthenIknewthatIwouldseetheEastfirstascommanderofasmallboat。Ithoughtitfine；andthefidelitytotheoldshipwasfine。Weshouldseethelastofher。Ohtheglamourofyouth！Ohthefireofit，moredazzlingthantheflamesoftheburningship，throwingamagiclightonthewideearth，leapingaudaciouslytothesky，presentlytobequenchedbytime，morecruel，morepitiless，morebitterthanthesea——andliketheflamesoftheburningshipsurroundedbyanimpenetrablenight…… \"Theoldmanwarnedusinhisgentleandinflexiblewaythatitwaspartofourdutytosavefortheunder— writersasmuchaswecouldoftheship’sgear。Accord— ingwewenttoworkaft，whilesheblazedforwardtogiveusplentyoflight。Weluggedoutalotofrubbish。 Whatdidn’twesave？Anoldbarometerfixedwithanabsurdquantityofscrewsnearlycostmemylife：asuddenrushofsmokecameuponme，andIjustgotawayintime。Therewerevariousstores，boltsofcanvas，coilsofrope；thepooplookedlikeamarinebazaar，andtheboatswerelumberedtothegunwales。Onewouldhavethoughttheoldmanwantedtotakeasmuchashecouldofhisfirstcommandwithhim。Hewasveryveryquiet，butoffhisbalanceevidently。Wouldyoubelieveit？Hewantedtotakealengthofoldstream—cableandakedge—anchorwithhiminthelong—boat。Wesaid，’Ay，ay，sir，’deferentially，andonthequietletthethingslipoverboard。Theheavymedicine—chestwentthatway，twobagsofgreencoffee，tinsofpaint——fancy，paint！——awholelotofthings。ThenIwasorderedwithtwohandsintotheboatstomakeastowageandgetthemreadyagainstthetimeitwouldbeproperforustoleavetheship。 \"Weputeverythingstraight，steppedthelong—boat’smastforourskipper，whowasinchargeofher，andI wasnotsorrytositdownforamoment。Myfacefeltraw，everylimbachedasifbroken，Iwasawareofallmyribs，andwouldhavesworntoatwistintheback— bone。Theboats，fastastern，layinadeepshadow，andallaroundIcouldseethecircleofthesealightedbythefire。Agiganticflamearoseforwardstraightandclear。 Itflaredthere，withnoiseslikethewhirofwings，withrumblesasofthunder。Therewerecracks，detonations，andfromtheconeofflamethesparksflewupwards，asmanisborntotrouble，toleakyships，andtoshipsthatburn。 \"Whatbotheredmewasthattheship，lyingbroadsidetotheswellandtosuchwindastherewas——amerebreath—— theboatswouldnotkeepasternwheretheyweresafe，butpersisted，inapig—headedwayboatshave，ingettingunderthecounterandthenswingingalongside。Theywereknockingaboutdangerouslyandcomingneartheflame，whiletheshiprolledonthem，and，ofcourse，therewasalwaysthedangerofthemastsgoingoverthesideatanymoment。Iandmytwoboat—keeperskeptthemoffasbestwecouldwithoarsandboat—hooks；buttobeconstantlyatitbecameexasperating，sincetherewasnoreasonwhyweshouldnotleaveatonce。Wecouldnotseethoseonboard，norcouldweimaginewhatcausedthedelay。Theboat—keeperswereswearingfeebly，andI hadnotonlymyshareofthework，butalsohadtokeepatittwomenwhoshowedaconstantinclinationtolaythemselvesdownandletthingsslide。 \"AtlastIhailed’Ondeckthere，’andsomeonelookedover。’We’rereadyhere，’Isaid。Theheaddisap— peared，andverysoonpoppedupagain。’Thecaptainsays，Allright，sir，andtokeeptheboatswellclearoftheship。’ \"Halfanhourpassed。Suddenlytherewasafrightfulracket，rattle，clankingofchain，hissofwater，andmil— lionsofsparksflewupintotheshiveringcolumnofsmokethatstoodleaningslightlyabovetheship。Thecat— headshadburnedaway，andthetwored—hotanchorshadgonetothebottom，tearingoutafterthemtwohundredfathomofred—hotchain。Theshiptrembled，themassofflameswayedasifreadytocollapse，andtheforetop— gallant—mastfell。Itdarteddownlikeanarrowoffire，shotunder，andinstantlyleapingupwithinanoar’s— lengthoftheboats，floatedquietly，veryblackontheluminoussea。Ihailedthedeckagain。Aftersometimeamaninanunexpectedlycheerfulbutalsomuffledtone，asthoughhehadbeentryingtospeakwithhismouthshut，informedme，’Comingdirectly，sir，’andvanished。 ForalongtimeIheardnothingbutthewhirandroarofthefire。Therewerealsowhistlingsounds。Theboatsjumped，tuggedatthepainters，ranateachotherplay— fully，knockedtheirsidestogether，or，dowhatwewould，swunginabunchagainsttheship’sside。Icouldn’tstanditanylonger，andswarminguparope，clamberedaboardoverthestern。 \"Itwasasbrightasday。Cominguplikethis，thesheetoffirefacingme，wasaterrifyingsight，andtheheatseemedhardlybearableatfirst。Onasetteecushiondraggedoutofthecabin，CaptainBeard，withhislegsdrawnupandonearmunderhishead，sleptwiththelightplayingonhim。Doyouknowwhattherestwerebusyabout？Theyweresittingondeckrightaft，roundanopencase，eatingbreadandcheeseanddrinkingbottledstout。 \"Onthebackgroundofflamestwistinginfiercetonguesabovetheirheadstheyseemedathomelikesalamanders，andlookedlikeabandofdesperatepirates。Thefiresparkledinthewhitesoftheireyes，gleamedonpatchesofwhiteskinseenthroughthetornshirts。Eachhadthemarksasofabattleabouthim——bandagedheads，tied—uparms，astripofdirtyragroundaknee——andeachmanhadabottlebetweenhislegsandachunkofcheeseinhishand。Mahongotup。Withhishandsomeanddisreputablehead，hishookedprofile，hislongwhitebeard，andwithanuncorkedbottleinhishand，here— sembledoneofthoserecklesssea—robbersofoldmakingmerryamidstviolenceanddisaster。’Thelastmealonboard，’heexplainedsolemnly。’Wehadnothingtoeatallday，anditwasnouseleavingallthis。’Heflourishedthebottleandindicatedthesleepingskipper。’Hesaidhecouldn’tswallowanything，soIgothimtoliedown，’ hewenton；andasIstared，’Idon’tknowwhetheryouareaware，youngfellow，themanhadnosleeptospeakoffordays——andtherewillbedam’littlesleepintheboats。’’Therewillbenoboatsby—and—byifyoufoolaboutmuchlonger，’Isaid，indignantly。Iwalkeduptotheskipperandshookhimbytheshoulder。Atlastheopenedhiseyes，butdidnotmove。’Timetoleaveher，sir，’Isaid，quietly。 \"Hegotuppainfully，lookedattheflames，attheseasparklingroundtheship，andblack，blackasinkfartheraway；helookedatthestarsshiningdimthroughathinveilofsmokeinaskyblack，blackasErebus。 \"’Youngestfirst，’hesaid。 \"Andtheordinaryseaman，wipinghismouthwiththebackofhishand，gotup，clamberedoverthetaffrail，andvanished。Othersfollowed。One，onthepointofgoingover，stoppedshorttodrainhisbottle，andwithagreatswingofhisarmflungitatthefire。’Takethis！’hecried。 \"Theskipperlingereddisconsolately，andwelefthimtocommunealoneforawhilewithhisfirstcommand。 ThenIwentupagainandbroughthimawayatlast。Itwastime。Theironworkonthepoopwashottothetouch。 \"Thenthepainterofthelong—boatwascut，andthethreeboats，tiedtogether，driftedclearoftheship。Itwasjustsixteenhoursaftertheexplosionwhenweaban— donedher。Mahonhadchargeofthesecondboat，andI hadthesmallest——the14—footthing。Thelong—boatwouldhavetakenthelotofus；buttheskippersaidwemustsaveasmuchpropertyaswecould——fortheunder— writers——andsoIgotmyfirstcommand。Ihadtwomenwithme，abagofbiscuits，afewtinsofmeat，andabreakerofwater。Iwasorderedtokeepclosetothelong—boat，thatincaseofbadweatherwemightbetakenintoher。 \"AnddoyouknowwhatIthought？IthoughtI wouldpartcompanyassoonasIcould。Iwantedtohavemyfirstcommandalltomyself。Iwasn’tgoingtosailinasquadroniftherewereachanceforindepend— entcruising。Iwouldmakelandbymyself。Iwouldbeattheotherboats。Youth！Allyouth！Thesilly，charming，beautifulyouth。 \"Butwedidnotmakeastartatonce。Wemustseethelastoftheship。Andsotheboatsdriftedaboutthatnight，heavingandsettingontheswell。Themendozed，waked，sighed，groaned。Ilookedattheburningship。 \"Betweenthedarknessofearthandheavenshewasburningfiercelyuponadiscofpurpleseashotbytheblood—redplayofgleams；uponadiscofwaterglitter— ingandsinister。Ahigh，clearflame，animmenseandlonelyflame，ascendedfromtheocean，andfromitssum— mittheblacksmokepouredcontinuouslyatthesky。Sheburnedfuriously，mournfulandimposinglikeafuneralpilekindledinthenight，surroundedbythesea，watchedoverbythestars。Amagnificentdeathhadcomelikeagrace，likeagift，likearewardtothatoldshipattheendofherlaboriousdays。Thesurrenderofherwearyghosttothekeepingofstarsandseawasstirringlikethesightofaglorioustriumph。Themastsfelljustbeforedaybreak，andforamomenttherewasaburstandtur— moilofsparksthatseemedtofillwithflyingfirethenightpatientandwatchful，thevastnightlyingsilentuponthesea。Atdaylightshewasonlyacharredshell，float— ingstillunderacloudofsmokeandbearingaglowingmassofcoalwithin。 \"Thentheoarsweregotout，andtheboatsforminginalinemovedroundherremainsasifinprocession——thelong—boatleading。Aswepulledacrosshersternaslimdartoffireshotoutviciouslyatus，andsuddenlyshewentdown，headfirst，inagreathissofsteam。Theunconsumedsternwasthelasttosink；butthepainthadgone，hadcracked，hadpeeledoff，andtherewerenoletters，therewasnoword，nostubborndevicethatwaslikehersoul，toflashattherisingsunhercreedandhername。 \"Wemadeourwaynorth。Abreezesprangup，andaboutnoonalltheboatscametogetherforthelasttime。 Ihadnomastorsailinmine，butImadeamastoutofaspareoarandhoistedaboat—awningforasail，withaboat—hookforayard。Shewascertainlyover—masted，butIhadthesatisfactionofknowingthatwiththewindaftIcouldbeattheothertwo。Ihadtowaitforthem。 Thenweallhadalookatthecaptain’schart，and，afterasociablemealofhardbreadandwater，gotourlastinstructions。Theseweresimple：steernorth，andkeeptogetherasmuchaspossible。’Becarefulwiththatjuryrig，Marlow，’saidthecaptain；andMahon，asI sailedproudlypasthisboat，wrinkledhiscurvednoseandhailed，’Youwillsailthatshipofyoursunderwater，ifyoudon’tlookout，youngfellow。’Hewasamaliciousoldman——andmaythedeepseawherehesleepsnowrockhimgently，rockhimtenderlytotheendoftime！ \"Beforesunsetathickrain—squallpassedoverthetwoboats，whichwerefarastern，andthatwasthelastI sawofthemforatime。NextdayIsatsteeringmycockle—shell——myfirstcommand——withnothingbutwaterandskyaroundme。Ididsightintheafternoontheuppersailsofashipfaraway，butsaidnothing，andmymendidnotnoticeher。YouseeIwasafraidshemightbehomewardbound，andIhadnomindtoturnbackfromtheportalsoftheEast。IwassteeringforJava—— anotherblessedname——likeBankok，youknow。Isteeredmanydays。 \"Ineednottellyouwhatitistobeknockingaboutinanopenboat。Iremembernightsanddaysofcalmwhenwepulled，wepulled，andtheboatseemedtostandstill，asifbewitchedwithinthecircleoftheseahorizon。I remembertheheat，thedelugeofrain—squallsthatkeptusbalingfordearlife（butfilledourwater—cask），andI remembersixteenhoursonendwithamouthdryasacinderandasteering—oaroverthesterntokeepmyfirstcommandheadontoabreakingsea。IdidnotknowhowgoodamanIwastillthen。Irememberthedrawnfaces，thedejectedfiguresofmytwomen，andIremembermyyouthandthefeelingthatwillnevercomebackanymore——thefeelingthatIcouldlastforever，outlastthesea，theearth，andallmen；thedeceitfulfeelingthatluresusontojoys，toperils，tolove，tovaineffort——todeath；thetriumphantconvictionofstrength，theheatoflifeinthehandfulofdust，theglowintheheartthatwitheveryyeargrowsdim，growscold，growssmall，andexpires——andexpires，toosoon——beforelifeitself。 \"AndthisishowIseetheEast。Ihaveseenitssecretplacesandhavelookedintoitsverysoul；butnowIseeitalwaysfromasmallboat，ahighoutlineofmountains，blueandafarinthemorning；likefaintmistatnoon；ajaggedwallofpurpleatsunset。Ihavethefeeloftheoarinmyhand，thevisionofascorchingblueseainmyeyes。AndIseeabay，awidebay，smoothasglassandpolishedlikeice，shimmeringinthedark。Aredlightburnsfaroffuponthegloomoftheland，andthenightissoftandwarm。Wedragattheoarswithachingarms，andsuddenlyapuffofwind，apufffaintandtepidandladenwithstrangeodorsofblossoms，ofaromaticwood，comesoutofthestillnight——thefirstsighoftheEastonmyface。ThatIcanneverforget。Itwasimpalpableandenslaving，likeacharm，likeawhisperedpromiseofmysteriousdelight。 \"Wehadbeenpullingthisfinishingspellforelevenhours。Twopulled，andhewhoseturnitwastorestsatatthetiller。Wehadmadeouttheredlightinthatbayandsteeredforit，guessingitmustmarksomesmallcoastingport。Wepassedtwovessels，outlandishandhigh—sterned，sleepingatanchor，and，approachingthelight，nowverydim，rantheboat’snoseagainsttheendofajuttingwharf。Wewereblindwithfatigue。Mymendroppedtheoarsandfelloffthethwartsasifdead。 Imadefasttoapile。Acurrentrippledsoftly。Thescentedobscurityoftheshorewasgroupedintovastmasses，adensityofcolossalclumpsofvegetation，prob— ably——muteandfantasticshapes。Andattheirfootthesemicircleofabeachgleamedfaintly，likeanillusion。 Therewasnotalight，notastir，notasound。Themys— teriousEastfacedme，perfumedlikeaflower，silentlikedeath，darklikeagrave。 \"AndIsatwearybeyondexpression，exultinglikeaconqueror，sleeplessandentrancedasifbeforeapro— found，afatefulenigma。 \"Asplashingofoars，ameasureddipreverberatingonthelevelofwater，intensifiedbythesilenceoftheshoreintoloudclaps，mademejumpup。Aboat，aEuropeanboat，wascomingin。Iinvokedthenameofthedead；Ihailed：Judeaahoy！Athinshoutan— swered。 \"Itwasthecaptain。Ihadbeatentheflagshipbythreehours，andIwasgladtoheartheoldman’svoice，tremu— lousandtired。’Isityou，Marlow？’’Mindtheendofthatjetty，sir，’Icried。 \"Heapproachedcautiously，andbroughtupwiththedeep—sealead—linewhichwehadsaved——fortheunder— writers。Ieasedmypainterandfellalongside。Hesat，abrokenfigureatthestern，wetwithdew，hishandsclaspedinhislap。Hismenwereasleepalready。’I hadaterribletimeofit，’hemurmured。’Mahonisbe— hind——notveryfar。’Weconversedinwhispers，inlowwhispers，asifafraidtowakeuptheland。Guns，thun— der，earthquakeswouldnothaveawakenedthemenjustthen。 \"Lookingaroundaswetalked，Isawawayatseaabrightlighttravelinginthenight。’There’sasteamerpassingthebay，’Isaid。Shewasnotpassing，shewasentering，andsheevencamecloseandanchored。’I wish，’saidtheoldman，’youwouldfindoutwhethersheisEnglish。Perhapstheycouldgiveusapassagesome— where。’Heseemednervouslyanxious。SobydintofpunchingandkickingIstartedoneofmymenintoastateofsomnambulism，andgivinghimanoar，tookanotherandpulledtowardsthelightsofthesteamer。 \"Therewasamurmurofvoicesinher，metallichollowclangsoftheengine—room，footstepsonthedeck。Herportsshone，roundlikedilatedeyes。Shapesmovedabout，andtherewasashadowymanhighuponthebridge。Heheardmyoars。 \"Andthen，beforeIcouldopenmylips，theEastspoketome，butitwasinaWesternvoice。Atorrentofwordswaspouredintotheenigmatical，thefatefulsilence； outlandish，angrywords，mixedwithwordsandevenwholesentencesofgoodEnglish，lessstrangebutevenmoresurprising。Thevoicesworeandcursedviolently； itriddledthesolemnpeaceofthebaybyavolleyofabuse。ItbeganbycallingmePig，andfromthatwentcrescendointounmentionableadjectives——inEnglish。 Themanupthereragedaloudintwolanguages，andwithasincerityinhisfurythatalmostconvincedmeI had，insomeway，sinnedagainsttheharmonyoftheuniverse。Icouldhardlyseehim，butbegantothinkhewouldworkhimselfintoafit。 \"Suddenlyheceased，andIcouldhearhimsnortingandblowinglikeaporpoise。Isaid—— \"’Whatsteameristhis，pray？’ \"’Eh？What’sthis？Andwhoareyou？’ \"’CastawaycrewofanEnglishbarkburntatsea。 Wecamehereto—night。Iamthesecondmate。Thecaptainisinthelong—boat，andwishestoknowifyouwouldgiveusapassagesomewhere。’ \"’Oh，mygoodness！Isay……ThisistheCelestialfromSingaporeonherreturntrip。I’llarrangewithyourcaptaininthemorning，……and，……Isay，……didyouhearmejustnow？’ \"’Ishouldthinkthewholebayheardyou。’ \"’Ithoughtyouwereashore—boat。Now，lookhere—— thisinfernallazyscoundrelofacaretakerhasgonetosleepagain——cursehim。Thelightisout，andInearlyranfouloftheendofthisdamnedjetty。Thisisthethirdtimeheplaysmethistrick。Now，Iaskyou，cananybodystandthiskindofthing？It’senoughtodriveamanoutofhismind。I’llreporthim……I’llgettheAssistantResidenttogivehimthesack，by……See—— there’snolight。It’sout，isn’tit？Itakeyoutowitnessthelight’sout。Thereshouldbealight，youknow。A redlightonthe——’ \"’Therewasalight，’Isaid，mildly。 \"’Butit’sout，man！What’stheuseoftalkinglikethis？Youcanseeforyourselfit’sout——don’tyou？IfyouhadtotakeavaluablesteameralongthisGod—for— sakencoastyouwouldwantalighttoo。I’llkickhimfromendtoendofhismiserablewharf。You’llseeifI don’t。Iwill——’ \"’SoImaytellmycaptainyou’lltakeus？’Ibrokein。 \"’Yes，I’lltakeyou。Goodnight，’hesaid，brusquely。 \"Ipulledback，madefastagaintothejetty，andthenwenttosleepatlast。IhadfacedthesilenceoftheEast。Ihadheardsomeofitslanguages。ButwhenI openedmyeyesagainthesilencewasascompleteasthoughithadneverbeenbroken。Iwaslyinginafloodoflight，andtheskyhadneverlookedsofar，sohigh，before。Iopenedmyeyesandlaywithoutmoving。 \"AndthenIsawthemenoftheEast——theywerelookingatme。Thewholelengthofthejettywasfullofpeople。Isawbrown，bronze，yellowfaces，theblackeyes，theglitter，thecolorofanEasterncrowd。Andallthesebeingsstaredwithoutamur— mur，withoutasigh，withoutamovement。Theystareddownattheboats，atthesleepingmenwhoatnighthadcometothemfromthesea。Nothingmoved。 Thefrondsofpalmsstoodstillagainstthesky。Notabranchstirredalongtheshore，andthebrownroofsofhiddenhousespeepedthroughthegreenfoliage，throughthebigleavesthathungshiningandstilllikeleavesforgedofheavymetal。ThiswastheEastoftheancientnavigators，soold，somysterious，resplendentandsomber，livingandunchanged，fullofdangerandprom— ise。Andthesewerethemen。Isatupsuddenly。A waveofmovementpassedthroughthecrowdfromendtoend，passedalongtheheads，swayedthebodies，ranalongthejettylikearippleonthewater，likeabreathofwindonafield——andallwasstillagain。Iseeitnow——thewidesweepofthebay，theglitteringsands，thewealthofgreeninfiniteandvaried，theseablueliketheseaofadream，thecrowdofattentivefaces，theblazeofvividcolor——thewaterreflectingitall，thecurveoftheshore，thejetty，thehigh—sternedoutlandishcraftfloat— ingstill，andthethreeboatswithtiredmenfromtheWestsleepingunconsciousofthelandandthepeopleandoftheviolenceofsunshine。Theysleptthrownacrossthethwarts，curledonbottom—boards，inthecare— lessattitudesofdeath。Theheadoftheoldskipper，leaningbackinthesternofthelong—boat，hadfallenonhisbreast，andhelookedasthoughhewouldneverwake。 FartheroutoldMahon’sfacewasupturnedtothesky，withthelongwhitebeardspreadoutonhisbreast，asthoughhehadbeenshotwherehesatatthetiller；andaman，allinaheapinthebowsoftheboat，sleptwithbotharmsembracingthestem—headandwithhischeeklaidonthegunwale。TheEastlookedatthemwithoutasound。 \"Ihaveknownitsfascinationssince：Ihaveseenthemysteriousshores，thestillwater，thelandsofbrownna— tions，whereastealthyNemesisliesinwait，pursues，overtakessomanyoftheconqueringrace，whoareproudoftheirwisdom，oftheirknowledge，oftheirstrength。 ButformealltheEastiscontainedinthatvisionofmyyouth。ItisallinthatmomentwhenIopenedmyyoungeyesonit。Icameuponitfromatusslewiththesea—— andIwasyoung——andIsawitlookingatme。Andthisisallthatisleftofit！Onlyamoment；amomentofstrength，ofromance，ofglamour——ofyouth！……A flickofsunshineuponastrangeshore，thetimetore— member，thetimeforasigh，and——good—by！——Night—— Good—by……！\" Hedrank。 \"Ah！Thegoodoldtime——thegoodoldtime。Youthandthesea。Glamourandthesea！Thegood，strongsea，thesalt，bittersea，thatcouldwhispertoyouandroaratyouandknockyourbreathoutofyou。\" Hedrankagain。 \"Byallthat’swonderful，itisthesea，Ibelieve，theseaitself——orisityouthalone？Whocantell？Butyouhere——youallhadsomethingoutoflife：money，love—— whateveronegetsonshore——and，tellme，wasn’tthatthebesttime，thattimewhenwewereyoungatsea；youngandhadnothing，ontheseathatgivesnothing，excepthardknocks——andsometimesachancetofeelyourstrength——thatonly——whatyouallregret？\" Andweallnoddedathim：themanoffinance，themanofaccounts，themanoflaw，weallnoddedathimoverthepolishedtablethatlikeastillsheetofbrownwaterreflectedourfaces，lined，wrinkled；ourfacesmarkedbytoil，bydeceptions，bysuccess，bylove；ourwearyeyeslookingstill，lookingalways，lookinganxiouslyforsomethingoutoflife，thatwhileitisexpectedisalreadygone——haspassedunseen，inasigh，inaflash——togetherwiththeyouth，withthestrength，withtheromanceofillusions。