TheNan-Shanhadanathwartshipcoal-bunker,which,beingattimesusedascargospace,communicatedbyanirondoorwiththefore'tween-deck。Itwasemptythen,anditsmanholewastheforemostoneinthealleyway。Theboatswaincouldgetin,therefore,withoutcomingoutondeckatall;buttohisgreatsurprisehefoundhecouldinducenoonetohelphimintakingoffthemanholecover。Hegropedforitallthesame,butoneofthecrewlyinginhiswayrefusedtobudge。
"Why,Ionlywanttogetyouthatblamedlightyouarecryingfor,"heexpostulated,almostpitifully。
Somebodytoldhimtogoandputhisheadinabag。Heregrettedhecouldnotrecognizethevoice,andthatitwastoodarktosee,otherwise,ashesaid,hewouldhaveputaheadonthatsonofasea-cook,anyway,sinkorswim。Nevertheless,hehadmadeuphismindtoshowthemhecouldgetalight,ifheweretodieforit。
Throughtheviolenceoftheship'srolling,everymovementwasdangerous。Tobelyingdownseemedlabourenough。Henearlybrokehisneckdroppingintothebunker。Hefellonhisback,andwassentshootinghelplesslyfromsidetosideinthedangerouscompanyofaheavyironbar——acoal-trimmer'ssliceprobably——leftdowntherebysomebody。Thisthingmadehimasnervousasthoughithadbeenawildbeast。Hecouldnotseeit,theinsideofthebunkercoatedwithcoal-dustbeingperfectlyandimpenetrablyblack;buthehearditslidingandclattering,andstrikinghereandthere,alwaysintheneighbourhoodofhishead。Itseemedtomakeanextraordinarynoise,too——togiveheavythumpsasthoughithadbeenasbigasabridgegirder。
Thiswasremarkableenoughforhimtonoticewhilehewasflungfromporttostarboardandbackagain,andclawingdesperatelythesmoothsidesofthebunkerintheendeavourtostophimself。
Thedoorintothe'tween-decknotfittingquitetrue,hesawathreadofdimlightatthebottom。
Beingasailor,andastillactiveman,hedidnotwantmuchofachancetoregainhisfeet;andasluckwouldhaveit,inscramblingupheputhishandontheironslice,pickingitupasherose。Otherwisehewouldhavebeenafraidofthethingbreakinghislegs,oratleastknockinghimdownagain。Atfirsthestoodstill。Hefeltunsafeinthisdarknessthatseemedtomaketheship'smotionunfamiliar,unforeseen,anddifficulttocounteract。Hefeltsomuchshakenforamomentthathedarednotmoveforfearof"takingchargeagain。"Hehadnomindtogetbatteredtopiecesinthatbunker。
Hehadstruckhisheadtwice;hewasdazedalittle。Heseemedtohearyetsoplainlytheclatterandbangsoftheironsliceflyingabouthisearsthathetightenedhisgriptoprovetohimselfhehadittheresafelyinhishand。Hewasvaguelyamazedattheplainnesswithwhichdowntherehecouldhearthegaleraging。Itshowlsandshrieksseemedtotakeon,intheemptinessofthebunker,somethingofthehumancharacter,ofhumanrageandpain——beingnotvastbutinfinitelypoignant。
Andtherewere,witheveryroll,thumps,too——profound,ponderousthumps,asifabulkyobjectoffive-tonweightorsohadgotplayinthehold。Buttherewasnosuchthinginthecargo。Somethingondeck?Impossible。Oralongside?Couldn'tbe。
Hethoughtallthisquickly,clearly,competently,likeaseaman,andintheendremainedpuzzled。Thisnoise,though,camedeadenedfromoutside,togetherwiththewashingandpouringofwaterondeckabovehishead。Wasitthewind?Mustbe。Itmadedowntherearowliketheshoutingofabiglotofcrazedmen。Andhediscoveredinhimselfadesireforalight,too-ifonlytogetdrownedby——andanervousanxietytogetoutofthatbunkerasquicklyaspossible。
Hepulledbackthebolt:theheavyironplateturnedonitshinges;anditwasasthoughhehadopenedthedoortothesoundsofthetempest。Agustofhoarseyellingmethim:theairwasstill;andtherushingofwateroverheadwascoveredbyatumultofstrangled,throatyshrieksthatproducedaneffectofdesperateconfusion。Hestraddledhislegsthewholewidthofthedoorwayandstretchedhisneck。Andatfirstheperceivedonlywhathehadcometoseek:sixsmallyellowflamesswingingviolentlyonthegreatbodyofthedusk。
Itwasstayedlikethegalleryofamine,witharowofstanchionsinthemiddle,andcross-beamsoverhead,penetratingintothegloomahead——indefinitely。Andtoportthereloomed,likethecavinginofoneofthesides,abulkymasswithaslantingoutline。Thewholeplace,withtheshadowsandtheshapes,movedallthetime。Theboatswainglared:theshiplurchedtostarboard,andagreathowlcamefromthatmassthathadtheslantoffallenearth。
Piecesofwoodwhizzedpast。Planks,hethought,inexpressiblystartled,andflingingbackhishead。Athisfeetamanwentslidingover,open-eyed,onhisback,strainingwithupliftedarmsfornothing:andanothercameboundinglikeadetachedstonewithhisheadbetweenhislegsandhishandsclenched。His58
pigtailwhippedintheair;hemadeagrabattheboatswain'slegs,andfromhisopenedhandabrightwhitediscrolledagainsttheboatswain'sfoot。Herecognizedasilverdollar,andyelledatitwithastonishment。Withaprecipitatedsoundoftramplingandshufflingofbarefeet,andwithgutturalcries,themoundofwrithingbodiespileduptoportdetacheditselffromtheship'ssideandsliding,inertandstruggling,shiftedtostarboard,withadull,brutalthump。Thecriesceased。Theboatswainheardalongmoanthroughtheroarandwhistlingofthewind;hesawaninextricableconfusionofheadsandshoulders,nakedsoleskickingupwards,fistsraised,tumblingbacks,legs,pigtails,faces。
"GoodLord!"hecried,horrified,andbanged-totheirondooruponthisvision。
Thiswaswhathehadcomeonthebridgetotell。Hecouldnotkeepittohimself;andonboardshipthereisonlyonemantowhomitisworthwhiletounburdenyourself。Onhispassagebackthehandsinthealleywaysworeathimforafool。Whydidn'thebringthatlamp?Whatthedevildidthecooliesmattertoanybody?Andwhenhecameout,theextremityoftheshipmadewhatwentoninsideofherappearoflittlemoment。
Atfirsthethoughthehadleftthealleywayintheverymomentofhersinking。Thebridgeladdershadbeenwashedaway,butanenormousseafillingtheafter-deckfloatedhimup。Afterthathehadtolieonhisstomachforsometime,holdingtoaring-bolt,gettinghisbreathnowandthen,andswallowingsaltwater。Hestruggledfartheronhishandsandknees,toofrightenedanddistractedtoturnback。Inthiswayhereachedtheafter-partofthewheelhouse。Inthatcomparativelyshelteredspothefoundthesecondmate。
Theboatswainwaspleasantlysurprised——hisimpressionbeingthateverybodyondeckmusthavebeenwashedawayalongtimeago。HeaskedeagerlywheretheCaptainwas。
Thesecondmatewaslyinglow,likeamalignantlittleanimalunderahedge。
"Captain?Goneoverboard,aftergettingusintothismess。"Themate,too,forallhekneworcared。Anotherfool。Didn'tmatter。Everybodywasgoingby-and-by。
Theboatswaincrawledoutagainintothestrengthofthewind;
notbecausehemuchexpectedtofindanybody,hesaid,butjusttogetawayfrom"thatman。"Hecrawledoutasoutcastsgotofaceaninclementworld。HencehisgreatjoyatfindingJukesandtheCaptain。Butwhatwasgoingoninthe'tween-deckwastohimaminormatterbythattime。Besides,itwasdifficulttomakeyourselfheard。ButhemanagedtoconveytheideathattheChinamanhadbrokenadrifttogetherwiththeirboxes,andthathehadcomeuponpurposetoreportthis。Astothehands,theywereallright。Then,appeased,hesubsidedonthedeckinasittingposture,huggingwithhisarmsandlegsthestandoftheengine-roomtelegraph——anironcastingasthickasapost。
Whenthatwent,why,heexpectedhewouldgo,too。Hegavenomorethoughttothecoolies。
CaptainMacWhirrhadmadeJukesunderstandthathewantedhimtogodownbelow——tosee。
"WhatamItodothen,sir?"AndthetremblingofhiswholewetbodycausedJukes'voicetosoundlikebleating。
"Seefirst……Boss'n……says……adrift。"
"Thatboss'nisaconfoundedfool,"howledJukes,shakily。
TheabsurdityofthedemandmadeuponhimrevoltedJukes。Hewasasunwillingtogoasifthemomenthehadleftthedecktheshipweresuretosink。
"Imustknow……can'tleave……"
"They'llsettle,sir。"
"Fight……boss'nsaystheyfight……Why?Can'thave……
fighting……boardship……Muchratherkeepyouhere……
case……Ishould……washedoverboardmyself……Stopit……someway。Youseeandtellme……throughengine-roomtube。Don'twantyou……comeuphere……toooften。
Dangerous……movingabout……deck。"
Jukes,heldwithhisheadinchancery,hadtolistentowhatseemedhorriblesuggestions。
"Don'twant……yougetlost……solong……shipisn't……Rout……Goodman……Ship……may……throughthis……allrightyet。"
AllatonceJukesunderstoodhewouldhavetogo。
"Doyouthinkshemay?"hescreamed。
Butthewinddevouredthereply,outofwhichJukesheardonlytheoneword,pronouncedwithgreatenergy"……Always……"
CaptainMacWhirrreleasedJukes,andbendingovertheboatswain,yelled,"Getbackwiththemate。"Jukesonlyknewthatthearmwasgoneoffhisshoulders。Hewasdismissedwithhisorders——
todowhat?Hewasexasperatedintolettinggohisholdcarelessly,andontheinstantwasblownaway。Itseemedtohimthatnothingcouldstophimfrombeingblownrightoverthestern。Heflunghimselfdownhastily,andtheboatswain,whowasfollowing,fellonhim。
"Don'tyougetupyet,sir,"criedtheboatswain。"Nohurry!"
Aseasweptover。Jukesunderstoodtheboatswaintosplutterthatthebridgeladdersweregone。"I'llloweryoudown,sir,byyourhands,"hescreamed。Heshoutedalsosomethingaboutthesmoke-stackbeingaslikelytogooverboardasnot。Jukesthoughtitverypossible,andimaginedthefiresout,theshiphelpless……Theboatswainbyhissidekeptonyelling。
"What?Whatisit?"Jukescrieddistressfully;andtheotherrepeated,"Whatwouldmyoldwomansayifshesawmenow?"
Inthealleyway,wherealotofwaterhadgotinandsplashedinthedark,themenwerestillasdeath,tillJukesstumbledagainstoneofthemandcursedhimsavagelyforbeingintheway。
Twoorthreevoicesthenasked,eagerandweak,"Anychanceforus,sir?"
"What'sthematterwithyoufools?"hesaidbrutally。Hefeltasthoughhecouldthrowhimselfdownamongstthemandnevermoveanymore。Buttheyseemedcheered;andinthemidstofobsequiouswarnings,"Lookout!Mindthatmanholelid,sir,"
theyloweredhimintothebunker。Theboatswaintumbleddownafterhim,andassoonashehadpickedhimselfupheremarked,"Shewouldsay,'Serveyouright,youoldfool,forgoingtosea。'"
Theboatswainhadsomemeans,andmadeapointofalludingtothemfrequently。Hiswife——afatwoman——andtwogrown-updaughterskeptagreengrocer'sshopintheEast-endofLondon。
Inthedark,Jukes,unsteadyonhislegs,listenedtoafaintthunderouspatter。Adeadenedscreamingwentonsteadilyathiselbow,asitwere;andfromabovetheloudertumultofthestormdescendeduponthesenearsounds。Hisheadswam。Tohim,too,inthatbunker,themotionoftheshipseemednovelandmenacing,sappinghisresolutionasthoughhehadneverbeenafloatbefore。
Hehadhalfamindtoscrambleoutagain;buttheremembranceofCaptainMacWhirr'svoicemadethisimpossible。Hisordersweretogoandsee。Whatwasthegoodofit,hewantedtoknow。
Enraged,hetoldhimselfhewouldsee——ofcourse。Buttheboatswain,staggeringclumsily,warnedhimtobecarefulhowheopenedthatdoor;therewasablamedfightgoingon。AndJukes,asifingreatbodilypain,desiredirritablytoknowwhatthedeviltheywerefightingfor。
"Dollars!Dollars,sir。Alltheirrottenchestsgotburstopen。
Blamedmoneyskippingallovertheplace,andtheyaretumblingafteritheadoverheels——tearingandbitinglikeanything。A
regularlittlehellinthere。"
Jukesconvulsivelyopenedthedoor。Theshortboatswainpeeredunderhisarm。
Oneofthelampshadgoneout,brokenperhaps。Rancorous,gutturalcriesburstoutloudlyontheirears,andastrangepantingsound,theworkingofallthesestrainingbreasts。A
hardblowhitthesideoftheship:waterfellabovewithastunningshock,andintheforefrontofthegloom,wheretheairwasreddishandthick,Jukessawaheadbangthedeckviolently,twothickcalveswavingonhigh,musculararmstwinedroundanakedbody,ayellow-face,open-mouthedandwithasetwildstare,lookupandslideaway。Anemptychestclatteredturningover;amanfellheadfirstwithajump,asifliftedbyakick;
andfartheroff,indistinct,othersstreamedlikeamassofrollingstonesdownabank,thumpingthedeckwiththeirfeetandflourishingtheirarmswildly。Thehatchwayladderwasloadedwithcooliesswarmingonitlikebeesonabranch。Theyhungonthestepsinacrawling,stirringcluster,beatingmadlywiththeirfiststheundersideofthebattenedhatch,andtheheadlongrushofthewaterabovewasheardintheintervalsoftheiryelling。Theshipheeledovermore,andtheybegantodropoff:
firstone,thentwo,thenalltherestwentawaytogether,fallingstraightoffwithagreatcry。
Jukeswasconfounded。Theboatswain,withgruffanxiety,beggedhim,"Don'tyougointhere,sir。"
Thewholeplaceseemedtotwistuponitself,jumpingincessantlythewhile;andwhentheshiprosetoaseaJukesfanciedthatallthesemenwouldbeshotuponhiminabody。Hebackedout,swungthedoorto,andwithtremblinghandspushedatthebolt……
AssoonashismatehadgoneCaptainMacWhirr,leftaloneonthebridge,sidledandstaggeredasfarasthewheelhouse。Itsdoorbeinghingedforward,hehadtofightthegaleforadmittance,andwhenatlasthemanagedtoenter,itwaswithaninstantaneousclatterandabang,asthoughhehadbeenfiredthroughthewood。Hestoodwithin,holdingontothehandle。
Thesteering-gearleakedsteam,andintheconfinedspacetheglassofthebinnaclemadeashinyovaloflightinathinwhitefog。Thewindhowled,hummed,whistled,withsuddenboomingguststhatrattledthedoorsandshuttersintheviciouspatterofsprays。Twocoilsoflead-lineandasmallcanvasbaghungonalonglanyard,swungwideoff,andcamebackclingingtothebulkheads。Thegratingsunderfootwerenearlyafloat;witheverysweepingblowofasea,watersquirtedviolentlythroughthecracksallroundthedoor,andthemanatthehelmhadflungdownhiscap,hiscoat,andstoodproppedagainstthegear-casinginastripedcottonshirtopenonhisbreast。Thelittlebrasswheelinhishandshadtheappearanceofabrightandfragiletoy。Thecordsofhisneckstoodhardandlean,adarkpatchlayinthehollowofhisthroat,andhisfacewasstillandsunkenasindeath。
CaptainMacWhirrwipedhiseyes。Theseathathadnearlytakenhimoverboardhad,tohisgreatannoyance,washedhissou'-westerhatoffhisbaldhead。Thefluffy,fairhair,soakedanddarkened,resembledameanskeinofcottonthreadsfestoonedroundhisbareskull。Hisface,glisteningwithsea-water,hadbeenmadecrimsonwiththewind,withthestingofsprays。Helookedasthoughhehadcomeoffsweatingfrombeforeafurnace。
"Youhere?"hemuttered,heavily。
Thesecondmatehadfoundhiswayintothewheelhousesometimebefore。Hehadfixedhimselfinacornerwithhiskneesup,afistpressedagainsteachtemple;andthisattitudesuggestedrage,sorrow,resignation,surrender,withasortofconcentratedunforgiveness。Hesaidmournfullyanddefiantly,"Well,it'smywatchbelownow:ain'tit?"
Thesteamgearclattered,stopped,clatteredagain;andthehelmsman'seyeballsseemedtoprojectoutofahungryfaceasifthecompasscardbehindthebinnacleglasshadbeenmeat。Godknowshowlonghehadbeenlefttheretosteer,asifforgottenbyallhisshipmates。Thebellshadnotbeenstruck;therehadbeennoreliefs;theship'sroutinehadgonedownwind;buthewastryingtokeepherheadnorth-north-east。Theruddermighthavebeengoneforallheknew,thefiresout,theenginesbrokendown,theshipreadytorolloverlikeacorpse。Hewasanxiousnottogetmuddledandlosecontrolofherhead,becausethecompass-cardswungfarbothways,wrigglingonthepivot,andsometimesseemedtowhirlrightround。Hesufferedfrommentalstress。Hewashorriblyafraid,also,ofthewheelhousegoing。
Mountainsofwaterkeptontumblingagainstit。Whentheshiptookoneofherdesperatedivesthecornersofhislipstwitched。
CaptainMacWhirrlookedupatthewheelhouseclock。Screwedtothebulk-head,ithadawhitefaceonwhichtheblackhandsappearedtostandquitestill。Itwashalf-pastoneinthemorning。
"Anotherday,"hemutteredtohimself。
Thesecondmateheardhim,andliftinghisheadasonegrievingamongstruins,"Youwon'tseeitbreak,"heexclaimed。Hiswristsandhiskneescouldbeseentoshakeviolently。"No,byGod!Youwon't……"
Hetookhisfaceagainbetweenhisfists。
Thebodyofthehelmsmanhadmovedslightly,buthisheaddidn'tbudgeonhisneck,——likeastoneheadfixedtolookonewayfromacolumn。Duringarollthatallbuttookhisbootedlegsfromunderhim,andintheverystaggertosavehimself,CaptainMacWhirrsaidausterely,"Don'tyoupayanyattentiontowhatthatmansays。"Andthen,withanindefinablechangeoftone,verygrave,headded,"Heisn'tonduty。"
Thesailorsaidnothing。
Thehurricaneboomed,shakingthelittleplace,whichseemedair-tight;andthelightofthebinnacleflickeredallthetime。
"Youhaven'tbeenrelieved,"CaptainMacWhirrwenton,lookingdown。"Iwantyoutosticktothehelm,though,aslongasyoucan。You'vegotthehangofher。Anothermancomingheremightmakeamessofit。Wouldn'tdo。Nochild'splay。Andthehandsareprobablybusywithajobdownbelow……Thinkyoucan?"
Thesteering-gearleapedintoanabruptshortclatter,stoppedsmoulderinglikeanember;andthestillman,withamotionlessgaze,burstout,asifallthepassioninhimhadgoneintohislips:"ByHeavens,sir!Icansteerforeverifnobodytalkstome。"
"Oh!aye!Allright……"TheCaptainliftedhiseyesforthefirsttimetotheman,"……Hackett。"
Andheseemedtodismissthismatterfromhismind。Hestoopedtotheengine-roomspeaking-tube,blewin,andbenthishead。Mr。
Routbelowanswered,andatonceCaptainMacWhirrputhislipstothemouthpiece。
Withtheuproarofthegalearoundhimheappliedalternatelyhislipsandhisear,andtheengineer'svoicemountedtohim,harshandasifoutoftheheatofanengagement。Oneofthestokerswasdisabled,theothershadgivenin,thesecondengineerandthedonkey-manwerefiring-up。Thethirdengineerwasstandingbythesteam-valve。Theengineswerebeingtendedbyhand。Howwasitabove?
"Badenough。Itmostlyrestswithyou,"saidCaptainMacWhirr。
Wasthematedownthereyet?No?Well,hewouldbepresently。
WouldMr。Routlethimtalkthroughthespeaking-tube?——throughthedeckspeaking-tube,becausehe——theCaptain——wasgoingoutagainonthebridgedirectly。TherewassometroubleamongsttheChinamen。Theywerefighting,itseemed。Couldn'tallowfightinganyhow……
Mr。Routhadgoneaway,andCaptainMacWhirrcouldfeelagainsthisearthepulsationoftheengines,likethebeatoftheship'sheart。Mr。Rout'svoicedownthereshoutedsomethingdistantly。
Theshippitchedheadlong,thepulsationleapedwithahissingtumult,andstoppeddead。CaptainMacWhirr'sfacewasimpassive,andhiseyeswerefixedaimlesslyonthecrouchingshapeofthesecondmate。AgainMr。Rout'svoicecriedoutinthedepths,andthepulsatingbeatsrecommenced,withslowstrokes——growingswifter。
Mr。Routhadreturnedtothetube。"Itdon'tmattermuchwhattheydo,"hesaid,hastily;andthen,withirritation,"Shetakesthesedivesasifshenevermeanttocomeupagain。"
"Awfulsea,"saidtheCaptain'svoicefromabove。
"Don'tletmedriveherunder,"barkedSolomonRoutupthepipe。
"Darkandrain。Can'tseewhat'scoming,"utteredthevoice。
"Must——keep——her——moving——enoughtosteer——andchanceit,"itwentontostatedistinctly。
"IamdoingasmuchasIdare。"
"Weare——getting——smashedup——agooddealuphere,"
proceededthevoicemildly。"Doing——fairlywell——though。Ofcourse,ifthewheelhouseshouldgo……"
Mr。Rout,bendinganattentiveear,mutteredpeevishlysomethingunderhisbreath。
Butthedeliberatevoiceuptherebecameanimatedtoask:"Jukesturnedupyet?"Then,afterashortwait,"Iwishhewouldbearahand。Iwanthimtobedoneandcomeuphereincaseofanything。Tolookaftertheship。Iamallalone。Thesecondmate'slost……"
"What?"shoutedMr。Routintotheengine-room,takinghisheadaway。Thenupthetubehecried,"Goneoverboard?"andclappedhisearto。
"Losthisnerve,"thevoicefromabovecontinuedinamatter-of-facttone。"Damnedawkwardcircumstance。"
Mr。Rout,listeningwithbowedneck,openedhiseyeswideatthis。However,heheardsomethinglikethesoundsofascuffleandbrokenexclamationscomingdowntohim。Hestrainedhishearing;andallthetimeBeale,thethirdengineer,withhisarmsuplifted,heldbetweenthepalmsofhishandstherimofalittleblackwheelprojectingatthesideofabigcopperpipe。
Heseemedtobepoisingitabovehishead,asthoughitwereacorrectattitudeinsomesortofgame。
Tosteadyhimself,hepressedhisshoulderagainstthewhitebulkhead,onekneebent,andasweat-ragtuckedinhisbelthangingonhiship。Hissmoothcheekwasbegrimedandflushed,andthecoaldustonhiseyelids,liketheblackpencillingofamake-up,enhancedtheliquidbrillianceofthewhites,givingtohisyouthfulfacesomethingofafeminine,exoticandfascinatingaspect。Whentheshippitchedhewouldwithhastymovementsofhishandsscrewhardatthelittlewheel。
"Gonecrazy,"begantheCaptain'svoicesuddenlyinthetube。
"Rushedatme……Justnow。Hadtoknockhimdown……
Thisminute。Youheard,Mr。Rout?"
"Thedevil!"mutteredMr。Rout。"Lookout,Beale!"
Hisshoutrangoutliketheblastofawarningtrumpet,betweentheironwallsoftheengine-room。Paintedwhite,theyrosehighintotheduskoftheskylight,slopinglikearoof;andthewholeloftyspaceresembledtheinteriorofamonument,dividedbyfloorsofirongrating,withlightsflickeringatdifferentlevels,andamassofgloomlingeringinthemiddle,withinthecolumnarstirofmachineryunderthemotionlessswellingofthecylinders。Aloudandwildresonance,madeupofallthenoisesofthehurricane,dweltinthestillwarmthoftheair。Therewasinitthesmellofhotmetal,ofoil,andaslightmistofsteam。Theblowsoftheseaseemedtotraverseitinanunringing,stunningshock,fromsidetoside。
Gleams,likepalelongflames,trembleduponthepolishofmetal;
fromtheflooringbelowtheenormouscrank-headsemergedintheirturnswithaflashofbrassandsteel——goingover;whiletheconnecting-rods,big-jointed,likeskeletonlimbs,seemedtothrustthemdownandpullthemupagainwithanirresistibleprecision。Anddeepinthehalf-lightotherrodsdodgeddeliberatelytoandfro,crossheadsnodded,discsofmetalrubbedsmoothlyagainsteachother,slowandgentle,inacomminglingofshadowsandgleams。
Sometimesallthosepowerfulandunerringmovementswouldslowdownsimultaneously,asiftheyhadbeenthefunctionsofalivingorganism,strickensuddenlybytheblightoflanguor;andMr。Rout'seyeswouldblazedarkerinhislongsallowface。Hewasfightingthisfightinapairofcarpetslippers。Ashortshinyjacketbarelycoveredhisloins,andhiswhitewristsprotrudedfaroutofthetightsleeves,asthoughtheemergencyhadaddedtohisstature,hadlengthenedhislimbs,augmentedhispallor,hollowedhiseyes。
Hemoved,climbinghighup,disappearinglowdown,witharestless,purposefulindustry,andwhenhestoodstill,holdingtheguard-railinfrontofthestarting-gear,hewouldkeepglancingtotherightatthesteam-gauge,atthewater-gauge,fixeduponthewhitewallinthelightofaswayinglamp。Themouthsoftwospeakingtubesgapedstupidlyathiselbow,andthedialoftheengine-roomtelegraphresembledaclockoflargediameter,bearingonitsfacecurtwordsinsteadoffigures。Thegroupedlettersstoodoutheavilyblack,aroundthepivot-headoftheindicator,emphaticallysymbolicofloudexclamations:AHEAD,ASTERN,SLOW,Half,STANDBY;andthefatblackhandpointeddownwardstothewordFULL,which,thussingledout,capturedtheeyeasasharpcrysecuresattention。
Thewood-encasedbulkofthelow-pressurecylinder,frowningportlyfromabove,emittedafaintwheezeateverythrust,andexceptforthatlowhisstheenginesworkedtheirsteellimbsheadlongorslowwithasilent,determinedsmoothness。Andallthis,thewhitewalls,themovingsteel,thefloorplatesunderSolomonRout'sfeet,thefloorsofirongratingabovehishead,theduskandthegleams,uproseandsankcontinuously,withoneaccord,upontheharshwashofthewavesagainsttheship'sside。
Thewholeloftinessoftheplace,boominghollowtothegreatvoiceofthewind,swayedatthetoplikeatree,wouldgooverbodily,asifbornedownthiswayandthatbythetremendousblasts。
"You'vegottohurryup,"shoutedMr。Rout,assoonashesawJukesappearinthestokeholddoorway。
Jukes'glancewaswanderingandtipsy;hisredfacewaspuffy,asthoughhehadoverslepthimself。Hehadhadanarduousroad,andhadtravelledoveritwithimmensevivacity,theagitationofhismindcorrespondingtotheexertionsofhisbody。Hehadrushedupoutofthebunker,stumblinginthedarkalleywayamongstalotofbewilderedmenwho,trodupon,asked"What'sup,sir?"inawedmuttersallroundhim;——downthestokeholdladder,missingmanyironrungsinhishurry,downintoaplacedeepasawell,blackasTophet,tippingoverbackandforthlikeasee-saw。Thewaterinthebilgesthunderedateachroll,andlumpsofcoalskippedtoandfro,fromendtoend,rattlinglikeanavalancheofpebblesonaslopeofiron。
Somebodyintheremoanedwithpain,andsomebodyelsecouldbeseencrouchingoverwhatseemedthepronebodyofadeadman;alustyvoiceblasphemed;andtheglowundereachfire-doorwaslikeapoolofflamingbloodradiatingquietlyinavelvetyblackness。
AgustofwindstruckuponthenapeofJukes'neckandnextmomenthefeltitstreamingabouthiswetankles。Thestokeholdventilatorshummed:infrontofthesixfire-doorstwowildfigures,strippedtothewaist,staggeredandstooped,wrestlingwithtwoshovels。
"Hallo!Plentyofdraughtnow,"yelledthesecondengineeratonce,asthoughhehadbeenallthetimelookingoutforJukes。
Thedonkeyman,adapperlittlechapwithadazzlingfairskinandatiny,gingerymoustache,workedinasortofmutetransport。
Theywerekeepingafullheadofsteam,andaprofoundrumbling,asofanemptyfurniturevantrottingoverabridge,madeasustainedbasstoalltheothernoisesoftheplace。
"Blowingoffallthetime,"wentonyellingthesecond。Withasoundasofahundredscouredsaucepans,theorificeofaventilatorspatuponhisshoulderasuddengushofsaltwater,andhevolleyedastreamofcursesuponallthingsonearthincludinghisownsoul,rippingandraving,andallthetimeattendingtohisbusiness。Withasharpclashofmetaltheardentpaleglareofthefireopeneduponhisbullethead,showinghissplutteringlips,hisinsolentface,andwithanotherclangclosedlikethewhite-hotwinkofanironeye。
"Where'sthebloomingship?Canyoutellme?blastmyeyes!
Underwater——orwhat?It'scomingdownhereintons。ArethecondemnedcowlsgonetoHades?Hey?Don'tyouknowanything——
youjollysailor-manyou……?"
Jukes,afterabewilderedmoment,hadbeenhelpedbyarolltodartthrough;andassoonashiseyestookinthecomparativevastness,peaceandbrillianceoftheengine-room,theship,settinghersternheavilyinthewater,senthimchargingheaddownuponMr。Rout。
Thechief'sarm,longlikeatentacle,andstraighteningasifworkedbyaspring,wentouttomeethim,anddeflectedhisrushintoaspintowardsthespeaking-tubes。AtthesametimeMr。
Routrepeatedearnestly:
"You'vegottohurryup,whateveritis。"
Jukesyelled"Areyouthere,sir?"andlistened。Nothing。
Suddenlytheroarofthewindfellstraightintohisear,butpresentlyasmallvoiceshovedasidetheshoutinghurricanequietly。
"You,Jukes?——Well?"
Jukeswasreadytotalk:itwasonlytimethatseemedtobewanting。Itwaseasyenoughtoaccountforeverything。Hecouldperfectlyimaginethecooliesbatteneddowninthereeking'tween-deck,lyingsickandscaredbetweentherowsofchests。
Thenoneofthesechests——orperhapsseveralatonce——
breakinglooseinaroll,knockingoutothers,sidessplitting,lidsflyingopen,andalltheseclumsyChinamenrisingupinabodytosavetheirproperty。Afterwardseveryflingoftheshipwouldhurlthattramping,yellingmobhereandthere,fromsidetoside,inawhirlofsmashedwood,tornclothing,rollingdollars。Astruggleoncestarted,theywouldbeunabletostopthemselves。Nothingcouldstopthemnowexceptmainforce。Itwasadisaster。Hehadseenit,andthatwasallhecouldsay。
Someofthemmustbedead,hebelieved。Therestwouldgoonfighting……
Hesentuphiswords,trippingovereachother,crowdingthenarrowtube。Theymountedasifintoasilenceofanenlightenedcomprehensiondwellingaloneuptherewithastorm。AndJukeswantedtobedismissedfromthefaceofthatodioustroubleintrudingonthegreatneedoftheship。
V
HEWAITED。Beforehiseyestheenginesturnedwithslowlabour,thatinthemomentofgoingoffintoamadflingwouldstopdeadatMr。Rout'sshout,"Lookout,Beale!"Theypausedinanintelligentimmobility,stilledinmid-stroke,aheavycrankarrestedonthecant,asifconsciousofdangerandthepassageoftime。Then,witha"Now,then!"fromthechief,andthesoundofabreathexpelledthroughclenchedteeth,theywouldaccomplishtheinterruptedrevolutionandbeginanother。
Therewastheprudentsagacityofwisdomandthedeliberationofenormousstrengthintheirmovements。Thiswastheirwork——thispatientcoaxingofadistractedshipoverthefuryofthewavesandintotheveryeyeofthewind。AttimesMr。Rout'schinwouldsinkonhisbreast,andhewatchedthemwithknittedeyebrowsasiflostinthought。
ThevoicethatkeptthehurricaneoutofJukes'earbegan:"Takethehandswithyou……,"andleftoffunexpectedly。
"WhatcouldIdowiththem,sir?"
Aharsh,abrupt,imperiousclangexplodedsuddenly。ThethreepairsofeyesflewuptothetelegraphdialtoseethehandjumpfromFULLtoSTOP,asifsnatchedbyadevil。Andthenthesethreemenintheengineroomhadtheintimatesensationofacheckupontheship,ofastrangeshrinking,asifshehadgatheredherselfforadesperateleap。
"Stopher!"bellowedMr。Rout。
Nobody——notevenCaptainMacWhirr,whoaloneondeckhadcaughtsightofawhitelineoffoamcomingonatsuchaheightthathecouldn'tbelievehiseyes-nobodywastoknowthesteepnessofthatseaandtheawfuldepthofthehollowthehurricanehadscoopedoutbehindtherunningwallofwater。
Itracedtomeettheship,and,withapause,asofgirdingtheloins,theNan-Shanliftedherbowsandleaped。Theflamesinallthelampssank,darkeningtheengine-room。Onewentout。
Withatearingcrashandaswirling,ravingtumult,tonsofwaterfelluponthedeck,asthoughtheshiphaddartedunderthefootofacataract。
Downtheretheylookedateachother,stunned。
"Sweptfromendtoend,byGod!"bawledJukes。
Shedippedintothehollowstraightdown,asifgoingovertheedgeoftheworld。Theengine-roomtoppledforwardmenacingly,liketheinsideofatowernoddinginanearthquake。Anawfulracket,ofironthingsfalling,camefromthestokehold。ShehungonthisappallingslantlongenoughforBealetodroponhishandsandkneesandbegintocrawlasifhemeanttoflyonallfoursoutoftheengine-room,andforMr。Routtoturnhisheadslowly,rigid,cavernous,withthelowerjawdropping。Jukeshadshuthiseyes,andhisfaceinamomentbecamehopelesslyblankandgentle,likethefaceofablindman。
Atlastsheroseslowly,staggering,asifshehadtoliftamountainwithherbows。
Mr。Routshuthismouth;Jukesblinked;andlittleBealestooduphastily。
"Anotheronelikethis,andthat'sthelastofher,"criedthechief。
HeandJukeslookedateachother,andthesamethoughtcameintotheirheads。TheCaptain!Everythingmusthavebeensweptaway。
Steering-geargone——shiplikealog。Alloverdirectly。
"Rush!"ejaculatedMr。Routthickly,glaringwithenlarged,doubtfuleyesatJukes,whoansweredhimbyanirresoluteglance。
Theclangofthetelegraphgongsoothedtheminstantly。TheblackhanddroppedinaflashfromSTOPtoFULL。
"Nowthen,Beale!"criedMr。Rout。
Thesteamhissedlow。Thepiston-rodsslidinandout。Jukesputhiseartothetube。Thevoicewasreadyforhim。Itsaid:
"Pickupallthemoney。Bearahandnow。I'llwantyouuphere。"
Andthatwasall。
"Sir?"calledupJukes。Therewasnoanswer。
Hestaggeredawaylikeadefeatedmanfromthefieldofbattle。
Hehadgot,insomewayorother,acutabovehislefteyebrow——
acuttothebone。Hewasnotawareofitintheleast:
quantitiesoftheChinaSea,largeenoughtobreakhisneckforhim,hadgoneoverhishead,hadcleaned,washed,andsaltedthatwound。Itdidnotbleed,butonlygapedred;andthisgashovertheeye,hisdishevelledhair,thedisorderofhisclothes,gavehimtheaspectofamanworstedinafightwithfists。
"Gottopickupthedollars。"HeappealedtoMr。Rout,smilingpitifullyatrandom。
"What'sthat?"askedMr。Rout,wildly。"Pickup……?Idon'tcare……"Then,quiveringineverymuscle,butwithanexaggerationofpaternaltone,"Goawaynow,forGod'ssake。Youdeckpeople'lldrivemesilly。There'sthatsecondmatebeengoingfortheoldman。Don'tyouknow?Youfellowsaregoingwrongforwantofsomethingtodo……"
AtthesewordsJukesdiscoveredinhimselfthebeginningsofanger。Wantofsomethingtodo——indeed……Fullofhotscornagainstthechief,heturnedtogothewayhehadcome。Inthestokeholdtheplumpdonkeymantoiledwithhisshovelmutely,asifhistonguehadbeencutout;butthesecondwascarryingonlikeanoisy,undauntedmaniac,whohadpreservedhisskillintheartofstokingunderamarineboiler。
"Hallo,youwanderingofficer!Hey!Can'tyougetsomeofyourslush-slingerstowindupafewofthemashes?Iamgettingchokedwiththemhere。Curseit!Hallo!Hey!Rememberthearticles:Sailorsandfirementoassisteachother。Hey!D'yehear?"
Jukeswasclimbingoutfrantically,andtheother,liftinguphisfaceafterhim,howled,"Can'tyouspeak?Whatareyoupokingaboutherefor?What'syourgame,anyhow?"
AfrenzypossessedJukes。Bythetimehewasbackamongstthemeninthedarknessofthealleyway,hefeltreadytowringalltheirnecksattheslightestsignofhangingback。Theverythoughtofitexasperatedhim。Hecouldn'thangback。Theyshouldn't。
Theimpetuositywithwhichhecameamongstthemcarriedthemalong。Theyhadalreadybeenexcitedandstartledatallhiscomingsandgoings——bythefiercenessandrapidityofhismovements;andmorefeltthanseeninhisrushes,heappearedformidable-busiedwithmattersoflifeanddeaththatbrookednodelay。Athisfirstwordheheardthemdropintothebunkeroneafteranotherobediently,withheavythumps。
Theywerenotclearastowhatwouldhavetobedone。"Whatisit?Whatisit?"theywereaskingeachother。Theboatswaintriedtoexplain;thesoundsofagreatscufflesurprisedthem:
andthemightyshocks,reverberatingawfullyintheblackbunker,kepttheminmindoftheirdanger。Whentheboatswainthrewopenthedooritseemedthataneddyofthehurricane,stealingthroughtheironsidesoftheship,hadsetallthesebodieswhirlinglikedust:therecametothemaconfuseduproar,atempestuoustumult,afiercemutter,gustsofscreamsdyingaway,andthetrampingoffeetminglingwiththeblowsofthesea。
Foramomenttheyglaredamazed,blockingthedoorway。Jukespushedthroughthembrutally。Hesaidnothing,andsimplydartedin。Anotherlotofcooliesontheladder,strugglingsuicidallytobreakthroughthebattenedhatchtoaswampeddeck,felloffasbefore,andhedisappearedunderthemlikeamanovertakenbyalandslide。
Theboatswainyelledexcitedly:"Comealong。Getthemateout。
He'llbetrampledtodeath。Comeon。"
Theychargedin,stampingonbreasts,onfingers,onfaces,catchingtheirfeetinheapsofclothing,kickingbrokenwood;
butbeforetheycouldgetholdofhimJukesemergedwaistdeepinamultitudeofclawinghands。Intheinstanthehadbeenlosttoview,allthebuttonsofhisjackethadgone,itsbackhadgotsplituptothecollar,hiswaistcoathadbeentornopen。ThecentralstrugglingmassofChinamenwentovertotheroll,dark,indistinct,helpless,withawildgleamofmanyeyesinthedimlightofthelamps。
"Leavemealone——damnyou。Iamallright,"screechedJukes。
"Drivethemforward。Watchyourchancewhenshepitches。
Forwardwith'em。Drivethemagainstthebulkhead。Jam'emup。"
Therushofthesailorsintotheseething'tween-deckwaslikeasplashofcoldwaterintoaboilingcauldron。Thecommotionsankforamoment。
ThebulkofChinamenwerelockedinsuchacompactscrimmagethat,linkingtheirarmsandaidedbyanappallingdiveoftheship,theseamensentitforwardinonegreatshove,likeasolidblock。Behindtheirbackssmallclustersandloosebodiestumbledfromsidetoside。
Theboatswainperformedprodigiousfeatsofstrength。Withhislongarmsopen,andeachgreatpawclutchingatastanchion,hestoppedtherushofsevenentwinedChinamenrollinglikeaboulder。Hisjointscracked;hesaid,"Ha!"andtheyflewapart。
Butthecarpentershowedthegreaterintelligence。Withoutsayingawordtoanybodyhewentbackintothealleyway,tofetchseveralcoilsofcargogearhehadseenthere——chainandrope。
Withtheselife-lineswererigged。
Therewasreallynoresistance。Thestruggle,howeveritbegan,hadturnedintoascrambleofblindpanic。Ifthecoolieshadstartedupaftertheirscattereddollarstheywerebythattimefightingonlyfortheirfooting。Theytookeachotherbythethroatmerelytosavethemselvesfrombeinghurledabout。
Whoevergotaholdanywherewouldkickattheotherswhocaughtathislegsandhungon,tillarollsentthemflyingtogetheracrossthedeck。
Thecomingofthewhitedevilswasaterror。Hadtheycometokill?Theindividualstornoutoftheruckbecameverylimpintheseamen'shands:some,draggedasidebytheheels,werepassive,likedeadbodies,withopen,fixedeyes。Hereandthereacooliewouldfallonhiskneesasifbeggingformercy;
several,whomtheexcessoffearmadeunruly,werehitwithhardfistsbetweentheeyes,andcowered;whilethosewhowerehurtsubmittedtoroughhandling,blinkingrapidlywithoutaplaint。
Facesstreamedwithblood;therewererawplacesontheshavenheads,scratches,bruises,tornwounds,gashes。Thebrokenporcelainoutofthechestswasmostlyresponsibleforthelatter。HereandthereaChinaman,wild-eyed,withhistailunplaited,nursedableedingsole。
第3章