登陆注册
5212100000098

第98章

There is no scenery in the world that can be enjoyed from one of those stools.And when the traveler is at sea, with the land failing away in his horizon, and has to create his own scenery by an effort of the imagination, these stools are no assistance to him.The imagination, when one is sitting, will not work unless the back is supported.Besides, it began to be cold; notwithstanding the shiny, specious appearance of things, it was cold, except in a sheltered nook or two where the sun beat.This was nothing to be complained of by persons who had left the parching land in order to get cool.They knew that there would be a wind and a draught everywhere, and that they would be occupied nearly all the time in moving the little stools about to get out of the wind, or out of the sun, or out of something that is inherent in a steamboat.Most people enjoy riding on a steamboat, shaking and trembling and chow-chowing along in pleasant weather out of sight of land; and they do not feel any ennui, as may be inferred from the intense excitement which seizes them when a poor porpoise leaps from the water half a mile away.

"Did you see the porpoise?" makes conversation for an hour.On our steamboat there was a man who said he saw a whale, saw him just as plain, off to the east, come up to blow; appeared to be a young one.

I wonder where all these men come from who always see a whale.Inever was on a sea-steamer yet that there was not one of these men.

We sailed from Boston Harbor straight for Cape Ann, and passed close by the twin lighthouses of Thacher, so near that we could see the lanterns and the stone gardens, and the young barbarians of Thacher all at play; and then we bore away, straight over the trackless Atlantic, across that part of the map where the title and the publisher's name are usually printed, for the foreign city of St.

John.It was after we passed these lighthouses that we did n't see the whale, and began to regret the hard fate that took us away from a view of the Isles of Shoals.I am not tempted to introduce them into this sketch, much as its surface needs their romantic color, for truth is stronger in me than the love of giving a deceitful pleasure.

There will be nothing in this record that we did not see, or might not have seen.For instance, it might not be wrong to describe a coast, a town, or an island that we passed while we were performing our morning toilets in our staterooms.The traveler owes a duty to his readers, and if he is now and then too weary or too indifferent to go out from the cabin to survey a prosperous village where a landing is made, he has no right to cause the reader to suffer by his indolence.He should describe the village.

I had intended to describe the Maine coast, which is as fascinating on the map as that of Norway.We had all the feelings appropriate to nearness to it, but we couldn't see it.Before we came abreast of it night had settled down, and there was around us only a gray and melancholy waste of salt water.To be sure it was a lovely night, with a young moon in its sky,"I saw the new moon late yestreen Wi' the auld moon in her arms,"and we kept an anxious lookout for the Maine hills that push so boldly down into the sea.At length we saw them,--faint, dusky shadows in the horizon, looming up in an ashy color and with a most poetical light.We made out clearly Mt.Desert, and felt repaid for our journey by the sight of this famous island, even at such a distance.I pointed out the hills to the man at the wheel, and asked if we should go any nearer to Mt.Desert.

"Them!" said he, with the merited contempt which officials in this country have for inquisitive travelers,--" them's Camden Hills.You won't see Mt.Desert till midnight, and then you won't."One always likes to weave in a little romance with summer travel on a steamboat; and we came aboard this one with the purpose and the language to do so.But there was an absolute want of material, that would hardly be credited if we went into details.The first meeting of the passengers at the dinner-table revealed it.There is a kind of female plainness which is pathetic, and many persons can truly say that to them it is homelike; and there are vulgarities of manner that are interesting; and there are peculiarities, pleasant or the reverse, which attract one's attention : but there was absolutely nothing of this sort on our boat.The female passengers were all neutrals, incapable, I should say, of making any impression whatever even under the most favorable circumstances.They were probably women of the Provinces, and took their neutral tint from the foggy land they inhabit, which is neither a republic nor a monarchy, but merely a languid expectation of something undefined.My comrade was disposed to resent the dearth of beauty, not only on this vessel but throughout the Provinces generally,--a resentment that could be shown to be unjust, for this was evidently not the season for beauty in these lands, and it was probably a bad year for it.Nor should an American of the United States be forward to set up his standard of taste in such matters; neither in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, nor Cape Breton have I heard the inhabitants complain of the plainness of the women.

On such a night two lovers might have been seen, but not on our boat, leaning over the taffrail,--if that is the name of the fence around the cabin-deck, looking at the moon in the western sky and the long track of light in the steamer's wake with unutterable tenderness.

同类推荐
  • Modern Spiritualism

    Modern Spiritualism

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • The Great Controversy

    The Great Controversy

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 观心食法

    观心食法

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 明伦汇编官常典大理寺部

    明伦汇编官常典大理寺部

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 幻住明禅师语录

    幻住明禅师语录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 绝世神医:腹黑女帝,太妖孽

    绝世神医:腹黑女帝,太妖孽

    她,21世纪金牌杀手,同时也是享誉世界的神医,一身天赋冠绝古今,一夕穿越,却成了人人任意欺辱的废物秦家四小姐。王者归来的她,拳打恶仆,脚踢贱人,快意恩仇,好不痛快。意气风发的她,却不料惹上邪魅冷傲的他,从此身后多了一名跟屁虫。“王爷,我们性格不搭。”某女头疼无比地说道。“丫头,说啥呢,本王我百搭。”某人理直气壮地地说道,脸上挂着人畜无害的笑容。
  • 玉堂丛语

    玉堂丛语

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 骗翻天(十二)

    骗翻天(十二)

    原来卢弘侠看了那调查员送来的材料,苦笑了一声,便想,要彻底改变目前警察的现状,单是查一桩案子起不了作用,重要的是要建立好制度,培育好警察。于是便将想法说了,冯玉祥到河南也想办些好事情,一听他的想法当即同意。一所崭新的警察学校便建立了,第一个任务就是要轮训全省警察。
  • 周公解梦(古代文化集粹)

    周公解梦(古代文化集粹)

    梦到底是什么?梦告诉了我们什么?在人类的一切奥秘中,恐怕再也没有比那些来自人的内心的奥秘更让人神往的了。梦是人类精神生活的一种很特殊的现象。人对梦的思考,属于人对自身的一种审视,因而也是一种自我认识。
  • 这个历史挺靠谱:袁腾飞讲历史(全集)

    这个历史挺靠谱:袁腾飞讲历史(全集)

    生脆、凶猛、一语中的,是袁腾飞讲史的特色。在本书中,袁腾飞嬉笑怒骂皆成文章、古今中外旁征博引、博览群书解密真相,生动活泼地讲述了中国通史和世界通史,精彩纷呈地演绎了诸多著名的历史事件,如“烽火戏诸侯”“商鞅变法”“汉武帝破匈奴”“隋炀帝下扬州”“玄武门之变”“杯酒释兵权”“岳飞之死”“蒙古横扫中原”“明成祖夺天下”“康熙擒鳌拜”“鸦片战争”“太平天国运动”“戊戌变法”“辛亥革命”“抗日战争”“英国资产阶级革命”“拿破仑战争”“美国独立战争”“普鲁士统一德国”“日本明治维新”“斯大林专政”“第一次世界大战”“第二次世界大战”等。
  • 弟子规·增广贤文·声律启蒙·幼学琼林

    弟子规·增广贤文·声律启蒙·幼学琼林

    《弟子规》原名《训蒙文》,为清朝康熙年间秀才李毓秀所著。以三字一句、两句一韵编纂而成。详述了为人子弟在家、出外、待人接物、求学应有的礼仪与规范,是启蒙养正,教育子弟养成忠厚仁爱道德风尚的经典教材。《增广贤文》又名《昔时贤文》《古今贤文》,是一部古训集、民间谚语集。其内容汇集了为人处世的各类谚语,很有哲理性,释道儒各方面的思想均有体现。《声律启蒙》按韵分部,包罗天文地理、花木鸟兽、人物器物等虚实应对。从单字到双字、三字对、五字对、七字对到十一字对,节奏明快,朗朗上口。《幼学琼林》是中国古代儿童的启蒙读物。最初名叫《幼学须知》,又称《成语考》《故事寻源》。
  • 幽默随心所欲

    幽默随心所欲

    本书献给每一位渴望幸福与成功的年轻人。
  • 寒门娇女

    寒门娇女

    滚烫的铁水倒入她的嘴里,灼烧的痛苦瞬间袭卷宁子衿的全身,烧的通红的铁水才进她的嘴里,便将她的嘴巴给腐蚀了个遍,她痛苦的阵阵痉挛濒临死亡,她才恍悟夫君的残忍,姐姐的无情漫天的痛苦化作无数怨毒:皇天为证,宁子衿死不足惜,化为吝鬼,永生永世都不放过你们——再一次睁眼,她回到了十三岁那一年,只是寒门低户的小小嫡女带着满腔的仇恨,宁子衿化身复仇恶魔,一步步将所有陷害她之人一一斩尽杀绝这一世,且看她翻手为云,精巧算计,掌握自己的人生P:本文一对一,女主是打不死的小强,但不是无所不能的女超人,想看此类文的亲慎入…推荐自己的完结文《重生之一品庶女》重生宅斗《娘子,为夫被人欺负了》轻松诙谐
  • 元丰类稿

    元丰类稿

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 甜宠娇妻:早安,青梅小姐

    甜宠娇妻:早安,青梅小姐

    【新书影帝老公请赐教发布求支持】十年朝夕相伴,五年的分离重逢。青梅竹马,两小无猜。(甜宠1v1)“老公,我为什么会怀上宝宝?”“我每天晚上都身体力行地告诉你……”沈云轩魅惑一笑……“你根本不爱我吧?”叶菲瑜嘟着小嘴,眼睛红彤彤像小兔。“我每天晚上都在爱你,没感觉到吗?”沈云轩露出狐狸微笑,心想今晚要吃叶小兔大餐。……