登陆注册
5241200000045

第45章 CHAPTER Sixteen(3)

It was a pleasant sight to see the two old lovers sitting side by side, in spite of all, drinking from the same little cup-a battered zinc dipper which Sailor Ben had unslung from a strap round his waist. I think I never saw him without this dipper and a sheath-knife suspended just back of his hip, ready for any convivial occasion.

We had a merry time of it. The Captain was in great force this evening, and not only related his famous exploit in the War of 1812, but regaled the company with a dashing sea-song from Mr. Shakespeare's play of The Tempest.

He had a mellow tenor voice (not Shakespeare, but the Captain), and rolled out the verse with a will:

"The master, the swabber, the boatswain, and I, The gunner, and his mate, Lov'd Mall, Meg, and Marian, and Margery, But none of us car'd for Kate."

"A very good song, and very well sung," says Sailor Ben; "but some of us does care for Kate. Is this Mr. Shawkspear a seafarm' man, sir?"

"Not at present," replied the Captain, with a monstrous twinkle in his eye.

The clock was striking ten when the party broke up. The Captain walked to the "Mariner's Home" with his guest, in order to question him regarding his future movements.

"Well, sir," said he, "I ain't as young as I was, an' I don't cal'ulate to go to sea no more. I proposes to drop anchor here, an' hug the land until the old hulk goes to pieces. I've got two or three thousand dollars in the locker, an' expects to get on uncommon comfortable without askin' no odds from the Assylum for Decayed Mariners."

My grandfather indorsed the plan warmly, and Sailor Ben did drop anchor in Rivermouth, where he speedily became one of the institutions of the town.

His first step was to buy a small one-story cottage located at the head of the wharf, within gun-shot of the Nutter House. To the great amusement of my grandfather, Sailor Ben painted the cottage a light sky-blue, and ran a broad black stripe around it just under the eaves. In this stripe he painted white port-holes, at regular distances, making his residence look as much like a man-of-war as possible. With a short flag-staff projecting over the door like a bowsprit, the effect was quite magical. My description of the exterior of this palatial residence is complete when I add that the proprietor nailed a horseshoe against the front door to keep off the witches-a very necessary precaution in these latitudes.

The inside of Sailor Ben's abode was not less striking than the outside. The cottage contained two rooms; the one opening on the wharf he called his cabin; here he ate and slept. His few tumblers and a frugal collection of crockery were set in a rack suspended over the table, which had a cleat of wood nailed round the edge to prevent the dishes from sliding off in case of a heavy sea. Hanging against the walls were three or four highly colored prints of celebrated frigates, and a lithograph picture of a rosy young woman insufficiently clad in the American flag. This was labelled "Kitty," though I'm sure it looked no more like her than I did. A walrus-tooth with an Esquimaux engraved on it, a shark's jaw, and the blade of a sword-fish were among the enviable decorations of this apartment. In one corner stood his bunk, or bed, and in the other his well-worn sea-chest, a perfect Pandora's box of mysteries. You would have thought yourself in the cabin of a real ship.

The little room aft, separated from the cabin by a sliding door, was the caboose. It held a cooking-stove, pots, pans, and groceries; also a lot of fishing-lines and coils of tarred twine, which made the place smell like a forecastle, and a delightful smell it is-to those who fancy it.

Kitty didn't leave our service, but played housekeeper for both establishments, returning at night to Sailor Ben's. He shortly added a wherry to his worldly goods, and in the fishing season made a very handsome income. During the winter he employed himself manufacturing crab-nets, for which he found no lack of customers.

His popularity among the boys was immense. A jackknife in his expert hand was a whole chest of tools. He could whittle out anything from a wooden chain to a Chinese pagoda, or a full-rigged seventy-four a foot long. To own a ship of Sailor Ben's building was to be exalted above your fellow-creatures. He didn't carve many, and those he refused to sell, choosing to present them to his young friends, of whom Tom Bailey, you may be sure, was one.

How delightful it was of winter nights to sit in his cosey cabin, close to the ship's stove (he wouldn't hear of having a fireplace), and listen to Sailor Ben's yarns! In the early summer twilights, when he sat on the door-step splicing a rope or mending a net, he always had a bevy of blooming young faces alongside.

The dear old fellow! How tenderly the years touched him after this-all the more tenderly, it seemed, for having roughed him so cruelly in other days!

同类推荐
  • 熊氏真传少林大易筋经

    熊氏真传少林大易筋经

    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。
  • 冷斋夜话

    冷斋夜话

    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。
  • 灵隐文禅师语录

    灵隐文禅师语录

    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。
  • 黄庭内景五脏六腑补泻图

    黄庭内景五脏六腑补泻图

    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。
  • 佛国禅师文殊指南图赞

    佛国禅师文殊指南图赞

    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
  • 太神道

    太神道

    张叶,名不见经转,荒野山村中的一名弃婴。只因魂魄不全,年少之时受尽魂痛之苦。初成之时,养父养母家门被屠杀殆尽,师门更是在一夜之间灭亡。其后面隐藏着怎样一个巨大的阴谋?如此,张叶背负着身世之谜,师门家门被屠之谜踏上了修真旅途,一步一个脚印。从而也踏上了王者的巅峰!
  • 老子注

    老子注

    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。
  • 不忍细看的大明史

    不忍细看的大明史

    明朝,是一个极具诱惑力又欲望膨胀的年代。不仅皇帝们如此,大臣们也是如此:李善长外表温和,但待人苛刻,以营党欲;朱高煦恃功骄恣,凶悍不法,以篡夺欲;王振善于伺察人意,以虚荣欲;刘瑾欺上瞒下,以把持欲;严嵩、张居正很不廉洁,以求权欲;魏忠贤见风使舵,以变态欲;李自成勇猛有识略,以残虐欲;吴三桂勇冠三军,以私情欲。权倾一时的大臣、不可一世的佞幸,有正人君子,也有宵小之徒;有忠臣的死谏,也有阉人的疯狂……正是这个偏执家族,揭开了明朝近三百年的重重迷雾,为后人们留下了一个捉摸不透、无限遐想的明朝。
  • 遇见快乐的自己

    遇见快乐的自己

    结合当代社会现状,从心理学的角度,赢视人们的内心世界,在一个个经典故事中聆听心灵的声音,让你遇见快乐的自己,发现一个不一样的自我,帮助人们打开快乐的心门,点亮快乐的十盏灯。
  • 炼灵大陆

    炼灵大陆

    《炼灵大陆》郑重向大家求月票!!!他曾是一个废物,惨遭陷害,坠入悬崖,却无意之间拜了几个魔鬼师父,从此魔鬼般的磨练,一次,外出采药的他,竟然获得一古朴手环,从此,修行之路高歌前进,我就是狂,我就是要站在在人间的顶峰!
  • 2014巴西世界杯非官方观赛指南

    2014巴西世界杯非官方观赛指南

    2014年巴西世界杯是第20届世界杯足球赛。比赛于2014年6月12日至7月13日在南美洲国家巴西境内13座城市中的12座球场内举行。这是继1950年巴西世界杯之后世界杯第二次在巴西举行,也是继1978年阿根廷世界杯之后世界杯第五次在南美洲举行。巴西世界杯共有32支球队参赛。除去东道主巴西自动获得参赛资格以外,其他31个国家需通过参加2011年6月开始的预选赛获得参赛资格。巴西世界杯期间,总共在巴西境内举办共计64场比赛角逐出冠军。
  • 青少年必读的心灵美文(大全集)

    青少年必读的心灵美文(大全集)

    所选文章精辟深刻,内容隽永,文字优美,且都是出自名家之手,除了文字的清新深邃外,还能从字里行间看出名家当时的影子。《家庭珍藏经典畅销书系:青少年必读的心灵美文大全集(超值金版)》是笔者的用心之作。用心去读,你会发现每天的阳光都是那么温暖,平淡的生活也会充满新奇与感动。《家庭珍藏经典畅销书系:青少年必读的心灵美文大全集(超值金版)》会告诉你,生活中你要学会适时地放松,放慢步伐、松开紧绷的心。有时候,领悟生命的意义只需要换一种心情。谨以《家庭珍藏经典畅销书系:青少年必读的心灵美文大全集(超值金版)》献给所有热爱青春、热爱生活、珍爱生命的人,愿所有人青春无悔!
  • 流苏梦

    流苏梦

    一人回望着之前所拿过的流苏佩,一人凝视着手中的流苏佩,你离开却看不见我的身影,我驻足却叫不停你的背影,命运总是如此不可琢磨,我们再次相聚,共看那一穗流苏!
  • 幔亭集

    幔亭集

    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。
  • 樱花盛开的季节

    樱花盛开的季节

    花开花落会有时,看樱花普出的三段恋曲:樱花序,樱花烙,樱花辿