登陆注册
5241400000042

第42章 CHAPTER XXXII(2)

The aft, by the captain's orders, has been reserved for the use of us passengers, and by erecting some uprights we have contrived to make a sort of tent, which affords some shelter from the sun. On the whole our bill of health is tolerably satisfactory. Lieutenant Walter is the only invalid, and he, in spite of all our careful nursing, seems to get weaker every day.

Andre Letourneur is the life of our party, and I have never appreciated the young man so well. His originality of perception makes his conversation both lively and in- teresting, and as he talks, his wan and suffering countenance lights up with an intelligent animation. His father seems to become more devoted to him than ever, and I have seen him sit for an hour at a time, with his hand resting on his son's, listening eagerly to his every word.

Miss Herbey occasionally joins in our conversation, but although we all do our best to make her forget that she has lost those who should have been her natural protectors, M.

Letourneur is the only one among us to whom she speaks without a certain reserve. To him, whose age gives him something of the authority of a father, she has told the his- tory of her life -- a life of patience and self-denial such as not unfrequently falls to the lot of orphans. She had been, she said, two years with Mrs. Kear, and although now left alone in the world, homeless and without resources, hope for the future does not fail her. The young lady's modest deportment and energy of character command the respect of all on board, and I do not think that even the coarsest of the sailors has either by word or gesture acted toward her in a way that she could deem offensive.

The 12th, 13th, and 14th of December passed away with- out any change in our condition. The wind continued to blow in irregular gusts, but always in the same direction, and the helm, or rather the paddle at the back of the raft, has never once required shifting; and the watch, who are posted on the fore, under orders to examine the sea with the most scrupulous attention, have had no change of any kind to report.

At the end of the week we found ourselves growing ac- customed to our limited diet, and as we had no manual exer- tion, and no wear and tear of our physical constitution, we managed very well. Our greatest deprivation was the short supply of water, for, as I said before, the unmitigated heat made our thirst at times very painful.

On the 15th we held high festival. A shoal of fish, of the sparus tribe, swarmed round the raft, and although our tackle consisted merely of long cords baited with morsels of dried meat stuck upon bent nails, the fish were so voracious that in the course of a couple of days we had caught as many as weighed almost 200 lbs., some of which were grilled, and others boiled in sea-water over a fire made on the fore part of the raft. This marvelous haul was doubly welcome, in- asmuch as it not only afforded us a change of diet, but enabled us to economize our stores; if only some rain had fallen at the same time we would have been more than satisfied.

Unfortunately the shoal of fish did not remain long in our vicinity. On the 17th they all disappeared, and some sharks, not less than twelve or fifteen feet long, belonging to the species of the spotted dog-fish, took their place. These horrible creatures have black backs and fins, covered with white spots and stripes. Here, on our low raft, we seemed almost on a level with them, and more than once their tails have struck the spars with terrible violence. The sailors manage to keep them at a distance by means of handspikes, but I shall not be surprised if they persist in following us, instinctively intelligent that we are destined to become their prey. For myself, I confess that they give me a feeling of uneasiness; they seem to me like monsters of ill-omen.

同类推荐
  • 玄沙师备禅师广录

    玄沙师备禅师广录

    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。
  • 海陵从政录

    海陵从政录

    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。
  • 韶州驿楼宴罢

    韶州驿楼宴罢

    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。
  • 大宝积经论

    大宝积经论

    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。
  • 仿指南录

    仿指南录

    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
  • 张居正(第一卷):木兰歌

    张居正(第一卷):木兰歌

    本书是系列长篇历史小说《张居正》的第一卷。围绕着张居正与首辅高拱这两位权臣之间的政治斗争,展示了宫庭内外各种政治势力的此消彼长,写出了斗争的复杂与残酷,塑造出了张居正、高拱、冯保、李贵妃等一批具有鲜明个性的人物。
  • 古巴:本土的可行的社会主义

    古巴:本土的可行的社会主义

    古巴的贡萨洛·德格萨达将军曾赞扬道:“在古巴,没有一个中国人当过逃兵;在古巴,没有一个中国人当过叛徒。”古巴同中国的关系源远流长,古中关系更被誉为是“好朋友、好同志、好兄弟”。古巴是当今世界上五个社会主义国家之一,社会主义在古巴发展至今的每一历程,都值得我们认真阅读。本书从古巴的概况谈到古巴的对外关系和外交政策,所涉领域广泛,乃是读者了解古巴政治、经济、社会及社会主义在古巴的不二选择。
  • 计高一筹

    计高一筹

    “计”乃“计策”之意,“高”乃“胜利”之意,“一筹”乃“计数的用具”之意。成语总合之意思是:计策比别人的计策要高出一截。比喻聪明之人,神机妙算,运筹帷幄。只要我们善于观察,我们也可以用发明改写世界,用我们的创新和智慧推动人类文明前进的脚步。本书收集了很多关于智慧的故事,希望它们可以给你带来启示,帮助你成功。
  • 佛说四十二章经

    佛说四十二章经

    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。
  • 英语口语900句袋着走

    英语口语900句袋着走

    全书分为五大主题,120个话题,涉及校园、生活、工作、娱乐、旅行等老外从早到晚都在说的各方面内容。每一部分所包含的版块如下:经典句子 收集了跟生活场景相关的最经典实用的英语单句,掌握这些句子,为说出流畅的口语做好准备,夯实基础。实用对话 把每一个话题以现场交流对话的方式直观表达出来,让你觉得学英语不再枯燥、无聊!地道的表达,鲜活的语言,再现老外真实的生活场景。文化加油站  该部分包含英美文化、心灵鸡汤、名人演讲、名人访谈录等。浓缩经典,汇聚百态,在学习英语的同时增长见识,开阔眼界,提升自我。
  • 世界最具可读性的短篇小说(3)

    世界最具可读性的短篇小说(3)

    我的课外第一本书——震撼心灵阅读之旅经典文库,《阅读文库》编委会编。通过各种形式的故事和语言,讲述我们在成长中需要的知识。
  • 崛起1608

    崛起1608

    一群来自二十一世纪的的普通中国人。意外的来到十七世纪初的北美洲,辽阔富饶的中央平原,海盗横行的加勒比海,披荆斩棘让华夏文明在新大陆上立足崛起,成为大航海时代的弈手。
  • 假如让我上3天博弈课

    假如让我上3天博弈课

    本书用通俗易懂的语言对博弈论的原理作了系统的讲解,探讨了博弈论中最经典的一些概念,如纳什均衡、囚徒困境、另和博弈、重复博弈、逆向选择等,并通过一个个生动鲜活的事例向人们展示经验教训,十分实用。
  • 夜雨寄北

    夜雨寄北

    心与文字的剑锋狭路相逢,黑暗的夜的光芒泄露,寻觅知音的言语,慰藉夜雨心中的荒凉。直抵心灵的句子,沉寂深邃的情感,令人产生共鸣的散文篇章。
  • 荒岛生活记

    荒岛生活记

    一场风暴,不仅让林简跟费席安捡了个孩子,还和一群人流落到一个孤岛上。随着救援希望的逐渐破灭,加上岛屿怪异的生态环境,岛上的众人开始暴露出人性的黑暗面。费席安、林简带着孩子离开,去寻找安全的生存地。故事由此展开。这就是一男一女在互相扶持养孩子的过程中相爱,最后过上只羡鸳鸯不羡仙的生活。PS:此文风格混搭,前期种田文,中间有兽化情节,后面是快穿。快穿虽然是后面部分,但篇幅较长,应该是文章的主要风格。