登陆注册
5254700000027

第27章 CHAPTER VII(4)

It occurred to him that the fact was fortunate. The idea of it was simply terrible.

`You must remember he believed, as any other man would have done in his place, that the ship would go down at any moment; the bulging, rust-eaten plates that kept back the ocean, fatally must give way, all at once like an undermined dam, and let in a sudden and overwhelming flood. He stood still looking at these recumbent bodies, a doomed man aware of his fate, surveying the silent company of the dead. They were dead! Nothing could save them! There were boats enough for half of them perhaps, but there was no time. No time! No time! It did not seem worth while to open his lips, to stir hand or foot. Before he could shout three words, or make three steps, he would be floundering in a sea whitened awfully by the desperate struggles of human beings, clamorous with the distress of cries for help.

There was no help. He imagined what would happen perfectly; he went through it all motionless by the hatchway with the lamp in his hand--he went through it to the very last harrowing detail. I think he went through it again while he was telling me these things he could not tell the court.

"`I saw as clearly as I see you now that there was nothing I could do.

It seemed to take all the life out of my limbs. I thought I might just as well stand where I was and wait. I did not think I had many seconds . . ." Suddenly the steam ceased blowing off. The noise, he remarked, had been distracting, but the silence at once became intolerably oppressive.

"`I thought I would choke before I got drowned," he said.

`He protested he did not think of saving himself. The only distinct thought formed, vanishing, and re-forming in his brain, was: eight hundred people and seven boats; eight hundred people and seven boats.

"`Somebody was speaking aloud inside my head," he said a little wildly.

"Eight hundred people and seven boats--and no time! Just think of it."He leaned towards me across the little table, and I tried to avoid his stare. "Do you think I was afraid of death?" he asked in a voice very fierce and low. He brought down his open hand with a bang that made the coffee-cups dance. "I am ready to swear I was not--I was not. . . . By God--no!" He hitched himself upright and crossed his arms; his chin fell on his breast.

`The soft clashes of crockery reached us faintly through the high windows.

There was a burst of voices, and several men came out in high good-humour into the gallery. They were exchanging jocular reminiscences of the donkeys in Cairo. A pale anxious youth stepping softly on long legs was being chaffed by a strutting and rubicund globe-trotter about his purchases in the bazaar.

"No, really--do you think I've been done to that extent?" he inquired very earnest and deliberate. The band moved away, dropping into chairs as they went; matches flared, illuminating for a second faces without the ghost of an expression and the flat glaze of white shirt-fronts; the hum of many conversations animated with the ardour of feasting sounded to me absurd and infinitely remote.

"`Some of the crew were sleeping on the number one hatch within reach of my arm," began Jim again.

`You must know they kept Kalashee watch in that ship, all hands sleeping through the night, and only the reliefs of quarter-masters and look-out men being called. He was tempted to grip and shake the shoulder of the nearest lascar, but he didn't. Something held his arms down along his sides.

He was not afraid--oh no! only he just couldn't--that's all. He was not afraid of death perhaps, but I'll tell you what, he was afraid of the emergency.

His confounded imagination had evoked for him all the horrors of panic, the trampling rush, the pitiful screams, boats swamped--all the appalling incidents of a disaster at sea he had ever heard of. He might have been resigned to die, but I suspect he wanted to die without added terrors, quietly, in a sort of peaceful trance. A certain readiness to perish is not so very rare, but it is seldom that you meet men whose souls, steeled in the impenetrable armour of resolution, are ready to fight a losing battle to the last, the desire of peace waxes stronger as hope declines, till at last it conquers the very desire of life. Which of us here has not observed this, or maybe experienced something of that feeling in his own person--this extreme weariness of emotions, the vanity of effort, the yearning for rest?

Those striving with unreasonable forces know it well--the shipwrecked castaways in boats, wanderers lost in a desert, men battling against the unthinking might of nature, or the stupid brutality of crowds.'

同类推荐
  • Poems

    Poems

    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。
  • 论古

    论古

    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。
  • 根本说一切有部毗奈耶

    根本说一切有部毗奈耶

    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。
  • 律学发轫

    律学发轫

    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。
  • 大同纪事

    大同纪事

    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
  • 万万岁女娲

    万万岁女娲

    坐忘百年,梦中千年,一眼万年,万万年的日常总是如此,世人皆知神是如此顿悟升华,亦艳羡,亦无聊,可是有些个新奇的,总喜欢费些修为神力,偷抽魂下凡尝世间百态、贪嗔痴恨,不过每次被抓后,都是一轮……挨批。当女娲对上……身下人的有点怔愣的眼神时,有点机械的挪动着脑袋,看着自己以双手撑在身下人两边,两腿……不!忍!直!视!
  • 重生作女守则

    重生作女守则

    岑念念私以为,她与褚昌柏之间像极了唐玄宗与杨贵妃,周幽王与褒姒,商纣王与苏妲己,她就是那导致“从此君王不早朝”的“祸国妖妃”,虽然历史长河里她并未以容貌留名,可她胜在美貌与智慧皆有,乖巧与眼色并存。褚昌柏觉得,虽然这姑娘笨了点呆了点还娇气了点,但可贵在听话和特别听他话上,且容貌性格都十分合他心意,若是她一直能这般下去,作为她的男人,多宠多爱她点总是应该的。
  • 天庭八卦手札

    天庭八卦手札

    曾经的小二傻乎乎的,一朝不慎丢了心,就此飞升,却不料彻底颠覆人生观!什么?你说哮天和杨戬天生一对?嗐,坊间又不是没有过这样的传言,等等,那个冰冷禁欲的小哥哥是哪吒?那他旁边那个小姐姐是谁?阎王怕鬼太子救驾?朱雀祝融分桃断袖?魔族狐族联姻下藏着不可告人的情意?我在震惊中抬头,看到传说中那个冷漠地不可一世的帝君缓缓朝我走来,还带着若有若无的笑意,连忙捂脸,他他他……不会要灭口吧!“尊,尊上……”我讪笑,却被什么柔软的东西堵住了嘴巴。唔。
  • 盛世谋略

    盛世谋略

    日复一日,年复一年,椒房殿外当年两人亲手所植的蔷薇又开了七十二岁的她独自一人看着园中娇艳欲滴的蔷薇“你为何还不来接我?”刹那间,一白衣男子出现注视着音杳,嘴角弯成微笑的弧度,眼里难掩深情“阿音,我不从不曾失信于你,过去亦然,现在亦然”音杳眼中带泪埋怨“你从不曾失信于我,但你却让我等了这么久,你可知道我等得心都碎了,为何要我一人在这尘世间受相思之苦”他张开双手,她所有的埋怨瞬间都掩于唇齿,奋不顾身扑进他的怀里,他的怀抱一如当年般温暖永始元年,王氏居后位四十九年去世,终年七十二,与汉宣帝刘洵合葬于杜陵,称为东园。
  • 别让不会记笔记害了你

    别让不会记笔记害了你

    达·芬奇被誉为人类历史上的全才,现今保存下来的笔记手稿大约有6000页,爱因斯坦曾说,如果达·芬奇的科研成果在当时就发表的话,人类科技将提前30~50年;我国李时珍踏遍祖国名山大川,记下了千万字的笔记,终成《本草纲目》,为人类医学的发展做出了卓越的贡献;马克思阅读了1500多种书籍,留下了100多本读书笔记,完成了震惊世界的巨著——《资本论》……人类历史发展到今天,留下的笔记故事不胜枚举。本书主要介绍了笔记在提高学习、生活、工作等方面的先进理念和技巧方法,深入浅出地阐述了笔记记录、资料收集、笔记整理等方面的经验,内容详实丰富,语言风格轻松有趣。
  • 站在北纬三十三度

    站在北纬三十三度

    这是一本以真实地点为背景的长篇小说。是小说,说明它完全来源于虚构。因为虚构,很多东西便有了其他寓意。守望的稻草人,阳光、空气、水、露丝、雨,月亮、傻笑的兔子、深海鱼鱼。北斗七星、不同口味的咖啡。13、33。北纬30°,它是一个标识神秘的象征。于贯穿于它发生在武汉、上海、杭州的故事。它们所发生的意义,是一种指引。我知道你会一直看我所写的字。就像,我一直会把某些情愫放在心底,然后缄默地离开。会继续行走、写字、旅行。和不同的人,说不同的话,感受不同的境遇和体会不同的心情。谨以此书。给我的好朋友浅夏、木木。给兔子先生,给小子,给S,给我所爱着的人们。一个微小,且珍重的纪念。
  • 最伟大的推销员:原一平与乔·吉拉德的财富传奇

    最伟大的推销员:原一平与乔·吉拉德的财富传奇

    本书汇集了原一平和乔·吉拉德的推销秘诀,总结了最伟大推销员快速成长的自我修炼术,所有的条目都指向一点:打造屡屡成交的推销员,打造财富滚滚而来的金牌推销员。如果你曾立志成为一名年薪百万的推销员,只因客户的屡屡拒绝才决定抽身而退,不妨读读这本书,因为它会告诉你:推销的成功始于拒绝,只要永不言弃,总有办法打动客户。
  • 全能戒指

    全能戒指

    都市平凡青年,在一次偶尔的游戏中,获取了一枚神奇的戒指。摇身一变,成为了纵横都市的奇人般存在。你说赌石?那个我会,采矿技能能轻松感知原石之内的所有奥秘。你说你得了绝症?没问题,我不但能炼制出,治愈绝症的丹药,还能利用阵法,为你逆天改命……
  • 归来之失忆司机

    归来之失忆司机

    落难逃亡被人救,醒来就说自己失忆?好吧,在绝对的实力面前,到底还记不记得过去,好像也没那么重要了。
  • 资治通鉴(最爱读国学系列)

    资治通鉴(最爱读国学系列)

    《最爱读国学系列(第2辑):资治通鉴》是北宋著名史学家、政治家司马光及其助手刘攽、刘恕、范祖禹、司马康等人历时19年编纂的一部史学巨著。全书按时间先后顺序记叙了从周威烈王二十三年(公元前403年)到后周显德六年(公元959年)为止,即“上起战国,下终五代”共1362年的历史,是我国第一部编年体通史。全书共354卷,约300多万字。其中尤以隋唐五代为重心,占了全书内容的五分之二,是书中最具价值的部分。