登陆注册
15291000000006

第6章

Supper'll be ready directly."

I sat down on an old wooden settle, carved all over like a bench on the Battery. At one end a ruminating tar was still further adorning it with his jack-knife, stooping over and diligently working away at the space between his legs. He was trying his hand at a ship under full sail, but he didn't make much headway, I thought.

At last some four or five of us were summoned to our meal in an adjoining room. It was cold as Iceland- no fire at all- the landlord said he couldn't afford it. Nothing but two dismal tallow candles, each in a winding sheet. We were fain to button up our monkey jackets, and hold to our lips cups of scalding tea with our half frozen fingers. But the fare was of the most substantial kind- not only meat and potatoes, but dumplings; good heavens! dumplings for supper! One young fellow in a green box coat, addressed himself to these dumplings in a most direful manner.

"My boy," said the landlord, "you'll have the nightmare to a dead sartainty.""Landlord," I whispered, "that aint the harpooneer is it?""Oh, no," said he, looking a sort of diabolically funny, "the harpooneer is a dark complexioned chap. He never eats dumplings, he don't- he eats nothing but steaks, and he likes 'em rare.""The devil he does," says I. "Where is that harpooneer? Is he here?""He'll be here afore long," was the answer.

I could not help it, but I began to feel suspicious of this "dark complexioned" harpooneer. At any rate, I made up my mind that if it so turned out that we should sleep together, he must undress and get into bed before I did.

Supper over, the company went back to the bar-room, when, knowing not what else to do with myself, I resolved to spend the rest of the evening as a looker on.

Presently a rioting noise was heard without. Starting up, the landlord cried, "That's the Grampus's crew. I seed her reported in the offing this morning; a three years' voyage, and a full ship. Hurrah, boys; now we'll have the latest news from the Feegees."A tramping of sea boots was heard in the entry; the door was flung open, and in rolled a wild set of mariners enough. Enveloped in their shaggy watch coats, and with their heads muffled in woollen comforters, all bedarned and ragged, and their beards stiff with icicles, they seemed an eruption of bears from Labrador. They had just landed from their boat, and this was the first house they entered.

No wonder, then, that they made a straight wake for the whale's mouth-the bar- when the wrinkled little old Jonah, there officiating, soon poured them out brimmers all round. One complained of a bad cold in his head, upon which Jonah mixed him a pitch-like potion of gin and molasses, which he swore was a sovereign cure for all colds and catarrhs whatsoever, never mind of how long standing, or whether caught off the coast of Labrador, or on the weather side of an ice-island.

The liquor soon mounted into their heads, as it generally does even with the arrantest topers newly landed from sea, and they began capering about most obstreperously.

I observed, however, that one of them held somewhat aloof, and though he seemed desirous not to spoil the hilarity of his shipmates by his own sober face, yet upon the whole he refrained from making as much noise as the rest. This man interested me at once; and since the sea-gods had ordained that he should soon become my shipmate (though but a sleeping partner one, so far as this narrative is concerned), I will here venture upon a little description of him. He stood full six feet in height, with noble shoulders, and a chest like a coffer-dam. I have seldom seen such brawn in a man. His face was deeply brown and burnt, making his white teeth dazzling by the contrast; while in the deep shadows of his eyes floated some reminiscences that did not seem to give him much joy. His voice at once announced that he was a Southerner, and from his fine stature, I thought he must be one of those tall mountaineers from the Alleghanian Ridge in Virginia. When the revelry of his companions had mounted to its height, this man slipped away unobserved, and I saw no more of him till he became my comrade on the sea. In a few minutes, however, he was missed by his shipmates, and being, it seems, for some reason a huge favorite with them, they raised a cry of "Bulkington!

Bulkington! where's Bulkington?" and darted out of the house in pursuit of him.

It was now about nine o'clock, and the room seeming almost supernaturally quiet after these orgies, I began to congratulate myself upon a little plan that had occurred to me just previous to the entrance of the seamen.

No man prefers to sleep two in a bed. In fact, you would a good deal rather not sleep with your own brother. I don't know how it is, but people like to be private when they are sleeping. And when it comes to sleeping with an unknown stranger, in a strange inn, in a strange town, and that stranger a harpooneer, then your objections indefinitely multiply. Nor was there any earthly reason why I as a sailor should sleep two in a bed, more than anybody else; for sailors no more sleep two in a bed at sea, than bachelor Kings do ashore. To be sure they all sleep together in one apartment, but you have your own hammock, and cover yourself with your own blanket, and sleep in your own skin.

The more I pondered over this harpooneer, the more I abominated the thought of sleeping with him. It was fair to presume that being a harpooneer, his linen or woolen, as the case might be, would not be of the tidiest, certainly none of the finest. I began to twitch all over. Besides, it was getting late, and my decent harpooneer ought to be home and going bedwards. Suppose now, he should tumble in upon me at midnight- how could I tell from what vile hole he had been coming?

同类推荐
  • COLUMBA

    COLUMBA

    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。
  • 扁鹊神应针灸玉龙经

    扁鹊神应针灸玉龙经

    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。
  • 释迦氏谱

    释迦氏谱

    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。
  • The Drums Of Jeopardy

    The Drums Of Jeopardy

    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。
  • 白华山人诗说

    白华山人诗说

    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。
热门推荐
  • 绝代风华甜宠毒医公主殿下

    绝代风华甜宠毒医公主殿下

    她,一次行动不小心留下蛛丝马迹,组织有人背叛,她穿越到了玄皑大陆临云国三公主身上。废柴?秒杀紫杀令杀手!一身医术旷世奇才!无能?天下第一阁为她麾下!四大世家以她为尊!可惜遇上了一个大无赖。“娘子,为夫想你了。”他赖在刚刚归来的她身边。“滚!谁是你娘子!”她眼底无语,他多大了!女主强大腹黑,男主强大无赖,强强联手,且看这大陆如何风起云涌!
  • 庶女出没:小姐太凶猛

    庶女出没:小姐太凶猛

    一朝穿越重了生,想回回不去,寻死死不了。江大小姐咬咬牙,既然如此,既来之,则安之!不过,呵呵……颤抖吧,渣渣们,别以为本小姐是以前那个隐忍柔弱的小庶女,风水轮流转,老娘这就让你彻彻底底地明白啥叫——“人不犯我,我不犯人;人若犯我,灭他满门!”
  • 守护甜心之复仇苜蓿

    守护甜心之复仇苜蓿

    这里苏黎/韵璃,这篇文章写的是守护甜心的复仇后续文,比较苏,第一次写,请见谅
  • 老子是狐仙

    老子是狐仙

    爷轮回了,只是……“宠物狐狸!!!狐狸,我们认识吗?”“魂淡,别叫爷狐狸,爷是狐仙!”但是没人理我因为我不会说话,虽然我能听懂!“呃,狐狸,你是雌的呢,有做绝育手术么?”“马拉个蛋!”一万只草泥马从我胸口奔腾而过,爷欲哭无泪啊!!!
  • 穿书重生之山间有妙龄

    穿书重生之山间有妙龄

    冰山男主:易封天。抽风吐槽小兽(兼女主):易小白害羞萌萌哒的故事风格。易筱筱无业游民,米虫一条。三流大学毕业一年,至今未找到工作。没有不良嗜好,唯一的喜好是看小黄书和睡觉。虽然每天被妈妈嫌弃,但是也从来没有轻生的打算。某一天,就在她睡的昏天黑地的时候,她穿越了。不是人见人爱玛丽苏,不是人见人恨的杰克苏,她举起自己的手,哦不!是爪子表示身为一只兽自己很满足。每晚21:00更新其他时间段不定时更新。
  • 福妻驾到

    福妻驾到

    现代饭店彪悍老板娘魂穿古代。不分是非的极品婆婆?三年未归生死不明的丈夫?心狠手辣的阴毒亲戚?贪婪而好色的地主老财?吃上顿没下顿的贫困宭境?不怕不怕,神仙相助,一技在手,天下我有!且看现代张悦娘,如何身带福气玩转古代,开面馆、收小弟、左纳财富,右傍美男,共绘幸福生活大好蓝图!!!!快本新书《天媒地聘》已经上架开始销售,只要3.99元即可将整本书抱回家,你还等什么哪,赶紧点击下面的直通车,享受乐乐精心为您准备的美食盛宴吧!)
  • 梦游异周

    梦游异周

    要钱没钱要财也没有,只有嗷嗷待哺的几张口。上无高堂,左无兄弟,右无姐妹,背无靠山。手里全是负资产,一家的重担却要她来扛。大侄爱拾猫,二侄爱养狗。阿妹抱着捡来的哥哥,就是不撒手。唉!猫生猫,狗生狗,每年都要增加好几个。还没出阁就被退货,出门还遇飞来横祸,这个日子可要怎过。心愿小小,满足大大。且看一个百无一用的女子,如何用自己勤劳的双手,赚出个幸福的未来。
  • 武者仙境

    武者仙境

    佛问修罗曰:是否皆因世人暴虐,残忍,极恶,无好生之德,所以踏入杀道?修罗曰:非也,皆因吾辈怯懦,卑微,贪生,寡断,与世间弱者无异,所以,吾辈才要踏上杀道。在武者与修士斗争的世界。传来一声冲破枷锁的怒吼!
  • 九世争霸

    九世争霸

    死者之都境界境界划分:入紫九重,化银三重,着金一重,着金二重(霸主),着金三重(尊者),神阶。每一层境界都会有初中高,三阶之分。功法:攻击武技,身法武技。
  • EXO之眼鼻嘴

    EXO之眼鼻嘴

    “韩星月,我喜欢你,你不要走!。”“悦悦,乖,有我在,只要有我在,我会一直守护你的。”“张馨悦,韩星月,你为什么要改名字,要我们忘掉吗?不,我们忘不掉,世勋,金钟大,我,还有我们的兄弟都忘不掉你,你快回来,我们什么时候才可以变到从前,星月!!”“悦悦,不要忘记我们,不要连我都不认识,我不想你这样!”“悦悦!!!!!!悦悦!!!我们才认识了365天,你不可以就这么走了!”“不,我不会忘记的,可是我就要走了,你们不要忘记我就好。”一双紫罗兰色的眼眸惆怅的望着天空,忽然,这双眸子变成了宝石蓝色的,“或许,我们还会再见的。”这双眼眸又变成了一只紫罗兰色,一只宝石蓝色的。善变的眼眸的女孩就是他们所爱之人