第13章

`Thelittleengineerwhimperedlikeachild，butbrokenarmandall，heturnedouttheleastcravenofthelotasitseems，and，actually，musteredenoughplucktorunanerrandtotheengine-room。Notrifle，itmustbeownedinfairnesstohim。Jimtoldmehedarteddesperatelookslikeacorneredman，gaveonelowwail，anddashedoff。Hewasbackinstantlyclambering，hammerinhand，andwithoutapauseflunghimselfatthebolt。

TheothersgaveupJimatonceandranofftoassist。Heheardthetap，tapofthehammer，thesoundofthereleasedchockfallingover。Theboatwasclear。Onlythenheturnedtolook——onlythen。Buthekepthisdistance——hekepthisdistance。Hewantedmetoknowhehadkepthisdistance；thattherewasnothingincommonbetweenhimandthesemen——whohadthehammer。

Nothingwhatever。Itismorethanprobablehethoughthimselfcutofffromthembyaspacethatcouldnotbetraversed，byanobstaclethatcouldnotbeovercome，byachasmwithoutbottom。Hewasasfarashecouldgetfromthem——thewholebreadthoftheship。

`Hisfeetweregluedtothatremotespotandhiseyestotheirindistinctgroupbowedtogetherandswayingstrangelyinthecommontormentoffear。

Ahand-lamplashedtoastanchionabovealittletableriggeduponthebridge——thePatnahadnochart-roomamidships——threwalightontheirlabouringshoulders，ontheirarchedandbobbingbacks。Theypushedatthebowoftheboat；theypushedoutintothenight；theypushed，andwouldnomorelookbackathim。Theyhadgivenhimupasifindeedhehadbeentoofar，toohopelesslyseparatedfromthemselves，tobeworthanappealingword，aglance，orasign。Theyhadnoleisuretolookbackuponhispassiveheroism，tofeelthestingofhisabstention。Theboatwasheavy；theypushedatthebowwithnobreathtospareforanencouragingword：buttheturmoilofterrorthathadscatteredtheirself-controllikechaffbeforethewind，convertedtheirdesperateexertionsintoabitoffooling，uponmywordfitforknockaboutclownsinafarce。Theypushedwiththeirhands，withtheirheads，theypushedfordearlifewithalltheweightoftheirbodies，theypushedwithallthemightoftheirsouls——onlynosoonerhadtheysucceededincantingthestemclearofthedavitthantheywouldleaveofflikeonemanandstartawildscrambleintoher。Asanaturalconsequencetheboatwouldswinginabruptly，drivingthemback，helplessandjostlingagainsteachother。Theywouldstandnonplussedforawhile，exchanginginfiercewhispersalltheinfamousnamestheycouldcalltomind，andgoatitagain。Threetimesthisoccurred。Hedescribedittomewithmorosethoughtfulness。Hehadn’tlostasinglemovementofthatcomicbusiness。“Iloathedthem。Ihatedthem。Ihadtolookatallthat，“hesaidwithoutemphasis，turninguponmeasombrelywatchfulglance。

“Waseverthereanyonesoshamefullytried!“

`Hetookhisheadinhishandsforamoment，likeamandriventodistractionbysomeunspeakableoutrage。Thesewerethingshecouldnotexplaintothecourt——andnoteventome；butIwouldhavebeenlittlefittedforthereceptionofhisconfidenceshadInotbeenableattimestounderstandthepausesbetweenthewords。Inthisassaultuponhisfortitudetherewasthejeeringintentionofaspitefulandvilevengeance；therewasanelementofburlesqueinhisordeal——adegradationoffunnygrimacesintheapproachofdeathordishonour。

`HerelatedfactswhichIhavenotforgotten，butatthisdistanceoftimeIcouldn’trecallhisverywords：Ionlyrememberthathemanagedwonderfullytoconveythebroodingrancourofhismindintothebarerecitalofevents。Twice，hetoldme，heshuthiseyesinthecertitudethattheendwasuponhimalready，andtwicehehadtoopenthemagain。Eachtimehenotedthedarkeningofthegreatstillness。Theshadowofthesilentcloudhadfallenupontheshipfromthezenith，andseemedtohaveextinguishedeverysoundofherteeminglife。Hecouldnolongerhearthevoicesundertheawnings。Hetoldmethateachtimeheclosedhiseyesaflashofthoughtshowedhimthatcrowdofbodies，laidoutfordeath，asplainasdaylight。

Whenheopenedthem，itwastoseethedimstruggleoffourmenfightinglikemadwithastubbornboat。“Theywouldfallbackbeforeittimeaftertime，standswearingateachother，andsuddenlymakeanotherrushinabunch……Enoughtomakeyoudielaughing，“hecommentedwithdowncasteyes；thenraisingthemforamomenttomyfacewithadismalsmile，“I

oughttohaveamerrylifeofit，byGod!forIshallseethatfunnysightagoodmanytimesyetbeforeIdie。“Hiseyesfellagain。“Seeandhear……Seeandhear，“herepeatedtwice，atlongintervals，filledbyvacantstaring。

`Herousedhimself。

“`Imadeupmymindtokeepmyeyesshut，“hesaid，“andIcouldn’t。

Icouldn’t，andIdon’tcarewhoknowsit。Letthemgothroughthatkindofthingbeforetheytalk。Justletthem——anddobetter——that’sall。Thesecondtimemyeyelidsflewopenandmymouthtoo。Ihadfelttheshipmove。Shejustdippedherbows——andliftedthemgently——andslow!everlastinglyslow；andeversolittle。Shehadn’tdonethatmuchfordays。Thecloudhadracedahead，andthisfirstswellseemedtotraveluponaseaoflead。

Therewasnolifeinthatstir。Itmanaged，though，toknockoversomethinginmyhead。Whatwouldyouhavedone？Youaresureofyourself——aren’tyou？Whatwouldyoudoifyoufeltnow——thisminute——thehouseheremove，justmovealittleunderyourchair。Leap!Byheavens!youwouldtakeonespringfromwhereyousitandlandinthatclumpofbushesyonder。“

`Heflunghisarmoutatthenightbeyondthestonebalustrade。Iheldmypeace。Helookedatmeverysteadily，verysevere。Therecouldbenomistake：Iwasbeingbulliednow，anditbehovedmetomakenosignlestbyagestureorawordIshouldbedrawnintoafataladmissionaboutmyselfwhichwouldhavehadsomebearingonthecase。Iwasnotdisposedtotakeanyriskofthatsort。Don’tforgetIhadhimbeforeme，andreallyhewastoomuchlikeoneofusnottobedangerous。ButifyouwanttoknowIdon’tmindtellingyouthatIdid，witharapidglance，estimatethedistancetothemassofdenserblacknessinthemiddleofthegrass-plotbeforetheveranda。Heexaggerated。Iwouldhavelandedshortbyseveralfeet——andthat’stheonlythingofwhichIamfairlycertain。

`Thelastmomenthadcome，ashethought，andhedidnotmove。Hisfeetremainedgluedtotheplanksifhisthoughtswereknockinglooseinhishead。Itwasatthismoment，too，thathesawoneofthemenaroundtheboatstepbackwardssuddenly，clutchattheairwithraisedarms，totterandcollapse。Hedidn’texactlyfall，heonlyslidgentlyintoasittingposture，allhunchedupandwithhisshouldersproppedagainstthesideoftheengine-roomskylight。“Thatwasthedonkey-man。Ahaggard，white-facedchapwitharaggedmoustache。Actedthirdengineer，“heexplained。

“`Dead，“Isaid。Wehadheardsomethingofthatincourt。

“`Sotheysay，“hepronouncedwithsombreindifference。“OfcourseI

neverknew。Weakheart。Themanhadbeencomplainingofbeingoutofsortsforsometimebefore。Excitement。Over-exertion。Devilonlyknows。Ha!

ha!ha!Itwaseasytoseehedidnotwanttodieeither。Droll，isn’tit？MayIbeshotifhehadn’tbeenfooledintokillinghimself!Fooled——neithermorenorless。Fooledintoit，byheavens!justasI……Ah!Ifhehadonlykeptstill；ifhehadonlytoldthemtogotothedevilwhentheycametorushhimoutofhisbunkbecausetheshipwassinking!Ifhehadonlystoodbywithhishandsinhispocketsandcalledthemnames!“

`Hegotup，shookhisfist，glaredatme，andsatdown。

“`Achancemissed，eh？“Imurmured。

“`Whydon’tyoulaugh？“hesaid。“Ajokehatchedinhell。Weakheart!……Iwishsometimesminehadbeen。“

`Thisirritatedme。“Doyou？“Iexclaimedwithdeeprootedirony。“Yes!

Can’tyouunderstand？“hecried。“Idon’tknowwhatmoreyoucouldwishfor，“Isaidangrily。Hegavemeanutterlyuncomprehendingglance。

Thisshafthadalsogonewideofthemark，andhewasnotthemantobotheraboutstrayarrows。Uponmyword，hewastoounsuspecting；hewasnotfairgame。Iwasgladthatmymissilehadbeenthrownaway——thathehadnotevenheardthetwangofthebow。

`Ofcoursehecouldnotknowatthetimethemanwasdead。Thenextminute——hislastonboard——wascrowdedwithatumultofeventsandsensationswhichbeatabouthimliketheseauponarock。Iusethesimileadvisedly，becausefromhisrelationIamforcedtobelievehehadpreservedthroughitallastrangeillusionofpassiveness，asthoughhehadnotactedbuthadsufferedhimselftobehandledbytheinfernalpowerswhohadselectedhimforthevictimoftheirpracticaljoke。Thefirstthingthatcametohimwasthegrindingsurgeoftheheavydavitsswingingoutatlast——ajarwhichseemedtoenterhisbodyfromthedeckthroughthesolesofhisfeet，andtraveluphisspinetothecrownofhishead。Then，thesquallbeingverynearnow，anotherandheavierswellliftedthepassivehullinathreateningheavethatcheckedhisbreath，whilehisbrainandhishearttogetherwerepiercedaswithdaggersbypanic-strickenscreams。

“Letgo!ForGod’ssake，letgo!Letgo!She’sgoing。“Followinguponthattheboat-fallsrippedthroughtheblocks，andalotofmenbegantotalkinstartledtonesundertheawnings。“Whenthesebeggarsdidbreakout，theiryelpswereenoughtowakethedead，“hesaid。Nextafterthesplashingshockoftheboatliterallydroppedinthewater，camethehollownoisesofstampingandtumblinginher，mingledwithconfusedshouts：“Unhook!

Unhook!Shove!Unhook!Shoveforyourlife!Here’sthesqualldownonus……“Heheard，highabovehishead，thefaintmutteringofthewind；

heheardbelowhisfeetacryofpain。Alostvoicealongsidestartedcursingaswivelhook。Theshipbegantobuzzforeandaftlikeadisturbedhive，and，asquietlyashewastellingmeallofthis——becausejustthenhewasveryquietinattitude，inface，invoice——hewentontosaywithouttheslightestwarningasitwere，“Istumbledoverhislegs。“

`ThiswasthefirstIheardofhishavingmovedatall。Icouldnotrestrainagruntofsurprise。Somethinghadstartedhimoffatlast，butoftheexactmoment，ofthecausethattorehimoutofhisimmobility，heknewnomorethantheuprootedtreeknowsofthewindthatlaiditlow。

Allthishadcometohim；thesounds，thesights，thelegsofthedeadman——byJove!Theinfernaljokewasbeingcrammeddevilishlydownhisthroat，but——lookyou——hewasnotgoingtoadmitofanysortofswallowingmotioninhisgullet。It’sextraordinaryhowhecouldcastuponyouthespiritofhisillusion。Ilistenedasiftoataleofblackmagicatworkuponacorpse。

“`Hewentoversideways，verygently，andthisisthelastthingIrememberseeingonboard，“hecontinued。“Ididnotcarewhathedid。Itlookedasthoughhewerepickinghimselfup：Ithoughthewaspickinghimselfup，ofcourse：Iexpectedhimtoboltpastmeovertherailanddropintotheboataftertheothers。Icouldhearthemknockingabout，downthere，andavoiceasifcryingupashaftcalledout，`George!’Thenthreevoicestogetherraisedayell。Theycametomeseparately：onebleated，anotherscreamed，onehowled。Ough!“

`Heshiveredalittle，andIbeheldhimriseslowlyasifasteadyhandfromabovehadbeenpullinghimoutofthechairbyhishair。Up，slowly——tohisfullheight，andwhenhiskneeshadlockedstiffthehandlethimgo，andheswayedalittleonhisfeet。Therewasasuggestionofawfulstillnessinhisface，inhismovements，inhisveryvoicewhenhesaid，“Theyshouted“——andinvoluntarilyIprickedupmyearsfortheghostofthatshoutthatwouldbehearddirectlythroughthefalseeffectofsilence。“Therewereeighthundredpeopleinthatship，“hesaid，impalingmetothebackofmyseatwithanawfulblankstare。“Eighthundredlivingpeople，andtheywereyellingaftertheonedeadmantocomedownandbesaved。`Jump，George!

Jump!Oh，jump!’Istoodbywithmyhandonthedavit。Iwasveryquiet。

Ithadcomeoverpitchdark。Youcouldseeneitherskynorsea。Iheardtheboatalongsidegobump，bump，andnotanothersounddownthereforawhile，buttheshipundermewasfulloftalkingnoises。Suddenlytheskipperhowled，`MeinGott!Thesquall!Thesquall!Shoveoff!’

Withthefirsthissofrain，andthefirstgustofwind，theyscreamed，`Jump，George!We’llcatchyou!Jump!’Theshipbeganaslowplunge；therainsweptoverherlikeabrokensea；mycapflewoffmyhead；mybreathwasdrivenbackintomythroat。IheardasifIhadbeenonthetopofatoweranotherwildscreech，`Geo-o-o-orge!Oh，jump!’Shewasgoingdown，down，headfirstunderme……“

`Heraisedhishanddeliberatelytohisface，andmadepickingmotionswithhisfingersasthoughhehadbeenbotheredwithcobwebs，andafterwardshelookedintotheopenpalmforquitehalfasecondbeforeheblurtedout：

“`Ihadjumped……“Hecheckedhimself，avertedhisgaze……“Itseems，“headded。

`Hisclearblueeyesturnedtomewithapiteousstare，andlookingathimstandingbeforeme，dumbfoundedandhurt，Iwasoppressedbyasadsenseofresignedwisdom，mingledwiththeamusedandprofoundpityofanoldmanhelplessbeforeachildishdisaster。

“`Lookslikeit，“Imuttered。