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It was easy to be too clever by half, and to over-reach oneself, in matters of this kind: in natural philosophy and in political intelligence a good rule was to look into the obvious first, and to solve the easy parts of the problem.
Those who judge and sentence criminals address them with an unbridled, vindictive righteousness that would be excessive in an archangel and that is indecent to the highest degree in one sinner speaking to another, and he defenceless. Righteous indignation every day, and publicly applauded!
A thoroughly genteel air, nothing bold or flaunting. Writes like a cat, with every third word underlined, and cannot spell. Speaks excellent French, however, and sits a horse to admiration: no other education that can be detected.’
‘You do not mean there is danger of peace?’ cried Jack, turning quick. ‘That is to say, I mean the blessings of peace are very capital, nothing finer – but one likes to be warned.’
He is behaving as I have seen so many sailors behave when they are ashore with a pocket full of guineas; and presently he too will be on his scuppers, as we say in the Navy. Running-horses, cards, building, and even God forbid silver-mining.
But if you had heard him speak of wombats – oh, just in passing, and not with any sense of ill-usage – it would have brought tears to your eyes. Oh, Jack, he is so very low.’
Killick, torn from the arms of his delight after little more than a week, was busy reslinging the cot, which a leak overhead had soaked through and through. ‘Those bleeding caulkers at the Yard,’ he muttered, ‘don’t know their fucking business . . . I’d caulk ’em . . . oh, I’d caulk ’em, and with a red-hot caulking iron in their . . .’
The boy I rated captain’s servant for Harding’s sake, is an odious little villain – I have already had to stop his grog – and there are a couple more among the oldsters, nephews of men who were kind to me, that are more like vermin than anything I like to see on my quarterdeck.
‘Mr Pullings,’ he cried, very angry. ‘Put an end to this infernal hallooing instantly. Always the same God-damned foolery, every time a man goes overboard. Damn you all for a mob of mad lunatics. Get along forward. Silence fore and aft.’ Then, in an ordinary tone, ‘Pass the word for the Doctor.’
‘But then,’ he went on in quite another tone, low and confidential, ‘when we’re ashore, sometimes we’re a little at sea, if you understand me, sir. Which, being as straight as a die, we sometimes believe them quick-talking coves are dead honest too, with their patent knees and braces and goddam silver-mines, pardon the expression, sir.
‘From the look of your topsides and your harbour stow,’ said Bonden, now abreast of the Asa Foulkes, ‘you ain’t got a single seaman in the barky for us to take. My advice to you, old Boston Bean, is to go right back to Sodom, Massachusetts, by foot, and try to find a real sailorman or two.’
He had the impression that both Grant and Fisher were in a state of powerful fear. There were no evident, direct signs of it, but both complained very often: a stream of blame and disapproval of the modern state of mind, the present generation, their useless, idle servants, the ill conduct of the government, of the political parties, and of those about the King: a general denigration, a frequent imputation of motives, always discreditable.
Like the Dutch captain, Killick seemed able to read his thoughts: coffee and a pile of ham sandwiches were carrying in as Jack hung his streaming sou’-wester on its peg and walked into the gloomy cabin, where he sat on a locker by the starboard gun.
Nearer and still nearer in, with seals staring up on every hand, some of monstrous size: one of the countless seabirds dropped filth on him – oh such good luck – and with his eye fixed on a small island near the shore and his ear following the cry of the lead, he called, ‘All hands to bring the ship to an anchor.’
And almost beyond his view, the place where sea-leopards bred: yet although in one sea-leopard’s stomach he had found eleven adult penguins and one small seal, by land they were on civil terms with their prey: indeed, all the various creatures shuffled and walked about in mingled crowds, abiding by some social contract that dissolved in the sea.
‘Make a lane, there,’ he said, addressing the penguins as he hurried Stephen down the road that countless generations of the birds had made.
