FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99  
100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   >>   >|  
ive turmoil were forgotten; the fear and anguish of these dark moments were never mentioned in the glowing peace of fine days. Yet from that time our life seemed to start afresh as though we had died and had been resuscitated. All the first part of the voyage, the Indian Ocean on the other side of the Cape, all that was lost in a haze, like an ineradicable suspicion of some previous existence. It had ended--then there were blank hours: a livid blurr--and again we lived! Singleton was possessed of sinister truth; Mr. Creighton of a damaged leg; the cook of fame--and shamefully abused the opportunities of his distinction. Donkin had an added grievance. He went about repeating with insistence:--"'E said 'e would brain me--did yer 'ear? They are goin' to murder us now for the least little thing." We began at last to think it was rather awful. And we were conceited! We boasted of our pluck, of our capacity for work, of our energy. We remembered honourable episodes: our devotion, our indomitable perseverance--and were proud of them as though they had been the outcome of our unaided impulses. We remembered our danger, our toil--and conveniently forgot our horrible scare. We decried our officers--who had done nothing--and listened to the fascinating Donkin. His care for our rights, his disinterested concern for our dignity, were not discouraged by the invariable contumely of our words, by the disdain of our looks. Our contempt for him was unbounded--and we could not but listen with interest to that consummate artist. He told us we were good men--a "bloomin' condemned lot of good men." Who thanked us? Who took any notice of our wrongs? Didn't we lead a "dorg's loife for two poun' ten a month?" Did we think that miserable pay enough to compensate us for the risk to our lives and for the loss of our clothes? "We've lost every rag!" he cried. He made us forget that he, at any rate, had lost nothing of his own. The younger men listened, thinking--this 'ere Donkin's a long-headed chap, though no kind of man, anyhow. The Scandinavians were frightened at his audacities; Wamibo did not understand; and the older seamen thoughtfully nodded their heads making the thin gold earrings glitter in the fleshy lobes of hairy ears. Severe, sunburnt faces were propped meditatively on tattooed forearms. Veined, brown fists held in their knotted grip the dirty white clay of smouldering pipes. They listened, impenetrable, broad-backed, with bent shoulder
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99  
100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Donkin

 

listened

 

remembered

 

miserable

 

compensate

 
rights
 

unbounded

 

disinterested

 

interest

 
discouraged

listen

 
contumely
 

condemned

 

consummate

 

invariable

 

bloomin

 

thanked

 

notice

 

wrongs

 

artist


concern

 

disdain

 

contempt

 

dignity

 

sunburnt

 

propped

 

meditatively

 

forearms

 

tattooed

 

Severe


earrings

 
glitter
 

fleshy

 

Veined

 

impenetrable

 
backed
 

shoulder

 

smouldering

 

knotted

 

making


younger

 

thinking

 

forget

 

clothes

 

headed

 

understand

 
seamen
 

thoughtfully

 

nodded

 

Wamibo