part1-2
ChapterII
HESHOOKhandswithme："Well，thereyouare，onyourown，appointedofficiallyundermyre-
sponsibility。"
Hewasactuallywalkingwithmetothedoor。
Whatadistanceoffitseemed！Imovedlikeamaninbonds。Butwereacheditatlast。Iopeneditwiththesensationofdealingwithmeredream-
stuff，andthenatthelastmomentthefellowshipofseamenasserteditself，strongerthanthediffer-
enceofageandstation。ItasserteditselfinCaptainEllis’voice。
"Good-bye——andgoodlucktoyou，"hesaidsoheartilythatIcouldonlygivehimagratefulglance。ThenIturnedandwentout，nevertoseehimagaininmylife。IhadnotmadethreestepsintotheouterofficewhenIheardbehindmybackagruff，loud，authoritativevoice，thevoiceofourdeputy-Neptune。
ItwasaddressingtheheadShipping-Masterwho，havingletmein，had，apparently，remainedhoveringinthemiddledistanceeversince"Mr。R。，lettheharbourlaunchhavesteamuptotakethecaptainhereonboardtheMelitaathalf-
pastnineto-night。"
IwasamazedatthestartledalacrityofR’s"Yes，sir。"Heranbeforemeoutonthelanding。
MynewdignitysatyetsolightlyonmethatIwasnotawarethatitwasI，theCaptain，theobjectofthislastgraciousness。Itseemedasifallofasud-
denapairofwingshadgrownonmyshoulders。I
merelyskimmedalongthepolishedfloor。
ButR。wasimpressed。
"Isay！"heexclaimedonthelanding，whiletheMalaycrewofthesteam-launchstandingbylookedstonilyatthemanforwhomtheyweregoingtobekeptondutysolate，awayfromtheirgambling，fromtheirgirls，ortheirpuredomesticjoys。"I
say！Hisownlaunch。Whathaveyoudonetohim？"
Hisstarewasfullofrespectfulcuriosity。Iwasquiteconfounded。
"Wasitforme？Ihadn’ttheslightestnotion，"
Istammeredout。
Henoddedmanytimes。"Yes。AndthelastpersonwhohaditbeforeyouwasaDuke。So，there！"
Ithinkheexpectedmetofaintonthespot。
ButIwasintoomuchofahurryforemotionaldisplays。Myfeelingswerealreadyinsuchawhirlthatthisstaggeringinformationdidnotseemtomaketheslightestdifference。Itmerelyfellintotheseethingcauldronofmybrain，andIcarrieditoffwithmeafterashortbuteffusivepassageofleave-takingwithR。
Thefavourofthegreatthrowsanaureoleroundthefortunateobjectofitsselection。Thatex-
cellentmanenquiredwhetherhecoulddoanythingforme。Hehadknownmeonlybysight，andhewaswellawarehewouldneverseemeagain;Iwas，incommonwiththeotherseamenoftheport，merelyasubjectforofficialwriting，fillingupofformswithalltheartificialsuperiorityofamanofpenandinktothemenwhograpplewithrealitiesoutsidetheconsecratedwallsofofficialbuildings。
Whatghostswemusthavebeentohim！Meresymbolstojugglewithinbooksandheavyregisters，withoutbrainsandmusclesandper-
plexities;somethinghardlyusefulanddecidedlyinferior。
Andhe——theofficehoursbeingover——wantedtoknowifhecouldbeofanyusetome！
Iought——properlyspeaking——Ioughttohavebeenmovedtotears。ButIdidnoteventhinkofit。
Itwasmerelyanothermiraculousmanifestationofthatdayofmiracles。Ipartedfromhimasifhewereameresymbol。Ifloateddownthestaircase。
Ifloatedoutoftheofficialandimposingportal。I
wentonfloatingalong。
Iusethatwordratherthantheword"flew，"be-
causeIhaveadistinctimpressionthat，thoughup-
liftedbymyarousedyouth，mymovementsweredeliberateenough。Tothatmixedwhite，brown，andyellowportionofmankind，outabroadontheirownaffairs，Ipresentedtheappearanceofamanwalkingrathersedately。Andnothinginthewayofabstractioncouldhaveequalledmydeepde-
tachmentfromtheformsandcoloursofthisworld。
Itwas，asitwere，final。
Andyet，suddenly，IrecognizedHamilton。I
recognizedhimwithouteffort，withoutashock，withoutastart。Therehewas，strollingtowardtheHarbourOfficewithhisstiff，arrogantdignity。
Hisredfacemadehimnoticeableatadistance。Itflamed，overthere，ontheshadysideofthestreet。
Hehadperceivedme，too。Something（uncon-
sciousexuberanceofspiritsperhaps）movedmetowavemyhandtohimelaborately。ThislapsefromgoodtastehappenedbeforeIwasawarethatIwascapableofit。
Theimpactofmyimpudencestoppedhimshort，muchasabulletmighthavedone。Iverilybelievehestaggered，thoughasfarasIcouldseehedidn’tactuallyfall。Ihadgonepastinamomentanddidnotturnmyhead。Ihadforgottenhisexistence。
Thenexttenminutesmighthavebeentensecondsortencenturiesforallmyconsciousnesshadtodowithit。Peoplemighthavebeenfallingdeadaroundme，housescrumbling，gunsfiring，Iwouldn’thaveknown。Iwasthinking："ByJove！Ihavegotit。"ITbeingthecommand。Ithadcomeaboutinawayutterlyunforeseeninmymodestday-dreams。
Iperceivedthatmyimaginationhadbeenrun-
ninginconventionalchannelsandthatmyhopeshadalwaysbeendrabstuff。Ihadenvisagedacommandasaresultofaslowcourseofpromotionintheemployofsomehighlyrespectablefirm。
Therewardoffaithfulservice。Well，faithfulservicewasallright。Onewouldnaturallygivethatforone’sownsake，forthesakeoftheship，fortheloveofthelifeofone’schoice;notforthesakeofthereward。
Thereissomethingdistastefulinthenotionofareward。
AndnowhereIhadmycommand，absolutelyinmypocket，inawayundeniableindeed，butmostunexpected;beyondmyimaginings，outsideallreasonableexpectations，andevennotwithstandingtheexistenceofsomesortofobscureintriguetokeepitawayfromme。Itistruethattheintriguewasfeeble，butithelpedthefeelingofwonder——asifIhadbeenspeciallydestinedforthatshipIdidnotknow，bysomepowerhigherthantheprosaicagenciesofthecommercialworld。
Astrangesenseofexultationbegantocreepintome。IfIhadworkedforthatcommandtenyearsormoretherewouldhavebeennothingofthekind。
Iwasalittlefrightened。
"Letusbecalm，"Isaidtomyself。
OutsidethedooroftheOfficers’HomethewretchedStewardseemedtobewaitingforme。
Therewasabroadflightofafewsteps，andherantoandfroonthetopofitasifchainedthere。A
distressedcur。Helookedasthoughhisthroatweretoodryforhimtobark。
IregrettosayIstoppedbeforegoingin。Therehadbeenarevolutioninmymoralnature。Hewaitedopen-mouthed，breathless，whileIlookedathimforhalfaminute。
"Andyouthoughtyoucouldkeepmeoutofit，"
Isaidscathingly。
"Yousaidyouweregoinghome，"hesqueakedmiserably。"Yousaidso。Yousaidso。"
"IwonderwhatCaptainElliswillhavetosaytothatexcuse，"Iutteredslowlywithasinistermeaning。
Hislowerjawhadbeentremblingallthetimeandhisvoicewaslikethebleatingofasickgoat。"Youhavegivenmeaway？Youhavedoneforme？"
Neitherhisdistressnoryetthesheerabsurdityofitwasabletodisarmme。Itwasthefirstin-
stanceofharmbeingattemptedtobedonetome——atanyrate，thefirstIhadeverfoundout。AndIwasstillyoungenough，stilltoomuchonthissideoftheshadowline，nottobesurprisedandindig-
nantatsuchthings。
Igazedathiminflexibly。Letthebeggarsuffer。
HeslappedhisforeheadandIpassedin，pursued，intothediningroom，byhisscreech："Ialwayssaidyou’dbethedeathofme。"
Thisclamournotonlyovertookme，butwentaheadasitwereontotheverandahandbroughtoutCaptainGiles。
Hestoodbeforemeinthedoorwayinallthecommonplacesolidityofhiswisdom。Thegoldchainglitteredonhisbreast。Heclutchedasmoulderingpipe。
Iextendedmyhandtohimwarmlyandheseemedsurprised，butdidrespondheartilyenoughintheend，withafaintsmileofsuperiorknowledgewhichcutmythanksshortasifwithaknife。I
don’tthinkthatmorethanonewordcameout。
Andevenforthatone，judgingbythetemperatureofmyface，Ihadblushedasifforabadaction。
Assumingadetachedtone，Iwonderedhowonearthhehadmanagedtospotthelittleunderhandgamethathadbeengoingon。
Hemurmuredcomplacentlythattherewerebutfewthingsdoneinthetownthathecouldnotseetheinsideof。Andastothishouse，hehadbeenusingitoffandonfornearlytenyears。Nothingthatwentoninitcouldescapehisgreatexperience。
Ithadbeennotroubletohim。Notroubleatall。
Theninhisquiet，thicktonehewantedtoknowifIhadcomplainedformallyoftheSteward’saction。
IsaidthatIhadn’t——though，indeed，itwasnotforwantofopportunity。CaptainEllishadgoneformebald-headedinamostridiculousfashionforbeingoutofthewaywhenwanted。
"Funnyoldgentleman，"interjectedCaptainGiles。"Whatdidyousaytothat？"
"IsaidsimplythatIcamealongtheverymo-
mentIheardofhismessage。Nothingmore。I
didn’twanttohurttheSteward。Iwouldscorntoharmsuchanobject。No。Imadenocom-
plaint，butIbelievehethinksI’vedoneso。Lethimthink。He’sgotafrighthewon’tforgetinahurry，forCaptainElliswouldkickhimoutintothemiddleofAsia……"
"Waitamoment，"saidCaptainGiles，leavingmesuddenly。Isatdownfeelingverytired，mostlyinmyhead。BeforeIcouldstartatrainofthoughthestoodagainbeforeme，murmuringtheexcusethathehadtogoandputthefellow’smindatease。
Ilookedupwithsurprise。ButinrealityIwasindifferent。HeexplainedthathehadfoundtheStewardlyingfacedownwardonthehorsehairsofa。
Hewasallrightnow。
"Hewouldnothavediedoffright，"Isaidcon-
temptuously。
"No。Buthemighthavetakenanoverdoseoutofoneofthemlittlebottleshekeepsinhisroom，"
CaptainGilesarguedseriously。"Theconfoundedfoolhastriedtopoisonhimselfonce——afewyearsago。"
"Really，"Isaidwithoutemotion。"Hedoesn’tseemveryfittolive，anyhow。"
"Astothat，itmaybesaidofagoodmany。"
"Don’texaggeratelikethis！"Iprotested，laughingirritably。"ButIwonderwhatthispartoftheworldwoulddoifyouweretoleaveofflook-
ingafterit，CaptainGiles？HereyouhavegotmeacommandandsavedtheSteward’slifeinoneafternoon。ThoughwhyyoushouldhavetakenallthatinterestineitherofusismorethanIcanunderstand。"
CaptainGilesremainedsilentforaminute。
Thengravely：
"He’snotabadstewardreally。Hecanfindagoodcook，atanyrate。And，what’smore，hecankeephimwhenfound。Irememberthecookswehadherebeforehistime！……"
Imusthavemadeamovementofimpatience，becauseheinterruptedhimselfwithanapologyforkeepingmeyarningthere，whilenodoubtIneededallmytimetogetready。
WhatIreallyneededwastobealoneforabit。
Iseizedthisopeninghastily。Mybedroomwasaquietrefugeinanapparentlyuninhabitedwingofthebuilding。Havingabsolutelynothingtodo（forIhadnotunpackedmythings），Isatdownonthebedandabandonedmyselftotheinfluencesofthehour。Totheunexpectedinfluences……
AndfirstIwonderedatmystateofmind。WhywasInotmoresurprised？Why？HereIwas，in-
vestedwithacommandinthetwinklingofaneye，notinthecommoncourseofhumanaffairs，butmoreasifbyenchantment。Ioughttohavebeenlostinastonishment。ButIwasn’t。Iwasverymuchlikepeopleinfairytales。Nothingeverastonishesthem。Whenafullyappointedgalacoachisproducedoutofapumpkintotakehertoaball，Cinderelladoesnotexclaim。Shegetsinquietlyanddrivesawaytoherhighfor-
tune。
CaptainEllis（afiercesortoffairy）hadpro-
ducedacommandoutofadraweralmostasun-
expectedlyasinafairytale。Butacommandisanabstractidea，anditseemedasortof"lessermarvel"tillitflasheduponmethatitinvolvedtheconcreteexistenceofaship。
Aship！Myship！Shewasmine，moreabso-
lutelymineforpossessionandcarethananythingintheworld;anobjectofresponsibilityandde-
votion。Shewastherewaitingforme，spell-bound，unabletomove，tolive，togetoutintotheworld（tillIcame），likeanenchantedprincess。Hercallhadcometomeasiffromtheclouds。Ihadneversuspectedherexistence。Ididn’tknowhowshelooked，Ihadbarelyheardhername，andyetwewereindissolublyunitedforacertainportionofourfuture，tosinkorswimtogether！
Asuddenpassionofanxiousimpatiencerushedthroughmyveins，gavemesuchasenseofthein-
tensityofexistenceasIhaveneverfeltbeforeorsince。IdiscoveredhowmuchofaseamanIwas，inheart，inmind，and，asitwere，physically——amanexclusivelyofseaandships;theseatheonlyworldthatcounted，andtheships，thetestofman-
liness，oftemperament，ofcourageandfidelity——
andoflove。
Ihadanexquisitemoment。Itwasuniquealso。
Jumpingupfrommyseat，Ipacedupanddownmyroomforalongtime。ButwhenIcamedown-
stairsIbehavedwithsufficientcomposure。I
onlycouldn’teatanythingatdinner。
Havingdeclaredmyintentionnottodrivebuttowalkdowntothequay，ImustrenderthewretchedStewardjusticethathebestirredhimselftofindmesomecooliesfortheluggage。Theyde-
parted，carryingallmyworldlypossessions（exceptalittlemoneyIhadinmypocket）slungfromalongpole。CaptainGilesvolunteeredtowalkdownwithme。
Wefollowedthesombre，shadedalleyacrosstheEsplanade。Itwasmoderatelycoolthereunderthetrees。CaptainGilesremarked，withasuddenlaugh："Iknowwho’sjollythankfulathavingseenthelastofyou。"
IguessedthathemeanttheSteward。Thefellowhadbornehimselftomeinasulkilyfrightenedmanneratthelast。Iexpressedmywonderthatheshouldhavetriedtodomeabadturnfornoreasonatall。
"Don’tyouseethatwhathewantedwastogetridofourfriendHamiltonbydodginghiminfrontofyouforthatjob？Thatwouldhaveremovedhimforgood。See？"
"Heavens！"Iexclaimed，feelinghumiliatedsomehow。"Canitbepossible？Whatafoolhemustbe！Thatoverbearing，impudentloafer！
Why！Hecouldn’t……Andyethe’snearlydoneit，Ibelieve;fortheHarbourOfficewasboundtosendsomebody。"
"Aye。AfoollikeourStewardcanbedangeroussometimes，"declaredCaptainGilessententiously。
"Justbecauseheisafool，"headded，impartingfurtherinstructioninhiscomplacentlowtones。
"For，"hecontinuedinthemannerofasetdemon-
stration，"nosensiblepersonwouldriskbeingkickedoutoftheonlyberthbetweenhimselfandstarvationjusttogetridofasimpleannoyance——
asmallworry。Wouldhenow？"
"Well，no，"Iconceded，restrainingadesiretolaughatthatsomethingmysteriouslyearnestindeliveringtheconclusionsofhiswisdomasthoughitweretheproductofprohibitedoperations。"Butthatfellowlooksasifhewererathercrazy。Hemustbe。"
"Astothat，Ibelieveeverybodyintheworldisalittlemad，"heannouncedquietly。
"Youmakenoexceptions？"Iinquired，justtohearhismanner。
"Why！Kentsaysthatevenofyou。"
"Doeshe？"Iretorted，extremelyembitteredallatonceagainstmyformercaptain。"There’snothingofthatinthewrittencharacterfromhimwhichI’vegotinmypocket。Hashegivenyouanyinstancesofmylunacy？"
CaptainGilesexplainedinaconciliatingtonethatithadbeenonlyafriendlyremarkinrefer-
encetomyabruptleavingtheshipfornoapparentreason。
Imutteredgrumpily："Oh！leavinghisship，"
andmendedmypace。Hekeptupbymysideinthedeepgloomoftheavenueasifitwerehiscon-
scientiousdutytoseemeoutofthecolonyasanundesirablecharacter。Hepantedalittle，whichwasratherpatheticinaway。ButIwasnotmoved。Onthecontrary。Hisdiscomfortgavemeasortofmaliciouspleasure。
PresentlyIrelented，sloweddown，andsaid：
"WhatIreallywantedwastogetafreshgrip。
Ifeltitwastime。Isthatsoverymad？"
Hemadenoanswer。Wewereissuingfromtheavenue。Onthebridgeoverthecanaladark，ir-
resolutefigureseemedtobeawaitingsomethingorsomebody。
ItwasaMalaypoliceman，barefooted，inhisblueuniform。Thesilverbandonhislittleroundcapshonedimlyinthelightofthestreetlamp。Hepeeredinourdirectiontimidly。
Beforewecouldcomeuptohimheturnedaboutandwalkedinfrontofusinthedirectionofthejetty。Thedistancewassomehundredyards;andthenIfoundmycooliessquattingontheirheels。
Theyhadkeptthepoleontheirshoulders，andallmyworldlygoods，stilltiedtothepole，wererestingonthegroundbetweenthem。Asfarastheeyecouldreachalongthequaytherewasnotanothersoulabroadexceptthepolicepeon，whosalutedus。
Itseemshehaddetainedthecooliesassuspiciouscharacters，andhadforbiddenthemthejetty。Butatasignfrommehetookofftheembargowithalacrity。Thetwopatientfellows，risingtogetherwithafaintgrunt，trottedoffalongtheplanks，andIpreparedtotakemyleaveofCaptainGiles，whostoodtherewithanairasthoughhismissionweredrawingtoaclose。Itcouldnotbedeniedthathehaddoneitall。AndwhileIhesitatedaboutanappropriatesentencehemadehimselfheard：
"Iexpectyou’llhaveyourhandsprettyfulloftangled-upbusiness。"
Iaskedhimwhatmadehimthinkso;andhean-
sweredthatitwashisgeneralexperienceoftheworld。Shipalongtimeawayfromherport，ownersinaccessiblebycable，andtheonlymanwhocouldexplainmattersdeadandburied。
"Andyouyourselfnewtothebusinessinaway，"
heconcludedinasortofunanswerabletone。
"Don’tinsist，"Isaid。"Iknowitonlytoowell。
IonlywishyoucouldimparttomesomesmallportionofyourexperiencebeforeIgo。Asitcan’tbedoneintenminutesIhadbetternotbegintoaskyou。There’sthatharbourlaunchwaitingforme，too。ButIwon’tfeelreallyatpeacetillIhavethatshipofmineoutintheIndianOcean。"
HeremarkedcasuallythatfromBangkoktotheIndianOceanwasaprettylongstep。Andthismurmur，likeadimflashfromadarklantern，showedmeforamomentthebroadbeltofislandsandreefsbetweenthatunknownship，whichwasmine，andthefreedomofthegreatwatersoftheglobe。
ButIfeltnoapprehension。IwasfamiliarenoughwiththeArchipelagobythattime。Ex-
tremepatienceandextremecarewouldseemethroughtheregionofbrokenland，offaintairs，andofdeadwatertowhereIwouldfeelatlastmycommandswingonthegreatswellandlistovertothegreatbreathofregularwinds，thatwouldgiveherthefeelingofalarge，moreintenselife。Theroadwouldbelong。Allroadsarelongthatleadtowardone’sheart’sdesire。Butthisroadmymind’seyecouldseeonachart，professionally，withallitscomplicationsanddifficulties，yetsimpleenoughinaway。Oneisaseamanoroneisnot。
AndIhadnodoubtofbeingone。
TheonlypartIwasastrangertowastheGulfofSiam。AndImentionedthistoCaptainGiles。
NotthatIwasconcernedverymuch。ItbelongedtothesameregionthenatureofwhichIknew，intowhoseverysoulIseemedtohavelookedduringthelastmonthsofthatexistencewithwhichIhadbrokennow，suddenly，asonepartswithsomeen-
chantingcompany。
"Thegulf……Ay！Afunnypieceofwater——that，"saidCaptainGiles。
Funny，inthisconnection，wasavagueword。
Thewholethingsoundedlikeanopinionutteredbyacautiouspersonmindfulofactionsforslander。
Ididn’tinquireastothenatureofthatfunni-
ness。Therewasreallynotime。Butattheverylasthevolunteeredawarning。
"Whateveryoudokeeptotheeastsideofit。
Thewestsideisdangerousatthistimeoftheyear。
Don’tletanythingtemptyouover。You’llfindnothingbuttroublethere。"
ThoughIcouldhardlyimaginewhatcouldtemptmetoinvolvemyshipamongstthecurrentsandreefsoftheMalayshore，Ithankedhimfortheadvice。
Hegrippedmyextendedarmwarmly，andtheendofouracquaintancecamesuddenlyinthewords："Good-night。"
Thatwasallhesaid："Good-night。"Nothingmore。Idon’tknowwhatIintendedtosay，butsurprisemademeswallowit，whateveritwas。I
chokedslightly，andthenexclaimedwithasortofnervoushaste："Oh！Good-night，CaptainGiles，good-night。"
Hismovementswerealwaysdeliberate，buthisbackhadrecededsomedistancealongthedesertedquaybeforeIcollectedmyselfenoughtofollowhisexampleandmadeahalfturninthedirectionofthejetty。
Onlymymovementswerenotdeliberate。I
hurrieddowntothesteps，andleapedintothelaunch。BeforeIhadfairlylandedinherstern-
sheetstheslimlittlecraftdartedawayfromthejettywithasuddenswirlofherpropellerandthehard，rapidpuffingoftheexhaustinhervaguelygleamingbrassfunnelamidships。
Themistychurningathersternwastheonlysoundintheworld。Theshorelayplungedinthesilenceofthedeeperslumber。Iwatchedthetownrecedestillandsoundlessinthehotnight，tilltheabrupthail，"Steam-launch，ahoy！"mademespinroundfaceforward。Wewereclosetoawhiteghostlysteamer。Lightsshoneonherdecks，inherportholes。Andthesamevoiceshoutedfromher：
"Isthatourpassenger？"
"Itis，"Iyelled。
Hercrewhadbeenobviouslyonthejump。I
couldhearthemrunningabout。Themodernspiritofhastewasloudlyvocalintheordersto"Heaveawayonthecable"——to"Lowertheside-
ladder，"andinurgentrequeststometo"Comealong，sir！Wehavebeendelayedthreehoursforyou……Ourtimeisseveno’clock，youknow！"
Isteppedonthedeck。Isaid"No！Idon’tknow。"Thespiritofmodernhurrywasembodiedinathin，long-armed，long-leggedman，withacloselyclippedgraybeard。Hismeagrehandwashotanddry。Hedeclaredfeverishly：
"IamhangedifIwouldhavewaitedanotherfiveminutesHarbour-MasterornoHarbour-
Master。"
"That’syourownbusiness，"Isaid。"Ididn’taskyoutowaitforme。"
"Ihopeyoudon’texpectanysupper，"heburstout。"Thisisn’taboarding-houseafloat。YouarethefirstpassengerIeverhadinmylifeandIhopetogoodnessyouwillbethelast。"
Imadenoanswertothishospitablecommuni-
cation;and，indeed，hedidn’twaitforany，boltingawayontohisbridgetogethisshipunderway。
Forthethreedayshehadmeonboardhedidnotdepartfromthathalf-hostileattitude。Hisshiphavingbeendelayedthreehoursonmyaccounthecouldn’tforgivemefornotbeingamoredistin-
guishedperson。Hewasnotexactlyoutspokenaboutit，butthatfeelingofannoyedwonderwaspeepingoutperpetuallyinhistalk。
Hewasabsurd。
Hewasalsoamanofmuchexperience，whichhelikedtotrotout;butnogreatercontrastwithCap-
tainGilescouldhavebeenimagined。HewouldhaveamusedmeifIhadwantedtobeamused。
ButIdidnotwanttobeamused。Iwaslikealoverlookingforwardtoameeting。Humanhos-
tilitywasnothingtome。Ithoughtofmyun-
knownship。Itwasamusementenough，tormentenough，occupationenough。
Heperceivedmystate，forhiswitsweresuffi-
cientlysharpforthat，andhepokedslyfunatmypreoccupationinthemannersomenasty，cynicaloldmenassumetowardthedreamsandillusionsofyouth。I，onmyside，refrainedfromquestioninghimastotheappearanceofmyship，thoughI
knewthatbeinginBangkokeveryfortnightorsohemusthaveknownherbysight。Iwasnotgoingtoexposetheship，myship！tosomeslightingreference。
HewasthefirstreallyunsympatheticmanIhadevercomeincontactwith。Myeducationwasfarfrombeingfinished，thoughIdidn’tknowit。No！
Ididn’tknowit。
AllIknewwasthathedislikedmeandhadsomecontemptformyperson。Why？Apparentlybecausehisshiphadbeendelayedthreehoursonmyaccount。WhowasItohavesuchathingdoneforme？Suchathinghadneverbeendoneforhim。
Itwasasortofjealousindignation。
Myexpectation，mingledwithfear，waswroughttoitshighestpitch。Howslowhadbeenthedaysofthepassageandhowsoontheywereover。Onemorning，early，wecrossedthebar，andwhilethesunwasrisingsplendidlyovertheflatspacesofthelandwesteameduptheinnumerablebends，passedundertheshadowofthegreatgiltpagoda，andreachedtheoutskirtsofthetown。
Thereitwas，spreadlargelyonbothbanks，theOrientalcapitalwhichhadasyetsufferednowhiteconqueror;anexpanseofbrownhousesofbamboo，ofmats，ofleaves，ofavegetable-matterstyleofarchitecture，sprungoutofthebrownsoilonthebanksofthemuddyriver。Itwasamazingtothinkthatinthosemilesofhumanhabitationstherewasnotprobablyhalfadozenpoundsofnails。Someofthosehousesofsticksandgrass，likethenestsofanaquaticrace，clungtothelowshores。Othersseemedtogrowoutofthewater;othersagainfloatedinlonganchoredrowsintheverymiddleofthestream。Hereandthereinthedistance，abovethecrowdedmoboflow，brownroofridges，toweredgreatpilesofmasonry，King’sPalace，temples，gorgeousanddilapidated，crumblingundertheverticalsunlight，tremendous，overpowering，al-
mostpalpable，whichseemedtoenterone’sbreastwiththebreathofone’snostrilsandsoakintoone’slimbsthrougheveryporeofone’sskin。
Theridiculousvictimofjealousyhadforsomereasonorothertostophisenginesjustthen。Thesteamerdriftedslowlyupwiththetide。ObliviousofmynewsurroundingsIwalkedthedeck，inanx-
ious，deadenedabstraction，acomminglingofromanticreveriewithaverypracticalsurveyofmyqualifications。Forthetimewasapproachingformetobeholdmycommandandtoprovemyworthintheultimatetestofmyprofession。
SuddenlyIheardmyselfcalledbythatimbe-
cile。Hewasbeckoningmetocomeuponhisbridge。
Ididn’tcareverymuchforthat，butasitseemedthathehadsomethingparticulartosayI
wentuptheladder。
Helaidhishandonmyshoulderandgavemeaslightturn，pointingwithhisotherarmatthesametime。
"There！That’syourship，Captain，"hesaid。
Ifeltathumpinmybreast——onlyone，asifmyhearthadthenceasedtobeat。Thereweretenormoreshipsmooredalongthebank，andtheonehemeantwaspartlyhiddenawayfrommysightbyhernextastern。Hesaid："We’lldriftabreastherinamoment。"
Whatwashistone？Mocking？Threatening？
Oronlyindifferent？Icouldnottell。Isuspectedsomemaliceinthisunexpectedmanifestationofinterest。
Heleftme，andIleanedovertherailofthebridgelookingovertheside。Idarednotraisemyeyes。Yetithadtobedone——and，indeed，Icouldnothavehelpedmyself。IbelieveItrembled。
Butdirectlymyeyeshadrestedonmyshipallmyfearvanished。Itwentoffswiftly，likeabaddream。Onlythatadreamleavesnoshamebe-
hindit，andthatIfeltamomentaryshameatmyunworthysuspicions。
Yes，thereshewas。Herhull，herriggingfilledmyeyewithagreatcontent。Thatfeelingoflife-
emptinesswhichhadmademesorestlessforthelastfewmonthslostitsbitterplausibility，itsevilinfluence，dissolvedinaflowofjoyousemotion。
AtfirstglanceIsawthatshewasahigh-classvessel，aharmoniouscreatureinthelinesofherfinebody，intheproportionedtallnessofherspars。
Whateverherageandherhistory，shehadpre-
servedthestampofherorigin。Shewasoneofthosecraftthat，invirtueoftheirdesignandcom-
pletefinish，willneverlookold。Amongsthercom-
panionsmooredtothebank，andallbiggerthanherself，shelookedlikeacreatureofhighbreed——
anArabsteedinastringofcart-horses。
Avoicebehindmesaidinanastyequivocaltone：
"Ihopeyouaresatisfiedwithher，Captain。"I
didnoteventurnmyhead。Itwasthemasterofthesteamer，andwhateverhemeant，whateverhethoughtofher，Iknewthat，likesomerarewomen，shewasoneofthosecreatureswhosemereexistenceisenoughtoawakenanunselfishdelight。Onefeelsthatitisgoodtobeintheworldinwhichshehasherbeing。
Thatillusionoflifeandcharacterwhichcharmsoneinmen’sfinesthandiworkradiatedfromher。
Anenormousbulkofteak-woodtimberswungoverherhatchway;lifelessmatter，lookingheavierandbiggerthananythingaboardofher。Whentheystartedloweringitthesurgeofthetacklesentaquiverthroughherfromwater-linetothetrucksupthefinenervesofherrigging，asthoughshehadshudderedattheweight。Itseemedcrueltoloadherso……
Halfanhourlater，puttingmyfootonherdeckforthefirsttime，Ireceivedthefeelingofdeepphysicalsatisfaction。Nothingcouldequalthefullnessofthatmoment，theidealcompletenessofthatemotionalexperiencewhichhadcometomewithoutthepreliminarytoilanddisenchantmentsofanobscurecareer。
Myrapidglanceranoverher，enveloped，ap-
propriatedtheformconcretingtheabstractsenti-
mentofmycommand。Alotofdetailsperceptibletoaseamanstruckmyeye，vividlyinthatinstant。
Fortherest，Isawherdisengagedfromthematerialconditionsofherbeing。Theshoretowhichshewasmooredwasasifitdidnotexist。Whatweretomeallthecountriesoftheglobe？Inallthepartsoftheworldwashedbynavigablewatersourrelationtoeachotherwouldbethesame——andmoreintimatethantherearewordstoexpressinthelanguage。Apartfromthat，everysceneandepisodewouldbeamerepassingshow。Theverygangofyellowcooliesbusyaboutthemainhatchwaslesssubstantialthanthestuffdreamsaremadeof。ForwhoonearthwoulddreamofChinamen？……
Iwentaft，ascendedthepoop，where，undertheawning，gleamedthebrassesoftheyacht-likefittings，thepolishedsurfacesoftherails，theglassoftheskylights。Rightafttwoseamen，busycleaningthesteeringgear，withthereflectedripplesoflightrunningplayfullyuptheirbentbacks，wentonwiththeirwork，unawareofmeandoftheal-
mostaffectionateglanceIthrewattheminpassingtowardthecompanion-wayofthecabin。
Thedoorsstoodwideopen，theslidewaspushedrightback。Thehalf-turnofthestaircasecutofftheviewofthelobby。Alowhummingascendedfrombelow，butitstoppedabruptlyatthesoundofmydescendingfootsteps。
part1-3ChapterIII
THEfirstthingIsawdowntherewastheupperpartofaman’sbodyprojectingbackward，asitwere，fromoneofthedoorsatthefootofthestairs。Hiseyeslookedatmeverywideandstill。Inonehandheheldadinnerplate，intheotheracloth。
"IamyournewCaptain，"Isaidquietly。
Inamoment，inthetwinklingofaneye，hehadgotridoftheplateandtheclothandjumpedtoopenthecabindoor。AssoonasIpassedintothesaloonhevanished，butonlytoreappearinstantly，buttoningupajackethehadputonwiththeswiftnessofa"quick-change"artist。
"Where’sthechiefmate？"Iasked。
"Inthehold，Ithink，sir。Isawhimgodowntheafter-hatchtenminutesago。"
"TellhimIamonboard。"
Themahoganytableundertheskylightshoneinthetwilightlikeadarkpoolofwater。Theside-
board，surmountedbyawidelooking-glassinanormuluframe，hadamarbletop。Itboreapairofsilver-platedlampsandsomeotherpieces——
obviouslyaharbourdisplay。Thesaloonitselfwaspanelledintwokindsofwoodintheexcellentsimpletasteprevailingwhentheshipwasbuilt。
Isatdowninthearmchairattheheadofthetable——thecaptain’schair，withasmalltell-talecompassswungaboveit——amutereminderofun-
remittingvigilance。
Asuccessionofmenhadsatinthatchair。Ibe-
cameawareofthatthoughtsuddenly，vividly，asthougheachhadleftalittleofhimselfbetweenthefourwallsoftheseornatebulkheads;asifasortofcompositesoul，thesoulofcommand，hadwhisperedsuddenlytomineoflongdaysatseaandofanxiousmoments。
"You，too！"itseemedtosay，"you，too，shalltasteofthatpeaceandthatunrestinasearchingintimacywithyourownself——obscureaswewereandassupremeinthefaceofallthewindsandalltheseas，inanimmensitythatreceivesnoimpress，preservesnomemories，andkeepsnoreckoningoflives。"
Deepwithinthetarnishedormuluframe，inthehothalf-lightsiftedthroughtheawning，Isawmyownfaceproppedbetweenmyhands。AndI
staredbackatmyselfwiththeperfectdetachmentofdistance，ratherwithcuriositythanwithanyotherfeeling，exceptofsomesympathyforthislatestrepresentativeofwhatforallintentsandpurposeswasadynasty，continuousnotinbloodindeed，butinitsexperience，initstraining，initsconceptionofduty，andintheblessedsimplicityofitstraditionalpointofviewonlife。
ItstruckmethatthisquietlystaringmanwhomIwaswatching，bothasifheweremyselfandsome-
bodyelse，wasnotexactlyalonelyfigure。Hehadhisplaceinalineofmenwhomhedidnotknow，ofwhomhehadneverheard;butwhowerefashionedbythesameinfluences，whosesoulsinrelationtotheirhumblelife’sworkhadnosecretsforhim。
SuddenlyIperceivedthattherewasanothermaninthesaloon，standingalittleononesideandlook-
ingintentlyatme。Thechiefmate。Hislong，redmoustachedeterminedthecharacterofhisphysiognomy，whichstruckmeaspugnaciousin（strangetosay）aghastlysortofway。
Howlonghadhebeentherelookingatme，ap-
praisingmeinmyunguardedday-dreamingstate？
Iwouldhavebeenmoredisconcertedif，havingtheclocksetinthetopofthemirror-framerightinfrontofme，Ihadnotnoticedthatitslonghandhadhardlymovedatall。
Icouldnothavebeeninthatcabinmorethantwominutesaltogether。Saythree……Sohecouldnothavebeenwatchingmemorethanamerefractionofaminute，luckily。Still，Ire-
grettedtheoccurrence。
ButIshowednothingofitasIroseleisurely（ithadtobeleisurely）andgreetedhimwithperfectfriendliness。
Therewassomethingreluctantandatthesametimeattentiveinhisbearing。HisnamewasBurns。Weleftthecabinandwentroundtheshiptogether。Hisfaceinthefulllightofdayap-
pearedverypale，meagre，evenhaggard。Some-
howIhadadelicacyastolookingtoooftenathim;
hiseyes，onthecontrary，remainedfairlygluedonmyface。Theyweregreenishandhadanex-
pectantexpression。
Heansweredallmyquestionsreadilyenough，butmyearseemedtocatchatoneofunwillingness。
Thesecondofficer，withthreeorfourhands，wasbusyforward。ThematementionedhisnameandInoddedtohiminpassing。Hewasveryyoung。
Hestruckmeasratheracub。
Whenwereturnedbelow，Isatdownononeendofadeep，semi-circular，or，rather，semi-ovalsettee，upholsteredinredplush。Itextendedrightacrossthewholeafter-endofthecabin。Mr。Burnsmotionedtositdown，droppedintooneoftheswivel-chairsroundthetable，andkepthiseyesonmeaspersistentlyasever，andwiththatstrangeairasifallthisweremake-believeandheexpectedmetogetup，burstintoalaugh，slaphimontheback，andvanishfromthecabin。
Therewasanoddstressinthesituationwhichbegantomakemeuncomfortable。Itriedtoreactagainstthisvaguefeeling。
"It’sonlymyinexperience，"Ithought。
Inthefaceofthatman，severalyears，Ijudged，olderthanmyself，IbecameawareofwhatIhadleftalreadybehindme——myyouth。Andthatwasindeedpoorcomfort。Youthisafinething，amightypower——aslongasonedoesnotthinkofit。IfeltIwasbecomingself-conscious。AlmostagainstmywillIassumedamoodygravity。I
said："Iseeyouhavekeptherinverygoodorder，Mr。Burns。"
DirectlyIhadutteredthesewordsIaskedmy-
selfangrilywhythedeucedidIwanttosaythat？
Mr。Burnsinanswerhadonlyblinkedatme。Whatonearthdidhemean？
Ifellbackonaquestionwhichhadbeeninmythoughtsforalongtime——themostnaturalques-
tiononthelipsofanyseamanwhateverjoiningaship。Ivoicedit（confoundthisself-consciousness）
inadegagecheerfultone："Isupposeshecantravel——what？"
Nowaquestionlikethismighthavebeenan-
swerednormally，eitherinaccentsofapologeticsorroworwithavisiblysuppressedpride，ina"I
don’twanttoboast，butyoushallsee，"sortoftone。Therearesailors，too，whowouldhavebeenroughlyoutspoken："Lazybrute，"oropenlyde-
lighted："She’saflyer。"Twoways，iffourmanners。
ButMr。Burnsfoundanotherway，awayofhisownwhichhad，atallevents，themeritofsavinghisbreath，ifnoother。
Againhedidnotsayanything。Heonlyfrowned。Anditwasanangryfrown。Iwaited。
Nothingmorecame。
"What’sthematter？……Can’tyoutellafterbeingnearlytwoyearsintheship？"Iad-
dressedhimsharply。
Helookedasstartledforamomentasthoughhehaddiscoveredmypresenceonlythatverymo-
ment。Butthispassedoffalmostatonce。Heputonanairofindifference。ButIsupposehethoughtitbettertosaysomething。Hesaidthatashipneeded，justlikeaman，thechancetoshowthebestshecoulddo，andthatthisshiphadneverhadachancesincehehadbeenonboardofher。Notthathecouldremember。Thelastcaptain……
Hepaused。
"Hashebeensoveryunlucky？"Iaskedwithfrankincredulity。Mr。Burnsturnedhiseyesawayfromme。No，thelatecaptainwasnotanunluckyman。Onecouldn’tsaythat。Buthehadnotseemedtowanttomakeuseofhisluck。
Mr。Burns——manofenigmaticmoods——madethisstatementwithaninanimatefaceandstaringwilfullyattheruddercasing。Thestatementitselfwasobscurelysuggestive。Iaskedquietly：
"Wheredidhedie？"
"Inthissaloon。Justwhereyouaresittingnow，"answeredMr。Burns。
Irepressedasillyimpulsetojumpup;butuponthewholeIwasrelievedtohearthathehadnotdiedinthebedwhichwasnowtobemine。I
pointedouttothechiefmatethatwhatIreallywantedtoknowwaswherehehadburiedhislatecaptain。
Mr。Burnssaidthatitwasattheentrancetothegulf。Aroomygrave;asufficientanswer。Butthemate，overcomingvisiblysomethingwithinhim——somethinglikeacuriousreluctancetobelieveinmyadvent（asanirrevocablefact，atanyrate），didnotstopatthat——though，indeed，hemayhavewishedtodoso。
Asacompromisewithhisfeelings，Ibelieve，headdressedhimselfpersistentlytotherudder-casing，sothattomehehadtheappearanceofamantalkinginsolitude，alittleunconsciously，however。
Histalewasthatatsevenbellsintheforenoonwatchhehadallhandsmusteredonthequarter-
deckandtoldthemtheyhadbettergodowntosaygood-byetothecaptain。
Thosewords，asifgrudgedtoanintrudingper-
sonage，wereenoughformetoevokevividlythatstrangeceremony：Thebare-footed，bare-headedseamencrowdingshylyintothatcabin，asmallmobpressedagainstthatsideboard，uncomfortableratherthanmoved，shirtsopenonsunburntchests，weather-beatenfaces，andallstaringatthedyingmanwiththesamegraveandexpectantexpression。
"Washeconscious？"Iasked。
"Hedidn’tspeak，buthemovedhiseyestolookatthem，"saidthemate。
Afterwaitingamoment，Mr。Burnsmotionedthecrewtoleavethecabin，buthedetainedthetwoeldestmentostaywiththecaptainwhilehewentondeckwithhissextantto"takethesun。"Itwasgettingtowardnoonandhewasanxioustoobtainagoodobservationforlatitude。Whenhereturnedbelowtoputhissextantawayhefoundthatthetwomenhadretreatedoutintothelobby。
Throughtheopendoorhehadaviewofthecaptainlyingeasyagainstthepillows。Hehad"passedaway"whileMr。Burnswastakingthisobserva-
tion。Asnearnoonaspossible。Hehadhardlychangedhisposition。
Mr。Burnssighed，glancedatmeinquisitively，asmuchastosay，"Aren’tyougoingyet？"andthenturnedhisthoughtsfromhisnewcaptainbacktotheold，who，beingdead，hadnoauthority，wasnotinanybody’sway，andwasmucheasiertodealwith。
Mr。Burnsdealtwithhimatsomelength。Hewasapeculiarman——ofsixty-fiveabout——irongray，hard-faced，obstinate，anduncommunicative。Heusedtokeeptheshiploafingatseaforinscrutablereasons。Wouldcomeondeckatnightsometimes，takesomesailoffher，Godonlyknowswhyorwherefore，thengobelow，shuthimselfupinhiscabin，andplayontheviolinforhours——tillday-
breakperhaps。Infact，hespentmostofhistimedayornightplayingtheviolin。Thatwaswhenthefittookhim。Veryloud，too。
Itcametothis，thatMr。Burnsmusteredhiscourageonedayandremonstratedearnestlywiththecaptain。Neitherhenorthesecondmatecouldgetawinkofsleepintheirwatchesbelowforthenoise……Andhowcouldtheybeex-
pectedtokeepawakewhileonduty？Hepleaded。
Theanswerofthatsternmanwasthatifheandthesecondmatedidn’tlikethenoise，theywerewel-
cometopackuptheirtrapsandwalkovertheside。
Whenthisalternativewasofferedtheshiphap-
penedtobe600milesfromthenearestland。
Mr。Burnsatthispointlookedatmewithanairofcuriosity。Ibegantothinkthatmypredecessorwasaremarkablypeculiaroldman。
ButIhadtohearstrangerthingsyet。Itcameoutthatthisstern，grim，wind-tanned，rough，sea-
salted，taciturnsailorofsixty-fivewasnotonlyanartist，butaloveraswell。InHaiphong，whentheygotthereafteracourseofmostunprofitableperegrinations（duringwhichtheshipwasnearlylosttwice），hegothimself，inMr。Burns’ownwords，"mixedup"withsomewoman。Mr。Burnshadhadnopersonalknowledgeofthataffair，butpositiveevidenceofitexistedintheshapeofaphotographtakeninHaiphong。Mr。Burnsfounditinoneofthedrawersinthecaptain’sroom。
InduecourseI，too，sawthatamazinghumandocument（Ieventhrewitoverboardlater）。
Therehesat，withhishandsreposingonhisknees，bald，squat，gray，bristly，recallingawildboarsomehow;andbyhissidetoweredanawfulmature，whitefemalewithrapaciousnostrilsandacheaplyill-omenedstareinherenormouseyes。Shewasdisguisedinsomesemi-oriental，vulgar，fancycostume。Sheresembledalow-classmediumoroneofthosewomenwhotellfortunesbycardsforhalfacrown。Andyetshewasstriking。Apro-
fessionalsorceressfromtheslums。Itwasincom-
prehensible。Therewassomethingawfulinthethoughtthatshewasthelastreflectionoftheworldofpassionforthefiercesoulwhichseemedtolookatoneoutofthesardonicallysavagefaceofthatoldseaman。However，Inoticedthatshewasholdingsomemusicalinstrument——guitarormandoline——
inherhand。Perhapsthatwasthesecretofhersortilege。
ForMr。Burnsthatphotographexplainedwhytheunloadedshiphadkeptswelteringatanchorforthreeweeksinapestilentialhotharbourwith-
outair。Theylaythereandgasped。Thecap-
tain，appearingnowandthenonshortvisits，mumbledtoMr。Burnsunlikelytalesaboutsomelettershewaswaitingfor。
Suddenly，aftervanishingforaweek，hecameonboardinthemiddleofthenightandtooktheshipouttoseawiththefirstbreakofdawn。Daylightshowedhimlookingwildandill。Themeregettingclearofthelandtooktwodays，andsomehoworothertheybumpedslightlyonareef。However，noleakdeveloped，andthecaptain，growling"nomatter，"informedMr。BurnsthathehadmadeuphismindtotaketheshiptoHong-Konganddry-
dockherthere。
AtthisMr。Burnswasplungedintodespair。Forindeed，tobeatuptoHong-Kongagainstafiercemonsoon，withashipnotsufficientlyballastedandwithhersupplyofwaternotcompleted，wasanin-
saneproject。
Butthecaptaingrowledperemptorily，"Stickheratit，"andMr。Burns，dismayedandenraged，stuckheratit，andkeptheratit，blowingawaysails，strainingthespars，exhaustingthecrew——
nearlymaddenedbytheabsoluteconvictionthattheattemptwasimpossibleandwasboundtoendinsomecatastrophe。
Meantimethecaptain，shutupinhiscabinandwedgedinacornerofhissetteeagainstthecrazyboundingoftheship，playedtheviolin——or，atanyrate，madecontinuousnoiseonit。
Whenheappearedondeckhewouldnotspeakandnotalwaysanswerwhenspokento。Itwasobviousthathewasillinsomemysteriousmanner，andbeginningtobreakup。
Asthedayswentbythesoundsoftheviolinbe-
camelessandlessloud，tillatlastonlyafeeblescratchingwouldmeetMr。Burns’earashestoodinthesaloonlisteningoutsidethedoorofthecap-
tain’sstate-room。
Oneafternooninperfectdesperationheburstintothatroomandmadesuchascene，tearinghishairandshoutingsuchhorridimprecationsthathecowedthecontemptuousspiritofthesickman。
Thewater-tankswerelow，theyhadnotgainedfiftymilesinafortnight。ShewouldneverreachHong-
Kong。
Itwaslikefightingdesperatelytowarddestruc-
tionfortheshipandthemen。Thiswasevidentwithoutargument。Mr。Burns，losingallrestraint，puthisfaceclosetohiscaptain’sandfairlyyelled："You，sir，aregoingoutoftheworld。ButIcan’twaittillyouaredeadbeforeIputthehelmup。Youmustdoityourself。Youmustdoitnow！"
Themanonthecouchsnarledincontempt。
"SoIamgoingoutoftheworld——amI？"
"Yes，sir——youhaven’tmanydaysleftinit，"
saidMr。Burnscalmingdown。"Onecanseeitbyyourface。"
"Myface，eh？……Well，putupthehelmandbedamnedtoyou。"
Burnsflewondeck，gottheshipbeforethewind，thencamedownagaincomposed，butresolute。
"I’veshapedacourseforPuloCondor，sir，"hesaid。"Whenwemakeit，ifyouarestillwithus，you’lltellmeintowhatportyouwishmetotaketheshipandI’lldoit。"
Theoldmangavehimalookofsavagespite，andsaidthoseatrociouswordsindeadly，slowtones。
"IfIhadmywish，neithertheshipnoranyofyouwouldeverreachaport。AndIhopeyouwon’t。"
Mr。Burnswasprofoundlyshocked。Ibelievehewaspositivelyfrightenedatthetime。Itseems，however，thathemanagedtoproducesuchaneffectivelaughthatitwastheoldman’sturntobefrightened。Heshrankwithinhimselfandturnedhisbackonhim。
"Andhisheadwasnotgonethen，"Mr。Burnsassuredmeexcitedly。"Hemeanteverywordofit。"
"Suchwaspracticallythelatecaptain’slastspeech。Noconnectedsentencepassedhislipsafterward。Thatnightheusedthelastofhisstrengthtothrowhisfiddleovertheside。Noonehadactuallyseenhimintheact，butafterhisdeathMr。Burnscouldn’tfindthethinganywhere。
Theemptycasewasverymuchinevidence，butthefiddlewasclearlynotintheship。Andwhereelsecouldithavegonetobutoverboard？"
"Threwhisviolinoverboard！"Iexclaimed。
"Hedid，"criedMr。Burnsexcitedly。"Andit’smybeliefhewouldhavetriedtotaketheshipdownwithhimifithadbeeninhumanpower。Henevermeanthertoseehomeagain。Hewouldn’twritetohisowners，heneverwrotetohisoldwife，either——hewasn’tgoingto。Hehadmadeuphismindtocutadriftfromeverything。That’swhatitwas。Hedidn’tcareforbusiness，orfreights，orformakingapassage——oranything。Hemeanttohavegonewanderingabouttheworldtillhelostherwithallhands。"
Mr。Burnslookedlikeamanwhohadescapedgreatdanger。Foralittlehewouldhaveex-
claimed："Ifithadn’tbeenforme！"Andthetransparentinnocenceofhisindignanteyeswasunderlinedquaintlybythearrogantpairofmoustacheswhichheproceededtotwist，andasifextend，horizontally。
ImighthavesmiledifIhadnotbeenbusywithmyownsensations，whichwerenotthoseofMr。
Burns。Iwasalreadythemanincommand。Mysensationscouldnotbelikethoseofanyothermanonboard。InthatcommunityIstood，likeakinginhiscountry，inaclassallbymyself。Imeananhereditaryking，notamereelectedheadofastate。
IwasbroughttheretorulebyanagencyasremotefromthepeopleandasinscrutablealmosttothemastheGraceofGod。
Andlikeamemberofadynasty，feelingasemi-
mysticalbondwiththedead，Iwasprofoundlyshockedbymyimmediatepredecessor。
Thatmanhadbeeninallessentialsbuthisagejustsuchanothermanasmyself。Yettheendofhislifewasacompleteactoftreason，thebetrayalofatraditionwhichseemedtomeasimperativeasanyguideonearthcouldbe。Itappearedthatevenatseaamancouldbecomethevictimofevilspirits。Ifeltonmyfacethebreathofunknownpowersthatshapeourdestinies。
NottoletthesilencelasttoolongIaskedMr。
Burnsifhehadwrittentohiscaptain’swife。Heshookhishead。Hehadwrittentonobody。
Inamomenthebecamesombre。Heneverthoughtofwriting。IttookhimallhistimetowatchincessantlytheloadingoftheshipbyarascallyChinesestevedore。InthisMr。Burnsgavemethefirstglimpseoftherealchiefmate’ssoulwhichdweltuneasilyinhisbody。
Hemused，thenhastenedonwithgloomyforce。
"Yes！Thecaptaindiedasnearnoonaspos-
sible。Ilookedthroughhispapersintheafternoon。
IreadtheserviceoverhimatsunsetandthenI
stucktheship’sheadnorthandbroughtherinhere。I——brought——her——in。"
Hestruckthetablewithhisfist。
"Shewouldhardlyhavecomeinbyherself，"I
observed。"Butwhydidn’tyoumakeforSinga-
poreinstead？"
Hiseyeswavered。"Thenearestport，"hemutteredsullenly。
Ihadframedthequestioninperfectinnocence，buthisanswer（thedifferenceindistancewasin-
significant）andhismannerofferedmeacluetothesimpletruth。Hetooktheshiptoaportwhereheexpectedtobeconfirmedinhistemporarycom-
mandfromlackofaqualifiedmastertoputoverhishead。WhereasSingapore，hesurmisedjustly，wouldbefullofqualifiedmen。ButhisnaivereasoningforgottotakeintoaccountthetelegraphcablereposingonthebottomoftheveryGulfupwhichhehadturnedthatshipwhichheimaginedhimselftohavesavedfromdestruction。Hencethebitterflavourofourinterview。Itasteditmoreandmoredistinctly——anditwaslessandlesstomytaste。
"Lookhere，Mr。Burns，"Ibeganveryfirmly。
"YoumayaswellunderstandthatIdidnotrunafterthiscommand。Itwaspushedinmyway。
I’veacceptedit。Iamheretotaketheshiphomefirstofall，andyoumaybesurethatIshallseetoitthateveryoneofyouonboardheredoeshisdutytothatend。ThisisallIhavetosay——forthepresent。"
Hewasonhisfeetbythistime，butinsteadoftakinghisdismissalheremainedwithtrembling，indignantlips，andlookingatmehardasthough，really，afterthis，therewasnothingformetodoincommondecencybuttovanishfromhisoutragedsight。Likeallverysimpleemotionalstatesthiswasmoving。Ifeltsorryforhim——almostsympa-
thetic，till（seeingthatIdidnotvanish）hespokeinatoneofforcedrestraint。
"IfIhadn’tawifeandachildathomeyoumaybesure，sir，Iwouldhaveaskedyoutoletmegotheveryminuteyoucameonboard。"
Iansweredhimwithamatter-of-coursecalmnessasthoughsomeremotethirdpersonwereinquestion。
"AndI，Mr。Burns，wouldnothaveletyougo。
Youhavesignedtheship’sarticlesaschiefofficer，andtilltheyareterminatedatthefinalportofdischargeIshallexpectyoutoattendtoyourdutyandgivemethebenefitofyourexperiencetothebestofyourability。"
Stonyincredulitylingeredinhiseyes：butitbrokedownbeforemyfriendlyattitude。Withaslightupwardtossofhisarms（Igottoknowthatgesturewellafterward）heboltedoutofthecabin。
Wemighthavesavedourselvesthatlittlepas-
sageofharmlesssparring。BeforemanydayshadelapseditwasMr。Burnswhowaspleadingwithmeanxiouslynottoleavehimbehind;whileIcouldonlyreturnhimbutdoubtfulanswers。Thewholethingtookonasomewhattragiccomplexion。
Andthishorribleproblemwasonlyanextrane-
ousepisode，amerecomplicationinthegeneralproblemofhowtogetthatship——whichwasminewithherappurtenancesandhermen，withherbodyandherspiritnowslumberinginthatpestilentialriver——howtogetherouttosea。
Mr。Burns，whilestillactingcaptain，hadhastenedtosignacharter-partywhichinanidealworldwithoutguilewouldhavebeenanexcellentdocument。DirectlyIranmyeyeoveritIfore-
sawtroubleaheadunlessthepeopleoftheotherpartwerequiteexceptionallyfair-mindedandopentoargument。
Mr。Burns，towhomIimpartedmyfears，chosetotakegreatumbrageatthem。Helookedatmewiththatusualincredulousstare，andsaidbitterly：
"Isuppose，sir，youwanttomakeoutI’veactedlikeafool？"
Itoldhim，withmysystematickindlinesswhichalwaysseemedtoaugmenthissurprise，thatIdidnotwanttomakeoutanything。Iwouldleavethattothefuture。
And，sureenough，thefuturebroughtinalotoftrouble。ThereweredayswhenIusedtoremem-
berCaptainGileswithnothingshortofabhor-
rence。Hisconfoundedacutenesshadletmeinforthisjob;whilehisprophecythatI"wouldhavemyhandsfull"comingtrue，madeitappearasifdoneonpurposetoplayaneviljokeonmyyounginnocence。
Yes。Ihadmyhandsfullofcomplicationswhichweremostvaluableas"experience。"Peoplehaveagreatopinionoftheadvantagesofexperience。
Butinthisconnectionexperiencemeansalwayssomethingdisagreeableasopposedtothecharmandinnocenceofillusions。
ImustsayIwaslosingminerapidly。ButontheseinstructivecomplicationsImustnotenlargemorethantosaythattheycouldallberesumedintheoneword：Delay。
Amankindwhichhasinventedtheproverb，"Timeismoney，"willunderstandmyvexation。
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