Redburn. His First Voyage. Герман Мелвилл

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СКАЧАТЬ to see whether you want a fine young lad to go to sea with you. Here he is; he has long wanted to be a sailor; and his friends have at last concluded to let him go for one voyage, and see how he likes it."

      "Ah! indeed!" said the captain, blandly, and looking where I stood. "He's a fine fellow; I like him. So you want to be a sailor, my boy, do you?" added he, affectionately patting my head. "It's a hard life, though; a hard life."

      But when I looked round at his comfortable, and almost luxurious cabin, and then at his handsome care-free face, I thought he was only trying to frighten me, and I answered, "Well, sir, I am ready to try it."

      "I hope he's a country lad, sir," said the captain to my friend, "these city boys are sometimes hard cases."

      "Oh! yes, he's from the country," was the reply, "and of a highly respectable family; his great-uncle died a Senator."

      "But his great-uncle don't want to go to sea too?" said the captain, looking funny.

      "Oh! no, oh, no!—Ha! ha!"

      "Ha! ha!" echoed the captain.

      A fine funny gentleman, thought I, not much fancying, however, his levity concerning my great-uncle, he'll be cracking his jokes the whole voyage; and so I afterward said to one of the riggers on board; but he bade me look out, that he did not crack my head.

      "Well, my lad," said the captain, "I suppose you know we haven't any pastures and cows on board; you can't get any milk at sea, you know."

      "Oh! I know all about that, sir; my father has crossed the ocean, if I haven't."

      "Yes," cried my friend, "his father, a gentleman of one of the first families in America, crossed the Atlantic several times on important business."

      "Embassador extraordinary?" said the captain, looking funny again.

      "Oh! no, he was a wealthy merchant."

      "Ah! indeed;" said the captain, looking grave and bland again, "then this fine lad is the son of a gentleman?"

      "Certainly," said my friend, "and he's only going to sea for the humor of it; they want to send him on his travels with a tutor, but he will go to sea as a sailor."

      The fact was, that my young friend (for he was only about twenty-five) was not a very wise man; and this was a huge fib, which out of the kindness of his heart, he told in my behalf, for the purpose of creating a profound respect for me in the eyes of my future lord.

      Upon being apprized, that I had willfully forborne taking the grand tour with a tutor, in order to put my hand in a tar-bucket, the handsome captain looked ten times more funny than ever; and said that he himself would be my tutor, and take me on my travels, and pay for the privilege.

      "Ah!" said my friend, "that reminds me of business. Pray, captain, how much do you generally pay a handsome young fellow like this?"

      "Well," said the captain, looking grave and profound, "we are not so particular about beauty, and we never give more than three dollars to a green lad like Wellingborough here, that's your name, my boy? Wellingborough Redburn!—Upon my soul, a fine sounding name."

      "Why, captain," said Mr. Jones, quickly interrupting him, "that won't pay for his clothing."

      "But you know his highly respectable and wealthy relations will doubtless see to all that," replied the captain, with his funny look again.

      "Oh! yes, I forgot that," said Mr. Jones, looking rather foolish. "His friends will of course see to that."

      "Of course," said the captain smiling.

      "Of course," repeated Mr. Jones, looking ruefully at the patch on my pantaloons, which just then I endeavored to hide with the skirt of my shooting-jacket.

      "You are quite a sportsman I see," said the captain, eying the great buttons on my coat, upon each of which was a carved fox.

      Upon this my benevolent friend thought that here was a grand opportunity to befriend me.

      "Yes, he's quite a sportsman," said he, "he's got a very valuable fowling-piece at home, perhaps you would like to purchase it, captain, to shoot gulls with at sea? It's cheap."

      "Oh! no, he had better leave it with his relations," said the captain, "so that he can go hunting again when he returns from England."

      "Yes, perhaps that would be better, after all," said my friend, pretending to fall into a profound musing, involving all sides of the matter in hand. "Well, then, captain, you can only give the boy three dollars a month, you say?"

      "Only three dollars a month," said the captain.

      "And I believe," said my friend, "that you generally give something in advance, do you not?"

      "Yes, that is sometimes the custom at the shipping offices," said the captain, with a bow, "but in this case, as the boy has rich relations, there will be no need of that, you know."

      And thus, by his ill-advised, but well-meaning hints concerning the respectability of my paternity, and the immense wealth of my relations, did this really honest-hearted but foolish friend of mine, prevent me from getting three dollars in advance, which I greatly needed. However, I said nothing, though I thought the more; and particularly, how that it would have been much better for me, to have gone on board alone, accosted the captain on my own account, and told him the plain truth. Poor people make a very poor business of it when they try to seem rich.

      The arrangement being concluded, we bade the captain good morning; and as we were about leaving the cabin, he smiled again, and said, "Well, Redburn, my boy, you won't get home-sick before you sail, because that will make you very sea-sick when you get to sea."

      And with that he smiled very pleasantly, and bowed two or three times, and told the steward to open the cabin-door, which the steward did with a peculiar sort of grin on his face, and a slanting glance at my shooting-jacket. And so we left.

IV. HOW HE DISPOSED OF HIS FOWLING-PIECE

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      Next day I went alone to the shipping office to sign the articles, and there I met a great crowd of sailors, who as soon as they found what I was after, began to tip the wink all round, and I overheard a fellow in a great flapping sou'wester cap say to another old tar in a shaggy monkey-jacket, "Twig his coat, d'ye see the buttons, that chap ain't going to sea in a merchantman, he's going to shoot whales. I say, maty—look here—how d'ye sell them big buttons by the pound?"

      "Give us one for a saucer, will ye?" said another.

      "Let the youngster alone," said a third. "Come here, my little boy, has your ma put up some sweetmeats for ye to take to sea?"

      They are all witty dogs, thought I to myself, trying to make the best of the matter, for I saw it would not do to resent what they said; they can't mean any harm, though they are certainly very impudent; so I tried to laugh off their banter, but as soon as ever I could, I put down my name and beat a retreat.

      On the morrow, the ship was advertised to sail. So the rest СКАЧАТЬ