📝 您未登录，登录后完成练习可保存成绩、查看最佳记录。
总字符
0
正确字符
0
错误字符
0
错误率
0.00%
耗时(秒)
0
速度 WPM
0
0 / 82
1AT A VENTURE The voyage of the Abraham Lincoln was for a long time marked by no special incident. But one circumstance
2happened which showed the wonderful dexterity of Ned Land, and proved what confidence we might place in him. The 30th of
3June, the frigate spoke some American whalers, from whom we learned that they knew nothing about the narwhal. But one of
4them, the captain of the Monroe, knowing that Ned Land had shipped on board the Abraham Lincoln, begged for his help in
5chasing a whale they had in sight. Commander Farragut, desirous of seeing Ned Land at work, gave him permission to go on
6board the Monroe. And fate served our Canadian so well that, instead of one whale, he harpooned two with a double blow,
7striking one straight to the heart, and catching the other after some minutes' pursuit. Decidedly, if the monster ever
8had to do with Ned Land's harpoon, I would not bet in its favour. The frigate skirted the south-east coast of America
9with great rapidity. The 3rd of July we were at the opening of the Straits of Magellan, level with Cape Vierges. But
10Commander Farragut would not take a tortuous passage, but doubled Cape Horn. The ship's crew agreed with him. And
11certainly it was possible that they might meet the narwhal in this narrow pass. Many of the sailors affirmed that the
12monster could not pass there, "that he was too big for that!" The 6th of July, about three o'clock in the afternoon, the
13Abraham Lincoln, at fifteen miles to the south, doubled the solitary island, this lost rock at the extremity of the
14American continent, to which some Dutch sailors gave the name of their native town, Cape Horn. The course was taken
15towards the north-west, and the next day the screw of the frigate was at last beating the waters of the Pacific. "Keep
16your eyes open!" called out the sailors. And they were opened widely. Both eyes and glasses, a little dazzled, it is
17true, by the prospect of two thousand dollars, had not an instant's repose. Day and night they watched the surface of
18the ocean, and even nyctalopes, whose faculty of seeing in the darkness multiplies their chances a hundredfold, would
19have had enough to do to gain the prize. I myself, for whom money had no charms, was not the least attentive on board.
20Giving but few minutes to my meals, but a few hours to sleep, indifferent to either rain or sunshine, I did not leave
21the poop of the vessel. Now leaning on the netting of the forecastle, now on the taffrail, I devoured with eagerness the
22soft foam which whitened the sea as far as the eye could reach; and how often have I shared the emotion of the majority
23of the crew, when some capricious whale raised its black back above the waves! The poop of the vessel was crowded in a
24moment. The cabins poured forth a torrent of sailors and officers, each with heaving breast and troubled eye watching
25the course of the cetacean. I looked and looked, till I was nearly blind, whilst Conseil, always phlegmatic, kept
26repeating in a calm voice: "If, sir, you would not squint so much, you would see better!" But vain excitement! The
27Abraham Lincoln checked its speed and made for the animal signalled, a simple whale, or common cachalot, which soon
28disappeared amidst a storm of execration. But the weather was good. The voyage was being accomplished under the most
29favourable auspices. It was then the bad season in Australia, the July of that zone corresponding to our January in
30Europe, but the sea was beautiful and easily scanned round a vast circumference. The 20th of July, the tropic of
31Capricorn was cut by 105° of longitude, and the 27th of the same month we crossed the equator on the 110th meridian.
32This passed, the frigate took a more decided westerly direction, and scoured the central waters of the Pacific.
33Commander Farragut thought, and with reason, that it was better to remain in deep water, and keep clear of continents or
34islands, which the beast itself seemed to shun (perhaps because there was not enough water for him! suggested the
35greater part of the crew). The frigate passed at some distance from the Marquesas and the Sandwich Islands, crossed the
36tropic of Cancer, and made for the China Seas. We were on the theatre of the last diversions of the monster: and, to say
37truth, we no longer lived on board. Hearts palpitated, fearfully preparing themselves for future incurable aneurism. The
38entire ship's crew were undergoing a nervous excitement, of which I can give no idea: they could not eat, they could not
39sleep--twenty times a day, a misconception or an optical illusion of some sailor seated on the taffrail, would cause
40dreadful perspirations, and these emotions, twenty times repeated, kept us in a state of excitement so violent that a
41reaction was unavoidable. And truly, reaction soon showed itself. For three months, during which a day seemed an age,
42the Abraham Lincoln furrowed all the waters of the Northern Pacific, running at whales, making sharp deviations from her
43course, veering suddenly from one tack to another, stopping suddenly, putting on steam, and backing ever and anon at the
44risk of deranging her machinery, and not one point of the Japanese or American coast was left unexplored. The warmest
45partisans of the enterprise now became its most ardent detractors. Reaction mounted from the crew to the captain
46himself, and certainly, had it not been for resolute determination on the part of Captain Farragut, the frigate would
47have headed due southward. This useless search could not last much longer. The Abraham Lincoln had nothing to reproach
48herself with, she had done her best to succeed. Never had an American ship's crew shown more zeal or patience; its
49failure could not be placed to their charge--there remained nothing but to return. This was represented to the
50commander. The sailors could not hide their discontent, and the service suffered. I will not say there was a mutiny on
51board, but after a reasonable period of obstinacy, Captain Farragut (as Columbus did) asked for three days' patience. If
52in three days the monster did not appear, the man at the helm should give three turns of the wheel, and the Abraham
53Lincoln would make for the European seas. This promise was made on the 2nd of November. It had the effect of rallying
54the ship's crew. The ocean was watched with renewed attention. Each one wished for a last glance in which to sum up his
55remembrance. Glasses were used with feverish activity. It was a grand defiance given to the giant narwhal, and he could
56scarcely fail to answer the summons and "appear." Two days passed, the steam was at half pressure; a thousand schemes
57were tried to attract the attention and stimulate the apathy of the animal in case it should be met in those parts.
58Large quantities of bacon were trailed in the wake of the ship, to the great satisfaction (I must say) of the sharks.
59Small craft radiated in all directions round the Abraham Lincoln as she lay to, and did not leave a spot of the sea
60unexplored. But the night of the 4th of November arrived without the unveiling of this submarine mystery. The next day,
61the 5th of November, at twelve, the delay would (morally speaking) expire; after that time, Commander Farragut, faithful
62to his promise, was to turn the course to the south-east and abandon for ever the northern regions of the Pacific. The
63frigate was then in 31° 15′ north latitude and 136° 42′ east longitude. The coast of Japan still remained less than two
64hundred miles to leeward. Night was approaching. They had just struck eight bells; large clouds veiled the face of the
65moon, then in its first quarter. The sea undulated peaceably under the stern of the vessel. At that moment I was leaning
66forward on the starboard netting. Conseil, standing near me, was looking straight before him. The crew, perched in the
67ratlines, examined the horizon, which contracted and darkened by degrees. Officers with their night glasses scoured the
68growing darkness; sometimes the ocean sparkled under the rays of the moon, which darted between two clouds, then all
69trace of light was lost in the darkness. In looking at Conseil, I could see he was undergoing a little of the general
70influence. At least I thought so. Perhaps for the first time his nerves vibrated to a sentiment of curiosity. "Come,
71Conseil," said I, "this is the last chance of pocketing the two thousand dollars." "May I be permitted to say, sir,"
72replied Conseil, "that I never reckoned on getting the prize; and, had the government of the Union offered a hundred
73thousand dollars, it would have been none the poorer." "You are right, Conseil. It is a foolish affair after all, and
74one upon which we entered too lightly. What time lost, what useless emotions! We should have been back in France six
75months ago." "In your little room, sir," replied Conseil, "and in your museum, sir, and I should have already classed
76all your fossils, sir. And the Babiroussa would have been installed in its cage in the Jardin des Plantes, and have
77drawn all the curious people of the capital!" "As you say, Conseil. I fancy we shall run a fair chance of being laughed
78at for our pains." "That's tolerably certain," replied Conseil, quietly; "I think they will make fun of you, sir. And,
79must I say it?" "Go on, my good friend." "Well, sir, you will only get your deserts." "Indeed!" "When one has the honour
80of being a savant as you are, sir, one should not expose one's self to----" Conseil had not time to finish his
81compliment. In the midst of general silence a voice had just been heard. It was the voice of Ned Land shouting-- "Look
82out there! The very thing we are looking for--on our weather beam!"
🎉 全部完成！共 82 行