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- Джозеф Конрад
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- Тайный сообщник
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- Стр. 2/38
I
mention
this
because
it
has
some
bearing
on
what
is
to
follow
.
But
what
I
felt
most
was
my
being
a
stranger
to
the
ship
;
and
if
all
the
truth
must
be
told
,
I
was
somewhat
of
a
stranger
to
myself
.
The
youngest
man
on
board
(
barring
the
second
mate
)
,
and
untried
as
yet
by
a
position
of
the
fullest
responsibility
,
I
was
willing
to
take
the
adequacy
of
the
others
for
granted
.
They
had
simply
to
be
equal
to
their
tasks
;
but
I
wondered
how
far
I
should
turn
out
faithful
to
that
ideal
conception
of
one
’
s
own
personality
every
man
sets
up
for
himself
secretly
.
Meantime
the
chief
mate
,
with
an
almost
visible
effect
of
collaboration
on
the
part
of
his
round
eyes
and
frightful
whiskers
,
was
trying
to
evolve
a
theory
of
the
anchored
ship
.
His
dominant
trait
was
to
take
all
things
into
earnest
consideration
.
He
was
of
a
painstaking
turn
of
mind
.
As
he
used
to
say
,
he
“
liked
to
account
to
himself
”
for
practically
everything
that
came
in
his
way
,
down
to
a
miserable
scorpion
he
had
found
in
his
cabin
a
week
before
.
The
why
and
the
wherefore
of
that
scorpion
—
how
it
got
on
board
and
came
to
select
his
room
rather
than
the
pantry
(
which
was
a
dark
place
and
more
what
a
scorpion
would
be
partial
to
)
,
and
how
on
earth
it
managed
to
drown
itself
in
the
inkwell
of
his
writing
desk
—
had
exercised
him
infinitely
.
The
ship
within
the
islands
was
much
more
easily
accounted
for
;
and
just
as
we
were
about
to
rise
from
table
he
made
his
pronouncement
.
She
was
,
he
doubted
not
,
a
ship
from
home
lately
arrived
.
Probably
she
drew
too
much
water
to
cross
the
bar
except
at
the
top
of
spring
tides
.
Therefore
she
went
into
that
natural
harbor
to
wait
for
a
few
days
in
preference
to
remaining
in
an
open
roadstead
.
“
That
’
s
so
,
”
confirmed
the
second
mate
,
suddenly
,
in
his
slightly
hoarse
voice
.
“
She
draws
over
twenty
feet
.
She
’
s
the
Liverpool
ship
Sephora
with
a
cargo
of
coal
.
Hundred
and
twenty
-
three
days
from
Cardiff
.
”
We
looked
at
him
in
surprise
.
“
The
tugboat
skipper
told
me
when
he
came
on
board
for
your
letters
,
sir
,
”
explained
the
young
man
.
“
He
expects
to
take
her
up
the
river
the
day
after
tomorrow
.
”
After
thus
overwhelming
us
with
the
extent
of
his
information
he
slipped
out
of
the
cabin
.
The
mate
observed
regretfully
that
he
“
could
not
account
for
that
young
fellow
’
s
whims
.
”
What
prevented
him
telling
us
all
about
it
at
once
,
he
wanted
to
know
.
I
detained
him
as
he
was
making
a
move
.
For
the
last
two
days
the
crew
had
had
plenty
of
hard
work
,
and
the
night
before
they
had
very
little
sleep
.
I
felt
painfully
that
I
—
a
stranger
—
was
doing
something
unusual
when
I
directed
him
to
let
all
hands
turn
in
without
setting
an
anchor
watch
.
I
proposed
to
keep
on
deck
myself
till
one
o
’
clock
or
thereabouts
.
I
would
get
the
second
mate
to
relieve
me
at
that
hour
.
“
He
will
turn
out
the
cook
and
the
steward
at
four
,
”
I
concluded
,
“
and
then
give
you
a
call
.
Of
course
at
the
slightest
sign
of
any
sort
of
wind
we
’
ll
have
the
hands
up
and
make
a
start
at
once
.
”
He
concealed
his
astonishment
.
“
Very
well
,
sir
.
”
Outside
the
cuddy
he
put
his
head
in
the
second
mate
’
s
door
to
inform
him
of
my
unheard
-
of
caprice
to
take
a
five
hours
’
anchor
watch
on
myself
.
