登陆注册
19649000000034

第34章 CHAPTER V(2)

For one day he was so tired with sitting on a hard chair, in a grand furred gown, with a gold chain round his neck, hearing one policeman after another come in and sing, "What shall we do with the drunken sailor, so early in the morning?" and answering them each exactly alike:

"Put him in the round house till he gets sober, so early in the morning" -That, when it was over, he jumped up, and played leap-frog with the town-clerk till he burst his buttons, and then had his luncheon, and burst some more buttons, and then said: "It is a low spring- tide; I shall go out this afternoon and cut my capers."

Now he did not mean to cut such capers as you eat with boiled mutton. It was the commandant of artillery at Valetta who used to amuse himself with cutting them, and who stuck upon one of the bastions a notice, "No one allowed to cut capers here but me," which greatly edified the midshipmen in port, and the Maltese on the Nix Mangiare stairs. But all that the mayor meant was that he would go and have an afternoon's fun, like any schoolboy, and catch lobsters with an iron hook.

So to the Mewstone he went, and for lobsters he looked. And when he came to a certain crack in the rocks he was so excited that, instead of putting in his hook, he put in his hand; and Mr. Lobster was at home, and caught him by the finger, and held on.

"Yah!" said the mayor, and pulled as hard as he dared: but the more he pulled, the more the lobster pinched, till he was forced to be quiet.

Then he tried to get his hook in with his other hand; but the hole was too narrow.

Then he pulled again; but he could not stand the pain.

Then he shouted and bawled for help: but there was no one nearer him than the men-of-war inside the breakwater.

Then he began to turn a little pale; for the tide flowed, and still the lobster held on.

Then he turned quite white; for the tide was up to his knees, and still the lobster held on.

Then he thought of cutting off his finger; but he wanted two things to do it with - courage and a knife; and he had got neither.

Then he turned quite yellow; for the tide was up to his waist, and still the lobster held on.

Then he thought over all the naughty things he ever had done; all the sand which he had put in the sugar, and the sloe-leaves in the tea, and the water in the treacle, and the salt in the tobacco (because his brother was a brewer, and a man must help his own kin).

Then he turned quite blue; for the tide was up to his breast, and still the lobster held on.

Then, I have no doubt, he repented fully of all the said naughty things which he had done, and promised to mend his life, as too many do when they think they have no life left to mend. Whereby, as they fancy, they make a very cheap bargain. But the old fairy with the birch rod soon undeceives them.

And then he grew all colours at once, and turned up his eyes like a duck in thunder; for the water was up to his chin, and still the lobster held on.

And then came a man-of-war's boat round the Mewstone, and saw his head sticking up out of the water. One said it was a keg of brandy, and another that it was a cocoa-nut, and another that it was a buoy loose, and another that it was a black diver, and wanted to fire at it, which would not have been pleasant for the mayor: but just then such a yell came out of a great hole in the middle of it that the midshipman in charge guessed what it was, and bade pull up to it as fast as they could. So somehow or other the Jack-tars got the lobster out, and set the mayor free, and put him ashore at the Barbican. He never went lobster-catching again; and we will hope he put no more salt in the tobacco, not even to sell his brother's beer.

And that is the story of the Mayor of Plymouth, which has two advantages - first, that of being quite true; and second, that of having (as folks say all good stories ought to have) no moral whatsoever: no more, indeed, has any part of this book, because it is a fairy tale, you know.

And now happened to Tom a most wonderful thing; for he had not left the lobster five minutes before he came upon a water-baby.

A real live water-baby, sitting on the white sand, very busy about a little point of rock. And when it saw Tom it looked up for a moment, and then cried, "Why, you are not one of us. You are a new baby! Oh, how delightful!"

And it ran to Tom, and Tom ran to it, and they hugged and kissed each other for ever so long, they did not know why. But they did not want any introductions there under the water.

At last Tom said, "Oh, where have you been all this while? I have been looking for you so long, and I have been so lonely."

"We have been here for days and days. There are hundreds of us about the rocks. How was it you did not see us, or hear us when we sing and romp every evening before we go home?"

Tom looked at the baby again, and then he said:

"Well, this is wonderful! I have seen things just like you again and again, but I thought you were shells, or sea-creatures. I never took you for water-babies like myself."

Now, was not that very odd? So odd, indeed, that you will, no doubt, want to know how it happened, and why Tom could never find a water-baby till after he had got the lobster out of the pot. And, if you will read this story nine times over, and then think for yourself, you will find out why. It is not good for little boys to be told everything, and never to be forced to use their own wits.

They would learn, then, no more than they do at Dr. Dulcimer's famous suburban establishment for the idler members of the youthful aristocracy, where the masters learn the lessons and the boys hear them - which saves a great deal of trouble - for the time being.

"Now," said the baby, "come and help me, or I shall not have finished before my brothers and sisters come, and it is time to go home."

"What shall I help you at?"

"At this poor dear little rock; a great clumsy boulder came rolling by in the last storm, and knocked all its head off, and rubbed off all its flowers. And now I must plant it again with seaweeds, and coralline, and anemones, and I will make it the prettiest little rock-garden on all the shore."

同类推荐
  • 拟寒山诗

    拟寒山诗

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 北京五大部直音会韵

    北京五大部直音会韵

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 慎大览

    慎大览

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 天彭牡丹谱

    天彭牡丹谱

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 太上灵宝净明道元正印经

    太上灵宝净明道元正印经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 大叔恋上小蛮妻

    大叔恋上小蛮妻

    原本幸福的生活被突然打破,下药,绑架,强奸。一件件匪夷所思的灾难就这样毫无征兆的出现在她生活中,她想要逃离这个曾经最爱的男人,却发现根本跑不掉。他用残忍的方法囚禁了她,在她面前上演着已经排好的戏码,想重新获得她的注意,却不想在无形中已经慢慢地把她推到了万丈深渊。她像溺水的人抓住了最后一根稻草,以为那是自己的救世主,却发现不过是的更大的灾难,是足以毁灭她的巨大打击。等到沉沦其中才发现不过是陷入了一场娱乐圈的阴谋,自己不过是一些人的棋子。想挣脱开来却为时已晚。最终被早已身心俱创的她该如何在荆棘沼泽中继续走下去。
  • 第一皇妻

    第一皇妻

    一朝穿越,竟遇到个傻子叫她娘!买噶,本小姐好歹也是二八芳华、容貌上佳,怎么平白无故多了个比自己还大的儿子?正当某女抓狂的时候,儿子却一改呆滞目光,“不做我娘,就做我妻!”笑得那叫一个风华绝代!买噶,难道自己被坑了?
  • 进击的机师

    进击的机师

    末世的机甲流,技术流至上。没有变态的肉体~~男儿的热血
  • 灭世狂妃:凤戏九天

    灭世狂妃:凤戏九天

    她,二十一世纪让各国总统,四海九州的头脑闻风丧胆的异瞳金牌杀手,一朝竟然穿越成废柴小姐!不忍欺凌,她异世称雄!谋反立国!半路冲出个绝品殿下出来碍事!纵然他是魔兽之王又如何!我这个地狱之主还怕你不成!妖孽殿下你放马过来吧!从此只手降神兽!冷血夺兽翼!魔幻大陆凤纵横!异能邪瞳闯天下!开辟新国做女皇!灭世狂凤谁敢挡!地狱之主诱魔王!兄姊欺?各个徒手玩死你!姨娘欺?各种算计逼疯你!世家欺?各样计谋阴死你!皇族欺?翻云覆雨废了你!他,龙阙国人人仰赖的二皇子,隐匿人群的魔兽之王,运筹帷幄,只手遮天。却偏偏遇上了她,让他在战场上棋逢敌手。却不曾想见面之时才发现,她不过是一个十六岁少女?从此,他知道,得到她者,得天下!怎奈,小女娃,你的心是石头做的么?为什么为你流血流汗,伤痕累累,你都无动于衷呢?难道这一场爱情战役,他是要输?不行,他这辈子都缠上她了!此书从240章节起前后段不再重复,前错见谅!亲,耐心看
  • 转生灵

    转生灵

    亲爱读者您好,转生灵是我们对另一个异世界的幻想,我们每一个人曾经都心里想过,是否,除了,我们这个星球,还其他更灵异,虚幻的世界,我们把这个世界叫做异世界,异世界又是一个怎么世界,大家有没想过,或者是如众多小说,动漫演绎得那么魔幻,里面有不同种族,像妖兽,魔兽,灵人,魂仙,因为我却实没有亲身经历过,无法写出你们心里那份感觉。
  • 惊龙变

    惊龙变

    在人间,他带领众兽横扫千军;在天界,他败尽各路高手,神威无敌。让我们一起见识一代王者,欣赏一段神龙崛起的神话。
  • 易笔年华

    易笔年华

    易笔年华这本书是我的个人自传,这本书,也是准备更新一辈子的书,它记忆流逝,它汇聚精华,它深痛反思,它带我沉默年华!
  • 破宵

    破宵

    上古时期,异族入侵,天地浩劫,一片混沌,万物俱灭。随后衍生无数种道,其最为强大的剑道,并造就了无数剑道强者。当朝少年经脉桎梏,不能修炼,却不忘初衷,因祸得福参悟最强的剑道。多年后,异族入侵,上古天地浩劫再次重演,整个世界满目疮痍。寒芒闪现,少年手持长剑,破天道,斩异族,剑动九霄,至此成为一段旷世传奇!
  • 战地商人

    战地商人

    李继业是个留洋在外,原本打算趁抗战时期回国大赚一笔的商人,却机缘巧合被困在了红军的部队里。看着同胞和红军为了抵抗倭寇而浴血奋战时,他的思想也悄然发生了变化。郎红喜是个猎户家的女儿,原本想讨个生活的她在前线临危受命成为了团政委的警卫员。红喜力排众议,拼上性命只为守住已故团长的命令。两个性格相悖的人屡次共同遭遇险境,一次又一次完成了组织交代的任务。============人们都说李继业的队伍叫败类大队,因为成员都是平时被百姓唾弃的角色:暗娼、地主、宪兵队长、老混混还有个小骗子。他们的思想中没有民族大义,没有信仰,更没有所谓的觉悟。但当面对强敌入侵,中国人最终显露出宁死不屈的铮铮铁骨。
  • 世界社会主义纵论

    世界社会主义纵论

    曹长盛,北京大学国际关系学院教授、博士生导师,北京大学邓小平理论、“三个代表”重要思想研究中心研究员、中国社科院世界社会主义研究中心特邀研究员、国务院发展研究中心世界发展所特邀研究员。曾任北京大学世界社会党研究中心主任、国际共运教研室主任、科社与国际共运专业主任、北京市国际共运史学会会长、中国国际共运史学会副会长。