\"Thenbehold，thesmokesuddenlydecreased。Were—
doubledoureffortstofloodthebottomoftheship。Intwodaystherewasnosmokeatall。Everybodywasonthebroadgrin。ThiswasonaFriday。OnSaturdaynowork，butsailingtheshipofcoursewasdone。Themenwashedtheirclothesandtheirfacesforthefirsttimeinafortnight，andhadaspecialdinnergiventhem。Theyspokeofspontaneouscombustionwithcontempt，andimpliedTHEYweretheboystoputoutcombustions。Some—
howweallfeltasthoughweeachhadinheritedalargefortune。Butabeastlysmellofburninghungabouttheship。CaptainBeardhadholloweyesandsunkencheeks。
Ihadnevernoticedsomuchbeforehowtwistedandbowedhewas。HeandMahonprowledsoberlyabouthatchesandventilators，sniffing。ItstruckmesuddenlypoorMahonwasavery，veryoldchap。Astome，IwasaspleasedandproudasthoughIhadhelpedtowinagreatnavalbattle。O！Youth！
\"Thenightwasfine。Inthemorningahomeward—
boundshippassedushulldown，——thefirstwehadseenformonths；butwewerenearingthelandatlast，JavaHeadbeingabout190milesoff，andnearlyduenorth。
\"Nextdayitwasmywatchondeckfromeighttotwelve。Atbreakfastthecaptainobserved，’It’swonder—
fulhowthatsmellhangsaboutthecabin。’Aboutten，thematebeingonthepoop，Isteppeddownonthemain—
deckforamoment。Thecarpenter’sbenchstoodabaftthemainmast：Ileanedagainstitsuckingatmypipe，andthecarpenter，ayoungchap，cametotalktome。Heremarked，’Ithinkwehavedoneverywell，haven’twe？’
andthenIperceivedwithannoyancethefoolwastry—
ingtotiltthebench。Isaidcurtly，’Don’t，Chips，’andimmediatelybecameawareofaqueersensation，ofanabsurddelusion，——Iseemedsomehowtobeintheair。I
heardallroundmelikeapent—upbreathreleased——asifathousandgiantssimultaneouslyhadsaidPhoo！——
andfeltadullconcussionwhichmademyribsachesud—
denly。Nodoubtaboutit——Iwasintheair，andmybodywasdescribingashortparabola。Butshortasitwas，Ihadthetimetothinkseveralthoughtsin，asfarasIcanremember，thefollowingorder：’Thiscan’tbethecarpenter——Whatisit？——Someaccident——Submarinevolcano？——Coals，gas！——ByJove！wearebeingblownup——Everybody’sdead——Iamfallingintotheafter—
hatch——Iseefireinit。’
\"Thecoal—dustsuspendedintheairoftheholdhadgloweddull—redatthemomentoftheexplosion。Inthetwinklingofaneye，inaninfinitesimalfractionofasecondsincethefirsttiltofthebench，Iwassprawlingfulllengthonthecargo。Ipickedmyselfupandscram—
bledout。Itwasquicklikearebound。Thedeckwasawildernessofsmashedtimber，lyingcrosswiseliketreesinawoodafterahurricane；animmensecurtainofsoiledragswavedgentlybeforeme——itwasthemainsailblowntostrips。Ithought，Themastswillbetopplingoverdirectly；andtogetoutofthewayboltedonall—fourstowardsthepoop—ladder。ThefirstpersonIsawwasMahon，witheyeslikesaucers，hismouthopen，andthelongwhitehairstandingstraightonendroundhisheadlikeasilverhalo。Hewasjustabouttogodownwhenthesightofthemain—deckstirring，heavingup，andchangingintosplintersbeforehiseyes，petrifiedhimonthetopstep。Istaredathiminunbelief，andhestaredatmewithaqueerkindofshockedcuriosity。IdidnotknowthatIhadnohair，noeyebrows，noeyelashes，thatmyyoungmustachewasburntoff，thatmyfacewasblack，onecheeklaidopen，mynosecut，andmychinbleeding。Ihadlostmycap，oneofmyslippers，andmyshirtwastorntorags。OfallthisIwasnotaware。
Iwasamazedtoseetheshipstillafloat，thepoop—deckwhole——and，mostofall，toseeanybodyalive。Alsothepeaceoftheskyandtheserenityoftheseawereistinctlysurprising。IsupposeIexpectedtoseethemconvulsedwithhorror……Passthebottle。
\"Therewasavoicehailingtheshipfromsomewhere——intheair，inthesky——Icouldn’ttell。PresentlyI
sawthecaptain——andhewasmad。Heaskedmeeagerly，’Where’sthecabin—table？’andtohearsuchaquestionwasafrightfulshock。Ihadjustbeenblownup，youunderstand，andvibratedwiththatexperience，——Iwasn’tquitesurewhetherIwasalive。Mahonbegantostampwithbothfeetandyelledathim，’GoodGod！don’tyouseethedeck’sblownoutofher？’Ifoundmyvoice，andstammeredoutasifconsciousofsomegrossneglectofduty，’Idon’tknowwherethecabin—tableis。’Itwaslikeanabsurddream。
\"Doyouknowwhathewantednext？Well，hewantedtotrimtheyards。Veryplacidly，andasiflostinthought，heinsistedonhavingtheforeyardsquared。
’Idon’tknowifthere’sanybodyalive，’saidMahon，almosttearfully。’Surely，’hesaidgently，’therewillbeenoughlefttosquaretheforeyard。’
\"Theoldchap，itseems，wasinhisownberth，wind—
ingupthechronometers，whentheshocksenthimspin—
ning。Immediatelyitoccurredtohim——ashesaidafter—
wards——thattheshiphadstrucksomething，andheranoutintothecabin。There，hesaw，thecabin—tablehadvanishedsomewhere。Thedeckbeingblownup，ithadfallendownintothelazaretteofcourse。Wherewehadourbreakfastthatmorninghesawonlyagreatholeinthefloor。Thisappearedtohimsoawfullymysterious，andimpressedhimsoimmensely，thatwhathesawandheardafterhegotondeckweremeretriflesincom—
parison。And，mark，henoticeddirectlythewheelde—
sertedandhisbarkoffhercourse——andhisonlythoughtwastogetthatmiserable，stripped，undecked，smolderingshellofashipbackagainwithherheadpointingatherportofdestination。Bankok！That’swhathewasafter。Itellyouthisquiet，bowed，bandy—
legged，almostdeformedlittlemanwasimmenseinthesinglenessofhisideaandinhisplacidignoranceofouragitation。Hemotionedusforwardwithacom—
mandinggesture，andwenttotakethewheelhim—
self。
\"Yes；thatwasthefirstthingwedid——trimtheyardsofthatwreck！Noonewaskilled，orevendisabled，buteveryonewasmoreorlesshurt。Youshouldhaveseenthem！Somewereinrags，withblackfaces，likecoal—
heavers，likesweeps，andhadbulletheadsthatseemedcloselycropped，butwereinfactsingedtotheskin。
Others，ofthewatchbelow，awakenedbybeingshotoutfromtheircollapsingbunks，shiveredincessantly，andkeptongroaningevenaswewentaboutourwork。Buttheyallworked。ThatcrewofLiverpoolhardcaseshadinthemtherightstuff。It’smyexperiencetheyalwayshave。Itistheseathatgivesit——thevastness，thelone—
linesssurroundingtheirdarkstolidsouls。Ah！Well！
westumbled，wecrept，wefell，webarkedourshinsonthewreckage，wehauled。Themastsstood，butwedidnotknowhowmuchtheymightbecharreddownbelow。
Itwasnearlycalm，butalongswellranfromthewestandmadeherroll。Theymightgoatanymoment。Welookedatthemwithapprehension。Onecouldnotfore—
seewhichwaytheywouldfall。
\"Thenweretreatedaftandlookedaboutus。Thedeckwasatangleofplanksonedge，ofplanksonend，ofsplinters，ofruinedwoodwork。Themastsrosefromthatchaoslikebigtreesaboveamattedundergrowth。
Theintersticesofthatmassofwreckagewerefullofsomethingwhitish，sluggish，stirring——ofsomethingthatwaslikeagreasyfog。Thesmokeoftheinvisiblefirewascomingupagain，wastrailing，likeapoisonousthickmistinsomevalleychokedwithdeadwood。Alreadylazywispswerebeginningtocurlupwardsamongstthemassofsplinters。Hereandthereapieceoftimber，stuckupright，resembledapost。Halfofafife—railhadbeenshotthroughtheforesail，andtheskymadeapatchofgloriousblueintheignoblysoiledcanvas。A
portionofseveralboardsholdingtogetherhadfallenacrosstherail，andoneendprotrudedoverboard，likeagangwayleadinguponnothing，likeagangwayleadingoverthedeepsea，leadingtodeath——asifinvitingustowalktheplankatonceandbedonewithourridiculoustroubles。Andstilltheair，thesky——aghost，somethinginvisiblewashailingtheship。
\"Someonehadthesensetolookover，andtherewasthehelmsman，whohadimpulsivelyjumpedoverboard，anxioustocomeback。Heyelledandswamlustilylikeamerman，keepingupwiththeship。Wethrewhimarope，andpresentlyhestoodamongstusstreamingwithwaterandverycrest—fallen。Thecaptainhadsurren—
deredthewheel，andapart，elbowonrailandchininhand，gazedattheseawistfully。Weaskedourselves，Whatnext？Ithought，Now，thisissomethinglike。
Thisisgreat。Iwonderwhatwillhappen。Oyouth！
\"SuddenlyMahonsightedasteamerfarastern。Cap—
tainBeardsaid，’Wemaydosomethingwithheryet。’
Wehoistedtwoflags，whichsaidintheinternationallanguageofthesea，’Onfire。Wantimmediateassis—
tance。’Thesteamergrewbiggerrapidly，andby—and—
byspokewithtwoflagsonherforemast，’Iamcomingtoyourassistance。’
\"Inhalfanhourshewasabreast，towindward，withinhail，androllingslightly，withherenginesstopped。Welostourcomposure，andyelledalltogetherwithexcite—
ment，’We’vebeenblownup。’Amaninawhitehelmet，onthebridge，cried，’Yes！Allright！allright！’andhenoddedhishead，andsmiled，andmadesoothingmo—
tionswithhishandasthoughatalotoffrightenedchil—
dren。Oneoftheboatsdroppedinthewater，andwalkedtowardsusupontheseawithherlongoars。FourCalashespulledaswingingstroke。ThiswasmyfirstsightofMalayseamen。I’veknownthemsince，butwhatstruckmethenwastheirunconcern：theycamealongside，andeventhebowmanstandingupandholdingtoourmain—chainswiththeboat—hookdidnotdeigntolifthisheadforaglance。Ithoughtpeoplewhohadbeenblownupdeservedmoreattention。
\"Alittleman，drylikeachipandagilelikeamonkey，clamberedup。Itwasthemateofthesteamer。Hegaveonelook，andcried，’Oboys——youhadbetterquit。’
\"Weweresilent。Hetalkedapartwiththecaptainforatime，——seemedtoarguewithhim。Thentheywentawaytogethertothesteamer。
\"WhenourskippercamebackwelearnedthatthesteamerwastheSommerville，CaptainNash，fromWestAustraliatoSingaporeviaBataviawithmails，andthattheagreementwassheshouldtowustoAnjerorBa—
tavia，ifpossible，wherewecouldextinguishthefirebyscuttling，andthenproceedonourvoyage——toBankok！
Theoldmanseemedexcited。’Wewilldoityet，’hesaidtoMahon，fiercely。Heshookhisfistatthesky。
Nobodyelsesaidaword。
\"Atnoonthesteamerbegantotow。Shewentaheadslimandhigh，andwhatwasleftoftheJudeafollowedattheendofseventyfathomoftow—rope，——followedherswiftlylikeacloudofsmokewithmastheadspro—
trudingabove。Wewentalofttofurlthesails。Wecoughedontheyards，andwerecarefulaboutthebunts。
Doyouseethelotofusthere，puttinganeatfurlonthesailsofthatshipdoomedtoarrivenowhere？Therewasnotamanwhodidn’tthinkthatatanymomentthemastswouldtoppleover。Fromaloftwecouldnotseetheshipforsmoke，andtheyworkedcarefully，passingthegasketswitheventurns。’Harborfurl——aloftthere！’criedMahonfrombelow。
\"Youunderstandthis？Idon’tthinkoneofthosechapsexpectedtogetdownintheusualway。WhenwedidIheardthemsayingtoeachother，’Well，I
thoughtwewouldcomedownoverboard，inalump——
sticksandall——blamemeifIdidn’t。’’That’swhatI
wasthinkingtomyself，’wouldanswerwearilyanotherbatteredandbandagedscarecrow。And，mind，theseweremenwithoutthedrilled—inhabitofobedience。Toanonlookertheywouldbealotofprofanescallywagswithoutaredeemingpoint。Whatmadethemdoit——
whatmadethemobeymewhenI，thinkingconsciouslyhowfineitwas，madethemdropthebuntoftheforesailtwicetotryanddoitbetter？What？Theyhadnopro—
fessionalreputation——noexamples，nopraise。Itwasn’tasenseofduty；theyallknewwellenoughhowtoshirk，andlaze，anddodge——whentheyhadamindtoit——andmostlytheyhad。Wasitthetwopoundstenamonththatsentthemthere？Theydidn’tthinktheirpayhalfgoodenough。No；itwassomethinginthem，somethinginbornandsubtleandeverlasting。Idon’tsayposi—
tivelythatthecrewofaFrenchorGermanmerchant—
manwouldn’thavedoneit，butIdoubtwhetheritwouldhavebeendoneinthesameway。Therewasacomplete—
nessinit，somethingsolidlikeaprinciple，andmasterfullikeaninstinct——adisclosureofsomethingsecret——ofthathiddensomething，thatgift，ofgoodorevilthatmakesracialdifference，thatshapesthefateofnations。
\"Itwasthatnightattenthat，forthefirsttimesincewehadbeenfightingit，wesawthefire。Thespeedofthetowinghadfannedthesmolderingdestruction。A
bluegleamappearedforward，shiningbelowthewreckofthedeck。Itwaveredinpatches，itseemedtostirandcreeplikethelightofaglowworm。Isawitfirst，andtoldMahon。’Thenthegame’sup，’hesaid。’Wehadbetterstopthistowing，orshewillburstoutsuddenlyforeandaftbeforewecanclearout。’Wesetupayell；
rangbellstoattracttheirattention；theytowedon。AtlastMahonandIhadtocrawlforwardandcuttheropewithanax。Therewasnotimetocastoffthelashings。
Redtonguescouldbeseenlickingthewildernessofsplintersunderourfeetaswemadeourwaybacktothepoop。
\"Ofcoursetheyverysoonfoundoutinthesteamerthattheropewasgone。Shegavealoudblastofherwhistle，herlightswereseensweepinginawidecircle，shecameuprangingclosealongside，andstopped。Wewereallinatightgrouponthepooplookingather。Everymanhadsavedalittlebundleorabag。Suddenlyacon—
icalflamewithatwistedtopshotupforwardandthrewupontheblackseaacircleoflight，withthetwovesselssidebysideandheavinggentlyinitscenter。CaptainBeardhadbeensittingonthegratingsstillandmuteforhours，butnowheroseslowlyandadvancedinfrontofus，tothemizzen—shrouds。CaptainNashhailed：’Comealong！Looksharp。Ihavemail—bagsonboard。IwilltakeyouandyourboatstoSingapore。’
\"’Thankyou！No！’saidourskipper。’Wemustseethelastoftheship。’
\"’Ican’tstandbyanylonger，’shoutedtheother。
’Mails——youknow。’
\"’Ay！ay！Weareallright。’
\"’Verywell！I’llreportyouinSingapore……
Good—by！’
\"Hewavedhishand。Ourmendroppedtheirbundlesquietly。Thesteamermovedahead，andpassingoutofthecircleoflight，vanishedatoncefromoursight，daz—
zledbythefirewhichburnedfiercely。AndthenIknewthatIwouldseetheEastfirstascommanderofasmallboat。Ithoughtitfine；andthefidelitytotheoldshipwasfine。Weshouldseethelastofher。Ohtheglamourofyouth！Ohthefireofit，moredazzlingthantheflamesoftheburningship，throwingamagiclightonthewideearth，leapingaudaciouslytothesky，presentlytobequenchedbytime，morecruel，morepitiless，morebitterthanthesea——andliketheflamesoftheburningshipsurroundedbyanimpenetrablenight……
\"Theoldmanwarnedusinhisgentleandinflexiblewaythatitwaspartofourdutytosavefortheunder—
writersasmuchaswecouldoftheship’sgear。Accord—
ingwewenttoworkaft，whilesheblazedforwardtogiveusplentyoflight。Weluggedoutalotofrubbish。
Whatdidn’twesave？Anoldbarometerfixedwithanabsurdquantityofscrewsnearlycostmemylife：asuddenrushofsmokecameuponme，andIjustgotawayintime。Therewerevariousstores，boltsofcanvas，coilsofrope；thepooplookedlikeamarinebazaar，andtheboatswerelumberedtothegunwales。Onewouldhavethoughttheoldmanwantedtotakeasmuchashecouldofhisfirstcommandwithhim。Hewasveryveryquiet，butoffhisbalanceevidently。Wouldyoubelieveit？Hewantedtotakealengthofoldstream—cableandakedge—anchorwithhiminthelong—boat。Wesaid，’Ay，ay，sir，’deferentially，andonthequietletthethingslipoverboard。Theheavymedicine—chestwentthatway，twobagsofgreencoffee，tinsofpaint——fancy，paint！——awholelotofthings。ThenIwasorderedwithtwohandsintotheboatstomakeastowageandgetthemreadyagainstthetimeitwouldbeproperforustoleavetheship。
\"Weputeverythingstraight，steppedthelong—boat’smastforourskipper，whowasinchargeofher，andI
wasnotsorrytositdownforamoment。Myfacefeltraw，everylimbachedasifbroken，Iwasawareofallmyribs，andwouldhavesworntoatwistintheback—
bone。Theboats，fastastern，layinadeepshadow，andallaroundIcouldseethecircleofthesealightedbythefire。Agiganticflamearoseforwardstraightandclear。
Itflaredthere，withnoiseslikethewhirofwings，withrumblesasofthunder。Therewerecracks，detonations，andfromtheconeofflamethesparksflewupwards，asmanisborntotrouble，toleakyships，andtoshipsthatburn。
\"Whatbotheredmewasthattheship，lyingbroadsidetotheswellandtosuchwindastherewas——amerebreath——
theboatswouldnotkeepasternwheretheyweresafe，butpersisted，inapig—headedwayboatshave，ingettingunderthecounterandthenswingingalongside。Theywereknockingaboutdangerouslyandcomingneartheflame，whiletheshiprolledonthem，and，ofcourse，therewasalwaysthedangerofthemastsgoingoverthesideatanymoment。Iandmytwoboat—keeperskeptthemoffasbestwecouldwithoarsandboat—hooks；buttobeconstantlyatitbecameexasperating，sincetherewasnoreasonwhyweshouldnotleaveatonce。Wecouldnotseethoseonboard，norcouldweimaginewhatcausedthedelay。Theboat—keeperswereswearingfeebly，andI
hadnotonlymyshareofthework，butalsohadtokeepatittwomenwhoshowedaconstantinclinationtolaythemselvesdownandletthingsslide。
\"AtlastIhailed’Ondeckthere，’andsomeonelookedover。’We’rereadyhere，’Isaid。Theheaddisap—
peared，andverysoonpoppedupagain。’Thecaptainsays，Allright，sir，andtokeeptheboatswellclearoftheship。’
\"Halfanhourpassed。Suddenlytherewasafrightfulracket，rattle，clankingofchain，hissofwater，andmil—
lionsofsparksflewupintotheshiveringcolumnofsmokethatstoodleaningslightlyabovetheship。Thecat—
headshadburnedaway，andthetwored—hotanchorshadgonetothebottom，tearingoutafterthemtwohundredfathomofred—hotchain。Theshiptrembled，themassofflameswayedasifreadytocollapse，andtheforetop—
gallant—mastfell。Itdarteddownlikeanarrowoffire，shotunder，andinstantlyleapingupwithinanoar’s—
lengthoftheboats，floatedquietly，veryblackontheluminoussea。Ihailedthedeckagain。Aftersometimeamaninanunexpectedlycheerfulbutalsomuffledtone，asthoughhehadbeentryingtospeakwithhismouthshut，informedme，’Comingdirectly，sir，’andvanished。
ForalongtimeIheardnothingbutthewhirandroarofthefire。Therewerealsowhistlingsounds。Theboatsjumped，tuggedatthepainters，ranateachotherplay—
fully，knockedtheirsidestogether，or，dowhatwewould，swunginabunchagainsttheship’sside。Icouldn’tstanditanylonger，andswarminguparope，clamberedaboardoverthestern。
\"Itwasasbrightasday。Cominguplikethis，thesheetoffirefacingme，wasaterrifyingsight，andtheheatseemedhardlybearableatfirst。Onasetteecushiondraggedoutofthecabin，CaptainBeard，withhislegsdrawnupandonearmunderhishead，sleptwiththelightplayingonhim。Doyouknowwhattherestwerebusyabout？Theyweresittingondeckrightaft，roundanopencase，eatingbreadandcheeseanddrinkingbottledstout。
\"Onthebackgroundofflamestwistinginfiercetonguesabovetheirheadstheyseemedathomelikesalamanders，andlookedlikeabandofdesperatepirates。Thefiresparkledinthewhitesoftheireyes，gleamedonpatchesofwhiteskinseenthroughthetornshirts。Eachhadthemarksasofabattleabouthim——bandagedheads，tied—uparms，astripofdirtyragroundaknee——andeachmanhadabottlebetweenhislegsandachunkofcheeseinhishand。Mahongotup。Withhishandsomeanddisreputablehead，hishookedprofile，hislongwhitebeard，andwithanuncorkedbottleinhishand，here—
sembledoneofthoserecklesssea—robbersofoldmakingmerryamidstviolenceanddisaster。’Thelastmealonboard，’heexplainedsolemnly。’Wehadnothingtoeatallday，anditwasnouseleavingallthis。’Heflourishedthebottleandindicatedthesleepingskipper。’Hesaidhecouldn’tswallowanything，soIgothimtoliedown，’
hewenton；andasIstared，’Idon’tknowwhetheryouareaware，youngfellow，themanhadnosleeptospeakoffordays——andtherewillbedam’littlesleepintheboats。’’Therewillbenoboatsby—and—byifyoufoolaboutmuchlonger，’Isaid，indignantly。Iwalkeduptotheskipperandshookhimbytheshoulder。Atlastheopenedhiseyes，butdidnotmove。’Timetoleaveher，sir，’Isaid，quietly。
\"Hegotuppainfully，lookedattheflames，attheseasparklingroundtheship，andblack，blackasinkfartheraway；helookedatthestarsshiningdimthroughathinveilofsmokeinaskyblack，blackasErebus。
\"’Youngestfirst，’hesaid。
\"Andtheordinaryseaman，wipinghismouthwiththebackofhishand，gotup，clamberedoverthetaffrail，andvanished。Othersfollowed。One，onthepointofgoingover，stoppedshorttodrainhisbottle，andwithagreatswingofhisarmflungitatthefire。’Takethis！’hecried。
\"Theskipperlingereddisconsolately，andwelefthimtocommunealoneforawhilewithhisfirstcommand。
ThenIwentupagainandbroughthimawayatlast。Itwastime。Theironworkonthepoopwashottothetouch。
\"Thenthepainterofthelong—boatwascut，andthethreeboats，tiedtogether，driftedclearoftheship。Itwasjustsixteenhoursaftertheexplosionwhenweaban—
donedher。Mahonhadchargeofthesecondboat，andI
hadthesmallest——the14—footthing。Thelong—boatwouldhavetakenthelotofus；buttheskippersaidwemustsaveasmuchpropertyaswecould——fortheunder—
writers——andsoIgotmyfirstcommand。Ihadtwomenwithme，abagofbiscuits，afewtinsofmeat，andabreakerofwater。Iwasorderedtokeepclosetothelong—boat，thatincaseofbadweatherwemightbetakenintoher。
\"AnddoyouknowwhatIthought？IthoughtI
wouldpartcompanyassoonasIcould。Iwantedtohavemyfirstcommandalltomyself。Iwasn’tgoingtosailinasquadroniftherewereachanceforindepend—
entcruising。Iwouldmakelandbymyself。Iwouldbeattheotherboats。Youth！Allyouth！Thesilly，charming，beautifulyouth。
\"Butwedidnotmakeastartatonce。Wemustseethelastoftheship。Andsotheboatsdriftedaboutthatnight，heavingandsettingontheswell。Themendozed，waked，sighed，groaned。Ilookedattheburningship。
\"Betweenthedarknessofearthandheavenshewasburningfiercelyuponadiscofpurpleseashotbytheblood—redplayofgleams；uponadiscofwaterglitter—
ingandsinister。Ahigh，clearflame，animmenseandlonelyflame，ascendedfromtheocean，andfromitssum—
mittheblacksmokepouredcontinuouslyatthesky。Sheburnedfuriously，mournfulandimposinglikeafuneralpilekindledinthenight，surroundedbythesea，watchedoverbythestars。Amagnificentdeathhadcomelikeagrace，likeagift，likearewardtothatoldshipattheendofherlaboriousdays。Thesurrenderofherwearyghosttothekeepingofstarsandseawasstirringlikethesightofaglorioustriumph。Themastsfelljustbeforedaybreak，andforamomenttherewasaburstandtur—
moilofsparksthatseemedtofillwithflyingfirethenightpatientandwatchful，thevastnightlyingsilentuponthesea。Atdaylightshewasonlyacharredshell，float—
ingstillunderacloudofsmokeandbearingaglowingmassofcoalwithin。
\"Thentheoarsweregotout，andtheboatsforminginalinemovedroundherremainsasifinprocession——thelong—boatleading。Aswepulledacrosshersternaslimdartoffireshotoutviciouslyatus，andsuddenlyshewentdown，headfirst，inagreathissofsteam。Theunconsumedsternwasthelasttosink；butthepainthadgone，hadcracked，hadpeeledoff，andtherewerenoletters，therewasnoword，nostubborndevicethatwaslikehersoul，toflashattherisingsunhercreedandhername。
\"Wemadeourwaynorth。Abreezesprangup，andaboutnoonalltheboatscametogetherforthelasttime。
Ihadnomastorsailinmine，butImadeamastoutofaspareoarandhoistedaboat—awningforasail，withaboat—hookforayard。Shewascertainlyover—masted，butIhadthesatisfactionofknowingthatwiththewindaftIcouldbeattheothertwo。Ihadtowaitforthem。
Thenweallhadalookatthecaptain’schart，and，afterasociablemealofhardbreadandwater，gotourlastinstructions。Theseweresimple：steernorth，andkeeptogetherasmuchaspossible。’Becarefulwiththatjuryrig，Marlow，’saidthecaptain；andMahon，asI
sailedproudlypasthisboat，wrinkledhiscurvednoseandhailed，’Youwillsailthatshipofyoursunderwater，ifyoudon’tlookout，youngfellow。’Hewasamaliciousoldman——andmaythedeepseawherehesleepsnowrockhimgently，rockhimtenderlytotheendoftime！
\"Beforesunsetathickrain—squallpassedoverthetwoboats，whichwerefarastern，andthatwasthelastI
sawofthemforatime。NextdayIsatsteeringmycockle—shell——myfirstcommand——withnothingbutwaterandskyaroundme。Ididsightintheafternoontheuppersailsofashipfaraway，butsaidnothing，andmymendidnotnoticeher。YouseeIwasafraidshemightbehomewardbound，andIhadnomindtoturnbackfromtheportalsoftheEast。IwassteeringforJava——
anotherblessedname——likeBankok，youknow。Isteeredmanydays。
\"Ineednottellyouwhatitistobeknockingaboutinanopenboat。Iremembernightsanddaysofcalmwhenwepulled，wepulled，andtheboatseemedtostandstill，asifbewitchedwithinthecircleoftheseahorizon。I
remembertheheat，thedelugeofrain—squallsthatkeptusbalingfordearlife（butfilledourwater—cask），andI
remembersixteenhoursonendwithamouthdryasacinderandasteering—oaroverthesterntokeepmyfirstcommandheadontoabreakingsea。IdidnotknowhowgoodamanIwastillthen。Irememberthedrawnfaces，thedejectedfiguresofmytwomen，andIremembermyyouthandthefeelingthatwillnevercomebackanymore——thefeelingthatIcouldlastforever，outlastthesea，theearth，andallmen；thedeceitfulfeelingthatluresusontojoys，toperils，tolove，tovaineffort——todeath；thetriumphantconvictionofstrength，theheatoflifeinthehandfulofdust，theglowintheheartthatwitheveryyeargrowsdim，growscold，growssmall，andexpires——andexpires，toosoon——beforelifeitself。
\"AndthisishowIseetheEast。Ihaveseenitssecretplacesandhavelookedintoitsverysoul；butnowIseeitalwaysfromasmallboat，ahighoutlineofmountains，blueandafarinthemorning；likefaintmistatnoon；ajaggedwallofpurpleatsunset。Ihavethefeeloftheoarinmyhand，thevisionofascorchingblueseainmyeyes。AndIseeabay，awidebay，smoothasglassandpolishedlikeice，shimmeringinthedark。Aredlightburnsfaroffuponthegloomoftheland，andthenightissoftandwarm。Wedragattheoarswithachingarms，andsuddenlyapuffofwind，apufffaintandtepidandladenwithstrangeodorsofblossoms，ofaromaticwood，comesoutofthestillnight——thefirstsighoftheEastonmyface。ThatIcanneverforget。Itwasimpalpableandenslaving，likeacharm，likeawhisperedpromiseofmysteriousdelight。
\"Wehadbeenpullingthisfinishingspellforelevenhours。Twopulled，andhewhoseturnitwastorestsatatthetiller。Wehadmadeouttheredlightinthatbayandsteeredforit，guessingitmustmarksomesmallcoastingport。Wepassedtwovessels，outlandishandhigh—sterned，sleepingatanchor，and，approachingthelight，nowverydim，rantheboat’snoseagainsttheendofajuttingwharf。Wewereblindwithfatigue。Mymendroppedtheoarsandfelloffthethwartsasifdead。
Imadefasttoapile。Acurrentrippledsoftly。Thescentedobscurityoftheshorewasgroupedintovastmasses，adensityofcolossalclumpsofvegetation，prob—
ably——muteandfantasticshapes。Andattheirfootthesemicircleofabeachgleamedfaintly，likeanillusion。
Therewasnotalight，notastir，notasound。Themys—
teriousEastfacedme，perfumedlikeaflower，silentlikedeath，darklikeagrave。
\"AndIsatwearybeyondexpression，exultinglikeaconqueror，sleeplessandentrancedasifbeforeapro—
found，afatefulenigma。
\"Asplashingofoars，ameasureddipreverberatingonthelevelofwater，intensifiedbythesilenceoftheshoreintoloudclaps，mademejumpup。Aboat，aEuropeanboat，wascomingin。Iinvokedthenameofthedead；Ihailed：Judeaahoy！Athinshoutan—
swered。
\"Itwasthecaptain。Ihadbeatentheflagshipbythreehours，andIwasgladtoheartheoldman’svoice，tremu—
lousandtired。’Isityou，Marlow？’’Mindtheendofthatjetty，sir，’Icried。
\"Heapproachedcautiously，andbroughtupwiththedeep—sealead—linewhichwehadsaved——fortheunder—
writers。Ieasedmypainterandfellalongside。Hesat，abrokenfigureatthestern，wetwithdew，hishandsclaspedinhislap。Hismenwereasleepalready。’I
hadaterribletimeofit，’hemurmured。’Mahonisbe—
hind——notveryfar。’Weconversedinwhispers，inlowwhispers，asifafraidtowakeuptheland。Guns，thun—
der，earthquakeswouldnothaveawakenedthemenjustthen。
\"Lookingaroundaswetalked，Isawawayatseaabrightlighttravelinginthenight。’There’sasteamerpassingthebay，’Isaid。Shewasnotpassing，shewasentering，andsheevencamecloseandanchored。’I
wish，’saidtheoldman，’youwouldfindoutwhethersheisEnglish。Perhapstheycouldgiveusapassagesome—
where。’Heseemednervouslyanxious。SobydintofpunchingandkickingIstartedoneofmymenintoastateofsomnambulism，andgivinghimanoar，tookanotherandpulledtowardsthelightsofthesteamer。
\"Therewasamurmurofvoicesinher，metallichollowclangsoftheengine—room，footstepsonthedeck。Herportsshone，roundlikedilatedeyes。Shapesmovedabout，andtherewasashadowymanhighuponthebridge。Heheardmyoars。
\"Andthen，beforeIcouldopenmylips，theEastspoketome，butitwasinaWesternvoice。Atorrentofwordswaspouredintotheenigmatical，thefatefulsilence；
outlandish，angrywords，mixedwithwordsandevenwholesentencesofgoodEnglish，lessstrangebutevenmoresurprising。Thevoicesworeandcursedviolently；
itriddledthesolemnpeaceofthebaybyavolleyofabuse。ItbeganbycallingmePig，andfromthatwentcrescendointounmentionableadjectives——inEnglish。
Themanupthereragedaloudintwolanguages，andwithasincerityinhisfurythatalmostconvincedmeI
had，insomeway，sinnedagainsttheharmonyoftheuniverse。Icouldhardlyseehim，butbegantothinkhewouldworkhimselfintoafit。
\"Suddenlyheceased，andIcouldhearhimsnortingandblowinglikeaporpoise。Isaid——
\"’Whatsteameristhis，pray？’
\"’Eh？What’sthis？Andwhoareyou？’
\"’CastawaycrewofanEnglishbarkburntatsea。
Wecamehereto—night。Iamthesecondmate。Thecaptainisinthelong—boat，andwishestoknowifyouwouldgiveusapassagesomewhere。’
\"’Oh，mygoodness！Isay……ThisistheCelestialfromSingaporeonherreturntrip。I’llarrangewithyourcaptaininthemorning，……and，……Isay，……didyouhearmejustnow？’
\"’Ishouldthinkthewholebayheardyou。’
\"’Ithoughtyouwereashore—boat。Now，lookhere——
thisinfernallazyscoundrelofacaretakerhasgonetosleepagain——cursehim。Thelightisout，andInearlyranfouloftheendofthisdamnedjetty。Thisisthethirdtimeheplaysmethistrick。Now，Iaskyou，cananybodystandthiskindofthing？It’senoughtodriveamanoutofhismind。I’llreporthim……I’llgettheAssistantResidenttogivehimthesack，by……See——
there’snolight。It’sout，isn’tit？Itakeyoutowitnessthelight’sout。Thereshouldbealight，youknow。A
redlightonthe——’
\"’Therewasalight，’Isaid，mildly。
\"’Butit’sout，man！What’stheuseoftalkinglikethis？Youcanseeforyourselfit’sout——don’tyou？IfyouhadtotakeavaluablesteameralongthisGod—for—
sakencoastyouwouldwantalighttoo。I’llkickhimfromendtoendofhismiserablewharf。You’llseeifI
don’t。Iwill——’
\"’SoImaytellmycaptainyou’lltakeus？’Ibrokein。
\"’Yes，I’lltakeyou。Goodnight，’hesaid，brusquely。
\"Ipulledback，madefastagaintothejetty，andthenwenttosleepatlast。IhadfacedthesilenceoftheEast。Ihadheardsomeofitslanguages。ButwhenI
openedmyeyesagainthesilencewasascompleteasthoughithadneverbeenbroken。Iwaslyinginafloodoflight，andtheskyhadneverlookedsofar，sohigh，before。Iopenedmyeyesandlaywithoutmoving。
\"AndthenIsawthemenoftheEast——theywerelookingatme。Thewholelengthofthejettywasfullofpeople。Isawbrown，bronze，yellowfaces，theblackeyes，theglitter，thecolorofanEasterncrowd。Andallthesebeingsstaredwithoutamur—
mur，withoutasigh，withoutamovement。Theystareddownattheboats，atthesleepingmenwhoatnighthadcometothemfromthesea。Nothingmoved。
Thefrondsofpalmsstoodstillagainstthesky。Notabranchstirredalongtheshore，andthebrownroofsofhiddenhousespeepedthroughthegreenfoliage，throughthebigleavesthathungshiningandstilllikeleavesforgedofheavymetal。ThiswastheEastoftheancientnavigators，soold，somysterious，resplendentandsomber，livingandunchanged，fullofdangerandprom—
ise。Andthesewerethemen。Isatupsuddenly。A
waveofmovementpassedthroughthecrowdfromendtoend，passedalongtheheads，swayedthebodies，ranalongthejettylikearippleonthewater，likeabreathofwindonafield——andallwasstillagain。Iseeitnow——thewidesweepofthebay，theglitteringsands，thewealthofgreeninfiniteandvaried，theseablueliketheseaofadream，thecrowdofattentivefaces，theblazeofvividcolor——thewaterreflectingitall，thecurveoftheshore，thejetty，thehigh—sternedoutlandishcraftfloat—
ingstill，andthethreeboatswithtiredmenfromtheWestsleepingunconsciousofthelandandthepeopleandoftheviolenceofsunshine。Theysleptthrownacrossthethwarts，curledonbottom—boards，inthecare—
lessattitudesofdeath。Theheadoftheoldskipper，leaningbackinthesternofthelong—boat，hadfallenonhisbreast，andhelookedasthoughhewouldneverwake。
FartheroutoldMahon’sfacewasupturnedtothesky，withthelongwhitebeardspreadoutonhisbreast，asthoughhehadbeenshotwherehesatatthetiller；andaman，allinaheapinthebowsoftheboat，sleptwithbotharmsembracingthestem—headandwithhischeeklaidonthegunwale。TheEastlookedatthemwithoutasound。
\"Ihaveknownitsfascinationssince：Ihaveseenthemysteriousshores，thestillwater，thelandsofbrownna—
tions，whereastealthyNemesisliesinwait，pursues，overtakessomanyoftheconqueringrace，whoareproudoftheirwisdom，oftheirknowledge，oftheirstrength。
ButformealltheEastiscontainedinthatvisionofmyyouth。ItisallinthatmomentwhenIopenedmyyoungeyesonit。Icameuponitfromatusslewiththesea——
andIwasyoung——andIsawitlookingatme。Andthisisallthatisleftofit！Onlyamoment；amomentofstrength，ofromance，ofglamour——ofyouth！……A
flickofsunshineuponastrangeshore，thetimetore—
member，thetimeforasigh，and——good—by！——Night——
Good—by……！\"
Hedrank。
\"Ah！Thegoodoldtime——thegoodoldtime。Youthandthesea。Glamourandthesea！Thegood，strongsea，thesalt，bittersea，thatcouldwhispertoyouandroaratyouandknockyourbreathoutofyou。\"
Hedrankagain。
\"Byallthat’swonderful，itisthesea，Ibelieve，theseaitself——orisityouthalone？Whocantell？Butyouhere——youallhadsomethingoutoflife：money，love——
whateveronegetsonshore——and，tellme，wasn’tthatthebesttime，thattimewhenwewereyoungatsea；youngandhadnothing，ontheseathatgivesnothing，excepthardknocks——andsometimesachancetofeelyourstrength——thatonly——whatyouallregret？\"
Andweallnoddedathim：themanoffinance，themanofaccounts，themanoflaw，weallnoddedathimoverthepolishedtablethatlikeastillsheetofbrownwaterreflectedourfaces，lined，wrinkled；ourfacesmarkedbytoil，bydeceptions，bysuccess，bylove；ourwearyeyeslookingstill，lookingalways，lookinganxiouslyforsomethingoutoflife，thatwhileitisexpectedisalreadygone——haspassedunseen，inasigh，inaflash——togetherwiththeyouth，withthestrength，withtheromanceofillusions。