"Conrad, Joseph - The Secret Sharer" - читать интересную книгу автора (Conrad Joseph)

Arrived at that comforting conclusion, I bethought my-
self of a cigar and went below to get it. All was still
down there. Everybody at the after end of the ship was
sleeping profoundly. I came out again on the quarter-
deck, agreeably at ease in my sleeping suit on that warm
breathless night, barefooted, a glowing cigar in my teeth,
and, going forward, I was met by the profound silence of
the fore end of the ship. Only as I passed the door of the
forecastle, I heard a deep, quiet, trustful sigh of some
sleeper inside. And suddenly I rejoiced in the great se-
curity of the sea as compared with the unrest of the land,
in my choice of that untempted life presenting no dis-
quieting problems, invested with an elementary moral
beauty by the absolute straightforwardness of its appeal
and by the singleness of its purpose.

The riding light in the forerigging burned with a clear,
untroubled, as if symbolic, flame, confident and bright in
the mysterious shades of the night. Passing on my way aft
along the other side of the ship, I observed that the
rope side ladder, put over, no doubt, for the master of
the tug when he came to fetch away our letters, had not
been hauled in as it should have been. I became an-
noyed at this, for exactitude in some small matters is
the very soul of discipline. Then I reflected that I had
myself peremptorily dismissed my officers from duty,
and by my own act had prevented the anchor watch
being formally set and things properly attended to. I
asked myself whether it was wise ever to interfere with
the established routine of duties even from the kindest of
motives. My action might have made me appear eccentric.
Goodness only knew how that absurdly whiskered mate
would "account" for my conduct, and what the whole
ship thought of that informality of their new captain. I
was vexed with myself.

Not from compunction certainly, but, as it were me-
chanically, I proceeded to get the ladder in myself. Now
a side ladder of that sort is a light affair and comes in
easily, yet my vigorous tug, which should have brought it
flying on board, merely recoiled upon my body in a
totally unexpected jerk. What the devil! . . . I was so
astounded by the immovableness of that ladder that I
remained stockstill, trying to account for it to myself
like that imbecile mate of mine. In the end, of course,
I put my head over the rail.

The side of the ship made an opaque belt of shadow
on the darkling glassy shimmer of the sea. But I saw at
once something elongated and pale floating very close to