But Then There Is A Terrible Stillness In This Breathing
Image; It Seems Like The Stillness Of A Savage That
Sits intent and
brooding, day by day, upon some one fearful scheme of vengeance,
but yet more like it seems
To the stillness of an Immortal, whose
will must be known, and obeyed without sign or speech. Bow down! -
Bow down and adore the young Persephonie, transcendent Queen of
Shades!
CHAPTER VI - GREEK MARINERS
I sailed from Smyrna in the Amphitrite, a Greek brigantine, which
was confidently said to be bound for the coast of Syria; but I knew
that this announcement was not to be relied upon with positive
certainty, for the Greek mariners are practically free from the
stringency of ship's papers, and where they will, there they go.
However, I had the whole of the cabin for myself and my attendant,
Mysseri, subject only to the society of the captain at the hour of
dinner. Being at ease in this respect, being furnished too with
plenty of books, and finding an unfailing source of interest in the
thorough Greekness of my captain and my crew, I felt less anxious
than most people would have been about the probable length of the
cruise. I knew enough of Greek navigation to be sure that our
vessel would cling to earth like a child to its mother's knee, and
that I should touch at many an isle before I set foot upon the
Syrian coast; but I had no invidious preference for Europe, Asia,
or Africa, and I felt that I could defy the winds to blow me upon a
coast that was blank and void of interest. My patience was
extremely useful to me, for the cruise altogether endured some
forty days, and that in the midst of winter.
According to me, the most interesting of all the Greeks (male
Greeks) are the mariners, because their pursuits and their social
condition are so nearly the same as those of their famous
ancestors. You will say, that the occupation of commerce must have
smoothed down the salience of their minds; and this would be so
perhaps if their mercantile affairs were conducted according to the
fixed businesslike routine of Europeans; but the ventures of the
Greeks are surrounded by such a multitude of imagined dangers (and
from the absence of regular marts, in which the true value of
merchandise can be ascertained), are so entirely speculative, and
besides, are conducted in a manner so wholly determined upon by the
wayward fancies and wishes of the crew, that they belong to
enterprise rather than to industry, and are very far indeed from
tending to deaden any freshness of character.
The vessels in which war and piracy were carried on during the
years of the Greek Revolution became merchantmen at the end of the
war; but the tactics of the Greeks, as naval warriors, were so
exceedingly cautious, and their habits as commercial mariners are
so wild, that the change has been more slight than you might
imagine. The first care of Greeks (Greek Rayahs) when they
undertake a shipping enterprise is to procure for their vessel the
protection of some European power. This is easily managed by a
little intriguing with the dragoman of one of the embassies at
Constantinople, and the craft soon glories in the ensign of Russia,
or the dazzling Tricolor, or the Union Jack. Thus, to the great
delight of her crew, she enters upon the ocean world with a flaring
lie at her peak, but the appearance of the vessel does no discredit
to the borrowed flag; she is frail indeed, but is gracefully built,
and smartly rigged; she always carries guns, and in short, gives
good promise of mischief and speed.
The privileges attached to the vessel and her crew by virtue of the
borrowed flag are so great, as to imply a liberty wider even than
that which is often enjoyed in our more strictly civilised
countries, so that there is no pretence for saying that the
development of the true character belonging to Greek mariners is
prevented by the dominion of the Ottoman. These men are free, too,
from the power of the great capitalist, whose sway is more
withering than despotism itself to the enterprises of humble
venturers. The capital employed is supplied by those whose labour
is to render it productive. The crew receive no wages, but have
all a share in the venture, and in general, I believe, they are the
owners of the whole freight. They choose a captain, to whom they
entrust just power enough to keep the vessel on her course in fine
weather, but not quite enough for a gale of wind; they also elect a
cook and a mate. The cook whom we had on board was particularly
careful about the ship's reckoning, and when under the influence of
the keen sea-breezes we grew fondly expectant of an instant dinner,
the great author of pilafs would be standing on deck with an
ancient quadrant in his hands, calmly affecting to take an
observation. But then to make up for this the captain would be
exercising a controlling influence over the soup, so that all in
the end went well. Our mate was a Hydriot, a native of that island
rock which grows nothing but mariners and mariners' wives. His
character seemed to be exactly that which is generally attributed
to the Hydriot race; he was fierce, and gloomy, and lonely in his
ways. One of his principal duties seemed to be that of acting as
counter-captain, or leader of the opposition, denouncing the first
symptoms of tyranny, and protecting even the cabin-boy from
oppression. Besides this, when things went smoothly he would begin
to prognosticate evil, in order that his more light-hearted
comrades might not be puffed up with the seeming good fortune of
the moment.
It seemed to me that the personal freedom of these sailors, who own
no superiors except those of their own choice, is as like as may be
to that of their seafaring ancestors.
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