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قراءة كتاب Fires - Book II The Ovens, and Other Tales
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اللغة: English
Fires - Book II The Ovens, and Other Tales
الصفحة رقم: 3
his chattering teeth,
I tucked him snugly in beneath
The blankets, and soon left him warmly stowed:
And stooped to tend the man, who lay
Still senseless on the floor.
I turned him off his face;
And laid him on the other bed;
And washed and staunched his wound.
And yet for all that I could do,
I could not bring him to,
Or see a trace
Of life returning to that heavy head.
It seemed he'd swooned,
When through the window he'd made way,
Just having strength to lay
The boy in safety. Still as death,
He lay, without a breath:
And seeing I could do no more
To help him in the fight for life;
I turned again to tend the lad;
And, as I looked on him, was glad
To find him sleeping quietly.
So, fetching fuel, I lit a fire:
And quickly had as big a blaze
As any housewife could desire:
Then, 'twixt the beds, I set a chair,
That I might watch until they stirred:
And as I saw them lying there--
The sleeping boy, and him who lay
In that strange stiller sleep, 'twas plain
That they were son and father, now
I'd time to look, and wonder how,
In such a desperate plight,
Without a stitch or rag,
They'd taken refuge from the night.
And, as I wondered drowsily,
It seemed yet queerer and more queer;
For round the Head the rocks are sheer,
With scarce a foothold for a bird;
And it seemed quite beyond belief
That any wrecked upon the reef,
Could swim ashore, and scale the crag,
By daylight, let alone by night
But, they who live beside the sea
Know naught's too wonderful to be:
And, as I sat, and heard
The quiet breathing of the child,
Great weariness came over me;
And, in a kind of daze,
I watched the blaze,
With nodding head:
And must have slept, for, presently,
I found the man was sitting up in bed:
And talking to himself, with wide, unseeing eyes.
At first, I hardly made out what he said:
But soon his voice, so hoarse and wild,
Grew calm: and, straining, I could hear
The broken words, that came with many sighs.
"Yes, lad: she's going: but, there's naught to fear:
For I can swim: and tow you in the belt.
Come, let's join hands together; and leap clear...
Aye, son: it's dark and cold ... but you have felt
The cold and dark before...
And you should scorn...
And we must be near shore...
For, hark the horn!
Think of your mother, and your home, and leap...
She thinks of us, lad, waking or asleep...
You would not leave her lonely?
Nay! ... then ... go! ...
Well done, lad! ... Nay! I'm here...
Aye, son, it's cold: but you're too big to fear.
Now then, you're snug: I've got you safe in tow:
The worst is over: and we've only
To make for land ... we've naught ... to do ... but steer...
But steer ... but steer..."
He paused; and sank down in the bed, quite done:
And lay a moment silent, while his son
Still slumbered in the other bed,
And on his quiet face the firelight shone.
Then, once again, the father raised his head,
And rambled on...
"Say, lad, what cheer?
I thought you'd dropped asleep: but you're all right.
We'll rest a moment ... I'm quite out of breath...
It's further than ... Nay, son! there's naught to fear...
The land must be quite near...
The horn is loud enough!
Aye, lad, it's cold:
But, you're too old
To cry for cold.
Now ... keep ... tight hold:
And we'll be off again.
I've got my breath..."
He sank, once more, as still as death,
With hands that clutched the counterpane:
But still the boy was sleeping quietly.
And then, the father sat up suddenly:
And cried: "See! See!
The land! the land!
It's near ... I touch it with my hand."
And now, "Oh God!" he moaned.
Small wonder, when he saw what lay before--
The black, unbroken crags, so grim and high,
That must have seemed to him to soar
Sheer from the sea's edge to the sky.
But, soon, he plucked up heart, once more:
"We're safe, lad--safe ashore!
A narrow ledge, but land, firm land.
We'll soon be high and dry.
Nay, son: we can't