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Records of a Family of Engineers-Part20_ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON(1850-1894)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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hard, when Mr. Taylor, the commander, found it necessary to

take in the bowsprit, and strike the fore and main topmasts,



that she might ride more easily. After consulting about the

state of the weather, it was resolved to leave the artificers



on board this evening, and carry only the smiths to the rock,

as the sharpening of the irons was rather behind, from their



being so much broken and blunted by the hard and tough nature

of the rock, which became much more compact and hard as the



depth of excavation was increased. Besides avoiding the risk

of encumbering the boats with a number of men who had not yet



got the full command of the oar in a breach of sea, the writer

had another motive for leaving them behind. He wanted to



examine the site of the building without interruption, and to

take the comparative levels of the different inequalities of



its area; and as it would have been painful to have seen men

standing idle upon the Bell Rock, where all moved with



activity, it was judged better to leave them on board. The

boats landed at half-past seven p.m., and the landing-master,



with the seamen, was employed during this tide in cutting the

seaweeds from the several paths leading to the landing-places,



to render walking more safe, for, from the slippery state of

the surface of the rock, many severe tumbles had taken place.



In the meantime the writer took the necessary levels, and

having carefully examined the site of the building and



considered all its parts, it still appeared to be necessary to

excavate to the average depth of fourteen inches over the



whole area of the foundation.

[Saturday, 28th May]



The wind still continued from the eastward with a heavy

swell; and to-day it was accompanied with foggy weather and



occasional showers of rain. Notwithstanding this, such was

the confidence which the erection of the beacon had inspired



that the boats landed the artificers on the rock under very

unpromising circumstances, at half-past eight, and they



continued at work till half-past eleven, being a period of

three hours, which was considered a great tide's work in the



present low state of the foundation. Three of the masons on

board were so afflicted with sea-sickness that they had not



been able to take any food for almost three days, and they

were literallyassisted into the boats this morning by their



companions. It was, however, not a little surprising to see

how speedily these men revived upon landing on the rock and



eating a little dulse. Two of them afterwards assisted the

sailors in collecting the chips of stone and carrying them out



of the way of the pickmen; but the third complained of a pain

in his head, and was still unable to do anything. Instead of



returning to the tender with the boats, these three men

remained on the beacon all day, and had their victuals sent to



them along with the smiths'. From Mr. Dove, the foreman

smith, they had much sympathy, for he preferred remaining on



the beacon at all hazards, to be himself relieved from the

malady of sea-sickness. The wind continuing high, with a



heavy sea, and the tide falling late, it was not judged proper

to land the artificers this evening, but in the twilight the



boats were sent to fetch the people on board who had been left

on the rock.



[Sunday, 29th May]

The wind was from the S.W. to-day, and the signal-bell



rung, as usual, about an hour before the period for landing on

the rock. The writer was rather surprised, however, to hear



the landing-master repeatedly call, `All hands for the rock!'

and, coming on deck, he was disappointed to find the seamen



only in the boats. Upon inquiry, it appeared that some

misunderstanding had taken place about the wages of the



artificers for Sundays. They had preferred wages for seven

days statedly to the former mode of allowing a day for each



tide's work on Sunday, as they did not like the appearance of

working for double or even treble wages on Sunday, and would



rather have it understood that their work on that day arose

more from the urgency of the case than with a view to



emolument. This having been judged creditable to their

religious feelings, and readily adjusted to their wish, the



boats proceeded to the rock, and the work commenced at nine




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