CHAPTER X

柏金斯盲校才剛放暑假，老師、我就被安排和我們的好友霍普金斯太太，一起去麻州鱈魚角的布魯德斯市度假。由於盼望即將到來的喜悅，且心中藏有很多關於海的奇妙故事，在海邊度假的事讓我很高興。 

我對於那個暑假的回憶，海洋是最鮮明的。我一向是住在離岸很遠的內地，甚至於不曾聞過一絲絲飄有鹹味的空氣。但是，我讀過一本大開本書《我們的世界》，其中有一段描寫海洋，讓我滿腦子驚奇的想像，也非常渴望去接觸偉大的海洋，感受海浪翻滾。所以，當我知道希望終於要實現時，我小小的心房被熱情激烈刺激而忐忑亂跳好一陣子。 

人家才幫我穿好泳衣，我就奔出室外踏上溫暖的海岸，並且跳進涼爽的海裡，毫無畏懼。海水浮漲運動，讓我強烈歡喜而顫抖。忽然間，我的狂喜被驚懼取代；因為我腳才被一陣強烈的搖晃拉扯，下一陣衝浪就淹過我頭。我用力伸出雙手想在水中抓到任何支撐，或者想扯掉海水拋纏在我臉上的海草；但是，這些狂亂努力都徒勞。海浪似乎想和我玩，它們狂野嬉鬧，將我拋來拋去；真是可怕！堅定可靠的地面從我腳下溜走了，一切事物似乎都從這有怪異生命的自然力以及完全封閉的溫暖和熱愛的氛圍中，被隔絕在外。無論如何，這大海似是終於玩膩它的新玩物，就把我扔回岸上；下個片刻，我被老師緊緊抱在懷裡許久，喔，這是個體貼安慰的擁抱！當我從恐慌完全恢復，立刻問：誰把鹽巴倒進水裡了？ 

在這海水的恐怖洗禮後，我想像穿著泳衣坐在大礁石上去感受前撲後擁的猛烈奔波和撞擊，以及高高躍起而當頭潑灑我全身的飛沫，會有非常樂趣。粗壯的浪潮一再的重摔在岸上，我能感覺小卵石嘎嘎作響；大氣也隨著海潮的持續擠壓發出一陣陣悸動，整片海岸像是忍受著被毀滅性攻擊的折磨。在海岸上摔裂的碎浪總是會突然下降，俯衝回去，緊緊互相抓攫，再次聚合以準備更強大的跳躍和衝擊；我就緊緊抓住礁石，怒潮的莽撞奔流、漫天水花以及咆哮和喧嘩，讓我緊張，也讓我沉迷得神魂顛倒！ 

我希望能夠在海岸上留連越久越好；完全清新、精力充沛且自由的海洋氣息，像是冷靜沉著的思想，貝殼、小卵石、攀附有小生命的海草，對我來說永遠具有魅力。有一天，蘇利文小姐要我看一個奇怪的東西，那是她抓到的，放在冷水中曬太陽。那是一隻很大的螃蟹──我所見過最大的。我摸它並且想像它必須背負自己房子的奇怪模樣。忽然心生一念，我以為它可以是可愛的寵物，所以，我用雙手抓著背部把她帶走。這大螃蟹非常重，我非常高興自己做這件勇敢的事，也很有成就感；我用盡力氣帶著它走了半英里。我一直纏著蘇利文小姐，直到她將這隻大螃蟹放在一個井邊的水槽；我確信放它在那裡會是萬無一失的。可是…第二天早上我去那裡，一看，喔，它不見了！沒人知道他那裡去或者它是如何消失。那時，我很沮喪；可是，漸漸的，我清醒來，領悟到：強迫這不會說話的可憐生物生長在不合宜的環境，是殘酷且不智的。又一會兒，想像它可能已經回到大海，我就高興了。 

JUST before the Perkins Institution closed for the summer, it was arranged that my teacher and I should spend our vacation at Brewster, on Cape Cod, with our dear friend, Mrs. Hopkins. I was delighted, for my mind was full of the prospective joys and of the wonderful stories I had heard about the sea.  

My most vivid recollection of that summer is the ocean. I had always lived far inland, and had never had so much as a whiff of salt air; but I had read in a big book called "Our World" a description of the ocean which filled me with wonder and an intense longing to touch the mighty sea and feel it roar. So my little heart leaped with eager excitement when I knew that my wish was at last to be realized.  

No sooner had I been helped into my bathing-suit than I sprang out upon the warm sand and without thought of fear plunged into the cool water. I felt the great billows rock and sink. The buoyant motion of the water filled me with an exquisite, quivering joy. Suddenly my ecstasy gave place to terror; for my foot struck against a rock and the next instant there was a rush of water over my head. I thrust out my hands to grab some support, I clutched at the water and at the seaweed which the waves tossed in my face. But all my frantic efforts were in vain. The waves seemed to be playing a game with me, and tossed me from one to another in their wild frolic. It was fearful! The good, firm earth had slipped from my feet, and everything seemed shut out from this strange, all-enveloping element–life, air, warmth, and love. At last, however, the sea, as if weary of its new toy, threw me back on the shore, and in another instant I was clasped in my teacher's arms. Oh, the comfort of the long, tender embrace! As soon as I had recovered from my panic sufficiently to say anything, I demanded: "Who put salt in the water?"  

After I had recovered from my first experience in the water, I thought it great fun to sit on a big rock in my bathing-suit and feel wave after wave dash against the rock, sending up a shower of spray which quite covered me. I felt the pebbles rattling as the waves threw their ponderous weight against the shore; the whole beach seemed racked by their terrific onset, and the air throbbed with their pulsations. The breakers would swoop back to gather themselves for a mightier leap,and I clung to the rock, tense, fascinated, as I felt the dash and roar of the rushing sea!  

I could never stay long enough on the shore. The tang of the untainted, fresh and free sea air was like a cool, quieting thought, and the shells and pebbles and the seaweed with tiny living creatures attached to it never lost their fascination for me. One day, Miss Sullivan attracted my attention to a strange object which she had captured basking in the chilly water. It was a great horseshoe crab–the first one I had ever seen. I felt of him and thought it strange that he should carry his house on his back. It suddenly occurred to me that he might make a delightful pet; so I seized him by the tail with both hands and carried him home. This feat pleased me highly, as his body was very heavy, and it took all my strength to drag him half a mile. I would not leave Miss Sullivan in peace until she had put the crab in a trough near the well where I was confident he would be secure. But the next morning I went to the trough, and lo, he had disappeared! Nobody knew where he had gone, or how he had escaped. My disappointment was bitter at the time; but little by little I came to realize that it was not kind or wise to force this poor dumb creature out of his element, and after awhile I felt happy in the thought that perhaps he had returned to the sea.