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- 2450
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- 2026-01-30T07:57:55.409Z
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- 2401
- text
- the wind entirely died away, and the tide turning, began drifting back
the ship helplessly seaward. But trusting this would not long last,
Captain Delano sought, with good hopes, to cheer up the strangers,
feeling no small satisfaction that, with persons in their condition, he
could—thanks to his frequent voyages along the Spanish main—converse
with some freedom in their native tongue.
While left alone with them, he was not long in observing some things
tending to heighten his first impressions; but surprise was lost in
pity, both for the Spaniards and blacks, alike evidently reduced from
scarcity of water and provisions; while long-continued suffering seemed
to have brought out the less good-natured qualities of the negroes,
besides, at the same time, impairing the Spaniard’s authority over
them. But, under the circumstances, precisely this condition of things
was to have been anticipated. In armies, navies, cities, or families,
in nature herself, nothing more relaxes good order than misery. Still,
Captain Delano was not without the idea, that had Benito Cereno been a
man of greater energy, misrule would hardly have come to the present
pass. But the debility, constitutional or induced by hardships, bodily
and mental, of the Spanish captain, was too obvious to be overlooked. A
prey to settled dejection, as if long mocked with hope he would not now
indulge it, even when it had ceased to be a mock, the prospect of that
day, or evening at furthest, lying at anchor, with plenty of water for
his people, and a brother captain to counsel and befriend, seemed in no
perceptible degree to encourage him. His mind appeared unstrung, if not
still more seriously affected. Shut up in these oaken walls, chained to
one dull round of command, whose unconditionality cloyed him, like some
hypochondriac abbot he moved slowly about, at times suddenly pausing,
starting, or staring, biting his lip, biting his finger-nail, flushing,
paling, twitching his beard, with other symptoms of an absent or moody
mind. This distempered spirit was lodged, as before hinted, in as
distempered a frame. He was rather tall, but seemed never to have been
robust, and now with nervous suffering was almost worn to a skeleton. A
tendency to some pulmonary complaint appeared to have been lately
confirmed. His voice was like that of one with lungs half gone—hoarsely
suppressed, a husky whisper. No wonder that, as in this state he
tottered about, his private servant apprehensively followed him.
Sometimes the negro gave his master his arm, or took his handkerchief
out of his pocket for him; performing these and similar offices with
that affectionate zeal which transmutes into something filial or
fraternal acts in themselves but menial; and which has gained for the
negro the repute of making the most pleasing body-servant in the world;
one, too, whom a master need be on no stiffly superior terms with, but
may treat with familiar trust; less a servant than a devoted companion.
Marking the noisy indocility of the blacks in general, as well as what
seemed the sullen inefficiency of the whites it was not without humane
satisfaction that Captain Delano witnessed the steady good conduct of
Babo.
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