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- 6125
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- 2026-01-30T20:48:05.591Z
- extracted_by
- structure-extraction-lambda
- start_line
- 6057
- text
- watch below were slumbering. Some hundred and fifty hammocks were on
that deck. Seeing one empty, he leaped in, thinking luck might yet some
way befriend him. Here, at last, the sultry confinement put him fast
asleep. He was wakened by a savage whiskerando of the other watch, who,
seizing him by his waistband, dragged him most indecorously out,
furiously denouncing him for a skulker.
Springing to his feet, Israel perceived from the crowd and tumult of
the berth deck, now all alive with men leaping into their hammocks,
instead of being full of sleepers quietly dosing therein, that the
watches were changed. Going above, he renewed in various quarters his
offers of intimacy with the fresh men there assembled; but was
successively repulsed as before. At length, just as day was breaking,
an irascible fellow whose stubborn opposition our adventurer had long
in vain sought to conciliate—this man suddenly perceiving, by the gray
morning light, that Israel had somehow an alien sort of general look,
very savagely pressed him for explicit information as to who he might
be. The answers increased his suspicion. Others began to surround the
two. Presently, quite a circle was formed. Sailors from distant parts
of the ship drew near. One, and then another, and another, declared
that they, in their quarters, too, had been molested by a vagabond
claiming fraternity, and seeking to palm himself off upon decent
society. In vain Israel protested. The truth, like the day, dawned
clearer and clearer. More and more closely he was scanned. At length
the hour for having all hands on deck arrived; when the other watch
which Israel had first tried, reascending to the deck, and hearing the
matter in discussion, they endorsed the charge of molestation and
attempted imposture through the night, on the part of some person
unknown, but who, likely enough, was the strange man now before them.
In the end, the master-at-arms appeared with his bamboo, who, summarily
collaring poor Israel, led him as a mysterious culprit to the officer
of the deck, which gentleman having heard the charge, examined him in
great perplexity, and, saying that he did not at all recognize that
countenance, requested the junior officers to contribute their
scrutiny. But those officers were equally at fault.
“Who the deuce _are_ you?” at last said the officer-of-the-deck, in
added bewilderment. “Where did you come from? What’s your business?
Where are you stationed? What’s your name? Who are you, any way? How
did you get here? and where are you going?”
“Sir,” replied Israel very humbly, “I am going to my regular duty, if
you will but let me. I belong to the maintop, and ought to be now
engaged in preparing the topgallant stu’n’-sail for hoisting.”
“Belong to the maintop? Why, these men here say you have been trying to
belong to the foretop, and the mizzentop, and the forecastle, and the
hold, and the waist, and every other part of the ship. This is
extraordinary,” he added, turning upon the junior officers.
“He must be out of his mind,” replied one of them, the sailing-master.
“Out of his mind?” rejoined the officer-of-the-deck. “He’s out of all
reason; out of all men’s knowledge and memories! Why, no one knows him;
no one has ever seen him before; no imagination, in the wildest flight
of a morbid nightmare, has ever so much as dreamed of him. Who _are_
you?” he again added, fierce with amazement. “What’s your name? Are you
down in the ship’s books, or at all in the records of nature?”
“My name, sir, is Peter Perkins,” said Israel, thinking it most prudent
to conceal his real appellation.
“Certainly, I never heard that name before. Pray, see if Peter Perkins
is down on the quarter-bills,” he added to a midshipman. “Quick, bring
the book here.”
Having received it, he ran his fingers along the columns, and dashing
down the book, declared that no such name was there.
- title
- Chunk 5