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BENITO CERENO-Part11_HERMAN MELVILLE (1819-1891)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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too much unstring his master, the servant seemed anxious to

terminate it. And so, still presenting himself as a crutch, and



walking between the two captains, he advanced with them toward the

gangway; while still, as if full of kindly contrition, Don Benito



would not let go the hand of Captain Delano, but retained it in his,

across the black's body.



Soon they were standing by the side, looking over into the boat,

whose crew turned up their curious eyes. Waiting a moment for the



Spaniard to relinquish his hold, the now embarrassed Captain Delano

lifted his foot, to overstep the threshold of the open gangway; but



still Don Benito would not let go his hand. And yet, with an

agitated tone, he said, "I can go no further; here I must bid you



adieu. Adieu, my dear, dear Don Amasa. Go- go!" suddenly tearing his

hand loose, "go, and God guard you better than me, my best friend."



Not unaffected, Captain Delano would now have lingered; but

catching the meekly admonitory eye of the servant, with a hasty



farewell he descended into his boat, followed by the continual

adieus of Don Benito, standing rooted in the gangway.



Seating himself in the stern, Captain Delano, making a last

salute, ordered the boat shoved off. The crew had their oars on end.



The bowsman pushed the boat a sufficient distance for the oars to be

lengthwise dropped. The instant that was done, Don Benito sprang



over the bulwarks, falling at the feet of Captain Delano; at the

same time, calling towards his ship, but in tones so frenzied, that



none in the boat could understand him. But, as if not equally

obtuse, three Spanish sailors, from three different and distant



parts of the ship, splashed into the sea, swimming after their

captain, as if intent upon his rescue.



The dismayed officer of the boat eagerly asked what this meant. To

which, Captain Delano, turning a disdainful smile upon the



unaccountable Benito Cereno, answered that, for his part, he neither

knew nor cared; but it seemed as if the Spaniard had taken it into his



head to produce the impression among his people that the boat wanted

to kidnap him. "Or else- give way for your lives," he wildly added,



starting at a clattering hubbub in the ship, above which rang the

tocsin of the hatchet-polishers; and seizing Don Benito by the



throat he added, "this plotting pirate means murder!" Here, in

apparent verification of the words, the servant, a dagger in his hand,



was seen on the rail overhead, poised, in the act of leaping, as if

with desperatefidelity to befriend his master to the last; while,



seemingly to aid the black, the three Spanish sailors were trying to

clamber into the hampered bow. Meantime, the whole host of Negroes, as



if inflamed at the sight of their jeopardized captain, impended in one

sooty avalanche over the bulwarks.



All this, with what preceded, and what followed, occurred with

such involutions of rapidity, that past, present, and future seemed



one.

Seeing the Negro coming, Captain Delano had flung the Spaniard



aside, almost in the very act of clutching him, and, by the

unconscious recoil, shifting his place, with arms thrown up, so



promptly grappled the servant in his descent, that with dagger

presented at Captain Delano's heart, the black seemed of purpose to



have leaped there as to his mark. But the weapon was wrenched away,

and the assailant dashed down into the bottom of the boat, which



now, with disentangled oars, began to speed through the sea.

At this juncture, the left hand of Captain Delano, on one side,



again clutched the half-reclined Don Benito, heedless that he was in a

speechless faint, while his right foot, on the other side, ground



the prostrate Negro; and his right arm pressed for added speed on

the after oar, his eye bent forward, encouraging his men to their



utmost.

But here, the officer of the boat, who had at last succeeded in



beating off the towing Spanish sailors, and was now, with face

turned aft, assisting the bowsman at his oar, suddenly called to






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