Bartleby the Scrivener: A Tale of Wall Street

114 THE PIAZZA TALES
side, the oakum-pickers, with venerable gestures, sought
to restrain the blacks, who, at the sight of three gurried
water-casks in its bottom, and a pile of wilted pumpkins
in its bow, hung over the bulwarks in disorderly
raptures.
Don Benito, with his servant, now appeared ; his
coming, perhaps, hastened by hearing the noise. Of
him Captain Delano sought permission to serve out the
water, so that all might share alike, and none injure
themselves by unfair excess. But sensible, and, on Don
Benito's account, kind as this offer was,
it was received
with what seemed impatience ; as if aware that he
lacked energy as a commander, Don Benito, with the
true jealousy of weakness, resented as an affront any
interference. So, at least, Captain Delano inferred.
In another moment the casks were being hoisted in,
when some of the eager negroes accidentally jostled
Captain Delano, where he stood by the gangway ; so
that, unmindful of Don Benito, yielding to the impulse
of the moment, with good-natured authority he bade
the blacks stand back ; to enforce his words making
use of a half-mirthful, half-menacing gesture. Instantly
the blacks paused, just where they were, each negro
and negress suspended in his or her posture, exactly
as the word had found them— for a few seconds continuing
so— while, as between the responsive posts of a tele-
graph, an unknown syllable ran from man to man among
the perched oakum-pickers. While the visitor's atten-
tion was fixed by this polishers
scene, suddenly the hatchet-
half Benito.
rose, and a rapid cry came from Don
Thinking that at the signal of the Spaniard he was
about to be massacred, Captain Delano would have
sprung for his boat, but paused, as the oakum -pickers,
dropping down into the crowd with earnest exclamations,