Bartleby the Scrivener: A Tale of Wall Street

always threatening
BENITO CERENO 159
him with instant death if he varied
in the least ; that, conscious that many of the negroes
would be turbulent, the negro Babo appointed the four
aged negroes, who were caulkers, to keep what domestic
order they could on the decks ; that again and again he
harangued the Spaniards and his companions, informing
them of his intent, and of his devices, and of the invented
story that this deponent was to tell ; charging them
lest any of them varied from that story ; that these
arrangements were made and matured during the interval
of two or three hours, between their first sighting the
ship and the arrival on board of Captain Amasa Delano ;
that this happened about half-past seven o'clock in the
morning, Captain Amasa Delano coming in his boat,
and all gladly receiving him ; that the deponent, as well
as he could force himself, acting then the part of principal
owner, and a free captain of the ship, told Captain
Amasa Delano, when called upon, that he came from
Buenos Ayres, bound to Lima, with three hundred
negroes ; that off Cape Horn, and in a subsequent
fever, many negroes had died ; that also, by similar
casualties, all the sea-officers and the greatest part of
the crew had died.
[And so the deposition goes on, circumstantially re-
counting the fictitious story dictated to the deponent by
Babo, and through the deponent imposed upon Captain
Delano ; and also recounting the friendly offers of Captain
Delano, with other things, but all of which is here omitted.
After the fictitious story, etc., the deposition proceeds :]
•t» .
.
»(» 5}€ 5JC 9jC i 3|C
3|C
— that the generous Captain Amasa Delano remained
on board all the day, till he left the ship anchored at
six o'clock in the evening, deponent speaking to him