BENITO CERENO [12]
revealed above the skylight, was now turned toward him- Captain Delano was struck by the profile, whose clearness of cut was refined by the thinness incident to ill-health, as well as ennobled about the chin by the beard. Away with suspicion. He was a true off-shoot of a true hidalgo Cereno. Relieved by these and other better thoughts, the visitor, lightly humming a tune, now began indifferently pacing the poop, so as not to betray to Don Benito that be had at all mistrusted incivility, much less duplicity; for such mistrust would yet be proved illusory, and by the event; though, for the present, the circumstance which had provoked that distrust remained unexplained. But when that little mystery should have been cleared up, Captain Delano thought he might extremely regret it, did he allow Don Benito to become aware that he had indulged in ungenerous surmises. In short, to the Spaniard's black-letter text, it was best, for a while, to leave open margin. Presently, his pale face twitching and overcast, the Spaniard, still supported by his attendant, moved over toward his guest, when, with even more than usual embarrassment, and a strange sort of intriguing intonation in his husky whisper, the following conversation began: "Senor, may I ask how long you have lain at this isle?" "Oh, but a day or two, Don Benito." "And from what port are you last?" "Canton." "And there, Senor, you exchanged your seal-skins for teas and silks, I think you said?" "Yes. Silks, mostly." "And the balance you took in specie, perhaps?" Captain Delano, fidgeting a little, answered- "Yes; some silver; not a very great deal, though." "Ah- well. May I ask how many men have you on board, Senor?" Captain Delano slightly started, but answered: "About five-and-twenty, all told." "And at present, Senor, all on board, I suppose?" "All on board, Don Benito," replied the captain now with satisfaction. "And will be to-night, Senor?" At this last question, following so many pertinacious ones, for the soul of him Captain Delano could not but look very earnestly at the questioner, who, instead of meeting the glance, with every token of craven discomposure dropped his eyes to the deck; presenting an unworthy contrast to his servant, who, just then, was kneeling at his feet adjusting a loose shoe-buckle; his disengaged face meantime, with humble curiosity, turned openly up into his master's downcast one. The Spaniard, still with a guilty shuffle, repeated his question: "And- and will be to-night, Senor?" "Yes, for aught I know," returned Captain Delano,- "but nay," rallying himself into fearless truth, "some of them talked of going off on another fishing party about midnight." "Your ships generally go- go more or less armed, I believe, Senor?" "Oh, a six-pounder or two, in case of emergency," was the intrepidly indifferent reply, "with a small stock of muskets, sealing-spears, and cutlasses, you know." As he thus responded, Captain Delano again glanced at Don Benito, but the latter's eyes were averted; while abruptly and awkwardly shifting the subject, he made some peevish allusion to the calm, and then, without apology, once more, with his attendant, withdrew to the opposite bulwarks, where the whispering was resumed. At this moment, and ere Captain Delano could cast a cool thought upon what had just passed, the young Spanish sailor before mentioned was seen descending from the rigging. In act of stooping over to spring inboard to the deck, his voluminous, unconfined frock, or shirt, of coarse woollen, much spotted with tar, opened out far down the chest, revealing a soiled under-garment of what seemed the finest linen, edged, about the neck, with a narrow blue ribbon, sadly faded and worn. At this moment the young sailor's eye was again fixed on the whisperers, and Captain Delano thought he observed a lurking significance in it, as if silent signs of some freemason sort had that instant been interchanged. This once more impelled his own glance in the direction of