negroes faced about, and though scorning peace or truce, yet
fain would have had respite. But, without pause, overleaping the
barrier, the unflagging sailors again closed. Exhausted, the blacks now
fought in despair. Their red tongues lolled, wolf-like, from their black
mouths. But the pale sailors' teeth were set; not a word was spoken;
and, in five minutes more, the ship was won.

Nearly a score of the negroes were killed. Exclusive of those by the
balls, many were mangled; their wounds--mostly inflicted by the
long-edged sealing-spears, resembling those shaven ones of the English
at Preston Pans, made by the poled scythes of the Highlanders. On the
other side, none were killed, though several were wounded; some
severely, including the mate. The surviving negroes were temporarily
secured, and the ship, towed back into the harbor at midnight, once more
lay anchored.

Omitting the incidents and arrangements ensuing, suffice it that, after
two days spent in refitting, the ships sailed in company for Conception,
in Chili, and thence for Lima, in Peru; where, before the vice-regal
courts, the whole affair, from the beginning, underwent investigation.

Though, midway on the passage, the ill-fated Spaniard, relaxed from
constraint, showed some signs of regaining health with free-will; yet,
agreeably to his own foreboding, shortly before arriving at Lima, he
relapsed, finally becoming so reduced as to be carried ashore in arms.
Hearing of his story and plight, one of the many religious institutions
of the City of Kings opened an hospitable refuge to him, where both
physician and priest were his nurses, and a member of the order
volunteered to be his one special guardian and consoler, by night and by
day.

The following extracts, translated from one of the official Spanish
documents, will, it is hoped, shed light on the preceding narrative, as
well as, in the first place, reveal the true port of departure and true
history of the San Dominick's voyage, down to the time of her touching
at the island of St. Maria.

But, ere the extracts come, it may be well to preface them with a
remark.

The document selected, from among many others, for partial translation,
contains the deposition of Benito Cereno; the first taken in the case.
Some disclosures therein were, at the time, held dubious for both
learned and natural reasons. The tribunal inclined to the opinion that
the deponent, not undisturbed in his mind by recent events,