Captain Hull2 was not ignorant of it. Though these parts were not ordinarily frequented by slave-ships, he asked himself if these blacks, whose salvage3 he had just effected, were not the survivors4 of a cargo5 of slaves that the "Waldeck" was going to sell to some Pacific colony. At all events, if that was so, the blacks became free again by the sole act of setting foot on his deck, and he longed to tell it to them.
Meanwhile the most earnest care had been lavished6 on the shipwrecked men from the "Waldeck." Mrs. Weldon, aided by Nan and Dick Sand, had administered to them a little of that good fresh water of which they must have been deprived for several days, and that, with some nourishment9, sufficed to restore them to life.
The eldest10 of these blacks—he might be about sixty years old—was soon able to speak, and he could answer in English the questions which were addressed to him.
"The ship which carried you was run into?" asked Captain Hull, first of all.
"Yes," replied the old black. "Ten days ago our ship was struck, during a very dark night. We were asleep——"
"But the men of the 'Waldeck'—what has become of them?"
"They were no longer there, sir, when my companions and I reached the deck."
"Then, was the crew able to jump on board the ship which struck the
'Waldeck'?" demanded Captain Hull.
"Perhaps, and we must indeed hope so for their sakes."
"And that ship, after the collision, did it not return to pick you up?"
"No."
"Did she then go down herself?"
"She did not founder," replied the old black, shaking his head, "for we could see her running away in the night."
This fact, which was attested11 by all the survivors of the "Waldeck," may appear incredible. It is only too true, however, that captains, after some terrible collision, due to their imprudence, have often taken flight without troubling themselves about the unfortunate ones whom they had put in danger, and without endeavoring to carry assistance to them.
That drivers do as much and leave to others, on the public way, the trouble of repairing the misfortune which they have caused, that is indeed to be condemned12. Still, their victims are assured of finding immediate13 help. But, that men to men, abandon each other thus at sea, it is not to be believed, it is a shame!
Meanwhile, Captain Hull knew several examples of such inhumanity, and he was obliged to tell Mrs. Weldon that such facts, monstrous14 as they might be, were unhappily not rare.
Then, continuing:
"Whence came the 'Waldeck?'" he asked.
"From Melbourne."
"Then you are not slaves?"
"No, sir!" the old black answered quickly, as he stood up straight. "We are subjects of the State of Pennsylvania, and citizens of free America!"
"My friends," replied Captain Hull, "believe me that you have not compromised your liberty in coming on board of the American brig, the 'Pilgrim.'"
In fact, the five blacks which the "Waldeck" carried belonged to the State of Pennsylvania. The oldest, sold in Africa as a slave at the age of six years, then brought to the United States, had been freed already many years ago by the Emancipation15 Proclamation. As to his companions, much younger than he, sons of slaves liberated16 before their birth, they were born free; no white had ever had the right of property over them. They did not even speak that "negro" language, which does not use the article, and only knows the infinitive17 of the verbs—a language which has disappeared little by little, indeed, since the anti-slavery war. These blacks had, then, freely left the United States, and they were returning to it freely.
Englishman's who owned a vast mine near Melbourne, in Southern
Australia. There they had passed three years, with great profit to
themselves; their engagement ended, they had wished to return to
America.
They then had embarked20 on the "Waldeck," paying their passage like ordinary passengers. On the 5th of December they left Melbourne, and seventeen days after, during a very black night, the "Waldeck" had been struck by a large steamer.
The blacks were in bed. A few seconds after the collision, which was terrible, they rushed on the deck.
Already the ship's masts had fallen, and the "Waldeck" was lying on the side; but she would not sink, the water not having invaded the hold sufficiently21 to cause it.
As to the captain and crew of the "Waldeck," all had disappeared, whether some had been precipitated22 into the sea, whether others were caught on the rigging of the colliding ship, which, after the collision, had fled to return no more.
The five blacks were left alone on board, on a half-capsized hull, twelve hundred miles from any land.
Then oldest of the negroes was named Tom. His age, as well as his energetic character, and his experience, often put to the proof during a long life of labor18, made him the natural head of the companions who were engaged with him.
The other blacks were young men from twenty-five to thirty years old, whose names were Bat (abbreviation of Bartholomew), son of old Tom, Austin, Acteon, and Hercules, all four well made and vigorous, and who would bring a high price in the markets of Central Africa. Even though they had suffered terribly, one could easily recognize in them magnificent specimens24 of that strong race, on which a liberal education, drawn25 from the numerous schools of North America, had already impressed its seal.
Tom and his companions then found themselves alone on the "Waldeck" after the collision, having no means of raising that inert26 hull, without even power to leave it, because the two boats on board had been shattered in the boarding. They were reduced to waiting for the passage of a ship, while the wreck8 drifted little by little under the action of the currents. This action explained why she had been encountered so far out of her course, for the "Waldeck," having left Melbourne, ought to be found in much lower latitude27.
During the ten days which elapsed between the collision and the moment when the "Pilgrim" arrived in sight of the shipwrecked vessel28 the five blacks were sustained by some food which they had found in the office of the landing-place. But, not being able to penetrate29 into the steward's room, which the water entirely30 covered, they had had no spirits to quench31 their thirst, and they had suffered cruelly, the water casks fastened to the deck having been stove in by the collision. Since the night before, Tom and his companions, tortured by thirst, had become unconscious.
Such was the recital32 which Tom gave, in a few words, to Captain Hull. There was no reason to doubt the veracity33 of the old black. His companions confirmed all that he had said; besides, the facts pleaded for the poor men.
Another living being, saved on the wreck, would doubtless have spoken with the same sincerity34 if it had been gifted with speech.
It was that dog, that the sight of Negoro seemed to affect in such a disagreeable manner. There was in that some truly inexplicable35 antipathy36.
Dingo—that was the name of the dog—belonged to that race of mastiffs which is peculiar37 to New Holland. It was not in Australia, however, that the captain of the "Waldeck" had found it. Two years before Dingo, wandering half dead of hunger, had been met on the western coast of Africa, near the mouth of the Congo. The captain of the "Waldeck" had picked up this fine animal, who, being not very sociable38, seemed to be always regretting some old master, from whom he had been violently separated, and whom it would be impossible to find again in that desert country. S. V.—those two letters engraved39 on his collar—were all that linked this animal to a past, whose mystery one would seek in vain to solve.
Dingo, a magnificent and robust40 beast, larger than the dogs of the Pyrenees, was then a superb specimen23 of the New Holland variety of mastiffs. When it stood up, throwing its head back, it equaled the height of a man. Its agility—its muscular strength, would be sufficient for one of those animals which without hesitation41 attack jaguars42 and panthers, and do not fear to face a bear. Its long tail of thick hair, well stocked and stiff like a lion's tail, its general hue43 dark fawn-color, was only varied44 at the nose by some whitish streaks45. This animal, under the influence of anger, might become formidable, and it will be understood that Negoro was not satisfied with the reception given him by this vigorous specimen of the canine46 race.
Meanwhile, Dingo, if it was not sociable, was not bad. It seemed rather to be sad. An observation which had been made by old Tom on board the "Waldeck" was that this dog did not seem to like blacks. It did not seek to harm them, but certainly it shunned47 them. May be, on that African coast where it wandered, it had suffered some bad treatment from the natives. So, though Tom and his companions were honest men, Dingo was never drawn toward them. During the ten days that the shipwrecked dog had passed on the "Waldeck," it had kept at a distance, feeding itself, they knew not how, but having also suffered cruelly from thirst.
Such, then, were the survivors of this wreck, which the first surge of the sea would submerge. No doubt it would have carried only dead bodies into the depths of the ocean if the unexpected arrival of the "Pilgrim," herself kept back by calms and contrary winds, had not permitted Captain Hull to do a work of humanity.
This work had only to be completed by bringing back to their country the shipwrecked men from the "Waldeck," who, in this shipwreck7, had lost their savings48 of three years of labor. This is what was going to be done. The "Pilgrim," after having effected her unloading at Valparaiso, would ascend49 the American coast as far as California. There Tom and his companions would be well received by James W. Weldon—his generous wife assured them of it—and they would be provided with all that would be necessary for them to return to the State of Pennsylvania.
These honest men, reassured50 about the future, had only to thank Mrs. Weldon and Captain Hull. Certainly they owed them a great deal, and although they were only poor negroes, perhaps, they did not despair of some day paying this debt of gratitude51.
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1
civilized
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| a.有教养的，文雅的 | |
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hull
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| n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳 | |
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salvage
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| v.救助，营救，援救；n.救助，营救 | |
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survivors
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| 幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 ) | |
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cargo
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| n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物 | |
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lavished
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| v.过分给予，滥施( lavish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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7
shipwreck
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| n.船舶失事，海难 | |
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wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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9
nourishment
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| n.食物，营养品；营养情况 | |
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10
eldest
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| adj.最年长的，最年老的 | |
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attested
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| adj.经检验证明无病的，经检验证明无菌的v.证明( attest的过去式和过去分词 )；证实；声称…属实；使宣誓 | |
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12
condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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13
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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monstrous
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| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
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15
emancipation
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| n.（从束缚、支配下）解放 | |
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16
liberated
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| a.无拘束的，放纵的 | |
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17
infinitive
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| n.不定词；adj.不定词的 | |
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18
labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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laborers
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| n.体力劳动者，工人( laborer的名词复数 )；（熟练工人的）辅助工 | |
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embarked
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| 乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 )； 装载； 从事 | |
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sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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22
precipitated
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| v.（突如其来地）使发生( precipitate的过去式和过去分词 )；促成；猛然摔下；使沉淀 | |
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23
specimen
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| n.样本，标本 | |
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24
specimens
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| n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人 | |
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25
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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26
inert
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| adj.无活动能力的，惰性的；迟钝的 | |
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27
latitude
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| n.纬度，行动或言论的自由(范围)，(pl.)地区 | |
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28
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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29
penetrate
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| v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解 | |
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30
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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31
quench
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| vt.熄灭，扑灭；压制 | |
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32
recital
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| n.朗诵，独奏会，独唱会 | |
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33
veracity
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| n.诚实 | |
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34
sincerity
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| n.真诚，诚意；真实 | |
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35
inexplicable
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| adj.无法解释的，难理解的 | |
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36
antipathy
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| n.憎恶；反感，引起反感的人或事物 | |
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37
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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38
sociable
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| adj.好交际的，友好的，合群的 | |
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engraved
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| v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的过去式和过去分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中） | |
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40
robust
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| adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的 | |
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41
hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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42
jaguars
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| n.（中、南美洲的）美洲虎( jaguar的名词复数 ) | |
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43
hue
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| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
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44
varied
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| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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streaks
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| n.（与周围有所不同的）条纹( streak的名词复数 )；（通常指不好的）特征（倾向）；（不断经历成功或失败的）一段时期v.快速移动( streak的第三人称单数 )；使布满条纹 | |
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46
canine
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| adj.犬的，犬科的 | |
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47
shunned
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| v.避开，回避，避免( shun的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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48
savings
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| n.存款，储蓄 | |
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49
ascend
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| vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上 | |
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50
reassured
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| adj.使消除疑虑的；使放心的v.再保证，恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词) | |
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51
gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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