His right hand was shut, with the exception of
the forefinger, which was extended, pointing upwards; but the whole arm,
from the shoulder down, had the horrible appearance of struggling to get
free from the cord which confined it.
Obed, by the time I had noticed all this, had knelt beside the shoulder
of the corpse, and I could see by the moonlight that flickered across
his face as the vessel rolled in the declining breeze, that he had
pushed off his eye the uncouth spyglass which he had fastened over it
during the chase, so that it now stood out from the middle of his
forehead like a stunted horn; but, in truth, "it was not exalted," for
he appeared crushed down to the very earth by the sadness of the scene
before him, and I noticed the frequent sparkle of a heavy tear as it
fell from his iron visage on the face of the dead man. At length he
untied the string that fastened the eyeglass round his head, and taking
a coarse towel from a locker, he spunged poor Paul's face and neck with
rum, and then fastened up his lower jaw with the lanyard. Having
performed this melancholy office, the poor fellow's feelings could no
longer be restrained by my presence.
"God help me, I have not now one friend in the wide world. When I had
neither home, nor food, nor clothing, he sheltered me, and fed me, and
clothed me, when a single word would have gained him five hundred
dollars, and run me up to the fore yardarm in a wreath of white smoke;
but he was true as steel; and oh that he was now doing for me what I
have done for him! who would have moaned over me,--me, who am now
without wife or child, and have disgraced all my kin! alack--a--day,
alack--a--day!"--And he sobbed and wept aloud, as if his very heart
would have burst in twain.
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