Chapter 19

by Herman Melville

　　After the mysterious interview in the fore-chains -- the one soabruptly ended there by Billy -- nothing especially german to the storyoccurred until the events now about to be narrated.Elsewhere it has been said that in the lack of frigates (of coursebetter sailers than line-of-battle ships) in the English squadron up theStraits at that period, the Indomitable was occasionally employed notonly as an available substitute for a scout, but at times on detachedservice of more important kind. This was not alone because of hersailing qualities, not common in a ship of her rate, but quite as much,probably, that the character of her commander, it was thought, speciallyadapted him for any duty where under unforeseen difficulties a promptinitiative might have to be taken in some matter demanding knowledge andability in addition to those qualities implied in good seamanship. Itwas on an expedition of the latter sort, a somewhat distant one, andwhen the Indomitable was almost at her furthest remove from the fleet,that in the latter part of an afternoon-watch she unexpectedly came insight of a ship of the enemy. It proved to be a frigate. The latterperceiving thro' the glass that the weight of men and metal would beheavily against her, invoking her light heels, crowded sail to get away.After a chase urged almost against hope and lasting until about themiddle of the first dog-watch, she signally succeeded in effecting herescape.Not long after the pursuit had been given up, and ere the excitementincident thereto had altogether waned away, the Master-at-arms,ascending from his cavernous sphere, made his appearance cap in hand bythe main-mast, respectfully waiting the notice of Captain Vere thensolitary walking the weather-side of the quarterdeck, doubtless somewhatchafed at the failure of the pursuit. The spot where Claggart stood wasthe place allotted to men of lesser grades seeking some more particularinterview either with the officer-of-the-deck or the Captain himself.But from the latter it was not often that a sailor or petty-officer ofthose days would seek a hearing; only some exceptional cause, would,according to established custom, have warranted that.Presently, just as the Commander absorbed in his reflections was onthe point of turning aft in his promenade, he became sensible ofClaggart's presence, and saw the doffed cap held in deferentialexpectancy. Here be it said that Captain Vere's personal knowledge ofthis petty-officer had only begun at the time of the ship's last sailingfrom home, Claggart then for the first, in transfer from a ship detainedfor repairs, supplying on board the Indomitable the place of aprevious master-at-arms disabled and ashore.No sooner did the Commander observe who it was that deferentiallystood awaiting his notice, than a peculiar expression came over him. Itwas not unlike that which uncontrollably will flit across thecountenance of one at unawares encountering a person who, though knownto him indeed, has hardly been long enough known for thorough knowledge,but something in whose aspect nevertheless now for the first provokes avaguely repellent distaste. But coming to a stand, and resuming much ofhis wonted official manner, save that a sort of impatience lurked in theintonation of the opening word, he said, "Well? what is it,Master-at-arms?"With the air of a subordinate grieved at the necessity of being amessenger of ill tidings, and while conscientiously determined to befrank, yet equally resolved upon shunning overstatement, Claggart, atthis invitation or rather summons to disburthen, spoke up. What he said,conveyed in the language of no uneducated man, was to the effectfollowing, if not altogether in these words, namely, that during thechase and preparations for the possible encounter he had seen enough toconvince him that at least one sailor aboard was a dangerous characterin a ship mustering some who not only had taken a guilty part in thelate serious troubles, but others also who, like the man in question,had entered His Majesty's service under another form than enlistment.At this point Captain Vere with some impatience interrupted him: "Bedirect, man; say impressed men."Claggart made a gesture of subservience, and proceeded.Quite lately he (Claggart) had begun to suspect that on the gundecks some sort of movement prompted by the sailor in question wascovertly going on, but he had not thought himself warranted in reportingthe suspicion so long as it remained indistinct. But from what he hadthat afternoon observed in the man referred to, the suspicion ofsomething clandestine going on had advanced to a point less removed fromcertainty. He deeply felt, he added, the serious responsibility assumedin making a report involving such possible consequences to theindividual mainly concerned, besides tending to augment those naturalanxieties which every naval commander must feel in view of extraordinaryoutbreaks so recent as those which, he sorrowfully said it, it needednot to name.Now at the first broaching of the matter Captain Vere, taken bysurprise, could not wholly dissemble his disquietude. But as Claggartwent on, the former's aspect changed into restiveness under something inthe witness' manner in giving his testimony. However, he refrained frominterrupting him. And Claggart, continuing, concluded with this: "Godforbid, Your Honor, that the Indomitable's should be the experience ofthe-""Never mind that!" here peremptorily broke in the superior, his facealtering with anger, instinctively divining the ship that the other wasabout to name, one in which the Nore Mutiny had assumed a singularlytragical character that for a time jeopardized the life of itscommander. Under the circumstances he was indignant at the purposedallusion. When the commissioned officers themselves were on alloccasions very heedful how they referred to the recent events, for apetty-officer unnecessarily to allude to them in the presence of hisCaptain, this struck him as a most immodest presumption. Besides, to hisquick sense of self-respect, it even looked under the circumstancessomething like an attempt to alarm him. Nor at first was he without somesurprise that one who so far as he had hitherto come under his noticehad shown considerable tact in his function should in this particularevince such lack of it.But these thoughts and kindred dubious ones flitting across his mindwere suddenly replaced by an intuitional surmise which, though as yetobscure in form, served practically to affect his reception of the illtidings. Certain it is, that long versed in everything pertaining to thecomplicated gun-deck life, which like every other form of life, has itssecret mines and dubious side, the side popularly disclaimed, CaptainVere did not permit himself to be unduly disturbed by the general tenorof his subordinate's report. Furthermore, if in view of recent eventsprompt action should be taken at the first palpable sign of recurringinsubordination, for all that, not judicious would it be, he thought, tokeep the idea of lingering disaffection alive by undue forwardness increditing an informer, even if his own subordinate, and charged amongother things with police surveillance of the crew. This feeling wouldnot perhaps have so prevailed with him were it not that upon a prioroccasion the patriotic zeal officially evinced by Claggart had somewhatirritated him as appearing rather supersensible and strained.Furthermore, something even in the official's self-possessed andsomewhat ostentatious manner in making his specifications strangelyreminded him of a bandsman, a perjurous witness in a capital case beforea courtmartial ashore of which when a lieutenant, he, Captain Vere, hadbeen a member.Now the peremptory check given to Claggart in the matter of thearrested allusion was quickly followed up by this: "You say that thereis at least one dangerous man aboard. Name him.""William Budd. A foretopman, Your Honor-""William Budd," repeated Captain Vere with unfeigned astonishment;"and mean you the man that Lieutenant Ratcliff took from the merchantmannot very long ago -- the young fellow who seems to be so popular withthe men -- Billy, the 'Handsome Sailor,' as they call him?""The same, Your Honor; but for all his youth and good looks, a deepone. Not for nothing does he insinuate himself into the good will of hisshipmates, since at the least all hands will at a pinch say a good wordfor him at all hazards. Did Lieutenant Ratcliff happen to tell YourHonor of that adroit fling of Budd's, jumping up in the cutter's bowunder the merchantman's stern when he was being taken off? It is evenmasqued by that sort of good-humoured air that at heart he resents hisimpressment. You have but noted his fair cheek. A man-trap may be underhis ruddy-tipped daisies."Now the Handsome Sailor, as a signal figure among the crew, hadnaturally enough attracted the Captain's attention from the first. Tho'in general not very demonstrative to his officers, he had congratulatedLieutenant Ratcliff upon his good fortune in lighting on such a finespecimen of the genus homo, who in the nude might have posed for astatue of young Adam before the Fall.As to Billy's adieu to the ship Rights-of-Man, which the boardinglieutenant had indeed reported to him, but in a deferential way more asa good story than aught else, Captain Vere, tho' mistakenlyunderstanding it as a satiric sally, had but thought so much the betterof the impressed man for it; as a military sailor, admiring the spiritthat could take an arbitrary enlistment so merrily and sensibly. TheForetopman's conduct, too, so far as it had fallen under the Captain'snotice, had confirmed the first happy augury, while the new recruit'squalities as a sailor-man seemed to be such that he had thought ofrecommending him to the executive officer for promotion to a place thatwould more frequently bring him under his own observation, namely, thecaptaincy of the mizzentop, replacing there in the starboard watch a mannot so young whom partly for that reason he deemed less fitted for thepost. Be it parenthesized here that since the mizzentopmen having not tohandle such breadths of heavy canvas as the lower sails on the main-mastand fore-mast, a young man if of the right stuff not only seems bestadapted to duty there, but in fact is generally selected for thecaptaincy of that top, and the company under him are light hands andoften but striplings. In sum, Captain Vere had from the beginning deemedBilly Budd to be what in the naval parlance of the time was called a"King's bargain," that is to say, for His Britannic Majesty's Navy acapital investment at small outlay or none at all.After a brief pause during which the reminiscences above mentionedpassed vividly through his mind and he weighed the import of Claggart'slast suggestion conveyed in the phrase "man-trap under his daisies," andthe more he weighed it the less reliance he felt in the informer's goodfaith, suddenly he turned upon him and in a low voice: "Do you come tome, Master-at-arms, with so foggy a tale? As to Budd, cite me an act orspoken word of his confirmatory of what you in general charge againsthim. Stay," drawing nearer to him, "heed what you speak. Just now, andin a case like this, there is a yard-arm-end for the false-witness.""Ah, Your Honor!" sighed Claggart, mildly shaking his shapely headas in sad deprecation of such unmerited severity of tone. Then, bridling-- erecting himself as in virtuous self-assertion, he circumstantiallyalleged certain words and acts, which collectively, if credited, led topresumptions mortally inculpating Budd. And for some of these averments,he added, substantiating proof was not far.With gray eyes impatient and distrustful essaying to fathom to thebottom Claggart's calm violet ones, Captain Vere again heard him out;then for the moment stood ruminating. The mood he evinced, Claggart --himself for the time liberated from the other's scrutiny -- steadilyregarded with a look difficult to render, -- a look curious of theoperation of his tactics, a look such as might have been that of thespokesman of the envious children of Jacob deceptively imposing upon thetroubled patriarch the blood-dyed coat of young Joseph.Though something exceptional in the moral quality of Captain Veremade him, in earnest encounter with a fellow-man, a veritabletouch-stone of that man's essential nature, yet now as to Claggart andwhat was really going on in him, his feeling partook less of intuitionalconviction than of strong suspicion clogged by strange dubieties. Theperplexity he evinced proceeded less from aught touching the maninformed against -- as Claggart doubtless opined -- than fromconsiderations how best to act in regard to the informer. At firstindeed he was naturally for summoning that substantiation of hisallegations which Claggart said was at hand. But such a proceeding wouldresult in the matter at once getting abroad, which in the present stageof it, he thought, might undesirably affect the ship's company. IfClaggart was a false witness, -- that closed the affair. And thereforebefore trying the accusation, he would first practically test theaccuser; and he thought this could be done in a quiet undemonstrative way.The measure he determined upon involved a shifting of the scene, atransfer to a place less exposed to observation than the broadquarter-deck. For although the few gun-room officers there at the timehad, in due observance of naval etiquette, withdrawn to leeward themoment Captain Vere had begun his promenade on the deck's weather-side;and tho' during the colloquy with Claggart they of course ventured notto diminish the distance; and though throughout the interview CaptainVere's voice was far from high, and Claggart's silvery and low; and thewind in the cordage and the wash of the sea helped the more to put thembeyond earshot; nevertheless, the interview's continuance already hadattracted observation from some topmen aloft and other sailors in thewaist or further forward.Having determined upon his measures, Captain Vere forthwith tookaction. Abruptly turning to Claggart he asked, "Master-at-arms, is itnow Budd's watch aloft?""No, Your Honor." Whereupon, "Mr. Wilkes!" summoning the nearestmidshipman, "tell Albert to come to me." Albert was the Captain'shammock-boy, a sort of sea-valet in whose discretion and fidelity hismaster had much confidence. The lad appeared. "You know Budd theForetopman?""I do, Sir.""Go find him. It is his watch off. Manage to tell him out of earshotthat he is wanted aft. Contrive it that he speaks to nobody. Keep him intalk yourself. And not till you get well aft here, not till then let himknow that the place where he is wanted is my cabin. You understand. Go.-- Master-at-arms, show yourself on the decks below, and when you thinkit time for Albert to be coming with his man, stand by quietly to followthe sailor in."