EMMANUEL'S BLOG

Chief Benito Cereno rushed on board his ship. It was prepared to cruise. Brilliant sun and a delicate breeze guaranteed great climate ahead. The ship's stay was raised. Furthermore, the San Dominick - old yet at the same time fit for sailing - moved gradually out of the harbour of Valparaiso, on the west bank of Chile. It was conveying profitable items, and slaves up the Pacific drift to Callao, another Spanish pilgrim port close Lima, Peru. The slaves, both male and female, rested on deck. They were not anchored, because their proprietor, Don Alexandro, said they were serene. The San Dominick moved consistently forward under an unmistakable sky. The climate hinted at no change. For quite a while, the delicate breeze kept the ship on course toward Peru. Slave traffic between Spain's provincial ports in this time of seventeen ninety-nine had been unfaltering. There were a couple of flare-ups of savagery. What occurred, like this, on board the San Dominick couldn't ...