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　Santa　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；　raved　of　some　things　which　could　never　have　happened。　But　subsequent　depositions　of　the　surviving　sailors；　bearing　out　the　revelations　of　their　captain　in　several　of　the　strangest　particulars；　gave　credence　to　the　rest。　So　that　the　tribunal；　in　its　final　decision；　rested　its　capital　sentences　upon　statements　which；　had　they　lacked　confirmation；　it　would　have　deemed　it　but　duty　to　reject。
  I；　DON　JOSE　DE　ABOS　AND　PADILLA；　His　Majesty's　Notary　for　the　Royal　Revenue；　and　Register　of　this　Province；　and　Notary　Public　of　the　Holy　Crusade　of　this　Bishopric；　etc。　　　　　Do　certify　and　declare；　as　much　as　is　requisite　in　law；　that；　in　the　criminal　cause　commenced　the　twenty…fourth　of　the　month　of　September；　in　the　year　seventeen　hundred　and　ninety…nine；　against　the　Senegal　Negroes　of　the　ship　San　Dominick；　the　following　declaration　before　me　was　made。
  Declaration　of　the　first　witness；　DON　BENITO　CERENO。
  The　same　day；　and　month；　and　year；　His　Honour；　Doctor　Juan　Martinez　de　Dozas；　Councillor　of　the　Royal　Audience　of　this　Kingdom；　and　learned　in　the　law　of　this　Intendancy；　ordered　the　captain　of　the　ship　San　Dominick；　Don　Benito　Cereno；　to　appear；　which　he　did　in　his　litter；　attended　by　the　monk　Infelez；　of　whom　he　received；　before　Don　Jose　de　Abos　and　Padilla；　Notary　Public　of　the　Holy　Crusade；　the　oath；　which　he　took　by　God；　our　Lord；　and　a　sign　of　the　Cross；　under　which　he　promised　to　tell　the　truth　of　whatever　he　should　know　and　should　be　asked；…　and　being　interrogated　agreeably　to　the　tenor　of　the　act　commencing　the　process；　he　said；　that　on　the　twentieth　of　May　last；　he　set　sail　with　his　ship　from　the　port　of　Valparaiso；　bound　to　that　of　Callao；　loaded　with　the　produce　of　the　country　and　one　hundred　and　sixty　blacks；　of　both　sexes；　mostly　belonging　to　Don　Alexandro　Aranda；　gentleman；　of　the　city　of　Mendoza；　that　the　crew　of　the　ship　consisted　of　thirty…six　men；　beside　the　persons　who　went　as　passengers；　that　the　Negroes　were　in　part　as　follows：
  ＇Here；　in　the　original；　follows　a　list　of　some　fifty　names；　descriptions；　and　ages；　compiled　from　certain　recovered　documents　of　Aranda's；　and　also　from　recollections　of　the　deponent；　from　which　portions　only　are　extracted。＇
  …One；　from　about　eighteen　to　nineteen　years；　named　Jose；　and　this　was　the　man　that　waited　upon　his　master；　Don　Alexandro；　and　who　speaks　well　the　Spanish；　having　served　him　four　or　five　years；。。。　a　mulatto；　named　Francesco；　the　cabin　steward；　of　a　good　person　and　voice；　having　sung　in　the　Valparaiso　churches；　native　of　the　province　of　Buenos　Ayres；　aged　about　thirty…five　years。。。。　A　smart　Negro；　named　Dago；　who　had　been　for　many　years　a　gravedigger　among　the　Spaniards；　aged　forty…six　years。。。。　Four　old　Negroes；　born　in　Africa；　from　sixty　to　seventy；　but　sound；　caulkers　by　trade；　whose　names　are　as　follows：…　the　first　was　named　Muri；　and　he　was　killed　（as　was　also　his　son　named　Diamelo）；　the　second；　Nacta；　the　third；　Yola；　likewise　killed；　the　fourth；　Ghofan；　and　six　full…grown　Negroes；　aged　from　thirty　to　forty…five；　all　raw；　and　born　among　the　Ashantees…　Martinqui；　Yan；　Lecbe；　Mapenda；　Yambaio；　Akim；　four　of　whom　were　killed；。。。　a　powerful　Negro　named　Atufal；　who；　being　supposed　to　have　been　a　chief　in　Africa；　his　owners　set　great　store　by　him。。。。　And　a　small　Negro　of　Senegal；　but　some　years　among　the　Spaniards；　aged　about　thirty；　which　Negro's　name　was　Babo；。。。　that　he　does　not　remember　the　names　of　the　others；　but　that　still　expecting　the　residue　of　Don　Alexandro's　papers　will　be　found；　will　then　take　due　account　of　them　all；　and　remit　to　the　court；。。。　and　thirty…nine　women　and　children　of　all　ages。
  ＇After　the　catalogue；　the　deposition　goes　on　as　follows：＇
  。。。That　all　the　Negroes　slept　upon　deck；　as　is　customary　in　this　navigation；　and　none　wore　fetters；　because　the　owner；　his　friend　Aranda；　told　him　that　they　were　all　tractable；。。。　that　on　the　seventh　day　after　leaving　port；　at　three　o'clock　in　the　morning；　all　the　Spaniards　being　asleep　except　the　two　officers　on　the　watch；　who　were　the　boatswain；　Juan　Robles；　and　the　carpenter；　Juan　Bautista　Gayete；　and　the　helmsman　and　his　boy；　the　Negroes　revolted　suddenly；　wounded　dangerously　the　boatswain　and　the　carpenter；　and　successively　killed　eighteen　men　of　those　who　were　sleeping　upon　deck；　some　with　handspikes　and　hatchets；　and　others　by　throwing　them　alive　overboard；　after　tying　them；　that　of　the　Spaniards　upon　deck；　they　left　about　seven；　as　he　thinks；　alive　and　tied；　to　manoeuvre　the　ship；　and　three　or　four　more　who　hid　themselves　remained　also　alive。　Although　in　the　act　of　revolt　the　Negroes　made　themselves　masters　of　the　hatchway；　six　or　seven　wounded　went　through　it　to　the　cockpit；　without　any　hindrance　on　their　part；　that　in　the　act　of　revolt；　the　mate　and　another　person；　whose　name　he　does　not　recollect；　attempted　to　come　up　through　the　hatchway；　but　having　been　wounded　at　the　onset；　they　were　obliged　to　return　to　the　cabin；　that　the　deponent　resolved　at　break　of　day　to　come　up　the　companionway；　where　the　Negro　Babo　was；　being　the　ringleader；　and　Atufal；　who　assisted　him；　and　having　spoken　to　them；　exhorted　them　to　cease　committing　such　atrocities；　asking　them；　at　the　same　time；　what　they　wanted　and　intended　to　do；　offering；　himself；　to　obey　their　commands；　that；　notwithstanding　this；　they　threw；　in　his　presence；　three　men；　alive　and　tied；　overboard；　that　they　told　the　deponent　to　come　up；　and　that　they　would　not　kill　him；　which　having　done；　the　Negro　Babo　asked　him　whether　there　were　in　those　seas　any　Negro　countries　where　they　might　be　carried；　and　he　answered　them；　No；　that　the　Negro　Babo　afterwards　told　him　to　carry　them　to　Senegal；　or　to　the　neighbouring　islands　of　St。　Nicholas；　and　he　answered；　that　this　was　impossible；　on　account　of　the　great　distance；　the　necessity　involved　of　rounding　Cape　Horn；　the　bad　condition　of　the　vessel；　the　want　of　provisions；　sails；　and　water；　but　that　the　Negro　Babo　replied　to　him　he　must　carry　them　in　any　way；　that　they　would　do　and　conform　themselves　to　everything　the　deponent　should　require　as　to　eating　and　drinking；　that　after　a　long　conference；　being　absolutely　compelled　to　please　them；　for　they　threatened　him　to　kill　all　the　whites　if　they　were　not；　at　all　events；　carried　to　Senegal；　he　told　them　that　what　was　most　wanting　for　the　voyage　was　water；　that　they　would　go　near　the　coast　to　take　it；　and　hence　they　would　proceed　on　their　course；　that　the　Negro　Babo　agreed　to　it；　and　the　deponent　steered　toward　the　intermediate　ports；　hoping　to　meet　some　Spanish　or　foreign　vessel　that　would　save　them；　that　within　ten　or　eleven　days　they　saw　the　land；　and　continued　their　course　by　it　in　the　vicinity　of　Nasca；　that　the　deponent　observed　that　the　Negroes　were　now　restless　and　mutinous；　because　he　did　not　effect　the　taking　in　of　water；　the　Negro　Babo　having　required；　with　threats；　that　it　should　be　done；　without　fail；　the　following　day；　he　told　him　he　saw　plainly　that　the　coast　was　steep；　and　the　rivers　designated　in　the　maps　were　not　be　found；　with　other　reasons　suitable　to　the　circumstances；　that　the　best　way　would　be　to　go　to　the　island　of　Santa　Maria；　where　they　might　water　and　victual　easily；　it　being　a　desert　island；　as　the　foreigners　did；　that　the　deponent　did　not　go　to　Pisco；　that　was　near；　nor　make　any　other　port　of　the　coast；　because　the　Negro　Babo　had　intimated　to　him　several　times；　that　he　would　kill　all　the　whites　the　very　moment　he　should　perceive　any　city；　town；　or　settlement　of　any　kind　on　the　shores　to　which　they　should　be　carried；　that　having　determined　to　go　to　the　island　of　Santa　Maria；　as　the　deponent　had　planned；　for　the　purpose　of　trying　whether；　in　the　passage　or　in　the　island　itself；　they　could　find　any　vessel　that　should　favour　them；　or　whether　he　could　escape　from　it　in　a　boat　to　the　neighbouring　coast　of　Arruco；　to　adopt　the　necessary　means　he　immediately　changed　his　course；　steering　for　the　island；　that　the　Negroes　Babo　and　Atufal　held　daily　conferences；　in　which　they　discussed　what　was　necessary　for　their　design　of　returning　to　Senegal；　whether　they　were　to　kill　all　the　Spaniards；　and　particularly　the　deponent；　that　eight　days　after　parting　from　the　coast　of　Nasca；　the　deponent　being　on　the　watch　a　little　after　day…break；　and　soon　after　the　Negroes　had　their　meeting；　the　Negro　Babo　came　to　the　place　where　the　deponent　was；　and　told　hi