Abraham's tent
Genesis 18. Abraham's tent is said in the Bible to be open to all visitors; it is a symbol of hospitality, contrasting with the San Dominick
ague
fever
appurtenances
accessory objects
Ashantee
i.e. Ashanti; a people of southern Ghana
battledored
beaten as though by battledores, which are like small tennis rackets with taut leather instead of strings.
berth
place to sleep on a ship
Black Friars
Monks of the order of Saint Dominick, who wore black robes.
bravoes
henchmen, assasins
Caffre
A Black African; also spelled Kaffir or Kafir; considered offensive.
Canary
a wine from the Canary Islands
Cape Horn
The southernmost point of South America
Charles V
Holy Roman Emperor, 1519-36; also King of Spain as Charles I, 1516-36. Retired to a monastery.
Chesterfieldian
Associated with Philip Stanhope (1694-1773), the fourth earl of Chesterfield, who declared that in governing the world's affairs the appearance of morality is more important than the fact of morality. The narrative here demonstrates Delano's simplicity, as "at once Christian and Chesterfieldian" is an oxymoron.
Christopher Colon
Christopher Columbus (1451?-1506), the explorer who made landfall in the "New World" in 1492 under the flag of Castille. His original name and nation are unknown.
City of Kings
Lima, the Spanish colonial center of South America
congé
ceremonious bow
cravat
necktie
cuddy
small cabin
custom house
An official establishment in which vessels and their goods are recorded and cleared.
drule
drool
ebon
poeticization of ebony
Ezekial's Valley of Dry Bones
A vision described in Ezekial 37:1-28.
fag-end
British slang, refering to a cigarette butt; generally, anything that is an unwanted or useless end, in this case, the frayed end of a cable
Freemason
Associated with the Free and Accepted Masons, a secret order with arcane rituals.
Gordian Knots
The Gordian Knot is part of the mythology associated with Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.E.). Alexander is said to have visited Gordium, where there was a famous knot so complex that no one could untie it. As a response to the challenge posed by the knot, Alexander simply cut it with his sword. The Ammon were a Biblical people living along the Jordan river, closely related to the Israelites.
Guy-Fawkish
Associated with Guy Fawkes, (1570-1606), who attemped to execute the Gunpowder Plot (1605) to blow up the English Parliament, thus hoping to incite a Catholic rebellion.
headsman
executioner
heavers
short wooden bars
hidalgo
member of the lower Spanish aristocracy
huzza
huzzah, shout of joy
in specie
in coin
intriguante
one who intrigues
James the First of England
1566-1625, reigned Scotland 1567-1625. Famously squeamish.
Johnson and Byron...Barber and Fletcher
Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), critic, author, lexicographer, was one of the most important literary figures of England in the eighteenth century. He was famously attached to and generous towards his black servant, Francis Barber. George Gordon, Lord Byron (1788-1824) is one of the most famous Romantic poets. He too was attached to his black servant, William Fletcher.
junk
old, useless rope
malacca
an Asian palm
marlingspike
spike used for spearing marlins
matin
early morning
missal
a book containing what is said at Catholic mass on any given day
Mungo Park
1771-1806. A Scottish explorer of the African continent.
noddy
albatross
Nubian
An inhabitant of Nubia, a region associated with the ancient kingdom of the same name, which spread from southern Egypt to northern Sudan along the Nile.
oakum
rope fibers loosely twisted and combined with tar to make caulk
parterres
ornamental gardens with walks between flower beds
poop
an enclosed structure at the ship's back, above the main deck
Preston Pans
In 1745 the English army was defeated by the Scottish (also known as the Highlanders) at the Battle of Preston Pans.
punctilio
precise observance of social niceties
ratlin
commonly called a ratline; a horizontal rope used as a ladder for climbing aloft
reconnoitre
to make a preliminary survey, especially for purposes of attack
Rothschild
A line of famous financiers of the nineteenth century were named Rothschild.
salver
serving tray
San Dominick
The name of the ship refers to both the order of Saint Dominick, which was the monastic order in charge of the Spanish Inquisition, and to the island of Santo Dominigo, on which a slave rebellion took place in 1799 (also the time setting for "Benito Cereno").
saya-y-manta
Spanish; a woman's robe that reveals only her face
scullion
scullery maid; does kitchen work
settees
long couches
soundings
measurements of depth
spars
the round wooden poles used to support rigging on a ship, such as masts, booms, etc.
stu'n'-sail
studding sails; extra triangular sails raised alongside the large rectangular sails, used to get the most out of light winds
surtout
close-fitting overcoat
tar
sailor; short for tarpaulin
tocsin
alarm bell
toilet
dress, appearance
trades
trade winds
transom
horizontal boards in the stern of a ship
vice-regal
representing the king's authority
wen
abnormal growth or cyst
whale-boat
long, narrow rowboat used for hunting whales
whiskerando
a facetious term for a Spanish old man
windlass
a machine for hoisting or hauling
