the prophet in the chariot . . . dropping his mantle to Elisha—Melville compares the departure of night to the ascension of the prophet Elijah and the passing of his mantle to Elisha, his successor (II Kings 2:11–13).
powder-boys and younger tars—the younger sailors, who climb to better vantage points from which to view the execution.
foreyard . . . mainyard—Billy is hanged from the yardarm holding the mainsail rather than from a lower one, as is the usual practice.
purser—the ship’s accountant.
in short, Greek—The terse words of the surgeon relegate the purser’s musings to the more imaginative world of Greek literature, which he sets in stark contrast to the trenchant laws of science.
Orpheus with his lyre—Captain Vere, a deep reader, knows the value of music, which he connects with the powerful performances of Orpheus, a character in Greek mythology who, with his music, sways the gods of the Underworld to let his dead wife, Eurydice, return to life.
