warrant officers—naval officers of the middle rank, between commissioned officers and non-commissioned officers, who rose from the lowest rank.
master-at-arms—chief policeman and peacekeeper on a naval vessel.
niter and sulphur—the ingredients in gunpowder.
Tecumseh—a Shawnee chief.
phrenologically associated with more than average intellect—The pseudo-science of phrenology claims to be able to assess a person’s capabilities by analyzing the shape and size of the head.
was keeping incog—was keeping his past a secret.
perdue—hidden.
chevalier—adventurer, or con man.
as much in sanctuary . . . under the altar—During the Middle Ages, a person pursued by law enforcement officers could escape capture by taking refuge in a church, convent, or monastery.
harpies—monsters from Greek mythology with faces and bodies of women and the wings and claws of birds.
the fallen Bastille—The capture of the famous Paris fortress-prison signaled the beginning of the French Revolution in 1789.
Camoëns’ Spirit of the Cape—an allusion to Camoëns’ Lusiad, the Portuguese epic describing the exploits of Vasco de Gama. In one interlude, the giant Adamastor is transformed into a vast rock, which represents the spirit of the Cape of Good Hope.
quidnuncs—gossips or busybodies; literally, “what now” in Latin.
stun-sails—small sails set on the backside of the mast during light winds.
afterguardsman—a watchman in the stern of the ship.
that great spar—a pole used as a mast.
an old Dansker long anglicized in the service—a Dane who has been in the navy so long that he seems English.
Haden’s etching—a work of art by Sir Francis Seymour Haden (1818–1910).
ursine—bear-like.
Jemmy Legs—a slang term for any master-at-arms.
Chiron . . . his young Achilles—an allusion to the learned centaur in Greek mythology who tutored Achilles.
official rattan—a flexible cane used as a symbol of office and as a disciplinary weapon.
