OSWALD Naked was the spot; Methinks I see it now--how in the sun Its stony surface glittered like a shield; And in that miserable place we left him, Alone but for a swarm of minute creatures Not one of which could help him while alive, Or mourn him dead. MARMADUKE A man by men cast off, Left without burial! nay, not dead nor dying, But standing, walking, stretching forth his arms, In all things like ourselves, but in the agony With which he called for mercy; and--even so-- He was forsaken? OSWALD There is a power in sounds: The cries he uttered might have stopped the boat That bore us through the water-- MARMADUKE You returned Upon that dismal hearing--did you not? OSWALD Some scoffed at him with hellish mockery, And laughed so loud it seemed that the smooth sea Did from some distant region echo us. MARMADUKE We all are of one blood, our veins are filled At the same poisonous fountain! OSWALD 'Twas an island Only by sufferance of the winds and waves, Which with their foam could cover it at will. I know not how he perished; but the calm, The same dead calm, continued many days. MARMADUKE But his own crime had brought on him this doom, His wickedness prepared it; these expedients Are terrible, yet ours is not the fault. OSWALD The man was famished, and was innocent! MARMADUKE Impossible! OSWALD The man had never wronged me. MARMADUKE Banish the thought, crush it, and be at peace. His guilt was marked--these things could never be Were there not eyes that see, and for good ends, Where ours are baffled. OSWALD I had been deceived. MARMADUKE And from that hour the miserable man No more was heard of? OSWALD I had been betrayed. MARMADUKE And he found no deliverance! OSWALD The Crew Gave me a hearty welcome; they had laid The plot to rid themselves, at any cost, Of a tyrannic Master whom they loathed. So we pursued our voyage: when we landed, The tale was spread abroad; my power at once Shrunk from me; plans and schemes, and lofty hopes-- All vanished. I gave way--do you attend? MARMADUKE The Crew deceived you? OSWALD Nay, command yourself. MARMADUKE It is a dismal night--how the wind howls!