Patrik Ouredník - The Opportune Moment, 1855

Today Zeffirino, Durrieu, and Gorand requested a special meeting with the agenda The Question of the Validity of Yesterday’s Voting and Some Questions of Democracy . But Lecoq and Desmarie, who record the votes and accept the motions, said that the questions could wait until tomorrow. Zeffirino was testy and dissatisfied, he spent the day writing something and in the evening had a long talk with Gorand and a few of the other Frenchmen.

We entered the equatorial regions. The captain is worried about contagion.

Even more people came to yesterday’s meeting than the last one, but not one of the Negroes. Gorand took the floor and declared that the day before yesterday’s vote was invalid, having proceeded in violation of all the rules of democracy and in particular two. For one, Decio’s motion had not been placed on the agenda, which meant people hadn’t had time to form a considered mature opinion of it in advance. For another, the vote had been open, which may be allowable in common everyday matters, but on fundamental questions only a secret ballot will do, or at least that was his opinion. And those whose mouths were full of democracy should before all else submit to its rules. And for a third thing, it was questionable whether everyone had understood what they were voting on, as testified to by the fact that Samba, without having even been asked, had raised his hand both for and against. Some of our German friends, said Gorand, had had no idea the vote was about the Negroes, believing it to be about providing equipment to those who for lack of financial means had not been able to purchase it in Europe. He demanded that the vote be declared invalid and a new one be held, by secret ballot, with the question written out clearly and trilingually. At which Decio stood up and declared that he didn’t see why we were talking about democracy when the issue was helping people in need and that was called brotherhood. And that he was deeply disappointed by some of the settlers’ lack of simple humanity. And for that matter that he didn’t know who would translate it into German, seeing as Agottani didn’t know how to read or write, and he wasn’t the only one. And he didn’t see what difference it made whether the subject of the vote was expressed orally or written on a piece of paper, which plenty of people wouldn’t understand anyway. And that, as far as a secret ballot was concerned, that was in conflict with the ideals of our settlement, where people wouldn’t have to hide anything from each other. And that he for one did not intend to hide the fact that Gorand and those like him should have stayed behind in Europe, squatting atop their sacks of gold until their dying day and holding secret ballots every Friday afternoon on whether they should hide the sacks in the barn or in the well.

Decio’s speech caused a great uproar, with everyone clapping and whistling and talking over each other, until Lecoq and Desmarie declared the meeting over and said we would meet again today, by which time the more hotblooded meeting-goers should have cooled off. Lecoq said that he hoped everyone would act like adults and responsible members of the settlement and not resort to invective. This afternoon an announcement was hung on the mainmast that in view of the large number of those who wished to speak this evening, no one would be allowed to speak for longer than five minutes and they would take their turns in alphabetical order. Almost all the settlers came to the meeting, even the children. The first to speak, according to alphabetical order, was Decio. He said that he apologized if he had offended anyone yesterday, but he didn’t understand how some people could be so thickheaded. He said he didn’t know whether our meetings were any use, since instead of solving matters they just complicated them. He said he still considered his motion to admit the Negro sailors and the cook into the settlement a good one, as humanity demanded it. And he said that anyone who didn’t understand could go and hang himself. Most of the Italians and the French began to clap, but the Germans didn’t know what was going on, since Agottani wasn’t able to translate fast enough and they couldn’t have heard him anyway. Lecoq rang the bell he had borrowed from the shipmaster, to restore peace and quiet. Everyone quieted down and Agottani began to translate, but then suddenly stopped short and said he didn’t know how to say go and hang himself in German. One Frenchman suggested Gehen in dee shvameh , but Agottani said that that meant something else. Several people shouted that it wasn’t a question of coming up with the exact expression but capturing the meaning as a whole. Decio said he could formulate his thought differently, and anyone who didn’t understand could kiss his ass. Lecoq rang the bell and said that Decio Boni no longer had the floor. Decio said that he wasn’t finished and still had at least a good three minutes. And that he’d like to know whose floor it was. Umberto began shouting Viva l’Italia! and the Italians began clapping. Some of the French joined in with us, sweeping in the Germans, who began clapping and chanting Viva l’Italia! along with Umberto. And the accordionist began to play the Marseillaise and the French began to sing and the Italians were crying Vive la France! with the Germans repeating it after them. Decio was shouting Liberté, égalité, fraternité! Anyone who doesn’t understand, go fuck yourself! Lecoq stopped ringing the bell and Zeffirino, Gorand, and about ten other Frenchmen stood up and walked out. The accordionist began to play another song, about a country where there would be no kings or presidents and everything would be shared, and then it went: No commerce will be allowed, except for casks of wine of course, for wine is something I adore, the color red gives me my strength. The chorus went: Wine? Divine! My strength flows from the blood of wine! and when the French sang the chorus, they would bend their left arm at the elbow and slap it with their right hand and the ladies would grin and giggle. When they were through, they sang Paolo’s song about coffee, and after us the Germans sang some long, sad song. Then the accordionist launched into various tunes and Cursio ran for his violin and people began stomping their feet and dancing in place and some clasped hands and danced together. I squeezed through the crowd to Elisabetta and we danced together for at least a half hour. We were sweating like horses.

Today Lecoq and Desmarie submitted their resignations and declared that for the time being public assemblies were cancelled. They proposed the election of a five-member presidium that would work out the rules by which the assembly and the voting would be governed next time. Sébastien Durrieu would accept candidacies for membership of the presidium for a period of three days. Elections would be held March 17th and 18th.

One of the Frenchmen came to ask if I could translate a letter into Italian, which he wanted to give to Adelina, and if I could teach him a few sentences. His name is Jean-Loup. He wanted to know how to say: Where are you from? I’m from Annecy, which is near Italy. Do you have a boyfriend? And: Now we are all, so to speak, in the same boat. He asked if that also had a figurative meaning in Italian.

We are nearing the equator! The thermometer reads 40°. Flying fish leap from the waves. They fly about 50 meters and then drop back into the water. There are fish three or four meters long swimming behind the ship. Some say they’re sharks, but other people disagree and say that they are dolphins.