At this moment, too, the masked
competitor exhibited a force and skill that none had expected to see in
one of his supposed rank. His body was thrown more upon the effort of
the oar, and as his leg was stretched behind to aid the stroke, it
discovered a volume of muscle, and an excellence of proportion, that
excited murmurs of applause. The consequence was soon apparent. His
gondola glided past the crowd in the centre of the canal, and by a
change that was nearly insensible, he became the fourth in the race. The
shouts which rewarded his success had scarcely parted from the
multitude, ere their admiration was called to a new and an entirely
unexpected aspect in the struggle.
Left to his own exertions, and less annoyed by that derision and
contempt which often defeat even more generous efforts, Antonio had
drawn nearer to the crowd of nameless competitors. Though
undistinguished in this narrative, there were seen, in that group of
gondoliers, faces well known on the canals of Venice, as belonging to
watermen in whose dexterity and force the city took pride. Either
favored by his isolated position, or availing himself of the
embarrassment these men gave to each other, the despised fisherman was
seen a little on their left, coining up abreast, with a stroke and
velocity that promised further success. The expectation was quickly
realized. He passed them all, amid a dead and wondering silence, and
took his station as fifth in the struggle.
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