My First Cruise, and Other stories

by William Henry Giles Kingston

  STORY ONE, CHAPTER 4.

  THE CHASE.

  Our frigate sails very fast; there are few ships in the service sailfaster, and none in most respects to surpass her, or indeed, I reallybelieve, to equal her. I do not know what she cannot do. The boatswainsays, and I believe him, that she can do everything but talk. Still,somehow or other, that piccarooning-looking schooner managed to keepahead of us, and after some time actually ran out of the range of ourshot. She was undoubtedly one of the fastest vessels of her class everbuilt, or it would not have happened. The schooner made a number ofshort tacks right away in the wind's eye. This would not have suitedus, as we took longer to go about, so we had to stretch away to theeastward, while she, tacking once more, stood to the north-west.Sometimes we appeared to be a long way apart, then about we would go andbe almost up with her again. What we had to fear was night coming onbefore we could get up to her, when very probably she would contrive toescape in the dark. Old Gregson watched her moodily. "Of course shewill escape," he observed. "She is probably full of slaves, and wouldprove a rich prize to us. We are not likely to have any luck; no shiphas that I'm on board." It seemed probable that in this case, at allevents, he would be right. We were all so eager in watching the chasethat none of us felt inclined to go below. The pangs of hunger atdinner-time, however, drove most of us there. We had not got halfthrough the meal before Dickey Snookes made his appearance with theannouncement that the schooner's maintopmast had been carried away, andthat we should be soon up to her. We all rushed on deck to find mattersvery much as they were when we went below, and on our return to theberth there was Master Dickey comfortably seated at table, helpinghimself to the best bits of the boiled beef and duff, and laughing atour simplicity, or, as he remarked, at our being so easily sold. He gota cobbing by the by, as a wind-up to his amusement, after dinner wasover. It is an operation by no means over-pleasant to the person onwhom it is inflicted. The weapon employed is a handkerchief with acorner knotted; or a stocking, with the end filled with socks, orsomething to make a hard knot. The patient is laid across themess-table, and each member of the berth inflicts a blow on a part ofhis body, over which his clothes are tightly drawn. As the day drew on,the wind increased. Dickey Snookes having been properly cobbed, we allhurried on deck. As we looked through our glasses, we saw that theschooner was staggering along under as much canvas as she could carry;while the frigate glided on with becoming dignity, we having decidedlythe advantage in a strong wind. I asked Sommers what he thought aboutthe matter. "We are coming up with her, lad, hand over hand, and if thewind holds she will be under our guns before nightfall," he answered.As you may suppose, I was highly delighted with the thoughts of this,and hoped that I might be sent on board with the prize crew. Still theschooner held on her course, and her determined attempts to escapeconvinced us more and more that she had good reason for so doing. Theevening was now drawing on. We had gained on her very considerably, butstill she was sufficiently ahead, should the night prove dark, to escapeus. The very idea that she would do so was provoking. Some did notseem to care so much about it as others. Dickey made a joke of thematter, and said how foolish we should all look in the morning when theschooner was nowhere; and Polly was provokingly indifferent. The sunwent down, and darkness came on, and very dark it was; and though Ilooked and looked I could not see the chase, but there were many onboard who could, and we began firing away, the flashes of the gunslooking very bright through the darkness. At last I saw the schooner'sdark hull and masts, like a shadow against the sky, and there then was acry that her foretopmast was shot away, and our people gave a loudcheer. Directly after this the first lieutenant shouted that she hadstruck, and we ceased firing. Two boats were ordered away to takepossession. The second lieutenant went in one, and Sommers had commandof the other. I jumped into his boat, as if it were a matter of course;and away we pulled toward the schooner. "I guess that you have prettyconsiderably outmanoeuvred us, gentlemen, but still I don't know, bywhat right you, or any other men alive, venture on board a free andindependent merchantman of the United States of America," said a man whomet us at the gangway. "You come on board at your peril!"

  "We are well aware of that, friend," answered our lieutenant; "but wemust be satisfied that you are an American before we let you go."

  Saying this, he led the way on board. By the light of the lanterns wecarried, we could see a very ill-looking crew scowling at us, andevidently wishing to heave us overboard. It was lucky that we were allwell armed. I daresay that you will fancy I could not have done much,but I could fire off a pistol at all events, which was as likely to killas that of a bigger fellow--that was one comfort. The man who hadhailed us, and pretended to be the captain, had said that the vessel wasAmerican. Mr Talbot was only a short time in the cabin when he cameout again, and telling us that he had no doubt she was a Portuguese orBrazilian, ordered the hatches, which were closed, to be lifted off.This took us some little time to do. Never shall I forget the horriblestench--the shrieks and cries and groans which ascended from the hold asthe hatches were got off. We lowered our lanterns and looked down.There, arranged in rows along the deck, and chained two and two,squatting on their hams, were several hundreds of blacks--men, women,and children. I cannot describe the dreadful faces of despair andhorror and suffering which met our view as the light of our lanternsfell on them, while they looked up with their white eyes and blackvisages imploringly at us. I fancy that they thought we were going toshoot them all; for the Portuguese crew had told them so, in the hopes,should we free them, that they might set upon us and throw us overboard.This amiable intention was frustrated, because Mr Talbot had been onthe coast of Africa and was well up to the tricks of the slavers. Heconsequently would not allow any of the poor wretches to be liberatedtill all necessary precautions had been taken to prevent them from doingany harm. Our first care was to secure the slaver's crew. They seemedas if inclined to make some resistance; but we pointed to the frigate,which was close to us, and intimated that if they did not behavethemselves we should call her to our assistance; so, with no very goodgrace, they consented to step into one of our boats to be carried onboard the Juno. I was very glad to get rid of them, for I could nothelp feeling, as I walked about the deck, that any moment they might setupon us and knock us on the head. As soon as they had gone, Mr Talbotsent Sommers and me round the deck with water and farinha; that is thefood the blacks are fed on. We had four men with us carrying theprovisions. I could not have supposed that human beings, with flesh andblood like ourselves, could have existed in such a horrible condition.In the first place, there was barely four feet between the decks, andthat was very high for a slaver; many are only three feet. Even I hadto bend down to get along. Close as they could be packed, the poorcreatures sat on the bare, hard, dirty deck, without even room tostretch their legs. I almost fainted, and even Sommers and the men hadgreat difficulty in getting along. Oh! how eagerly the poor creaturesdrank the water when we put it to their mouths, though they did not seemto care much about the food. Many could not even lift up their heads totake the water. Several were dying; and as we put the tin cups to theirmouths, even while gazing at us, and, I am sure, feeling grateful, theyfell back and died. Many were already dead when we came to them, andthere they lay, chained to the living. Sometimes we found that a fatherhad died, leaving two or three small children; sometimes a mother hadsunk, leaving an infant still living. Several poor children had died,and it was hard work, and cruel it seemed, to make the poor mothers giveup the bodies to be thrown overboard. We came to one black lad, who wassitting by the side of a woman, whom we guessed must be his mother.Sommers said that he thought she had not many minutes to live. The poorfellow seemed so grateful when we gave her some water and food, whichrevived her somewhat. I never saw a greater change in anybody'scountenance. He was at first the very picture of misery and despair.Then he thought that she was going to recover. He looked up as if hecould almost have worshipped us, with a
smile which, though hiscountenance was black, was full of expression. We knocked off herchains, and then those of the lad, and Sommers directed one of the mento assist me in carrying her on deck. There were many in as deplorablea condition as this poor woman, and I scarcely know why it was I felt soanxious to assist her, except on account of her son; there was somethingin his face which had so interested me. When we got her on deck, shesat up but she could not reply to her son, who, with tears in his eyes,spoke to her, imploring her, it seemed, to answer him. The surgeon andassistant-surgeons had by this time come on board. I begged the firstto come and look at the poor woman before he went below. When Ireturned, she had sunk back in her son's arms. Our kind doctor took herhand--"It's all over with her; I can do nothing. The poor lad will findit out," he observed, and then he had to hurry below. It was some timebefore the poor lad could believe that his mother was dead, and then heburst into such a fit of tears that I thought he would have diedhimself. It convinced me that negroes have got hearts just like ours,though Dickey Snookes always declares they have not, and that they oncehad tails, which is all nonsense. We had now a strong body of seamen onboard, and they kept bringing up the negroes from below--men, women, andchildren. Several were dead, and two or three had been dead for acouple of days or more. One poor woman had kept the dead body of herchild, pretending that it was alive, nor bearing to part with it, tillshe herself fell sick. At length it was taken from her, but she died assoon as she was brought on deck. In spite of all the doctors could do,many others died also. It was daylight before we got the slave hold inanything like order. As soon as the sun rose, up went the glorious flagof old England, and from that moment every negro on board was free. Itis a proud thing to feel that not for a moment can a man remain a slavewho rests under the shadow of that time-honoured banner. The instantthe slave, whatever his country, sets foot on British soil, he is free,or placed under the protection of the British flag. It is a thing to beproud of. Of that I am certain. Not for a long time, however, could wepersuade the poor slaves that we meant them well, and were doing all wecould for their benefit. When they once were convinced of this, theygave us their unlimited confidence. We were then able to trust about athird at a time on deck, to enable us to clean out the hold. It was notso much that we had reason to be on our guard against what the negroescould do to us, as to prevent them from injuring themselves. Mr Talbothad ordered about fifty to be brought on deck soon after daylight. Hehad their irons knocked off, and water and brushes were given them thatthey might clean themselves. No sooner, however, did two of them findthemselves free, than, before anybody could prevent them, they leapedoverboard. One poor fellow sunk at once, and disappeared from oursight; the other seemed to repent of the act, and swam to regain theschooner. I, with others, instantly leaped into one of the boatsalongside to go and pick him up. Just as we were shoving off, I saw ablack triangular fin sticking up above the surface dart from under thecounter. We shouted and splashed the oars as we pulled with all ourmight towards the poor fellow. There was a terrible shriek; he gave oneimploring gaze at us as he threw up his arms and sank from view. Wecould see him going rapidly down, with a large dark object below him,while a red circle came up and filled the eddy he had made. "Jack Sharkmusters pretty thick about here," observed the coxswain; "he knows wellenough when he's likely to have a feast." It was very dreadful, but, doyou know, it is extraordinary how little one feels those sort of thingsat the time. When I got on board I looked about for the poor lad whosemother had died. I found him still sitting by her body. That had to betaken from him, and then he was left alone. He seemed not to know or tocare for any of the other blacks, but when I spoke to him he knelt downand kissed my hand, and said some words which I thought meant--"You'llbe kind to me and take care of me. I know you will. I'll trust toyou." I do not know whether this was really what he said or not, but,at all events, I determined to do my best, and to be a friend to him.Slavers, when captured, are usually sent into Sierra Leone to becondemned, when the slaves are set free, and the vessels are sold. Onexamining our prize, however, it was discovered that she had but a shortallowance of water and farinha, or provisions of any sort; and as thewind was fair for Rio de Janeiro, and contrary for Sierra Leone, thecaptain decided on carrying her to the former place, or to some otherport on the Brazilian coast, where she might obtain a sufficient supplyof necessaries, which we could not afford to give her from the frigate.Sommers was appointed to command the prize, and I was not a littlegratified when he obtained leave to take me with him. My traps weresoon on board, and we then shaped a course for Rio de Janeiro.