HANS CARRIED AWAY--HIS FELLOW-PRISONERS--SLAVERY--THOUGHTS OF ESCAPE--
CARRIED OFF TO SEA--THE VOYAGE--PURSUED--THE CHASE--THE NIGHT BATTLE--
THE REPULSE--THE CAPTURE.
With no hesitation as to the direction in which they were to travel, the
party who had so unceremoniously captured Hans marched on till near
sunset. It was evident they knew the country well, and had decided in
which direction they were to proceed. They talked freely amongst each
other, and Hans was often apparently the subject of their conversation,
but he could not comprehend a word of their language. It was no
compound of either Dutch, English, or Kaffir, and he therefore concluded
it must be Portuguese.
Hans could not understand why he should be taken prisoner. He had not,
he believed, committed any crime, and was merely hunting in a free
country; but having failed to think of any likely reason, he did not
further trouble himself about the matter. When the sun was so near the
horizon that the shadow of the trees made the forest through which they
walked nearly dark, the party halted. Some wood was quickly gathered, a
fire was lighted, and some elephant's flesh was broiled; Hans was given
his share of the food, and also supplied with water. He was carefully
tied to one of the men of the party, whose duty it was to watch him, and
thus all chance of escape was prevented. The party then set one man to
act as sentry, and, forming a ring round Hans, laid themselves down to
sleep. Bound as he was, Hans could not for a long time sleep; but at
length, long exposure to danger having rendered him very much of a
philosopher, he slept as soundly as the remainder of the party.
The sun had scarcely risen on the following morning before Hans and his
capturers, having breakfasted, again travelled on to the eastward. The
march was continued till mid-day, when a halt was made, and one or two
shots were fired, apparently as signals. After a short interval these
shots were replied to by other shots, and soon after a second party of
very similar-looking men appeared from the south, and brought with them
three Zulus, bound in the same manner as Hans. An immense number of
questions and answers passed between the two parties of men, those who
last arrived evidently describing to their friends some adventure which
had happened to them, and which from the action Hans supposed to be a
fight of some kind, probably with a hunting-party of Zulus, some of the
members of which were taken prisoners.
Hans was quite sufficiently acquainted with the Zulu dialect to have
made inquiries from his fellow-prisoners as to the manner in which they
had been captured, but as this would have been merely through curiosity,
he thought it more prudent to keep silence, and not to let his captors
know that he could speak the language of his dark-coloured
fellow-prisoners; besides, he believed that he would soon be able to
overhear enough of their conversation to find out in what manner they
had been captured; and in this supposition he was correct, for he soon
gathered enough information to know that the Zulus had been out hunting,
and were surprised by their capturers, who shot several men who offered
resistance, but seemed more inclined to take prisoners than to kill.
The chief whom Hans had seen at first, came up to the Zulus, and
commenced feeling their arms and bodies, as a purchaser pinches cattle.
At first a feeling of alarm came across Hans, as he fancied he had
fallen among a party of cannibals, who captured men to eat at their
great feasts; but this he could not reconcile with the half-civilised
look of the men, and their having guns. Only one other explanation
seemed probable, however, and when this occurred to him, Hans was
surprised he had not thought of it before. Rumours had often been heard
amongst the old colonists that up the East Coast the white men used to
persuade the natives sometimes to go on board ship, and then to make
them prisoners, and sell them in distant lands for slaves. Hans now
thought that he and the Zulus could be captured for no other reason, and
this idea was little less satisfactory than was that of being eaten by
cannibals. That a Kaffir could be thus captured and sold, Hans did not
doubt; but it seemed to him impossible that a white man could be thus
treated, and he therefore hoped that, as soon as he reached the
head-quarters of wherever he might be going, he would be liberated.
For four days the party marched on through a country in which there
seemed no inhabitants. Game was shot occasionally, and the Zulus, as
well as Hans, were well fed, this convincing Hans that he and they were
destined to be sold for slaves, as a fat, plump, healthy-looking slave
would always fetch more than one who was thinner or weakly-looking. At
the end of the fourth day Hans saw the sea, distant only a few miles,
and near the sea he saw, as he advanced, several huts built two stories
high, and indicating much more architectural skill than the kraals of
the Zulus.
Several men, women, and children came out from these huts to welcome the
return of the expedition, which had evidently been out slave-hunting.
They all looked at Hans with great interest, but took not the slightest
notice of his remonstrances or earnest appeals for liberty. He was
taken with the Zulus to a large hut, in which there were benches and
large wooden rails. To these were attached chains and fastenings for
the hands and legs. The men were evidently accustomed to the work of
securing prisoners, and fastened Hans and the Zulus in a very few
minutes, shortly afterwards bringing them some boiled rice and milk;
then locking them in, left them to their own resources; a man, however,
being placed on guard just outside of the hut to watch them, and to
report if any attempt was made to escape from their fetters.
On the morning after his arrival at the coast, Hans was surprised to
find that he was taken away from the other prisoners, and was conducted
to a distant hut, where some coloured men were assembled, whom he had
not previously seen. As soon as Hans arrived, one of these men
commenced clipping his hair and beard, until as little was left as is
found on the woolly pate of a Zulu. It was in vain Hans remonstrated
against this outrage; the men paid not the slightest attention to his
words, and seemed not to understand them; and as his hands were fastened
by irons he was completely in their power. Having clipped his hair to
their satisfaction, the men produced a vessel in which was a thick black
composition. Removing Hans' clothing from his neck and arms, they
deliberately painted his face, neck, hands, and arms with this
composition, which shortly dried; and Hans, judging what his lace must
be from what he could see his hands were, knew he must look very like a
negro or Zulu. The Ethiopian singers whom we are accustomed to see in
our streets are not nearly such good imitations of black men as Hans was
after his wash.
Hans concluded that this disguise was effected in order that it should
not be known that he was a white man; but he remembered that though his
hands and face were blackened, yet his tongue remained white, and he
could speak Dutch, and his knowledge of English was sufficient to enable
him to converse with tolerable freedom; so that if it was intended to
conceal his nationality, that was hopeless.
On his being taken back to the hut where the Zulus were confined, he
discovered how complete had been his disguise, for his late companions
did not recognise him, and believed that a stranger had been brought to
them.
During ten days Hans was kept a prisoner in the hut, along with the
Zulus, but on the morning of the eleventh day some change was evidently
anticipated by his jailors. The men who had been on guard came in early
to the room, and by signs intimated that the prisoners were to follow
them. The irons and shackles were taken off, and with a hint that a
spear would be used should any attempt be made to escape, the Zulus and
Hans were conducted towards the beach. Hans soon saw what he supposed
was the cause of this change. Near the shore, and partly sheltered by a
woody promontory, was a long, low, small vessel. Her look was what
sailors would decidedly term suspicious, and such she really was. The
prisoners were taken to a shed near the coast, and were immediately
visited by half a dozen sailor-looking men, all of whom were dark,
ruffianly-looking fellows. Hans spoke in Dutch and in English to them,
but obtained no attention, the sailors either not understanding him, or
else purposely declining to listen to his complaint. After what
appeared to be a bargain between the sailors and Hans' capturers, the
former brought some rope from their boat, and tying Hans and the Zulus
together, led them down to the boat, their capturers following them with
cudgels and spears to employ force should any resistance be offered.
Upon reaching the boat, the prisoners were dragged in, and ordered into
the stem, where they were compelled to lie down. The boat was pushed
off and rowed to the vessel.
No sooner did Hans get on board the vessel than the horrible smell which
he encountered, and the first peep down below, convinced him that all
the tales he had heard connected with slavery were true. Upwards of two
hundred dark-skinned men were crowded together and chained like wild
beasts to the deck, and to benches. Hans, who had all his life been
accustomed to the pure air of the open country, who had left the least
sign of a town to obtain the freedom of the wilderness, found himself
thus brought into that condition of all others which was to him the most
repulsive. That he should be chained like a wild beast, and brought
into contact with some hundreds of foul natives, whom he and all his
class looked upon as little better than animals, was more than he could
endure. "Even death is better than this," he thought; and with a sudden
wrench he drew his hands from the fastenings with which he was held,
seized a handspike that was near him, and in an instant had felled two
of the sailors that had brought him on board. Several of the ship's
crew who were standing near, on seeing this sudden attack, recoiled from
Hans; but being armed with pistols and cutlasses, Hans' career would
soon, have been terminated, had not the captain, who witnessed the
proceeding, called to his men, and given them some directions which Hans
could not understand. The captain, seizing another handspike,
approached Hans, as though to decide by single combat the question
whether or not he was to obtain freedom; at least such was for a moment
Hans' idea. Concentrating all his attention and energy towards
defeating the captain, he approached him cautiously, his handspike in
readiness for a blow, when having reached nearly the required distance,
something flashed before Hans' eyes, a noose settled over his shoulders,
and before he could understand what had occurred he was jerked to the
deck, and there pinioned by half a dozen sailors.
Protesting in alternate Dutch and English, Hans was dragged down below,
and placed in irons alongside of some Africans, whose nationality or
language he was unacquainted with. At first Hans supposed that his
words had been unintelligible to those to whom he spoke, but after some
hours a sailor came down, and seeing him said--
"You speak Ingleese."
"Yes," said Hans; "I am a Dutch farmer: why am I made a prisoner like
this?"
"Captain pay silber for you; that why," said the sailor. "If he get
more silber from you, he let you go, not without."
"I have no silver to give him here," said Hans; "but if he could send
any one with me to Natal, I could procure plenty of silver, enough to
pay him back more than he gave for me."
"Ah! captain no like go to Natal; English gun-ships sometimes there; he
no go there; no, he sell you in America."
With this remark the man left, and Hans was now alone amidst a crowd;
for the black men around him had no sympathy with him, and did not
understand a word of the language he spoke.
Hans had now time to look around at the scene in which he was a
partaker. At least two hundred negroes were crowded together between
decks. There was no attempt at cleanliness, and the foul state of all
around convinced Hans that a fearful mortality would shortly overtake
the negroes. The heat was suffocating, and the ventilation scarcely
perceptible. A hot steamy atmosphere pervaded the hold of the vessel,
and rose from it as from a furnace. In such a situation Hans looked
back longingly to his free life in the forest and on the plains of
Africa, and he reflected, like many people, on the immense value of that
which he had lost, and which he had not half appreciated when he
possessed it. "What would I not give," said Hans, "even to be the
fore-looper of a waggon, so that I might see the light of day, and
breathe the fresh air of heaven! Oh, Bernhard, and you, Victor, how
happy are you, and how little you know of the sad fate of Hans! Poor
Katrine too, you will wait expecting me for many a long day, and you
will wonder why I have not come back; but I may never be able to tell
you how hard a fate is mine."
The day after Hans came on board he began to experience the style of
treatment he would receive from the hands of the sailors. The fact of
his having knocked down two of them seemed to have drawn special
attention to himself, for whenever food was brought down for the slaves,
the very worst was given to Hans, whilst kicks and cuffs were freely
bestowed upon him whenever an opportunity offered.
At daybreak on the third day the vessel's anchor was weighed, and with a
fair wind from the north-east she ran offshore and steered down the
coast. As long as the ship was protected by the headland, she did not
feel any influence from the waves; but no sooner was she out at sea
than, being a very small vessel and drawing but little water, she was
very lively, and danced merrily on the waves. Hans had never been to
sea before, nor been on board ship; and cooped up as he was in the
close, foul atmosphere between decks, he was very soon, in addition to
his other miseries, suffering from sea-sickness, and was thus utterly
prostrated, and unable to do more than rest his head and wearied limbs
as best he could, and wish for some release from his sufferings.
As the day wore on, and night once more came, Hans believed that no
human being could be in a more miserable plight than he was. He
reflected upon his sensations when he discovered that Katrine had been
carried off by the Matabili; he thought over his feelings when he fought
on the solitary rock with Victor, and when a rescue seemed very
improbable; but there was excitement and uncertainty in those
conditions, whereas now there seemed not even the remotest chance of any
help coming to him. He was on board a vessel, a chained prisoner, and
determined men his jailors; and thus his fate was sealed.
For three days and nights the little vessel rolled steadily on her
course, at the end of which time Hans had in a great measure recovered
from his sea-sickness, and had begun to plan some means of escape. He
had made up his mind that death was preferable to a life of slavery, and
it is surprising what a desperate man will plan and very often
accomplish. Hans decided that the only possible means of escape was to
induce the slaves to mutiny. If the slaves could be freed from their
irons, and could be organised in any way, they would number more than
ten to one of the crew, and thus the vessel could be captured. What to
do, then, Hans did not know; but he thought that if all the sails were
taken off the vessel, and she was allowed to remain still on the ocean,
some ship would be sure to see them, and give the aid he required. The
great difficulty was to get up any organised attack, for, except the
Zulus who had been brought down the country with him, there was no one
with whom he could communicate. The Zulus did not seem to understand
the language of the other slaves, and thus it was impossible to obtain
any uniformity of action. Still Hans thought over every possible
chance, and decided that if no other means presented themselves, he
would, by the aid of the Zulus alone, endeavour to do something.
On the fourth day Hans found by the motion of the vessel, that some
change had occurred in the weather, or in the sea. Instead of rolling
steadily onwards with an easy movement, the ship jerked and plunged very
uneasily, seeming sometimes as though rushing furiously onwards, and
then suddenly being checked in her course. There was, too, a great
commotion among the sailors, and the noise made by the wind in the
rigging of the vessel prevented even the groans and yells of the slaves
from being heard. During the whole of the fourth day and night these
conditions prevailed, heavy seas striking the small vessel, and spray in
abundance finding its way down amongst the crowded human beings below.
The night was a long and dreary one. The hatchway which led down to the
slaves' den was narrow, and scarcely allowed enough ventilation to
prevent suffocation. The darkness was such that not even a hand could
be seen when held close to the face, and as Hans could not sleep, his
torture in being thus confined was almost unbearable.
The first signs of daylight had just begun to appear, when Hans heard a
shout on deck, followed by the sound of rushing feet; then a series of
shouts, and what appeared to him execrations, uttered in a language
which he could not comprehend. He endeavoured to discover what was the
cause of this sudden commotion, and after a time he believed that either
the ship had met with some accident, and was likely to go down, or her
direction had been changed for some reason with which he was not
acquainted. As the daylight increased, he could obtain glimpses through
the hatchway of the masts, and he then found that the vessel was crowded
with sails, and from the bounding sort of feeling, and the rushing sound
of the water, he knew the vessel must be forcing her way with great
speed. For what reason this sudden change had been made Hans had no
idea, but that there was some cause for anxiety there seemed to be no
doubt, for the crew were so fully occupied that none of the slaves had
received any food up to mid-day, and consequently their groans and yells
were incessant. Without apparently being influenced by these sounds,
shortly after mid-day some of the sailors rushed down among the slaves,
and after inflicting several lashes on the more noisy, they unlocked the
irons of about half a dozen slaves, among whom was Hans, and signed to
them to go on deck.
Hans willingly complied with this request or order, for even had it been
to meet his death he would willingly have purchased a few breaths of
fresh air at this price. Upon ascending to the deck of the vessel, the
sight to Hans was one of wonder and astonishment. He had seen the vast
plains of Africa extending far as the eye could reach in all directions,
and had admired the extent of these, but never before had he at all
realised the vastness of the ocean. As he held for an instant to the
shrouds on the ship's side, he saw around him a wide expanse of water,
tossing and dancing as though possessed with life. He saw vast masses
of water come rushing after the vessel, foaming as though eager to
swallow her up; then the little vessel, rising as though by instinct,
seemed to allow these to pass beneath her, whilst she rested for a few
seconds, before again springing forward in her mad career. Hans had
scarcely time to observe even this, before he was dragged to the
after-part of the ship, and was given a pail with which he was directed
to bale out the water that had descended into the hold of the vessel.
At first Hans was inclined to refuse this, but a moment's reflection
told him that it might be wiser to obey, and wait for some chance of a
mutiny at another time. He therefore lowered his bucket by the rope
which was attached, and empted its contents over the side as directed.
Whilst employed in this manner, Hans observed that the sailors were
continually looking astern, even ascending the rigging in order to
obtain a better view of something. His trained eyes soon observed an
object on the horizon, but at a considerable distance, and this object
he knew must be a ship. Nothing of her was visible but a mass of white
sails, which were seen when the little vessel in which he was rose on
the summit of a wave, and were lost sight of as she again descended.
The short glance that he had given at the distant ship caused a heavy
log of wood to be hurled at him by the captain, who, pointing to his
bucket, indicated that he was to go on baling. Hans, believing that the
distant ship might be one which was in pursuit of the slaver, was so
anxious to watch her that he at once set to work baling vigorously,
fearing that if he did not do so, he might be sent down below, and
another slave liberated to take his place.
During an hour or more Hans remained near the stern of the vessel, and
continued his labours as well as the motion of the vessel would allow
him to do. In this interval the strange vessel astern had evidently
gained on the slaver, there being a taller mass of canvas visible than
when first Hans had noticed her. The captain of the slaver seemed to be
aware of this fact, and though the masts seemed to bend under the heavy
press of canvas on them, he yet sent some men aloft in order to get
another stern-sail on his vessel. This extra sail, small as it seemed
to be, yet added to the speed of the slaver, which now bounded over the
water like a fresh horse on the springy turf. During another hour Hans
could see no difference in the apparent distance of the chasing ship,
and he began to fear that this chance would fail him. Could he venture
to cut any of the many mysterious ropes that held the sails, he would,
he knew, temporarily stop or retard the vessel; but he knew not what to
cut, and he did not possess a knife, even had he known. Thus he was
helpless in this particular, and had to continue working, only resting
occasionally when an opportunity occurred of doing so.
Nearer and nearer the sun travelled towards the horizon, and yet the
pursuing vessel seemed scarcely to decrease her distance from the
slaver; and if night should come before the distance was decreased, it
would be very probable that the slaver might escape. Hans, although
totally unacquainted with nautical affairs, could yet see that such a
result was very possible, and therefore, as the afternoon passed on, his
hopes fell, and he became at length disheartened, especially when he
noticed that the distant ship had suddenly begun to increase instead of
decreasing her distance. It was some time before the cause of this
increase in the slaver's rate of sailing became apparent, and even then
Hans could not quite comprehend it; but the fact was, that the slaver
was very light, and was built mainly for running before the wind. Her
sails were large, and she thus sailed in a light wind better than could
a larger, heavier ship, to which a strong breeze was better adapted.
Thus as the wind was falling lighter, she gradually increased her
distance from her pursuer, and bid fair to escape out of sight. The
wind, which had decreased from a fresh breeze to merely a light air,
ceased altogether about sundown, and before dark the slaver was
becalmed, not having even enough way on her to enable her head to be
kept in one direction. The last rays of the setting sun just illumined
the royals and topgallant sails of the distant vessel, and at this Hans
cast a lingering look as he left the deck and was sent below, and again
chained to the benches. Some of the negroes, who had been taken on deck
for various labours, had seen the pursuing ship, and were evidently
under the belief that she was an enemy of the captain's, and therefore
was a friend of theirs. A great deal of talking was going on amongst
these men, evidently with reference to what they had seen on deck,
though their words were unintelligible to Hans.
Night closed in, and all was silent on deck. The groaning of the
bulkheads could alone be heard as the vessel rolled lazily on the now
tolerably quiet sea. The effect of the fresh sea breeze, and the labour
he had undergone, rendered Hans sleepy, and though his position was a
most uncomfortable one, he yet managed to sleep for short intervals.
From one of these brief minutes of repose he awoke, and heard the
sailors on deck talking in subdued tones. The rattle of swords or some
such weapons on the deck was audible, whilst the ring of a ramrod, as
bullets were rammed down, was a sound which to Hans' ears was very
intelligible. What all these preparations were for he could not imagine
unless it was that the captain and crew expected the slaves to mutiny,
and were thus making preparations to meet them.
When the sailors appeared to have loaded several muskets, all was again
quiet on deck, and no sound seemed to indicate that there was a living
soul there--the groans of some of the slaves, and the snores of others,
being audible to those only who were with them.
For some time this quietness continued, when Hans heard a slight
movement on deck, and some loud whispering. His being near the hatchway
enabled him thus to distinguish sounds in the open air. Several sailors
hurriedly ran to and fro on the deck, and Hans could hear that nearly if
not quite all the crew were on deck.
Suddenly the captain of the slaver called out in a loud voice, as though
he were hailing some one at a distance, and Hans distinctly heard from
the sea a voice in English call out, "What ship is that?"
There was some hesitation on the part of the captain of the slaver, for
no answer was at first returned; but when a second demand, "What ship is
that?" was uttered, one of the crew, who had before spoken to Hans in
English, answered, "Portugee ship, Pedro: what you want?"
"I must come on board," was the reply from the sea; for Hans could not
tell in what sort of vessel the inquirer was, though he hoped a rescue
was at hand. He strained every muscle to try and free his arms from the
irons that held him, but without effect; for he feared that perhaps the
inquirer, whoever it might be, might not venture beyond inquiries, and
thus would avoid seeing all that he must see should he come on board.
The inquirer, however, was not satisfied, as his remark indicated, and
the sound of oars was audible amidst the stillness which followed.
Presently the grating of a boat on the vessel's side was heard; then the
fall of a heavy substance, the crashing of planks, and a heavy splash in
the water, followed by the shouts of men, who, some crushed, others
struggling in the sea, were able to call for aid, and thus announced
their distress. A loud cheer given by English lungs responded to their
calls, and three other boats, which had before kept back in the
darkness, now dashed at the slaver.
The captain of the slaver was a desperate man, and his all was risked in
the vessel he now commanded. Having either suspected that the ship
which had chased him would send her boats to capture him, or having
heard an incautious speaker or the imperfectly muffled oars, he had made
his arrangements for defence. Supported from the mainyard arm, he had
suspended three or four solid iron bars, each of which exceeded a
hundred pounds in weight. A man with a sharp knife was placed close to
this, with orders to cut the rope by which the iron was held immediately
a boat came beneath him. The man obeyed his orders well, and the mass
of iron, having gained great velocity by the distance it had fallen,
stove in the boat, killing two men in its descent. Four boats had been
sent from the ship in order to capture the slaver, and the three that
remained pulled eagerly forward to avenge their first check. The crew
of the disabled boat were struggling in the water as their comrades came
near, and, as is too often the case, the sailors could not swim, and
were therefore in great risk of being drowned. The boats, therefore,
were checked in their advance, in consequence of stopping to take up
their comrades.
Whilst thus delayed, their position could be distinctly seen from the
slaver, because of the phosphorescence of the water, which gave a line
of brilliant light following the boat like a comet's tail in the skies.
The captain of the slaver saw his opportunity, and directing his men to
fire at the boats, he set the example by discharging both barrels of his
fowling-piece at the leading boat; and then waiting a short time,
followed this by a shot from each of the double barrels of his pistol.
His men, being all well-armed and desperadoes, knowing that their lives
would be sacrificed if they were captured, and believing in their
present superiority of numbers, fired with a deadly aim at the boats,
and immediately afterwards dropped behind the bulwarks, where they were
comparatively secure from the irregular discharge delivered from the
boats.
The English sailors did not, however, retreat, though fully half their
number were already either killed or wounded. Having aided their
companions to get into the boats, they pulled on to the slaver, and were
preparing to board her, when the slaver crew, having reloaded, poured
another shower of bullets on to their assailants with almost as fatal an
effect as before. To attempt a further assault would have been merely a
reckless throwing away of life, and this the commander seeing, he
ordered an immediate retreat, which seemed the signal for a general
discharge of fire-arms from the crew of the slaver.
Hans' heart beat rapidly as this tumult went on, whilst all the slaves
had uttered groans and savage yells. The hold of the vessel seemed more
like a den of infuriated beasts than a prison filled with human beings.
The slaves all seemed to comprehend that those who were attacking their
vessel were their friends, and that they had been defeated; and their
groans and yells were therefore redoubled when the boats pulled away
from them. The noise they made caused the infuriated crew to come
amongst them with whips and canes, which they used freely in all
directions, thus quelling in a measure the disturbance.
After the din and tumult of the combat the silence on the deck of the
slaver was a most painful contrast to Hans, who believed it improbable
that another attempt could be made to take the slaver before the
following day, because the distance of the ship to which the boats
belonged was so great that they could not reach her and bring a stronger
force before daybreak, at which time there was usually a fresh breeze on
the coast; so that Hans feared his fate as a slave was decided.
Before daybreak Hans could feel by the movement of the vessel that a
light breeze had sprung up, and this he now knew was just the style of
wind that would best enable the slaver to creep away from the heavy ship
in pursuit of her. He therefore obeyed unwillingly the order of one of
the crew, who came down below to drive him and half a dozen other slaves
on the deck to aid the sailors in pulling on the braces, etc. The night
was rather foggy, and but few stars were visible; but Hans noticed that
the clouds seemed to pass rapidly before the stars, as though the wind
up high blew stronger than down below. From this fact he hoped that an
increase would take place in the wind soon after sunrise, when there
might be a chance of the large vessel again overhauling the slaver.
Hans remained on deck till the first streak of light appeared, but as
the sea-line was not visible on account of the fog, he could not obtain
a view of the vessel that was pursuing the slaver. As the light very
rapidly increased, Hans looked eagerly astern in hopes of seeing the
ship there. He was not aware that the vessel's course had been altered,
and that it was no longer astern that he must look for the ship. He
noticed that the sailors were all anxiously looking out in a different
direction, over the slaver's quarter in fact, and there all was foggy.
Soon, however, the fog rose, and there, to the surprise of the slaver's
crew, was the strange ship, distant scarcely more than two miles. To
Hans it seemed little short of a miracle how she had reached such a
position; but the fact was that the breeze which had enabled the slaver
to move on had been first felt by the ship, which had brought it up with
her, and she had thus seen the manoeuvre of the slaver in changing her
course before the fog had hidden her from view.
All sail was already spread on the slaver, and nothing more could
therefore be done. Light as she was, and built entirely for running
before the wind, she was able to maintain her distance from the ship,
and for several hours the two did not alter their position. To the
captain of the ship this must have been a sad trial of patience. He
knew that if he could once come within gun-shot of the slaver, he could
capture or sink her in a few minutes; but there she was tantalisingly
just out of gun-shot, and maintaining this position, if not increasing
her distance. Steam-vessels in those days were not common off the coast
of Africa, and slavers or pirates had to be captured by sailing vessels
alone.
Hans feared that the second chance of release would be lost, and he
began to speculate upon what could be done to enable the vessel
following them to come alongside. He believed that it might be possible
to cut some of the many ropes which held the sails, and thus cause them
to fall, and by this means to bring the slaver under the guns of the
English ship; but the knife was wanting to accomplish this. Thus,
though Hans thought over every plan, he could see nothing quite
practical, or that could be effected without enormous risk.
As the day advanced it was evident that the slaver had the best of the
race, the light breeze favouring her, and by sunset the English
man-of-war brig--for such she was--had dropped back to nearly five
miles' distance.
When darkness had completely set in the captain of the slaver altered
his course, and ran in towards the shore. He had for two days sailed in
the opposite direction to that in which he wished to go, the English
brig having stood in his way. He now wished to let her pass, and thus
renew his original intention of running over to the coast of South
America, where his slaves would soon be disposed of. Having steered for
about an hour in the direction of the coast, the captain ordered the
vessel's head to be kept south-west; and thus he expected to run past
the English brig, and avoid her in the darkness. It seemed impossible
that any eyes could distinguish the vessel even at the distance of half
a mile, and the crew of the slaver were unable to see the brig shortly
after sunset. Whether it was, however, that they possessed admirable
glasses on board the brig, or some light was visible on board the
slaver, the change of course of the latter had been seen; and scarcely
had she altered her course, and had begun to beat up wind in a
south-westerly direction, than the crew of the slaver found themselves
within half a mile of the brig, which was steering towards them. All
was immediately hurry and confusion on board the slaver. Her course was
altered, and additional sails were ordered to be placed on her, which,
now that she was again put before the wind, she could carry. The
English brig, however, was determined to put a stop to this, if
possible: altering her course to suit that of the slaver, she also
prepared to carry additional sails, but at the same time showed her
intention of endeavouring to stop her quick-sailing enemy. The flash of
a cannon, followed by the whistle of a shot over the ship, which was
accompanied by the report, showed that she was in earnest. In rapid
succession shot after shot flew over the brig and between her masts, yet
none struck a mast, yard or spar. Already had the slaver begun to draw
ahead, when a shot from the brig struck the main-mast of the slaver, and
so nearly cut it in two that it could not bear the pressure of the sails
upon it, and the next instant it snapped like a reed, and a mass of
canvas and rope fell partly on the deck, and was partly supported by the
mainyard, and immediately checked the speed of the vessel.
The captain shouted his directions to the men to clear the deck, whilst
he swore at his luck; for he now saw that capture was almost certain.
He dared fight the boats of the brig, but he had no means of
successfully combating a vessel armed as she was. Finding that capture
was almost a certainty, he called to the mate next in command, rushed to
the side of the vessel, and lowered a boat which hung there; then
rushing to the cabin, he brought up a heavy bag, apparently containing
gold, and before any of his crew were aware of his intention he had left
the vessel with the mate alone, and thus hoped to escape to the coast,
which was not more than fifty miles distant.
The lucky shot which had struck the slaver's mast enabled the brig to
come alongside, and several shots having been fired into the rigging,
the slaver became unmanageable, and entirely lost her way, lying a wreck
on the water. The brig, having come close to her, hailed to know if she
had surrendered; but as no one except Hans seemed to understand what was
said, no answer was at first returned; so Hans shouted in reply, "The
captain has left the ship in a boat. Come on board, and free us."
Still fearing treachery, the commander of the brig would not despatch a
small force to take the slaver, but sent two boats of armed men, who at
once polled alongside, and springing on deck ordered the slaver's crew
to throw down their arms. This order, given as much by signs as by
words, was at once obeyed, and the crew were rapidly sent into the two
boats, and transferred to the brig. Hans was at first taken for one of
the crew, but the irons on his legs indicated that he was a slave, and
his explanation of himself was considered so satisfactory by the officer
sent to take charge of the slaver, that Hans was sent on board the brig
to the captain to give all the information he could relative to the
slaver.
Hans' account of the manner in which he had been captured, and also the
manner in which he had been treated on board the slaver, enraged the
captain of the brig, who was already irritated at the loss of some of
the best men of his crew. He therefore determined to run up the coast,
and, if possible, discover the head-quarters of these slave-catchers,
and destroy it. Hans was quite delighted at this proposition, for all
that he had suffered was still fresh in his memory, and he considered
that if this slave establishment remained, some of his companions might
be captured when on their next hunting expedition; so that he was most
anxious that it should be destroyed.
The captain of the brig at once made his plans, which were that the
slaver only should run up the coast after she had got rid of her slaves
and the crew. Thus the slave-catchers would imagine she had put back
for some reason, and might not be alarmed as they otherwise would be if
the brig showed herself. The only objection to this plan seemed to be
the delay which must occur before the slaver could return, for it would
be necessary for her to go at least to Simon's Bay in order to get rid
of her slaves. This plan, however, the captain of the brig decided on,
and therefore, placing a portion of his crew with an officer in charge
of the slaver, he sent the prisoners on board her, and secured them so
that they could not interfere with the regular sailors, and gave
directions to the officer in charge to make sail for Simon's Bay, and
return as soon as possible.
In the mean time a boat which had been sent in pursuit of the captain
and mate of the slaver returned, having found the boat they had escaped
in bottom upwards, and no signs of its late occupants, who with their
treasure had gone to the bottom, or been eaten by sharks.