On the western coast of Africa, there is a small bay, which has received
more than one name from its occasional visitors. That by which it was
designated by the adventurous Portuguese, who first dared to cleave the
waves of the Southern Atlantic, has been forgotten with their lost
maritime pre-eminence; the name allotted to it by the woolly-headed
natives of the coast has never, perhaps, been ascertained; it is,
however, marked down in some of the old English charts as Sleeper's Bay.
The mainland which, by its curvature, has formed this little dent on a
coast possessing, and certainly at present requiring few harbours,
displays, perhaps, the least inviting of all prospects; offering to the
view nothing but a shelving beach of dazzling white sand, backed with a
few small hummocks beat up by the occasional fury of the Atlantic
gales--arid, bare, and without the slightest appearance of vegetable
life. The inland prospect is shrouded over by a dense mirage, through
which here and there are to be discovered the stems of a few distant
palm-trees, so broken and disjoined by refraction that they present to
the imagination anything but the idea of foliage or shade. The water in
the bay is calm and smooth as the polished mirror; not the smallest
ripple is to be heard on the beach, to break through the silence of
nature; not a breath of air sweeps over its glassy surface, which is
heated with the intense rays of a vertical noonday sun, pouring down a
withering flood of light and heat: not a sea-bird is to be discovered
wheeling on its flight, or balancing on its wings as it pierces the deep
with its searching eye, ready to dart upon its prey. All is silence,
solitude, and desolation, save that occasionally may be seen the fin of
some huge shark, either sluggishly moving through the heated element, or
stationary in the torpor of the mid-day heat. A site so sterile, so
stagnant, so little adapted to human life, cannot well be conceived,
unless, by flying to extremes, we were to portray the chilling blast,
the transfixing cold, and "close-ribbed ice," at the frozen poles.
At the entrance of this bay, in about three fathoms water, heedless of
the spring cable which hung down as a rope which had fallen overboard,
there floated, motionless as death, a vessel whose proportions would
have challenged the unanimous admiration of those who could appreciate
the merits of her build, had she been anchored in the most frequented
and busy harbour of the universe. So beautiful were her lines, that you
might almost have imagined her a created being that the ocean had been
ordered to receive, as if fashioned by the Divine Architect, to add to
the beauty and variety of His works; for, from the huge leviathan to the
smallest of the finny tribe--from the towering albatross to the boding
petrel of the storm--where could be found, among the winged or finned
frequenters of the ocean, a form more appropriate, more fitting, than
this specimen of human skill, whose beautiful model and elegant tapering
spars were now all that could be discovered to break the meeting lines
of the firmament and horizon of the offing.
Alas! she was fashioned, at the will of avarice, for the aid of cruelty
and injustice, and now was even more nefariously employed. She had been
a slaver--she was now the far-famed, still more dreaded,
pirate-schooner, the _Avenger_.
Not a man-of-war which scoured the deep but had her instructions
relative to this vessel, which had been so successful in her career of
crime--not a trader in any portion of the navigable globe but whose crew
shuddered at the mention of her name, and the remembrance of the
atrocities which had been practised by her reckless crew. She had been
everywhere--in the east, the west, the north, and the south, leaving a
track behind her of rapine and of murder. There she lay in motionless
beauty; her low sides were painted black, with one small, narrow riband
of red--her raking masts were clean scraped--her topmasts, her
cross-trees, caps, and even running-blocks, were painted in pure white.
Awnings were spread fore and aft to protect the crew from the powerful
rays of the sun; her ropes were hauled taut; and in every point she wore
the appearance of being under the control of seamanship and strict
discipline. Through the clear smooth water her copper shone brightly;
and as you looked over her taffrail down into the calm blue sea, you
could plainly discover the sandy bottom beneath her and the anchor which
then lay under her counter. A small boat floated astern, the weight of
the rope which attached her appearing, in the perfect calm, to draw her
towards the schooner.
We must now go on board, and our first cause of surprise will be the
deception relative to the tonnage of the schooner, when viewed from a
distance. Instead of a small vessel of about ninety tons, we discover
that she is upwards of two hundred; that her breadth of beam is
enormous; and that those spars, which appeared so light and elegant, are
of unexpected dimensions. Her decks are of narrow fir planks, without
the least spring or rise; her ropes are of Manilla hemp, neatly secured
to copper belaying-pins, and coiled down on the deck, whose whiteness is
well contrasted with the bright green paint of her bulwarks; her
capstern and binnacles are cased in fluted mahogany, and ornamented with
brass; metal stanchions protect the skylights, and the bright muskets
are arranged in front of the mainmast, while the boarding-pikes are
lashed round the mainboom.
In the centre of the vessel, between the fore and main masts, there is a
long brass 32-pounder fixed upon a carriage revolving in a circle, and
so arranged that in bad weather it can be lowered down and _housed_;
while on each side of her decks are mounted eight brass guns of smaller
calibre and of exquisite workmanship. Her build proves the skill of the
architect; her fitting-out, a judgment in which nought has been
sacrificed to, although everything has been directed by, taste; and her
neatness and arrangement, that, in the person of her commander, to the
strictest discipline there is united the practical knowledge of a
thorough seaman. How, indeed, otherwise could she have so long
continued her lawless yet successful career? How could it have been
possible to unite a crew of miscreants, who feared not God nor man, most
of whom had perpetrated foul murders, or had been guilty of even blacker
iniquities? It was because he who commanded the vessel was so superior
as to find in her no rivalry. Superior in talent, in knowledge of his
profession, in courage, and, moreover, in physical strength--which in
him was almost Herculean--unfortunately he was also superior to all in
villainy, in cruelty, and contempt of all injunctions, moral and Divine.
What had been the early life of this person was but imperfectly known.
It was undoubted that he had received an excellent education, and it was
said that he was of an ancient border family on the banks of the Tweed:
by what chances he had become a pirate--by what errors he had fallen
from his station in society, until he became an outcast, had never been
revealed; it was only known that he had been some years employed in the
slave-trade previous to his seizing this vessel and commencing his
reckless career. The name by which he was known to the crew of the
pirate-vessel was "Cain," and well had he chosen this appellation; for,
had not his hand for more than three years been against every man's, and
every man's hand against his? In person he was about six feet high,
with a breadth of shoulders and of chest denoting the utmost of physical
force which, perhaps, has ever been allotted to man. His features would
have been handsome had they not been scarred with wounds; and, strange
to say, his eye was mild and of a soft blue. His mouth was well formed,
and his teeth of a pearly white: the hair of his head was crisped and
wavy, and his beard, which he wore, as did every person composing the
crew of the pirate, covered the lower part of his face in strong,
waving, and continued curls. The proportions of his body were perfect;
but from their vastness they became almost terrific. His costume was
elegant, and well adapted to his form: linen trousers, and untanned
yellow leather boots, such as are made at the Western Isles; a
broad-striped cotton shirt; a red Cashmere shawl round his waist as a
sash; a vest embroidered in gold tissue, with a jacket of dark velvet,
and pendant gold buttons, hanging over his left shoulder, after the
fashion of the Mediterranean seamen; a round Turkish skull-cap,
handsomely embroidered; a pair of pistols, and a long knife in his sash,
completed his attire.
The crew consisted in all of 165 men, of almost every nation; but it was
to be remarked that all those in authority were either Englishmen or
from the northern countries; the others were chiefly Spaniards and
Maltese. Still there were Portuguese, Brazilians, negroes, and others,
who made up the complement, which at the time we now speak of was
increased by twenty-five additional hands. These were Kroumen, a race
of blacks well known at present, who inhabit the coast near Cape Palmas,
and are often employed by our men-of-war stationed on the coast to
relieve the English seamen from duties which would be too severe to
those who were not inured to the climate. They are powerful, athletic
men, good sailors, of a happy, merry disposition, and, unlike other
Africans, will work hard. Fond of the English, they generally speak the
language sufficiently to be understood, and are very glad to receive a
baptism when they come on board. The name first given them they usually
adhere to as long as they live; and you will now on the coast meet with
a Blucher, a Wellington, a Nelson, etcetera, who will wring swabs, or do
any other of the meanest description of work, without feeling that it is
discreditable to sponsorials so grand.
It is not to be supposed that these men had voluntarily come on board of
the pirate; they had been employed in some British vessels trading on
the coast, and had been taken out of them when the vessels were burnt,
and the Europeans of the crews murdered. They had received a promise of
reward, if they did their duty; but, not expecting it, they waited for
the earliest opportunity to make their escape.
The captain of the schooner is abaft with his glass in his hand,
occasionally sweeping the offing in expectation of a vessel heaving in
sight: the officers and crew are lying down, or lounging listlessly,
about the decks, panting with the extreme heat, and impatiently waiting
for the sea-breeze to fan their parched foreheads. With their rough
beards and exposed chests, and their weather-beaten fierce countenances,
they form a group which is terrible even in repose.
We must now descend into the cabin of the schooner. The fittings-up of
this apartment are simple: on each side is a standing bed-place; against
the after bulkhead is a large buffet, originally intended for glass and
china, but now loaded with silver and gold vessels of every size and
description, collected by the pirate from the different ships which he
had plundered; the lamps are also of silver, and evidently had been
intended to ornament the shrine of some Catholic saint.
In this cabin there are two individuals, to whom we shall now direct the
reader's attention. The one is a pleasant-countenanced, good-humoured
Krouman, who had been christened "Pompey the Great;" most probably on
account of his large proportions. He wears a pair of duck trousers; the
rest of his body is naked, and presents a sleek, glossy skin, covering
muscle, which an anatomist or a sculptor would have viewed with
admiration. The other is a youth of eighteen, or thereabouts, with an
intelligent, handsome countenance, evidently of European blood. There
is, however, an habitually mournful cast upon his features: he is
dressed much in the same way as we have described the captain, but the
costume hangs more gracefully upon his slender, yet well-formed limbs.
He is seated on a sofa, fixed in the fore part of the cabin, with a book
in his hand, which occasionally he refers to, and then lifts his eyes
from, to watch the motions of the Krouman, who is busy in the office of
steward, arranging and cleaning the costly articles in the buffet.
"Massa Francisco, dis really fine ting," said Pompey, holding up a
splendidly embossed tankard, which he had been rubbing.
"Yes," replied Francisco, gravely; "it is, indeed, Pompey."
"How Captain Cain came by dis?"
Francisco shook his head, and Pompey put his finger up to his mouth, his
eyes, full of meaning, fixed upon Francisco.
At this moment the personage referred to was heard descending the
companion-ladder. Pompey recommenced rubbing the silver, and Francisco
dropped his eyes upon the book.
What was the tie which appeared to bind the captain to this lad was not
known; but, as the latter had always accompanied, and lived together
with him, it was generally supposed that he was the captain's son; and
he was as often designated by the crew as young Cain as he was by his
Christian name of Francisco. Still it was observed that latterly they
had frequently been heard in altercation, and that the captain was very
suspicious of Francisco's movements.
"I beg I may not interrupt your conversation," said Cain, on entering
the cabin; "the information you may obtain from a Krouman must be very
important."
Francisco made no reply, but appeared to be reading his book. Cain's
eyes passed from one to the other, as if to read their thoughts.
"Pray what were you saying, Mr Pompey?"
"Me say, Massa Captain? me only tell young Massa dis very fine ting; ask
where you get him--Massa Francisco no tell."
"And what might it be to you, you black scoundrel?" cried the captain,
seizing the goblet, and striking the man with it a blow on the head
which flattened the vessel, and at the same time felled the Krouman,
powerful as he was, to the deck. The blood streamed, as the man slowly
rose, stupefied and trembling from the violent concussion. Without
saying a word, he staggered out of the cabin, and Cain threw himself on
one of the lockers in front of the standing bed-place, saying, with a
bitter smile, "So much for your intimates, Francisco!"
"Rather, so much for your cruelty and injustice towards an unoffending
man," replied Francisco, laying his book on the table. "His question
was an innocent one,--for he knew not the particulars connected with the
obtaining of that flagon."
"And you, I presume, do not forget them? Well, be it so, young man; but
I warn you again--as I have warned you often--nothing but the
remembrance of your mother has prevented me, long before this, from
throwing your body to the sharks."
"What influence my mother's memory may have over you, I know not; I only
regret that, in any way, she had the misfortune to be connected with
you."
"She had the influence," replied Cain, "which a woman must have over a
man when they have for years swung in the same cot; but that is wearing
off fast. I tell you so candidly; I will not [even] allow even her
memory to check me, if I find you continue your late course. You have
shown disaffection before the crew--you have disputed my orders--and I
have every reason to believe that you are now plotting against me."
"Can I do otherwise than show my abhorrence," replied Francisco, "when I
witness such acts of horror, of cruelty--cold-blooded cruelty, as lately
have been perpetrated? Why do you bring me here? and why do you now
detain me? All I ask is, that you will allow me to leave the vessel.
You are not my father; you have told me so."
"No, I am not your father; but--you are your mother's son."
"That gives you no right to have power over me, even if you had been
married to my mother; which--"
"I was not."
"I thank God; for marriage with you would have been even greater
disgrace."
"What!" cried Cain, starting up, seizing the young man by the neck, and
lifting him off his seat as if he had been a puppet; "but no--I cannot
forget your mother." Cain released Francisco, and resumed his seat on
the locker.
"As you please," said Francisco, as soon as he had recovered himself;
"it matters little whether I am brained by your own hand, or launched
overboard as a meal for the sharks; it will be but one more murder."
"Mad fool! why do you tempt me thus?" replied Cain, again starting up,
and hastily quitting the cabin.
The altercation which we have just described was not unheard on deck, as
the doors of the cabin were open, and the skylight removed to admit the
air. The face of Cain was flushed as he ascended the ladder. He
perceived his chief mate standing by the hatchway, and many of the men,
who had been slumbering abaft, with their heads raised on their elbows,
as if they had been listening to the conversation below.
"It will never do, sir," said Hawkhurst, the mate, shaking his head.
"No," replied the captain; "not if he were my own son. But what is to
be done?--he knows no fear."
Hawkhurst pointed to the entering port.
"When I ask your advice, you may give it," said the captain, turning
gloomily away.
In the meantime, Francisco paced the cabin in deep thought. Young as he
was, he was indifferent to death; for he had no tie to render life
precious. He remembered his mother, but not her demise; that had been
concealed from him. At the age of seven he had sailed with Cain in a
slaver, and had ever since continued with him. Until lately, he had
been led to suppose that the captain was his father. During the years
that he had been in the slave-trade, Cain had devoted much time to his
education; it so happened that the only book which could be found on
board of the vessel, when Cain first commenced teaching, was a Bible
belonging to Francisco's mother. Out of this book he learned to read;
and, as his education advanced, other books were procured. It may
appear strange that the very traffic in which his reputed father was
engaged did not corrupt the boy's mind, but, accustomed to it from his
infancy, he had considered these negroes as another species,--an idea
fully warranted by the cruelty of the Europeans towards them.
There are some dispositions so naturally kind and ingenuous that even
example and evil contact cannot debase them: such was the disposition of
Francisco. As he gained in years and knowledge, he thought more and
more for himself, and had already become disgusted with the cruelties
practised upon the unfortunate negroes, when the slave-vessel was seized
upon by Cain and converted into a pirate. At first, the enormities
committed had not been so great; vessels had been seized and plundered,
but life had been spared. In the course of crime, however, the descent
is rapid: and as, from information given by those who had been released,
the schooner was more than once in danger of being captured, latterly no
lives had been spared; and but too often the murders had been attended
with deeds even more atrocious.
Francisco had witnessed scenes of horror until his young blood curdled:
he had expostulated to save, but in vain. Disgusted with the captain
and the crew, and their deeds of cruelty, he had latterly expressed his
opinions fearlessly, and defied the captain; for, in the heat of an
altercation, Cain had acknowledged that Francisco was not his son.
Had any of the crew or officers expressed but a tithe of what had fallen
from the bold lips of Francisco, they would have long before paid the
forfeit of their temerity; but there was a feeling towards Francisco
which could not be stifled in the breast of Cain--it was the feeling of
association and habit. The boy had been his companion for years: and
from assuetude had become, as it were, a part of himself. There is a
principle in our nature which, even when that nature is most debased,
will never leave us--that of requiring something to love, something to
protect and watch over: it is shown towards a dog, or any other animal,
if it cannot be lavished upon one of our own species. Such was the
feeling which so forcibly held Cain towards Francisco; such was the
feeling which had hitherto saved his life.
After having paced up and down for some time, the youth took his seat on
the locker which the captain had quitted: his eye soon caught the head
of Pompey, who looked into the cabin and beckoned with his finger.
Francisco rose, and, taking up a flagon from the buffet which contained
some spirits, walked to the door, and, without saying a word, handed it
to the Krouman.
"Massa Francisco," whispered Pompey, "Pompey say--all Kroumen say--
suppose they run away, you go too? Pompey say--all Kroumen say--suppose
they try to kill you? Nebber kill you while one Krouman alive."
The negro then gently pushed Francisco back with his hand, as if not
wishing to hear his answer, and hastened forward on the berth deck.