THE "CHIEFTAIN" ARRIVES OFF THE COAST OF AFRICA, AND WE CARRY ON A BRISK
TRADE WITH THE NATIVES, WHO COME OFF TO US THROUGH THE SURF.--AT LENGTH
CAPTAIN WILLIS PROPOSES TO RUN UP THE RIVER BONNY TO COMPLETE OUR CARGO.
NOT FORGETFUL OF MY PROMISE TO MAMMY, I MAKE INQUIRIES FOR HER SON
CHEEBO.
It was my morning watch. I was indulging in the pleasure particularly
enjoyable after sweltering in the close hot atmosphere of the cabin, of
paddling about with bare feet on the wet deck, over which I and some of
the men were heaving buckets of water, while others were lustily using
holy-stones and scrubbing brushes, under the superintendence of Mr
Wesbey, the first mate. The black cook was lighting his fire in the
caboose, from whence a wreath of smoke ascended almost perpendicularly
in the clear atmosphere. The sea was smooth as glass, but every now and
then a slowly heaving swell lifted the vessel, and caused her sails,
which hung down against the masts, to give a loud flap, while here and
there the surface was broken by the fin or snout of some monster of the
deep swimming round us. Our monkey, Quako, who had been turned out of
his usual resting-place, was exhibiting more than his ordinary agility--
springing about the rigging, and chattering loudly, now making his way
aloft, whence he looked eastwards, and now returning to the caboose, as
if to communicate his ideas to his sable friend.
"What makes Quako so frisky this morning?" I asked of Dick Radforth,
the boatswain, a sturdy broad shouldered man of iron frame, who, with
trousers tucked up, and bare arms brawny as those of Hercules, was
standing, bucket in hand, near me, deluging the deck with water.
"He smells his native land, Harry," he answered, "and thinks he is going
to pay a visit to his kith and kindred. We shall have to keep him
moored pretty fast, or he will be off into the woods to find them. I
have a notion you will get a sight of it before long, when the sea
breeze sets in and sends the old barky through the water."
"What! the coast of Africa!" I exclaimed, and thoughts of that
wonderful region, with its unexplored rivers, its gloomy forests, and
its black skinned inhabitants, with their barbarous customs and
superstitious rites, rose in my mind.
"Aye, sure and it will be a pleasant day when we take our departure from
the land, and see the last of it," observed Dick. "If those niggers
would trade like other people we might make quick work of it, and be
away home again in a few weeks, but we may thank our stars if we get a
full cargo by this time next year, without leaving some of our number
behind."
"What? I should not fancy that any of our fellows were likely to
desert," I observed.
"No; but they are likely to get pressed by a chap who won't let go his
gripe of them again," answered Dick.
"Who is that?" I asked.
"Yellow-fingered Jack we call him sometimes, the coast fever," said
Dick. "If they would but take better care of themselves and not drink
those poisonous spirits and sleep on shore at night, they might keep out
of his clutches. I give this as a hint to you, Harry. I have been
there a score of times, and am pretty well seasoned, but I have felt his
gripe, though I do not fear him now." I thanked the boatswain for his
advice. It was given, I suspected, for others' benefit as well as mine.
As the bright hot red sun rose in the sky, casting his beams down on our
heads, and making the pitch bubble up from the seams in the deck--as it
had done not unfrequently during the voyage--a few cats' paws were seen
playing over the mirror-like deep. The sails bulged out occasionally,
again to hang down as before; then once more they swelled out with the
gentle breeze, and the brigantine glided through the water, gradually
increasing her speed. I was eagerly looking out for the coast; at
length it came in sight--its distant outline rendered indistinct by the
misty pall which hung over it. As we drew nearer, its forest covered
heights had a particularly gloomy and sombre appearance, which made me
think of the cruelties I had heard were practised on those shores, of
the barbarous slave trade, of the fearful idolatries of its dark-skinned
children, of its wild beasts, and of its deadly fevers. There was
nothing exhilarating, nothing to give promise of pleasure or amusement.
As our gallant brigantine glided gaily on, sending the sparkling foam
from her bows through the tiny wavelets of the ocean, which glittered in
the radiance of a blue and cloudless sky, and her sails filled with the
fresh sea breeze, these feelings rapidly wore off. Now, on either side,
appeared a fleet of fishing canoes, the wild songs of their naked crews
coming across the water, as with rugged sails of matting lolling at
their ease, they steered towards the shore. We overtook some of them,
and such a loud jabber as they set up, talking to each other, or hailing
us, I had never heard.
Being near enough to the dangerous coast, we hove-to, and watched them
as they fearlessly made their way to shore on the summits of a
succession of rollers which burst in fearful breakers on the beach.
With our glasses we could see hundreds of dingy figures like black ants,
hurrying down to meet them, and to assist in hauling up their canoes.
As I cast my eye along the coast I could see many a bay and headland
bordered with a rim of glittering white sand, fringed by an unbroken
line of sparkling surf. Now we could make out the mud walls and
thatched roofs of the native villages, scattered here and there along
the shore, mostly nestling amid groves of graceful cocoa-nut trees,
while further inland appeared, at distant intervals, that giant monarch
of the tropical forest, the silk cotton tree, stretching its mighty
limbs upwards towards the sky, and far and wide around. Such was my
first view of the African coast.
"Well, what do you think of it?" asked Captain Willis.
"It looks better than I expected," I said. "But I don't see how we are
ever to reach it, much less carry on any trade with the people. How can
we possibly send any goods on shore?"
"You will see presently," he answered. "We have hoisted our trading
signal, and before long we shall have plenty of dealers along side
unless some other vessel has been before us; if so, we may have to wait
some days till the black merchants can bring more goods down from the
interior. The people about here are imbued with the very spirit of
commerce. They understand too how to make a sharp bargain. We have to
be wide awake, or, naked savages as they are, they will contrive to
outwit us."
Our various assortments of cotton and other goods had been got up from
the hold ready for the expected trade. The captain had also taken out
from his strong box a supply of sovereigns and Spanish dollars, should
coin be demanded, though he relied chiefly on the more advantageous
proceeding of barter.
After standing off and on the coast for some hours, we perceived several
large canoes about to be launched. On either side of each canoe stood a
dozen or fifteen men, holding to the gunwale with one hand, and carrying
a paddle in the other. At a signal from their head man the canoe was
hurried into the foaming surf; but, instead of getting in, they swam by
her side, guiding her course, until the first heavy swell was past, then
they threw themselves simultaneously into her, and began to paddle with
might and main till they got beyond the outer swell, and on they came,
shouting with satisfaction at the success of their enterprise. Two got
off without accident; but three others, when in the very midst of the
breakers, were swamped, and I thought that their crews, and, at all
events, their cargoes, would be lost. But no such thing. As I watched
them through the glass I saw that they were all holding on to the
gunwale, shoving her from side to side, until the water was thrown out,
when in they got again, and began to gather up numerous articles
floating around them. This accomplished, off they came as if nothing
had happened. As they got alongside I discovered the reason why their
effects did not sink--some were casks of palm oil, which naturally
floated, while the elephants' tusks and other pieces of ivory, were
fastened to large floats of cork-wood, and several of the men had small
light wooden boxes, which contained gold-dust, secured to their waists.
Though these were of a weight sufficient greatly to incumber, if not to
sink, an ordinary swimmer, so expert were, they in the water that they
appeared in no way to be inconvenienced. Several of them recognised
Captain Willis, who had frequently before been off the coast, and having
been fairly dealt with by him, and aware that he knew the price they
would be ready to take, gave him very little trouble. Some, however,
tried to outwit him, but he was very firm with them, and let them
understand that he was indifferent to trading except on equitable terms.
Altogether he was well satisfied with the result of his first day's
business.
We stood off the coast before the sea breeze died away, and returned
again on the following morning. This sort of work we continued for
several days. It was, however, a very tedious mode of proceeding. At
length we found that the amount of produce, brought off from day to day,
rapidly diminishing, while the natives began to demand higher prices
than at first. We accordingly stood down the coast towards another
native town, with the inhabitants of which we began to trade in the same
way as before.
From the time we first came into these latitudes we kept a bright
look-out night and day. I asked old Radforth what was the use of doing
this when we were engaged in a lawful commerce, which must of necessity
prove an advantage to the negroes. "Why, you see, Harry, there are
other gentry visit this coast with a very different object in view," he
answered. "For the Spaniards and Portuguese, especially, come here to
carry off the unfortunate inhabitants as slaves, and sometimes the
villainous crews of their craft, if in want of provisions and water,
will help themselves, without ceremony, from any merchantman they may
fall in with. And should she have a rich cargo on board, they have been
known, I have heard say, to make her people walk the plank, and sink or
burn her, so that no one may know anything about the matter. Now our
skipper has no fancy to be caught in that fashion, and if we were to
sight a suspicious looking sail, as the `Chieftain' has got a fast pair
of heels of her own, we should do our best to keep out of her way. You
see when once fellows take to slaving they go from bad to worse. I have
known something of the trade in my time, and it made my heart turn sick
to see the way in which they crowd hundreds of their fellow-creatures
down on the slave decks of their vessels, packed as close together as
herrings in a cask, for their run across the Atlantic to the Brazils or
Cuba. It may be, before we leave this coast, you will have the
opportunity of seeing for yourself, so I need not tell you more about it
now."
After this I was as vigilant as anyone on board in looking out for
suspicious craft,--for I had no fancy to be caught by a piratical
slaver, and be made to walk the plank, and have our gallant little
"Chieftain" sent to the bottom.
We continued cruising along the coast for some weeks, slowly exchanging
our cargo for African products.
At length Captain Willis got tired of this style of doing business. "I
am going to run up the river Bonny, Harry, where we are certain in time
to get a full cargo of palm oil, though I would rather have filled up
without going into harbour at all, for the climate, I own, is not the
healthiest possible, and we may chance to have a touch of sickness on
board."
He spoke, however, in so unconcerned a way that I had no serious
apprehensions on that score.
I had not forgotten my promise to Mammy, and had asked all the blacks I
could manage to speak to if they could tell me anything of Cheebo. I
need scarcely say that my question was received with a broad grin by
most of them. "Plenty Cheebos," was the general reply. "Dat black
fellow Cheebo; and dat, and dat, and dat Quamino," was added, when I
said that such was the name of the father of the Cheebo of whom I was in
search, but none of them answered the description of poor Mammy's son.
At length I felt very much inclined to give up my inquiries as hopeless.