The 'Josephine' brigantine was the fastest sailer in these seas, and
had been chased by H.M. ships 'Wolverine,' 'Bonetta,' 'Cygnet,' and
'Lyra,' all of which she escaped by her superiority of sailing. She
was at length captured by H.M.S. 'Fantome,' Captain Butterfield, in
May 1841, with 299 slaves on board, after a severe chase of 24 hours,
going over 257 miles of ground, and carrying a press of sail that
placed every spar in jeopardy. During the chase the captain of the
brigantine supposed he had to encounter the celebrated 'Waterwitch,'
and treated with derision the idea of his being captured by a
ship-of-war. Captain Butterfield was obliged to send his
first-lieutenant in charge of the prize, leaving himself as the only
officer on board, having lost by death the master, second-lieutenant,
and surgeon.
CAPTURE OF AN ARMED SLAVER, BY A FOUR-OARED GIG,
UNDER COMMAND OF MR. TOTTENHAM, MATE,
1844.
On the 13th of August, 1844, Mr. John Francis Tottenham, mate of
H.M.S. 'Hyacinth,' Commander Scott, performed a gallant and dashing
exploit, which obtained for him his promotion to the rank of
lieutenant, and the testimony of his commander to the coolness,
decision, and gallantry displayed by him on the occasion. When off
Fish Bay, on the west coast of Africa, Mr. Tottenham was sent in a
four-oared gig, with one spare hand, to communicate with the
Portuguese Governor. The weather became thick and he missed his
port, but, knowing that the 'Hyacinth' was working along the coast,
anchored for the night, and pulled to the southward. On the morning
of the 13th he discovered a brig at anchor without colours, and saw
her slip and make sail, on which he gave chase. Being to windward,
and the breeze light, he was enabled to approach her weather-beam,
and fire a musket ahead, to induce her to heave to and show her
colours; this, and a second were disregarded, but a port was opened
and a gun run out, and brought to bear on the boat, which caused the
officer to pull into her wake, when part of the crew of the brig
commenced firing musketry, while the others got the gun on the poop
and pointed it at the boat.
Mr. Tottenham now commenced firing, as fast as the spare hand could
load for him, being just able to keep way with the brig.
Having hit four of the men on board, they left the gun, and after
firing muskets for twenty minutes, finding they were unable to
weather the land or tack, without being boarded by the boat, they ran
the brig on shore, and abandoned her to the number of 18, including 3
wounded men, leaving another mortally wounded on board.
In the course of the afternoon the brig was perceived from the
masthead of the 'Hyacinth,' which stood in and anchored, and hove her
off, when she proved to be of 200 tons, fully equipped for conveying
about 1000 slaves, with two guns of four pounds calibre, loaded, a
barrel of powder, and a quantity of langridge-shot, a number of
muskets, swords, and bayonets, on the deck. Almost every bullet
expended in the gig, was traced to the gun-carriage or its immediate
vicinity on the poop.
LIEUT. LODWICK's (IN THE 'GROWLER'S' PINNACE)
GALLANT ATTACK ON A SLAVER,
1845.
On the 12th of January, 1845, Lieut. Lodwick, First-lieutenant of
H.M. steamer 'Growler,' Captain Buckle, who had been away for some
time cruizing in the pinnace, on the look-out for slavers, fell in
with a felucca, which, on seeing the pinnace, hove to; and the
officer expected that she would make no resistance, as she might have
got away if she had chosen. When the pinnace, however, was within 30
yards, they observed a whole range of muskets, fore and aft the
felucca; after this, Lieut. Lodwick cheered his men on to get up to
her before she discharged this fearful battery; but no sooner was the
cheer out, than the felucca opened on the boat. This was a staggerer
for the poor boat; but fortunately, this time they fired too high
(the felucca had now filled and was going just as fast as the boat
could pull). Lieut. Lodwick now returned this with a round shot and
180 balls in a bag. In the first volley from the felucca, the rim of
the officer's hat was shot through; but their second volley told with
mortal effect: two men were shot dead, and Lieut. Lodwick and two men
severely wounded--the officer having been struck on the left knee and
thigh. This left the pinnace with so few men, that having had six of
its oars shot away, it was obliged to leave the field, and was picked
up by the 'Growler,' standing towards the 'Gallinas,' boat and gear
literally riddled with shot.
Lieut. Lodwick was promoted for his gallantry. The felucca had been
chased by every vessel on the coast, and always got away clear. She
was afterwards captured by a war-steamer, and bore evident marks of
her conflict with the pinnace. There were about 70 men on board,
English, French, and Americans, and she was commanded by an
Englishman.
CAPTURE OF THE 'FELICIDADE' AND 'ECHO' SLAVERS,
BY H.M.S. 'WASP,' AND RECAPTURE OF 'FELICIDADE,'
BY H.M.S. 'STAR,'
1845.
As H.M.S. 'Wasp,' Captain Usherwood, was cruizing in the Bight of
Benin, near Lagos, on the 27th February, 1845, a strange sail was
seen, and Lieut. Stupart was immediately ordered in pursuit. At
about eight o'clock in the evening he came up with her, and found her
to be the 'Felicidade,' a Brazilian schooner, fitted for the
slave-trade, with a slave-deck of loose planks over the cargo, and a
crew of 28 men. With the exception of her captain and another man,
they were transferred to the 'Wasp,' and Lieut. Stupart, with Mr.
Palmer, midshipman, and a crew of 15 English seamen, remained in
charge of the prize. On the 1st March, the boats of the
'Felicidade,' under Mr. Palmer, captured a second prize, the 'Echo,'
with 430 slaves on board and a crew of 28 men, leaving Mr. Palmer,
with 7 English seamen and 2 Kroomen, onboard the 'Felicidade.'
Several of the 'Echo's' crew were also sent on board, as prisoners,
with their captain. The officer and prize-crew were overpowered and
murdered, and an unsuccessful attempt made to regain possession of
the 'Echo.' The 'Felicidade' was seen and chased on the 6th March by
H.M.S. 'Star,' Commander Dunlop. When she was boarded, no one was on
her deck, the crew being concealed below; and on being found and
questioned, they stated the vessel to be the 'Virginie,' and
accounted for their wounds by the falling of a spar; but there were
traces of a conflict, and many tokens which proved that English
seamen had been on board. She was then sent to Sierra Leone, in
charge of Lieut. Wilson and 9 men. Whilst on the passage, during a
heavy squall, the schooner went over, filled and sank, so as only to
leave part of her bow-rail above water. When the squall passed, the
whole of the crew were found clinging to the bow-rail. Some expert
divers endeavoured to extract provisions from the vessel, but without
success; and nothing but death stared them in the face, as the
schooner was gradually sinking. Lieut. Wilson ascertained that there
were three common knives among the party, and it was resolved to make
a raft of the main-boom and gaff, and such other floating materials
as remained above water. These they secured by such ropes as could
be cut and unrove from the rigging, and a small quantity of cordage
was retained to make good any defects they might sustain by the
working of the spars; a small top-gallant studding-sail was obtained
for a sail, and upon this miserable float the ten persons made sail
for the coast of Africa, distant 200 miles, without rudder, oar,
compass, provisions, or water. Being almost naked, and washed by
every wave, their sufferings were very great. Famished for food and
drink, scorched by a burning sun during the day, and chilled with
cold during the night, they thus remained twenty days. Delirium and
death relieved the raft of part of its load of misery, two blacks
being the first to sink under their sufferings. The question
naturally suggests itself, how did the survivors support life? Some
persons would be almost afraid to put the question, or hear the
answer. There is nothing, however, to wound our feelings, but much
to admire, in the admirable conduct of Lieut. Wilson and his men
during these melancholy and miserable twenty days. Showers of rain
occasionally fell: they caught some water in their little sail, which
they drank, and put some into a small keg that had floated out of the
vessel. The sea was almost always breaking over the spars of the
raft, which was surrounded by voracious sharks. The famishing
sailors actually caught with a bowling-knot a shark, eight feet in
length, with their bare hands, and hauled it upon the raft, they
killed it, drank the blood, and ate part of the flesh, husbanding the
remainder. In this way three other sharks were taken, and upon these
sharks the poor fellows managed to prolong their lives till picked up
(in sight of the land) in what may be termed the very zero of living
misery. Lieut. Wilson and four seamen survived and recovered their
strength. Order and discipline were maintained upon the raft;
fortitude, forethought, a reliance upon Divine providence, and good
conduct, enabled these Englishmen to surmount such horrible
sufferings, whilst the Kroomen and Portuguese sank under them.