BLOWN OFF THE COAST--WALLER'S KINDNESS TO THE NEGROES--RUN SHORT OF
PROVISIONS AND WATER--VESSEL LEAKING--AMERICAN HARD-HEARTEDNESS--
WALLER'S NOBLE RESOLVE--BEACH BAHIA--AUDACIOUS TRICK OF BRAZILIAN
SLAVE-DEALERS.
We had parted from the _Opossum_ about a couple of days, when we
observed signs of one of those terrific easterly gales which sometimes
blow off the coast of Africa. Waller, from his previous experience,
knew them, and remarked them in time, so that we were able to get all
snug to meet the wind when it came. On a sudden the hitherto calm
leaden water was covered with a foam-drift, like the fine sand swept
across the stony desert. The only sail we had set was a close-reefed
topsail and storm-jib; the helm was put up, and away she flew before the
gale, swift as the albatross on its snowy wing. Away, away we sped, and
soon, leaving the African coast far astern, were ploughing the water of
the South Atlantic. The _Zerlina_, though a beautiful model, as are
most of her class, was flimsily built, and far from a good sea-boat,
speed only having been cared for in her construction. As we got away
from the land, we met a good deal of sea, in which she laboured much;
and Ned Awlhole, one of the carpenter's mates, who was acting carpenter,
came one afternoon with a very long face into the cabin, where Waller
and I were sitting at dinner, to inform us that she was making far more
water than was satisfactory.
"Get the pumps rigged, then, and we must try and keep her clear till we
can manage to beat back to Sierra Leone," said Waller, as coolly as if
it were a matter of slight importance.
"It is rather a serious thing this, is it not?" I observed. "I wonder
you make so light of it."
"Very serious; and on that account it behoves us, as officers, to keep
up our own spirits, and to cheer up the men," he replied. "I am sorry
to say also, that I very much fear we shall fall short of water before
we get into port, if this wind continues; and, with all these poor
blacks on board, that will indeed be a very serious thing. Good
seamanship may enable us to keep, the ship afloat, but God only can
provide us with water."
"What must we do, then?" I asked.
"We must place all hands on short allowance, and we may fall in with
some vessel which may supply us; or showers may come, and we may collect
enough for our more pressing wants," he replied. "We must keep the poor
negroes on deck as much as possible--with fresh air they may exist with
less water."
Waller had speedily won the confidence and affection of the negroes, by
his kindness and considerate conduct. At first, when we had taken
possession of the vessel, they looked upon us as enemies, for the
Spaniards had told them that we should cook and eat them; but Waller,
who could speak a few words of their language, soon tranquillised their
fears on that account. He then got upon deck the sick, and those whose
limbs were chafed or bruised, and gave them medicines, and dressed their
wounds with his own hands. He told them that they should be set free to
go where they wished, and should, if possible, be enabled to return to
their own country. Few, however, had any hope of being enabled to do
the latter, for they had mostly all been taken in war, or kidnapped from
districts away from the coast, the wars being undertaken by the chiefs
nearer the sea for the express purpose of making prisoners to sell into
slavery. Two or three of those who had been kidnapped had already been
at Sierra Leone, or other British settlements, and as they understood a
good deal of English, we were able to communicate pretty freely with
them. We found them, poor children of Ham, very intelligent fellows,
and as capable of receiving instruction as the people of any other race
I have ever met. Waller's good example was followed by the crew, and at
last each man vied in showing kindness to the poor wretches, so that
they learned to look on us truly as their friends and protectors. We
did but our duty. They were our fellow-creatures, and we were soon to
be fellows in suffering. At first I own it was very trying, and more
than once, as I was dressing their wounds, I turned sick; but I
recollected that they were fellow-beings, with human feelings, and souls
to be saved, like ours, and I returned to my duty with renewed strength
to perform it. At length we found that we could, with perfect safety,
allow all the blacks to come on deck as they liked. Whenever Waller
appeared, they shouted after him--"How do, Masser Waller? Bless 'um,
Masser Waller!" And some would come and kneel down, and put his hand on
their heads, with a look of affection which was unmistakeable.
"I believe, sir, it's all very right with these poor fellows, and
there's no harm in them," said Jack Stretcher to me one day. "But, to
my mind, it doesn't do to trust these strange niggers too much. They
sometimes, I've heard, rises and cuts the throats of their friends."
I agreed with Jack that it was necessary, in most cases, to be cautious;
but in the present instance it was evident, as things turned out, that
it was owing to Waller's judicious treatment of the negroes that all our
lives were preserved.
All this time the wind was blowing so strongly from the eastward, that
we found it impossible to beat up against it, so we had nothing else to
do but to continue running before it. Every day matters were getting
more and more serious; our own provisions were growing shorter. Of
anything like luxuries we had none--salt beef and pork, hard biscuit and
rice, and a little tea and sugar, with a cask of rum--none of the best
either, by-the-bye. Waller called me into the cabin for a consultation.
"To get back to the coast is now impossible," he remarked. "If this
wind holds, and we can keep the craft afloat, our best chance is to try
and make the coast of Brazil. The port of Bahia is the nearest, and I
propose steering for that place."
I agreed with him; but we neither of us had any very strong hopes of
being really able to make it in time to save our own lives and those of
the negroes. On carefully examining our stock of provisions, we found
that only by the most economical expenditure of them, and with the most
favourable weather, should we be able to reach our destination in time.
A foul wind, or a day or two of calm, would ruin us; and a gale would in
all probability send us to the bottom. The blacks, of their own accord,
took their spell at the pumps, and finally relieved our men entirely of
the labour. Had they been compelled to continue pumping, it would, I am
certain, have worn them out. We most dreaded a want of water. Not a
cloud appeared from which we might draw it forth, and scarcely could we
expect a shower. Though constantly on the look-out, not a vessel could
we see, from whence we might get provisions. At length, one morning, as
Jack Stretcher had gone aloft--
"A sail on the weather-bow!" he sung out, in a cheery tone, which gave
hope to all our hearts. "She's standing across our course, so we can
speak her without altering it."
In about two hours we were up to her. She was a good sized brig, and
the ensign, with the stars and stripes, which flew out at her peak,
showed that she hailed from the United States. We had a signal of
distress flying, in addition to the British ensign.
"Hillo! what are you?" sung out a man in her main-rigging.
"A prize to His Britannic Majesty's brig of war _Opossum_," answered
Waller. "What are you?"
"The _Go-along_, from Baltimore, bound for Rio," answered a person on
board the brig, through a speaking-trumpet.
"Heave-to, if you please, sir, and I will pay you a visit--we are in
great distress," said Waller.
"Ay, ay, sir," was the reply from the brig, as she was speedily brought
up on a wind and hove-to.
So soon as we could get a boat in the water, leaving Jack in charge,
Waller and I went on board the brig. The master, a tall, thin, sallow
man, with a pointed beard, no whiskers, and a hooked nose, with a huge
cigar in his mouth, a straw hat on his head, loose nankeen trousers, and
a gingham swallow-tailed coat, received us at the gangway.
"Walk into the cabin, gentlemen, and let's liquor a bit," said he, as we
stepped on board, showing us the way before we had time to reply.
The cabin, to our eyes, looked luxuriously furnished, and not unwelcome
was the repast of cold beef and ham and fine biscuits which the steward
placed speedily before us, not forgetting a spirit-stand with four tall
bottles. We did ample justice to the good things placed before us.
"And now, what's your pleasure, Mr Lieutenant?" laid the master of the
brig.
Waller explained exactly what had occurred. "And now," he continued,
"we are in a sinking state; we have neither provisions nor water to last
us till we can reach a port; and the destruction of all these poor
people is sealed if you do not help us."
"What! take all them dirty niggers aboard my craft?" exclaimed the
skipper, with a look of ineffable disgust. "You Britishers have rum
notions, I calculate."
"No, pardon me," said Waller. "I only ask you to preserve from almost
certain destruction a number of our fellow-creatures; and any
remuneration which you may require will certainly be paid you."
"What! do you call them black niggers fellow-creatures, master? That's
a rum joke, I guess," exclaimed the skipper. "I should be happy to be
of service to you, but you are so unreasonable,--that you are."
"Scarcely unreasonable, sir," urged Waller, mildly. "Can you not name a
sum for which you could land all the people I have on board at Bahia, or
the nearest port we can make."
"No, sir; I guess no sum would pay me to defile my vessel in the way you
propose," said the Yankee. "I'll take you and your own crew with
pleasure; but the niggers are out of the question."
"What! would you leave the poor wretches to perish in the most horrible
way, with thirst and starvation?" exclaimed Waller, shuddering at the
thought.
"They are niggers," said the Yankee, coolly puffing forth a cloud of
smoke, and leaning back in his chair with a self-satisfied look.
"Hear me, sir!" exclaimed Waller, rising, a flush mantling on his brow.
"I have six thousand pounds of my own in this world. That sum I will
make over to you, by every legal means you can devise, if you will take
these poor people on board your brig, and land them in a place of
safety. This shall be over and above what my Government may award you.
I entreat you, as you hope for mercy here and hereafter, to do as I
ask."
"Not if you were to go down on your knees and pray till to-morrow
morning," replied the Yankee, slowly. "Niggers are niggers, and they
can't be otherwise. If you and your people like to come aboard, you are
welcome. You've got my answer, Sir."
"Then, sir," exclaimed Waller, rising from his seat, "I'll trust to the
negroes' God, to mine, and to yours, for that help which you deny them.
May you never be in the same strait and seek in vain for help. Good
day, sir."
The Yankee looked at us with an expression more of surprise than anger
as we left the brig's deck.
"Stay! you are not a bad chap, I guess. Here, just take these things;
you are welcome to them."
Saying this he ordered a cask of water, some beef and biscuits, and a
few little luxuries, to be put into the boat. We were not in a position
to decline the gift; and, to do the Yankee full justice, he would
receive no remuneration. We thanked him sincerely; and assured him that
we regretted deeply our opinions on the nature of negroes did not
coincide; at which he shrugged his shoulders, and we pulled back to the
schooner.
We again made sail for the westward.
When I told Jack Stretcher what had occurred, he slapped his hand on his
thigh, and exclaimed:
"Mr Waller was right, sir, that he was, not to think of deserting the
poor niggers; and there isn't a man of us but would gladly stick by him
to the last."
I told Waller what Jack had said, and he replied that he was sure all
our people would have refused to have deserted the poor blacks, even if
he had proposed so cruel a proceeding to them. We husbanded to the
utmost the provisions we had brought from the brig; though, divided
among all the people, there was scarcely more than enough to sustain
life for a day. Still, not a seaman grumbled. Far from so doing, he
willingly shared his own scanty allowance with any negro who appeared
more particularly to require sustenance. It was amusing to see the
weather-beaten, thick-bearded men carrying about the little black
children, whose mothers were too weak to bring them on deck.
Though these Africans had hitherto been taught, with good reason, to
look upon white men as incarnations of devils, they began to consider
our gallant fellows as something approaching to angels; and, like
savages in general, always in extremes, they were ready now to worship
us. Providentially the easterly wind continued, and the sea remained
calm, so that we made very good way, and were able to keep the leak
under. It was with a sense of deep gratitude that we at length made the
land, when we had not a drop of water remaining, and with scarcely food
enough to sustain life for another day. We fondly believed that all our
troubles were over. The negroes shouted, and clapped their hands, and
laughed with joy: some of them fancied, I believe, that they had got
back to Africa. The next morning we dropped our anchor in the harbour
of Bahia. Waller proposed to get the schooner repaired, to take in a
supply of provisions, and to return to Sierra Leone, intending, if
necessary, to bear all the expenses himself. Now I am going to relate a
circumstance which may seem very strange, but is, nevertheless,
perfectly true. As soon as we brought up, Waller went on shore,
intending to report all that had occurred to the British Consul, and to
get his assistance in carrying out his intentions. I was in the
meantime left in charge on board. Waller had been gone a couple of
hours, and I was looking anxiously for his return, hoping that he would
bring some provisions and water, when, as I was walking the deck, I
observed three boats pulling off towards us. As they came near, I saw
that one of them contained several men in uniform. They stepped on
board without ceremony; and one of them presented a paper, in
Portuguese, which looked like an official document, though, of course, I
could not make it out. I shook my head to signify this, when he
commenced explaining in broken English that he and his party were sent
by the Governor to convey the negroes on shore, that the vessel might be
the more speedily hove-down to be repaired. I was somewhat surprised
that Waller had not first returned; but it never occurred to me to
suspect a fraud in the matter.
While the Portuguese were speaking, three more boats came alongside, and
in a very few minutes all the blacks were transferred from the schooner
into them. Without an instant's delay, the boats left the schooner's
sides; but instead of making towards the town, they pulled away to a
spot some distance from it, where the negroes were landed, and I lost
sight of them. About an hour after this, Waller returned.
"I have settled with the Consul, who will have a large store, where our
poor blackies can be housed comfortably while the schooner is repaired;
but he says we must keep a strict watch over them, for the people here
are such determined slave-dealers, that they will kidnap them before our
eyes."
My heart sunk as I heard these words, and I felt like a culprit.
"Why," I exclaimed, "the Governor has sent and had them all conveyed on
shore."
Waller could scarcely believe his senses when he found all the negroes
gone. He hurried back to the Consul, who went with him to the Governor.
The Governor knew nothing whatever of the matter, nor did any of the
officials of the town. The Consul and some of the British in the place
made every inquiry in their power, but no information whatever could
they obtain. There could, however, be no doubt that some slave-dealers
had carried out the nefarious plot, while, by the employment of bribes,
they easily contrived to escape detection. Waller felt the matter very
severely. To have the poor negroes, in whom he took so great an
interest, carried into slavery, after all the toil and danger he had
gone through, was almost heartbreaking. For long afterwards he could
scarcely bear to speak on the subject.
It was not without difficulty that we got the schooner repaired; but at
last she was ready for sea, and without further delay we made sail for
Sierra Leone. We had a very fine run across. Within a day's sail of
the coast, we fell in with a slaver, which, supposing us to be of the
same kidney as herself, allowed us to ran alongside; so that, without
the slightest opposition, we took possession of her. Although she had
no slaves on board, she was in every respect fitted to carry them. She
had but a small crew, it being evidently intended to take more men on
board when the slaves were shipped. Waller thought it best to remove
them into the _Zerlina_, while he sent me and three hands, with Jack
Stretcher as my first-lieutenant, to navigate the prize into port. As
may be supposed, I felt very proud of my new command, and pictured to
myself the satisfaction I should have in reporting my arrival at Sierra
Leone.