"A Yankee brig, sir," I exclaimed, in a tone of vexation. "I should not
wonder but what she is an American man-of-war, after all."
Well, though it must be owned that the Yankees can build fine and fast
ships when they wish to do so, and want them to go along, I must say
that the chase sailed as badly as any ship-of-war I ever met. We came
up with her hand-over-hand, and we were soon sufficiently near to
exchange signals, when we made out that she was the United States
brig-of-war the _Grampus_, in chase of a suspicious-looking craft to the
southward.
Exchanging a few courteous expressions with the American captain, who
stood on the weather side of the poop eyeing us with a look of envy, we
passed rapidly by him.
"If you make yon stranger a prize, I think we ought to go shares," he
said, laughing. "We sighted her first."
"You shall have the whole of her if you overhaul her first," answered
our captain.
"Then I calculate we may as well give in, for your legs are a tarnation
deal longer than ours, it seems."
The sun, which now shone forth for a brief space, glittered on the
bright copper of the brig as she lifted to the send of the sea, and the
foam flew over her bows and washed fore and aft along her dingy sides as
she tore through the water; but it would not do, the little _Gadfly_
laughed her to scorn, and, as we headed her, seemed impudently to kick
up her heels at her in contempt at her slow ways. We were not long in
coming up with the chase, nor in making out by the cut of her canvas,
her short yards, and heavy-looking hull, that she was no slaver. As
soon as we fired a gun, and hoisted our ensign and pennant, she hove-to,
and on sending a boat on board we found that she was the _Mary Jane_, of
Bristol, a steady-going old African trader. She had been carrying sail,
both because she was on her right course, and because she could not tell
but what the _Grampus_ might be a slaver or pirate, anxious to overhaul
her.
The master, who was a very civil old fellow, came on board, and gave us
some valuable suggestions. He had witnessed some of the horrors of the
middle passage, and was a strong advocate for the abolition of the
slave-trade.
"Africa will never improve while it exists, and it will exist as long as
people find it profitable, and the governments of the world either
encourage it or only take half measures to abolish it. I am sorry to
own, too, that people nearer home gain too much by it to withstand the
temptation of assisting those engaged in it, and I know for certain that
many English merchants have account-currents with slave-dealers, and
send their vessels out here full of goods expressly for them."
I afterwards found that what he said was perfectly true. After taking
some luncheon with us, he tumbled into his boat and stood on his course,
while we hauled our wind to return to the northward.
"We have not made our first prize yet, Rawson," said the captain, as I
took dinner with him in his cabin that day.
"No, sir; but I hope we soon shall," I replied. "Better luck next
time!"
As chance would have it, just after sunset we again fell in with the
_Grampus_, and passed close to her.
"You didn't find many woolly heads on board that 'ere craft, I
calculate?" said a voice from the main rigging, followed by a loud laugh
from several persons.
"No," I answered, indignantly, thinking of the conversation with the
master of the _Mary Jane_. "But there's a time coming when your people
will bitterly regret that woolly heads or slavery exists in your
country, and will wish that you long ago had done your best to abolish
it. Good night, gentlemen!"
There was no answer, and we rapidly flew by each other.
For two or three days we cruised about as unsuccessful as before, the
weather continuing fine; but the sky giving indubitable signs of the
approach of the stormy and rainy season, we beat back along shore to
pick up our boats. The wind had been veering about for some time, and
at length seemed to have made up its mind to enjoy a stiffish blow out
of the south-west. This, of course, would have kicked up a considerable
surf on the bar, and as Jenkins had orders, as soon as he saw signs of
such being the case, to come out and look out for us, we were in hourly
expectation of falling in with the boats. We had, however, seen nothing
of them, though we kept a very sharp look-out, and had almost got up to
the mouth of the river, when, in the afternoon watch, I bethought me
that by way of a change I would go aloft, and try if a fresh pair of
eyes would see farther than those of the man stationed there. I had
been up about five minutes, when my eye fell on the white canvas of a
largish vessel standing along shore under easy sail. She had a most
suspicious look; indeed, I felt convinced that she, at all events, was a
slaver. I was on deck in an instant, and, hurrying into the captain's
cabin with a look of triumph, though I tried to be perfectly calm and
unconcerned, I uttered the words, "A sail on the lee beam!"
"Very well, Mr Rawson. What does she look like?" said the captain.
"She's a large topsail schooner, sir, and she's without doubt a slaver,"
I answered quite calmly, as a matter of course.
"What, another of your slavers?" he answered. "I'm afraid they'll all
turn out Flying Dutchmen."
"Not this time, sir, I'm certain," I replied. "Shall we make sail in
chase?"
"Oh, certainly--certainly!" he replied. "I'll be on deck immediately
myself."
I flew on deck, and, without waiting for him, sang out, in a cheery
voice, to the boatswain, "Turn the hands up! Make sail!" The pipe
sounded along the decks with a shriller sound than usual, I thought, and
the news that a suspicious sail was in sight having already travelled
below, the men were all ready, and flew aloft before the last sound of
the order was given. The gear of the courses was overhauled whilst the
topgallant-sails and royals were being loosed, and in a few seconds all
plain sail was made on the brig. The stranger, who had not apparently
before seen us, was not long in following our example. He set his
foresail, topgallant-sail, and royal, gaff-topsail and flying-jib, in
addition to the canvas he had been before carrying, and, putting down
his helm, stood off-shore on a bowline, with the intention of crossing
our bows. The reason of his doing this was, that to the northward a
long and dangerous reef ran off from the shore, so that he had no other
means of escape. We had him, indeed, partly embayed, and yet, if he was
able to carry on, it was clear that he might still manage to get out
ahead of us. The _Gadfly_ sailed well, and carried her canvas
admirably, but so did the stranger; and, by the way every sail on board
her was set, it was evident he was in earnest in doing his best to
weather on us.
"What do you think of that fellow now, sir?" I said, as the captain
came on deck. "There's no mistaking what she is."
"Why, Rawson, I think you are right this time, at all events," was the
answer. "Stand by the royals, though. We must not carry the masts over
the side; and she will go along as fast without them."
I saw it was time, indeed, to take in our lighter canvas, for, as we
were obliged to haul more up, the masts were bending like whips, and the
green seas came washing in bodily to leeward, while the spray flew in
sheets over our weather bulwarks. The day wore on, and evening was fast
approaching, with every prospect of a dirty night; the wind was
increasing, and dark masses of clouds came rolling up from the
south-west, and flying over in the opposite quarter, though as they came
on faster than they disappeared, the sky overhead soon got pretty full
of them. The stranger, meantime, was carrying on in gallant style--not
an inch of anything did he slack. He seemed to think that it was neck
or nothing with him. It must be understood that while his course was
about west, and that nothing off that could he venture to go, we were
able to keep rather more away. There was no chance, however, of our
getting him under our guns before dark, when he, of course, would do his
best to double on us. It was an exciting time, and even the most
apathetic on board would not go below. We were longing to get near
enough to give her a shot or two with any probability of hitting her.
All this time the sea was getting up, and as she was evidently a sharp,
shallow vessel, this much impeded her progress. Instead of, as when we
first saw her, gliding gently through the waves, or putting them
gracefully aside with her bows, she now rose and fell as they passed
under her, and hammered away at them as she strove to make her onward
progress.
We caught one bright gleam of the sun on her copper as she lifted on the
top of a wave, just as the glowing orb of day sank into the water, and
in a few minutes darkness would cover the face of the deep. Now was to
come the tug of war, or rather, the trial of our patience. The moon had
not yet risen, although it soon would, but, in the meantime, she might
tack and stand away to the southward, or she might pass ahead of us.
"Try her with a shot, Mr Rawson," said the captain. "If we could hull
her, the fellow would heave-to."
"I would prefer knocking away some of her wings, and thus secure her,
rather than trust to such slippery gentry," I thought, as I elevated one
of the lee guns and fired.
The shot went over her or between her masts, for no damage was done. It
showed, however, that she was within range.
"Have another slap at her," said the captain. "But I do not think
there's much chance of hitting her with the sea we have on."
This time the gunner took aim, but with no better success. Another and
another shot was fired with the same want of result, and nothing seemed
in any way to daunt the chase. Darkness had now come on in earnest, and
we could just distinguish the schooner's sails through the gloom. A
number of sharp eyes were kept on her, though they at times almost lost
sight of her, and the dark clouds which hung overhead, to increase our
difficulties, every now and then sent down deluges of rain, which still
more impeded our prospect. After some time the captain, who had been
below, returned on deck.
"Whereabouts is the chase, Mr Rawson?" he asked.
"Right away under the lee cat-head," I answered, "She was there a moment
ago."
I looked again. She was nowhere to be seen. I flew to the binnacle; we
had not in any way altered our course.
"Provoking enough," observed the captain, coolly. "But I thought it
would be so."
I had nothing to say in return, but I did not despair of seeing her
again.
"She must have tacked," said the captain, "and hopes to get away to the
southward of us before the morning."
"I think not, sir," I answered. "I suspect she'll hold her course; for,
when last seen, she was drawing near us, and she hopes to pass ahead of
us in the dark; but if we can but get a gleam of moonlight to show us
her whereabouts, we may yet clip her wings for her before she gets away
from us."
Almost as I was speaking, the moon rose above the waters undimmed by a
cloud, its pale light revealing the schooner just where I expected her
to be. A cheer burst from the lips of many of the anxious watchers.
"Now or never is the time to knock some of her spars away!" I thought,
"Shall we give her another shot, sir?" I asked of the captain.
"Yes; you may give her a broadside, Mr Rawson, and slap it into the
fellow's hull. He deserves no mercy at our hands. But stay; we might
run the chance of killing some of the unfortunate blacks who may be
below."
Going round to the guns, I elevated them as much as possible, and told
the captains to try and hit her masts. The order was given to fire as
each gun could be brought to bear. No easy task, let me observe, for so
much did the brig heel over, that the men in the waist were up to their
knees nearly all the time in water. It was a night to try the mettle of
fellows, and none could behave better than did outs. The wind howled
and whistled as it rushed through the rigging, the waves roared and
splashed as we dashed through them, and threw their white crests over
us, the masts seemed to bend, and the hull to utter unusual groans of
complaint as we tasked her powers to the utmost. Darkness was around
us, an enemy at hand, and a dangerous short, under our lee; but all
hands laughed and joked with the most perfect unconcern. Again the moon
was obscured, and on we tore through the foaming waters. There was no
use in firing, for no aim could then be taken. Once more the clouds
cleared away, and the moonbeams shone on the hull and sails of the
schooner with all her canvas set, just about to cross our fore foot.
"Now's your time, my men!" I sang out, as I sprung forward, luffing up
at the same time, so as to get our broadside to bear on her.
The foremost gun was the first fired, followed by the others in
succession. Nothing daunted, the fellow was holding on, his
jib-halyards alone having been carried away, and the jib was slashing
about under his bows.
"By Jupiter! he'll weather on us now, if we don't take care and slip
away in the wind's eye," I exclaimed.
The captain thought so too; and again ordering me to fire right at her
hull, a yaw was given, and gun after gun as they were brought to bear
was poured into the slaver. The effects of the shot made her fly up
into the wind. Several of her braces and halyards were cut away, and,
she now nearly a wreck, we in a few minutes were close aboard her.
"Hands, shorten sail." In three seconds Her Majesty's brig was under
topsails, hove-to alongside her prize.
"Mr Rawson," said the captain, addressing me, "there will be some
difficulty in boarding that vessel, and I wish that you would go in the
gig and take possession of her. She is our first prize, remember, and
it would not do to let her slip through our fingers."
"Ay, ay, sir. Gig's crew away, then?" I sung out, as I stepped to the
binnacle to take the bearings of the schooner from us. Luckily I did
so, for we could only then just distinguish her, and a dark mass of
clouds driving across the moon shut her out completely from our sight.
"Bear a hand there, and lower away the gig!" I sung out, for I was
anxious to shove off before the brig entirely lost her way through the
water.
It was not particularly pleasant work in the heavy sea there was running
having to grope about in the dark for a craft manned probably by
desperadoes, who would be too happy to cut our throats if they had the
opportunity. I had a brace of pistols, and a few cutlasses had been
thrown into the boat. Thus prepared we cast off, and the men bent
bravely to their oars as the boat topped the heavy seas over which we
had to pass. The brig showed a light for us to steer by, but the
schooner was in no way so civil. On we pulled, however, in the hope of
hitting her, but though we had gone over fully the distance I calculated
she must have been from us, yet nothing of her could we see. I was
almost in despair, and as while looking for her I could not attend
carefully to the boat's steering we shipped two or three heavy seas,
which almost swamped her, and we had to bale them out as fast as we
could. For some time the men lay on their oars, just keeping the boat's
head to the seas while we looked round for the chase.
"She has gone! The rascal took the opportunity of the last shower to
sneak off," I thought. "Pleasant. But patience; c'est la fortune de la
guerre."
Disconsolate enough I was steering back for the faint glimmer of light
which I believed proceeded from the lantern on board the _Gadfly_, when
I fancied I heard the loud flapping of a sail near us. I looked
earnestly into the darkness.
"There she is, sir," sung out the coxswain.
"You're right. Give way, my boys," I cried; and in a few minutes we
were alongside the schooner.
Not a rope was thrown to us, nor was any assistance offered, so we had
to scramble on board as best we could. It was fortunate that we met
with no resistance, from which we afterwards found we had had a narrow
escape, when all our lives would have been sacrificed. As we leaped
down on board over the bulwarks we found only one man on deck, on the
after-part of which he was walking by himself, evidently in a furious
rage, by the manner in which he cursed and gesticulated. As the light
of the lantern fell on his countenance I thought I had never seen one
with a more diabolical expression. He was a little man, slightly built,
with dark weather-beaten, and sharp features, excessively ugly. His
eyes were small, but black as jet, and I fancied that I could see them
twinkling even in the dark. The crew had all been sent below, but we
soon roused them up, twenty in number; fierce, cut-throat-looking
villains most of them were. The between-decks we found crowded with
slaves; and we found, when we came to count them, that there were three
hundred men, women, and children, so closely packed that they could not
lie down even to rest. They had suffered dreadfully during the chase,
with the fright and heat, and from having the hatches battened down.
Our first business was to shorten sail, which we made the Spaniards and
Portuguese who formed the crew go aloft to do; and we then edged the
schooner down to where the brig was, and lay-to close to her.
The master of the slaver, when at length he became convinced that there
was no help for what had occurred, grew more calm, and he then told me
that everything he had in the world was embarked on board that craft,
that he had set his canvas and made every sheet and tack fast, when,
sending all his people below, the hatches being battened down, he
himself had taken the helm, determined to weather us or to run his
vessel under water.
"I should have escaped, too," he continued, "if your cursed shot had not
carried away my topsails while all the hands were below. A quarter of
an hour more and you might have looked for me in vain."
I did not tell him how nearly we were missing him after all; indeed I
had enough to do to watch him and his crew, and to see that they did not
play us any trick. All the men I confined in the fore peak, after
securing all the arms I could find, while I allowed him to turn into his
own berth, where he slept, or pretended to sleep. I never passed a more
anxious night, what with the stench and the groans of the wretched
slaves, and the risk of a crew of desperadoes rising on us. We kept,
however, as close to the _Gadfly_ as we could, and hailed every time the
bell was struck, to say all was right. Towards morning the wind
moderated and the sea went down, and at daylight a prize crew came on
board to set the schooner to rights. This we were not long in doing, as
her damages were slight, and such as, had the slaver's people been more
determined, they might without difficulty have repaired. There was by
that time merely a light breeze, and as soon as we got the canvas on the
schooner we found that we could sail round and round the brig, so that
it was fortunate we had managed to wing her before the sea went down, or
we should have had no chance with her.
While the slave captain was still asleep, and the rest of his crew were
below, one of the fellows shoved his head up the fore hatchway, and
asked to speak with me. I told him to come aft, and I recognised him as
a Portuguese whom I had taken once before in the West Indies. With an
affrighted look he glanced towards the round-house on deck, where the
captain was sleeping, and motioned me to come as far from it as
possible.
"I have run every risk, senhor, to come and warn you of danger, in the
hope that you will be lenient to us," he began. "That man in there,
senhor, is the very devil. Don't you recollect him? You took him in
the _Andorinha_, off the Havannah. He was really her master, though he
pretended to be the mate."
It had struck me from the first that I had seen the fellow's face
before, but I could not recollect where.
"Yes, I remember him," I replied. "But what of that?"
"Why, senhor, you know what a desperate fellow he was then, and he has
not altered. Even last night, when we rounded to to prevent your
sinking us, he called us all aft, and asking us if we would stick by
him, proposed heaving some shot into your gig as you came alongside,
knocking you and your people on the head, and while your vessel was
looking about to pick up the sinking boat, in the dark to try and slip
away from you. He was in a furious rage when we would not consent.
Some were afraid of the plan miscarrying, and of being caught
notwithstanding, and hung for murder. Others were unwilling to kill
you, as you never ill-treat your prisoners, of which number pray rank
me, and while he was still urging his project you jumped on board. You
had a narrow escape though, senhor, for he was nearly pistolling you as
you appeared, to set us the example."
So I felt, especially when I saw the diabolical-looking little villain
soon after appear on deck. I promised the informer that I would not
forget him, and would be on my guard, though I did not give him any
credit for disinterested motives in mentioning what had occurred. I had
no difficulty by daylight in recognising my friend the captain, nor
shall I again forget his ugly mug in a hurry. He also saw that he was
known, and had the impudence to claim me as an old acquaintance.
Everything being put to rights on board the schooner, I handed her over
to a mate and the crew, who were to take her to Sierra Leone. Before
leaving her, however, I had all the slaves up on deck, a third at a
time, and had them washed and cleaned, as also the hold, as well as
circumstances would allow. A great number of the poor wretches died
before they reached their port; not on account of bad weather, or the
length of the voyage, but from their having been a long time confined in
the barracoons previously to their being embarked. The little captain
and most of his crew, however, we sent on board the _Gadfly_, as it
would not have been prudent to trust him in the schooner.
With a flowing sheet our first prize stood away for Sierra Leone, and
three hearty cheers accompanied her on her course.
"We've not made a bad night's work of it, master," said I, as I sat down
to breakfast with him.
"No," he answered, "if the prize ever reaches her port."
"Why should you think she will not?" I asked.
"It's better not to be too sanguine. There's many a slip between the
cup and the lip," was the reply.
"Too true an adage," I felt. "I'm sure I've found it so in my course
through life."
We, meantime, stood in-shore to look for our boats. The night closed in
without our meeting with them, till at length we became seriously
alarmed for their safety. The next day, when just off the mouth of the
Sherbro, two black objects were descried from the mast-head. We made
towards them, and with no little satisfaction welcomed our shipmates on
board. They had had hard work of it, with damp fogs or rain nearly half
the time, and without having enjoyed any other shelter than such as the
boats and a sail could afford. Poor Jenkins was ill with fever, as were
several of the people, and they were for some time on the doctor's list.
We now shaped a course for Sierra Leone, to assist in the condemnation
of our prize. We found her arrived there safe enough, and having been
taken with slaves on board, there was no doubt of her capture being
legal. We were not sorry to get rid of the little slave captain and his
crew. He kept up his character to the last, and I never met a man so
energetic and daring in doing evil. Before we left we discovered that
he was trying to induce some other slave captains and their crews to
join with him in cutting out a condemned slaver which lay in the
harbour; but it appeared that they considered the risk of the
undertaking too great to attempt it. He formed afterwards several other
similar projects, and was finally shipped off to the Havannah as too
dangerous a character to remain in the colony.
We afterwards captured a number of slavers, but none of them afforded us
so much interest and gratification as the taking of our first prize.
Story 7--Chapter 1.