OUR LIFE ON BOARD THE PIRATE SHIP--WE TEND THE WOUNDED--DISCUSS PLANS
FOR ESCAPING--LAND IN SIGHT--ENTER THE RIVER--AT ANCHOR--PREPARATIONS
FOR RECEIVING SLAVES ON BOARD--WOUNDED MEN LANDED--WE ACCOMPANY THEM--
TOM AGREES TO TRY AND ESCAPE WITH US--COMFORTABLY LODGED--SLAVE
BARRACOONS--A VISIT ON BOARD TO SEE TOM--OBTAIN ARMS AND ESCAPE FROM THE
VILLAGE--OUR FLIGHT--REACH A RIVER--FALL IN WITH FRENCH TRADERS--KINDLY
TREATED--INTENDED TREACHERY OF OUR PIRATE COMPANIONS--DEFEATED BY THE
FRENCHMEN--SURPRISED BY A BAND OF SAVAGES--A FEARFUL MASSACRE--SAVED BY
THE MATE OF THE "VULTURE"--AGAIN MADE PRISONERS.
We were treated with more leniency than we could have expected on board
the "Vulture," in consequence, I believe, of our having attended to the
wounded.
"We have no doctor on board, and you and your friends may look after
those fellows, and try to patch them up," said the pirate captain to me
the day after the action. "I cannot spare the boatswain, as he is
wanted to do duty as a seaman. Remember that I might have clapped you
down in the cable-tier, or, had I chosen, made you walk the plank, as
many have done before; but I don't want to have the deaths of more men
than I can help at my door, even though I run the risk of losing my life
in consequence of my leniency."
"We will continue to look after the wounded as long as we are able," I
answered. I thought it prudent not to expend any thanks on him, for
which he would not have cared, nor to show any very great satisfaction
at being left at liberty, as he might have suspected that we were
contemplating plans for our escape, nor would he have been far off the
truth. Harry and I, when we were certain that no one was listening, had
discussed the matter, intending to let Tom Tubbs into our plan, and
invite him to join us. At present, however, we had no means of holding
communication with him. He was sent forward, while we remained either
on the quarter-deck, or in a sort of cockpit to which the wounded had
been carried. It was a dark, close place, its only advantage being that
it was out of the way of shot in action. In the course of a few hours,
death removed all but six of our patients and Harry and I had enough to
do to attend to them. They were groaning and complaining all day long,
and constantly calling out for liquor, though, when we supplied them
with water instead, they drank it greedily, sometimes fancying that it
was what they had asked for. We kept them constantly supplied with
liquid, which, although often hot and tepid, appeared like nectar to
their fevered lips. No one interfered with us. How the poor fellows
would have fared had they been left to themselves I know not, but I
suspect that they would have been allowed to suffer with very little
commiseration felt for them. Still all this time our position was far
from comfortable. I was doubtful how Captain Roderick might treat
Harry. I had no doubt that he knew who he was, though he had never
addressed him by name; indeed, after having spoken to us about the
wounded men, he took no further notice of us, allowing us to take our
food in the cockpit, and to sleep in a couple of hammocks which were
slung there, which had belonged to two of the men who had been killed.
We had to do everything for ourselves, the seamen being either surly to
us or rude. Harry and I separately, on two different occasions,
endeavoured to speak to Tubbs, but a man immediately stepped up and
asked us what we wanted, he having, I suppose, been directed by the
Captain to watch us and Tubbs, to see that we held no communication,
while Growler--for so we found that the captain's dog was called--came
snuffing and growling round and round us, ready to fall to and tear us
to pieces at the word of command. We fortunately had fine weather as we
continued our voyage towards the Bight of Biafara, for which we were
bound. All this time we did not lose the hope of falling in with a
British man-of-war by which we might be rescued. Day after day passed
by, but not a sail hove in sight. That Captain Roderick thought such
might be the case seemed probable, as he was constantly on the watch,
and exercising his men both at the guns, and with small arms and
cutlasses; and I felt certain that, sooner than surrender, he would
fight to the last, and then blow up the ship. It appeared to me that he
had become more desperate than he had been when he last paid a visit to
Liverpool. Indeed, he must have known that he could never again show
his face there, should either Harry or I, or Captain Magor, or the
boatswain, find our way back. Probably, however, he counted on our
never doing so. It was not a pleasant feeling to know that he might
consider his interest advanced by effectually preventing us from again
seeing our native land. The wounded men made fair progress towards
recovery under our care, but when not attending them, Harry and I found
time hang very heavily on our hands. We had no books, and were afraid
of conversing except on indifferent subjects, for fear of being
overheard. Even the men we were attending might betray us should we say
anything at which the captain might take offence. Our life was
therefore, as may be supposed, anything but a pleasant one. We went on
deck occasionally very early in the morning or after sunset, when the
shades of night prevented our being observed, and generally managed to
get a few turns together to stretch our legs and breathe the fresh air;
for had we always remained in the close hold, do not suppose that we
could have retained our health. Our thief amusement was endeavouring to
win our way into the good graces of Growler, and gradually we succeeded
in doing so, though we of course took good care not to let it be seen
that we were on friendly terms with him. We were very thankful when at
length, early one morning, we heard the cry from the look-out at the
masthead--
"Land, oh!"
Both Harry and I felt a strong impulse to run aloft and have a look at
it, but this we dared not do. It was some time, therefore, before we
saw the shore from the deck. We could then make out a line of
mangrove-trees, with blue hills rising to a considerable height in the
distance. The mangrove-trees marked the entrance of the river up which
we were bound. We stood on until within about four miles of the shore,
when it fell a dead calm. There the brig lay, rolling her sides in the
smooth burnished water on which she floated. We could now perceive,
projecting from among the mangrove bushes, a long spit of white sand,
from which to the opposite shore ran a line of foam, marking the bar
which we had to cross. The heat was intense, making the pitch bubble up
between the seams of the deck, while down below the air was horribly
stifling. It seemed surprising that the poor wounded fellows could live
in it; but they had got accustomed to a close atmosphere, I suppose, and
were, at all events, saved from feeling the direct rays of the sun. The
whites of the crew sought shelter wherever a particle of shade existed,
although the black and brown men, of whom there were several, appeared
indifferent to the heat--the black cook and his mate actually sitting on
the top of the caboose and smoking their pipes, with the advantage of a
fire beneath them. I expected to see them begin to broil, but they were
evidently enjoying themselves. Thus it lasted for a couple of hours,
until the sea-breeze set in, when all sail was instantly made, and the
ship was headed up for the bar. The breeze increased. As we got nearer
we caught sight of a canoe and half a dozen black fellows coming off to
assist us. We accordingly hove to, that they might be able to get up
the side, when a huge fellow in a broad-brimmed straw hat and a pair of
trousers with pink stripes came on deck, and walking up to the captain,
shook hands with him as with an old friend.
"Ah, massa cap'n, glad to see you 'gain. You take plent slavy--him dare
all ready;" and he pointed up the river.
"All right, Master Pogo. Take care that you don't put my ship ashore
though, as you did Captain Watman's. I wonder he did not shoot you
through the head for your carelessness. I wouldn't scruple to do so,
let me tell you."
Pogo grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "Me take good care, cap'n," he
answered; and stepping up to the break of the poop, he took his post
there that he might con the vessel. He looked around him and then
surveyed the shore.
"Starboard a little," he sung out. "Now steady, dat will do. Now we go
in like shot," he added, turning to the captain, who significantly
touched the butt of one of the pistols in his belt.
As the line of surf was approached, Pogo became more energetic in his
actions. He shouted to the crew, "Stand by the braces, tacks, and
sheets!" The wind began to fail, and he knew well that a puff coming
down the river might take the ship aback, and drive her on shore before
there was time to drop an anchor. For an instant her sails fluttered.
He began to dance about and wring his hands, looking at the captain's
belt as if he expected every moment to see the pistol sticking in it
pointed at his head; but happily for him the sails again filled, and the
breeze increasing, the ship, after pitching three or four times, glided
on into smooth water. We were now free of all danger for the present.
There was nothing very attractive in the appearance of the river. As
far as the eye could reach, we could distinguish only mangrove bushes
rising apparently out of the water itself. Except a hut or two at the
inner end of the sandy point I have described, not a human habitation
was to be perceived, and scarcely a canoe dotted the broad expanse of
the river as we glided up it, stemming the current with the strong
sea-breeze which had now set in. As we got higher up, an occasional
opening in the mangrove bushes showed us a more attractive looking
country, with cocoa-nut, fig, and other trees, and native huts nestled
beneath them; but it was not until we had got about twenty miles from
the mouth of the river that any sign of a numerous population appeared.
At length we prepared to come to an anchor off a village from which a
wooden stage projected into the river. Beyond it were several long
sheds of considerable extent, which were ere long discovered to be
barracoons or sheds for the reception of slaves brought down from the
interior to be embarked. The anchor was dropped, the sails were furled.
What now was to be our fate? The captain had interfered so little with
us, that we hoped he would allow us to go on shore, and that we might be
able from thence to make our way down the river, and get on board a
lawful trader or man-of-war. I proposed to Harry that I should at once
ask him. Just as I was about to do so, I heard him order the wounded
men to be brought up and placed in a boat alongside. I thought that now
was a good opportunity, "I am afraid, sir, that these men are scarcely
in a fit state to be removed; unless they have some one to look after
them, they are very likely to lose their lives."
"You may accompany them," he said, "but remember that you do not go
beyond the village, or you will stand a chance of being knocked on the
head. The blacks are not very fond of strange white men hereabouts."
Of course Harry and I did not consider ourselves bound to follow his
directions in this instance, nor had we given any promise to do so.
Before we left the ship, we found that the crew were preparing her for
the reception of slaves. Some were hoisting up her cargo and placing it
either on deck or in the after-cabin ready for trade, and others were
fixing in a slave-deck fore and aft, while casks of water and bags of
farina were being brought on board in large quantities. I was thankful
to see Tom Tubbs in the boat which was to convey the wounded men on
shore. He gave us a wink as we went down the side, and I saw that he
took the stroke oar, so that he would have an opportunity of speaking to
us. The ship was some distance off the bank, for there was not
sufficient depth of water to enable her to come nearer. It took us,
therefore, nearly ten minutes to reach the spot. "I'll lend a hand to
carry one of these poor fellows," observed Tom, giving me a meaning look
as he pulled away. "I suppose Mr Bracewell will help us?"
I turned to Harry, and of course he said "yes." Two of the men were
able to walk, but the other three were still too weak to help
themselves. The crew of the boat, therefore, took two of the latter up
on their shoulders, and Tubbs, Harry, and I lifted the third. Harry
carried the man's feet; Tubbs and I supported him by our arms and
shoulders.
"We shall be here for more than a week, I suspect," said Tubbs as we
walked along. "I must come on shore to see how these poor fellows are
getting on, and may be you may fancy a walk into the country, either up
the river or down the river, as you wish."
The habitation selected for the accommodation of the wounded was far
superior to what I expected to find. It was, indeed, the house of a
white slave-dealer and general trader, who, with his clerks, was now
away, and Captain Roderick had thought fit to take possession of it. A
large airy room in which eight hammocks were slung, afforded quarters
for our five patients and to Harry and me.
"I wish that you could occupy the other," I said to Tubbs; "we should be
glad to have your assistance. Couldn't you ask the captain's leave, and
say that we want you to help us to look after the wounded?"
The boatswain shook his head. "Not much chance of his granting it; he
would suspect that there was something in the wind; but I'll keep my
weather eye open, and if I have a chance I'll come on shore. If you
determine to try and make your escape, it must be just before the
`Vulture' sails, or the captain will be sending to look for you," he
whispered. "Good-bye, gentlemen," he added aloud; "glad to see you on
board again."
We found a couple of blacks in the house--an old man and a woman,
servants of the owner--to look after it. They appeared well disposed,
and brought us food and everything we required for ourselves and the
wounded men. The latter--ruffians as they may have been--were very
grateful to us, and one and all declared that they would not have
received such attention from their own shipmates.
"I should think you must be pretty well sick of the life you have been
leading," I ventured to say in a low voice to one of them, who appeared
to be of a better disposition than the rest. "That indeed I am, sir,"
he answered, the tears coming into his eyes. "I'd leave it to-morrow if
I could, for I know a sudden death or a bowline-knot will be my lot some
day or other."
"What do your wounded shipmates think about the subject?" I asked.
"I cannot say positively; but my idea is that they would be glad enough
to get free if they had the chance," was the answer.
I did not venture to make any remark in return, but the thought then
occurred to me that we might possibly all escape together. If we could
procure arms, we should form a pretty strong party, and might fight our
way in any direction in which it might be advisable to go. The French
had a settlement on that part of the coast, so had the Portuguese
further south; but the English had none except a long way to the north.
Still, as ships of war and traders occasionally appeared off the coast,
could we once reach it, we might make signals and be taken on board. I
do not mean to say that Harry or I had much hope of thus escaping, still
it was possible, and that assisted to keep up our spirits.
Captain Trunnion appeared much disappointed at not finding the number of
slaves he had expected in the barracoons, as it would compel him to wait
until they could be obtained from the interior, and his crew he knew
were as liable to coast fever as that of any other vessel.
Next to the house in which we lived was a large store where the cargo of
the "Vulture" was stored when landed. At a short distance off were
several barracoons. I may as well describe one of them. It was a shed
composed of heavy piles driven deep into the earth, lashed together with
bamboos, and thatched with palm-leaves. Down the centre was another row
of piles, along which was a chain. In this, at intervals of about every
two feet, was a large neck-link, which, being placed round the necks of
the slaves, was padlocked. When I looked in, the barracoon contained
only about twenty slaves. Some of them were fine athletic looking men,
and were shackled three together, the strongest being placed between two
others, and heavily ironed. The walls of the building were about six
feet in height, and between them and the roof was an opening of about
four feet to allow the free circulation of air. The floor was planked,
not, as I found, from any regard for the comfort of the slaves, but
because a small insect, a species of chigoe, which is in the soil, might
get into the flesh of the poor creatures, and produce a disease which
might ultimately kill them. Half a dozen armed men, two being
mulattoes, the others blacks, were guarding the barracoon and watching
the slaves, so that any attempt to free themselves from their irons was
impossible. These slaves were the property of a dealer with whom the
captain now commenced bargaining. As there was time to spare, he chose
to select each one separately, lest any sick or injured people might be
forced upon him, as is often the case where slaves are shipped in a
hurry. He and the trader stood at a dignified distance, while their
subordinates carried on the active part of the business, a half naked
black acting for the trader, while the captain was represented by a
mulatto, who felt the arms and legs of each man, and struck him on the
chest and back to ascertain that he was sound in wind, before he
consented to pay over his price in goods. Another slave was then
summoned, and, if found satisfactory, passed at a fixed price; but
otherwise, a less sum was offered, or the slave was sent back to await
the arrival of some other slaver likely to be less particular. Women
and children were treated in the same way, but there were comparatively
few of them in the lot now offered for sale.
I had to return on board the "Vulture" to obtain some medicines for our
wounded men, and also to get some articles belonging to Harry and myself
which we had left on board. Great alterations had taken place in the
fitting of the ship between decks. Huge casks called _leaguers_ had
been placed in the hold; in these were stowed the provisions, wood for
fuel, and other stores; above them was fitted a slave-deck, between
which and the upper deck there was a space of about four feet. On this
the slaves were to sit with shackles on their feet, and secured to iron
bars running from side to side. They were divided in gangs, about a
dozen in each, over which was a head man, who arranged the place each
slave was to occupy. The largest slaves were made to sit down
amidships, or the furthest from the ship's side, or from any position in
which their strength could avail them to secure a larger space than
their neighbours. As I was to see more of the system, I need not now
describe it. On my return on shore, I looked into the barracoon hired
by Captain Trunnion, in which I saw from forty to fifty slaves
assembled, and even more heavily ironed and secured than they had been
before. They were mostly sitting with their heads between their knees,
bowed down with blank despair. Having seen the ship which was to convey
them from their native land to a region they knew nothing of, and
observed the savage countenances of the men who were to be their masters
during the voyage, all hope of escape had fled. Every day after this,
fresh batches of slaves arrived, their hands secured behind their backs,
and walking in a long line fastened together by a rope, strictly guarded
by blacks with muskets in their hands and swords by their sides, with
which they occasionally gave a prod to any of the laggards. The
wretched beings were marched, in the first instance, to the trader's
barracoons, where they could be sorted and regain some of their
strength. Harry and I were paying all the attention we could to the
wounded men, who, enjoying the advantage of fresh provisions, were
quickly recovering their health. Caspar Caper, the man who seemed to be
the most grateful to Harry and me, was quite himself again, and was
certainly fit to return on board, but he begged hard that we would not
inform the captain.
"If I had my will, sir, I'd never go back to that craft; nor would you
if you knew the dreadful deeds which have been done on board her or by
her crew."
"I have no wish to go back, you may be sure of that," I answered; "but
what do your companions say?"
"Well, sir, three of them are pretty well agreed with me; but there is
one, Herman Jansen, the Dutchman, who has a fancy for the buccaneering
life we have led, and I don't like to trust him."
This showed me that the man to whom I was speaking, Caspar Caper, had
thought the subject over, and was himself fully prepared to try and
escape from the pirates. I told him to speak to his shipmates while
Harry and I were out of the way, and not to say that we entertained the
idea, but simply to state his belief that we would accompany them if
they made up their minds to run off from the slave village. Before
doing anything, I was very anxious to see Tubbs; but he was so busily
employed on board that he could not manage to come on shore. It was
very probable, I thought, that the captain would not give him leave, and
that he must come at night if he came at all. I thought again of all
sorts of excuses for visiting the ship, although I feared, if I did so,
that I might be detained on board. Several days passed; the "Vulture"
was ready for sea, but a sufficient number of slaves to form her cargo
had not yet arrived; others, however, were coming in, sometimes twenty
or thirty at a time. It would not take more than a couple of hours to
stow them all away on board. Although by this time all the wounded men
had recovered, they pretended to be too weak to get out of their cots.
Once or twice the captain looked in to see how they were getting on,
when they all groaned and spoke in feeble tones, as if they were very
little better.
"I can't say much for your doctoring, young sirs," he observed, turning
to Harry and me. "I believe if you had left the men alone they would
have got well of themselves. I never have had a surgeon on board my
ship, and never intend to have one. Nature is the best surgeon, and if
she can't cure a man he must die."
"I don't know what you would say if you were wounded, captain, and there
was no one to extract the ball," observed Harry.
"I should have to take my chance with the rest," answered the captain in
a tone which showed, however, that he did not like the remark. "But,
whether cured or not, these fellows must come on board and try and do
their duty," he exclaimed as he left the house.
"I must get some stronger medicines then," I said, the thought suddenly
striking me that this would be the best excuse for visiting the ship;
for although the captain spoke in the way he did, he had a
medicine-chest on board well stored with drugs, with a book of
directions for their use.
"I thought that you before took enough physic on shore to cure a dozen
fellows," he remarked.
"And so I did, sir, but I remember seeing on the last visit a mixture,
the name of which I forget, for restoring strength to people who have
been brought down, and that's just what these men want."
I spoke the truth in regard to the drugs, the only question was how much
the men required of them. As the captain did not forbid me, as soon as
he was out of sight I hurried down to the beach, and got a black fellow
to paddle me on board in his canoe. I soon found a big bottle, and made
up the mixture according to the recipe, which I took good care to keep
in my hand, so that anybody could see what I had been about. I looked
round for Tubbs, and when I returned on deck, much to my satisfaction I
found him working at the mizen rigging with no one else near. I
hastened up to him, and in a low voice said--
"The rest are ready. Will you come to-night or to-morrow night?
although I fear if we put it off till to-morrow you may be too late. We
will, however, wait for you if you will come."
"Yes," he answered, "wait! I will be on shore an hour before midnight.
By that time the black fellows will have turned in. Tell the negro who
brought you off that there will be a couple of doubloons for him if he
comes alongside at the hour I name. If he fails me, I must swim on
shore, although there is a risk of being snapt up by a shark or a stray
crocodile. However, I may find another chance before that of getting on
shore. Now you'd better be off, for it won't do for you to be seen
lingering about talking with me."
I followed his advice, and got into the canoe. As the black paddled me
on shore, I asked him if he would like to obtain a doubloon. I knew
very well what would be his answer. Being a discreet personage, he
asked no further questions, but promised to be alongside at the hour I
named.
On landing, I hurried to the house, which was some way up the beach, and
told Harry of the arrangements I had made. I then explained more
clearly to Caspar Caper than I had hitherto done the plan Harry and I
proposed, which was to direct our course to the southward, and then to
strike directly for the coast, where we might hope to be taken off, or
to find a canoe or craft of some sort, in which to make our way to one
of the European settlements. The means of subsistence we hoped to find
in the forest if we could obtain firearms. As I had been going about
the house one day, I had seen a couple of fowling-pieces, with
powder-horns and shot-belts, hanging against the wall Harry doubted
whether we had a right to take them; but necessity has no law, and in
this case we came to the conclusion that we were justified in taking
possession of them. Our associates had no scruples on the subject
Caspar fully agreed to carry out the plan we proposed, and now told us
that his shipmates were perfectly ready to escape, and try for the
future to lead peaceable lives. We did not inquire too minutely into
their motives, but I suspected that these arose not so much from their
hatred of piracy, as from being compelled constantly to fight with the
fear of a rope's end before their eyes. I told the two old blacks that
the wounded men required as much food as they could obtain, and they
brought us an abundant supply. We accordingly had a hearty supper, but
we were to make a scurvy return to them for their kindness. As soon as
it was dark, the men got up and dressed themselves. Harry and I groped
our way to the room where we had seen the fowling-pieces, which, with
the ammunition, were at once secured.
"There's more to be found in the house than those things," observed
Jansen. "We shall want a fresh rig out. What say you, mates? Besides
which, if old Dobbo and his wife hear us moving about, they will give
the alarm, so we must settle them first." Saying this, he took up the
lamp, and, followed by the rest, quitted the room, leaving Harry and me
in darkness. Soon afterwards we heard a slight scream, then all was
silent. We waited a quarter of an hour or more. The time was
approaching when we expected to see Tubbs. Presently we heard a knock
at the shutter of the room. Of course there was no glass. I opened it,
and Tubbs sprang in. We knew him by his figure, though there was not
light sufficient to see his countenance.
"Are you alone?" he whispered.
"Yes," answered Harry; "the others have gone to see what they can find
in the house likely to be useful on the journey. We secured some
fowling-pieces; we could not defend our lives without them."
"And I have brought off a brace of pistols and a hanger," said the
boatswain.
"We shall do very well then; but I almost wish that we had attempted to
escape without those other fellows--they are likely to bring us into
trouble by their lawless ways," said Harry.
This was indeed too probable. While we were speaking they returned.
They had sense enough to suppress their voices, and as Caspar, who
carried the light, entered, I saw that they were all rigged out in the
trader's clothes, which they had appropriated. One had got a musket,
another a sword, and others richly ornamented pistols, while the legs of
another were encased in high boots, and he had on a handsomely
embroidered coat, used by the owner on grand occasions.
"The old people will not follow us or give the alarm," said Jansen. "We
have gagged and bound them, for we heard them moving about in the next
room, and if we hadn't been quick about it they would have given the
alarm, and the whole village would soon have been awake."
The men had not returned empty handed. Some had brought in a further
supply of provisions which they had found in the house, and several
articles they had picked up.
Having made a hearty supper, "Now, my lads," I said, "it is time to
start. The people in the village must be fast asleep, and the further
off we get, the better chance we shall have of keeping ahead of our
pursuers. One of us must act as leader. Who will do so?"
The men at once unanimously chose Tom Tubbs. Harry and I were glad of
this, as we felt sure that he was the best person for the post. "Well,
my lads, if you will obey me, I'll do what I can to lead you well," he
said. "Now, the first thing I have to charge you is to keep silence.
Follow me!" He noiselessly opened the door and looked carefully about.
Neither seeing nor hearing any one, he gave as the signal to move on.
Harry and I went next, and the other men followed in single file. They
knew that the slightest noise would betray them. For what they could
tell, the captain himself might be on shore; and should we be caught, he
would certainly visit us with severe punishment. We treaded our way
silently through the village, keeping at a distance from the barracoons,
the guards at which would otherwise have discovered us. The country was
sufficiently open to enable us to see the stars overhead, by which we
guided our course to the southward. When we approached any huts, we
turned aside, taking care not to go through any plantations, where, by
breaking down the stalks, we should leave traces of our passage.
After going some distance we stopped to listen. We could hear two or
three dogs barking, one replying to the other, but no human voices.
This made us hope, at all events, that we were not discovered. Again we
went on at a pretty quick rate, considering that five of our party had
not been on their feet for several weeks. At last the men called a
halt. "We had better not stop yet, lads," said Tom Tubbs; "we must put
a good many miles between us and the village before we are safe. Your
skipper is not the man to let any of his crew get away without an effort
to bring them back."
A short time, however, served to restore our companion's strength, and
we once more set off as fast as our legs could carry us, breaking into a
run whenever the ground was sufficiently level for the purpose. We had
made good, I calculated, fully twenty miles when morning broke. It was
a distance, I hoped, which would prevent the pirates from successfully
pursuing us, but it would not do to rest here, for as soon as it was
discovered that we had fled, Captain Roderick would be informed of it,
and he would certainly tend a party after us.
"If he does, I hope that he'll send some of his white crew, for they'll
soon get tired and give up the chase," observed Harry.
"I am afraid, sir, he won't trust them," remarked Tubbs; "he'll get a
band of black fellows, who will keep on through the heat of day. I
would advise that we should go forward during the cool of the morning,
and try and find a place to conceal ourselves."
To this proposal Harry and I agreed, so did our other companions, though
they would have preferred resting where they were. After a short halt
by the side of a stream to take some food and quench our thirst, we
again pushed on, the vegetation in many places being so dense that it
was not without difficulty that we could force our way through it. The
worst of this was, that while we were thus delayed we should form a road
for our pursuers. However, that was not to be avoided should they get
upon our track.
We had made good nearly a dozen miles, I should think, when we came upon
a broad river, flowing, as we supposed, into the sea.
"If we can find a canoe, or a craft of some sort, we may easily reach
the coast, and save ourselves a good deal of fatigue," observed Tubbs.
The rest of the men, who were pretty well knocked up, seemed highly
pleased at the proposal. Instead of attempting to cross the stream, we
proceeded down it. Harry suggested that we should form a raft if we
could not find a canoe, and should a party be sent in pursuit, they
would thus be puzzled to know what had become of us. I proposed that,
before commencing out voyage down the stream, we should cross to the
opposite bank, and there trample down the grass, and make other marks as
if we had continued our course to the southward. We had not gone far
when we saw a smoke ascending from amid trees on the banks of the river.
"Some native traders or white men are encamped there," observed Tubbs.
"They are probably proceeding up the river, and will tell us what sort
of people we are likely to meet with on the passage down. If they are
traders, they are likely to prove friendly and we may consider ourselves
fortunate in falling in with them."
"But suppose they are not traders, suppose they are not friendly, what
are we to do then?" asked Harry.
"We muster eight white men with arms in our hands, and are not likely to
be uncivilly treated," observed Jansen, flourishing his weapon. "I'll
go forward, and see who these people are, and we'll soon settle whether
we are to be friends or foes."
As there was no time to be lost, he hurried forward, while we halted to
await his return. In a few minutes he reappeared.
"Friends! come on," he exclaimed; and once more moving forward, we
reached an open space near the bank of the river, where we saw a tent
pitched and two white men and a party of six blacks, two of whom were
cooking at a fire, while the rest were seated in the shade. They rose
to greet us.
The white men were French traders, they told us. They spoke a little
English, and we understood enough of their language to be able to carry
on a conversation. As they were inclined to be friendly, and appeared
to be honest, we told them that we were escaping from a piratical slave
craft, which we described. They appeared to know her well, and seemed
greatly to commiserate us. They informed us that they were proceeding
up the river to trade with the natives; that one of their number had
fallen ill and was now suffering from fever inside the tent. They hoped
by spending a day or two where they were that he would recover
sufficiently to enable them to continue their voyage. They told us that
we were nearly two hundred miles from the sea, and a much greater
distance following the course of the river; but still it would be the
safest plan to descend it in the way we proposed, until we reached a
village where canoes were to be obtained. Though Harry and I and Tubbs
were anxious at once to set to work and build a raft, our companions
declared that they were too tired to do anything more until they had had
a long rest. Our new friends, who had plenty of provisions, kindly
bestowed some upon them, and invited us to join them in their repast,
giving us some wine, which we found very refreshing. The Frenchmen,
hearing how far we had come, expressed their opinion that the pirates
would not attempt to follow us, and that we were perfectly safe from
pursuit. We ourselves were glad to get some rest, and lay down in the
shade to wait until evening, when we proposed building the raft. The
Frenchmen had several axes amongst their goods, and furnished us with
three, so that we might cut down any small trees we required for the
framework of the raft. After a sleep of some hours we got up much
refreshed. Harry, Tubbs, and I immediately began to select trees for
our purpose. The other men, whom Tubbs roused up, however, showed no
inclination to assist, declaring that they were too tired, and must wait
until the next day. Tubbs went back two or three times to speak to
them, but without success. At last, on his return to us he said--
"I am afraid these fellows intend to play the Frenchmen some scurvy
trick. Their idea is to carry off the canoe, and if you and Mr
Bracewell won't go, to leave you behind."
"We must defeat their treachery," I observed. "I will tell the
Frenchmen and put them on their guard; I will at once do so."
Our friends, at first, would scarcely believe that the fellows would be
guilty of so abominable a trick, but when I reminded them of the lawless
lives they had led, they saw that it was too probable, and promised to
keep a guard on their canoe. We laboured away until nightfall, our
companions either sleeping or pretending to be asleep all the time.
They got up, however, to eat some supper which the Frenchmen had
prepared for us. Our hosts then produced some bottles of liquor,
looking significantly at each other as they did so. I guessed their
object, but said nothing. The seamen fell into the trap, but Harry and
I took very little of the spirits, and Tubbs followed our example. The
Frenchmen having plied the pirates with more and more liquor, they soon
appeared to forget all about their previous intentions; they talked,
laughed, and sang, and clapped their entertainers on the back, vowing
that they were thorough good fellows. They then became very uproarious,
and seemed disposed to quarrel amongst each other, but by degrees they
became quiet again, and ultimately crawling to the bank of the river,
lay down to sleep, entirely thoughtless of the risk they ran of being
snapped up by alligators.
"They will do us no harm at present, at all events," said one of the
Frenchmen, "and to-morrow I hope that our companion will be well enough
to enable us to continue our voyage. We are much obliged to you for
your timely warning, and we would advise you to part company from such
lawless associates as soon as possible."
Harry and I assured him that such was our purpose, although we would
gladly have enabled the men to escape from the pirates, hoping that they
would take to a better course of life. We sat up talking with our
friends for some time, and were then glad to lie down outside their hut,
having agreed to keep watch with them during the night. We drew lots as
to who should keep the watches. Harry had the first, from eight to ten;
Tubbs the next two hours; I from midnight until two o'clock, and the
Frenchmen the morning watch. Tubbs roused me up and said that all was
quiet, and that the ex-pirates were sleeping soundly. I paced up and
down between the tent and the boat, in which some of the black crew were
sleeping, while the rest were near their master's tent. Frequently I
stopped to listen for any distant sounds. I could hear occasionally the
cries of wild beasts far away to the eastward, and the shrieks of night
birds, the chirping of crickets or other insects, and the croaking of
frogs; but no human voice reached my ears. I trusted that we should be
able to finish our raft early the next day, and begin the voyage down
the river. With this hope, having called up one of the Frenchmen, I lay
down to sleep, feeling more drowsy than usual. I had just opened my
eyes and discovered that it was dawn, when I was startled by the most
fearful yell I had ever heard, and the next instant a hundred dark
forms, flashing huge daggers in their hands, leapt out from among the
bushes on every ride. Harry and Tubbs, who were sleeping next to me,
sprang to their feet. Our first impulse was to run to the trunk of a
large tree and place our backs against it, so that we might defend
ourselves to the last. As the unfortunate Frenchmen were crawling out
of their tent, the savages were upon them, while others seized upon the
drunken and still helpless seamen, and a fearful scene of slaughter
ensued. Three of them we saw killed, while some of the crew of the
canoe were also mercilessly put to death. Two of the seamen, however,
Herman Jansen and Caspar Caper, seizing their weapons, fought their way
out from among the savages, and, we concluded, took to flight, for we
saw a party of blacks start off in pursuit. Our enemy, seeing us well
armed, had not hitherto attacked us. We expected them to do so every
moment. In a few minutes the whole of the party except the two men who
had taken to flight and ourselves, were massacred.
"We must fight to the last if we are attacked," said Harry; "but don't
fire first. Perhaps the savages, when they see the bold front we show,
will think it wiser to let us alone."
Our hopes, however, were soon dashed to the ground; for the negroes,
seeing only our small force opposed to them, after shouting and
shrieking, and making significant signs, advanced towards us. Although
we might have shot down three of them, we should inevitably have been
overpowered. Still we would not yield without striking a blow, and we
were on the point of firing when a white man appeared, followed by a
fresh party of blacks, and as he advanced from the shadow of the wood, I
recognised Mr Pikehead, the first mate of the "Vulture." On seeing
only Harry, Tubbs, and me together, he exclaimed--
"Put down your arms and your lives are safe. The other fellows have met
the fate they deserved," and he kicked the body of one of the pirates.
"They were deserters; but you had a perfect right to make your escape if
you could. You have, however, failed, and must come back with me. Our
captain will decide what is to be done with you."
"We'll not yield until you call these fellows off," answered Harry; "we
shall then be able to treat with you."
The pirate laughed, for he fancied that he had us in his power.
"What shall we do?" asked Harry, addressing Tubbs and me.
"We had better give in, sir," said Tubbs. "The odds against us are too
great, and although we might shoot that fellow and a couple of the
blacks, we should be certain to lose our lives. If he promises to carry
us safe on board the schooner, scoundrel though he is, he will keep his
word, and we may have another opportunity of escaping."
"We must make a virtue of necessity," I observed, "and I agree with
Tubbs."
In the meantime the mate was shouting to the blacks to fall back,
allowing him space to approach us.
"I again promise you your lives, my men," he said, as he stopped a few
paces off, still holding a blunderbuss in his hand, pointed towards us.
"You are plucky fellows, and I wish to do you no harm, although you have
given me a long tramp which I would gladly have avoided."
I felt convinced from his tone that he spoke the truth, and we all three
accordingly lowered our weapons. By this time two of the pirate crew
and several of the blacks whom we had seen at the village appeared, and
by the mate's directions we delivered our arms to them.
"I'll not bind you," he said, "but you must give me your word that you
will not run away."
This, of course, as we could not help ourselves, we did. While the mate
was engaged with us, the rest of the blacks had been employed in
plundering the cargo of the French trader's canoe, over which they soon
commenced quarrelling, flourishing their daggers and gesticulating
furiously at each other. For some time the mate did not interfere, but
I heard him direct his own party to take possession of any provisions
they could find: "Leave the rest to the black fellows," he added.
We were not sorry to see some cases of preserved meat, a box of
biscuits, and a bag of flour brought up, with a case of tea, some sugar,
and other eatables. The fire was quickly lighted, and one of the white
men with two of the blacks set to work to prepare breakfast. By degrees
the tumult of the blacks, who had been quarrelling over their booty,
subsided; they had apparently come to some arrangement among themselves
without the interference of the mate, and each of them now appeared
habited in the various articles they had appropriated--some with pieces
of coloured calico round their loins, others in the form of turbans
round their heads or over their shoulders, evidently supposing that the
appearance they presented was very distinguished. Shortly afterwards,
however, the return of the party who had gone in chase of the two
pirates, irritated at having failed to overtake them, created a fresh
disturbance, each one among them claiming some of the booty.
On this occasion, bloodshed would certainly have ensued, had not the
mate interfered, and insisted on the portions claimed being given up.
As he and his followers had firearms, and the blacks had only their long
knives, they were afraid of disobeying him, and order was again
restored.
Notwithstanding the unfortunate termination of our adventure, we all ate
heartily of the food placed before us. The remainder of the provisions
was done up into packages, so that each of us might carry enough to last
until we reached the village.
Mr Pikehead had certainly no wish to be in the company of his black
allies, whom he had instigated to attack the camp, for making them a
speech in their own tongue, he sent them off in a different direction to
that we were about to follow. He then directed each man to take up his
package, gave the word to march, and we set off.