The anchorage which the Nemesis had now so providentially reached was
situated close to Cape Inyache, at the entrance of Delagoa Bay. This
settlement, which still belongs to the Portuguese, was once famous
in the annals of slavery, as one of the principal marts in which
that revolting traffic was carried on. It is still far from being
undeserving of the stigma which attaches to its name, although it has
greatly fallen from its once thriving condition. It is situated on the
eastern coast of Africa, (see map,) and at daylight, on the morning of
the 27th July, 1840, the Nemesis steamed into the river which runs into
the bay, and is known by the name of English River.
The Portuguese have a small fort near its entrance, from which the
approach of the steamer was no sooner discovered than a mighty stir
was made. Steamers had scarcely even been heard of, much less seen.
The object of her visit none could guess; but all were conscious
of partaking more or less in both the sins and the profits of the
slave-trade; and, therefore, all regarded the approaching vessel as
no friendly visiter. Guns were made to bear, ammunition was got into
readiness, and everything would have looked very formidable had it not
been fully known that a single shot from the stern gun of the Nemesis
would have made the walls tremble, and the defenders hide themselves.
The Nemesis being uncertain whether her reception would be friendly or
otherwise, slowly passed up beyond the fort, to explore the river, and
great was the surprise of all the lookers-on, to see her move so easily
through water so shallow, that they thought it could scarcely float
one of their smallest slavers. They had little dreamed that so large a
vessel could, if necessary, pursue even the boats of the slavers into
their most secret haunts.
As she again descended and approached the fort, there was evidently
some excitement, as if they doubted what would happen next.
An aide-de-camp soon came on board from the governor of the fort,
to inquire whence the vessel came, and what her object might be in
visiting such an unfrequented place; but neither he nor any one on
board could make each other understood.
On the same day, the captain and some of the officers of the Nemesis
went on shore, to pay their respects to his Excellency, who affected to
be exceedingly glad to see them, and shewed them all possible civility
and attention. This was, no doubt, politic on his part, for he had
every reason to believe that the Nemesis was a man-of-war, and he
also well knew, that had she been so, it would have been a difficult
matter for him to exculpate himself from the charge of openly aiding
and abetting the slave-trade, which was at that very moment being
carried on under his own eyes, and within reach of his own guns. It
was, moreover, sanctioned by the very flag flying at the peak of the
slavers. Yet the same flag was hoisted on the fort itself, under the
stipulations of a treaty, by which its exertions were to be used to
prevent the continuance of the horrid traffic in the river. A slaver
was, in fact, lying in the river, not far from the fort, and, as the
steamer was passing up, it was easily observed that the crew were
deserting her, and trying to make good their escape, leaving their
craft at the mercy of a single boat's crew. But the Nemesis was not a
man-of-war, and had no right to capture her; and it was therefore more
politic not to seem to notice, in the first instance, what was very
apparent to all.
For some time, there was a difficulty in communicating with the
governor at all, no one knowing the language; but, at length, a
Parsee merchant was sent for, who could speak Hindostanee as well
as Portuguese, and as there was also a man on board who could speak
Hindostanee, a regular cross-fire conversation was thus maintained, in
a roundabout manner. One would hardly have expected to find a Parsee
merchant settled in such a remote and unhealthy spot as Delagoa Bay,
under the Portuguese government. But where will not the "auri sacra
fames" tempt mankind to court the smile of Fortune, even with the grin
of Pestilence and Death before them?
As a settlement, Delagoa Bay is of very little use to the Portuguese,
of whom very few reside there; and without the stain of slavery, it
could scarcely linger on. There is, however, a limited trade in ivory
and gold-dust, and the coast is frequented by whalers, particularly
Americans, who come into the settlement for supplies. The narrative of
Captain Owen's survey on the coast gives a melancholy picture of the
deadly nature of the climate, which very few, either of his officers or
his men, were fortunate enough to survive.
The fact of a slaver lying under the guns of the fort, and other little
evidences that the governor was very backward in carrying out the
instructions he had received respecting the slave-trade, went hard with
him afterwards. This case was mentioned to the governor of Mozambique,
under whose jurisdiction Delagoa Bay is placed, and by whom the
deputy-governor is appointed. It will hereafter be seen, that _he_ was,
at all events, sincere and energetic in his efforts to stop the trade.
He became excessively angry when the circumstances were stated to him,
and declared that it was in violation of his most strict and positive
orders, and instantly directed that the deputy-governor should be
removed from his post.
The slaver, which was a fine Portuguese brig, was subsequently visited
by some of the officers of the Nemesis, and found to be regularly
fitted out for the trade, the planks for the slave-deck being all
ready, with boilers for their food, and shackles, &c. Her masts and
spars were large, and of excellent stuff, and advantage was soon taken
of this circumstance, to procure some necessary materials for the
repairs.
It appeared that there were some excellent timbers lying on the
beach, which had probably belonged to some large ship wrecked in the
neighbourhood. They were precisely such as would best suit the wants of
our vessel; and, as it was stated that they belonged to a Portuguese
merchant in the town, inquiry was at once made about the purchase of
them. Various excuses, however, were made, and unnecessary difficulty
suggested. It was evident that there was a "screw loose" somewhere
or other, or else that they wished to impose an exorbitant price for
them. A message was therefore immediately sent, declaring that if the
timbers were not given up at a fair valuation, _within twenty minutes_,
the captain of the Nemesis "would go on board the slaver with his men,
and take the masts and spars out of _her_, and as they appeared to be
exceedingly good ones, they would answer her purpose rather better."
No talisman could have acted more instantaneously than this well-timed
threat, which, moreover, would certainly have been put in execution.
The whole community, from the governor downwards, were more or less
interested in the affair; the report rapidly reached the master of the
slaver; his alarm was natural enough, and his reasons for urging the
immediate surrender of the timbers sufficiently evident. "Pray give
them anything in the world they want," said he; "let me rather pay for
it a dozen times over, than keep that strange-looking ship here. She
will ruin us altogether; we must get rid of her in any way we can; give
her, by all means, everything she wants, and let her be off, for mercy's
sake."
Long before the twenty minutes had expired, the timbers were given up.
The governor himself, on the following day, the 29th of July, sent a
present of some vegetables and ivory on board, and afterwards came in
person to look at the ship, and was, to all appearance, so pleased with
his reception, and doubtless, so well impressed with the appearance of
the vessel, that he stayed to dinner, and did his best to shew himself
a good fellow.
It may here be observed, that the so-called "English River," which
empties itself into the sea at Delagoa Bay, is, in reality, the estuary
of three rivers, called the Temby, the Dundas, and the Mattoll. But
they are none of them of much importance, considered separately,
having their sources at scarcely more than a good day's journey from
the entrance, and forming rather the drains of a rich, alluvial
country, than the outlets of the super-abundant waters of distant
tiers of mountains. They run into the English River at the distance of
little more than five miles above the fort. Their shores are generally
bordered by an extensive muddy flat, gradually rising towards higher
land, covered with large bushes, but which can hardly be said to be
crowned with luxuriant woods. Nothing can be imagined more calculated,
under a tropical sun, to produce the most deadly pestilence. No wonder
that those who have endeavoured to trace up these rivers, for even a
short distance, have so commonly fallen victims to their enthusiasm.
The entrance to English River, from its breadth and general appearance,
leads you to imagine it of greater importance than it really is. Yet
it is not without something of a picturesque character; the sand
hills covered with calabash trees, and the aspect of the village and
Portuguese Fort, tottering though it be, all present a refreshing
picture, when first viewed, after a long and dangerous voyage.
The neighbouring country is divided among different tribes, who are
frequently at war with each other, and over whom the Portuguese
have very little control. Their own factory, or fort, is situated
on the north side of the river, in the country of Mafoomo. But the
most warlike and troublesome of all the tribes are the so-called
Hollontontes, living some distance to the southward, and resembling, or
indeed probably a branch of, the Zooloo Caffirs, of whom we have lately
heard so much in connexion with the unfortunate Dutch emigrant-farmers
at Port Natal. These Hollontontes (probably a corruption from
Hottentots) have, on more than one occasion, made themselves
formidable, even to the Portuguese themselves.
On the 31st, the Nemesis was hauled on shore on the fine sandy beach
near the fort, and, in fact, within range of its guns.
It was on this day that a remarkable phenomenon occurred, which is
here worth mentioning; the more particularly as it was followed at
night and during the subsequent day by a very heavy gale of wind, whose
approach it might, in a manner, be said to have indicated. This was,
in fact, the seventh[7] great plague of Egypt, the plague of locusts,
which filled the atmosphere in myriads, as far as the eye could reach
on every side; and indeed much further, for, during the time it lasted,
the very sky was darkened, and the whole air was filled with a sound as
of "a mighty rushing wind," by the flapping of their wings. You could
scarcely open either your eyes or your mouth, without fear of being
blinded or choked by them.
Fortunately, the visitation did not last long enough to commit
extensive destruction, but it was nevertheless a source of great alarm
and inconvenience. In some parts of China, also, the swarms of locusts
occasionally produce a great deal of mischief, and are very naturally
dreaded, both by the people and the government. But those visitations
are not so severe as this was, during the short time it lasted.[8]
Large quantities of locusts were collected by the natives for food;
and it was a very curious sight, for two or three days afterwards, to
watch the different groups of black men, as nearly naked as possible,
crowding round their fires, with all the eagerness of hunger, and all
the longing of an epicure, to enjoy a feast of locusts. They stripped
off the wings and legs, and having slightly roasted or grilled them,
appeared to find them a capital luxury, even not unworthy of the dance
and song with which they accompanied their repast.
FOOTNOTES:
[7] It will be remembered that the plagues were frogs; dust turned to
lice; swarms of flies; the murrain of beasts; the plague of boils and
blanes; the plague of hail, of locusts, and of darkness.
[8] In the account given of the Egyptian plague, it is stated "that
the locusts were brought by an east wind," and were carried away "by
a mighty strong west wind." I was curious to ascertain whether there
was anything worth noting in relation to the state of the wind at
Delagoa Bay when the locusts appeared, and when they were carried away
again. On referring to the ship's log, I find that the day preceding
the appearance of the locusts was one of perfect calm; but the morning
of the day on which they came was ushered in by a north-east wind,
which lasted until the evening, when it changed round to precisely
the opposite quarter--namely, to the south-west, and increased on the
following day to a strong gale from the same quarter, which carried
away all the locusts. Subsequently, it again veered round to the
north-east, and continued so for several days, but brought no more
locusts.