The circumstances relating to the distressed seamen on the coast,
alluded to in the foregoing chapter, were first stated by one of the
unfortunate sufferers himself, who accosted, in very good English, some
of the officers of the Nemesis, as they were returning to their ship,
and soon proved himself to have belonged to an American vessel, but
stated that he was a native of Hanover. His name was Samuel Reid, or
something very much like it. His right eye and lower jaw appeared to
have been dreadfully wounded, and gave a practical introduction to the
following tale, every part of which there is too much reason to believe
is strictly true.
It appears that an American schooner, called the Colonel Crockett, of
one hundred and forty tons, belonging to Newburgh, U. S., sailed from
New York in the summer of 1839, bound on a voyage to the West Coast of
Africa, to procure bullocks for salting, principally for the St. Helena
market. She subsequently, also, proceeded to Madagascar, and touched at
Delagoa Bay, on her way to Inhampura River, high up on the east coast,
to trade for ivory. There she remained three weeks, without being able
to accomplish her object. In working out of it again, in May, 1840, she
missed stays, and went on shore on the sand at the river's mouth. They
tried in vain to get the vessel off on the following day, there not
being enough men fit for work, as all, except three out of eleven, were
sick with fever. There she lay, nearly high and dry. It seems they had
only one boat remaining, which was too small to contain all the people,
and, therefore, it was agreed that the captain and second mate, (Samuel
Reid,) with two men, should start off in her, and try to reach Delagoa
Bay, which was only about seventy miles distant, where they were to
procure a larger boat and other assistance, and then return to bring
away the remainder of the crew, and whatever could be saved from the
wreck.
Unfortunately, they found the surf beating over the bar at the mouth
of the Inhampura so heavily, that they could not succeed in getting
the boat out. In this predicament, the captain and second mate
volunteered to set out together, to try to reach Delagoa Bay by land--a
most hazardous experiment under any circumstances, with the dangers
of the fatal fevers, and the treachery of the savage native tribes,
staring them in the face. The attempt was, in fact, almost hopeless.
Nevertheless, on the morning of the 9th of May, 1840, they landed
from the vessel, totally unarmed, thinking, probably, that it would
be both useless and laborious for two men to carry arms which they
could scarcely use for more than one or two discharges, owing to the
difficulty of carrying ammunition.
They proceeded for about twenty to twenty-five miles on that day,
without molestation, but were at length joined by three natives, one of
whom left them, under the pretence of going to procure water, while the
other two lighted a fire, and began to roast some corn, of which they
all partook equally. In the meantime, the native who had been absent
returned, bringing with him seven others.
The captain, being anxious to make the most of his time, determined to
proceed, although the day was fast declining. But, in order to relieve
themselves from the weight of their bags of clothes which they had
each brought with them, they entrusted them to the care of the natives
who followed. On arriving at the bottom of a steep hill, where there
was a picturesque valley, they all halted for the night, and soon made
a capital fire. As might have been expected, the curiosity of the
natives, to say nothing of their treacherous disposition, could not
withstand the temptation of looking into the bags they had carried,
to examine their contents. This was resisted by the captain, who was
rather a hasty man; a scuffle ensued, and thus the opportunity the
natives sought for was at once afforded them.
Their intentions might have been foreseen the moment the man left
the party, ostensibly to look for water, but in reality to look for
assistance. And although a natural dread of the white man had hitherto
prevented them from openly commencing their attack--waiting, probably,
for a more favourable opportunity at nightfall--a quarrel having once
arisen, however trifling, their savage blood was roused, and all their
bad feelings awakened. They immediately rose in a body, and made a
general discharge of their spears at the two unhappy white men. The
captain faced them boldly, and soon received several severe wounds in
front, and at last tried to save himself by flight. But, wounded as he
was, they soon overtook him, and struck him down, it is to be hoped,
quite dead, although even that does not appear certain.
The mate, on the other hand, who stood sideways to receive the
discharge of spears, presenting a narrower surface than in front, was
wounded with two spears in the right arm, and one in the neighbourhood
of the right eye, and, having picked up one of them, made a furious
charge at those who were nearest to him, and killed two of the savages
on the spot. Numbers, however, necessarily prevailed over the most
desperate courage, and he was at last struck down by a heavy blow
of a club over the head, and, being senseless, was considered dead.
They now dragged him towards the fire, as he afterwards found, and
must have struck him several heavy blows upon different parts of the
body. On coming to himself again, he found that he was stripped of
all his clothes, lying naked upon the sand, and so exhausted that he
could neither speak nor move. Gradually, however, becoming sensible
of his helpless situation, he looked around him, from time to time,
unobserved; and, at length, to his great horror, discovered the body
of his unfortunate captain lying by the side of the fire, and several
natives standing around it, some of whom were busy cutting off slices
from the fleshy parts of the body, while others roasted them in the
fire, with all the appearance of anxious longing for the feast!
Can any situation be conceived more horrible at this moment than that
of the unfortunate wounded man? If he betrayed symptoms of life, he
was sure to be beaten with heavy clubs to death; if he lay quiet, to
all appearance lifeless, it was far from improbable that, when they
should have become satiated with the flesh of his companion, they might
be ready to commence their butchery upon himself. Who can picture to
himself without horror the dreadful moments which lingered as they
passed, and seemed endless in the anxiety of suspense! There the poor
fellow lay, in speechless agony, the fated witness of barbarity the
most revolting.
At length, having gorged themselves with that horrible repast in the
peculiar manner which those who have ever seen the hungry savage at
his meal can never forget, they fell asleep round the fire, under the
full oppression of repletion. The poor mate, perceiving this, made a
desperate effort to rouse himself from his death-like dreaminess, and
try to fly from his impending fate, he knew not how or whither. He
could not stand, he could not walk, and almost feinted with the effort;
yet he crawled on hands and knees towards the neighbouring bush or
thicket, and there contrived to hide himself.
He lay concealed, in helplessness, until the following day, when he
was discovered by the restless eye of the suspicious savage. He asked,
by signs, for water; but not only was that refused to him, but he was
given to understand, without difficulty, that they looked forward to
the pleasure of eating him for their evening meal with particular
satisfaction; and a sort of rude table was pointed out to him, upon
which they intended to cut him up for their repast, according to their
most approved fashion. After this, they left him alone in his misery.
It should be mentioned, that when they refused him drink, they _did_
give him a little food, which they _forced_ him to eat, and--horrible
to think of!--it was not improbably a part of his murdered companion,
upon which they had regaled themselves the evening before.
As night approached, the man, finding himself somewhat recovered from
the shock of his wounds, made another desperate effort to escape. He
could now walk; and slowly and cautiously he pursued his way, tracing
back his course with the almost unerring instinct which the resolution
of despair awakens. The darkness of the night favoured him; and, by
sometimes diving into the wood for concealment, sometimes resting in
the darkest part of the thicket to collect his failing strength, and
then again boldly urging on his course along the more open beach by the
sea-side, he at length eluded all his pursuers. They had followed him,
for some distance, in vain; and he safely reached, on the following
day, the schooner he had left, completely exhausted and helpless.
Here he found that, even during his short absence, death had done its
work among his messmates on board. Finding that there was no hope of
procuring relief on shore, another attempt was made to get the boat
over the bar--and with success. In this the chief mate, with two
other men, embarked, in the hope of being able to make their passage
along the coast of Delagoa Bay. The attempt fortunately succeeded;
and, at the end of five days, a large boat was descried approaching
the wreck, which had been hired by their comrades from the Portuguese
authorities for two hundred dollars, for the purpose of bringing them
off. But their troubles were not yet destined to end. A heavy sea
still continued to beat upon the bar, creating such a surf that they
were compelled to wait at least fourteen days more before they could
leave the schooner. Happily, they were at length able to embark; and,
carrying with them the most portable articles of value they could stow
away, they ultimately succeeded in reaching Delagoa Bay.
It has more than once been suspected that some of the tribes on the
eastern coast of Africa were cannibals, under certain circumstances:
but others again, and Captain Owen among the number, have declared
that, "on inquiry, even their greatest enemies acquitted them of the
suspicion." There does not, however, appear to be any well-grounded
reason for calling in question the truth of the statement made by this
unfortunate man, Reid. His tale was told to Captain Hall with every
appearance of truth; and, although it might be suggested that the man
was not unlikely to have been in a state of dreamy delirium, after
the wounds and blows he had received upon the head, and might have
been led by fear to imagine what he pictured to himself to be true,
still this is a very unsatisfactory answer to a simple tale of facts,
artlessly told, and without any object to be gained by inventing a case
of horror. Besides which, he could hardly have found his way back to
the schooner without assistance, had he not perfectly recovered his
senses before he started.
Two of the unfortunate men entered as able seamen on board the Nemesis,
with liberty to be discharged when they pleased, and continued on board
until she arrived at Singapore; but the second mate preferred waiting
for any American vessel that might touch at the settlement.
It may seem that I have dwelt long upon the subjects of interest
connected with the stay of the Nemesis at Delagoa Bay; but, in reality,
it is a part of the coast of Africa little known to the general
reader, and as the vessel was detained there for a considerable time,
many objects of interest were noticed and remembered. I have before
mentioned that the Portuguese have been very far from advancing the
civilization of the natives. There is certainly no love for each other
between them; and the debasing influences of the slave-trade seem
universally to poison the heart, and destroy all the sympathies of our
nature.
One poor native woman was discovered who spoke English tolerably well,
and was found to have been extremely useful as interpreter to all the
English and American vessels, whalers, and others, which touched there
for supplies. For what particular reason does not appear, but this
woman had been strictly forbidden by the governor to go on board the
Nemesis, under pain of the severest punishment; indeed, she had been
kept in close confinement nearly ever since the arrival of the vessel.
But, at length, when an American whaler came into the bay, she was
allowed to visit _that ship_ as usual. There was something peculiarly
artless and good-natured about the poor woman's manner, and she
expressed a particular wish to be allowed to see some person from the
English ship. Word was accordingly brought from the American captain to
that effect.
Her tale was a remarkable one, and told with considerable intelligence.
She expressed her attachment to the English in strong terms, enumerated
the various kindnesses she had received from them, inquired after
particular ships and individuals, and seemed to remember almost every
trifling incident that had occurred. She was greatly afraid of being
punished by the governor for having dared to talk to the English,
but could assign no particular grounds for the harsh treatment she
received. It was, however, shrewdly suspected that it arose from fear
that she might furnish information about the slave-trade, and that, in
fact, her remarks might already have been very useful to the English
cruisers, and, consequently, injurious to the Portuguese dealers.
It has been before stated that the governor himself was not free
from the suspicion of countenancing the traffic; and, taking all the
circumstances together, it became pretty evident that this poor woman's
treatment was only one of the links in the chain of turpitude forged
out of the iron rod of slavery.
For the first time since the arrival of the Nemesis, some of her
officers were now able to leave the ship for a day, and make an
interesting excursion up the river. They started early in the morning,
accompanied by a Portuguese merchant and his servant. It being now the
least unhealthy season of the year, there was little or no danger to be
apprehended from sickness, particularly as it was not their intention
to remain out at night.
It has already been noticed that the English River, is, in fact, formed
by the united waters of three rivers, at the distance of only five or
six miles from the fort, the largest being the Temby, to the southward,
and the smallest the Dundas, to the westward, while the Mattoll runs
up towards the northward. The Dundas was the one chosen on the present
excursion, as there was good expectation of finding large herds of
hippopotami upon its banks, and perhaps other wild animals, which would
furnish a capital day's sport. The banks of the river were low, and
the stream sluggish, and on all sides abundance of mangrove shrubs and
bushes, sufficient of themselves to indicate that the country must
frequently be flooded. Birds of various kinds, particularly such as
feed upon small fish and worms, were seen in great numbers, curlews and
crows, and occasionally a pelican, with wild geese and pigeons, and now
and then birds of more beautiful plumage.
As the boat ascended, four wild buffaloes were seen at a distance, and
a beautiful zebra was descried, galloping away from the river-side. But
the most striking objects were the numerous hippopotami, in the midst
of whose favourite haunts they now found themselves. A more curious
or exciting scene can scarcely be imagined; and when it was resolved
to continue the ascent, in the hope of having some fine sport, the
Portuguese merchant was so alarmed, that he very humbly requested that
he might be left behind. The strange animals opened their huge mouths,
and bellowed forth a sound something like the roar of an ox in concert
with the grunt of a wild boar, with a little accompaniment of the
braying of an ass. They did not at first seem frightened, but shewed
their formidable-looking teeth, as if they had some right to frighten
others. Hundreds of them started up at different times, some rising
from the shallow mud in which they had been lying, and hastening off
with a quick, heavy tread; others, again, just raising their heads up
from the deeper parts of the river, and diving again like porpoises.
Several of them were fired at and wounded, upon which they dived
instantly out of sight, without rising again. Indeed, they are hardly
ever killed in such a way as to be taken on the spot at once; but,
dying under water, the carcase of course rises to the surface after two
or three days, and is then taken possession of by the natives. Their
flesh is eaten with great avidity in times of scarcity; but, generally
speaking, they are more valued for the beautiful ivory of their teeth,
which are collected and bartered for various articles of European
manufacture.
Several natives were seen paddling about the river in their little
canoes, apparently without any fear of the hippopotami, and one party
of them was spoken to, and appeared harmless and contented; but their
invitation to land and look at the country was not accepted, as
there was little time to spare, and their treacherous character was
sufficiently known to make it imprudent to divide a small party into
still smaller ones. They, however, explained very intelligibly the
mode in which they contrived to kill the hippopotami--viz., sometimes
by making a regular charge at some of them, singled out on purpose,
with their spears. To effect this, they go in large numbers together,
but the expedition is attended with considerable danger, and rarely
resorted to, except in times of dearth. A more common method is to lay
traps of various kinds for them, either upon the banks of the river
itself, or among the neighbouring trees, a party being constantly at
hand, in concealment, to despatch them at the last moment.
The whole distance ascended, from the junction of the Dundas with the
English River was about seven or eight miles, when the water became
so shallow that the boats could scarcely proceed. Towards evening,
therefore, they again descended with the ebb-tide, having the full
light of the moon to guide them down to their ship, after a laborious
but very agreeable day, which fully repaid them by the interesting
objects which presented themselves to their notice.
Their last day had now arrived; and, with a view to shew them every
possible attention, as well as to conciliate their good offices,
the governor invited Captain Hall and his officers to a grand
entertainment, on which occasion all the delicacies of the African
coast had been sought out to do honour to the guests, and nothing was
omitted which could contribute to the novelty and perfection of the
entertainment.
The exterior of the governor's residence was something like a
good-sized English cottage, consisting of only one floor, as is
commonly the case in hot countries, and having two white pillars in
front, which supported a portion of the roof, serving at the same time
for a verandah. It was ornamented with green branches for the occasion,
affording a very necessary protection from the glare of the sun, which
was still high and powerful. There were several other smaller cottages
disposed around it, something in the form of a square, but not a single
tree or other relieving object to soften the burning reflection from
the deep sand which formed the site of the fort and of the governor's
residence.
The dinner went off with great éclat, and no little amusement at the
original attempts of the black waiters (of course slaves) to vie with
European refinement. Towards evening, when tea had at length been
handed round, the entertainment was concluded with, "for the last
time of performance," a dance of the native women belonging to the
neighbouring village. The whole affair lasted for about an hour, when,
glad to escape the heat and noise, the officers returned to their ship.
Little further remains to be said of Delagoa Bay, though many
interesting facts might have been elicited in relation to the
slave-trade, had the Nemesis remained there longer. It appears very
evident that formerly the trade was carried on with greater atrocity
than at present, but enough is still known respecting it to make us
look upon the natives themselves as the worst abettors of the traffic.
The passions of the savage chiefs seem only to be withheld for a
moment, not suppressed, by the difficulty of procuring slaves; and when
they can neither find enemies to seize, nor _culprits to condemn_, they
sometimes send a sort of marauding expedition to seize by treachery
_their own people_, and sell them into slavery. It is stated by Captain
Owen, that, within even a few years, under a former commandant, some of
the chiefs had been persuaded to sell their harmless subjects for so
trifling a sum as a dollar and a half each, or about seven shillings,
to be paid, not in money, but in merchandize of trifling value, and
that several cargoes had been obtained in this way for the Brazilian
market.
If we look for the most thriving mart for slaves upon the east coast of
Africa at the present time, we shall find it at the river Quillimane,
a little more than five hundred miles to the north of Delagoa Bay. It
lies about midway between that settlement and Mozambique. There the
slaves are purchased for coarse cloth, gunpowder, beads, cutlery, &c.;
and the "arrival of one of the little traders, with his pedler-kind
of stock, among one of the native tribes in the interior, becomes the
signal for general warfare, in which the weak become the victims of
the strong." A few years ago, no less than five thousand slaves were
annually exported, from this mart alone, to Rio Janeiro.
It is indeed astonishing that a place so unhealthy in itself as
Quillimane should be able to keep up its constant supply of human
export. The soil and the very air are no less pestilential than the
traffic which debases it; but the effects of the demand are felt far
and wide, and, hundreds of miles in the interior, the slave hunt, as
it may be called, is carried on; and the ramifications of this odious
traffic spread themselves like the branches of the upas-tree, not
merely poisoning all within its shade, but becoming more and more
infectious as it branches out further from the root.