A SLAVE DEPOT
Night fell rapidly as soon as the sun had set, and by the time the boats
reached the mouth of the inlet it was already dark. The two boats under
the second officer entered first, rowed up the inlet to the bend, and
landed the marines and sailors on the opposite side; the boarding-party
lay on their oars for five minutes and then followed. The oars were
muffled, and the men ordered to row as noiselessly as they could,
following each other closely, and keeping under the left bank. They were
about half-way up when the word "Fire!" was shouted in Spanish, and six
guns were simultaneously discharged. Had the Spaniards waited a few
seconds longer, the three boats would all have been in line with the
guns. As it was, a storm of grape sent the water splashing up ahead of
the pinnace, which, however, received the contents of the gun nearest to
them. It was aimed a little low, and fortunately for the crew the shot
had not yet begun to scatter, and the whole charge struck the boat just
at the water-level, knocking a great hole in her.
"We are sinking, Mr. Hill," Low said. "Will you come alongside and pick
us up?"
Although the launch was but a length behind, the gunwale of the pinnace
was nearly level with the water as she came alongside. Its occupants
were helped on board the launch, which at once held on her way. Half a
minute later six guns were fired from the opposite bank. The boats were
so close under the shore that their position could not be made out with
any certainty. Three men were hit by the grapeshot, but beyond this
there were no casualties.
"Keep in as much as you dare," Mr. Hill said to the coxswain; "the
battery opposite will be loaded again in a couple of minutes, but as
long as we keep in the shadow of the shore their shooting will be wild."
The battery, indeed, soon began to fire again, irregularly, as the guns
were loaded. The shot tore up the water ahead and astern of the boats,
but it was evident that those at the guns could not make out their
precise position. Another five minutes and the boats were headed for the
schooner.
"You board at the bow, Mr. Glover, I will make for her quarter. Now, lay
out, lads, as hard as you can, the sooner you are there the less chance
you have of being hit."
A moment later a great clamour arose behind them. First came a British
cheer; then rapid discharges of pistols and muskets, mingled with the
clash of cutlasses and swords; a minute or two later this ceased, and
the loud cheer of the marines and seamen told those in the boats that
they had carried the battery. The diversion was useful to the boats.
Until now the slavers had been ignorant that a party of foes had landed,
and the fact that a barracoon full of slaves, and the storehouses, were
already threatened, caused something like consternation among them. The
consequence was that they fired hastily and without taking time to aim.
Before they could load again the boats were alongside, unchecked for an
instant by the musketry fire which broke out from the deck of the
schooner as soon as cannon had been discharged.
Boarding-nettings had been run up, but holes were soon chopped in these
by the sailors. Headed by Nat, the crew of the gig leapt down on to the
deck, for the greater part of the slaver's crew ran aft to oppose what
they considered the more dangerous attack made by the occupants of the
crowded launch. The defence was successfully maintained until the crew
of the gig, keeping close together and brushing aside the resistance of
the few men forward, flung themselves upon the main body of the slavers,
and with pistol and cutlass hewed their way through them till abreast of
the launch. The slavers attacked them furiously, and would speedily have
annihilated them, but the crew of the launch, led by Mr. Hill, came
swarming over the bulwarks, and, taking the offensive, drove the slavers
forward, where, seeing that all was lost, they sprang overboard,
striking out for the shore to the right.
Severe fighting was now going on opposite the schooner, where the
landing-party were evidently attacking the barracoon and storehouses.
[Illustration: "HEADED BY NAT, THE CREW OF THE GIG LEAPT DOWN ON TO THE
DECK."]
"To the boats, men!" Mr. Hill shouted, "our fellows are being hard
pressed on shore; Mr. Glover, you with the gig's crew will remain in
charge here."
Indeed, it was evident that the resistance on shore was much more
obstinate than had been expected. Nat stood watching the boat. Just as
it reached the shore one of the sailors shouted, "Look out, sir!" and he
saw a big mulatto rushing at him with uplifted sword. His cutlass was
still in his hand, and throwing himself on guard he caught the blow as
it fell upon it, and in return brought his cutlass down on his
opponent's cheek. With a howl of pain the man sprang at him, but Nat
leaped aside, and his cutlass fell on the right wrist of the mulatto,
whose sword dropped from his hand, and, rushing to the side, he threw
himself overboard. In the meantime a fierce struggle was going on
between the sailors and seven or eight of the slavers who, being unable
to swim, had thrown themselves down by the guns and shammed death, as
had Nat's antagonist, who was first mate of the schooner. The fight was
short but desperate, and one by one the slavers were run through or cut
down, but not before three or four of the sailors had received severe
wounds.
"Get a lantern, mate," one of these growled, "and see that there are no
more of these skulking hounds alive."
The sailors, furious at what they considered treachery, fetched a light
that was burning in the captain's cabin, and without mercy ran through
two or three unwounded men whom they found hiding among the fallen. It
was soon clear that the reinforcement that had landed had completely
turned the tables. Gradually the din rolled away from the neighbourhood
of the storehouses, there was some sharp firing as the enemy fled
towards the wood behind, and then all was quiet. Presently there was a
shout in Mr. Hill's voice from the shore:
"Schooner ahoy!"
"Ay, ay, sir."
"Load with grape, Mr. Glover, and send a round or two occasionally into
that wood behind the houses; I am going to leave thirty men here under
Mr. Playford, and to take the rest over to the opposite side and carry
the battery there."
"Ay, ay, sir."
And as the guns pointing on that side had not been discharged, he at
once opened fire on the wood. A minute later the launch and gig rowed
past the schooner and soon reached the opposite side. Ten minutes passed
without any sound of conflict being heard, and Nat had no doubt that the
battery had been found deserted. It was not long before the boats were
seen returning. They rowed this time to the schooner.
"Mr. Glover," the first lieutenant said as he reached the deck, "do you
lower the schooner's cutter, put all the wounded on board, take four of
your men and row out to the frigate and report to the captain what has
taken place. Tell him that Mr. Playford carried the battery on the right
in spite of the guns, and that I have spiked those in the battery on the
left, which I found deserted. Say that we have had a sharp fight on
shore with a large number of negroes led by two or three white men and
some mulattoes, and that I believe there must be some large plantations
close at hand whose owners are in league with the slavers. You can say
that we found a hundred and twenty slaves in the barracoon, evidently
newly landed from the schooner, and that I intend to find the
plantations and give them a lesson in the morning. How many wounded have
you here?"
"There are fourteen altogether, sir; ten of them were wounded in the
first attack, and four have been wounded since by some of the slavers
who shammed death."
"There are eight more in the launch, happily we have only two men
killed. You had better give all the wounded a drink of water; I have a
flask, and I dare say you have one: empty them both into the bucket."
There was a barrel half full of water on deck; a bucketful of this was
drawn, and the two flasks of spirits emptied into it, and a mug of the
mixture given to each of the wounded men. They were then assisted down
into the schooner's boat; four of the gig's crew took their places in
it, and Nat, taking the tiller, told them to row on.
Half an hour later they came alongside the frigate. A sailor ran down
the ladder with a lantern. Nat stepped out and mounted to the deck. The
captain was standing at the gangway.
"We have been uneasy about you, Mr. Glover. We heard a number of reports
of heavier guns than they were likely to carry on board a slaver, and
feared that they came from shore batteries."
"Yes, sir, there were two of them mounting six guns each. Mr. Playford,
with the landing-party, captured the one on the eastern side; Mr. Hill,
after the schooner was taken and the enemy on shore driven off, rowed
across and took the other, which he found unoccupied."
"What is the loss?"
"Only two killed, sir, but there are twenty-two wounded, two or three of
them by musket-shots, and the rest cutlass wounds. They are all in the
boat below, sir."
A party was at once sent down to carry up such of the wounded as were
unable to walk. As soon as all were taken below, and the surgeon had
begun his work, the captain asked Nat to give him a full account of the
proceedings.
"I cannot tell you much of what took place ashore, sir," he said, "as
Mr. Hill left me in charge of the schooner. After we had carried her, he
went ashore with the crews of the launch and pinnace to help Mr.
Playford."
"Tell me all you know first."
Nat related the opening of the two batteries, and how one had been
almost immediately captured by Mr. Playford.
"So the pinnace was sunk?"
"Yes, sir, the enemy's charge struck her between wind and water, and she
went down at once; her crew were picked up by the launch. I hear that
none of them were injured." Then he told how they had kept under the
shelter of the shore, and thus escaped injury from the other battery,
and how the schooner had been captured.
"It was lucky that your men got a footing forward, Mr. Glover. You did
well to lead them aft at once, and thus assist Mr. Hill's party to
board."
Nat then related the sudden attack by the slavers who had been feigning
death.
"It was lucky that it was no worse," the captain said. "No doubt they
were fellows who couldn't swim, and if there had been a few more it
would have gone hard with you. And now about this fight on shore; it can
hardly have been the crew of the schooner, for, by the stout resistance
they offered, they must have been all on board."
"Yes, sir."
Nat then gave the message that Mr. Hill had sent.
"No doubt, Mr. Glover; I dare say this place has been used by slavers
for years. Probably there are some large barracoons where the slaves are
generally housed, and planters who want them either come or send from
all parts of the island. I will go ashore myself early to-morrow
morning. There is no question that this is an important capture, and it
will be a great thing to break up this centre of the slave-trade
altogether. Now that their hiding-place has once been discovered, they
will know that our cruisers will keep a sharp look-out here, and a
vessel once bottled up in this inlet has no chance whatever of escape.
You can go with me, it is thanks to the sharpness of your eyes that we
made the discovery."
The sun had not yet shown above the eastern horizon when the captain's
gig passed in through the mouth of the inlet, and ten minutes later
rowed alongside the wharf in front of the barracoon.
"There is another wharf farther along," the captain said; "we may take
that as proof that there are often two of these slavers in here at the
same time. Ah, there is Mr. Hill! I congratulate you on your success,"
he went on, as the first lieutenant joined him; "there is no doubt that
this has been a regular rendezvous for the scoundrels. It is well that
you attacked after dark, for the cross fire of those batteries, aided by
that of the schooner, would have knocked the boats into matchwood."
"That they would have done, sir. I was very glad when I saw the boat
coming, as I thought it was probable that you were on board her, and we
are rather in a difficulty."
"What is that, Mr. Hill?"
"Well, sir, as soon as we had settled matters here we followed the
enemy, and found a road running up the valley; and as it was along this
that most of the fellows who opposed us had no doubt retreated, I
thought it as well to follow them up at once. We had evidently been
watched, for a musketry fire was opened upon us from the trees on both
sides. I sent Mr. Boldero with the marines to clear them out on the
left, and Mr. Playford with twenty seamen to do the same on the right,
and then I pressed forward with the rest. Presently a crowd of negroes
came rushing down from the front, shouting, and firing muskets. We gave
them a volley, and they bolted at once. We ran straight on, and a
hundred yards farther up came upon a large clearing.
"In the middle stood a house, evidently that of a planter. A short
distance off were some houses, probably inhabited by the mulatto
overseers, and a few huts for his white overseers, and some distance
behind these were four large barracoons. We made straight for these, for
we could hear a shouting there, and had no doubt that the mulattoes were
trying to get the slaves out and to drive them away into the wood.
However, as soon as we came up the fellows bolted. There were about a
hundred slaves in each barracoon. No doubt the fellows who attacked us
were the regular plantation hands. I suppose the owner of the place made
sure that we should be contented with what we had done, and should not
go beyond the head of the inlet; and when the firing began again he sent
the plantation men down to stop us until he had removed the slaves. I
left Mr. Playford in command there, and brought twenty men back here;
and I was just going to send off a message to you saying what had taken
place, and asking for instructions. You see, with the slaves we found
here, we have over five hundred blacks in our hands. That is extremely
awkward."
"Extremely," the captain said thoughtfully. "Well, I will go back with
you and see the place. As to the houses--the plantation house and the
barracoons--I shall have no hesitation in destroying them. This is
evidently a huge slaving establishment, and, as the blacks and their
overseers attacked us, we are perfectly justified in destroying this den
altogether. If I could catch their owner I should assuredly hang him.
The difficulty is what to do with all these unfortunate creatures; the
schooner would not hold more than two hundred if packed as close as
herrings. However, the other thing is first to be thought of."
Nat followed his commander and the lieutenant to the plantation, or, it
should rather be said, to the depot; for the clearing in the valley was
but a quarter of a mile long and a few hundred yards wide. It was
evident that if the owner had a plantation it was at some distance
away, and that the men with whom they had fought were principally
mulattoes and negroes employed about the place, and in minding the
slaves as they were brought in.
They passed straight on to the barracoons. The sailors had already
brought the slaves out and knocked off their irons. The poor creatures
sat on the ground, evidently bewildered at what had taken place, and
uncertain whether they were in the hands of friends or enemies.
"Some of the men have found the cauldrons in which food is cooked," Mr.
Hill said, "and are now preparing a meal for them; and as we found some
hogsheads of molasses and stores of flour and rice they will get a
better meal than they are accustomed to. I have set some of the
strongest slaves to pump water into those big troughs there; the poor
beggars will feel all the better after a wash."
"They will indeed. I don't suppose they have had one since they were
first captured in Africa."
In half an hour a meal was served. As an effort of cooking it could
hardly be termed a success, but was a sort of porridge, composed of
flour and rice sweetened with molasses. There was some difficulty in
serving it out, for only a few mugs and plates were found at the
barracoons. These were supplemented by all the plates, dishes, and other
utensils in the houses of the owner and overseers. By this time the
negroes had been taken in parties of twenties to the troughs, where they
had a thorough wash.
"This is all very well, Mr. Hill," the captain said, "but what are we to
do with all these people? Of course we must move them down to the water,
and burn these buildings, in the first place because the scoundrels who
are at the bottom of all this villainy should be punished, and in the
second place because in all probability they will collect a large number
of negroes and mulattoes and make an attack. We cannot leave a force
here that could defend itself; therefore, whatever we decide upon
afterwards, it is clear that all the slaves must be taken down to the
houses on the inlet. I should set the men to open all the stores, and
load the negroes with everything that can be useful. I expect you will
find a good deal of cotton cloth and so on, for no doubt the man here
dealt in other articles besides slaves, and he would, moreover, keep
cottons and that sort of thing for sending them up the country into
market. However, take everything that is worth taking in the way of food
or otherwise, and carry it down to the storehouses by the water, then
set all the houses and sheds here on fire. When you see them well alight
you can bring the men down to the shore; then we must settle as to our
course. It is a most awkward thing our coming upon all these slaves. If
there were only those who had been landed from the schooner there would
be no difficulty about it, as we should only have to put them on board
again, but with four hundred others on our hands I really don't know how
to manage. We might stow a hundred in the frigate, though I own I should
not like it."
"No, indeed," Mr. Hill murmured; "and four hundred would be out of the
question."
The captain returned to the inlet and made an examination of the
storehouses there. They were for the most part empty. They were six in
number, roughly constructed of timber, and some forty feet long by
twenty wide, and consisted only of the one floor. They stood ten feet
apart. The barracoon was some twenty yards away. In a short time the
slaves began to pour in, all--men, women, and children--carrying burdens
proportionate to their strength. They had now come to the conclusion
that their new captors were really friends, and with the
light-heartedness of their race laughed and chattered as if their past
sufferings were already forgotten. Mr. Playford saw to the storing of
their burdens. These filled one of the storehouses to the roof. There
was, as the captain had anticipated, a large quantity of cotton cloth
among the spoil. Some of these bales were placed outside the store,
twenty of the negroes were told off to cut the stuff up into lengths for
clothing, and by mid-day the whole of the slaves were, to their delight,
attired in their new wraps. Among the goods that had been brought down
were a number of implements and tools--axes, hoes, shovels, and long
knives. Captain Crosbie had, by this time, quite made up his mind as to
the plan to be pursued.
"We must hold this place for a time, Mr. Hill," he said as the latter
came down with the last body of sailors, after having seen that all the
buildings in the valley were wrapped in flames. "I have been thinking
over the question of the slaves, and the only plan that I can see is to
go for a two or three day's cruise in the frigate, in hopes of falling
in with some native craft with which I can make an arrangement for them
to return here with me, and aid in carrying off all these poor
creatures. These five storehouses and the barracoon will hold them all
pretty comfortably. Two of the storehouses had better be given up to the
women and children. We will make a stockade round the buildings, with
the ends resting in the water, and get the guns from those batteries and
put them in position here. With the help of those on board the schooner,
a stout defence can be made to an attack, however formidable. I shall
leave Mr. Playford in command with forty men on shore; Mr. Glover will
be in charge of the schooner with five-and-twenty more. The frigate will
remain for a couple of days at her present anchorage, and I will send as
many men as we can spare ashore to help in finishing the work before she
sails.
"In the first place there must be a barrack run up for the men on shore
between the barracoon and the storehouses. It must be made of stout
beams. I don't mean squared, but young trees placed side by side so as
to be perfectly musket-proof. The palisades should be made of strong
saplings, wattled together, say, ten feet high. A hundred and fifty
sailors, aided by three hundred and fifty able-bodied negroes, should
make quick work of it. The schooner's crew can see to the removal of the
guns from the batteries and their establishment upon platforms behind
the palisade. I should divide the twelve guns into four batteries, three
in each. The armourer shall come off in the morning to get out the
spikes, and the carpenters shall come with their tools."
"There are a dozen cross-cut saws among the things that we have brought
down, sir."
"That is good. How many axes are there?"
"Four dozen, sir."
"Good! I will send all the hatchets we have on board. I think, Mr. Hill,
that you had better take up your position on board the schooner until we
sail. How about water? That is a most important point."
"The slaves have brought down a large number of staves, sir. They are
evidently intended for sugar hogsheads; they are done up in separate
packets. I should say there were a hundred of them."
"That is satisfactory indeed. I will send the cooper ashore, and with a
gang of the black fellows he will soon get them all into shape. I see
that they have relied upon the stream that comes down from the hills for
their supply. One of the first moves of anyone attacking the place would
be to divert its course somewhere up in the hills. However, with such a
supply as these hogsheads would hold, we could do without the stream for
weeks. The twenty marines who came ashore with Lieutenant Boldero will
remain as part of the garrison."
The work was at once begun. The sailors looked upon it as a pleasant
change from the ordinary routine of life on board ship, and threw
themselves into it vigorously, while the blacks, as soon as they
understood what was wanted, proved themselves most useful assistants.
Accustomed in their African homes to palisade their villages, they knew
exactly what was required. Some, with their hoes, dug a trench four feet
deep; others dragged down the poles as the sailors cut them, erected
them in their places, and trod the earth firmly round them. Others cut
creepers, or split up suitable wood, and wove them in and out between
the poles; and, by the time darkness fell, a surprising amount of work
had been accomplished.
One of the storehouses was turned over to those who could not be berthed
on board the schooner, most of the slaves preferring to sleep in the
open air, which to them was a delightful change after being cooped up
for weeks in the crowded hold of a ship, or in the no less crowded
barracoons. Sentries were posted as soon as it became dark, but the
night passed off without an alarm, and at daybreak all were at work
again. The launch returned to the frigate when work was knocked off, and
came back with a fresh body of men in the morning, and with the
carpenters, coopers, and all the available tools on board. By the
evening of the third day the work was completed. Four banks of earth had
been thrown up by the negroes against the palisade, and on each of these
three guns were mounted. The hut for the garrison had been completed.
The hogsheads were put together and filled with water, and a couple of
hundred boarding-pikes were put ashore for the use of the negroes.
Nat had been fully employed, with the schooner's crew, in removing the
guns from the batteries, and placing them on the platforms constructed
by the carpenters on the top of the earthworks.
"It is quite possible," the captain said to Mr. Playford, "that this
creek is used by pirates as well as slavers. They may come in here to
sell goods they have captured suitable for use in the islands, such as
cotton cloths and tools, and which it would not pay them to carry to
their regular rendezvous. It will be great luck if one or two of them
should put in here while I am away. It would greatly diminish the
difficulty we have of getting the slaves away."
"That would be fortunate indeed, sir. Even if two came in together we
could give a good account of them, for as the palisade is mostly on
higher ground than the huts, we should only have to slue the guns round
and give them such a warm welcome that they would probably haul down
their flags at once."
"Yes. You had better tell Mr. Glover to run up the Spanish flag if any
doubtful-looking craft is seen to be making for the entrance, and I
should always keep a couple of signallers up on the cliff, so as to let
you know beforehand what you might have to expect, and to see that there
is nothing showing that could excite their suspicions, until it is too
late for them to turn back."
Doubtless what was going on in the inlet had been closely watched from
the woods, for in the evening of the day on which the frigate sailed
away scattered shots were fired from the forest, and the sound of the
beating of tom-toms and the blowing of horns could be heard in the
direction of the plantation whose buildings they had destroyed.
The lieutenant had gone off to dine with Nat, and they were sitting on
deck smoking their cigars when the firing began.
"I almost expected it," he said. "No doubt they have been waiting for
the frigate to leave before they did anything, as they would know that
at least half of those who have been ashore would re-embark when she
left. I have no doubt the scoundrels whose place we burnt have sent to
all the planters in this part of the islands to assemble in force to
attack us. If they have seen us making the palisade and mounting the
guns, as no doubt they have done, they certainly will not venture to
assault the place unless they are in very strong force, but they can
make it very unpleasant for us. It is not more than eighty yards to the
other side of the creek, and from that hill they would completely
command us. You will scarcely be able to keep a man on deck, and we
shall have to stay in the shelter of the huts. Of course on this side
they would scarcely be able to annoy us, for they would have to come
down to the edge of the trees to fire, and as we could fire through the
palisade upon them they would get the worst of it."
"We might row across in the boats, sir, and clear the wood of them if
they became too troublesome."
"We should run the risk of losing a good many men in doing so, and a
good many more as we made our way up through the trees and drove them
out, and should gain nothing by it, for as soon as we retired they would
reoccupy the position. No; if they get very troublesome I will slue a
couple of guns round and occasionally send a round or two of grape among
the trees. That will be better than your doing so, because your men at
the guns would make an easy mark for them, while we are farther off, and
indeed almost out of range of their muskets."
The firing soon died away, but in the morning it was reopened, and it
was evident that the number in the wood had largely increased. Bullet
after bullet struck the deck of the schooner, and Nat was obliged to
order the greater part of the crew to remain below, and to see that
those who remained on deck kept under the shelter of the bulwark.
Presently a sharp fire broke out from the trees facing the palisade, and
this was almost immediately replied to by the blue-jackets and marines.
The fire of the assailants soon slackened, and Nat thought that it had
only been begun with the object of finding out how strong a force had
been left behind. Presently two of the guns on shore spoke out, and sent
a volley of grape into the wood in which his own assailants were
lurking. It had the effect of temporarily silencing the fire from that
quarter. This, however, was but for a short time. When it began again it
was taken up on the other side also, the party which had made the
demonstration against the palisade evidently considering that the
schooner, which lay midway between the two shores, was a safer object of
attack than the stockade. As the bulwark now offered no shelter, all
went below. Two of the men were about to pull up the boat which was
lying at the stern, and Nat went to the ladder to take his place in it,
when he was hailed from shore.
"You had better stay where you are, Mr. Glover, until it gets dusk. You
would only be a mark for every man with a musket, up in the trees above
us, and, so far as I can see, there is nothing we can do until they
begin work in earnest."
"Very well, sir," Nat shouted back, "I will come off after it gets
dusk."
Firing continued all day, but died away at sunset, and soon afterwards
Nat went ashore.
"This is very awkward," the lieutenant said. "It is most unpleasant
being potted at all day by fellows who won't show themselves, but I
can't see that we can help it. By the noise and jabbering that breaks
out at times, I should think that there must be some hundreds of them on
this side alone, and we shall have to wait till they begin in earnest.
Their leaders must know that they can be doing us no harm by their
distant fire, and they must sooner or later make an attack on us. You
see they have a strong temptation. They must have seen that none of the
slaves have been taken away, and as there are five hundred of them, and
I suppose they are worth from twenty to forty pounds a head, it is a big
thing, to say nothing of the stores. Then I have no doubt they are
thirsting for revenge, and although they must see that they will have to
fight very hard to take the place, they must try without delay, for they
will know that the frigate will be back again before very long, and will
probably bring some craft with her to carry away the slaves. So I think
we must put up with their fire till they harden their hearts and attack
us in earnest. They will make the attack, I expect, about the centre of
the palisade, for your guns would cover both our flanks. If we are hard
pressed I will light a port fire, and you had better land with twenty of
your men, leaving five to take care of the ship and work a gun or two
should they try to take us in flank."
"I should not be surprised if they tried to-night. Shall I bring ten of
the men on shore at once, sir?"
"Well, perhaps it would be as well. Forty men are not a very large force
for this length of palisade and to work some of the guns at the point
where they may attack us, and I expect their first rush will be a
serious one, and we shall have all our work cut out for us. There is one
thing; we can rely, in case of their making a way in, on the slaves. By
this time they quite understand that we are friends and that the people
who had been firing on us are their enemies, and I believe they would
fight like demons rather than fall into their hands again. I have torn
up a bale of white calico and have given a strip of it to each man to
tie round his head, so that we can tell friend from foe and they can
recognize each other in the dark. The enemy won't reckon on that, and
will think that they have only a small body of whites to deal with. Do
you notice how silent the woods are now? I think we may take that as a
sign that they are preparing for mischief."
"The sooner it comes the better. Have you plenty of port fires, Mr.
Playford?"
"Yes, a large boxful came on shore with the last boat yesterday."
Nat went off again, and picked out ten men to land with him.
"Get the other boat down," he said to the petty officer. "You will
understand that if any attack is made on the flanks of the work you are
to open fire at once upon them with grape. If a blue light is burned at
the edge of the water ten men are to land instantly. You will remain in
charge of the other five. So far as we know they have no boats, but they
may have made a raft, and may intend to try and take the schooner,
thinking that the crew will probably be on shore. So you must keep a
sharp look-out on the other side as well as this. Light a blue light if
you see a strong party coming off, and we will rejoin you at once."
He again landed with the ten men he had chosen.
"I have six men on watch," the lieutenant said, "and have put one of the
blacks with each. I fancy their ears are sharper than ours are, and they
will hear them coming before our men do."
Having nothing to do, Nat went into the barracoon and the other houses
in which the slaves were placed. The contrast between their condition
now and when he had seen them four days before, when they had first been
found, was striking indeed. Now they were clean, and looked picturesque
in their bright calico clothes. The look of dull and hopeless misery had
passed away, and it seemed to him that with the good and plentiful food
they had received they were already perceptibly plumper. They would have
risen as he entered, but he signed to them to keep their places. They
now had room to lie down in comfort, and while some sat chatting in
groups others moved about. They were evidently proud of their arms, and
some of them, seizing their pikes or hatchets, made signs how they would
fight their enemies. A ship's lantern was burning in each hut.
In the women's huts the scene was still more interesting. The little
children ran up to Nat with a new-born confidence in white men. Some of
the women brought up babies to show him, and endeavoured to make him
understand that these would soon have died had it not been for the
sailors. The windows and doors stood open, and the evening breeze
cleared the huts of the effluvium always present where a number of
negroes congregate together. The sight of the poor creatures enraged Nat
still more against the slavers, and made him long for them to begin
their attack.
"It is quite pleasant to see them," he said as he joined Mr. Playford.
"They are wonderfully changed in this short time. One would hardly have
thought it possible. What will become of them?"
"I expect we shall take them to Jamaica, and that there they will be let
out as free labourers to the planters. You see there is no law against
the slave-trade, though public opinion is so strong on the subject at
home that I have no doubt such a law will be passed before long. So, of
course, we have not captured the slaves because of their being slaves,
but simply as we should capture or destroy other property belonging to
an enemy. Then, too, many of the slavers act as pirates if they get the
chance, and there can be little doubt that a considerable quantity of
the goods we found are the proceeds of piracy. Besides, you must
remember that they fired at us before we fired at them. So we have
plenty of good reasons for releasing these poor beggars. You see these
seas swarm with scoundrels of all kinds, and it is quite safe to assume
that all ships that cannot show that they are peaceful traders are
engaged in nefarious business of some kind or other."