"Hush!" said he, "I do not blame you. You have done right; but why
will not the government at home take some decisive measures to put an
end to this horrible traffic, and so prevent scenes like this from
occurring?"
We spoke for some time on this subject, and my friends grew so warm
that many bitter speeches were made, and the conversation became
unpleasant.
"Well, gentlemen," said I at last, "I don't know how you feel, but I
am completely knocked up; fortunately it is now calm, and I think we
shall sleep well, and so, good night."
We went to bed, and the sun was already some distance above the
horizon when we awoke on the next morning. It had been perfectly calm
during the night, and we found ourselves still so near the scene of
the preceding day's combat, that several corpses were swimming around
the vessel. As I went forward I was not a little alarmed to see the
number of black faces that were there.
"Master Tailtackle, how many of these poor creatures have we on
board?"
"Fifty-nine in the hold, sir, and thirty-five on deck."
At this moment Bangs walked out of the tent and approached the spot
where I stood. Hardly was he perceived by the blacks, when the cry of
"Shiek Cowloo," rent the air. Bangs was greatly startled at this
unexpected salute, for he had forgotten his heroic deeds of yesterday,
and did not know what to attribute it to; at last the cause of it
seemed to strike him, for he rushed back to the tent with a roar of
laughter. I went down into the cabin and sat down to breakfast with
Gelid and Wagtail. Suddenly we heard Bangs cry out, "Pegtop! come
here, Pegtop--do you hear? Help me to tie my cravat--that's right. Now
I will go on deck."
Here Pearl, the black quarter-master, was impatiently waiting for
him.
"Well Pearl, my boy, what is the matter?" and then before Pearl could
reply, "I say, Pearl, go to the other end of the vessel and tell your
black friends that it was all a humbug--that I am neither the Sultan
Cowloo, nor have a feather as big as a palm leaf on my back, of which
I can easily satisfy them if they wish it."
"Oh, sir," said Pearl, bowing, "I think the less we say about that the
better, because we have not half enough fetters for the savages, and
if they were undeceived, they could easily rise, as our crew are much
diminished, and murder the whole of us."
"The devil!" muttered Aaron; "well then go and tell them that I am a
bigger ostrich than ever, and that I will very soon astonish them;
they may take my word for it."
"Pegtop, you rascal," continued he, "come here. I say, Pegtop, bring
me my uniform--that's right--now my sword--never mind the pantaloons,
I want them to see that it's all fudge about the feather--now my
hat--that's right--now go before me, and fan me with the lid of that
box of herrings."
Pegtop did as he was bid, and Bangs followed him, affecting the most
majestic walk and gravest look. But hardly had he left the tent, when
the blacks again set up a wild cry, and those who were not chained,
flocked around him, dancing and shouting, and whilst some of them
rubbed their flat noses and wooly heads against him, others seized
hold of his clothes, so that after several vain attempts to shake them
off, he took to his heels and fled back to the tent, amid the laughter
of the whole crew. Bangs laughed louder than any of them.
"I say, captain," said he, lying down on the deck and looking through
the window into the cabin where we were just beginning to breakfast,
"how the deuce am I to get down there? If I stir outside of the tent,
these black barbarians swarm round me. Ah! I see----"
Without further reflection, he put his legs through the small hatchway
which was directly over the breakfast table, in order to get into the
cabin in that way, but unluckily he trod in a bowl of broth, with
which Wagtail used always to begin his breakfast. The broth happening
to be broiling hot, he jerked his foot out of it, striking Gelid in
the face as he did so.
"Oh! oh!" cried Paul, whilst Wagtail threw himself on the sofa, and
roared with laughter. But the next moment Bangs gave another kick, and
this time Pepperpot got a sound blow on the side of the head, whilst
down came the great ostrich, clattering among cups and dishes, and
making an awful havoc amongst them. After indulging in peals of
laughter for a while longer, we collected the fragments of our
breakfast, and ate it with undiminished appetites.
About this time a light breeze sprang up, and we crept slowly forward
to the place of our destination.