The Three Lieutenants Part 43

"I should have taken the fellow to have a larger share of negro than white blood in him by his looks," observed Adair to Desmond as they went aft; "however, I really believe that he is honest, and we should not despise his warning."

He had all the arms and ammunition to be found on board collected, each of his crew being provided with a musket and a brace of pistols, in addition to their cutla.s.ses; he and Desmond also armed themselves. A dozen spare muskets which he had carefully looked to and loaded were arranged, some aft, others mids.h.i.+ps and forward. There were also two small bra.s.s guns, used for signals rather than defence. No shot, however, could be found for them, so he sent a couple of men to collect all the nails and sc.r.a.ps of iron they could find in the carpenter's store-room.

"These will make cruel wounds, but it will be the fellows' own fault if they venture to attack us, should some of them stick in their bodies,"

he observed, as the guns were loaded. A dozen boarding-pikes were also found and served out to the men.

"I rather suspect that these weapons will prove more serviceable in the hands of our stout fellows than muskets or pistols, which take time to load," observed Adair. "They may serve us in good stead, should the Brazilians attempt to climb up the side."

These arrangements being made, Adair and Desmond returned to the cabin to finish their supper, which they had just begun when Pedro came to them.

"Don't you think after all that that Portuguese fellow may have been trying to frighten us for some object of his own, perhaps to ingratiate himself into your favour?" asked Desmond.

"No! no, I think not," answered Adair, "the Brazilians have played similar tricks on captured vessels before, in this very port, and they are capable of any atrocity. There was an old friend of mine named Wasey, a capital fellow, kind-hearted and brave, as true a man as I ever met with. We were s.h.i.+pmates for a short time on the coat of Africa; Rogers and Murray knew him well, and liked him as much as I did. He was one of those quite unpretending characters who don't know what is in them, except to those with whom they are intimate.

"We chased and captured a small schooner with a hundred and fifty slaves on board. He was put in charge of her with ten hands, and directed to take her to Sierra Leone, we having received on board her former crew, that he might not be troubled with them. Soon after he parted company from us a heavy gale sprang up from the eastward, and he was blown off the land. The schooner, one of those slightly put together craft, built expressly for slavers, sprang a leak, and the water gained so fast on them, that it was as much as the crew, with a few of the blacks who were to be trusted, could do to keep her afloat. His only chance of saving the lives of his crew, and himself, as well as of the blacks, was to run for the Brazilian coast. The schooner was also short of provisions and water, and had he attempted to beat up for Sierra Leone, he knew that most of the blacks must perish, even if he contrived to keep her afloat.

The weather in no way moderated, and though he set an example to his men by taking his turn at the pumps, all hands working with a will, he scarcely expected to get across the Atlantic. Still, by attending to the unfortunate blacks, and by allowing a few to come on deck at a time, he managed to keep them alive. At length when he was about a week's run from Bahia, he feel in with an American brig. He having hoisted a signal of distress, the American hove to, and he went on board her. He explained his condition to the master, who seemed to be a well-disposed, kind-hearted man.

"'Well, I have no objection to receive you and your white crew on board my vessel,' said the master, 'but as to the blacks, I can have nothing to do with them, they must sink or swim if they can.'

"What! you don't suppose that I would desert the unfortunate wretches?"

exclaimed Wasey indignantly.

"'Well, they are but negroes, and it is a fate which befalls many of them. They seem born to it,' answered the master coolly.

"'I am much obliged to you for your offer to receive me and my people, though I cannot accept it. If we are lost, our deaths will be at your door; that won't be a pleasant recollection for you,' said Wasey.

"'Cannot help it, Mister Lieutenant,' answered the skipper. 'The blacks, as I say, must take their chance; and it seems to me that if you and your men refuse to come aboard my brig, when I offer to receive you, that your deaths will be at your own door.'

"'I would rather die than desert the unhappy blacks, and I believe that my men will stick by me,' answered Wasey. 'Now, captain, I'll tell you what I will do. I have a fortune of 7000 pounds, and on the word of a British officer--and you will take that I hope--I will put it in black and white, that I will pay over every farthing, if you will receive the blacks on board, and carry them to the nearest port you can make. Come, that is a better freight than you have every day for your brig, I suspect?'

"The skipper thought a minute, then shook his head. 'No, if you were to give me 20,000 pounds down on the nail, I could not take the negroes aboard my brig. They would pollute her, we should probably have a fever break out, or if we escaped that every man of my crew would leave her directly we entered port.'

"In vain Wasey endeavoured to persuade the skipper to alter his resolution; he was determined not to take the negroes on board.

"At length Wasey saw there was no use in pressing him further. Perhaps the skipper thought that he might never touch the 7000 pounds, but I can answer for it, and so would every one who knew Wasey, that he would have religiously paid it to the last farthing.

"'You have made up your mind not to receive the blacks, and I have made up mine not to desert them,' said Wasey, wis.h.i.+ng him good-bye. 'A prosperous voyage to you, and I can only say that I hope for your sake as well as ours, that we may manage to get the schooner into Bahia. I should not wish to have my conscience troubled as yours will be if you hear that we are lost.' Having purchased all the provisions and water the American could spare, Wasey returned to the schooner and made sail for the westward, while the American vessel stood away on her course.

He divided the water and most of the provisions he had obtained among the starving blacks, and their strength renewed, they were able to a.s.sist better at the pumps than they were before. Still the powers of all on board were taxed to the uttermost; every one, however, knew that their lives depended on their exertions, and worked away till they were ready to drop. They could just keep the schooner afloat, and that was all. The wind continued fair, and by the time the last drop of water was expended and the farina and other food for the blacks was used up, they made this port of Bahia.

"Wasey now hoped that his chief troubles were over. The blacks had got to trust him, and so, when the schooner was brought to an anchor, they willingly laboured as before to keep her afloat. Believing that all was right he went on sh.o.r.e to communicate with the authorities, leaving the quarter-master in charge of the schooner. The officials detained him for some time, and sent him first to one person and then to another, thus keeping him employed till nightfall. At last he pulled off to the schooner; there she lay all right, and he hoped to be able to get the leaks stopped, and to carry the poor blacks to Sierra Leone, where they could be set free. When he stepped on board, he inquired if all had gone well during his absence.

"'Yes, sir,' was the quarter-master's answer. 'Some Brazilian officers came off in a number of boats, and told me that they had been sent to land the blacks. As all seemed right, I did not prevent them from coming on board. At once ordering the blacks up, they made every one of them get into the boats, which at once pulled away up the harbour. The officers were very polite, and seemed to be doing everything regular, though I was just a little suspicious when I saw three large boats full of men, with a good number of muskets among them close to us, watching, as it were, how matters were going. When the boats with the blacks on board pulled away, they followed, and no one since then has come near us. I hope it's all right, sir?'

"'Right!' exclaimed Wasey, feeling confident that he had been duped, 'I am afraid that it's very wrong. I have made every arrangement with the authorities to have the blacks housed on sh.o.r.e while the schooner is under repair, and to receive them back whenever I may wish, and I cannot understand how any Government officers should venture to take them off till my return.'

"Next morning he went on sh.o.r.e, when the authorities declared that they knew nothing of the matter. He then found that some fellows, dressed up as officers, had been sent off by slave-dealers, to play the trick, and get possession of the unfortunate negroes.

"In vain he endeavoured to regain them, not a particle of information could he obtain as to where they had been carried, except that they had probably been immediately disposed of over the country. Thus, after his n.o.ble self-sacrifice and the exertions he had made to save the lives of his black-skinned fellow-creatures he had the mortification to find that they had been carried off into slavery, and that he had nothing but the bare hull of the schooner for his pains. Yes, by-the-bye, he had more than that, he had the satisfaction of his own conscience, and that was worth having. I did not hear the account from himself, but I got it from one of the men who was with him. I am pretty sure that I am right in all particulars. Now let us go on deck and hear what report s.n.a.t.c.hblock has to make. Perhaps after all Pedro may be mistaken, and we shall not receive a friendly visit as he expects from the slavers.

However, we will take care not to be the victims of a trick like that played on Wasey."

"Anything stirring, s.n.a.t.c.hblock?" asked Adair, as he and Desmond went on deck.

"Nothing that I can make out, sir, except that a little time back a small boat pulled across our bows and returned to the sh.o.r.e. We were all at the time as quiet as mice when the cat is about, and maybe the fellows in her thought that we were keeping no watch aboard the brigantine."

"We will show them that we are wide awake enough if they come off to play us any trick," answered Adair, laughing.

He found his men sitting down with their arms by their sides ready for action, and felt satisfied that they would do their best to beat off any enemies who might attempt to take the vessel.

The night continued perfectly calm, while a light mist somewhat obscured the sh.o.r.e and distant objects. He knew that sounds, though from a considerable distance, could be heard, and that he should thus have timely intimation of the approach of boats, even should they come off with m.u.f.fled oars.

The captured slaver, with four hundred human beings stowed away in her hold, has not yet been described.

The slave-deck was divided into two parts: in the larger portion the men were packed away; in the smaller, the hapless women and children. When the slaves were first received on board on the African coast, the largest men had been picked out to act as head men or overseers of the rest, and having been threatened with punishment should they refuse to obey orders, they had not unwillingly taken the office imposed on them.

They at first divided the slaves into gangs of about twenty men each, for whose good behaviour they were answerable; their first duty had been to stow away the slaves. The slave-deck was about four feet in height, with beams and bars running from side to side; on these beams the slaves were compelled to sit with their heads thrust between their knees, so close together that when one moved the whole ma.s.s had to move also.

Care had been taken to place the largest slaves the farthest from the s.h.i.+p's side, or from any position in which their strength might avail them to secure a larger s.p.a.ce than their neighbours. One portion of the deck was much lower, being scarcely twenty inches in height, and in this the children were stowed away.

When the slaver was captured the hatches were found closed and all the larger men heavily ironed, and it may be imagined, had the chase continued long, what would have been the suffering of the unfortunate wretches.

The slaves were fed twice a day, and in order to give room, one half were allowed at a time to come on deck, the only opportunity they had to stretch their limbs. At meal-times they were arranged into messes, and when all was ready, at a signal from the head man, they commenced eating.

Their food consisted of rice, or farina, which is flour made from the ca.s.sada, a species of potato boiled, or calabancies, a kind of bean; occasionally a small quant.i.ty of salt beef, fish, or chillies, was served out to them as a relish. After each meal they were made to sing, not for their amus.e.m.e.nt, but to enable them, it was supposed, better to digest their food. Each black after this received about a pint of water, the whole allowance for the day.

Below the slave-deck were stowed the leaguers, which are huge water-casks, together with the provisions, wood for firing, etcetera.

The upper deck was kept perfectly clear, to enable the crew to work the sweeps during calms. There was no p.o.o.p, but on either side were two cabins, six or eight feet long, and three or four wide, to serve as sleeping places for the captain and officers; the crew lived forward, under the topgallant forecastle. The vessel had but one small boat, carried amids.h.i.+ps, in which articles of all sorts were stowed, so that if a man had fallen overboard it would have been next to impossible to pick him up. This is a description of most slaving-vessels, though steamers have of late years been largely employed.

Adair and Desmond paced the deck for an hour or more, stopping every now and then to listen. No sound could be heard coming from any direction, and the town was too far off for the hum of its human hive to reach them.

It was now nearly ten o'clock. Adair had ordered s.n.a.t.c.hblock not to strike the bell, as it might show the slavers, should any be meditating an attack, that those on board the prize were on the alert, and make them approach more cautiously than they might otherwise be inclined to do.

Adair had brought a stool from the cabin, and sat down, leaning against the outside.

"Go in and get some sleep," he said to Desmond, "I will call you if you are wanted."

"I am not tired, and if you will allow me I will go forward and try if I can hear anything. I fancied just now that I caught the sound of several splashes in the water, as if fish were leaping in the distance,"

answered Desmond.

He made his way to the topgallant-forecastle, lay down and listened.

The sound he had heard became more regular, though still very faint; he was certain, however, that it was the dip of oars in the water. He waited, however, before informing Adair, knowing that there would be time enough when the boats came in sight, as all hands were prepared for action.

"Perhaps, after all, they are not coming this way," he thought; "yes, they must be, though," he said to himself; "the sounds are much more distinct than when I first heard them."

At length he made out several dark objects emerging from the mist. He at once hurried aft with the information.

"Be ready, lads!" said Adair; "the fellows I was warned would attack us are probably coming. Five of you remain on the starboard side, and five on the port side. s.n.a.t.c.hblock and I will work the guns. Keep under shelter, and don't fire till I give the word; then blaze away with muskets and pistols, and use your pikes as you may find necessary.

Don't let them discover that we are prepared till the last moment. I will call you where you may be most wanted; I know you will do your duty, and we shall beat them off, never fear that. Silence now, and go to your stations."

Adair spoke in a low voice to the men gathered around him. He had arranged them at equal distances along the bulwarks, where they crouched down, with their muskets in their hands, and their pikes by their sides.

He had lighted a couple of slow matches, and put them into tubs near the guns, ready for use.