CHAPTER XX
THE _CHILDERS_ BRIG
[Sidenote: 1837. Dec. 2.]
Arrived off the Bonny, and at sunset made sail in chase of another schooner, which managed to get away from us during the night.
[Sidenote: Dec. 4.]
At daylight we were again off the Bonny, where we found _Pelican_. I received orders from Commander Popham to cruise between latitudes 4° and 2° north, longitude 3° 30′ and 6° east and the coast, and to wait off Cape Formosa for _Buzzard_, who would supply us with provisions.
[Sidenote: Dec. 8.]
Last night, while cruising off Cape Formosa under topsails, a sail was reported ahead. All sail was made in chase, and, having a fresh breeze, in an hour we came up with her.
There is nothing so exciting as a chase, especially at night, when you cannot make out what you are in chase of. Even the men of the watch below turn out to look on, as soon as within range.
We dropped a shot under her quarter, upon which she rounded to, and, to our disappointment, proved to be the _Pink_, an English brig from Liverpool, come to trade for palm-oil.
[Sidenote: Dec. 10.]
At daylight we sighted a rakish-looking schooner on our lee bow. A shot brought her to. She was from the Havana, under Portuguese colours, come out for a cargo of slaves.
We soon after made a man-of-war to windward, which proved to be _Waterwitch_. She brought us orders to proceed to our station.
In the afternoon, while at dinner, a strange sail was reported in-shore of us. We both made sail, steering one to the eastward and the other to the west of the stranger.
[Illustration: _A Slaver._]
Just before sunset we discovered that she had another vessel in company. We lost sight of them after sunset, but, continuing our course in-shore, about nine o’clock, with the assistance of a bright moon and a night glass, we discovered three vessels at anchor off the river St. Barbara. They were all of them slavers belonging to the Havana--the _Fecilidades_, brig, carrying 2 guns, 228 tons, 42 men, and the _Maria Segunda_, schooner, 1 gun, 107 tons, 28 men.
One of them was prepared to take in a cargo of slaves, the others, a brig and schooner, had lately arrived, and had not yet got rid of their trading cargo. They had more the appearance of yachts than slavers.
Three days afterwards, the _Maria Segunda_, with slaves on board, escaped from the _Waterwitch_ boats. Her gig was the only boat that got hold of her. She was commanded by a midshipman named Bowles, who held on a quarter of an hour after he had one killed and another man wounded out of a crew of four.
The slaver had eight men killed. Mr. Bowles used a fowling-piece, with which his coxswain remarked he picked them off as if he had been shooting larks. The cutter and pinnace never succeeded in getting alongside, although they exchanged shots.
The slave trade will never be put a stop to unless by the consent of the European Powers.
Although the Spaniards and a few Portuguese and Brazilians are the only fellows who have enterprise sufficient to engage in the trade, there is not a vessel on the coast that is not supplied with papers allowing her to wear the colours of other nations; the Spanish flag is nearly the only one that is never seen. A beautiful Spanish brig which fitted out at Barcelona, close to us, was found under Russian colours.
Lieutenant Hill, of the _Saracen_, having boarded a brigantine manned by Spaniards, but under Portuguese colours, had her Captain on board with his papers, and on Hill telling him his papers would not do, as they mentioned he was manned with two-thirds Portuguese, he exclaimed: “I am the most unfortunate fellow in the world. This is the third vessel I have lost in two years. That blackguard at Porto Praya told me they were all correct, and I paid him a thousand dollars.” But Hill could not detain him.
Last year there were upwards of 30,000 negroes taken off from the coast of Africa, to the northward of the “Line.” In spite of the vigilance of about thirteen of our cruisers, nine out of ten slavers escape. I have no doubt that as many more slaves are shipped to the southward of the “Line.” For every slaver taken by the British cruisers, an extra price is put on the slaves when they arrive at their destination; and, as their value increases, so will the number of vessels employed.
The Captain of the _John Begg_, a Liverpool brig from Old Calabar, who had purchased 500 slaves, was so closely blockaded by one of our cruisers that he kept them penned up, and 200 of them died of starvation. He afterwards left them to their fate, and of course they were resold to the next vessel that arrived. Many negroes voluntarily leave their country, and come to the islands of St. Thomas and Prince’s to live with their countrymen who had been bought.
[Sidenote: Dec. 11.]
We now proceeded to our cruising-ground, and for twenty-one days saw nothing but a palm-tree, washed out of some river. We were completely out of fresh provisions, and the only thing to break through the dullest three weeks I ever passed at sea was the hooking of a shark or dolphin, both of which, latterly, we considered luxuries. To add to the enlivenment of the scene, we were enveloped in a thick haze, occasioned by the Hamattan wind, which generally, in these latitudes, commences in the month of January. It is a hot, dry wind; the haze, which neither sun nor moon can penetrate, is occasioned by the white dust or fine sand blown off the deserts of Africa. One’s view is confined to within a cable’s length of the ship. Vessels near the land generally get so completely covered with it that it takes several days to wash with fresh water. Our look-out men from the mast-head and foreyard-arm looked like millers.
During the Hamattans slavers generally escape.
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