The Mendians

These nnfortunate etrangers are about rnibarking f(r heirnative land. A vessej lia been chartered for tlieir conyeyance by ,he committee who have hitherto had them in charge, and are now doubtless on their tvay hoiae. They have recently visited Boston, Low ell, und the principal placea in Massachusetls accompanied by Lswio Tappan, and about a lliousand dollars were collected for their ben efit, Phe substanee of their history is thus narrated i'i the Emancipator. Theamounl of the slnlcmcnts made by lviü-na, Fn-li and Cinque, and the facts in llie case,:ire ia foilf)vs: - These Mendinns beiong to six different irires, hlihougli iheir dialect3 are not su dissitnilar ns to prevent tliem from conversin togetlicrycry readi'.y. Most of them belong to n country, which iheycall Mëtidi, bui which js knüwn togeograpliers nd traveüers as Jius-sa, and lies Souih-eual of Sierra Leone, as wc supposc, from sixty to one hntired and iweniy miles. Wuh one or two exc-eptions these Meodiuns are lipt rclated to efacfi ollier, nor did liiey know each otli.. er untii iliey tnet at the Siüve Factory of Pedro Blanc, the wholesalc tniifi-jker in men, at Lombokoon ihe coast of AiVica. 'i'liey were stolen separately, many of them by black men, some of wlipm were uccompanied by Sjjaniurds, as iliuy were goingirom one village to anolher, or were at a distanoe from their abodes. 'l'he whole camelo Ha va ha in ihe sanie ship,a l'orluguese vessel named Tecora, excepl ihe four chüdren, ivhom they saw for the first time on board the Amistad. It soems ihat they remained ut Lorabuko several weeks, until six or seven liundred wt-ro collected, whenihey were put in ironsand placed in the hold of the ship which soon put to sca. Being chused by a British cruiser, she reiurned, landed her cargo of' human beines and iho vesscl was seizedand Inken to Sierra Leone for adjudicaron. After some time the Africana were put on board the Tecora, and after suffering the horrors of a middle passage, arrived at Havana. Here they were put in a barracoon, one of the oblong enelo sures, without a roof, where human beings are kept, as our sh-eep and oxen are near ihe caüle markeis in the vicmiiy of our iarge citie? until purchasers ore found, for ten days,wlien ihey vvere sold to José Ruiz, and shipped on board the Amistad, together witli tliree girls and little boywúo carne on uoaru v.uh Montes. The Amistad was a coaster bound to Principe, d stant f rom Havana twó' or ihree iiundred miles, in Cuba. The Aíricans were kept jn chains anl (etters and wcre supplied wiiii but a snull qmulity of food or water. A single bananni, hay say, was served out as food fora d;iy for two, nndonly a srnalí cupof water for eacli. - VVhen uny ofthem took a little water from the cask they were sevérely flogged. - The Spaniardslouk Antonio.cabin boy and lave to Capt. Fcrrer,and slamped him on the shoüldeï with a hot ron, :hen put powcler, p:ilm pil, &.c, upon ihe wound,so ihat they ucoukl kuow l)icn for ilieir slave." - The cook a colored Spuniard, told thetn that on their irrival t Principe in ihrce days, they wóuid hnve thoir ihrouts cut,le chopped id péicfSj nnd saltfcd down for miMt for ih'é Spuniaic!. Ho poinVc'd tu some bárrela of beef on the deck, ihen lo an eniply barrel, and by signiíicint gestares, as tne Mendians say by 4talking with the fingerSj" he made ihem understand that they were lo be slain, &c. At four o'clock that day, wher. they were caltad on deck toeat, Cmqiie found a nail which lie secreted under his unn. In the njglu ihey heid a counsel is to whnt was best to bo done. 'lVVe fcel bad," sa id Kin-na,"and we ask Cinque what we had bost do. Cimque say, "me think and by by I tell you." Ha then s.iid, "if we do nothing, we be killed. We tnay as well d.ie n trying to be free,as to be killed and calen." Cinque aftorwards told them whut he would do. VVilh (he aid of ihe nail nnd the asststaüce o( Grabeau he frecd himself íVom Ihe irohs on bis wristsond ancles, and from the cliain on hi neck. He ilien with his osvn !i-nds, wres led the irons from the litnbs and nccks o lus couulryinan. It is nol in my power to give au idequatc descrip'ion of Cinque when he shuwed how he did ibis-, and lec his r.omrades to tne conflict, and aehievcc their frcedom. In my yxtuhger ycars j saw Kembleand SiJdons, and the repreBentation of Othello, at Covont Garden, bul noac'.ing Miatl ever witinessed came near lliat tu which I now aüuJe.. VVhen delivcred from iheir irons, the Mindians, witli the exception of the chihlren, who wero asleep about four or five o'elock in tlie morning,armed with bixti'è knives,some buxesof which the found in the hold, leap-, cd upon deck. Cinque killed ihe cook The captain fought desparately. He inflicted wounda on twoof ihc Africans,who soonafter died, andcut severely one or twoof ihosc who now survive. Two sailrs leaped over the side f the vessel. The Mendians say they "could not reach land - they must have swam to the bottom of ihc soa," but Ruizaud Montes supposed 'heyreachcd the island in a boat. Cinque now took commnnd of the vessel- placed Si-si at the rudder - gave his people plen'y to eat and drink. Ruiz and Montes had fled to the hold. They were dragged put, and Cinque ordered them to be put in irons. They cried and begged not tu be put in chain?, but Cinque replied, (lYou fiy fetters good for negro, good for Spainwh men tou, you try them two days and 8ee how you feel." The Spaniards asjiedfor water, and t was dealt out to ihem in the same srnall cup wilii which they had I dealt it out to the Afrieans. 'J'hcy coinplained bilturlyof bcing thirsty. Chique said, "You say a liltle water enough lor uigger, fa little water do íbr him a little do for you too." Cinque said tiie Spaniarda cried a grcnt deal, he feit verry sorry, and only mcant !o let thcm see how good j( was to be treated like the poor slave?. In two dnys the irons were removed, and then, said Cinque, we ive thcm plenty water and foodand treat tïiem very well. Kin-na stated that when the water feil short Cinque would nol drink any, nor allow any of the rest lo drink any {hing Lut'snlf water, but dealt out dar ly a liule toeach of the four children, and the same quantity to cach of the lw0 Spniards! ín a day or two Ruiz and Momos wrote a letter, nnd told Cinque thai wliiMi ihey spoke a vessel f he would give it t thern, the people would take Itftfía lo Siena Leone. Cinque 'ook the letter and saiJ, "Very well," but .fierjvardfi told lus brethren, '%We have n etter in JVlcndi. I lon't hnow what is in that letter - there-inay be death in it. So we will tüke sorne iron and stririg, bind them about the letter, und send il (o tho boltcmof the tea."' When any vc?el cnme in sight the Spnni:irds'wt're hul down i;i (he liold,and forbiddi-n to come on deck on pnin of dcaih. Oae of the Africana who coiild titfkva liulü Eaglisfi, ansvvered qüesttpns kiien ihcy v.ere hailod from othrr vessels. It is unnccc.-siry to nárrale here subsequent factp, as they have been pub. lished througliout llie conntry.