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Miscellany: The Slaver: From The Note Book Of An Officer Emp...

Miscellany: The Slaver: From The Note Book Of An Officer Emp... image
Parent Issue
Day
15
Month
August
Year
1842
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Her Majesty's schooner Faney, ? O (f the Cuasi of Brazil. , 'A sail! a sail!' exclHimed a dozen voices, 'and by St. Paul, abrig!' I was dreatr.ing of ancient times. I fancied myself Benhow's ñog lieutenant, and he would persist (to my great horror) in nwkmg me chew tobáceo. A voice (vvhich I at first mistook to be admiral Benbow's) vociferated in mineear, - 'A sai], Sir, hearing due east.' I was on deck in a 'qunrter less no time.' 'Where is she? Ah! 1 set. Up with the helm - square the yards, Mr. Smart. Drop the toptjallant sail and our reef's, quictly and slowly - p;iy, slovenly, if you will, f'or he looks Itke a clipper, and stratogem is our only chance.' Steady - so! I don't think he observes us yet.for it is scarce daybreak, and we are to the weslward ofhim. Starboard a little - steady! Now for a goed squint, and letmewipethe damp off my 'Dolload.' He apiiears to be running along the land, - odd, certainly! By Jove! he hnula his wind toward us. He takes us for a coaster. The lonsr gun is quite ready ! Good! keep ii covered with tbc turpaulin. and none of you show your ugly mugs above gunwale. 'Put the red niglit cap on, Sambo, and út on the top of the Ibrescuttle.'We are nearing eacli oUierfast: a fino, taunt, rnkisb-looking craft ehe appeaïs - three hündred tons, at least. I t hink she suspects us. She does for phe edges away, and up go her studding-eails. 'Dealers in luitnan flesh - liave at you!' Bang! goes the lliirty two poundor. Befnre the smoke clears away, the schooner is under evcry stitch of sail.' Tlie breoze fresbens - we are in hot pursuit. 'Mimi your steernge, quartermnster. nnd keep her on with the larboanl fbrerigginjr.' Steady! Bang! again: - the shot falls short. Out bed, and let the' gun down on the rear axletree: nowthen.l fire with the ris'iig motion. Bang! 'Slap through her main sail, Sir!' cxclaims a man ofF the foreyard. Shé stillcarries on, and shows no colors; another shot. and another. Slie increases her! ciistunce; we sliall loosc her, by henvcns! I Wet Ihe sails!' - thoy draw henulifully, and stand like a board; the linm ocks are hÁing n), and a rouple of shot placed in each. We liold our own. He has ctU away-tifs slerul bnat ond bis anchor! Villiííns-! it is all in voin!' 'Take your time, No. 1, and luing down some of bis flying kiles.' Bang! the smoke clears nway: rturrab! liis foré top-sail yurd is sht away ín tle stuys; down it come?, studding-sails and all! and - one shot more; she roundes to! and u; go the Portugese colors! - Out bonts! 'Mr. J. Smart, go on board, take posrs. sion, and send the prisoners on board the Fancv.'The briir is iKiilmjr, Sir.' 'She is from Qnilliinane. in the Mozambique Chaniiel,' exchiirns Mr. Smart; '.ixtytwo (l;i}'s out, three hwndred and thirty slaves, sodly in want of water.' Conrteons render,accompany ns, I pray yon, on board this slave ve=ol; come and see the handy works of the blood-thirsty dealers in human desh. What a nauseous smell as wo ; approach; how süppery nnd ilirty the vesseVsJ side; what a clamor of voices; we are on i boatd. Look at that cool, villinnous looking scoundrs?, pacinjr up and down the deck, smoking a cigar; his hands are in lus pocket; lie appears totally unconcerned about the niunber of' murders he h.-is commit'ed, and the horrors that , stirround'him. He is captain of the t?laver,nnd j i Portupse; bnt Jje declares tnat he is a passenger, and that the captain died at sea. Me s even now calcnlating liow rnunh lie lms lo.t )y this nnfortunate speculation. 'Let me seo,' says he, '1 ovvn twenryof the healthiest, f'or niy blacks never die!' and lie giïn.-1, - hat would liave given me twelve thonsand crusadoes, and Don Bernadino was to have givèn ne four thonsand for tin; trip, - sixteen thonsand c'ean gone! - dinbolo lake the EnglisJi )icnroons!' - and he 'curses not loud, )ut drep.' 'Wel!, I imisf be upon my guard now, however, Santa Maria' I wonder ifthey vill rob me oflhose t-ixty lihlf.-doubl.oons fastened aronnd rnv waist; iftliry dó, may they never receive absolutiöD, the miscreants.' - ie grinds his leeth, üghts afresh cigar$ and ontinuet! the drek.Beduid i hut skeleton fórmJ Ihe unforturiate breithes! her pulse still beats; her licirt-cven yet ullers faintiy to the touch of hurnanity. - A ïew days since.an infant hiing at her breasl ; lirice happy mnoceni, if died - t was stnrveci - and ahe, thè poor emancipated morher, hos )pnn siarved too! she has t-xisted these Jast bcty dnys on a few handfnls of fariña, and wö gills of putrid water per day; she Jived in ie aftpr hold upen sume hard planks all this me: look at her excoriated flèsh! When he embarkod. there vvere two hundred of lier ex sfowed with her in blijk- M?ne hundred and lirty ñow remnin. She niight have sa ved ïerself, and snerifioed her cliild; Nature gave ïer a mother's love for her offspring: glip aurished, and hugnred if. to her bosom, nntil ie littlR corase was taken fn-m her by force, nd ihrown into i he sea. While we are lonkïg, slie is dying! - she is dead! - 'Oli death! vliere is thv stingT Friend of huiüanity, turn to that nest of ittlc ones, ali in the last jtage of the small )ox - in the confluent stage: their bodies nre ne masrf of putrif'ving sores; their tongnes re lolling out of tlieir parched mouths as beging for water; they dannot spcak; Ihey uter inarticulate sounds-; but m a feW hours, ïey will bn quite stlll, - yes! they will bo vherc the wicked cease from troublmg, and ie wearv are at rest,' - they will die without groun; watch them natröwly as you may, ou will not Derceive the trar.sition from life o death! The blnck, glossy eye is half open, nd oliïiost transparent. lt quivers! - it ie xed in death. Mark the living skeleton! lyin with his nee to the deck: one litile month, and that man was a Hercules; but, fearfnl of his trength, the villains have kf-pthimin close rons; this is the fiist tune he has breathed the ir of heaven emce he etribarkêd. Lpk at lis leng i hy. his sunken eyeR--hiá lnnk aws - his attennrited Imibs! the bonrs seem villing to burst through the frail tovering of kin that snrrounds ihem: you may counl e'.ry rib. He was one of the brave ninn of his ribe; he wns doubrless taken fighting hand ' mnd, defending his wife. his children, his ome;eveii therude hut. in th wilds of Afica; but lie w;ss surrpunded; and taken prisnor, and driven. with huiidreds of otlieis, liko cks of sheep, to the sea costs. See, he moves, - He leans upon his hnnd - his ninnly brow Consents to death- but conquers agony, And his drooped head sinlis grulually low. He is past all suffenng: a few hours, and ie will cease to exist.Yondcr are &ome snffi 'ring from opthalmia 11 moo or less blind; one is totally so: and very now and then, lteendcavors to throw ïimself overhonrd, and whei) he ia re.tramed, ie mnmblcs somethipr, and poinls to hts eyes, s much as to say, 'Wliy sliould I live? T ami fmo use - eau only oxisi i otter darkness , - let me putan end to my tniserios!' Tliey are sorving out die water! See whnt rusli tliore is 16 tlie after hatchway; men,; 'omon, childrenpHiow enjrcriy t.hey watch ! ïeir tnrn to gratip 'the littlo calabash which half filed fqr eacli one. it holde just a pint;! 'jlli wliat agony 8ome oftlie fittlö urchinsj egard the procese! - af raid thpy shnll bo ritten. Hów they creep between the Ipgs of ie taller onos to get nearer ihe UiU! A dozn hands ore trurt in at once; with vviiit. envy ley regard the fortunóte poosessar! and Imw tiey watch every drop that paèses down his 1 poor parched throat, and snatch it from hisgrásp ero it is quito empty! Main strengt h here ,wins the doy; they have little respect for friends or comr. des in rnisfortnne; and no wonder - eacli s endeavorinc to save his own lile! Hark ! what splash was that? They liave jusl hove two unfortunates overboard; thoir bodies were vet warm, but they were encumbering t he crowded decks; the tlios were swarming around and even the air was becoming tainied; tliey are now food for shorks; two of these ravc-nous creatnres have fnllowed the vessel across the Atlantic: thr-y have bee.n gorgedwttbvbuman fles)), but they are iiever eatisfied-, they will await the last victim and ihen go in scarch of more. Nine bodies have been thrown overboard to day. Jutit peop down into the men's slave room; how close tind póieonoas the atmosphere ! - only thrce feet l'rom the phnks to the deck above; tfiey must UI squat down in one position; move clrey ctmnot. Immense leng-ures tor holding water are stowed away' undêrneath; f ome little fellowè mana sre to crawl liotvvceü tiie plauks - tliey find the binig-hole of t.lie ensks. Neccssity is, indeedj the mother of JDVi'Dtion: they tear oft" a poftion of ihe rag that is tied round tlieir waist, and is their only cövenngj fusten ít to a rope-yain, and lowor it into the cask: lo! they draw it u), stick out all tiie moisture, and so again, u'jtil tlieir insaiiate thirst is sornewhat abated. Some mn'er come up again, and so die btneath the planks, and are not discovered uniil Ue confmed air below becomes rank porson.and thfii) a s-earch is made, and a putrid body found and cast. overboard. I feel a hot puff of wind from the southwest - that dense cloud on the horizon is rising fast - a flash of lightning issues trom it - it begms to sj)utter with rain - ;his porteudá a squall. Unhappy wretches! you must do6cend. With what reluctance thoy go! - the fstrongest shoving the wenk èefore thein. - Look at the forest of human hcads with the f;ices turned upward, peeping throngh the gratÍDgjs of ttiK barred down hatchway! - What slioving, squeezing, coughing, and ytlling, to get t)ie envied berth ? Brute force again carnes the day and the weak squat down in de:pair - their breasts heave and thev gitsp for a little air.A ehort time befare wo capttircd her, they were ail battcned down in a gale of wind - Yes, they covered over the hatebways to prevent f he sens that fell in bo-trf". from filling the vesse!. What screams of ngony, what yells must liave been uttered, when they were suffocuting 'i The weathi r moderated, the hatches wereopened, and , forty corpses were passtjd up and comniittod to thedeep. Thaoka be to Ueaven for the fine, refreshing f .ir wind; how the sun shines, and the vessel ílifp ! The port is in sight, and wc shall anchor ere sunset. ' Lo! we are at andtor. What cries of joy the unformnates utter as they lrave the dirty, nauseons ves,sel thut has broug-ht them across the Atlantic! Those that are dying, for a while partake of the joy, and faney their sufferinn-s all over; and, indeed, so they are, íbr no earthly aid can ?ave their bodies, and, alas! they are ignorant of their souls. And thua they die, a last envying look on their cororades, wh'o ;eat, drink, and aro merry' - on the cool, clean, spneious decks of Hor Majety".s recejving frijrate Cresceut. The healthio.st are divided into niesses, and are given beef, sonp, hñd fnjána, and as much water as they enn safely drink, Some little urclnns love to sit all day long' by the fide of tlie tank, nnd turn the water for every one who conip-s; that running' stre mi beinir to them the dearet sight eartli can afford. The sick are Iaid on beds, and have the best medical trëatmerit; t'iey are g'iven nourishïng footl to reanímate their debilituted frames; aome poor skeletons woulri drink all day long, (f allowed) so great is their thirst. By dfgrees they recover, and get merry, and dance their native dances, and sing their mtional song-p, aud so in time, by care and kind irealment, forget all their past sufferings. Wlien they liavesufficiently recovered, another scène takes place; one -lialf" of them are ;i;j:iin sent on board the slave vessel; they are a bont to proeeed to the British colony of Guiana: for jf they remain in the Brazils, thev will afraia liecome slaves.How the poor creatuies clread anniliervnyarje! How they ding to the sities of the frigat, ns if to snve therneelyea from a ccrtain I death! They recollcct all that they previousi ly süflbred - the-suflocalion! the raging thirst ! ! ihe Büruing heat óf their bodies! comradeaf! ter corilrade dying beside them? Dut their i fears are in vain; happily fór tiioin, ihey are : no longor in the hands f the Philistinor.- lrtOare now put ii;to a Rptice whêre 500 were crammed on leaving the coast of África. - Tho wal er is pure and whok'some, and they are al) allowed a liberal qinntity. They are all clothed. or rhe Guiana Immiííroíioii !:íociety nt on'.y überaliy proviiie clnthinjr, luit j (efrny all íjje expenses oftheir tninsporínlion., The provisiüiis consisi of hung heef, snit fish, fariña, tice, and leraonjúicej witl) lapioca, arrowroot, migar, wine, Sec. ibr fho sick. . Énch nno i prouficd with a mat, whfch they ' take the gn?atest care of. The officer who is m nt with them is very priciriar in keeping i the vetgel pure an;l cK-an, and regularly ventilnted) éprinkling chloride of lime in the l.'old occasionaHy, and k'eepinji thenegroes as much 'on deck as possihle. Tjjreöty of the fiurst ! and strongest are se'ccted to assist the se;iim'i in working ihe ship. They keep regular J wnich, which they are proud of. The passage is lonij and tedions, but they are merry, and free iVom c;u-e, as the foUoiVinjï extract f.iom iheprize officer's irivate log vül show: 'The nrgroestiiis evening esiahli.shed.a band of cuünary instrument s '. íSnch a cíin I nevei heard; ífetlles, frying-pans; baking-dishep, tin pots and spoofis, Sec. Sec. all in concert! After the dancing, a kind of pahtoinineAvas performeJ, in which thü actor imicaled all the aotionsand stratagems of the elephant hunter. One stout fellow appeared paiticnlarlv rxcited, andj l'or a moment) perbaps, fancied himself again in his nat i ve wood. - he haiuUcil a.fíi' k (l:is p-nnj with thegrenicrit desrteriíy, I and i i i i n T qiiickly, ond with great minul iie oí' inovcnicnt. Tíic PucesaCul e&ot was atíended ¦ yrll of triurupli, -ntid a crash i fpoiSj paos. &C ! His moveraérffe were regulated by a sung, in which all joined.'Tlms, evening after evening, they amuscd themselves. At lenglh they ancior in thr rivèr Berbice: they are landed, oml are located iicar a plantation. They immediately dcmolish nn acre of sugar -canes. The men and womën are now dividcd, and made to form a line opposite each other; the men are to!d to select a wite from the opposite party, when, if the lady be nothing lotli, thy are niarricd by a magistráte, t'iid henceforth are husband and vvife. Some are not contenttod jvitli one, hut want two wives, and oppear much di?appointèd when relused, e5pi?rially ii fem;ilps aie t!ie more nnmerous. Oncfe!low, acokby profession, quite an artist in his way, pickéd out three, and sndly Avanted to keep them all: finding it impossible, he took two rliüdren, thus becoming a family man at onre. Tn a short time, thoy benrin to work at the differont plantations, and píun a Ivveühood, la1 r liere öflding a market; they are perfectly at üborty to changp masters when they pleas'e; ihey ae nnder the protection of a rpng8tía{e, re.cpon:ibie only to the govern-l nicnt; and Ihey enjoy as mnch liberty in every respect, as those of onr own race. They become Christians, attend churcn, and, in the iuiness of time, they depart xh'.s woild - not as worshippers of stones and serpents, bnt with a hope of evorlastin hnppiness. And Ihus ends the liberatcd African's 'strange, eventful hi&tor .'

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Subjects
Signal of Liberty
Old News