Miscellany

In the yenr 1830 lliere wem hovering ;upon the African Coast a large clipper brig, caüed ! lie Brilliantc, commnnded by a desperado named Homans. Homans was an Engüshman by birlh and wns known along :he wliole coast and in Cuba, as Iba most successful slavor ofhis d.iy. The brig was owned by two men residing in Havana, one an Englishman, the other a Spaniarci. She was built to carrv six liundred negroes, and in her Hümansh.id made ten successful voyages nctunlly hnding iu Cuba five tWand nogrocs! The brig carrici ten gun., had tbirty sweeps and a crew of sixtv Spaniards, the most nf them old piratos as despernle as thoir commander. An lingüsh brig of ar, which nttncked her, was sp cut up in hul] and rigging, that she was abandoned and soon sunk ; an Énglish sloop of war attempted to carry the Brilliaiite wilh boats, fjut wns beaten off with.great slaughter. Now it wasknown that Ilomnns Was ngain on the coast, nnd it was resolved to inake another desperate effori to lake liim witl) the evidence of his guilt on board. The arrangements were well made. He was allowed lo lake his cargo of negrees and set sail. The Bnliiante hnd lost sight of the const, wlien the qnick eve of t!)C commander discovered that he wns entrnpped. Four cruisers, three English and one American, had been laying in xVait for him, and escape was hopeless, for in turning away lïorn one he would come within reach of anoJber. Night was coming on, and Homans was silenily rcgardiug liis pursuers, when suddenly the huge sails of the brig flapped idly, the w,l died nwny,and the slnver was mofionless on the water3. 'This wil] not do,' Homans multered, knocking away the ashes from his cigar- 'their boats wij] be down upon me before I am ready for the visit,' aud as lie said this his slern face lit up with a smile, the expresión of which was diabólica]. Itwnsevidem hf mediiated somc desperate plan. A dozen sweeps were got out, and the vessel moved slowly through the water. Meantirae the darkness having deepenod, Homans proceeded to cairy out his design. The cable attachod to Ihe hea viest and or, was laken outside the hawser hole, and carried round the stern, and forward 011 the oihcr suie. The hatches wei-e then taken o(T, nnd the negroes passed up, eacb securel.v ironcd by the wri'sls. As the miserable wretches came from the hoi liold into tlio fresli nir, they expressed by Iheir looks a gratitude tliat would have softened the heart of any but Ihn fiend in whose power they vvore. Without a word they were led to the side, mnde to bend over the rail, outside of which the chain ran. It was slow work, but at the end of four hou rs,Qy six hundred Africans, male and female, were bending over the rail of the brig in n painful position, holding by their chained hands to a hugc cable, wnich was to be atlached to a lieavy anchor, suspended by a single sling frorn the bow. Htimans himself examined the fastenings to see tlmt every negro was strongly bound to the chain. This done, he orde red tho pen work of the hold to be broken up, brought on doek, bound up in matting, wel! filled with shot and thrown ovsrboard. The work was eompíeted an hour before dnybreak, and now the fitness of Homsn's guüt was ottached to he fatal chain. Homans turned to his nale, and wilh a smile full of moaning, aid in Sijanish - IlaiTo, take na axe and go forward. The wind will come oíTto us soon. Listen for the word, and when you hear it, cut the sling. The man went forward, and Homans turnod and in vain endeavored to penétrate the darkness. 'I dont want to lose the niggers,' he said, spenkiug aloud - 'and yet I dare not walt until daylight. I wish I knew where the hounds were.' At that instant the repon of a gun reached hisear, then anothor and another and anotlier in different directions. The cruisers were firing signáis. That's enough, exciaimed Ilomans. - I know vvhore you are. Tlien raising In's voice he cried. Harro, are you ready ? the wind will reach us soon. Ay, ay, sir, was the response. }[ a few minutes the saus began to 511, and the vessel moved slowly through lie waler. IIow mu'ch water do yoii suppose we have here ? asfced Homans, turning to ihe man at the vvheel. Fifty fathorns, at }easi, was the replv. That wilj do, the s'aVer muttered, and ie walked forward, and carefully examneci the 'chain gang,' ns he brutally termd his dicibolical invenlion. The negroos sent up piteous groans. Ar many hours they had been bent over n this unnatiirnl position, by which Ihey ere suflering the keenest torture, The breeze strengthened, the Brilliante ashed like a racer over Ihe deep. - Homans' hniled from the quarter deck, while his men, collecte I in groups, wi:nessed unmoved the consummatiün of the pían, Are you ready, Harro ? Aye, aye, sir. IIi;mans Iooked nround and 4 ut inte thedarkness, which was fust giving wy lo ihe morn. Then he thundercd out- Strike! There was the sound of a single blow, a lieavy plunge, and as the cable feil off the side, a crash, above which arose one terrible shriek - it waslhelasi cry of the murdered Africuns. One moment moré, and all - Six luindred human beings had gone down vvilli that anchor and chain, into the depihs of the occan ! Two hours after daybreak the Brilliante was overhauled. There was no evidence thatshé was a slavcr, and her captors were obliged to let her pass. The instructions tocruisérs at that time did not allow a vessell to he captured unless negroes were found on board.