The Capture of a SlaverWood, J. Taylor. The Capture of a Slaver
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The Capture of a Slaver
Wood, J. Taylor
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About the print version
The Capture of a Slaver
J. Taylor Wood
Atlantic Monthly
New York
1900
Volume 86
Note: pp. 451-463
Published: 1900
English nonfiction; prose African American
Revisions to the electronic version
August 1994 corrector Kelly Tetterton
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-451-
Wood, J. Taylor. "The Capture of a Slaver."
Atlantic Monthly 86 (1900): 451-463.
FROM 1830 to 1850 both Great Britain and the United States, by joint
convention, kept on the coast of Africa at least eighty guns afloat for the
suppression of the slave trade. Most of the vessels so employed were small
corvettes, brigs, or schooners; steam at that time was just being introduced
into the navies of the world.
Nearly fifty years ago I was midshipman on the United States brig Porpoise,
of ten guns. Some of my readers may remember these little ten-gun coffins, as
many of them proved to be to their crews. The Porpoise was a fair sample of the
type; a full-rigged brig of one hundred and thirty tons, heavily sparred, deep
waisted, and carrying a battery of eight twenty-four-pound carronades and two
long chasers; so wet that even in a moderate breeze or sea it was necessary to
batten down; and so tender that she required careful watching; only five feet
between decks, her quarters were necessarily cramped and uncomfortable, and, as
far as possible, we lived on deck. With a crew of eighty all told, Lieutenant
Thompson was in command, Lieutenant Bukett executive officer, and two midshipmen
were the line officers. She was so slow that we could hardly hope for a prize
except by a fluke. Repeatedly we had chased suspicious craft only to be
out-sailed.
At this time the traffic in slaves was very brisk; the demand in the Brazils,
in Cuba, and in other Spanish West Indies was urgent, and the profit of the
business so great that two or three successful ventures would enrich any one.
The slavers were generally small, handy craft; fa
st, of course; usually
schooner-rigged, and carrying flying topsails and forecourse. Many were built in
England or elsewhere purposely for the business, without, of course, the
knowledge of the builders, ostensibly as yachts or traders. The Spaniards and
Portuguese were the principal offenders, with occasionally an English-speaking
renegade.
The slave depots, or barracoons, were generally located some miles up a
river. Here the slaver was secure from capture and could embark his live cargo
at his leisure. Keeping a sharp lookout on the coast, the dealers were able to
follow the movements of the cruisers, and by means of smoke, or in other ways,
signal when the coast was clear for the coming down the river and sailing of the
loaded craft. Before taking in the cargoes they were always fortified with all
the necessary papers and documents to show they were engaged in legitimate
commerce, so it was only when caught in flagrante delicto that we could hold
them.
We had been cruising off the coast of Liberia doing nothing, when we were
ordered to the Gulf of Guinea to watch the Bonny and Cameroons mouths of the
great Niger River. Our consort was H.M. schooner Bright, a beautiful craft about
our tonnage, but with half our crew, and able to sail three miles to our two.
She was an old slaver, captured and adapted as a cruiser. She had been very
successful, making several important captures of full cargoes, and twice or
thrice her commanding officer and others had been promoted. Working our way
slowly down the coast in company with the Bright, we would occasionally send a
boat on shore to reconnoitre or gather any information we could from the natives
through our Krooman interpreter. A few glasses of rum or a string of beads would
loosen the tongue of almost any one. At Little Bonny we heard that two vessels
were some miles up the river, ready to sail,
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and were only waiting until the coast was clear. Captain James, of the Bright,
thought that one, if not both, would sail from another outlet of the river,
about thirty miles to the southward, and determined to watch it.
We both stood to that direction. Of course we were watched from the shore,
and the slavers were kept posted as to our movements. They supposed we had both
gone to the Cameroons, leaving Little Bonny open; but after dark, with a light
land breeze, we wore round and stood to the northward, keeping offshore some
distance, so that captains leaving the river might have sufficient offing to
prevent their reaching port again or beaching their craft. At daybreak, as far
as we could judge, we were about twenty miles offshore to the northward and
westward of Little Bonny, in the track of any vessel bound for the West Indies.
The night was dark with occasional rain squalls, when the heavens would open and
the water come down in a flood. Anxiously we all watched for daylight, which
comes under t
he equator with a suddenness very different from the prolonged
twilight of higher latitudes. At the first glimmer in the east every eye was
strained on the horizon, all eager, all anxious to be the first to sight
anything within our vision. The darkness soon gave way to gray morn. Day was
dawning, when suddenly a Krooman by my side seized my hand and, without saying a
word, pointed inshore. I looked, but could see nothing. All eyes were focused in
that direction, and in a few minutes the faint outline of a vessel appeared
against the sky. She was some miles inshore of us, and as the day brightened we
made her out to be a brigantine (an uncommon rig in those days), standing across
our bows, with all studding sails set on the starboard side, indeed everything
that could pull, including water sails and save-all. We were on the same tack
heading to the northward. We set everything that would draw, and kept off two
points, bringing the wind abeam so as to head her off.
The breeze was light and off the land. We had not yet been seen against the
darker western horizon, but we knew it could only be a few minutes longer before
their sharp eyes would make us out. Soon we saw the studding sails and all kites
come down by the run and her yards braced up sharp on the same tack as ours. We
also hauled by the wind. At sunrise she was four points on our weather bow,
distant about four miles. We soon perceived that she could outsail our brig and
if the wind held would escape. Gradually she drew away from us until she was
hull down. Our only hope now was that the land breeze would cease and the sea
breeze come in. As the sun rose we gladly noticed the wind lessening, until at
eleven o'clock it was calm. Not a breath ruffled the surface of the sea; the
sun's rays in the zenith were reflected as from a mirror; the waters seemed like
molten lead.
I know of nothing more depressing than a calm in the tropics, -- a raging sun
overhead, around an endless expanse of dead sea, and a feeling of utter
helplessness that is overpowering. What if this should last? what a fate! The
Rime of the Ancient Mariner comes to our mind. Come storm and tempest, come
hurricanes and blizzards, anything but an endless stagnation. For some hours we
watched earnestly the horizon to the westward, looking for the first dark break
on the smooth sea. Not a cloud was in the heavens. The brig appeared to be
leaving us either by towing or by sweeps; only her topgallant sail was above the
horizon. It looked as if the sea breeze would desert us. It usually came in
about one o'clock, but that hour and another had passed and yet we watched for
the first change. Without a breeze our chances of overhauling the stranger were
gone. Only a white speck like the wing of a gull
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now marked her whereabouts on the edge of the horizon, and in another hour she
would be invisible even from the masthead.
When w
e were about to despair, our head Krooman drew the captain's attention
to the westward and said the breeze was coming. We saw no signs of it, but his
quick eye had noticed light feathery clouds rising to the westward, a sure
indication of the coming breeze. Soon we could see the glassy surface ruffled at
different points as the breeze danced over it, coming on like an advancing line
of skirmishers; and as we felt its first gentle movement on our parched faces,
it was welcome indeed, putting new life into all of us. The crew needed no
encouragement to spring to their work. As the little brig felt the breeze and
gathered steerageway, she was headed for the chase, bringing the wind on her
starboard quarter. In less than five minutes all the studding sails that would
draw were set, as well as everything that would pull. The best quartermaster was
sent to the wheel, with orders to keep the chase directly over the weather end
of the spritsail yard. The captain ordered the sails wet, an expedient I never
had much faith in, unless the sails are very old. But as if to recompense us for
the delay, the breeze came in strong and steady. Our one hope now was to follow
it up close, and to carry it within gunshot of the brig, for if she caught it
before we were within range she would certainly escape. All hands were piped to
quarters, and the long eighteen-pounder on the forecastle was loaded with a full
service charge; on this piece we relied to cripple the chase. We were now
rapidly raising her, and I was sent aloft on the fore topsail yard, with a good
glass to watch her movements. Her hull was in sight and she was still becalmed,
though her head was pointed in the right direction, and everything was set to
catch the coming breeze. She carried a boat on each side at the davits like a
man-of-war, and I reported that I could make out men securing them. They had
been towing her, and only stopped when they saw us drawing near.
Anxiously we watched the breeze on the water as it narrowed the sheen between
us, and we were yet two miles or more distant when she first felt the breeze. As
she did so we hoisted the English blue ensign, -- for the fleet at this time was
under a Rear Admiral of the Blue, -- and fired a weather gun, but no response
was made. Fortunately the wind continued to freshen and the Porpoise was doing
wonderfully well. We were rapidly closing the distance between us. We fired
another gun, but no attention was paid to it. I noticed from the movements of
the crew of the brig that they were getting ready for some manoeuvre, and
reported to the captain. He divined at once what the manoeuvre would be, and
ordered the braces be led along, hands by the studding-sail halyards and tacks,
and everything ready to haul by the wind. We felt certain now of the character
of our friend, and the men were already calculating the amount of their prize
money. We were now within range, and mu
st clip her wings if possible.
The first lieutenant was ordered to open fire with the eighteen-pounder.
Carefully the gun was laid, and as the order "fire" was given, down came our
English flag, and the stop of the Stars and Stripes was broken at the gaff. The
first shot touched the water abeam of the chase and ricochetted ahead of her.
She showed the Spanish flag. The captain of the gun was ordered to elevate a
little more and try again. The second shot let daylight through her fore
topsail, but the third was wide again.
Then the sharp, quick order of the captain, "Fore topsail yard there, come
down on deck, sir!" brought me down on the run. "Have both cutters cleared away
and ready for lowering," were my
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orders as I reached the quarter-deck. Practice from the bow chasers continued,
but the smoke that drifted ahead of us interfered with the accuracy of the
firing, and no vital part was touched, though a number of shots went through her
sails. The captain in the main rigging never took his eye from the Spaniard,
evidently expecting that as a fox when hard pressed doubles on the hounds, the
chase would attempt the same thing. And he was not disappointed, for when we had
come within easy range of her, the smoke hid her from view for a few minutes,
and as it dispersed the first glimpse showed the captain that her studding sails
had all gone, and that she had hauled by the wind, standing across our weather
bow. Her captain had lost no time in taking in his studding sails; halyards,
tacks, and sheets had all been cut together and dropped overboard.
It was a bold and well-executed manoeuvre, and we could not help admiring the
skill with which she was handled. However, we had been prepared for this move.
"Ease down your helm." "Lower away. Haul down the studding sails." "Ease away
the weather braces. Brace up." "Trim down the head sheets," were the orders
which followed in rapid succession, and were as quickly executed. The Spaniard
was now broad on our lee bow, distant not more than half a mile, but as she felt
the wind which we brought down she fairly spun through the water, exposing her
bright copper. She was both head-reaching and outsailing us; in half an hour she
would have been right ahead of us, and in an hour the sun would be down. It was
now or never. We could bring nothing to bear except the gun on the forecastle.
Fortunately it continued smooth, and we were no longer troubled with smoke. Shot
after shot went hissing through the air after her; a number tore through the
sails or rigging, but not a spar was touched nor an important rope cut. We could
see some of her crew aloft reeving and stopping braces and ready to repair any
damage done, working as coolly under fire as old man-of-war's men. But while we
were looking, down came the gaff of her mainsail, and the gaff-topsail fell all
adrift; a lucky shot had cut her peak halyards. Our cr
ew cheered with a will.
"Well done, Hobson; try it again!" called the captain to the boatswain's mate,
who was captain of the gun.
After the next shot, the topgallant yard swayed for a few minutes and fell
forward. The order was given to cease firing; she was at our mercy. We were
rapidly nearing the chase, when she backed her topsail. We kept off, and when
within easy range of the carronades "hove to" to windward. Lieutenant Bukett was
ordered to board her in the first cutter and take charge. I followed in the
second cutter, with orders to bring the captain on board with his papers. A few
strokes sent us alongside of a brig about our tonnage, but with a low rail and a
flush deck. The crew, some eighteen or twenty fine-looking seamen, were forward
eagerly discussing the situation of affairs. The captain was aft with his two
officers, talking to Lieutenant Bukett. He was fair, with light hair curling all
over his head, beard cut short, about forty years of age, well set up, with a
frame like a Roman wrestler, evidently a tough customer in a rough-and-ready
scrimmage.
He spoke fairly good English, and was violently denouncing the outrage done
to his flag; his government would demand instant satisfaction for firing upon a
legitimate trader on the high seas. I have the lieutenant Captain Thompson's
orders, to bring the captain and his papers on board at once. His harangue was
cut short by orders to get on board my boat. He swore with a terrible oath that
he would never leave his vessel. "Come on board, men," said I, and twenty of our
crew were on deck in a jiffy. I stationed my coxswain, Parker,
-455-
at the cabin companion way with orders to allow no one to pass. "Now," said
Lieutenant Bukett to the Spaniard, "I will take you on board in irons unless you
go quietly." He hesitated a moment, then said he would come as soon as he had
gone below to bring up his papers. "No, never mind your papers; I will find
them," said the lieutenant, for he saw the devil in the Spaniard's eyes, and
knew he meant mischief. Our captive made one bound for the companion way,
however, and seizing Parker by the throat hurled him into the water ways as if
he had been a rag baby. But fortunately he slipped on a small grating and fell
on his knees, and before he could recover himself two of our men threw
themselves upon him.
I closed the companion way. The struggle was desperate for a few minutes, for
the Spaniard seemed possessed of the furies, and his efforts were almost
superhuman. Twice he threw the men from him across the deck, but they were
reinforced by Parker, who, smarting under his discomfiture, rushed in,
determined to down him. I was anxious to end it with my pistol, but Lieutenant
Bukett would not consent. The Spaniard's officers and men made some
demonstration to assist, but they were quickly disposed of: his two mates were
put in irons and the crew driven f
orward. Struggling, fighting, every limb and
every muscle at work, the captain was overpowered; a piece of the signal
halyards brought his hands together, and handcuffs were slipped on his wrists.
Only then he succumbed, and begged Lieutenant Bukett to blow out his brains, for
he had been treated like a pirate.
Without doubt if he had reached the cabin he would have blown up the vessel,
for in a locker over the transom were two open kegs of powder. I led him to my
boat, assisted him in, and returned to the Porpoise. As soon as the Spaniard
reached the deck the captain ordered his irons removed, and expressed his regret
that it had been necessary to use force. The prisoner only bowed and said
nothing. The captain asked him what his cargo consisted of. He replied, "About
four hundred blacks bound to the Brazils."
I was then ordered to return to the brig, bring on board her crew, leaving
only the cook and steward, and to take charge of the prize as Lieutenant Bukett,
our first lieutenant, was not yet wholly recovered from an attack of African
fever. The crew of twenty men, when brought on board, consisted of Spaniards,
Greeks, Malays, Arabs, white and black, but had not one Anglo-Saxon. They were
ironed in pairs and put under guard.
From the time we first got on board we had heard moans, cries, and rumblings
coming from below, and as soon as the captain and crew were removed, the hatches
had been taken off, when there arose a hot blast as from a charnel house,
sickening and overpowering. In the hold were three or four hundred human beings,
gasping, struggling for breath, dying; their bodies, limbs, faces, all
expressing terrible suffering. In their agonizing fight for life, some had torn
or wounded themselves or their neighbors dreadfully; some were stiffened in the
most unnatural positions. As soon as I knew the condition of things I sent the
boat back for the doctor and some whiskey. It returned bringing Captain
Thompson, and for an hour or more we were all hard at work lifting and helping
the poor creatures on deck, where they were laid out in rows. A little water and
stimulant revived most of them; some, however, were dead or too far gone to be
resuscitated. The doctor worked earnestly over each one, but seventeen were
beyond human skill. As fast as he pronounced them dead they were quickly dropped
overboard.
Night closed in with our decks covered so thickly with the ebony bodies that
with difficulty we could move about;
-456-
fortunately they were as quiet as so many snakes. In the meantime the first
officer, Mr. Block, was sending up a new topgallant yard, reeving new rigging,
repairing the sails, and getting everything ataunto aloft. The Kroomen were busy
washing out and fumigating the hold, getting ready for our cargo again. It would
have been a very anxious night, except that I felt relieved by the presence of
the brig which kept wit
hin hail. Soon after daybreak Captain Thompson came on
board again, and we made a count of the captives as they were sent below; 188
men and boys, and 166 women and girls. Seeing everything snug and in order the
captain returned to the brig, giving me final orders to proceed with all
possible dispatch to Monrovia, Liberia, land the negroes, then sail for Porto
Praya, Cape de Verde Islands, and report to the commodore. As the brig hauled to
the wind and stood to the southward and eastward I dipped my colors, when her
crew jumped into the rigging and gave us three cheers, which we returned.
As she drew away from us I began to realize my position and responsibility: a
young midshipman, yet in my teens, commanding a prize, with three hundred and
fifty prisoners on board, two or three weeks' sail from port, with only a small
crew. From the first I kept all hands aft except two men on the lookout, and the
weather was so warm that we could all sleep on deck. I also ordered the men
never to lay aside their pistols or cutlasses, except when working aloft, but my
chief reliance was in my knowledge of the negro, -- of his patient, docile
disposition. Born and bred a slave he never thought of any other condition, and
he accepted the situation without a murmur. I had never heard of blacks rising
or attempting to gain their freedom on board a slaver.
My charges were all of a deep black; from fifteen to twenty-five years of
age, and, with a few exceptions, nude, unless copper or brass rings on their
ankles or necklaces of cowries can be described as articles of dress. All were
slashed, or had the scars of branding on their foreheads and cheeks; these marks
were the distinguishing features of different tribes or families. The men's hair
had been cut short, and their heads looked in some cases as if they had been
shaven. The women, on the contrary, wore their hair "a la pompadour;" the coarse
kinky locks were sometimes a foot or more above their heads, and trained square
or round like a boxwood bush. Their features were of the pronounced African
type, but, notwithstanding this disfigurement, were not unpleasing in
appearance. The figures of all were very good, straight, well developed, some of
the young men having bodies that would have graced a Mercury or an Apollo. Their
hands were small, showing no evidences of work, only the cruel marks of
shackles. These in some cases had worn deep furrows on their wrists or ankles.
They were obedient to all orders as far as they understood them, and would, I
believe, have jumped overboard if told to do so. I forbade the men to treat them
harshly or cruelly. I had the sick separated from the others, and allowed them
to remain on deck all the time, and in this way I partly gained their
confidence. I was anxious to learn their story. Fortunately one of the Kroomen
found among the prisoners a native of a tribe living near the coast, and with
hi
m as interpreter was able to make himself understood. After a good deal of
questioning I learned that most of them were from a long distance in the
interior, some having been one and some two moons on the way, traveling partly
by land and partly by river until they reached the coast. They had been sold by
their kings or by their parents to the Arab trader for firearms or for rum. Once
at the depots near the coast, they were sold by the Arabs or other traders to
the slave captains for from twenty-
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five to fifty dollars a head. In the Brazils or West Indies they were worth from
two to five hundred dollars. This wide margin, of course, attracted unscrupulous
and greedy adventurers, who if they succeeded in running a few cargoes would
enrich themselves.
Our daily routine was simple. At six in the morning the rope netting over the
main hatch which admitted light and air was taken off, and twenty-five of each
sex were brought up, and seated in two circles, one on each side of the deck. A
large pan of boiled paddy was then placed in the centre by the cook and all went
to work with their hands. A few minutes sufficed to dispose of every grain; then
one of the Kroomen gave each of them a cup of water from a bucket. For half an
hour after the meal they had the liberty of the deck, except the poop, for
exercise, to wash and to sun themselves; for sunshine to a negro is meat and
drink. At the end of this time they were sent below and another fifty brought
up, and so on until all had been fed and watered. Paddy or rice was the staple
article of food. At dinner boiled yams were given with the rice. Our passengers
were quartered on a flying deck extending from the foremast to a point twenty
feet abaft the main hatch from which came light and air. The height was about
five feet; the men had one side and the women the other. Of course there was no
furnishing of any kind, but all lay prone upon the bare deck in rows.
Every morning after breakfast the Kroomen would rig the force pump, screw on
the hose and drench them all, washing out thoroughly between decks. They
appeared to enjoy this, and it was cooling, for be it remembered we were close
under the equator, the thermometer dancing about 90 deg. As the water was
sluiced over them they would rub and scrub each other. Only the girls would try
not to get their hair wet, for they were at all times particular about their
headdress. It may be that this was the only part of their toilet that gave them
any concern.
The winds were baffling and light, so we made but slow progress. Fortunately
frequent rains, with sometimes a genuine tropical downpour or cloud-burst, gave
us an opportunity of replenishing our water casks, and by spreading the awnings
we were able to get a good supply. I found on inspection that there were at
least thirty days' provisions on board, so on this score and that of water I
felt easy. I li
ved on deck, seldom using the cabin, which was a veritable
arsenal, with racks of muskets and cutlasses on two sides, many more than the
captain needed to arm his crew, evidently intended for barter. Two or three
prints of his favorite saints, ornamented with sharks' teeth, hung on one
bulkhead. A well-thrummed mandolin and a number of French novels proved him to
be a musical and literary fellow, who could probably play a bolero while making
a troublesome slave walk a plank. I found also some choice vintages from the
Douro and Bordeaux snugly stowed in his spirit locker, which proved good
medicines for some of our captives, who required stimulants. Several of the
girls were much reduced, refused nearly all food, and were only kept alive by a
little wine and water. Two finally died of mere inanition. Their death did not
in the least affect their fellows, who appeared perfectly indifferent and
callous to all their surroundings, showing not the least sympathy or desire to
help or wait on one another.
The fifth day after parting from the brig we encountered a tropical storm.
The sun rose red and angry, and owing to the great refraction appeared three
times its natural size. It climbed lazily to the zenith, and at noon we were
shadowless. The sky was as calm as a vault, and the surface of the water was
like burnished steel. The heat became so stifling that even the Africans were
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gasping for breath, and we envied them their freedom from all impediments. The
least exertion was irksome, and attended with extreme lassitude. During the
afternoon thin cirri clouds, flying very high, spread out over the western
heavens like a fan. As the day lengthened they thickened to resemble the scales
of a fish, bringing to mind the old saying, "A mackerel sky and a mare's tail,"
etc. The signs were all unmistakable, and even the gulls recognized a change,
and, screaming, sought shelter on our spars. Mr. Block was ordered to send down
all the light yards and sails; to take in and furl everything, using storm
gaskets, except on the fore and main storm staysails; to lash everything on
deck; to batten down the hatches, except one square of the main; see all the
shifting boards in place, so that our living cargo would not be thrown to
leeward higgledy-piggledy, and to take four or five of the worst cases of the
sick into the cabin and lay them on the floor.
The sun disappeared behind a mountainous mass of leaden-colored clouds which
rose rapidly in the southern and western quarters. To the eastward, also, the
signs were threatening. Night came on suddenly as it does in the tropics. Soon
the darkness enveloped us, a palpable veil. A noise like the march of a mighty
host was heard, which proved to be the approach of a tropical flood, heralded by
drops as large as marbles. It churned the still waters into a phosphorescent
foam which rendered the darkness only more oppressiv
e. The rain came down as it
can come only in the Bight of Benin. The avalanche cooled us, reducing the
temperature ten or fifteen degrees, giving us new life, and relieving our
fevered blood. I told Mr. Block to throw back the tarpaulin over the main hatch
and let our dusky friends get some benefit of it. In half an hour the rain
ceased, but it was as calm and ominous as ever.
I knew this was but the forerunner of something worse to follow, and we had
not long to wait, for suddenly a blinding flash of lightning darted through the
gloom from east to west, followed by one in the opposite direction. Without
intermission, one blaze after another and thunder crashing until our eyes were
blinded and our ears deafened, a thousand times ten thousand pieces of artillery
thundered away. We seemed utterly helpless and insignificant. "How wonderful are
Thy works," came to my mind. Still no wind; the brig lay helpless.
Suddenly, as a slap in the face, the wind struck us, -- on the starboard
quarter, fortunately. "Hard-a-starboard." "Hanl aft port fore staysail sheet," I
called. But before she could gather way she was thrown down by the wind like a
reed. She was "coming to" instead of "going off," and I tried to get the main
storm staysail down but could not make myself heard. She was lying on her
broadside. Luckily the water was smooth as yet. The main staysail shot out of
the boltropes with a report like a twelve-pounder, and this eased her so that if
the fore staysail would only hold she would go off. For a few minutes all we
could do was to hold on, our lee rail in the water; but the plucky little brig
rallied a little, her head went off inch by inch, and as she gathered way she
righted, and catching the wind on our quarter we were off like a shot out of a
gun. I knew we were too near the vortex of the disturbance for the wind to hang
long in one quarter, so watched anxiously for a change. The sea rose rapidly
while we were running to the northward on her course, and after a lull of a few
minutes the wind opened from the eastward, butt end foremost, a change of eight
points. Nothing was to be done but heave to, and this in a cross sea where
pitch, weather roll, lee lurch, followed one another in such earnest that it was
a wonder her masts were not switched out of her.
I passed an anxious night, most concerned
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about the poor creatures under hatches, whose sufferings must have been
terrible. To prevent their suffocating I kept two men at the main hatch with
orders to lift one corner of the tarpaulin whenever possible, even if some water
did go below. Toward morning the wind and the sea went down rapidly, and as the
sun rose it chased the clouds off, giving us the promise of a fine day. When the
cook brought me a cup of coffee, I do not know that I ever enjoyed anything
more. Hatches off, I jumped down into the hold to look after my prisoners.
Battere
d and bruised they lay around in heaps. Only the shifting boards had kept
them from being beaten into an indistinguishable mass. As fast as possible they
were sent on deck, and the sun's rays, with a few buckets of water that were
thrown over them, accomplished wonders in bringing them to life and starting
them to care for their sore limbs and bruises.
One boy, when I motioned for him to go on deck, pointed quietly to his leg,
and upon examination I found a fracture just above the knee. Swelling had
already commenced. I had seen limbs set, and had some rough idea how it should
be done. So while getting some splints of keg staves and bandages ready, I kept
a stream of water pouring on the fracture, and then ordered two men to pull the
limb in place, and it took all their strength. That done I put on the splints
and wrapped the bandages tightly. Three weeks later I landed him in a fair way
of recovery.
Gradually I allowed a larger number of the blacks to remain on deck, a
privilege which they greatly enjoyed. To lie basking in the sun like saurians,
half sleeping, half waking, appeared to satisfy all their wishes. They were
perfectly docile and obedient, and not by word, gesture, or look did they
express any dissatisfaction with orders given them. But again for any little
acts of kindness they expressed no kind of appreciation or gratitude. Physically
they were men and women, but otherwise as far removed from the Anglo-Saxon as
the oyster from the baboon, or the mole from the horse.
On the fourteenth day from parting with the brig we made the palms on Cape
Mesurado, the entrance to Monrovia Harbor. A light sea breath wafted us to the
anchorage, a mile from the town, and when the anchor dropped from the bows and
the chain ran through the hawse pipe, it was sweet music to my ears; for the
strain had been great, and I felt years older than when I parted from my
messmates. A great responsibility seemed lifted from my shoulders, and I enjoyed
a long and refreshing sleep for the first time in a fortnight. At nine the next
morning I went on shore and reported to the authorities, the officials of
Liberia, of which Monrovia is the capital.
This part of the African coast had been selected by the United States
government as the home of emancipated slaves; for prior to the abolition
excitement which culminated in the war, numbers of slaves in the South had been
manumitted by their masters with the understanding that they should be deported
to Liberia, and the Colonization Society, an influential body, comprising some
of the leading men, like Madison, Webster, and Clay, had assisted in the same
work. The passages of the negroes were paid; each family was given a tract of
land and sufficient means to build a house. Several thousand had been sent out,
most of whom had settled at Monrovia, and a few at other places on the coast.
They had made no impression on the natives. On
the contrary, many of them had
intermarried with the natives, and the off-spring of these unions had lost the
use of the English tongue, and had even gone back to the life and customs of
their ancestors, sans clothing, sans habitations, and worship of a fetich.
Of course there were some notable exceptions, especially President Roberts,
who proved himself a safe and prudent ruler, taking into consideration his
surroundings
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and the material with which he had to work. The form of government was modeled
after that of the United States, but it was top-heavy. Honorables, colonels, and
judges were thicker than in Georgia. Only privates were scarce; for nothing
delights a negro more than a little show or a gaudy uniform. On landing I was
met by a dark mulatto, dressed in a straw hat, blue tail coat, silver
epaulettes, linen trousers, with bare feet, and a heavy cavalry sabre hanging by
his side. With him were three or four others in the same rig, except the
epaulettes. He introduced himself as Colonel Harrison, chief of police. I asked
to be directed to the custom house.
The collector proved to be an old negro from Raleigh, N. C., gray as a
badger, spectacled, with manners of Lord Grandison and language of Mrs.
Malaprop. I reported my arrival, and asked permission to land my cargo as soon
as possible. He replied that in a matter of so much importance, devolving
questions of momentous interest, it would be obligatory on him to consult the
Secretary of the Treasury. I said I trusted he would so facilitate affairs that
I might at an early hour disembarrass myself of my involuntary prisoners. I
returned on board, and the day passed without any answer. The next morning I
determined to go at once to headquarters and find out the cause of the delay by
calling on the President.
He received me without any formality. I made my case as strong as possible,
and pressed for an immediate answer. In reply he assured me he would consult
with other members of his cabinet, and give me a final answer the next morning.
That evening I dined with him en famille, and recognized some old Virginia
dishes on the table. The next morning I waited impatiently for his decision,
having made up my mind however, if it was unfavorable, to land my poor captives,
be the consequences what they might.
About eleven o'clock a boat came off with an officer in full uniform, who
introduced himself as Colonel Royal, bearer of dispatches from his Excellency
the President. He handed me a letter couched in diplomatic language, as long as
some of his brother presidents' messages on this side of the Atlantic. I had
hardly patience to read it. The gist of it was, I might not land the captives at
Monrovia, but might land them at Grand Bassa, about a hundred and fifty miles to
the eastward; that Colonel Royal would accompany me with orders to the governor
there to receive them. This was someth
ing I had not anticipated, and outside of
my instructions. However, I thought it best to comply with the wishes of the
government of our only colony.
Getting under way we stood to the southward and eastward, taking advantage of
the light land and sea breeze, keeping the coast close aboard. The colonel had
come on board without any impediments, and I wondered if he intended to make the
voyage in his cocked hat, epaulettes, sword, etc. But soon after we had started
he disappeared and emerged from the cabin bareheaded, barefooted, and without
clothing except a blue dungaree shirt and trousers. Like a provident negro,
having stowed away all his trappings, he appeared as a roustabout on a Western
steamer. But he had not laid aside with his toggery any of his important and
consequential airs. He ran foul of Mr. Block, who called him Mr. Cuffy, and
ordered him to give him a pull with the main sheet. The colonel complained to me
that he was not addressed by his name or title, and that he was not treated as a
representative of his government should be. I reprimanded Mr. Block, and told
him to give the visitor all his title. "All right, sir, but the colonel must
keep off the weather side of the deck," growled the officer. The cook, the crew,
and even the Kroomen, all took their cue from the first officer, and the
colonel's lot was made most unhappy.
On the third day we reached Grand
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Bassa, and anchored off the beach about two miles, along which the surf was
breaking so high that any attempt to land would be hazardous. Toward evening it
moderated, and a canoe with three naked natives came off. One I found could
speak a little English. I told him to say to the governor that I would come on
shore in the morning and see him, and land my cargo at the same time.
The next morning at sunrise we were boarded by a party of natives headed by
one wearing a black hat half covered with a tarnished silver band, an old navy
frock coat, much too small, between the buttons of which his well-oiled skin
showed clearly. A pair of blue flannel trousers completed his outfit. An
interpreter introduced him as King George of Grand Bassa. With him were about a
dozen followers, each one wearing a different sort of garment -- and seldom more
than a single one -- representing old uniforms of many countries. Two coats I
noticed were buttoned up the back.
The king began by saying that he was and always had been a friend of the
Americans; that he was a big man, had plenty of men and five wives, etc. While
he was speaking, a white-bearded old colored gentleman came over the gangway,
dressed in a linen roundabout and trousers, with a wide-brimmed straw hat. At
the same time Colonel Royal came up from the cabin in grande tenue and
introduced us to the Hon. Mr. Marshall, governor of Bassa, formerly of Kentucky.
In a few minutes he explained the situation. With a few settlers h
e was
located at this place, on the frontier of the colony, and they were there on
sufferance only from the natives. I told him Colonel Royal would explain my
mission to him and the king. The colonel, bowing low to the king, the governor,
and myself, and bringing his sword down with a thud on the deck, drew from
between the bursting buttons of his coat the formidable document I had seen at
Monrovia, and with most impressive voice and gesture commenced to read it. The
king listened for a few minutes, and then interrupted him. I asked the
interpreter what he said. He replied, "King say he fool nigger; if he comes on
shore he give him to Voodoo women." Then turning his back he walked forward. The
colonel dropped his paper, and drawing his sword, in the most dramatic manner
claimed protection in the name of the government, declaring that he had been
insulted. I told him to keep cool, since he was certainly safe as long as he was
on board my ship. He grumbled and muttered terrible things, but subsided
gradually like the departing thunder of a summer storm.
I arranged the landing of the passengers with Governor Marshall, whom I found
a sensible, clear-headed old man, ready to cooperate in every way. But he
suggested that I had better consult the king before doing anything. I did so,
and he at once said they could not land. I told the interpreter to say they
would be landed at once and put under the protection of the governor; that if
the king or his people hurt them or ran them off I would report it to our
commodore, who would certainly punish him severely. Finding me determined, he
began to temporize, and asked that the landing be put off until the next day,
that he might consult with his head people, for if I sent them on shore before
he had done so they would kill them. "If that is the case," I replied, "I will
hold you on board as a hostage for their good behavior." This threat surprised
him, and he changed his tactics. After a little powwow with some of his
followers, he said that if I would give him fifty muskets, twenty pounds of
powder, the colonel's sword, and some red cloth for his wives, I might land
them. I replied that I had not a musket to spare nor an ounce of powder, that
the colonel was a high officer of his government, and that he of course would
not give up his uniform. Fortunately the colonel had retired to
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the cabin and did not hear this modest demand, or he would have been as much
outraged as if his sable Majesty had asked for him to be served "roti a
l'Ashantee." However, I told the king I would send his wives some cloth and
buttons. He grunted his approval but returned again to the charge, and asked
that he might choose a few of the captives for his own use, before landing.
"Certainly not," I answered, "neither on board nor on shore," and added that he
would be held accountable for their good treatment as free men and women. He
left thoroughly disappointed and bent on mischief.
In the meantime Mr. Block had made all preparations for landing, and had the
boats lowered and ranged alongside, with sufficient rice to last the blacks a
week or ten days. The men and boys were sent first. When they were called up
from the hold and ordered into the boats not one of them moved. They evidently
divined what had been going on and dreaded leaving the vessel, though our
Kroomen tried to explain that they would be safe and free on shore. The
explanation was without effect, however, and they refused to move. The could
only understand that they were changing masters, and they preferred the present
ones. Sending three or four men down, I told them to pass up the negroes one at
a time. Only a passive resistance was offered, such as one often sees exhibited
by cattle being loaded on the cars or on a steamer, and were silent, not
uttering a word of complaint. By noon the men were all on shore, and then we
began with the girls. They were more demonstrative than the men, and by their
looks and gestures begged not to be taken out of the vessel. I was much moved,
for it was a painful duty, and I had become interested in these beings, so
utterly helpless, so childlike in their dependence on those around them. And I
could not help thinking what their fate would be, thrown upon the shore hundreds
of miles from their homes, and among a people strange to them in language.
Even Mr. Block was deeply stirred. "He had not shipped," he said, "for such
work." I went to my cabin and left him in charge. In the course of an hour he
reported, "All ashore, sir." I told him to have the gig manned and I would go on
shore with Colonel Royal, and get a receipt from Governor Marshall for my late
cargo. The colonel declined to accompany me, alleging sickness and requesting me
to get the necessary papers signed. No doubt he felt safer on board than within
reach of King George.
We landed through the surf on a sandy beach, on which the waves of the
Atlantic were fretting. Near by was a thick grove of cocoanut trees, under which
in groups of four and five were those who had just been landed. They were seated
on the ground, their heads resting on their knees, in a position of utter
abnegation, surrounded by three or four hundred chattering savages of all ages,
headed by the king. With the exception of him and a few of his head men, the
clothing of the company would not have covered a rag baby. They were no doubt
discussing the appearance of the strangers and making their selections.
I found the governor's house and the houses of the few settlers some distance
back on a slight elevation. The governor was comfortably, though plainly
situated, with a large family around him. He gave me a receipt for the number of
blacks landed, but said it would be impossible for him to prevent the natives
from taking and enslaving them. I agreed with h
im, and said he must repeat to
the king what I had told him. Then bidding him good-by I returned on board, sad
and weary as one often feels after being relieved of a great burden. At the same
time I wondered whether the fate of these people would have been any worse if
the captain of the slaver had succeeded in landing them in the Brazils or the
West Indies. Sierra Leone
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being a crown colony, the English could land all their captives there and
provide for them until they were able to work for themselves. In this respect
they had a great advantage over us.
Getting under way, I proceeded to Monrovia to land Colonel Royal, and then to
Porto Praya, our squadron's headquarters. There I found Commodore Gregory in the
flagship corvette Portsmouth, and reported to him. Soon after the Porpoise came
in, and I joined my old craft, giving up my command of the captured slaver
rather reluctantly.
J. Taylor Wood.
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