A CHIP FROM MY LOG.

Ohinemuri Gazette, Volume I, Issue 30, 9 July 1892, Page 2

A CHIP FROM MY LOG.

This little narrative of events occurred about the year 1844. It is many years back, and althongh I am fast; arriving at the allotted span of man's existence, the circumstances -were of that Vivid and horrific nature, that I bear, them in mind as though it were bat yesterday. ■■ At the period I allude to, I was'an officer in-Her Majesty's nary and although mainly employed on the Home station, I was appointed to the " Ringdove," a 26 gun corvette, to obtain sufficient sea time to enable me to pass for a higher grade. The vessel carried a crew of 175 men ell told, and I was despatched from Plymouth Sound I for the Cape station, with the view of suppressing the slave trade so openly carried on between the West Coast of Africa and the Eastern coast of North j and South America.

On our arrival at the Cape of Good Hope—Symon's Bay, we reported to the Admiral of the station, and, some short time after, were ordered out to cruise and if poss; ble intercept and overhaul a large barque, that was, by information received, about to ship a number of slaves in the Bight of Benin. As this place is some distance North of the Cape, we hoped to intercept her on her return voyage witn her slaves on board, that so we might catch her red handed.

So soon as we arrived in the most likely latitude our commander ordered the vessel to be hove to, occasionally trimming sails to prevent the ship from drifting too far out of the latitude we wished to maintain. We dared not enter the Bight as we well knew the careful watch that was kept all along the coast, for any apprarance of a British man-of-war which would be speedily communicated to any -vessel trading in slaves that might be waiting to make a run, and thus prevent the possibility of any capture being legally made, ' v . ' ; .:.■'. \ .'"; ' '

After 48 hours of this lingering and disheartening work under the burning rays of a tropical sun, with pitch oozing from put the deck seams, and at times most exasperating calms —the look-out on the fore-topmast hailed the deck with the cheering news of a vessel in sight steering out of the bight, and shortly afterwards announcing her to be a barque, and which, wheti sighted from our deck, tallied with the description given.

At once all hands were piped up, and the ship so trimmed as to make her bear more the appearance of a merhantman, than a man-of-war.

Our captain seemed in no apparent! baste to overhaul her, but continued under easy rail making way to the North, to get between her and the land, and seemingly homeward bound; bat when: night enshroaded us oar course was altered directly in chase of the barque, and every stitch of canvass that would draw was set upon the "Ring, dove." At daybreak we were surprised to find the barqne had altered ' course, fore-seeing oar probable tactics, and was a considerable distance farther away from as than she had been at nightfall, thas demonstrating that she had discovered oar' true character, and that she was a weatherfy and very fast sailer. . From this time we no longer, at. tempted to disguise oar attentions, and the barque at once took every means in her power to flee from oar unpleasant neighbourhood. For the whole of that day and to the middle of the next the chased continued to gain slightly on the " Ringdove," bat towards evening the wind Tailed altogether and after a spell, spray .up from the South-East; thus giving the " Ringdove" her « favourite point of sailing, and very soon we began slightly to overhaul the chase. She ! crowded sail upon sail to increase her speed but without avail, and the wind having freshened, we had decreased the distance so much that a 32-pounder was cast loose, loaded, and being; trained upon the chase's spars—was discharged, and' we had the satisfaction of seeing that it took effect, and in a short time, having obtained the exact range, shot after shot told, and soon shortened some

of her sails in a rather peremptory manner. ' \S At this time, occurred, what to. tft -\ seemed utterly inexplicable, the chase . shortened all sail and, though far oat in the Sooth Atlantic" Ocean, appeared^ to moor ship as she let both -her bower anchors go in almost fathomless water. She was now stern on to ns, bat, I sopppsep^from F the weight of her anchors and phains, she eeemed to swing to the wind and became Tery nearly stationary. By this it was foor bells in the afternoon watch—the wind had almost dropped, but, by taking advantage of every cat's-paw, r we gradually drew np to the barque, and about eight *- bells in the same watch were abreast of-: her and within hailing distance. No parleying' took place, we shortened - - < sail and hove to, and then oar tint luff and myself were ordered away in aa armed cutter to board her and bring the. master of the barquei td;the "singdoj«/f # under the protection of whose guns we did so. - .-

We learnt that the vessel's name wai the "Unia," of Baltimore, sailing onder American colours—the captain's name being Dom Miguel Tarifa, and that she was pursuing a legal traffio of coasting in search of a cargo. We were surprised to find that her crew; consisted, , mainly of Spanish , mulattos—a tall athletic and brawny lot. On the examination of Captain Tarifa as to the cause of his presence in these waters, and the manoeuvres of the " Unia," his; answers fwere ] not; satisfactory, and the first, luff and myself were ordered to take him back to the barque, but not to let him ascend on board. .

This rase told, and yre were allowed '" to get alongside, and board her without any resistance.,,,. We then signalled the " Ringdove," and just aB the crew, seeing their] captain held captive, were combining to be mischievous, two more; armed boats were seen to leave the "Kingdove," and. make way for the " Unia." This seemed to quell any intention the crew had to resist. ,

Oar two additional armed boats, With their crews, were quickly alongside, and/ all hands were soon on board, save the proper boats' crews. Oar first luff then, ordered all the " Unia's" men to master on the forecastle, and, baring, disarmed them, sent them off under a strong guard. The captain was then hoisttd np the side, and held a prisoner; * whilst 1 I and the other officers proceeded to search the vessel for evidence of her being employed as a slaver. . :; i , Never to my dying day shall I forget 'the frightful and atrocious smell that assailed us on reaching the main deck; !it was sickening and suffocating to nausea, yet we could not see any slaves, bat ample proof of their presence there was some little time before. Slave irons were plentiful, and we, soon becoming nsed to the dim light, groped oar way forward, and then—Oh, God! Even now the very remembrance makes my blood creep and tremble with horror at the sight that met our eyes! From the heel of the foremast to the hawse-holes of the cables in the bow was a heaving, seething, jellified mass of human bones and flesh and blood. Arms, legs, truncated portions of the human frame, with splintered and crushed skulls—the eyes literally starting out of the head— with particles of flesh and goats of blood dabbed and clotted on evory beam and plank, formed the awful picture on which, like petrified men,' we gazed! And added to all this, the vapour, almost steam, arising from the gory mass nearly suffocated us, and oreated such a nausea that we simultaneously turned and to the upper deck, to gain the fresh air and report what we had seen. Communication was instantly made to the "Bingfovey&andr shortly we received orders by trumpet to weigh both anchors.and putTthe barque nnder easy sail, keeping her under the guna of the raan-pf-war. ■•'..■»• r., ,; ■ As the cables were gradually hove in, the cause of their being let go in almost fathomless water, was revealed to oar sight, and we learnt that the monster captain in human shape' w.ith!his'murderous crew had, prtfobu* to letting the

fcnbhbrs go, veered enough cable on deck toamake all the slaves, ben, womenand children, indiscriminately fast to the shackles of the cables, thafe so the weight of ithi aiJchorSv, as they tore through the hawse-holes, might; crush the victims out of all turaan shape,—and so was prodpced the Golgotha we had seen on the main deck. /As occasion offered the "TJnia's" crew we .transferred to the corvette, and both vessels were steered for Symon's , Bay, where we shortly arrived and reported, to the admiral, and after some three.or four weeks' delay, myself and poor Paddy, our first luff, were ordered to, appear before certain Commissioners at Cape Town, to answer the charge of having seized; a vessel of a friendly flag while she was in the performanac of her lawful calling.

We did so, —and, as was anticipated, this burlesque of Justice terminated by . oar being found guilty, and ordered to make good all losses incurred by our action to the owners of the barque " Unia," which were estimated at about ' *ix thonsand ponnds! The way this decision was arrived at was thus: The Act in force regarding the seizure of slave vessels enacted that the proof of the said vessels being such, the captors thereof must be able to show that they found LIVING slaves on board. This of course we could' not do, through the , tiellish caution of Captain Doin Miguel Tarifa and "his demon crew.

I;neetl scarcely say that the Court of Commissioners were all of them of Dutch and were all deeply.interested in the'con tin nance of the slave 1 trade, and of the barque"'" Unia." Myself and poor Paddy had no means to pay the enormous damages claimed, but the Admiralty settled it, and liberally charged it against any pay due, or that might hereafter become due to us.

Need I say that ouj lives were broken. Neither of ns cared to lay by a single penny, but led a reckless, rollicking-life, entirely callous as to the future. Our strange actions in garrison towns gained us the soubiiqaet of" Unia mad."

Poor Paddy broke off an engagement with a lyonng.lady at .the Cape—gentle Isabel—on the ground that when betrothed he possessed sufficient from his rank to support a wife in the style his should .be, but that*now he was quite unable to do so, and he was not the man to wed her to misery and wretchedness.. Thus were two young and hopeful 1 officers blasted in their early lives for having 'acted in accordance with their duty! Poor Paddy is in his grave, and I am a lonely old man fast hurrying to join him on the same bourne. . Argus. N.BL—The Act referred to has long aince been repealed.