THE PETREL AND THE SLAVER.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume VII, Issue 18, 2 May 1891, Page 6

THE PETREL AND THE SLAVER.

AIL HO !’ Never, surely, did the cry fall upon more welcome ears, save and except those of men I becalmed in a boat upon the open sea. For twelve weaiy days and nightshad we, the officers and men of H.M.S Petrel (six guns, I Commander B. K. Neville), been cooped up in our iron prison, patrolling one of the hottest sections of the terrestrial globe, on the lookout for slavers. From 4 deg. north to 4 deg. south was our beat, and we dared not venture beyond these limits. Our instructions were to keep out of sight of land and try to intercept some of the larger vessels which, it was suspected, carried cargoes of slaves from the coast. The ship, the sea, the cloudless skv ; there was nothing else to see, nothing else to think of. Work, study, play even, were alike impossible in that fierce, scorching heat. Tf you touched a bit of iron on deck it almost burned yonr hand. If you lay down between decks covered with a sheet you awoke in a bath of perspiration. ‘ Sail ho !’ The man, in his excitement, repeated the shout before he could be bailed from the deck. ‘ Where away ?’ sang out the captain. ‘ Two points on the weather bow, sir,’ was the reply. That phrase about the * weather bow ’ was a nautical fiction, for there was no wind to speak of; and what there w as was nearly dead astern. ‘ Keep her away two points,' said Commander Neville : and the order was promptly obeyed. In a few seconds the news had spread through the ship ; and the men clustered on the bulwarks, straining their eyes to get a glimpse of the stranger. Even the stokers, poor fellows, showed their sooty’ faces at the engine room hatch way. Of course, the stranger might be, and probably was, an innocent trader ; but then she might be a slaver ; and golden visions of prize-money floated before the eyes of every’ man and boy on board the Petrel.

We did not steam very fast, as of course our supply of coal was limited ; and it was about two hours before sundown when we fairly sighted the stranger. She was a long three-masted schooner, with tall raking masts, lying very low in the water. All her canvas was set; and as a little wind had sprung up, she was slipping through the water at a fair pace. ‘ She looks for all the world like a slaver, sir,’ remarked Mr Brabazon, the first lieutenant, to the commander. Neville said nothing but his lips were firmly compressed, and a gleam of excitement was in his eyes. * Fire a blank cartridge, Mr O’Riley,’ said he to the second lieutenant : ‘and signal her to ask her nationality and her code number.’ This was done : and in answer to the signal the schooner slowly hoisted the American colours. ‘ She has eased away her sheets, and Infled a point or two, sir,’ said the quartermaster, touching his cap. The captain merely answered this by a nod. ‘ Put a shot in your gun, Mr O’Riley,’said he. ‘Lower your hoist and make a fresh hoist, demanding her name.’ This was done, but the American took no notice. * Fire a shot, Mr O’Riley—wide, of course,’ said the commander. Again the deafening report of the big gun sounded in our ears ; and we could see the splash of the shot as it struck the water about fifty yards from the schooner. Immediately a Hag was run up, then another, and another ; and we «aw that she was giving us her code number, but was spelling out her name, letter by letter—The Black Swan. ‘ Just look that up in the United States Merchant Registry,’ said the captain to the first lieutenant. And in half a minnte he had reported—‘ No such name, sir.’ This was something more than suspicious. And the wind was rising. ‘ Hoist the signal for her to heave to !’ cried Commander Nelville. ‘ Take a boat and a half-a-dozen hands, Mr O'Riley,’ he continued ; ‘ boaid her, inspect her papers and come back to report. If her papers are not in order,’ added he, ‘ you may search for slaves ; but if they are you had better do nothing further. You know it is clearly set down in the Protocol that we are not entitled to search the hold if the papers are in order : and there have been complaints lately against some over-zealous officers, who have got into trouble in consequence. So be careful. But keep your eyes open. Note any suspicious circumstances, and come back as soon as you can to report.’ Before Lieutenant O’Riley reached the ship he saw that everything about her had been sacrificed to speed. Her spars, especially, were unusually heavy for a craft of her size. The British officer was received by a little thin, elderly man wearing a Panama hat, and speaking with a strong Yankee accent. ‘ Produce your papers, if you please,’ said O’Riley. They were handed out at once, and seemed to be perfectly regular. ‘ What have you got on board ?’ was the next question. ‘ General cargo—dry goods, and so on.’ ‘ Why isn’t your name on the Register?’ * Ain’t it now ? Well, I guess it must be because this is a new ship. We can’t put our name on the Register by telegraph, mister.’ ‘Just tell your men to knock off’the hatches. I want to have a look at your cargo.’ The skipper shook his head. ‘ I’ve been delayed long enough,’ said be, ‘ and have lost a great part of the only wind we’ve had in this darned latitude for a week.’

* I 11 doit myself, then !’ cried O’Riley. ‘Not now, sir; not with six men, while I have fifteen. You have no right to search the hold of a resjrectable merchantman and disturb her cargo. Bo you take me for a

slaver, or what? If you must have the hatches up, send back to your man-of-war for a larger crew, so as to overpower me, you understand, and you may do it with pleasure. But I guess there’ll be a complaint lodged at Washington, and you folks in London will have to pav for it. That’s all, mister. I only want things fair and square within my treaty rights.’ And having delivered himself of this long speech, the Yankee skipper turned on his heel. Of course O’Riley could only return to the Petrel and report all this to his commander. ‘l'm convinced she is a slaver, sir,’ said he, in conclusion. ‘ But you have no evidence of it ; and you say the papers were all in order.' ‘ Apparently they were, sir.’ ‘Then I am afiaid I can do nothing,’ said the commander. And to the deep disgust of the whole ship's crew, the older was given for the Petrel to return to her course. All that night, however, Commander Neville was haunted by a doubt whether he had not better have run the risk of a complaint and a reprimand rather than to forego the overhauling of so suspicious-looking a craft ; and in the morning a rumour reached his ears that the cockswain, who had accompanied Mr O’Riley to the Black Swan, had noticed something about her of a doubtful nature. The man was sent for and questioned, and he said that while the lieutenant was on board, the boat of which he was in charge had dropped a little way astern; and that he had then noticed that the name of the vessel had been recently painted out, but that the last two letters were distinctly visible. And the letters were LE, not AN. ‘ The scoundrel said she was a new ship !’ cried the commander. ‘ 'Bout ship !’ ‘ We can’t possibly catch her up, sir,’ said the first lieutenant, drily. ‘ I don’t know that, Mr Brabazon,’ answered Neville. ‘ There has been hardly any wind, ami we know the course she was steering. She could not expect to see us again ; so in all probability she has kept to that course. By making proper allowances we may intercept her. I am convinced of it.’ The hope of again encountering the Black Swan, faint as it was, caused quite a commotion in our little world. The day passed without our sighting a single sail ; but when the morning dawned Lieutenant Brabazon was forced to own that the commander’s judgment had proved better than his own. By the greatest good luck we had hit upon the right track. There, right in front of us. was the American schooner, her sails lazily flapping against her masts. ‘Full speed ahead, and stand by!’ shouted the captain, down the engine room tube. ‘ Signal to her and heave to ; and if she does not obey fire a shot right across her bows, Mr O’Riley,’ continued the commanaer. ‘ Mr Biabazon, you take a boat and thirty men well armed. Board her and have her hatches off at once. You'll stand no nonsense, I know.’ ‘ All right, sir,’ cried the lieutenant, an active, somewhat imperious officer of the Civis Romanus sum type. He had been unusually disgusted at his commander s decision to leave the Black Swan without starching her ; and he was delighted that a more active policy had been begun. ‘1 say, Brabazon,’ whispered the commander to him, as he was going over the side, ‘ you know I’m stepping a bit beyond bounds : and I'm just a little anxious. If she turns out to be a slaver, as we suspect, step to the taffrail and wave your handkerchief, will you?’ ‘ I will, sir; I’m certain it will be all right,’ cheerfully responded the first lieutenant. A tall, slim, youngish man, dressed in white linen, received the British officer, as he set foot on the deck of the Black Swan. ‘ I am at present in command of this craft, sir,’ said the young American. ‘The skipper is not tit for service just at present. We had a visit front you two days ago, I think. Can I do anything for you ?’ ‘ Yes. 1 want you to take off' your hatches,’ said the lieutenant, sharply. ‘ Well, sir,’ began the Yankee, ‘ I guess your demand is beyond your treaty powers.’ • 1 know all about that. I must have the hatches off.’ ‘ And you are detaining me and overhauling my cargo on no grounds whatever ’ ‘ Will you do it at once ?’ broke in the British officer. ‘ I repeat, on no ground whatever, will cause an in— ter na —tional difficulty and may bring re —markably unpleasant con—sequences to your captain. Now ’ ‘ Off with your hatches !’ cried the lieutenant. ‘ Sir !’ ‘ If you don’t, by George, I will!’ ‘ Y’ou know clearly what you’re doing, sir’’ ‘ I do. ’ ‘ And you know the risk you run ?’ ‘ I do. No more palaver. Off with them at once ; or I’ll break them open.’ Further resistance was useless. The thing was done ; and the moment the first hatch was raised the sickening effluvium that issued from the hold proclaimed the truth. Neatly three hundred slaves were packed between decks, many of the poor creatures standing so close that they could not lie down. With a look of speechless contempt at the young mate of the schooner the lieutenant walked to the side of the ship and waved his handkerchief. That instant a loud British cheer rang over the water, given by the blue-jackets, who could be seen clustering in the rigging like bees. ‘ I told our skipper judgment would overtake us,’ said the Y’ankee. ‘ Say, mister,’ he added, in another tone, ‘ seeing that the gattte’s up, suppose we have a glass of iced champagne down stairs ?' The lieutenant hesitated. To drink with the mate of a slaver ! But iced champagne ! Slowly he moved toward the companionway. ‘ I don’t mind it I do,’ he said at length ; ‘ and you may as well bring up your papers with the drinks, for 1 shall carry ttiem on board the Petrel. Of course, you understand that you are my prize.’ And having set a guard at the hatchways, the lieutenant descended the cabin stairs. The iced champagne was duly forthcoming, and under its genial influence Lieutenant Brabazon began to feel something like pity for the young man who had been so earlyseduced into the paths of crime. Probably he had a mother or a sweetheart somewhere in the States, who imagined that he was already on bis way home, whereas now his character was ruined, even if he escaped a long term of imprisonment. This feeling was strengthened, as he saw that his com-

panion was gazing mournfully at his glass, without speaking a word. At length the young man lifted his head. * Say, mister, what’ll they do to me, think ?’ * I can't tell. Of course you know that what you have been engaged in is a kind of piracy ?’ * No ! ‘ I h® l }®*® Cargo and crew are confiscated of course. What they will do with you I can’t tell.’ ‘ They won’t hang me, will they ?’ ‘Probably not,’said the lieutenant; ‘but let this be a warning to you. You see what it is to wander off the straight course, and hanker after forbidden gains. Lead an honest life in future when you are released from custody. Avoid vicious companions But what’s this?’ he cried, as his eye fell on an empty scabbard hanging on the wall. It looked very like a I nited States service sword-scabbard, an ~ [ mmed “?Wy the thought darted through his mind that this hypocritical young Y ankee (who had been pretending to wipe away a tear as he listened to the lieutenant’s good advice) had been doing something worse, or at least more heavily punished, than running cargoes of slaves. The British officer looked around the cabin. A United States Navy cap was lying on a plush covered bench. * Ah, you ve been having a brush with an American man-of-war !’ cried Lieutenant Brabazon. ‘ You will have to tell my superior officer how you came into possession of these articles. I must place you under arrest.’ And, bitterly regretting that he had sat down to table with the fellow, the Biitish officer rushed on deck.

‘Quartermaster,’ he cried, ‘ bring up a guard of four men and take this man,’ pointing to the Yankee, who hail followed him on deck, ‘to the Petrel. If he tries to escaoe, shoot him at once.’

, The quartermaster advanced to seize the prisoner ; but before he reached him he involuntarily stopped short. A ro “ r of laughter sounded in his ears. The Ameiican mate a ” t * "’ s companions were shrieking, and staggering about deck; even the crew of the slaver were, every man jack of them, grinning from ear to ear. The lieutenant was dumbfounded.

‘ Excuse me, sir; but the joke was too good,’ said the i ankee, coming forward and holding out his hand. ‘ I am first lieutenant of the United States warship Georgia, in command of a prize crew on board this vessel, taking her to — — .to have her condemned. We seized her yesterday. Hearing that you had been on a visit to her the day before, and had gone away without doing anything, I couldn’t resist the temptation <>f taking you in Hope you don't bear malice? Let’s finish that magnum of champagne.’ It was evidently the best thing to be done ; but the lieutenant was not a first-rate companion on that occasion. ‘Give my respects to your commander,’ called out the L nited States officer, as his guest went down into his boat, ‘and advise him from me not to be so jolly particular another time. And I’ll try to take your kind advice and sail a straight course in the future !’ he cried, as Her Majesty’s boat shot away for the last time from the side of the Black Swan.