CAPTURING A SLAVER.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLII, Issue 4, 27 January 1909, Page 51

CAPTURING A SLAVER.

BY

LIEUTENANT MURRAY, U.S.A.

T is not many years since the slaveI trade was boldly carried on between the coast ' of Africa and various parts of the . world. Though the English, French and American governments joined in their efforts to suppress the illegal ami wicked traffic in black men, it was yet carried on by adventurous and daring spirits for years, in spite of all the cruisers that sailed the ocean. Hie great profit to be realized in gold from the successful landing of a cargo of slaves, say in Cuba, was a temptation which lured all sorts of desperadoes to engage in the nefarious business. The secret traffic was pursued in the most systematic manner and with a skill and persistency worthy of a better cause .Small vessels only were suited to the tiade, clipper crafts that would sail well, and which drew but little water. The slave vessels were obliged in the prosecution of their trade, to anchor within the mouths of rivers on the coast, and to run in and hide themselves in shallow creeks; consequently only such as drew light drafts of water were available. They were suually schooner or brig-rigged, and spread a mountain of canvas in order to drive them rapidly rapidly through the water if they chanced' to be pursued at sea. These clippers were nearly all built in America, and were a specialty with the ship-builders of Baltimore. They were rarely over a hundred ami fifty tons measurement, two hundred being the maximum size. When not upon the African eoast, they were so-arranged, with false decks and other appliances, as to present the aspect of a craft engaged in legitimate commerce, so that, except when taken in the act, it was difficult to convict their owners of illegal traffic. The American sloop of war Peacock had been cruising between Fernando Po and the continent for nearly three months without having so much as got a glimpse of a slaver. Now and then the captain dropped her anchor near shore to wafer the ship or make inquiries, and' once in a while a French or English cruiser was spoken. There was little variety, however, and the heat was intense. , One day, the Peaeock dropped anchor off Clara nee Bay. in the Islam! of Fernando Po, and learned, that a clipper craft had sailed for the coast of the mainland the previous day, and little doubt was felt as to her true character: she seemed to have plenty of casks on board, which she had filled with water, and no other cargo except rice in tierces. This was just a slaver’s outfit. Besides, it was also learned that site had a crew of forty men, a number out of all proportion to her tonnage. The anchor of the Peacock had hardly got fair hold of the bottom before the boatswain’s whistle sounded to up anchor and make all sail. The wind was light, and it was twenty-four hours before the ship sighted the mainland at a point where the several .mouths of the Bonny River empty themselves into the open sea. This was a favourite point with the slavers, and the fact that the mouths of the Bonny always afforded several channels of escape for the light-draft vessels when discovered, made it especially adapted for the trade. The Peacock was hove to, and an expedition in boats Wais sent out to examine the river. Night came on, however, without any discovery being, made, ami the boats returned to the which was brought to anchor as near the shore as possible, and in a position to command the most available entrances to the river. Orders wiire given to keep an extra sharp lookout during the flight, lest the slaver should come down the river and give the ship the slip under cover of the darkness. These clipper craft do not approach the coast until their cargo of human beings is all ready,; and the negroes are shipped in a few hours’ time, all made secure, ami the vessels sail, without havout being delayed in all over ten or twelve hours. jt was just hefore daylight on thri mrjrning after the day when the Peaeock dropped anchor off the Bonny River that the officer; of tl;e watch thought he. heard the creaking of blocks aboard some> vesBel, and strained his eyes through tlm darkness to tr;v. tip. discovet the cause or the nolee. He finally made out the

figure of a brigantine as she was gliding out of the uiwt distant entrance uf the river. As had been ordered the eaptain of the Peacock was called at once. The anehoi which had been “ hove short” was soon up. sail after sail was dropped from the yards and sheeted home, so that even with the slight wind which swept over the water, the ship began to move, her bows headed for the dimly deli nod craft which had just made its appearance out of the Bonny River. % The light wind favoured the smaller vessel, but the sails of the man-of-war were trimmed with such skill as to make the utmost of what little breeze there was, and even with this light breath bi. air the stranger did not seem to increase the distance between them. By and by? as the day fairly dawned, the stranger was clearly made out. and there could be no doubt as to her character. She was a dark, low-lying brigantine, of less than two hundred tons, but very admirable in all of her fittings, and a perfect witch at sailing. Still, the Peacock was also a swift vessel, and, being well handled, even in that light wind, did not permit the slaver to creep away from her perceptibly. Presently the lookout aloft hailed the deck: “Something in the water, right ahe?id!” “ Lay aloft, Mr. Knight,” said the captain, to the boatswain, and see if you can make out what it is.” 'Die boatswain took his spy-glass into the. cross-trees, amt soon returned to the deck saying: “It’s a man floating on something.” *‘ A man ?” “ Aye, -aye, sir!” The captain looked through his glass as the ship gradually neared the object floating between the Peacock and the brigantine. Then, turning to the first officer, he said: “ Mr. Freeman, get a boat ready to lower. The rascals have thrown over a man to delay us. We must pick him up, however. “ Aye, aye? sir.” Soon after the foretopsails of the Peacock; were hove aback, a quarter boat was lowered, and a naked black man was picked up floating upon some corks tied to his body. The delay was brief, but before the ship was again fairly under way the slaver had made some gain in distancing the cruiser. This was tried a second ami a third time, the captain of the Peacock in each instance backing his topsails and picking up the poor, forlorn object floating upon the sea. He could not find it in his heart to leave them to drown or be eaten by the sharks. “ This will not do, Mr. Freeman,” he said, at last; “the fellow will make his escape, and, in saving one or two lives we shall permit a hundered or two to go into slavery.” “ Tine, sir,” replied the officer. “If we could only have a little wind just now, we could overhaul the brigantine hand over hand.” Again the lookout hailed the deck. “ What is it?” asked the officer of the deck. “ Another man overboard, sir.” “ Never mind. Mr. Freeman." said the captain; “ wo must keep on our course.” “ Very well, sir.” But as the Peacock neared the object reported by the lookout, it was discovered to be a woman with an infant in her arms. This was reported to the captain. “ Pick them up,” was the reply. He could not leave a woman and child under .such circumstances. The headway of- the Peacock was stopped again, the quai r.er-boat manned. an<l the negress anti her babe taken, on board. Not a word could be exchanged with the three men or the woman, but they- understood instinctively that they were there among friends, ami they eagerly partook; of n glads of whisky jind .some ship’s, biscuits. Just then a breeze came creeping over the water and filled the sails of the cruiser so thAt«. she Visibly increased her speed. She felt the wind some time before the brigantine, arid began to close upon her. As the slaver got fairly wjitliin range, a’ bow-chaser wiis fired at Jhor now -and / theq, bht only 1 once was- the shot seeji to, take effect.*

Thu order to fire high, and not at her hull, was given, as the captain of the Peacock knew that below decks she must be stowed full of human beings. The slaver, seeing that she was likely to be overhauled, set another negro adrift, but the captain of tin Peacock could not heave to now—as long as he did so they would continue to play the same game. Besides, he wa« now coming up with the brigantine. I'lie pursued, finding that the man-of war no longer heeded tlu* slaves set adrift, saw it was no use to follow that trick, and as the wind still freshened, and one or two shots from the Peacock had already cut the running-rigging of the biigantine, the captain of the slaver began to realise that the “game was up,” All he could now hope for was to effect an escape for himself and his crew. 'Die biigantine was doomed and her cargo, also. Thus influenced, the slaver was tacked so as to bring the wind abeam, close-hauled, an 1 headed for the coast. She sailed better on this tack than when running free, as she had heretofore been doing, and it was all the Peacock could do to hold her own in the pursuit. As the wind hauled considerably off shore, the two vessels were soon sailing almost directly back again toward the mouth of the Bonny River. It was late in the afternoon of that long summer day when tin mainland at the mouth of the river became distinctly visible. 'Die biigantine had hugged the coast much nearer than the erus?r dared to go, and presently her sails were seen to cease to draw, as she forged up in the wind, and a couple of boats left her side, filled with her eiew. which made for the land in all haste. The boats of the Peacock wore hastily lowered, the pinnace, and list and second cutter, all well manned. and pulled toward the brigantine, which they boarded just as her captain and crow reached the shore, followed by several thirty-two pound shot from the ship, one of which dealt death to two or three, of the fugitives, and caused the rest to floc for.their lives inland. 'Die brigantine was boarded by the boats sent from the ship, and the usualhorrors of the slave-trade wore exhibited on board. The craft was well named the Fleet Wing, and was stowed with nearly two hundred negroes in her low and cirpumscribed hold, These poor creatures were entirely naked. Not so much as a, rag was to be found upon them. They were huddled together, men and women indiscriminately, and among them were also a few children. All were handcuffed and most of the men were chained at' the ankles. 'Die crew of the Peacork were set to work at once to knock off these shackles, and in a couple of hours the poor creatures were freed from their bonds and permitted to come on deck, half at a time, to breathe the fresh night- air, which was like Paradise to them after the stench and suffocation of the brigantine’s hold. The poor, grateful creatures were liberally fed upon boiled rice, and given what they most coveted, all the water they chose to drink. From the time they were taken on board the slav . they were stinted to the smallest allowance of food and drink by their captors, 'rhe grateful creatures fell at the feet of the ollicers and crew of the Peacock and kissed their shoes. <)i course, they could not understand a word spoken to them, but actions do indeed speak louder than words. The Fleet Wing proved a valuable prize aside from the grand object, of freeing her slaves. Of course, Io have landed them at the mouth of the Bonny Ki ver would be to place them once more in the power of their enemies, and thus consign them to perpetual slavery, so they were carried down tlu* coast to Sierra Leone, and handed over to the court established for their protection. The brigantine was a lawful prize to the Peacock, and was sold to an Englishman, who fitted her up afterwards as a yacht. She w«us known in the English Channel for a number of years under the* same name as that sin- bore as a slaver, being quite famous for speed and seagoing qualities. The Fleet Wing’s name oci iirs in many, a modern , regatta. 'Die- -ollieers and crew of the Peacock realised considerable prize money from the capture of the brigantine, as she had a. large amount of choice ivory ami tobacco on board, and over thirteen thousand <lolla,is in Spanish doubloons in her (aptaip’s .private locker.

The slave trade U bulger carried oa by sea. though it is still thrifty among the inland tribes of Airiei.