Part 6 (1/2)
The day was drawing to a close, however, and I began to fear that the boats might not reach the schooner before darkness set in. In a short time too, I observed a thick mist gathering over the land, which rose higher and higher, and came moving towards us. We were soon completely enveloped in it. This seemed to give the slaver's crew great satisfaction, and they again began to talk and laugh in their usual tone, while all the time they continued their exertions to get the vessel off. Lazy as the Spaniards are they can work as hard as any one when they have a sufficient motive to arouse them.
I observed the captain frequently wetting his finger and holding it up, and soon I felt a light breeze blowing from the land. The sails were let fall, and the crew making another desperate effort, the schooner glided away up to her anchors. No time was lost in weighing them. I thought the crew would have shouted to show their satisfaction, but not a sound was uttered. Onward she glided, keeping close in-sh.o.r.e.
My heart sank within me, and my hopes of escaping from the vile slave s.h.i.+p vanished. The lead was kept going. I felt sure that no stranger would venture to stand in so close to the coast as we were doing. On we stood till the Spanish seamen seemed satisfied that they had made good their escape from the boats of the cruiser. As the schooner had by this time nearly a full cargo of slaves, I feared that she would not again touch on the coast, and that I was destined to make a voyage on board the hateful craft across the Atlantic.
CHAPTER EIGHT.
THE SPANIARDS BELIEVING THE MAN-OF-WAR TO BE FAR AWAY, STEER TO THE WESTWARD.--WE SIGHT HER, AND SHE CHASES US.--CRUEL DEVICE OF THE SLAVER'S CREW TO a.s.sIST THEIR ESCAPE.--PAUL, AMONG OTHERS, BEING THROWN OVERBOARD THAT THE MAN-OF-WAR MIGHT HAVE TO PICK THEM UP; I FEAR THAT HE HAS BEEN LOST.--MY LIFE PRESERVED BY ONE OF THE OFFICERS, WHEN THREATENED BY THE SLAVER'S CREW.--THE SCHOONER ESCAPES, BUT DISMASTED IN A GALE, AND AGAIN OVERTAKEN.--PAUL AND MY COUSIN JACK COME ON BOARD, AND I JOIN THE CORVETTE AS A MIDs.h.i.+PMAN.--RETURNING TO ENGLAND I RESTORE CHEEBO TO HIS MOTHER.--MY ADVENTURES SHOW THAT ”ALL WORKS TOGETHER FOR GOOD TO THEM WHO LOVE G.o.d.”--JACK BECOMES A COMMANDER, MARRIES MY SISTER MARY, AND I FIND AMPLE MEANS FOR SUPPORTING THE REST OF MY DEAR SISTERS.
The schooner ran on during the night, keeping the coast close aboard to enjoy the advantage of the land breeze. I managed to get a word with Paul to ask him whether he thought there was a probability of her making her escape. ”I pray G.o.d for the poor slaves,” he answered, ”and hope English cruiser still catch her.”
As may be supposed a very bright look-out was kept for the cruiser. As the day advanced she was no where to be seen, and the captain, anxious to make as quick a run as possible across the Atlantic, the vessel's head was turned to the westward, the wind still blowing off sh.o.r.e.
Still, however, a haze hung over the ocean, sufficiently thick to prevent objects being seen in the far distance. This seemed still further to favour the escape of the slaver.
We had got some distance off the land when the haze lifted, and away to the southward a sail was seen, which the Spaniards at once seemed to know was the British man-of-war. She saw us at the same moment, and crowded all sail in chase. The schooner was put before the wind, which now came from the southward, and every st.i.tch of canvas she could carry was set, men also going aloft with buckets of water to wet the sails.
Again the same scene of impotent rage I had before witnessed was enacted, and the fury of the Spaniards increased as they saw the man-of-war gaining on us, she apparently having more wind than we had.
I, as I had previously done, kept as much as I could out of their way, and tried to prevent any gleam of satisfaction appearing in my countenance.
The man-of-war was a corvette--evidently a powerful and very fast craft, against which the slaver would not have had the shadow of a chance, had even her crew possessed the courage to fight, which I felt very sure, in spite of their bravado, they would not.
The corvette had been bringing the breeze up with her, and now the schooner felt it herself, and began to move more rapidly through the water. She, too, was a fast vessel, and her crew might justly have entertained hopes of escaping. I little thought of the cruel device they were contemplating to aid them in so doing.
At length the man-of-war had got almost near enough to reach the slaver with her bow-chasers. She tried the range of one of them, but the shot fell short. On this the captain turned, with a savage determination in his eye, and spoke to one of the officers. Directly afterwards I saw him descend to the slave deck with two or three of the men, and they quickly returned with one of the unfortunate captives. Instantly the unhappy slave was secured to a plank, and, in spite of his cries and entreaties, hove overboard. As the poor wretch floated astern I could not help recollecting that the sea swarmed with sharks, and that he would probably be seized before many minutes were over by one of the ravenous monsters. I guessed the object of the Spaniards; it was confiding in the humanity of my countrymen that they would heave-to in order to pick up the poor black, should he escape the sharks, and thus allow the schooner to gain ground.
The device answered the expectations of its cruel perpetrators. The corvette hove-to, a boat was lowered, and the slave taken up. The Spaniards seemed delighted with the result of their experiment, and prepared to try it again. Another slave was brought up on deck, and, like the former, hove overboard. Scarcely had he reached the water when a fearful shriek was heard, and the poor wretch and the plank together disappeared below the surface. This, however, did not prevent the Spaniards from again attempting the plan to impede the progress of their pursuer, and three more slaves were brought up.
Just then I heard several of the crew shouting out ”El heretico!” and what was my horror to see them dragging Paul aft. He spoke to them in such Spanish as he could command, but uttered no cry, and when he understood their object, walked calmly among them to the gangway.
I could not restrain myself, but ran up to him and implored my English-speaking friend to plead on his behalf.
”Take care my lad, or you may be treated in the same way,” was the answer.
”Oh, but he has just heard of his mother, who longs to see him, and I have promised to take him to her,” I cried out. ”Oh, ask them if any of them have mothers from whom they have been long parted, would they not desire to see them again? Will they not have compa.s.sion on my poor friend?”
”Don't grieve for me, Ma.s.sa Harry,” said Paul, while the sailors were las.h.i.+ng him to the plank. ”G.o.d take care of me. Give my lub to my moder, and tell her I meet her in heaven, and she know me den.”
In vain I pleaded. My friend seizing me by the arm, dragged me away, while the savages hove Paul overboard.
”Go into my cabin,” he exclaimed, ”its your only chance of safety.”
I saw, as he dragged me aft, that the Spaniards were preparing to throw several other slaves into the sea; and, as I turned my head, three in rapid succession were thrust through the gangway, secured, as the others had been, to floats.
My friend had not cautioned me without reason, for I heard the crew clamouring for the ”Englez.” My friend went out to them, and on his return told me that they wished to throw me into the sea, but that he had advised them not to do so lest after all the schooner should be captured, when the captain of the man-of-war would certainly deal more hardly with them for having thus treated a countryman.
I thanked him for interfering as far as I was concerned, but, at the same time, could not help observing that the English captain would consider the crime of throwing any one overboard equally great, whatever the colour of the sufferer.
”Ah, we think little about the life of a black,” he answered carelessly.