Part 39 (1/2)
”While Norris was carrying on this conversation, the Spanish crew looked so bent on mischief, and the moustaches of the marines curled so fiercely that he expected every moment to be attacked, and he saw his own men put their hands on the hilts of their cutla.s.ses as if they thought the same. They would have had to contend with fearful odds, but I have not the slightest doubt that they would have made a good fight of it, and perhaps have got off scot free, though they had not a pistol among them.
”The Spanish captain considered a moment, and Norris heard him order his gig to be manned.
”'Well, remember that my superior officer expects you,' he said, and having no inclination to remain longer on board than was necessary, ordering his men into the jollyboat, he came back as fast as they could pull to the brig.
”He had just time to give me an account of what had occurred, when we made out a Spanish boat coming towards us.
”I should have said by-the-bye that alongside the captain was an Englishman, or a man who spoke English perfectly, and interpreted for Norris--or at all events, helped him out with the conversation.
”I stood with my men ranged behind me, their s.h.i.+rt-sleeves tucked up and their cutla.s.ses in their hands, ready to receive my visitor. I determined to show him that I was not to be trifled with. After his impudent behaviour, he had no right to expect any courtesy from me, so I let him find his own way on deck.
”'Well, senor,' I asked when he appeared, followed by his interpreter, 'how did you dare to fire at my boats?'
”Instead of stamping and swearing as he had done when on board his own vessel, he was in a moment an altered being. Taking off his hat, he stood before me humbly bowing, and with his hand on his heart, declared that he much regretted what had occurred.
”'Indeed, senor, I had no notion that the boats I fired at were English, and took you for pirates, about to attempt the recapture of the brig.'
This was said by means of the interpreter.
”'That's as big a bouncer as ever was spoken,' I heard some one behind me growl out. I don't know whether the interpreter thought fit to explain the polite remark to his superior.
”'As to that I have no means of judging, but how comes it that I find one of your officers on board this vessel? She is evidently fitted for the slave-trade, and as such she will most certainly be condemned,' I observed.
”'Of course! no doubt about it,' answered the Spanish captain, quite coolly, 'she is not only a slaver but a pirate, and discovering such to be the case I captured her, and I give you my word of honour that I am about to take her into Saint Jago da Cuba for adjudication.'
”'Of course I cannot doubt the word of honour of a Spanish officer,' I replied. 'I must consequently leave you in possession, and I only hope you will take care that she is condemned and her piratical career stopped.'
”'Oh, of course, senor. I will take good care of that,' he answered, again bowing, and putting his hand to his heart.
”I fancied that by the light of the lantern which fell on his countenance, I could see a twinkle in his eyes as he said this, and I felt strongly tempted to pitch him and his crew into their boat, cut the brig's cable and make sail. However, as I was compelled to take his word for the truth of what he a.s.serted, I had nothing to do but to trundle with my men into our boats, and pull back to the frigate.
Hemming approved of what I had done, though he agreed with me that it was all humbug, and that the Spanish captain pretended to have captured the brig for the sake of saving her from our claws. He determined therefore to watch the two vessels, and we accordingly hove-to to see what they would do.
”It was not till nearly dawn that the breeze came off the land, when we saw the brig stealing out, followed by the man-of-war schooner. The latter, by the bye, was a magnificent vessel, one of the largest schooners I have come across, requiring the numerous crew she carried to handle her enormous canvas. We at once made sail and followed them into Saint Jago, which is about thirty miles west of Guantimo. We there found that the Spanish captain had actually brought the brig to trial as a pirate, though, as he well knew, there was not the slightest proof that she was one. As the trial was likely to last some weeks, or, at all events, till we were out of the port, Hemming considered that it would be useless to remain, so we sailed again, and were on our pa.s.sage round to Havannah when we sighted you.”
Such was Adair's account of his adventure.
A breeze soon afterwards springing up, the _Plantagenet_ proceeded on to her destination, while the corvette and brig, with the prizes, continued their course to Jamaica. It was not till the return of the _Plantagenet_ to Port Royal, that Jack heard of the full rascality of the Spanish captain. On the arrival of the frigate at Havannah Captain Hemming laid a complaint before the Admiralty Court for the adjudication of slavers. He then discovered that the brig belonged to Pepe, or, as he was now called, Don Matteo, who had bribed the Spanish captain to keep by his vessel and to pretend to have captured her should an English man-of-war appear. On the acquittal of the brig for piracy at Saint Jago, the Spanish captain who had pledged his honour on the subject escorted her through the windward pa.s.sage as far as seventy degrees of longitude, when she was out of the range of West India cruisers. Jack afterwards heard an account of her from a friend on the African station.
She had then really become a pirate. She used to watch for the slavers after they had run the gauntlet of the British cruisers, and would then capture them, take their slaves out, and give them her cargo of coloured cottons in exchange. When she did not manage to fall in with slavers she occasionally took a run in on her own account, and her captain being well informed of the movements of the blockading squadron, she invariably managed to pick up a fresh cargo and get clear off again.
Being, however, in no ways particular, if she had no cargo of coloured cloths, she would sink the slavers she took, with their crews, so as to leave no trace of the transaction behind.
Being armed with a long gun amids.h.i.+ps and six long nines, not a slaver had a chance with her. It was not till long afterwards that Jack became acquainted with the last-mentioned particulars. She at length disappeared from the coast, and he could never hear what ultimately became of her. She was probably either burnt, or driven on sh.o.r.e, or, still more likely, she was capsized and went down with her living freight of eight hundred human beings.
CHAPTER NINETEEN.
THE TUDOR AND SUPPLEJACK AT TRINIDAD--JACK'S ACCOUNT OF HIS TRIP UP THE ORINOCO--THE VICE-CONSUL AND HIS BELONGINGS--A KNOWING PILOT--TOM BIT BY A TURTLE--TORTOISES--THE BRIG AMONG THE TREES--SPIDER'S ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE--THE MIDs.h.i.+PMEN GO IN CHASE AND LOSE THEMSELVES--BOARDED BY ANTS--NEARLY TAKE THE BRIG--SEARCH FOR THE MIDs.h.i.+PMEN IN THE FOREST--A NATIVE HABITATION--ANGOSTURA AND ITS PEOPLE--LAND THE CONSUL AND HIS BETTER HALF--RETURN.
The _Tudor_ once more came to an anchor off Port of Spain, in the beautiful island of Trinidad. Terence Adair had been appointed to her as first lieutenant, and Higson as second; she was accompanied by the Supplejack, of which Rogers still retained the command, with Bevan as his senior officer, Jos Green as master, and Needham as boatswain.
The old s.h.i.+pmates were thus, much to their satisfaction, still employed together. As soon as the sails were furled, Murray went on sh.o.r.e, accompanied by Jack and Terence, taking with them Tom and Gerald.