Part 15 (1/2)

The Collector of the Customs gave prompt obedience to the Governor's despatch--commanding him not to throw any obstacle in the way of our coaling--by withdrawing the interdict of sale which he had put upon the coal-merchants; and the paymaster returning, after a short absence, with news that he had made satisfactory arrangements with the said merchants, the s.h.i.+p was warped up to the coal-depot, and some thirty tons of coal received, on board, the same afternoon. This was very satisfactory progress. We sent down the fore-yard, for repairs, and the engineer finding some good machinists on sh.o.r.e, with more facilities in the way of shop, and tools, than he had expected, took some of his own jobs, of which there are always more or less, in a steamer, on sh.o.r.e.

As the sun dipped his broad red disk into the sea, I landed with my clerk, and we took a delightful evening stroll, along one of the country roads, leading to the northern end of the island, and winding, occasionally, within a stone's throw of the beach. The air was soft, and filled with perfume, and we were much interested in inspecting the low-roofed and red-tiled country houses, and their half-naked inmates, of all colors, that presented themselves, from time to time, as we strolled on. We were here, as we had been in Maranham, objects of much curiosity, and the curiosity was evinced in the same way, respectfully. Wherever we stopped for water--for walking in this sultry climate produces constant thirst--the coolest ”monkeys”--a sort of porous jug, or jar--and calabashes, were handed us, often accompanied by fruits and an invitation to be seated. Fields of sugar-cane stretched away on either hand, and an elaborate cultivation seemed everywhere to prevail. The island of Martinique is mountainous, and all mountainous countries are beautiful, where vegetation abounds. Within the tropics, when the soil is good, vegetation runs riot in very wantonness; and so it did here. The eye was constantly charmed with a great variety of shade and forest trees, of new and beautiful foliage, and with shrubs, and flowers, without number, ever forming new combinations, and new groups, as the road meandered now through a plane, and now through a rocky ravine, up whose precipitous sides a goat could scarcely clamber.

”As the shades of eve came slowly down, The hills were clothed with deeper brown,”

and the twinkle of the lantern at the _Sumter's_ peak denoting that her Captain was out of the s.h.i.+p, caught my eye, at one of the turnings of the road, and reminded me, that we had wandered far enough. We retraced our steps just in time to escape a shower, and sat down, upon our arrival on board, to the evening's repast, which John had prepared for us, with appet.i.tes much invigorated by the exercise. We found the market-place, situated near the s.h.i.+p, both upon landing and returning, filled with a curious throng, gazing eagerly upon the _Sumter_. This throng seemed never to abate during our stay--it was the first thing seen in the morning, and the last thing at night. The next morning, John brought me off a French newspaper; for St. Pierre is sufficiently large, and prosperous, to indulge in a tri-weekly. With true island marvel, a column was devoted to the _Sumter_, predicating of her, many curious exploits, and cunning devices by means of which she had escaped from the enemy, of which the little craft had never heard, and affirming, as a fact beyond dispute, that her Commander was a Frenchman, he having served, in former years, as a lieutenant on board of the French brig-of-war _Mercure_! I felt duly grateful for the compliment, for a compliment indeed it was, to be claimed as a Frenchman, _by_ a Frenchman--the little foible of Gallic vanity considered.

CHAPTER XX.

ARRIVAL AT ST. PIERRE OF THE ENEMY'S STEAM-SLOOP IROQUOIS--HOW SHE VIOLATES THE NEUTRALITY OF THE PORT--ARRIVAL OF THE FRENCH STEAMER-OF-WAR ACHERON--THE IROQUOIS BLOCKADES THE SUMTER--CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE GOVERNOR--ESCAPE OF THE SUMTER.

Many rumors were now afloat as to the prospective presence, at Martinique, of the enemy's s.h.i.+ps of war. It was known that the enemy's steam-sloop, _Iroquois_, Captain James S. Palmer, had been at the island of Trinidad, on the second of the then current month of November, whence she had returned to St. Thomas--this neutral island being unscrupulously used by the enemy, as a regular naval station, at which there was always at anchor one or more of his s.h.i.+ps of war, and where he had a coal-depot. St. Thomas was a free port, and an important centre of trade, both for the West India Islands and the Spanish Main, and had the advantage, besides, of being a general rendezvous of the mail-steamers that plied in those seas. One of these steamers, bound to St. Thomas, had touched at Martinique, soon after the _Sumter's_ arrival there, and, as a matter of course, we might expect the presence of the enemy very soon. I used every possible diligence to avoid being blockaded by the enemy, and twenty-four hours more would have enabled me to accomplish my purpose, but the Fates would have it otherwise; for at about two P. M., on the very next day after the delightful evening's stroll described in the last chapter, the _Iroquois_ appeared off the north end of the island. She had purposely approached the island on the side opposite to that on which the town of St. Pierre lies, the better to keep herself out of sight, until the last moment; and when she did come in sight, it was ludicrous to witness her appearance. Her commander's idea seemingly was, that the moment the _Sumter_ caught sight of him, she would, if he were recognized, immediately attempt to escape.

Hence it was necessary to surprise her; and to this end, he had made some most ludicrous attempts to disguise his s.h.i.+p. The Danish colors were flying from his peak, his yards were hanging, some this way, some that, and his guns had all been run in, and his ports closed. But the finely proportioned, taunt, saucy-looking _Iroquois_, looked no more like a merchant-s.h.i.+p, for this disguise, than a gay Lothario would look like a saint, by donning a ca.s.sock. The very disguise only made the cheat more apparent. We caught sight of the enemy first. He was crawling slowly from behind the land, which had hidden him from view, and we could see a number of curious human forms, above his rail, bending eagerly in our direction.

The quarter-deck, in particular, was filled with officers, and we were near enough to see that some of these had telescopes in their hands, with which they were scanning the s.h.i.+pping in the harbor. We had a small Confederate States flag flying, and it was amusing to witness the movements on board the _Iroquois_, the moment this was discovered. A rapid pa.s.sing to and fro of officers was observable, as if orders were being carried, in a great hurry, and the steamer, which had been hitherto cautiously creeping along, as a stealthy tiger might be supposed to skirt a jungle, in which he had scented, but not yet seen a human victim, sprang forward under a full head of steam. At the same moment, down came the Danish and up went the United States flag. ”There she comes, with a bone in her mouth!” said the old quartermaster on the look-out; and, no doubt, Captain Palmer thought to see, every moment, the little _Sumter_ flying from her anchors. But the _Sumter_ went on coaling, and receiving on board some rum and sugar, as though no enemy were in sight, and at nine P. M.

was ready for sea. The men were given their hammocks, as usual, and I turned in, myself, at my usual hour, not dreaming that the _Iroquois_ would cut up such antics during the night as she did.

During the afternoon, she had run into the harbor,--without anchoring, however,--and sent a boat on sh.o.r.e to communicate, probably, with her consul, and receive any intelligence he might have to communicate. She then steamed off, seaward, a mile, or two, and moved to and fro, in front of the port until dark. At half-past one o'clock, the officer of the deck came down in great haste, to say, that the _Iroquois_ had again entered the harbor, and was steaming directly for us. I ordered him to get the men immediately to their quarters, and followed him on deck, as soon as I could throw on a necessary garment or two. In a very few minutes, the battery had been cast loose, the decks lighted, and the other preparations usual for battle made. It was moonlight, and the movements of the enemy could be distinctly seen. He came along, under low steam, but, so steadily, and aiming so directly for us, that I could not doubt it was his intention to board us. The men were called to ”repel boarders;” and for a moment or two, a pin might have been heard to drop, on the _Sumter's_ deck, so silent was the harbor, and so still was the scene on board both s.h.i.+ps. Presently, however, a couple of strokes on the enemy's steam gong were heard, and, in a moment more, he sheered a little, and lay off our quarter, motionless. It was as though a great sea-monster had crawled in under cover of the night, and was eying its prey, and licking its chops, in antic.i.p.ation of a delicious repast. After a few minutes of apparent hesitation, and doubt, the gong was again struck, and the leviathan--for such the _Iroquois_ appeared alongside the little _Sumter_--moving in a slow, and graceful curve, turned, and went back whence it came. This operation, much to my astonishment, was repeated several times during the night. Captain Palmer was evidently in great tribulation. He had found the hated ”pirate” at last--so called by his own Secretary of the Navy, and by his own Secretary of State. Captain Wilkes had just set him a glorious example of a disregard of neutral rights; and the seven days' penitential psalms had not yet been ordered to be written. If a s.h.i.+p might be violated, why not territory? Besides, the press, the press! a rabid, and infuriate press was thundering in the ears of the luckless Federal Captain. Honors were before him, terrors behind him! But there loomed up, high above the _Sumter_, the mountains of the _French_ island of Martinique. Nations, like individuals, sometimes know whom to kick--though they have occasionally to take the kicking back, as we have just seen. It might do, doubtless thought Captain Palmer, to kick some small power, but France! there was the rub. If the _Sumter_ were only in Bahia, where the _Florida_ afterward was, how easily and securely the kicking might be done? A gallant captain, with a heavy s.h.i.+p, might run into her, cut her down to the water's edge, fire into her crew, struggling in the water, killing, and wounding, and drowning a great many of them, and bear off his prize in triumph! And then, Mr. Seward, if he should be called upon, not by Brazil alone, but by the sentiment of all mankind, to make rest.i.tution of the s.h.i.+p, could he not have her run into, by _accident_, in Hampton Roads, and sunk; and would not this be another feather in his diplomatic cap--Yankee feather though it might be? What is a diplomat fit for, unless he can be a little cunning, upon occasion? The b'hoys will shout for him, if history does not. The reader need no longer wonder at the ”backing and filling” of the _Iroquois_, around the little _Sumter_; or at the sleepless night pa.s.sed by Captain Palmer.

The next morning, the Governor having heard of what had been done; how the neutral waters of France had been violated by manoeuvre and by menace, though the actual attack had been withheld, sent up from Fort de France the steamer-of-war _Acheron_, Captain Duchatel, with orders to Captain Palmer, either to anchor, if he desired to enter the harbor, or to withdraw beyond the marine league, if it was his object to blockade the _Sumter_; annexing to his anchoring, if he should choose this alternative, the condition imposed by the laws of nations, of giving the _Sumter_ twenty-four hours the start, in case she should desire to proceed to sea.

Soon after the _Acheron_ came to anchor, the _Iroquois_ herself ran in and anch.o.r.ed. The French boat then communicated with her, when she immediately hove up her anchor again! She had committed herself to the twenty-four hours' rule the moment she dropped her anchor; but being ignorant of the rule, she had not hesitated to get her anchor again, the moment that she was informed of it, and to claim that she was not bound by her mistake. I did not insist upon the point. The _Iroquois_ now withdrew beyond the marine league, by day, but, by night, invariably crept in, a mile or two nearer, fearing that she might lose sight of me, and that I might thus be enabled to escape. She kept up a constant communication, too, with the sh.o.r.e, both by means of her own boats, and those from the sh.o.r.e, in violation of the restraints imposed upon her by the laws of nations--these laws requiring, that if she would communicate, she must anchor; when, of course, the twenty-four hours' rule would attach. I had written a letter to the Governor, informing him of the conduct of Captain Palmer, on the first night after his arrival, and claiming the neutral protection to which I was ent.i.tled. His Excellency having replied to this letter, through Captain Duchatel, in a manner but little satisfactory to me. I addressed him, through that officer, the following, in rejoinder:--

CONFEDERATE STATES STEAMER SUMTER, ST. PIERRE, November 22, 1861.

SIR:--I have had the honor to receive your letter of yesterday, in which you communicate to me the views of the Governor of Martinique, relative to the protection of my right of asylum, in the waters of this island; and I regret to say, that those views do not appear to me to come up to the requirements of the international code. The Governor says, that ”it does not enter into his intentions, to exercise toward the _Iroquois_, either by night, or by day, so active a _surveillance_ as you [I] desire”; and you tell me, that I ought to have ”confidence in the strict execution of a promise, made by a commander in the military marine of the American Union, so long as he has not shown to me the evidence that this engagement has not been scrupulously fulfilled.” It would appear from these expressions, that the only protection I am to receive against the blockade of the enemy, is a simple promise exacted by you, from that enemy, that he will keep himself without the marine league, the Governor, in the meantime, exercising no watch, by night or by day, to see whether this promise is complied with. In addition to the violations of neutrality reported by me, yesterday, I have, this morning, to report, that one of my officers being on sh.o.r.e, in the northern environs of the town, last night, between eight and nine o'clock, saw two boats, each pulling eight oars, the men dressed in dark blue clothing, with the caps usually worn by the sailors of the Federal Navy, pulling quietly in toward the beach; and that he distinctly heard a conversation, in English, between them--one of them saying to the other, ”Look Harry! there she is, I see her,”--in allusion, doubtless, to this s.h.i.+p. These boats are neither more nor less than scout, or sentinel boats, sent to watch the movements, within neutral waters, of their enemy. Now, with all due deference to his Excellency, I cannot see the difference between the violation of the neutrality of these waters, by the enemy's boats, and by his s.h.i.+p; and if no surveillance is to be exercised, either by night or by day, I am receiving very much such protection as the wolf would accord to the lamb.

It is an act of war for the enemy to approach me, with his boats, for the purpose of reconnoissance, or watch, and especially during the night, and I have the same right to demand that he keep his boats beyond the marine league, as that he keep his s.h.i.+p, at that distance.

Nor am I willing to rely upon his promise, that he will not infringe my rights, in this particular. If France owes me protection, it is her duty to accord it to me, herself, and not remit me to the good faith, or bad faith, of my enemy; in other words, I respectfully suggest, that it is her _duty_, to exercise _surveillance_ over her own waters, both ”by night, and by day,” when one belligerent is blockading another, in those waters. I have, therefore, respectfully to request, that you will keep a watch, by means of guard boats, at both points of the harbor, to prevent a repet.i.tion of the hostile act, which was committed against me last night; or if you will not do this, that you will permit me to arm boats, and capture the enemy, when so approaching me. It would seem quite plain, either that I should be protected, or be permitted to protect myself. Further: it is in plain violation of neutrality for the enemy to be in daily communication with the sh.o.r.e, whether by means of his own boats, or boats from the sh.o.r.e. If he needs supplies, it is his duty to come in for them; and if he comes in, he must anchor; and if he anchors, he must accept the condition of remaining twenty-four hours after my departure. It is a mere subterfuge for him to remain in the offing, and supply himself with all he needs, besides reconnoitring, me closely, by means of his boats, and I protest against this act also.

I trust you will excuse me, for having occupied so much of your time, by so lengthy a communication, but I deem it my duty to place myself right, upon the record, in this matter. I shall seize an early opportunity to sail from these waters, and if I shall be brought to a b.l.o.o.d.y conflict, with an enemy, of twice my force, by means of signals given to him, in the waters of France, either by his own boats, or others, I wish my Government to know, that I protested against the unfriendly ground a.s.sumed by the Governor of Martinique, that 'it does not enter into his intentions, to exercise toward the _Iroquois_, either by night, or by day, so active a surveillance as you [I] desire.'

MR. DUCHATEL, _commanding H. I. F. M.'s steamer Acheron_.

As the lawyers say, ”I took nothing by my motion,” with Governor Conde.

The United States were strong at sea, and the Confederate States weak, and this difference was sufficient to insure the ruling against me of all but the plainest points, about which there could be no dispute, either of principle, or of fact. Whilst the Governor would probably have protected me, by force, if necessary, against an actual a.s.sault, by the _Iroquois_, he had not the moral courage to risk the ire of his master, by offending the Great Republic, on a point about which there could be any question.

The _Iroquois_ was very much in earnest in endeavoring to capture me, and Captain Palmer spent many sleepless nights, and labored very zealously to accomplish his object; notwithstanding which, when my escape became known to his countrymen, he had all Yankeeland down on him. It was charged, among other things, by one indignant Yankee captain, that Palmer and myself had been school-mates, and that treachery had done the work. I must do my late opponent the justice to say, that he did all that vigilance and skill could do, and a great deal more, than the laws of war authorized him to do. He made a free use of the neutral territory, and of his own merchant-s.h.i.+ps that were within its waters. He had left St. Thomas in a great hurry, upon getting news of the _Sumter_, without waiting to coal.

In a day or two after his arrival at St. Pierre, he chartered a Yankee schooner, and sent her to St. Thomas, for a supply of coal; and taking virtual possession of another--a small lumber schooner, from Maine, that lay discharging her cargo, a short distance from the _Sumter_--he used her as a signal, and look-out s.h.i.+p. Sending his pilot on sh.o.r.e, he arranged with the Yankee master--one of your long, lean, slab-sided fellows, that looked like the planks he handled--a set of signals, by which the _Sumter_ was to be circ.u.mvented.

The anchorage of St. Pierre is a wide, open bay, with an exit around half the points of the compa.s.s. The _Iroquois_, as she kept watch and ward over the _Sumter_, generally lay off the centre of this sheet of water. As the _Sumter_ might run out either north of her, or south of her, it was highly important that the _Iroquois_ should know, as promptly as possible, which of the pa.s.sages the little craft intended to take. To this end, the signals were arranged. Certain lights were to be exhibited, in certain positions, on board the Yankee schooner, to indicate to her consort, that the _Sumter_ was under way, and the course she was running. I knew nothing, positively, of this arrangement. I only knew that the pilot of the _Iroquois_ had frequently been seen on board the Yankee. To the mind of a seaman, the rest followed, as a matter of course. I could not know what the precise signals were, but I knew what signals I should require to be made to me, if I were in Captain Palmer's place. As the sequel will prove, I judged correctly.

I now communicated my suspicions to the Governor, and requested him to have a guard stationed near the schooner, to prevent this contemplated breach of neutrality. But the Governor paid no more attention to this complaint, than to the others I had made. It was quite evident that I must expect to take care of myself, without the exercise of any _surveillance_, ”by night or by day,” by Monsieur Conde. This being the case, I bethought myself of turning the enemy's signals to my own account, and the reader will see, by and by, how this was accomplished.

In the meantime, the plot was thickening, and becoming very interesting, as well to the islanders, as to ourselves. Not only was the town agog, but the simple country people, having heard what was going on, and that a naval combat was expected, came in, in great numbers, to see the show. The crowd increased, daily, in the market-place, and it was wonderful to witness the patience of these people. They would come down to the beach, and gaze at us for hours, together, seeming never to grow weary of the sight. Two parties were formed, the _Sumter_ party, and the _Iroquois_ party; the former composed of the whites, with a small sprinkling of blacks; the latter of the blacks, with a small sprinkling of whites. The Governor, himself, came up from Fort de France, in a little sail-schooner of war, which he used as a yacht. The Mayor, and sundry councilmen, came off to see me, and talk over the crisis. The young men boarded me in scores, and volunteered to help me whip the _barbare_. I had no thought of fighting, but of running; but of course I did not tell _them_ so--I should have lost the French nationality, they had conferred upon me.

The _Iroquois_ had arrived, on the 14th of November. It was now the 23d, and I had waited all this time, for a dark night; the moon not only persisting in s.h.i.+ning, but the stars looking, we thought, unusually bright. Venus was still three hours high, at sunset, and looked provokingly beautiful, and brilliant, shedding as much light as a miniature moon. To-night--the 23d--the moon would not rise until seven minutes past eleven, and this would be ample time, in which to escape, or be captured. I had some anxiety about the weather, however, independently of the phase of the moon, as in this climate of the G.o.ds, there is no such thing as a dark night, if the sky be clear. The morning of the 23d of November dawned provokingly clear. It clouded a little toward noon, but, long before sunset, the clouds had blown off, and the afternoon became as bright, and beautiful, as the most ardent lover of nature in her smiling moods, could desire. But time pressed, and it was absolutely necessary to be moving. Messengers had been sent hither, and thither, by the enemy, to hunt up a reinforcement of gun-boats, and if several of these should arrive, escape would be almost out of the question. Fortune had favored us, thus far, but we must now help ourselves. The _Iroquois_ was not only twice as heavy as the _Sumter_, in men, and metal, as the reader has seen, but she had as much as two or three knots, the hour, the speed of her. We must escape, if at all, unseen of the enemy, and as the latter drew close in with the harbor, every night, in fraud of the promise he had made, and in violation of the laws of war, this would be difficult to do. Running all these reasons rapidly through my mind, I resolved to make the attempt, without further delay.