New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1854-09-25
CAPTAIN CANON. THE SLAYER.

E Below we give some ext tracts from this book
It is a perfect revelation of the slave trade by
one who was for tyenty years engaged in it.
The following extracts relate to scenes which
occurred on shipboard:
Wit and cleyerness are not all in this world
Our captain returned in high spirits to his
vessel but we hardly reached the open sea
before he was prostrated with an ague which
refused to yield to ordinary remedies, and
finally ripened into fever that deprived him of
reason. Other dangers thickened around us.
We had been several days off the Cape of Good
Hope, buffeting adverse gales. when word was
brought me after night of weary Watching,
that several slaves were i'll Of smallpox OF all
calamities that occur in the voyage of a SLAYER,
this is the most dreadful and unmanageable
The news appalled, me. Impetuous with anxiety
rushed to the captain, and regardless of fever
and insanity, disclosed the dreadful fact. He
stared at me a minute as if in doubt; then
opening his bureau and pointing to a long coil
Of oombustible material, said that it communi-
Gated through the decks with the powder maga-
zine, and ordered me to ssblcw up the brig!''
The masters madness gobered his mate. /
lost no time in securing both the dangerous
implement and its perilous owner, while / called
the officers into the cabin for inquiry and con-
sultation as to cur desperate state
The gale had lasted nine days without inter-
| mission, and during all this time with SO much
| violence that it was impossible to take off the
gratings, release the slaves purify the decks, or
| rig the wind sails. When the first lull occur
red, thorough inspection Of the eight hundred
was made, and a death announced. As life
| had departed during the tempest, careful in
| speotion of the body was made, and it was this
| that first disclosed the pestilence in our midst.
| The corpse was silently thrown into the sea, and
the malady kept secret from crew and negroes.
When breakfast was over on that fatal morn
/ ing, determined to visit the slave deck myself
and ordering an abundant supply of lanterns
descended to the cavern, which still rocked hor-
ribly with human vapor, even after ventilation
| But here, alas found nine of the negroes in
i fected with the disease We took counsel as to
j the use of laudnum in ritlding ourselves speedily
of the sufferers-a remedy that is seldom and
secretly used in desperate cases to preserv the
living from oontagion But it was quickly re.
solved that it had already gone too far, wher
nine were Frustrated, to save the rest by de
priving them of life. Accordingly, thes
| wretched beings were at once sent to the fore
castle as hospital, and given in charge to th,
i yaccnated or were at once inoculated as nurses
The hold was then ventilated and lined We
before the gale abated, our sick list was in
creased to thirty. The hospital could hold n
more. Twelve Of the sailors took the infection
and fifteen corpses had been east into sea, :
/ ALI reserve was now ut an end. Body afte
4 body fed the deep, and still the gale held Oh
At last, when the wind and waves had lulfed s.
much as to allow. the gratihgs f. be. removes
from our hstches, our CONSERVATION knew NJ
bounds when we found that nearly all th
slaves were dead or dying with the distemPer
: Fl will not dwell on the scene or our sensations
1t is picture that must cape with all its hor
rors before the least vivid imagination. Ye
There was no time for langnor or sentiments
SORROW. Twelve of the steutest survivors wer
ordered to drag out the dead FROM among th
4 i'll. and though they were constantly drenche
? with rum to brutahze them, still We were force
to aid the gang By reckless volunteers from on
tcrew, who, arming their hands with tarre
tmittens, flung the f@tid masses of putrefactiol
Iinte the sea
One day wasa counterpart of another; an,
yet the love of life, or, perhaps. the love OF gold
made us fight the monster with courage tha
became a better cause. At length death wa