The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1854-10-25

ster with a courage that became bette
cause. At length death was satisfied
but not until the eight hundred being
we had shipped in high health had dwin
died to four hundred and ninety.sevel
skeletons
have always regretted that lcf
Ayudah on my homeward voyage with
out interpreters to aid in the necessary
Intercourse with our slaves. There wa.
no one on board who understood a WORD
of their dialect. Many complaints from
tho negroes that would have been dis
missed or satisfactorily adjusted, had We
comprohended their vivacious tongues
and grievances, were passed over in 81
lcncc or hushcd with the lash. Indeed
the whip alone was the emblem Of La
Estrclla's discipline aud in the end it
taught me tho saddost of lessons.
From the beginning there was mani.
fest discomfort among the slaves. / en-
dcavored at first to please and accommo.
date them b. gracious manner; but
manner alone is not appreciated by un-
tanned Africans A few days after our
departure, slave lcaped overheard in a
fit of passion. and another cbokod him.
self during the night These t@o sui.
cidcs in twcntyfour hours caused much
uneasiness among the officers. and in
dnced me to make every preparation for
revolt.
We had been al sea about three weeks
without further disturbance. and there
wa- $, much mcrriment among the gangs
that were allowed TO come on dccs. that
my aror,h ion, hogan to wear away.
Sndl"-ly. however. ore fair afternoon. n
s1ual broke forth from an almost cloud.
less SIX, and as tie hoatswair,'s whistle
piped All hands to take in sail. stimuli.
taucnu, rash wa made By the confined
slaves ., all the af;or.eratincs. and amid
the confusion If the rising gale they
knocked down the guard and poured up.
on deck. Tn. sentry at the fore hatch
seized the cooks axe. and sweeping it
round him Ike n scythe. kent at bay the
band that sought to emerge from below
Lin. Meantime, the women in the cabin
were not idle. Sccondng the males. they
rose in a body, and the Lclmsman was
forced to stab several with his knife be.
fore ho could drive them below again
About forty stulwart devils yelling
and grinning with all the savage fcrooi
ty Of their wilderness. were now on deck
armed with slaves Of broken water casks.
or billcts of wood fonnd in tho hold
The sudlenness of this outbreak did no,
appal me. for. in the dangerous life of
Africa. n trader must be always udmon.
ishcl and never off his guard. The blow
that prostrated the first white man was
the carliest symptom of the revolt but.
in an instant, [ had the arm.chcst omen
on the quarter. deck. and the mate and
steward beside me TO protcct il Mat
tcrs. however. did not stand so well for
ward of the main,nast Four Of the
hands were disabled bv clnbs while tho
rest defended themselves and thc wound.
ed as thew could with band,nikcs or
whatever could suddenly be clutcbed |
had always charped the cook on smell an
to distribute from his con
pers a liberal supply Of scallinr water
upon the belligcren;s; and. at the first
sign of revolt. he cndeavorcd to baptise
the heather with his steamina slush
But dinner had been over for some timo
50 that the lukcwarm liquid only irri.
tated the sayapes. ono Of whom laid the
unfortunate " doctor" bleeding in the
scuppers,
All this occurred in perhaps less time
than have taken to tell it: vet rnpid
as was the transaction. | saw that. be
tween the squall with its 6,ipg sails. aud
the revolt with its raving blacks, we
would soon be in a desperate plight un.
less gave the order to shoot. Accord
ingly | told my comrades to aim low and
fire at once.
Our carbines had been purposcly
loaded with buck-shot to suit such an oc.
casion, so that the first two discharges
brought several cf the rebels to their
knees. Still the unharmed neither fed
nor ceased brandishing their weapons.
Two more discharges drove them for.
ward among the mass of my crew. who
had rctrcated toward the bowsprit but
being reinforced by the boatswaii. and
carpenter, We took command of the
hatchos so cffectually that q dozen addi.
tional discharges among the ebony loos
drove lhe refractory 10 their olarters
below.
II was time for sails. rones. tacks
sheets and blocks were aapping dashinp
and rolling about the masts and decks
threatening us with imminent danger
from the s9uall. In n short time every
thing was made snug the vessel mt on
her course and attention paid to the mu
tinoers. who had begun to fight among
themselves in the hold