Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1868-09-27
THE AFRICAN SLAVE TRADE
From Mobile River to Cape San
Antonio In q SLAYER.
Narrative of One of the Crew.

From the Mobile Register OF the 2Sd and oath
inst.
This reporter feeling that the late stir.
made in the city In regard to the slave
trade" as alleged to be carried on from
this port by certain parties, has made it
his business to find out what he could
about the matter. In his psregrinatiOns
around the docks and sailor-boarding
houses, he iran afoul" of a es-fsriD0
man, who "sst him down" and related
what is here TRANSCRIBED. The mariner
seemed to be IN earnest, and it must be
admitted that hi story bears impress Of
at least probability. However, that's
with his conscience, not ours. After
freshsning the nip" snd lighting bis
pipe, ne began :l-RepoTter Of Mobile
Register.
l am sn Engllshmsn, lesstWiss, I
hail from Liverpool, though l was born
in Guernsey. However, 1 take 1t, it
don't matter much difference where o
man was born; was brought up to the
sea; been in everything from hundred
gun frigate down to q cstsmsrSn. But
about this schooner and the blsekbird
business; you see, got here to Mobile
from Liverpool in the ship -, abOu'
the first Of -, 1866, and was paid off
and came up from down the bay with q
little money In my pocket. After good
irift about town, during which | spent
sill had, l began to look about for a
chance to get sfioat again.
With this in my mind, I called in at
the shipping-off1ce at the foot of c.
street, but there was nothing up for the
other side the eotton-dr0ghers had all
gone, and all that was on the berth was
few coasters up for York, Boston, and
thereabouts; those fore-and-afters don't
suit me; l like square-rigger; aud so l
concluded to try it awhile longer at the
Ooar1ing house and see il there would9't
Oe sight for voyage across the pond.
| forgot to tell you, IN the right place,
that soon after 1 came ashore fell in
with Q kind of half sailor half long
shoreman-ss good fellow as you ever
clapped eyes on-he helped me spend my |
money like man, and when it was gone |
used to scare up few dollars Of his own |
once in while, and keep US from going |
to the bad altogether.
Well, as / wSs saying, left the ship |
ping-office without getting chance for |
anywhere. and went up to my boarding.
house in CT street. found my chum |
there, and he proposed walk around |
the town, and we went out. We were
talking over the dull times, and other
things, as We walked, and he said that
ne had heard that sailors were wanted st
Galveston for ship and two barques
that were there nearly ready for sea, and
only waiting for crews.
the vessels might as well have been in
Akyab for all the good they we're to me,
or him either, and so l told him. But,
says he, there's 3 schooner that's going
to Galveston to take blacks down there
TO work on the railroad, or dig bitches, or
something, and she wants four men; and
he laid out that he and l should ship in
her. had seen the schooner, and didn't
like her overmuch-an OLD ballyhslo that
looked more like a fish, car than she did
like sea-going oraft-but rather than
be caught here for thesummer, l thought
would try her whaek snyho y, and SO
we went down aboard.
She was lying at the foot of =
street, and when we got on her deck, I {
tell you the first thing that crossed my
mind was blackbird," j" for you see I'd
made cruise or two to the mouth Of Lo-
ango and TO the Whiddah, and when L
saw the blacks down in the hold, and
got Whit Of the breeze that came up |
through the main hatch, 1t put me in
mind of the times when Portugee Joe
used to ship good abs in Havana "for
st. Thomas and q market" u
These being not exactly the times for 1
that sort OF business, and this latitude a !
little warm for anybody that might ]
crook finger at Moco, I was kind of {
shsky about undertaking the voyage, /
and so said to my chum. The captain '
wasn't aboard, the mate said, and he I
5old US to come down in about an hour.
We walked ashore I'd sat down over by J
The cotton press, and had q chat about 8
the schooner, and he niggers, and Gal {
weston, and so on. My chum said the q
vessel was all right so far as the negroes /
we're concerned, because some fellows ]
hat had the billet Of looking after all
he negroes in the country was fitting t
ler out, and engaging the negroes, and
DaylDg the money, and all that. Maybe =
I is, says !, but If it is am fooled, that's t
Ill anyhow, If you say we're to go in {
1er, why 80 it Is. t
So, while we were talking the captain +
md mate come down from up town, and {
ny chum goes up to him and asked him :
+ he wanted any more men. The skip 0
per told him he would like TO get four or t
i've good men il he could, but wanted t
hem right away, IS he was going to try q
% get to sea in day or two. He called t
Is into the cabin and told US the wages,
md hauled out set of articles and [
wanted US to clap our fists to them. i
ooked at my chum, and he said to the c
captain that he wanted q months adj {
rance II we shipped, so he pulls out his
wallet and gives Us the SO piece as