The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1871-06-17

In the voyage out, the captain havin
taken fancy to her person, kept her in bi
cabin, and did not sell her, but brought be
again to Bonny, where he had come for
new cargo. 1t so happened that her hu.
band, bad like herself, been reduced t
slavery, and was brought on board the yer
ship in which she was. Her feelings ma
more easily be conceived than described
Neither t1attery nor punishment couI
make her comply with the captains wishes
and be was SO provoked, that be ex
changed her for another slave with Kin
Peppel, who had passed his word never t
sell her to any one Of the European traders
Her husband and child were meanwhile car
rled away, and she was left behind, to lin
ger out life of hopeless grief.
Let US hasten to leave this horrible
place. could make Your heart sick b,
relating a hundredth part of what | wa
forced to witness. As to what happened il
our own ship, / cannot avoid. After mex
new moon, we received the remainder o
our cargO-four hundred slaves, male ana
female. The receiving them on board il
the most heart breaking and disagreeablt
part of the whole of a shaving voyage
When they first come on board, extreme
terror Is expressed in evey feature and
their tears and groans while being put in
irons few hearts can withstand, even though
hardened by two or three voyages. This
was my first and last and | cursed my
folly thousand times, and would have re-
Jolced to have been a beggar in Scotland
rather than where | was. The men are
chained by the ankles, two and two, then
placed within their own barricade /; so that
husband and wife, sister and brother, may
be in the same ship, and not know Of it.
W hen they come first on board, many of
them refuse to eat or drink, rather choosing
TO die than live, and thinking we only wish
them to feed, that they MAJ become fat and
tit for our eatlng-a prejudice many of
them firmly believe in, and founded on the
notion that the whites are men-eaters, and
purchase them to carry to market like
bullocks. While this feeling is in their
mind, which is called the sulky 6t, there is
much trouble with them The men re-
main sullen, the women weep and tremble.
Arguments, could we speak the different
tongues, would be OF no avail-the cat is
the only remedy and that is administered
until they comply. The sight of it, or a
few strokes in general, is sufficient for the
females but many Of the males will stand
out long time, snd, during the fOgging
never utter groan-snappIng their fingers
10 the face OF their tOrmentors, and crying,
% Furrie /! y Furrie " (neyer mind J
always a sure token Of their despair and
recklessness. We were very fortunate 10
getting our cargo so soon. We had two
or three visits of King Peppel alongside
in bis begging dlsgulse-and wished
no more. HIS custom was to visit each
shop, meauly dressed, and in whining
voice, equivalent to demand, blSsA-A-~-
.sI--s---e94 AAuesE1vlr-= 'Spsssf fISnn'a pres
ent and indeed, th,i ultimate success of
the voyage required this, in consequence
Of his unlimited power over his subjects.
Having got on board the lime-julce and
other necessarles, all we required was the
royal leave to depart ; and at length his
Majesty came on board, in as great state as
at hrst-the same scene was acted over
agaln--hls parting present was little ln'
ferior to the former, the difference being,
that this was called farewell present, and
was returned by man-slave and two ele-
phant's teeth. The price of a prime male
Slave was, at this time, in Bonny, equal to
an elephants tooth Of sixty-hye pound
weight, or one thousand billets of red wood,
nearly so of English money.
Next day we set sail for st Vincent, to
our great joy, having lain here exactly SIX
weeks and one day. Both the crew and
the slaves began to grow very sickly. The
duties OF the crew were very severe, and,
as disease prevailed, these became more
and more disagreeabe. As you seem ln-
terested, | will give you faint uneonnect-
ed sketch Of the run but | would much
rather pass it over, though the Queen
Charlotte was remarked for her care and
humanity to the slaves. TO proceed g.
Next morning the negroes were forced
upon deck, and the place where they had
passed the night upon the bare boards, ma
ked as they were born, was scrubbed with
lime juice uutil every stain was removed.
When upon deck, chained by the ankles,
two and two, a strict watch bchoOved to be
kept over them, to prevent them from
throwing themselves Overboard-a remedy
for their sutierings they are keen to resort
to for the first fortnight and when the
state Of the weather would permit, the drum
and fife being played, they were compelled
: to dance at least twice a day, to make theil
. blood circulate, and promote their health
b At these times, there was such a clanking
Of chains and stamping upon the decks, you
would have thought they would have beer
, beaten to pieces by them and no wonder
p when there were about two hundred lusl J
fellows, all in violent exercise at one time
7 At first the eat vas forced to be employed
= but they were very fond Of the drum, and
r soon call Of themselves for 'jggery-jigg'
! as they term it will take the instrument
t themselves, beat their own time in their owl
/ way, and dance away in their own fashion
: We had four or five different nations OF
r board. Ofone nation we had only twenty
/ aud these we found were more than enough
from the troubl9 they gave US, forcing Us
r to confine them by themselves, as al
/ the other nations were afraid Of them, anC
n said they were men-eaters. These stooc
e nearly SIX feet high, and stout in proportion
/ their teeth were ground to a point, and tit
e ted into each other Ike a rat trap thei
d nails were long aid strong they were SUI
4 len and untractable, and Of consequence
J often fioggcd to make them eat, at whic
h times their looks, as they snapped thel
d fingers in your face, and growled % Fm
J. rie 70 one another were horrible, !
q vain was all our care and attention to then
Z and every indulgence consistent with tn
ls safety Of the up. They had each tw
E, glasses Of brandy, and sometimes thret
n per day ; but some nations would not tast
Ii 1t, while others would drink as much as W
= would have given them. Those who di
Z not taLa thair 81 allnuanca Uould EnaD n