Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-08-19
TIE SLAVE SHIP.

have heard Gfsa1 Teoi stSfot tnS n"r"'
u the slsys traffic ia days gops by- but one
u tbe most horrible Instances u tbs many
viii n cDud he rela;sd occurred under my
.wri syss, AID With We uloss APPALLING sur
souatings
Ia tho last days II the African siavs traf5c
II tsnn by this during the Last Voyages ~
the yes4ls f.,s~si ou. ,o buy slaves In Africa
spd Land them IN Cuba-f vas forsrnaf
hand ~, nm E,siish Lark csIl~i the FoT.h!re,
found from Liverpool 20 the Cape u Good
Hos We had an average fair run down To
the esl,ia.or. sra there rnss what nearly every
dip Inevitably sncomtsrs. light winds,
tedious cairns, and deal u work ~ pulling
and b,uling for the crew We ~ere well on
the GaIf u Guinea rtsa even the IsifFs anil
cate paws len US, and thsrs ssttled down
mon tbs ses a mighty calm We had KEPT
moving BIT UP 10 ~ O'Clock In the morning,
and W. lad hal IN plain sight for the last
t-snty four hours brig which was making
her way o,it u the gulf We had bsrn all
ihis slime approaching each other a, a. angle,
but very slowly, and when lie wind hEAIIy
,oft u-, the two crsfts we're boviny and nod
ding at zach other On the ground swell over
a SPACE 81 wat~r which could not have meas
urs.i more than half milo. We hal shown
her our nag The evening before. and she had
rsple.i by hoistin4 thu nag II Spain. Long
,uot,rb b.fxa tho calm set In We had our
w.picifns A. 10 h-r character. lntleei, Al
mndown on the night before nh Old Jack
Tar In nv watch had taken 4 long sluint nj
bsr rhiIs aloft AMI had come down TO say
"Iai., II that chap IN there Isn't black.
lisd, thsn may choke IN death on my nsxs
mouti,fui u plum dun"
About II o'clock We wsro all startled into
as-tiyity by a most horrible din from the
brig. 10 seetne1 A. II 800 or 800 voices wore
yelling IN chorus, and ths sound did not
ccass until broken In upon by the reports OF
nrsarma
-Ill tell You exn'.ly whats taking place on
board tiat fellow said tho American, who
had bcrp listening intrntiy. Hes short Of
wat.r. and The nigxers have beer put upon
hak or quarter allowance. They arc suffer
ing and Desperate rnd the crew have had to
A,oot down SONS ~ Tire lsaf.-s
Tho man vss prophet. IL wasn't yes II
O'Clock when The hrl launched boat. dve
men got Into hsr and IN worry few minutes
she was slongsife. and = man who snn'uneei
hiuaslf ~ the mats of the SLAYER va on dsck-
Everybody tns~ his GRAND II was we'll
known that We hal plenty X fresh water,
bus would our captain spare hita nHsie
pintt
"I'm mats Of tho brig yonder, and am sent
n sss II you can spars US few casks OF
water"
THAT briggs a SLAYER, exclaimed our cap
ain. who seemed filed with Indignation.
Certainly, and we've got 80 nggers
aboard who want water the .orst way
allow camc you In such liz"
"Iiai our cargo all In. anil wore filling our
b.u hOVa n e1ybt
And wa had ~ cub But for this calm wo
thould have been back on tho coast two days
ago"
"D-n you, sir. you ought 10 ie hung TO
he ysr,iarml" shouted the captain. he
paced back and forth.
every man to his own idea calmly re-
,ied the ma,e -Ths main thing row is to
get wat.r Tor tho ni.gers II NO don't get
It not ono II them will bo alive tomorrow
night
Our captain hung out for while, He
Wns too msrciful 10 10 tho indirect cause
Of their death. and be finally consented
TO spare i've casks of water. Arrangements
for tn. transfer we're being made, when the
furious huhl-h u half an hour before wns re-
IeatHd. only there was more snyngrness 10 1t
this tuna 1t did not die away A. before, but
kept increasing In intensity, and lasting ~
lon. that tn. mate isaIel upon the mil and
look.si toward tho hrig and muttered.
The devil. ars malirs . break ut last
Why don't tho then rs" ths guns"
His words wero followed by the reports Of
n dozen unskets, aud they were still cracking
away whep SONS one sto,si ON tho rail OF the
brig and waved his hat in our direction.
aThc niggersr rc loosc, = exclaimed the mate,
as h. made for hi, boat "Thnt signal Is FOR
me- but III rctnrn Tor thu water rs soon As the
outbreak is put down"
He va, OF In -Ho:lcr mou,en aud his men
pulled such = stroke that their boat was car-
ri,l " tho brig, side In four or five minutes.
She wns run under tho bow. mud tho men
scrambled upovcr the chain. We know that
the outbreak w, s.rious. Tor tn. huhhub in
CREASED and could the rushing
wildly atsut There ~r. a continual pop OF
m,iskctry aud Wa became excited that
every man In tho shir, cook included, hurried
aloft to look ,iown upon tho strangers decks
A. We lay hrpa,lsiie to -,ch other, and the
distance vas ~ short, NO could see all that
took place Despite the desperate Efforts of
tho crow. tho negroes wsre finding their way
on deck They were shot and cubhed and
hacked, but they came faster than they could
bc taken caro- Of. and In half an hour from
the time tho nntes boat left ~ tho blacks
had poSssvion Of At least one half the brig
They got hold u Roins u tho muskets and
cutlasse.. and they seeInei 10 know how to
use the former as we'll ~ the sailors. Tho
forward gra,ings were prisd on and the hold
emptic,l VI its living cargo, and during all
this time there vas fierce fighting In the waist
Of tho brig
The blacks hal no fear. and oue. loose,
a., HI.
aroused When they got possession Of half
the vessel they captured the water butt on
deck. AMI we saw them drinking with the
bullets fying past THAR ears The water
sssmed 10 add Ia their desperation. for soon
after getting possession Of It 100 or more
blacks mnic a grand rush. armed with every
swt Of v-aton, and s'tcr conflict Of fve
minutes they had possession Of the ship
Three 1t tho crew savei their lives for the
time toins by running alott. but all the olhers
seemed Ia have been Killed You cannot sup
tss. W. w.re quiet sis'ctstors Of such scene.
Il cut W. meu, though, to SEE the Spaniaris
making a fight Of 90 to 800. and gradually
falling herk and fighting to the last. without
asking for our help. When the grand rush
was made and the remnant OF the crew
driven eloft, a sort Of groen went through
our ship, and more than one man muttercd
against our cspssin's policy. When the blacks
got full possession. many Of them drank sea
water, and IL was only short time before .
cAsk Of rum Sas hroAched and served out to
all When the vile stuff had begun to take
effect, hell was let loose aboard the brig.
Such q surgins to and froi Such a jabhcring
and shouting and screaming, The bodies Of
the dead sailors were stripped naked. Kicked
about tho decks and mutiistei in the most
horrible manner. AMI then dunx overheard.
Al the very first splash VIC saw at least Q
dosen sharks make for tho SPOT, ard after
that their dossal fins were cutting the water
IN every direction
tell you We were An excited lot when the
blacks got pcessssion Of the brig, and our cap
tain soon rcalised that he had made great
mistake In not helping the Spcuiard to put
down the outbreak, SLAYER though he WA
The negr~s could It distinguish between
friend and foe-Spanisri and Englishman.
The fact 81 the two Crafts lyiny 80 close
together was proof to them that both were
slavers, and their victory aboard the brig
encouraged them to so further n wasn't
long before we teram> convinced that they
.Aeant TO attack the bark One OF them
etood IN IT, r-l a,.d haranr,,.~i the crowd