The herald., 1897-05-23
The slavsr's Secret

The slaver's Secret
Upon the sun-kissed Carribee,
Where the waves like silver shine.
Well-trimmed and taut. q clipper craft,
Glove through the flashing brine;
With a cargo. contraband by laws
OF God and the nations old.
OF human bone and flesh alone,
To sell for Spanish gold.
No gaudy ensign from the gan
Proclaimed her country's name.
No signal from the slender mast
Betrayed from whence she came:
While men Of every creed and cline
Composed the motley crew,
Who silent stood in thoughtful mood
And anxious glances threw
Away astern. where a stranger sail
Came creeping from afar.
With the painted ports and towering spars
OF stately man-of-war.
While freedoms glorious stars and bars
To her mizzen quickly flew.
And there unfurled. as shot she hurled,
To heave the SLAYER to.
Then spake the slavers MASTER
tall and meager man.
With grizzled locks and eyes Of gray,
And furrowed face Of tan:
A man of hardened hand AID heart
And soul from scruples free
A saint on land. benign and bland,
But Satan on the sea-
"Heave up the helm! Square in the sails!
Wen sail her with the wind"
And then helIish curse he hurled
At the ship that sailed behind.
Take in the slack of every shestl
Stretch on her all she'll stand!
And we'll hide her soon in the hid lagoon
That lies on yonder land"
Swiftly to their stations each,
Now sprang the startled crew,
And strained on halliard, sheet and tack
Till the vessel fairly flew:
While on the deck the skipper strobe,
And curesd and raved and swore;
Then long did stand. with glass in hand,
To scan the distant shore.
But nearer drew the stranger dread.
And darker grew the face
OF him who. from the slaver's stern.
Now saw the narrowing space
May Satan sink that ship" he shrieked,
His face with rage af1ame,
Then with an oath to himself he Quoth.
III check the cruisers game"
HIS shaven face like an ogre's shone.
Dull grew the eyes Of gray,
AS with curdling curse he cried,
Clear all the chain away,
Unshackle from the anchor stock
And stretch 1t fore and aft,
Our cargo grim. has got to swim"
And he laughed cruel laugh.
AS If with than
Red shone the sun with shame,
With hunger louder howled the waves,
While Ger the crew there came
That creeping sense steals o'er men
Who gaze at unhallowed grave,
AS the captain leered, then swore and
sneered,
And said, Bring up each slave"
With trembling hands the hardened crew
The order then obeyed.
And hand and foot, with hempen bonds
Ihey bound each man and maid;
Then lashed them to the cables links.
Till on the deck they lay,
In piteous plight. with terror digit,
And dazzled by the day.
And then arose an awful sound
A weird and wailing cry ec
AS now those shackled hopeless souls
knew they were doomed to die.
Then link by link that living chain
Slid DER the vessels side,
With Shrek and groan. and sob and moan
And sank in the seething tide.
The sun had hid behind a cloud,
The sea had calmer grown
The startled ship no longer shook.
And fear from the crew had flown;
While the demon had to the halliards hung
And hauled to the gaf again,
Where it unrolled. fold after fold,
The standard red of SPAIN
Those darkened days have passed away
Stayed is the slaver's hand,
But still that blood-stained banner floats
Above beauteous land
Where desolation walketh now
With want and woe and pain,
Where human blood flows like a flood
And war and rio: reign.
Oh. sweet but sad and stricken land!
Soon may that banner brave,
That from the stately stranger flew,
Above thy bosom wave:
And soon upon thy suffering soil,
May furled forever be,
The standard red of the SLAYER dread
That sailed the Carib sea.