Captain Canot; Or, Twenty Years of an African Slaver
the prize, but before I could overhaul our warriors, the enemy had
received the freshening gale, and, under every stitch of canvas, stood
rapidly to sea.
When Seagram regained his deck, he was bleeding profusely from a wound
in the head received from a handspike while attempting to board.
Besides this, two men were missing, while three had been seriously
wounded by a shot that sunk the yawl. My gallant boatswain, however,
returned unharmed, and, if I may believe the commander of the
"Serea,"--whom I encountered some time after,--this daring sailor did
more execution with his musket than all the marines put together. The
_Kroo_ canoe dashed alongside with the velocity of her class, and, as
a petty officer on the Spaniard bent over to sink the skiff with a
ponderous top-block, our boatswain cleft his skull with a musket ball,
and brought home the block as a trophy! In fact, Seagram confessed
that the Spaniard behaved magnanimously; for the moment our yawl was
sunk, Olivares cut adrift his boat, and bade the struggling swimmers
return in it to their vessel.
I have described this little affray not so much for its interest, but
because it illustrates the vicissitudes of coast-life and the rapidity
of their occurrence. Here was I, on the deck of a British man-of-war,
in charge of her manoeuvres while in chase of a Spaniard, who, for
aught I knew, might have been consigned to me for slaves! I gave my
word to Seagram as he embarked, to manage his ship, and had I attained
a position that would have enabled me to sink the "Serea," I would not
have shrunk from my duty. Yet it afforded me infinite satisfaction to
see the chase escape, for my heart smote me at taking arms against men
who had probably broken bread at my board.
CHAPTER LXVIII.
Next day we recovered our anchorage opposite Cape Mount, and wound our
way eight or ten miles up the river to the town of Toso, which was
honored with the residence of King Fana-Toro. It did not require long
to satisfy his majesty of the benefits to be derived from my plan. The
news of the destruction of Gallinas, and of the voluntary surrender of
my quarters at New Sestros, had spread like wildfire along the coast;
so that when the African princes began to understand they were no
longer to profit by unlawful traffic, they were willing enough not to
lose _all_ their ancient avails, by compromising for a _legal_
commerce, under the sanction of national flags. I explained my
projects to Fana-Toro in the fullest manner, offering him the most
liberal terms. My propositions were forcibly supported by Prince Gray;
and a cession of the Mount and its neighboring territory was finally
made, under a stipulation that the purchase-money should be paid in
presence of the negro's council, and the surrender of title witnessed
by the Termagant's officers.[8]
As soon as the contract was fully signed, sealed, and delivered,
making Mr. Redman and myself proprietors, in fee-simple, of this
beautiful region, I hastened in company with my naval friends to
explore my little principality for a suitable town-site. We launched
our boat on the waters of the noble lake Plitzogee at Toso, and after
steering north-eastwardly for two hours under the pilotage of Prince
Gray, entered a winding creek and penetrated its thickets of mangrove
and palm, till the savage landed us on decayed steps and pavement made
of _English brick_. At a short distance through the underwood, our
conductor pointed out a denuded space which had once served as the
foundation of an _English slave factory_; and when my companions
hesitated to believe the prince's dishonorable charge on their nation,
the negro confirmed it by pointing out, deeply carved in the bark of a
neighboring tree, the name of:--
T. WILLIAMS,
1804.
I took the liberty to compliment Seagram and the surgeon on the result
of our exploration; and, after a hearty laugh at the denouement of the
prince's search for a _lawful_ homestead, we plunged still deeper in
the forest, but returned without finding a location to my taste. Next
day we recommenced our exploration by land, and, in order to obtain a
comprehensive view of my dominion, as far as the eye would reach, I
proposed an ascent of the promontory of the Cape which lifts its head
quite twelve hundred feet above the sea. A toilsome walk of hours
brought us to the summit, but so dense was the foliage and so lofty
the magnificent trees, that, even by climbing the tallest, my scope of
vision was hardly increased. As we descended the slopes, however,
towards the strait between the sea and lake, I suddenly came upon a
rich, spacious level, flanked by a large brook of delicious water, and
deciding instantly that it was an admirable spot for intercourse with
the ocean as well as interior, I resolved that it should be the site
of my future home. A tar was at hand to climb the loftiest palm, to
strip its bushy head, and hoist the union-jack. Before sundown, I had
taken solemn territorial possession, and baptized the future town "New
Florence," in honor of my Italian birthplace.
My next effort was to procure laborers, for whom I invoked the aid of
Fana-Toro and the neighboring chiefs. During two days, forty negroes,
whom I hired for their food and a _per diem_ of twenty cents, wrought
faithfully under my direction; but the constant task of felling trees,
digging roots, and clearing ground, was so unusual for savages, that
the entire gang, with the exception of a dozen, took their pay in rum
and tobacco and quitted me. A couple of days more, devoted to such
endurance, drove off the remaining twelve, so that on the fifth day of
my philanthropic enterprise I was left in my solitary hut with a
single attendant. I had, alas! undertaken a task altogether unsuited
to people whose idea of earthly happiness and duty is divided between
palm-oil, concubinage, and sunshine!
I found it idle to remonstrate with the king about the indolence of
his subjects. Fana-Toro entertained very nearly the same opinion as
his slaves. He declared,--and perhaps very sensibly,--that white men
were fools to work from sunrise to sunset every day of their lives;
nor could he comprehend how negroes were expected to follow their
example; nay, it was not the "fashion of Africa;" and, least of all,
could his majesty conceive how a man possessed of so much merchandise
and property, would voluntarily undergo the toils I was preparing for
the future!
The king's censure and surprise were not encouraging; yet I had so
long endured the natural indolence of negrodom, that I hardly expected
either a different reply or influential support, from his majesty.
Nevertheless, I was not disheartened. I remembered the old school-boy
maxim, _non vi sed saepe cadendo_, and determined to effect by degrees
what I could not achieve at a bound. For a while I tried the effect of
higher wages; but an increase of rum, tobacco, and coin, could not
string the nerves or cord the muscles of Africa. Four men's labor was
not equivalent to one day's work in Europe or America. The negro's
philosophy was both natural and self-evident:--_why should he work for
pay when he could live without it?_--_labor could not give him more
sunshine, palm-oil, or wives; and, as for grog and tobacco, they might
be had without the infringement of habits which had almost the
sacredness of religious institutions._
With such slender prospects of prosperity at New Florence, I left a
man in charge of my hut, and directing him to get on as well as he
could, I visited Monrovia, to look after the merchandise that had been
saved from the wreck of New Sestros.
FOOTNOTE:
[8] As the document granting this beautiful headland and valuable
trading post is of some interest, I have added a copy of the
instrument:
"KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that I, FANA-TORO, King of Cape Mount
and its rivers, in the presence, and with the full consent and
approbation of my principal chiefs in council assembled, in
consideration of a mutual friendship existing between GEORGE CLAVERING
REDMAN, THEODORE CANOT & CO., British subjects, and myself, the
particulars whereof are under-written, do, for myself, my heirs and
successors, give and grant unto the said George Clavering Redman,
Theodore Canot & Co., their heirs and assigns in perpetuity, all land
under the name of CAPE MOUNT, extending, on the south and east sides,
to _Little Cape Mount_, and on the north-west side to _Sugarei River_,
comprised with the islands, lakes, brooks, forests, trees, waters,
mines, minerals, rights, members, and appurtenances thereto belonging
or appertaining, and all wild and tame beasts and other animals
thereon; TO HAVE AND TO HOLD the said cape, rivers, islands, with both
sides of the river and other premises hereby granted unto the said G.
CLAVERING REDMAN, T. CANOT & CO., their heirs and assigns for ever,
subject to the authority and dominion of HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN OF
GREAT BRITAIN, her heirs and successors.
"And I, also, give and grant unto the said G. C. REDMAN, T. CANOT &
CO., the sole and exclusive rights of traffic with my Nation and
People, and with all those tributary to me, and I hereby engage to
afford my assistance and protection to the said party, and to all
persons who may settle on the said cape, rivers, islands, lakes, and
both sides of the river, by their consent, wishing peace and
friendship between my nation and all persons belonging to the said
firm.
"Given under my hand and seal, at the town of FANAMA, this,
twenty-third day of February, one thousand eight hundred and
forty-one.
his
"KING X FANA-TORO. (L. S.)
mark.
his
"PRINCE X GRAY. (L. S.)
mark.
"Witnesses,
"HY. FROWD SEAGRAM, R. N. }
"GEO. D. NOBLE, Clerk in Charge. } _of Her Majesty's_
"THOS. CRAWFORD, Surgeon. } _brig Termagant._"
I paid King Fana-Toro and his chiefs in council the following
merchandise in exchange for his territory: six casks of rum; twenty
muskets; twenty quarter-kegs powder; twenty pounds tobacco; twenty
pieces white cottons; thirty pieces blue cottons; twenty iron bars;
twenty cutlasses; twenty wash-basins; and twenty each of several other
articles of trifling value.
CHAPTER LXIX.
I might fairly be accused of ingratitude if I passed without notice
the Colony of Liberia and its capital, whose hospitable doors were
opened widely to receive an exile, when the barbarians of New Sestros
drove me from that settlement.
It is not my intention to tire the reader with an account of Liberia,
for I presume that few are unacquainted with the thriving condition of
those philanthropic lodgments, which hem the western coast of Africa
for near eight hundred miles.
In my former visits to Monrovia, I had been regarded as a dangerous
intruder, who was to be kept for ever under the vigilant eyes of
government officials. When my character as an established slaver was
clearly ascertained, the port was interdicted to my vessels, and my
appearance in the town itself prohibited. Now, however, when I came as
a fugitive from violence, and with the acknowledged relinquishment of
my ancient traffic, every hand was extended in friendship and
commiseration. The governor and council allowed the landing of my
rescued slave-goods on deposit, while the only two servants who
continued faithful were secured to me as apprentices by the court.
Scarcely more than two months ago, the people of this quiet village
were disturbed from sleep by the roll of drums beating for recruits to
march against "_the slaver Canot_;" to-day I dine with the chief of
the colony and am welcomed as a brother! This is another of those
remarkable vicissitudes that abound in this work, and which the