Captain Canot; Or, Twenty Years of an African Slaver
the ejaculation of, "poor boy! poor boy!" As he stepped over the
taffrail to enter his boat, I offered my hand, which he first
attempted to take,--then suddenly stopping, rejected the grasp, and,
with an abrupt--"_No! addio!_" he spun away in his boat from the
galliot's side.
I could not help putting these things together in my mind during the
glowing twilight. I felt as if walking in a cold shadow; an
unconquerable sense of impending danger oppressed me. I tried to
relieve myself by discussing the signs with the captain, but the
phlegmatic Hollander only scoffed at my suspicions, and bade me sleep
off my nervousness.
When I set the first night watch, I took good care to place every case
containing valuables _below_, and to order the look-out to call all
hands at the first appearance or sound of a boat. Had we been provided
with arms, I would have equipped the crew with weapons of defence,
but, unluckily, there was not on board even a rusty firelock or sabre.
* * * * *
How wondrously calm was all nature that night! Not a breath of air, or
a ripple on the water! The sky was brilliant with stars, as if the
firmament were strewn with silver dust. The full moon, with its
glowing disc, hung some fifteen or twenty degrees above the horizon.
The intense stillness weighed upon my tired limbs and eyes, while I
leaned with my elbows on the taffrail, watching the roll of the vessel
as she swung lazily from side to side on the long and weary swell.
Every body but the watch had retired, and I, too, went to my
state-room in hope of burying my sorrows in sleep. But the calm night
near the land had so completely filled my berth with annoying insects,
that I was obliged to decamp and take refuge in the stay-sail netting,
where, wrapped in the cool canvas, I was at rest in quicker time than
I have taken to tell it.
Notwithstanding my nervous apprehension, a sleep more like the torpor
of lethargy than natural slumber, fell on me at once. I neither
stirred nor heard any thing till near two o'clock, when a piercing
shriek from the deck aroused me. The moon had set, but there was light
enough to show the decks abaft filled with men, though I could
distinguish neither their persons nor movements. Cries of appeal, and
moans as of wounded or dying, constantly reached me. I roused myself
as well and quickly as I could from the oppression of my deathlike
sleep, and tried to shake off the nightmare. The effort assured me
that it was reality and not a dream! In an instant, that presence of
mind which has seldom deserted me, suggested escape. I seized the
gasket, and dropping by aid of it as softly as I could in the water,
struck out for shore. It was time. My plunge into the sea,
notwithstanding its caution, had made some noise, and a rough voice
called in Spanish to return or I would be shot.
When I began to go to sea, I took pains to become a good swimmer, and
my acquired skill served well on this occasion. As soon as the voice
ceased from the deck, I lay still on the water until I saw a flash
from the bow of the _galliot_, to which I immediately made a
complaisant bow by diving deeply. This operation I repeated several
times, till I was lost in the distant darkness; nor can I pride myself
much on my address in escaping the musket balls, as I have since had
my own aim similarly eluded by many a harmless duck.
After swimming about ten minutes, I threw myself on my back to rest
and "take a fresh departure." It was so dark that I could not see the
key, yet, as I still discerned the galliot's masts relieved against
the sky, I was enabled by that beacon to steer my way landward. Naked,
with the exception of trowsers, I had but little difficulty in
swimming, so that in less than half an hour, I touched the key, and
immediately sought concealment in a thick growth of mangroves.
I had not been five minutes in this dismal jungle, when such a swarm
of mosquitoes beset me, that I was forced to hurry to the beach and
plunge into the water. In this way was I tormented the whole night. At
dawn, I retreated once more to the bushes; and climbing the highest
tree I found,--whose altitude, however, was not more than twelve feet
above the sand,--I beheld, across the calm sea, the dismantled hull of
my late home, surrounded by a crowd of boats, which were rapidly
filling with plundered merchandise. It was evident that we had fallen
a prey to pirates; yet I could not imagine why _I_ had been singled
from this scene of butchery, to receive the marks of anxious sympathy
that were manifested by the _patron_ and his French companion on the
key. All the morning I continued in my comfortless position, watching
their movements,--occasionally refreshing my parched lips by chewing
the bitter berries of the thicket. Daylight, with its heat, was as
intolerable as night, with its venom. The tropical sun and the glaring
reflection from a waveless sea, poured through the calm atmosphere
upon my naked flesh, like boiling oil. My thirst was intense. As the
afternoon wore away, I observed several boats tow the lightened hull
of our galliot south-east of the key till it disappeared behind a
point of the island. Up to that moment, my manhood had not forsaken
me; but, as the last timber of my vessel was lost to sight, nature
resumed its dominion. Every hope of seeing my old companions was gone;
I was utterly alone. If this narrative were designed to be a
sentimental confession, the reader might see unveiled the ghastly
spectacle of a "troubled conscience," nor am I ashamed to say that no
consolation cheered my desolate heart, till I prayed to my Maker that
the loss of so many lives might not be imputed to the wilful malice of
a proud and stubborn nature.
CHAPTER IV.
So passed the day. As the sun sank is the west, I began to reflect
about obtaining the rest for mind and body I so much needed. My system
was almost exhausted by want of food and water, while the dreadful
tragedy of the preceding night shattered my nerves far more than they
ever suffered amid the trying scenes I have passed through since. It
was my _first_ adventure of peril and of blood; and my soul shrank
with the natural recoil that virtue experiences in its earliest
encounter with flagrant crime.
In order to escape the incessant torment of insects, I had just
determined to bury my naked body in the sand, and to cover my head
with the only garment I possessed, when I heard a noise in the
neighboring bushes, and perceived a large and savage dog rushing
rapidly from side to side, with his nose to the ground, evidently in
search of game or prey. I could not mistake the nature of his hunt.
With the agility of a harlequin, I sprang to my friendly perch just in
time to save myself from his fangs. The foiled and ferocious beast,
yelling with rage, gave an alarm which was quickly responded to by
other dogs, three of which--followed by two armed men--promptly made
their appearance beneath my tree. The hunters were not surprised at
finding me, as, in truth, I was the game they sought. Ordering me
down, I was commanded to march slowly before them, and especially
warned to make no attempt at flight, as the bloodhounds would tear me
to pieces on the spot. I told my guard that I should of course
manifest no such folly as to attempt as escape from _caballeros_ like
themselves,--upon a desolate sand key half a mile wide,--especially
when my alternative refuge could only be found among the fish of the
sea. The self-possession and good humor with which I replied, seemed
somewhat to mollify the cross-grained savages, and we soon approached
a habitation, where I was ordered to sit down until the whole party
assembled. After a while, I was invited to join them in their evening
meal.
The piquant stew upon which we fed effectually loosened their tongues,
so that, in the course of conversation, I discovered my pursuers had
been in quest of me since early morning, though it was hardly believed
I had either escaped the shot, or swam fully a mile amid sharks during
the darkness. Upon this, I ventured to put some ordinary questions,
but was quickly informed that inquisitiveness was considered very
unwholesome on the sand keys about Cuba!
At sunset, the whole piratical community of the little isle was
assembled. It consisted of two parties, each headed by its respective
chief. Both gangs were apparently subject to the leadership of the
_rancho's_ proprietor; and in this man I recognized the _patron_ who
inquired so minutely about my biography and prospects. His companions
addressed him either as "El senor patron" or "Don Rafael." I was
surveyed very closely by the picturesque group of bandits, who retired
into the interior of the _rancho_,--a hut made of planks and sails
rescued from wrecks. My guard or sentinel consisted of but a single
vagabond, who amused himself by whetting a long knife on a hone, and
then trying its sharpness on a single hair and then on his finger.
Sometimes the scoundrel made a face at me, and drew the back of his
weapon across his throat.
The conversation within, which I felt satisfied involved my fate, was
a long one. I could distinctly overhear the murmuring roar of talk,
although I could not distinguish words. One sentence, however, did
not escape me, and its signification proved particularly
interesting:--"_Los muertos_," said the French dandy,--"_no
hablan_,"--Dead men tell no tales!
It is hard to imagine a situation more trying for a young, hearty, and
hopeful man. I was half naked; my skin was excoriated by the sun,
sand, and salt water; four bloodhounds were at my feet ready to fasten
on my throat at the bidding of a _desperado_; a piratical sentry,
knife in hand, kept watch over me, while a jury of _buccaneers_
discussed my fate within earshot. Dante's Inferno had hardly more
torments.
The _filibustero_ conclave lasted quite an hour without reaching a
conclusion. At length, after an unusual clamor, the _patron_ Rafael
rushed from the _rancho_ with a horseman's pistol, and, calling my
name, whirled me behind him in his strong and irresistible grasp. Then
facing both hands, with a terrible imprecation, he swore vengeance if
they persisted in requiring the death of HIS NEPHEW!
At the mention of the word "_nephew_," every one paused with a look of
surprise, and drawing near the excited man with expressions of
interest, agreed to respect his new-found relative, though they
insisted I should swear never to disclose the occurrence of which I
had been an unwilling witness. I complied with the condition
unhesitatingly, and shook hands with every one present except the
sentry, of whom I shall have occasion to speak hereafter.
It is astonishing what revulsions of manner, if not of feeling, take
place suddenly among the class of men with whom my lot had now been
cast. Ten minutes before, they were greedy for my blood, not on
account of personal malice, but from utter recklessness of life
whenever an individual interfered with their personal hopes or tenure
of existence. Each one of these outlaws now vied with his companions
in finding articles to cover my nakedness and make me comfortable. As
soon as I was clothed, supper was announced and I was given almost a
seat of honor at a table plentifully spread with fresh fish, sardines,
olives, ham, cheese, and an abundance of capital claret.
The chat naturally turned upon me, and some sly jokes were uttered at
the expense of Rafael, concerning the kinsman who had suddenly sprung
up like a mushroom out of this pool of blood.
"_Caballeros!_" interposed Rafael, passionately, "you seem inclined to
doubt my word. Perhaps you are no longer disposed to regard me as
your chief? We have broken bread together during four months; we have