Lieutenant Lindsay had taken the romantic plunge with all the charming enthusiasm of inexperienced youth, and entertained the firm conviction that, if Senhorina Maraquita did not become his, life would thenceforth be altogether unworthy of consideration; happiness would be a thing of the past, with which he should have nothing more to do, and death at the cannons mouth, or otherwise, would be the only remaining gleam of comfort in his dingy future.
Something distresses you, I fear, began the lieutenant, not a little perplexed to find the young lady in such a peculiar mood.
Maraquita started, glanced at him a moment, and then, with flashing eyes and heightened colour, pointed at the three figures on the road.
Yes, Senhor, she said; I am distresseddeeply so. Look! do you see yonder two men, and the girl walking behind them?
I do.
Quick! fly after them and bring them hitherthe Arab and the girl I meannot the other man. Oh, be quick, else they will be out of sight and then she will be lost; quick, if youifif you really mean what you have so often told me.
Poor Lindsay! It was rather a sudden and severe test of fidelity to be sent forth to lay violent hands on a man and woman and bring them forcibly to the Governors house, without any better reason than that a self-willed girl ordered him so to do; at the same time, he perceived that, if he did not act promptly, the retreating figures would soon turn into the town, and be hopelessly beyond his power of recognition.
Butbut he stammered, if they wont come?
They must come. Threaten my fathers high displeasure.Quick, Senhor, cried the young lady in a commanding tone.
Lindsay flung open the casement and leapt through it as being the shortest way out of the house, rushed with undignified speed along the road, and overtook the Arab and his friend as they were about to turn into one of the narrow lanes of the town.
Pardon me, said the lieutenant laying his hand on Yoosoofs shoulder in his anxiety to make sure of him, will you be so good as to return with me to the Governors residence?
By whose orders? demanded Yoosoof with a look of surprise.
The orders of the Senhorina Maraquita.
The Arab hesitated, looked somewhat perplexed, and said something in Portuguese to Marizano, who pointed to the slave-girl, and spoke with considerable vehemence.
Lindsay did not understand what was said, but, conjecturing that the half-caste was proposing that Azinté should remain with him, he said: The girl must return with youif you would not incur the Governors displeasure.
Marizano, on having this explained to him, looked with much ferocity at the lieutenant and spoke to Yoosoof in wrathful tones, but the latter shook his head, and the former, who disliked Marizanos appearance excessively, took not the least notice of him.
I do go, said Yoosoof, turning back. Motioning to Azinté to follow, he retraced his steps with the lieutenant and the slavewhile Marizano strode into the town in a towering rage.
We need scarcely say that Maraquita, having got possession of Azinté, did not find it impossible to persuade her father to purchase her, and that Yoosoof, although sorry to disappoint Marizano, who was an important ally and assistant in the slave-trade, did not see his way to thwart the wishes of the Governor, whose power to interfere with his trade was very great indeed, and to whom he was under the necessity of paying head-money for every slave that was exported by him from that part of the coast.
Soon after Azinté had been thus happily rescued from the clutches of two of the greatest villains on the East African coastwhere villains of the deepest dye are by no means uncommonLindsay met Captain Romer of the Firefly on the beach, with his first lieutenant Mr Small, who, by the way, happened to be one of the largest men in his ship. The three officers had been invited to dine that day with the Governor, and as there seemed no particular occasion for their putting to sea that night, and a fresh supply of water had to be taken on board, the invitation had been accepted, all the more readily, too, that Captain Romer thought it afforded an opportunity for obtaining further information as to the movements of certain notorious slavers who were said to be thereabouts at that time. Lieutenant Lindsay had been sent ashore at an earlier part of the day, accompanied by one of the sailors who understood Portuguese, and who, being a remarkably intelligent man, might, it was thought, acquire some useful information from some of the people of the town.
Well, Mr Lindsay, has Jackson been of any use to you? inquired the captain.
Not yet, replied the lieutenant; at least I know not what he may have done, not having met him since we parted on landing; but I have myself been so fortunate as to rescue a slave-girl under somewhat peculiar circumstances.
Truly, a most romantic and gallant affair, said the captain, laughing, when Lindsay had related the incident, and worthy of being mentioned in despatches; but I suspect, considering the part that the Senhorina Maraquita played in it and the fact that you only rescued the girl from one slaveholder in order to hand her over to another, the less that is said about the subject the better!But here comes Jackson. Perhaps he may have learned something about the scoundrels we are in search of.
The seaman referred to approached and touched his cap.
What news? demanded the captain, who knew by the twinkle in Jacks eye that he had something interesting to report.
Ive diskivered all about it sir, replied the man, with an ill-suppressed chuckle.
Indeed! come this way. Now, lets hear what you have to tell, said the captain, when at a sufficient distance from his boat to render the conversation quite private.
Well, sir, began Jackson, wen I got up into the town, arter leavin Mr Lindsay, who should I meet but a man as had bin a messmate o mine aboard of that there Portuguese ship were I picked up a smatterin o the lingo? Of course we hailed each other and hove-to for a spell, and then we made sail for a grog-shop, where we spliced the main-brace. After a deal o tackin and beatin about, which enabled me to find out that hed left the sea an taken to business on his own account, which in them parts seems to mean loafin about doin little or nothin, I went slap into the subject that was uppermost in my mind, and says I to him, says I, they does a deal o slavin on this here coast, it appearsBlack Ivory is a profitable trade, aint it? Wy, sir, you should have seen the way he grinned and winked, and opened out on em.Black Ivory! says he, wy, Jackson, theres more slaves exported from these here parts annooally than would fill a good-sized city. I could tell youbut, says he, pullin up sudden, you wont split on me, messmate? Honour bright, says I, if ye dont call tellin my captain splittin. Oh no, says he, with a laugh, its little I care what he knows, or does to the piratesfor thats their true name, and murderers to bootbut dont let it come to the Governors ears, else Im a ruined man. I says I wouldnt and then he goes on to tell me all sorts of hanecdots about their doinsthat they does it with the full consent of the Governor, who gets head-money for every slave exported; that nearly all the Governors on the coast are birds of the same feather, and that the Governor-General himself, (See Consul McLeods Travels in Eastern Africa, volume one page 306.) at Mozambique, winks at it and makes the subordinate Governors pay him tribute. Then he goes on to tell me more about the Governor of this here town, an says that, though a kind-hearted man in the main, and very good to his domestic slaves, he encourages the export trade, because it brings him in a splendid revenue, which he has much need of, poor man, for like most, if not all, of the Governors on the coast, he do receive nothin like a respectible salary from the Portuguese Government at home, and has to make it up by slave-tradin. (See McLeods Travels, volume one page 293.)
It must be explained here that British cruisers were, and still are, kept on the east coast of Africa, for the purpose of crushing only the export slave-trade. They claim no right to interfere with domestic slavery, an institution which is still legal in the dominions of the Sultan of Zanzibar and in the so-called colonies of Portugal on that coast.
But that is not the best of it, sir, continued Jackson, with a respectful smile, after wed had our jaw out I goes off along the road by the beach to think a bit what Id best do, an have a smokefor thats wot usually sets my brain to work full-swing. Bein hot I lay down in the lee of a bush to excogitate. You see, sir, my old messmate told me that there are two men here, the worst characters he ever knowdashore or afloat. One they calls Yoosoofan Arab he is; the other Marizanohes a slave-catcher, and an outlaw just now, havin taken up arms and rebelled against the Portuguese authorities. Nevertheless these two men are secretly hand and glove with the Governor here, and at this moment there are said to be a lot o slaves ready for shipment and only waitin till the Firefly is out of the way. More than this my friend could not tell, so thats wy I went to excogitate.I beg parding, sir, for being so long wi my yarn, but I aint got the knack o cuttin it short, sir, thats were it is.
Never mind, lad; go on to the end of it, replied the captain. Did you excogitate anything more?
I cant say as I did, sir, but it was cooriously enough excogitated for me. Wen I was lying there looking through the bush at the bay, I sees two men comin along, arm in arm. One of em was an Arab. Wen they was near I saw the Arab start; I thought hed seen me, and didnt like me. No more did I like him or his comrade. However, I was wrong, for after whisperin somethin very earnest-like to his friend, who laughed very much; but said nothin, they came and sat down not far from the bush where I lay. Now, thinks I, it aint pleasant to be an eavesdropper, but as Im here to find out the secrets of villains, and as these two look uncommon like villains, Ill wait a bit; if they broach business as dont consarn me or her Majesty the Queen, Ill sneeze an let em know Im here, before theyre properly under weigh; but if they speaks of wot I wants to know, Ill keep quiet. Well, sir, to my surprise, the Arabhe speaks in bad English, whereby I came to suppose the other was an Englishman, but, if he is, the climate must have spoiled him badly, for I never did see such a ruffian to look at. But he only laughed, and didnt speak, so I couldnt be sure. Well, to come to the pint, sir, the Arab said hed got hold of two shipwrecked Englishmen, whom he meant to put on board of his dhow, at that time lyin up a river not three miles off, and full of slaves, take em off the coast, seize em when asleep, and heave em overboard; the reason bein that he was afraid, if they was left ashore here, theyd discover the town, which they are ignorant of at present, and give the alarm to our ship, sir, an so prevent him gettin clear off, which he means to attempt about midnight just after the moon goes down.
This unexpected information was very gratifying to Captain Romer, who immediately gave orders to get steam up and have everything in readiness to start the moment he should make his appearance on board, at the same time enjoining absolute silence on his lieutenants and Jackson, who all returned to the Firefly, chuckling inwardly.
If they had known that the Arabs information, though partly true, was a ruse; that Jackson had indeed been observed by the keen-eyed Oriental, who had thereupon sat down purposely within earshot, and after a whispered hint to his companion, gave forth such information as would be likely to lead the British cruiser into his snaresspeaking in bad English, under the natural impression that the sailor did not understand Portuguese, to the immense amusement of Marizano, who understood the ruse, though he did not understand a single word of what his companion saidhad they known all this, we say, it is probable that they would have chuckled less, andbut why indulge in probabilities when facts are before us? The sequel will show that the best-laid plans may fail.
Chapter Three.
Relates the Further Adventures of Harold and Disco, and Lifts the Curtain a Little Higher in Regard to the Slave-Trade
So Captain Romer and his lieutenants went to dine with the worthy Governor Senhor Francisco Alfonso Toledo Bignoso Letotti, while Yoosoof returned to the creek to carry out his deep-laid plans.
In regard to the dinner, let it suffice to observe that it was good, and that the Governor was urbane, hospitable, communicative, and every way agreeable. It is probable that if he had been trained in another sphere and in different circumstances he might have been a better man. As things stood, he was unquestionably a pleasant one, and Captain Romer found it hard to believe that he was an underhand schemer.
Nothing could exceed the open way in which Senhor Letotti condemned the slave-trade, praised the English for their zeal in attempting to suppress it, explained that the King of Portugal and the Sultan of Zanzibar were equally anxious for its total extinction, and assured his guests that he would do everything that lay in his power to further their efforts to capture the guilty kidnappers, and to free the poor slaves!
But, my dear sir, said he, at the conclusion of an emphatic declaration of sympathy, the thing is exceedingly difficult. You are aware that Arab traders swarm upon the coast, that they are reckless men, who possess boats and money in abundance, that the trade is very profitable, and that, being to some extent real traders in ivory, palm-oil, indigo, and other kinds of native produce, these men have many ruses and methodswhat you English call dodgeswhereby they can deceive even the most sharp-sighted and energetic. The Arabs are smart smugglers of negroesvery much as your people who live in the Scottish land are smart smugglers of the dew of the mountainwhat your great poet Burns speaks much ofI forget its nameit is not easy to put them down.
After dinner, Senhor Letotti led the officers into his garden, and showed them his fruit-trees and offices, also his domestic slaves, who looked healthy, well cared for, and really in some degree happy.
He did not, however, tell his guests that being naturally a humane man, his slaves were better treated than any other slaves in the town. He did not remind them that, being slaves, they were his property, his goods and chattels, and that he possessed the right and the power to flay them alive if so disposed. He did not explain that many in the town were so disposed; that cruelty grows and feeds upon itself; that there were ladies and gentlemen there who flogged their slavesmen, women, and childrennearly to the death; that one gentleman of an irascible disposition, when irritated by some slight oversight on the part of the unfortunate boy who acted as his valet, could find no relief to his feelings until he had welted him first into a condition of unutterable terror, and then into a state of insensibility. Neither did he inform them that a certain lady in the town, who seemed at most times to be possessed of a reasonably quiet spirit, was roused once to such a degree by a female slave that she caused her to be forcibly held, thrust a boiling hot egg into her mouth, skewered her lips together with a sail-needle, and then striking her cheeks, burst the egg, and let the scalding contents run down her throat.