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Show UOHltOUS OFTItK SL AVE-TR AliU DURKlNti OP A SLAYJUH. llfenrba tbrllliiig description of tho discovery by Drake, the hfave trader, of his native' wife? and child among the per-fshing per-fshing slaves of his own ship, destroyed by Ore ntsea, with her liviug cargo: ' "I had' smoked my cigar, and bidden Diegb liamos good-night, moralized a few moments upon slavery and the slave 'truffle, 'truf-fle, concluding, ns usual, with a calculation calcula-tion Of future gaius, and linally gone off into a deep slumber, when 1 was roused by a sudden cry through tho vessel, and sprang ut onco from my berth to the open deck. "Pirel" was tho hoarse response of Diego Die-go to my alarmed looks aud gestures; aud tho startling cry that had awakened me rnng again from the brig bows. At tho same timo. X. saw tho seamen running back and forth like wild men, with buckets of wjtcri which 'they were dashing lu tor-rents tor-rents nbout-tho furecastle gratings. "Merciful heaven 1" I criedf "whatls'td be done!" ; fft-"Diego fft-"Diego answered In the same hoars tone, "Follow me, and keep tho uicri quiet, AVo must build n raft,-and take to the boats, If no other resource be left," I rait forward, with tho captain, who preserved a wonderful coolness, and found that lira was raging under the hatches; thick suipko issued from, the temporary decks, near tho bulk-head, and half stifled groans nndTskriekg catndfrom tho poor blacks, who were suffocating to death. Diego's calm manner encouraged the men to new exertions, and gallons an gallons of water soon deluged the slave-quarters; Hut in spite of every effort the flames increased, in-creased, and presently broke through the tarred scams", midships, by the main grat- "All Is I6st,' muttered Diego to me, and then, raising his Voice, shontcd'Hcar a hand, lads lashings- and' spars for a raft j my hearties 1" Diego ltamos had already mado three Toynges with tho Jllranda'g craw, and every man of them had confidence in tlu ir cbicr. They sprung tit once to the work of cutting, away tho brlg'a masts and bow-Bprlt, bow-Bprlt, and hoisted out the boats, without confusion, while the fire was allowed to smoulder between decks- lUgardless of tho yells and crfejoftht doomed wretches: '"' " 1 1 -' ' 1 '" 'i'1 ''',',.!;;. i. below, my partner ordered tnrpnuliiis to be thrown over tho gratings, and every crevice smothered with wet canvass, toi keep down the .fire. Meantime ho Mra-i self worked with terrible activity, white" 1 ; seconded his exertion' tr the best of' rnf ability. The' men. tolled for their lives; and in what seemed a miraculously brief spacers strongly secured anil tolerably capnemns raft was lannchcd and cut away, with tho rigging Wlifch composed a porlloi of It,s AIcAiiwiuTe, our bouts, jwcre out, and it couple of casks. water, fortunately fortun-ately on deck the bnlk of our soply belngnftder tho slate decks were miide fast; with all the provWous'that CdoWbbe pot at; td thtf -mlddiryOf llferaft, Then came the vital' question of saving snch portions bf orir living cargo as; could safely be trunsfcrreil to the raft, Fottnnatcly the sea was catra, and a bright moonlighi enabled all onr ojiern tlous to go on without the confusion that darkness must IinVo. occasioned., A, ma jortty of tho crew manned Out two boats, to which my own and Dfego's valuables wcrb transfcrrtd; and Diegb Itnnios, myself, my-self, and the rest of the ,merir. tbok- onr Stations on the, raft, and pushed off, hating hat-ing first shifted jthe hatch-gratings; and ilungdown the shackle-keys to the slave-gangs, slave-gangs, to allow? of their escape from the hohV"' ' .. ,: , , .', J shall never forget the; shriek that rung In .our; cars;, hs the panic-stricken blacks -scrambled from, their dreadful connnement,a)Ursned by smoko and flanier Hardly1 had the first; gangs' gained, he lirig's decksi'than 'the lire began, to fun all over 'her loose" rigging," frdm wheel to bowsprit, andonvclbpcU the "wretched blacks who had rusbed to leeward. ,'hcre was.butjittlo-.alrstirrlngiyet .that little was sufficient to Ian tho'llames Intb fury The shouts of men, nnd screams of women wo-men rdso lu horrible discord, and, one by One, the "negroes, catching sight of our boatsiand.rnft In the increasing light, be-gan.to be-gan.to leap orcrbourd, aiid swim towards us. Then came the most frightful of all the horrors of that night; 'tor it was necessary ne-cessary to prevent a sudden swampmg:of the 'raft, iind our two? boitts,, which, had made-fast to it, werb crderid to. forge ahead, andtow us vto wludWurd bf the swimming blacks, whilst the Mtratida'fell Off slowly on our lee ' The sea was Illumined for milts by tho flames, which wrapped the doomed Miranda, Miran-da, tho rult steadily receded from I Hum tho blacks., who,, still clalig to "our i vessel's side, Set up ilcspaitiug tries, and those Who wevo 'swinimiug, numbering soithundf'eds;-iprnigfVat'f .rrowatty with their liandS'ctjspcirbter theft heads, -most of these vqro encnililjCrcd With shackles on the feet; for they , had been released ou board by unlocking and drawing out the .p'adfgcked rod.. The dragof these felurs-Impeded their pro; gressso that we were wiabled to: keep the raft at a distance, aiid only allow the fugitives to board os singly.br, by twos or threes.- Seamen fcm stationed on'overy side to keep off the swimmers with Imml-spikes; Imml-spikes; and thus wo were u Wu. to "rcseiie what tho raft could iiccomniodatb.nitli safety safe-ty to ourselves. 'It wns'a piteous sfght.hoK'' ever, tb'wttness the terror nod depairvor the doomed ones, whb satik constantly bei fore our eyes, or were knocked back from their hold, when they became top heavy for the raft's buoyauvyi And here, alast 1 was Called upon to led a personal interest inter-est in two at least, of that miserable-multitude, which my avarice had assisted, in consigning' to mi untimely fate, tt was when thu tiume3 had. reached their height, and the 3liranJa, from stem to stem, presented a sheet of lurid lire, that a piercing shriek was suddenly heard, rising above all sounds, and then, to my horror and astonishment, the name of "1'hlliii" was distinctly jwaled ncross.ihe water. Diego Kumos started, and looked at me, ond both turned our gaze to the vessel's decki where stood thu erect figure of a woman,' lifer linked blu'ek form relieved re-lieved in i'lear outline by tho background of fire. Sho held a naked child ot about seven years lu her, outstretched arms, aud sent her piercing voice over the space thai intervened between her aud the raft; with another aud louder y of "rhilipl" lu an instant my heart was thrilled with tho recollection j)f on African forest scene, where a young girl had kucll over my prostrate body, nnd sucked tho venom bf a serpent from my wounded .breast. 1 rccbgu'ued the face, the form of Sbluli, Jbe daughter of Jtlaniruee, lsaw before me my devoted Yullaba wife, and doubtless, doubt-less, it was my own child that I beheld embraced by tho poor loving mother, At that moment I forgot Diego Ramos, and my uncle, remembered nothing but that 1 had once held this poor wife in in my arms, and that sho hud once pre served my life at the risk ol her own. 1 stretched out my arms, and shouted in tho Dahomau tongue, "Solubl Solub! Philip will save yout" A w.ld scream of joy broke from tho poor woman's lips as the sounds reached her, nnd she leaped at once, with the child, iulo thtr, sea that divided di-vided us, "Ramos! Dlcgo!" I exclaimed; "I most save that woman!: Cast off the larboard boat!" I shouted at tho top or my voice. "Are you madf look at thoso black devils! they will swamp us!" cried my partner, pointing to a score of black hands that had just reached and grasped the raft. "Row away, men!? bo cried to the boat's crews "Drive back the niggers, or wi! nil drown!'' Aud juii'mg action to words, ho ran along the raft's edge, strlk-tiug strlk-tiug bands and fucci of tho cliuging ne-grocs, ne-grocs, till' they let go their hold and'suuk, one by one, Under the timbers. My blood 'grew cold, and then rushed to my head lliko a torrent. 1 tried, to sheut, and mo- tloncd to poor t3oliih, .whoRO left arm still tustainca 'her child whllti sbo 'swum ', X i'. .' V Hit 7" rr. il 1 r, " ll, 14 .". mAa ;gsrj.1. ;: , ,'",' 1 r"i ;, ji; biavely toward tie raft. Dot tho boats wcrb palled ahd by vigorous strokes; tho raft foloWetVrta receded from the ship. 1 saw; the Huhappy girl, lift her hand upward, and caaght a momentary glimso of her fttce la the 'water, Then a faint cry came to my ear and the sea closed over my African chitd 1 cared uot to sco or bear more, but sunk upon the raft lAo etie sttfpcficd, and rrinalucd sd I'kuow rtbtr how .long. When 1. become be-come tonsdoai ngniitof what was pass iog aroaflg me, I saw.tho Miranda's hull, like nn inyruious fire, brandj drifting for to leeward, Diegb Ramos besido me on' h4lraft,d scor et4aci" bodies were lyings thieisly mrewid -Cv''X)w tyra boats wertj .aloog' side. -The noon had "gone down',.but it wasM clear starlight.ntght.- |
