A Middy of the Slave Squadron | Page 8

of the highest good-humour, occasioned, as soon
transpired, by the fact that he had succeeded in obtaining full
particulars of an exceptionally grand coup that had been planned by a

number of slavers in conjunction, which they were perfectly confident
of pulling off triumphantly.
It appeared, from his story, that intelligence had just been received of
the successful conclusion of a great slave-hunting raid into the interior
by a certain King Olomba, who had recently returned in triumph to his
town of Olomba, on the left bank of the Fernan Vaz river, bringing
with him nearly three thousand negroes, of whom over two thousand
were males, all in prime condition. This information having reached the
slavers' agents at Sierra Leone through the mysterious channels by
which news often travels in Africa, an effort of quite exceptional
magnitude was to be made to get at least the two thousand males out of
the country at one fell swoop; the present being regarded as an almost
uniquely favourable opportunity for the accomplishment of this object,
for the reason that the Psyche was just then the only ship which could
by any possibility interfere with the scheme. And in the event of her
happening to put in an inopportune appearance on that part of the coast
at the critical moment--as she had a knack of doing, in the most
unaccountable manner--she was to be decoyed away from the spot by
the simple process of dispatching to sea a certain notorious schooner
well-known to be in the trade, but which, for this occasion only, was to
have no slaves or slave fittings or adjuncts on board, and after a chase
of some two or three hundred miles to the southward, was to permit
herself to be caught, only to be released again, of course, after an
exhaustive overhaul.
It was an admirable scheme, beautifully simple, and could scarcely fail
to achieve complete success, but for the fact that Captain Harrison had
contrived to obtain full particulars of it, and therefore knew exactly
how to frustrate the plan. His plot was as simple as that of the slavers:
he would proceed in the Psyche to the scene of operations, and when
the decoy schooner made her appearance she would be permitted to go
on her way unmolested, while a boat expedition would be dispatched
up the river to the town of Olomba, where the vessels actually engaged
in shipping the two thousand blacks would be captured flagrante
delicto.

Naturally we were all thrown into a high state of jubilation at the
receipt of this intelligence; for it promised us a slice of good luck of
such magnitude as very seldom fell to the lot of a single cruiser. To
convey two thousand negroes across the Atlantic at once would
necessitate the employment of at least three large ships, the value of
which might be roughly calculated at, upon the very lowest estimate,
ten thousand pounds each, or thirty thousand pounds in all, besides
which there would be the head-money upon two thousand negroes,
amounting altogether to quite a nice little sum in prize-money for a
cruise of probably less than a month's duration. Oh, how we chuckled
as we pictured to ourselves the effect which the news of so magnificent
a coup would create upon the minds of the rest of the Slave Squadron.
The Psyche, from her phenomenal lack of speed, and general
unsuitability for the service upon which she was employed, had, with
her crew, become the butt and laughing-stock of every stupid and
scurrilous jester on the coast, and many a time had we been made to
writhe under the lash of some more than ordinarily envenomed gibe;
but now the laugh was to be on our side; we were going to demonstrate
to those shallow, jeering wits the superiority of brains over a clean pair
of heels.
Of course we were all in a perfect fever of impatience to get to sea and
make the best of our way to the scene of action, lest haply we should
arrive too late and find the birds flown; but the skipper retained his
coolness and would permit nothing to be done that could by any
possibility suggest to the slavers the idea that the faintest hint of their
audacious scheme had been allowed to get abroad. He insisted that we
had plenty of time and to spare, and actually remained in harbour three
whole days after the information had reached him. Then, on the
morning of the fourth day, we weighed and stood out to sea, beating off
the land against the sea-breeze until we ran into the calm belt between
the sea-breeze and the trade-wind. Here we remained motionless for
more than an hour until the trade-wind gradually ate its way inshore
and reached