The Pirate Slaver | Page 9

their hellish trade, the responsibility must rest with themselves, and in my humble opinion the earth is well rid of such inhuman monsters. And as to the other matter--that of being yourself hurried into eternity unprepared--it need not occur, my boy; no one need die unprepared. What I mean is, of course, that all should take especial care to be prepared for death whenever it may meet us, for we know not what a day, or an hour, or even a moment may bring forth; the man who walks the streets of his native town in fancied security is actually just as liable to be cut off unawares as are we who follow the terrible but necessary profession of arms; the menaces to life ashore are as numerous as they are afloat, or more so; the forms of accident are innumerable. And therefore I say that all should be careful to so conduct themselves that they may be prepared to face death at any moment. And if they are not, they may easily become so; for God's ear is always open to the cry of His children, and I will take it upon myself to say that no earnest, heartfelt prayer is ever allowed to go unanswered. So, if you have any misgivings about to-night's work, go to God and ask for His mercy and protection and help; and then, whatever happens, you will be all right."
So saying, the good old fellow halted just abreast the hatchway, which we had reached at this point in our perambulation fore and aft the deck, and, gently urging me toward it suggestively, released my arm and turned away. I took the hint thus given me and, without a word--for indeed at that moment I was too deeply moved for speech--made my way below to the midshipmen's berth, which I found opportunely empty, and there cast myself upon my knees and prayed earnestly for some minutes. When I arose from this act of devotion I was once more calm and unperturbed; and from that moment I date a habit of prayer that has been an inexpressible comfort and support to me ever since.
Upon returning to the deck the first object that caught my eyes was our gig, with the first luff and little Pierrepoint--our junior mid but one--in the stern-sheets, pulling toward the very handsome Spanish brig--already spoken of as lying at anchor a short distance inside of us--upon a visit of inspection. That the inspection to which she was subjected was pretty thorough was sufficiently attested by the fact that the gig remained alongside her a full hour, the British brig and the Dutch barque being in their turn afterwards subjected to a similarly severe examination; but, as Bates had predicted, nothing came of it, all their papers being perfectly in order, while a rigorous search failed to discover anything of an incriminating character on board either of them.
"Of course not," commented the master, when he learned the substance of the first luff's report to the skipper; "of course not. Bless ye, the people that trade to this river aren't born fools, not they! Just consider the matter for a moment. Let's suppose, for argument's sake, that the Spaniard yonder is a slaver. Would she ship her cargo here in the very spot that would be first visited by every man-o'-war that enters the river? Of course she wouldn't; she'd go away up the river into one of the many creeks that branch into it on either side for the first twenty miles or so, and ship her blacks there, watching for the chance of a dark night to slip out and get well off the land before daylight. If she came in here at all, it would be to fill up her water and lay in a stock of meal upon which to feed her niggers when she'd got 'em; and you may depend on it that when a slaver comes in here upon any such errand as that, a very bright look-out is kept for cruisers, and that, upon the first sight of a suspicious-looking sail in the offing, her irons, her meal, and everything else that would incriminate her are bundled ashore and hidden away safely among the bushes, while her water would be started and pumped out of her long enough before a man-o'-war could get alongside of her. What is that Spanish brig taking in?" he continued, turning to little Pierrepoint, who, with the first lieutenant, had visited her.
"Nothing," answered the lad. "She only arrived yesterday; and her hold is half full of casks in which she is going to stow her palm-oil."
"Of course," remarked the master sarcastically, turning to me. "What did I say to you this morning? Whenever a ship is found in an African river