Black Ivory Page 2

  CHAPTER TWO.

  YOOSOOF'S "BLACK IVORY."

  When Yoosoof entered the woods, as before stated, for the purpose oflooking after his property, he followed a narrow footpath for about halfa mile, which led him to another part of the same creek, at the entranceof which we introduced him to the reader. Here, under the deep shadowof umbrageous trees, floated five large Arab boats, or dhows, similar tothe one which has been already referred to. They were quite empty, andapparently unguarded, for when Yoosoof went down the bank and stood on aprojecting rock which overlooked them, no one replied to his low-tonedhail. Repeating it once, and still receiving no answer, he sat quietlydown on the rocks, lighted a small pipe, and waited patiently.

  The boats, as we have said, were empty, but there were some curiousappliances in them, having the appearance of chains, and wristlets, andbars of iron running along and fixed to their decks, or rather to theflooring of their holds. Their long yards and sails were cleared andready for hoisting.

  After the lapse of ten or fifteen minutes, Yoosoof raised his head--forhe had been meditating deeply, if one might judge from his attitude--andglanced in the direction of an opening in the bushes whence issued asilent and singular train of human beings. They were negroes, securedby the necks or wrists--men, women, and children,--and guarded by armedhalf-caste Portuguese. When a certain number of them, about a hundredor so, had issued from the wood, and crowded the banks of the creek,they were ordered to stand still, and the leader of the band advancedtowards his master.

  These were some of Yoosoof's "goods and chattels," his "cattle," his"black ivory."

  "You have been long in coming, Moosa," said the Arab trader, as the manapproached.

  "I have," replied Moosa, somewhat gruffly, "but the road was rough andlong, and the cattle were ill-conditioned, as you see."

  The two men spoke in the Portuguese tongue, but as the natives andsettlers on that coast speak a variety of languages and dialects, wehave no alternative, good reader, but to render all into English.

  "Make the more haste now," said Yoosoof; "get them shipped at once, forwe sail when the moon goes down. Pick out the weakest among the lot,those most likely to die, and put them by themselves in the small dhow.If we _must_ sacrifice some of our wares to these meddling dogs theEnglish, we may as well give them the refuse."

  Without remark, Moosa turned on his heel and proceeded to obey orders.

  Truly, to one unaccustomed to such scenes, it would have appeared thatall the negroes on the spot were "most likely to die," for a morewretched, starved set of human beings could scarcely be imagined. Theyhad just terminated a journey on foot of several hundreds of miles, withinsufficient food and under severe hardships. Nearly all of them werelean to a degree,--many so reduced that they resembled nothing butskeletons with a covering of black leather. Some of the children werevery young, many of them mere infants, clinging to the backs of the poormothers, who had carried them over mountain and plain, through swamp andjungle, in blistering sunshine and pelting rain for many weary days.But prolonged suffering had changed the nature of these little ones.They were as silent and almost as intelligently anxious as theirseniors. There were no old pieces of merchandise there. Most wereyouthful or in the prime of life; a few were middle-aged.

  Difficult though the task appeared to be, Moosa soon selected aboutfifty men and women and a few children, who were so fearfully emaciatedthat their chance of surviving appeared but small. These were castloose and placed in a sitting posture in the hold of the smallest dhow,as close together as they could be packed.

  Their removal from the bank made room for more to issue from the wood,which they did in a continuous stream. Batch after batch was cast looseand stowed away in the manner already described, until the holds of twoof the large boats were filled, each being capable of containing abouttwo hundred souls. This was so far satisfactory to Yoosoof, who hadexpended a good deal of money on the venture--satisfactory, evenalthough he had lost a large proportion of the goods--four-fifths atleast if not more, by death and otherwise, on the way down to the coast;but that was a matter of little consequence. The price of black ivorywas up in the market just at that time, and the worthy merchant couldstand a good deal of loss.

  The embarkation was effected with wonderful celerity, and in comparativesilence. Only the stern voices of the half-caste Portuguese were heardas they ordered the slaves to move, mingled with the occasional clank ofa chain, but no sounds proceeded from the thoroughly subdued andworn-out slaves louder than a sigh or a half-suppressed wail, with nowand then a shriek of pain when some of the weaker among them werequickened into activity by the lash.

  When all had been embarked, two of the five boats still remained empty,but Yoosoof had a pretty good idea of the particular points along thecoast where more "cattle" of a similar kind could be purchased.Therefore, after stationing some of his men, armed with muskets, toguard the boats, he returned with the remainder of them to the hut inwhich the Englishmen had been left.

  There he found Azinte and her guardians. He seemed angry with thelatter at first, but after a few minutes' thought appeared to recoverhis equanimity, and ordered the men to remove the ropes with which thegirl was tethered; then bidding her follow him he left the hut withouttaking any notice of the Englishmen further than to say he would be backshortly before the time of sailing.

  Yoosoof's motions were usually slow and his mien somewhat dignified,but, when occasion required, he could throw off his Oriental dignity andstep out with the activity of a monkey. It was so on this occasion,insomuch that Azinte was obliged occasionally to run in order to keep upwith him. Proceeding about two miles in the woods along the shorewithout halt, he came out at length on the margin of a bay, at the headof which lay a small town. It was a sorry-looking place, composed ofwretchedly built houses, most of which were thatched with the leaves ofthe cocoa-nut palm.

  Nevertheless, such as it was, it possessed a mud fort, an army of aboutthirty soldiers, composed of Portuguese convicts who had been sent thereas a punishment for many crimes, a Governor, who was understood to behonourable, having been placed there by his Excellency theGovernor-General at Mozambique, who had been himself appointed by HisMost Faithful Majesty the King of Portugal.

  It was in quest of this Governor that Yoosoof bent his rapid steps.Besides all the advantages above enumerated, the town drove a smalltrade in ivory, ebony, indigo, orchella weed, gum copal, cocoa-nut oil,and other articles of native produce, and a very large (though secret)trade in human bodies and--we had almost written--souls, but the worthypeople who dwelt there could not fetter souls, although they could, andvery often did, set them free.

  Senhor Francisco Alfonso Toledo Bignoso Letotti, the Governor, wasseated at the open window of his parlour, just before Yoosoof made hisappearance, conversing lightly with his only daughter, the SenhorinaMaraquita, a beautiful brunette of about eighteen summers, who had beenbrought up and educated in Portugal.

  The Governor's wife had died a year before this time in Madrid, and theSenhorina had gone to live with her father on the east coast of Africa,at which place she had arrived just six weeks previous to the date ofthe opening of our tale.

  Among the various boats and vessels at anchor in the bay, were seen thetapering masts of a British war-steamer. The Senhorina and her sirewere engaged in a gossiping criticism of the officers of this vesselwhen Yoosoof was announced. Audience was immediately granted.

  Entering the room, with Azinte close behind him, the Arab stoppedabruptly on beholding Maraquita, and bowed gravely.

  "Leave us, my child," said the Governor, in Portuguese; "I have businessto transact with this man."

  "And why may not I stay to assist you, father, in this wonderfulman-mystery of transacting business?" asked Maraquita, with an archsmile.

  "Whenever you men want to get rid of women you frighten them away with_business_! If you wish not to explain something to us, you shake yourwise heads, and call it _business_! Is it not so?--Come, Ar
ab," sheadded, turning with a sprightly air to Yoosoof, "you are a trader, Isuppose; all Arabs are, I am told. Well, what sort of wares have yougot to sell?"

  Yoosoof smiled slightly as he stepped aside and pointed to Azinte.

  The speaking countenance of the Portuguese girl changed as if by magic.She had seen little and thought little about slavery during the briefperiod of her residence on the coast, and had scarcely realised the factthat Sambo, with the thick lips--her father's gardener--or the blackcook and house-maids, were slaves. It was the first entrance of a newidea with something like power into her mind when she saw a delicate,mild-looking, and pretty negro girl actually offered for sale.

  Before she could bethink herself of any remark the door opened, and inwalked, unannounced, a man on whose somewhat handsome countenancevillainy was clearly stamped.

  "Ha! Marizano," exclaimed Senhor Letotti, rising, "you have thoughtbetter of it, I presume?"

  "I have, and I agree to your arrangement," replied Marizano, in anoff-hand, surly tone.

  "There is nothing like necessity," returned the Governor, with a laugh."'Twere better to enjoy a roving life for a short time with a lightishpurse in one's pocket, than to attempt to keep a heavy purse with theaddition of several ounces of lead in one's breast! How say you?"

  Marizano smiled and shrugged his broad shoulders, but made no reply, forjust then his attention had been attracted to the slave-girl.

  "For sale?" he inquired of the Arab carelessly.

  Yoosoof bowed his head slightly.

  "How much?"

  "Come, come, gentlemen," interposed the Governor, with a laugh and aglance at his daughter, "you can settle this matter elsewhere. Yoosoofhas come here to talk with me on other matters.--Now, Maraquita dear,you had better retire for a short time."

  When the Senhorina had somewhat unwillingly obeyed, the Governor turnedto Yoosoof: "I presume you have no objection to Marizano's presenceduring our interview, seeing that he is almost as well acquainted withyour affairs as yourself?"

  As Yoosoof expressed no objection, the three drew their chairs togetherand sat down to a prolonged private and very interesting palaver.

  We do not mean to try the reader's patience by dragging him through thewhole of it; nevertheless, a small portion of what was said is essentialto the development of our tale.

  "Well, then, be it as you wish, Yoosoof," said the Governor, folding upa fresh cigarette; "you are one of the most active traders on the coast,and never fail to keep correct accounts with your Governor. You deserveencouragement but I fear that you run considerable risk."

  "I know that; but those who make much must risk much."

  "Bravo!" exclaimed Marizano, with hearty approval; "nevertheless thosewho risk most do not always make most. Contrast yourself with me, now.You risk your boats and cattle, and become rich. I risk my life, andbehold! I am fleeced. I have little or nothing left, barely enough tobuy yonder girl from you--though I _think_ I have enough for that."

  He pointed as he spoke to Azinte, who still stood on the spot where shehad been left near the door.

  "Tell me," resumed Senhor Letotti, "how do you propose to elude theEnglish cruiser? for I know that her captain has got wind of yourwhereabouts, and is determined to watch the coast closely--and let metell you, he is a vigorous, intelligent man."

  "You tell me he has a number of captured slaves already in his ship?"said Yoosoof.

  "Yes, some hundreds, I believe."

  "He must go somewhere to land these, I presume?" rejoined the Arab.

  Yoosoof referred here to the fact that when a British cruiser engaged inthe suppression of the slave-trade on the east coast of Africa hascaptured a number of slaves, she is under the necessity of running tothe Seychelles Islands, Aden, or some other British port of discharge,to land them there as free men, because, were she to set them free onany part of the coast of Africa, belonging either to Portugal or theSultan of Zanzibar, they would certainly be recaptured and againenslaved. When therefore the cruisers are absent--it may be two orthree weeks on this duty, the traders in human flesh of course make themost of their opportunity to run cargoes of slaves to those ports inArabia and Persia where they always find a ready market.

  On the present occasion Yoosoof conceived that the captain of the`Firefly' might be obliged to take this course to get rid of the negroesalready on board, who were of course consuming his provisions, besidesbeing an extremely disagreeable cargo, many of them being diseased andcovered with sores, owing to their cruel treatment on board theslave-dhows.

  "He won't go, however, till he has hunted the coast north and south foryou, so he assures me," said the Governor, with a laugh.

  "Well, I must start to-night, therefore I shall give him a small pill toswallow which will take him out of the way," said Yoosoof, rising toleave the room.

  "I wish you both success," said the Governor, as Marizano also rose todepart, "but I fear that you will find the Englishman verytroublesome.--Adieu."

  The Arab and the half-caste went out talking earnestly together, andfollowed by Azinte, and immediately afterwards the Senhorina Maraquitaentered hurriedly.

  "Father, you must buy that slave-girl for me. I want a pretty slave allto myself," she said, with unwonted vehemence.

  "Impossible, my child," replied the Governor kindly, for he was veryfond as well as proud of his daughter.

  "Why impossible? Have you not enough of money?"

  "Oh yes, plenty of that, but I fear she is already bespoken, and Ishould not like to interfere--"

  "Bespoken! do you mean sold?" cried Maraquita, seizing her father'shands, "not sold to that man Marizano?"

  "I think she must be by this time, for he's a prompt man of business,and not easily thwarted when he sets his mind to a thing."

  The Senhorina clasped her hands before her eyes, and stood for a momentmotionless, then rushing wildly from the room she passed into anotherapartment the windows of which commanded a view of a considerable partof the road which led from the house along the shore. There she saw theArab and his friend walking leisurely along as if in earnest converse,while Azinte followed meekly behind.

  The Senhorina stood gazing at them with clenched hands, in an agony ofuncertainty as to what course she ought to pursue, and so wrapt up inher thoughts that she failed to observe a strapping young lieutenant ofH.M.S. steamer `Firefly,' who had entered the room and stood close toher side.

  Now this same lieutenant happened to be wildly in love with SenhorinaMaraquita. He had met her frequently at her father's table, where, incompany with his captain, he was entertained with great hospitality, andon which occasions the captain was assisted by the Governor in hisinvestigations into the slave-trade.

  Lieutenant Lindsay had taken the romantic plunge with all the charmingenthusiasm of inexperienced youth, and entertained the firm convictionthat, if Senhorina Maraquita did not become "his," life wouldthenceforth be altogether unworthy of consideration; happiness would bea thing of the past, with which he should have nothing more to do, anddeath at the cannon's mouth, or otherwise, would be the only remaininggleam of comfort in his dingy future.

  "Something distresses you, I fear," began the lieutenant, not a littleperplexed to find the young lady in such a peculiar mood.

  Maraquita started, glanced at him a moment, and then, with flashing eyesand heightened colour, pointed at the three figures on the road.

  "Yes, Senhor," she said; "I am distressed--deeply so. Look! do you seeyonder two men, and the girl walking behind them?"

  "I do."

  "Quick! fly after them and bring them hither--the Arab and the girl Imean--not the other man. Oh, be quick, else they will be out of sightand then she will be lost; quick, if you--if--if you really mean whatyou have so often told me."

  Poor Lindsay! It was rather a sudden and severe test of fidelity to besent forth to lay violent hands on a man and woman and bring themforcibly to the Governor's house, without any better reason than that aself-willed girl ordered him
so to do; at the same time, he perceivedthat, if he did not act promptly, the retreating figures would soon turninto the town, and be hopelessly beyond his power of recognition.

  "But--but--" he stammered, "if they won't come--?"

  "They _must_ come. Threaten my father's high displeasure.--Quick,Senhor," cried the young lady in a commanding tone.

  Lindsay flung open the casement and leapt through it as being theshortest way out of the house, rushed with undignified speed along theroad, and overtook the Arab and his friend as they were about to turninto one of the narrow lanes of the town.

  "Pardon me," said the lieutenant laying his hand on Yoosoof's shoulderin his anxiety to make sure of him, "will you be so good as to returnwith me to the Governor's 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 inPortuguese to Marizano, who pointed to the slave-girl, and spoke withconsiderable vehemence.

  Lindsay did not understand what was said, but, conjecturing that thehalf-caste was proposing that Azinte should remain with him, hesaid:--"The girl must return with you--if you would not incur theGovernor's displeasure."

  Marizano, on having this explained to him, looked with much ferocity atthe lieutenant and spoke to Yoosoof in wrathful tones, but the lattershook his head, and the former, who disliked Marizano's appearanceexcessively, took not the least notice of him.

  "I do go," said Yoosoof, turning back. Motioning to Azinte to follow,he retraced his steps with the lieutenant and the slave--while Marizanostrode into the town in a towering rage.

  We need scarcely say that Maraquita, having got possession of Azinte,did not find it impossible to persuade her father to purchase her, andthat Yoosoof, although sorry to disappoint Marizano, who was animportant ally and assistant in the slave-trade, did not see his way tothwart the wishes of the Governor, whose power to interfere with histrade was very great indeed, and to whom he was under the necessity ofpaying head-money for every slave that was exported by him from thatpart of the coast.

  Soon after Azinte had been thus happily rescued from the clutches of twoof the greatest villains on the East African coast--where villains ofthe deepest dye are by no means uncommon--Lindsay met Captain Romer ofthe `Firefly' on the beach, with his first lieutenant Mr Small, who, bythe way, happened to be one of the largest men in his ship. The threeofficers had been invited to dine that day with the Governor, and asthere 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 hadbeen accepted, all the more readily, too, that Captain Romer thought itafforded an opportunity for obtaining further information as to themovements of certain notorious slavers who were said to be thereaboutsat that time. Lieutenant Lindsay had been sent ashore at an earlierpart of the day, accompanied by one of the sailors who understoodPortuguese, and who, being a remarkably intelligent man, might, it wasthought, acquire some useful information from some of the people of thetown.

  "Well, Mr Lindsay, has Jackson been of any use to you?" inquired thecaptain.

  "Not yet," replied the lieutenant; "at least I know not what he may havedone, not having met him since we parted on landing; but I have myselfbeen so fortunate as to rescue a slave-girl under somewhat peculiarcircumstances."

  "Truly, a most romantic and gallant affair," said the captain, laughing,when Lindsay had related the incident, "and worthy of being mentioned indespatches; but I suspect, considering the part that the SenhorinaMaraquita played in it and the fact that you only rescued the girl fromone slaveholder in order to hand her over to another, the less that issaid about the subject the better!--But here comes Jackson. Perhaps hemay 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 Jack's eyethat he had something interesting to report.

  "I've diskivered all about it sir," replied the man, with anill-suppressed chuckle.

  "Indeed! come this way. Now, let's hear what you have to tell," saidthe captain, when at a sufficient distance from his boat to render theconversation quite private.

  "Well, sir," began Jackson, "w'en I got up into the town, arter leavin'Mr Lindsay, who should I meet but a man as had bin a messmate o' mineaboard of that there Portuguese ship w'ere I picked up a smatterin' o'the lingo? Of course we hailed each other and hove-to for a spell, andthen 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 outthat he'd left the sea an' taken to business on his own account, whichin them parts seems to mean loafin' about doin' little or nothin', Iwent slap into the subject that was uppermost in my mind, and says I tohim, says I, they does a deal o' slavin' on this here coast, itappears--Black Ivory is a profitable trade, ain't it? W'y, sir, youshould have seen the way he grinned and winked, and opened out on'em.--`Black Ivory!' says he, `w'y, Jackson, there's more slavesexported from these here parts annooally than would fill a good-sizedcity. I could tell you--but,' says he, pullin' up sudden, `you won'tsplit on me, messmate?' `Honour bright,' says I, `if ye don't calltellin' my captain splittin'.' `Oh no,' says he, with a laugh, `it'slittle I care what _he_ knows, or does to the pirates--for that's theirtrue name, and murderers to boot--but don't let it come to theGovernor's ears, else I'm a ruined man.' I says I wouldn't and then hegoes on to tell me all sorts of hanecdots about their doin's--that theydoes it with the full consent of the Governor, who gets head-money forevery slave exported; that nearly all the Governors on the coast arebirds of the same feather, and that the Governor-General himself, [SeeConsul McLeod's _Travels in Eastern Africa_, volume one page 306.] atMozambique, winks at it and makes the subordinate Governors pay himtribute. Then he goes on to tell me more about the Governor of thishere town, an' says that, though a kind-hearted man in the main, andvery 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, hedo receive nothin' like a respectible salary from the PortugueseGovernment at home, and has to make it up by slave-tradin'." [SeeMcLeod's _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 "domesticslavery," an institution which is still legal in the dominions of theSultan of Zanzibar and in the so-called colonies of Portugal on thatcoast.

  "But that is not the best of it, sir," continued Jackson, with arespectful smile, "after we'd had our jaw out I goes off along the roadby the beach to think a bit what I'd best do, an' have a smoke--forthat's wot usually sets my brain to work full-swing. Bein' hot I laydown in the lee of a bush to excogitate. You see, sir, my old messmatetold me that there are two men here, the worst characters he everknow'd--ashore or afloat. One they calls Yoosoof--an Arab he is; theother Marizano--he's 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 Governorhere, and at this moment there are said to be a lot o' slaves ready forshipment and only waitin' till the `Firefly' is out of the way. Morethan this my friend could not tell, so that's w'y I went toexcogitate.--I beg parding, sir, for being so long wi' my yarn, but Iain't got the knack o' cuttin' it short, sir, that's w'ere it is."

  "Never mind, lad; go on to the end of it," replied the captain. "Didyou excogitate anything more?"

  "I can't say as I did, sir, but it was cooriously enough excogitated_for_ me. W'en I was lying there looking through the bush at the bay, Isees two men comin' along, arm in arm. One of 'em was an Arab. W'enthey was near I saw the Arab start; I thought he'd seen me, and didn'tlike me. No more did I like him or his comrade.
However, I was wrong,for after whisperin' somethin' very earnest-like to his friend, wholaughed very much; but said nothin', they came and sat down not far fromthe bush where I lay. Now, thinks I, it ain't pleasant to be aneavesdropper, but as I'm here to find out the secrets of villains, andas these two look uncommon like villains, I'll wait a bit; if theybroach business as don't consarn me or her Majesty the Queen, I'llsneeze an' let 'em know I'm here, before they're properly under weigh;but if they speaks of wot I wants to know, I'll keep quiet. Well, sir,to my surprise, the Arab--he speaks in bad English, whereby I came tosuppose the other was an Englishman, but, if he is, the climate musthave spoiled him badly, for I never did see such a ruffian to look at.But he only laughed, and didn't speak, so I couldn't be sure. Well, tocome to the pint, sir, the Arab said he'd got hold of two shipwreckedEnglishmen, whom he meant to put on board of his dhow, at that timelyin' up a river not three miles off, and full of slaves, take 'em offthe coast, seize 'em when asleep, and heave 'em overboard; the reasonbein' that he was afraid, if they was left ashore here, they'd discoverthe town, which they are ignorant of at present, and give the alarm toour ship, sir, an' so prevent him gettin' clear off, which he means toattempt about midnight just after the moon goes down."

  This unexpected information was very gratifying to Captain Romer, whoimmediately gave orders to get steam up and have everything in readinessto start the moment he should make his appearance on board, at the sametime enjoining absolute silence on his lieutenants and Jackson, who allreturned to the `Firefly,' chuckling inwardly.

  If they had known that the Arab's 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 awhispered hint to his companion, gave forth such information as would belikely to lead the British cruiser into his snares--speaking in badEnglish, under the natural impression that the sailor did not understandPortuguese, to the immense amusement of Marizano, who understood the_ruse_, though he did not understand a single word of what his companionsaid--had they known all this, we say, it is probable that they wouldhave chuckled less, and--but why indulge in probabilities when facts arebefore us? The sequel will show that the best-laid plans may fail.