Oliver Optic

“ I would rather be hung for murder than for stealing niggers."
"Can't we do something?" I inquired, anxiously.
"What can we do against a set of cutthroats like the mate?" growled Jack.
"We may do anything we can," added Dick. "It isn't a lawful voyage, and we can't be compelled to do duty. We shipped for Palermo, not to steal niggers."
I was glad to hear even two of my shipmates speak in this decided manner. They abhorred the slave trade, like true American sailors; and I hoped that more of the crew would be actuated by the same feelings of humanity. ”

“ I was alone with the prisoners,—nine in number,—all but one of whom lay in the berths of the steerage, bound hand and foot. Waterford, the most active and dangerous of the party, was tied to a stanchion. I had not caused him to be placed in this uncomfortable situation because he had done the same thing to me, but because I dared not permit him to be where the sentinel could not see all the time what he was doing. If one of these slave traders should get loose, he could free the others, and we should be obliged to fight the battle over again. ”

“ Probably every part of the job was not done in a thoroughly seaman-like manner; but the sail was secure, and the mate did not go aloft to see how it was done. When the royal was furled, I went down, passing the two men who had been sent up to furl the main top-gallant sail. I paused on the cross-trees to rest myself a little, and to look out upon the white-capped billows of the dark ocean.
I had just furled a royal, and I felt like a sailor; I should have felt more like one if my head had not snapped so violently. ”

“ Nice was on the Mediterranean, and, with little or no idea of the life of a sailor, I wanted to make a voyage to that sea.
I had served the firm of Collingsby & Faxon in Chicago as faithfully as I knew how; I had pursued and captured the former junior partner of the firm, who had attempted to swindle his associate; and for this service my grandfather and his son had presented me the yacht in which the defaulter had attempted to escape. In this craft I had imbibed a taste for nautical matters, and I wished to enlarge my experience on the broad ocean, which I had never seen. ”

“ But I would rather land in New York with only a shirt on my back than go a slaving."
"I say so too; but it is rather a hard case," added the new mate. "We have got our advance, and I suppose that's all we shall make out of this cruise."
"Perhaps not," I interposed.
"No matter whether it is so or not; I am satisfied," said Sanderson. "I wouldn't help take a cargo of niggers over to Cuba for all the money there is in New York. Their howls would haunt me to my dying day."
"It's always the safest way to do one's duty, without regard to consequences," I continued. ”

“ Waterford planked the deck, and I fancied that he was not at all pleased to find that I could steer the bark. While I congratulated myself that I was able to do so, I knew there were a hundred other things I could not do, and therefore his revenge was only deferred for a few hours. At four bells, Dick Baxter, one of the able seamen of our watch, came aft and relieved me.
"What do you mean, Phil?" demanded Jack Sanderson, when I went forward. "You said you wasn't a seaman."
"I never steered a square-rigged vessel before in my life," I replied. "I have been at the helm of a yacht." ”

“ Baxter was earnest and eloquent, and I honored him for his noble and humane sentiments. His speech stiffened the backs of those who were wavering. Twelve of us were of one mind, and we were sure that York, the second mate, was with us, which made a majority. Three of the crew still remained doubtful, ready to go with whichever proved to be the winning side. Their very position showed them to be weak, and of not much value to either party.
"We are all of one mind," said Sanderson; "but what can we do? It isn't an easy thing to stand up against the officers, who are provided with fire-arms." ”

“ The mast to which I clung was swaying up and down, as the bark rolled in the billows, and I felt that I had really entered upon the sea swashes of a sailor.
The wind increased in fury every moment; and though the furling of the light sails eased the vessel for a time, she soon labored heavily again. Two men were required at the wheel, and the swash of the sea came over the bulwarks in tons. At eight bells all hands were called. The courses had been hauled up, and now a reef was put in the fore and main topsails. But the bark still held her course to the south-east. ”

“ If there was anything in the world which I regarded as more horrible and wicked than anything else, it was the slave trade. At the time of which I write, in spite of the vigilance of the British and American cruisers on the African coast, several vessels had been successful in running cargoes of negroes to Cuba. The profits of the trade were so enormous that large wages could be paid to crews, and the vessel sacrificed at the end. It was evident to me that the Spanish and Portuguese seamen on board had been shipped for a slave voyage, or they would not have known the destination of the bark. ”

“ What are you about?" shouted Captain Farraday, rushing into the waist, followed by the mate and the two passengers.
I was just congratulating myself on my success in getting away, when my ears were saluted by this unwelcome call. I was determined not to be cast down by the unfortunate discovery, and seizing the rope by which I had lowered my trunk, I slid down upon it into the boat. I considered myself all right then; but youth is proverbially over-confident and over-enthusiastic. The men in the boat cast off the line from my trunk, and pushed off from the bark. ”

“ In due time, if you behave yourselves, I'll tell you all about it."
"Will you tell us whether we are engaged in a lawful voyage?"
"I tell you that every man who behaves himself shall have a thousand dollars when the cruise is up, and have his grog three times a day, and plum duff every day."
"That is just the same as saying that it is not a lawful voyage," I added, in a low tone, to Sanderson.
"That's so, my hearty."
"Come out here, Phil Farringford!" shouted the mate. "You have made all this trouble."
"No, he didn't, sir," replied Jack Sanderson. "One's as black as another." ”

“ I answered, holding up one of the books I had brought on deck. "Where shall we go? That's the first question."
"If we stand towards the coast, we may be able to find a man-of-war; perhaps the steamer that chased us yesterday," added Captain York. "I have no doubt she intends to cut off the bark somewhere on the coast."
"What do you say, Phil?" asked Sanderson.
"I say, return to New York."
"Why so?"
"We can get out of the scrape sooner and better in that way than in any other," I replied. "If we fall in with a man-of-war, the bark will be her prize; she is ours now." ”

“ We haven't a navigator among us," suggested Walker.
"I can take an observation, and work up the reckoning," I replied.
"You!" exclaimed the doubter.
"I can. I have studied navigation, and I can lay down the position of the bark on the chart every day that the sun shines."
"Good! York is a good sailor. In fact we have all the able and ordinary seamen with us but the five Spaniards and Portuguese," said Baxter.
"But how shall we take the bark?"
"We'll watch our time, and strike when it comes. You have done some fighting in your day, Phil; what do you say?" ”

“ I know them better than you do, or you never would have shipped them on a piratical voyage."
"You have put the bark about—haven't you?"
"We have."
"The men who are working with you are a set of miserable, drunken vagabonds. You can't take the bark into port with them. They will find where the liquor is, and then the vessel will be wrecked, and all hands lost."
"I would rather take my chances with them than with you. Anything but being a pirate."
"There is no pirate about it; we haven't taken any negroes on board yet, and the worst that can be made of it is fitting out a slaver. ”

“ I had seen a square-rigged vessel before, and was tolerably familiar with the names of the spars, sails, and rigging, and I astonished the old salt by calling things by their right names. I told him I could sail a boat, and I thought a few weeks would make a salt sailor of me.
"Well, Mr. Farringford, if you want to ship, you can't find a better vessel than the Michigan," said Captain Farraday. "I have had college-larnt men before the mast with me, and though I expect every man to do his duty, we make the hands as comfortable as possible." ”

“ A blunder, therefore, was more to me than it would have been under other circumstances. While I was thinking of the matter, there was a knock at my door. It was Captain Farraday, and I admitted him.
"Well, Mr. Farringford, you seem to be busy," said he, glancing at my clothing laid upon the bed and chairs, as I had taken it from my trunk.
"Not very busy, sir, except in my head," I replied.
"Young men's heads are always busy," he added, with a jolly laugh, for he was still under the influence of the liquor he had drank, though he was not much intoxicated. ”

“ Where's Palmer?"
"He has not turned out."
"If either of the pirates attempts to come on deck by the companion-way, shoot him, Captain York. We must not mince the matter now. It is life and death with us."
"That's so; and I will not flinch," replied the captain.
"Mr. Sanderson and I will go below, if you and Baxter, who is forward, will ascertain where Grego, Sylvio, and Pedro are. Let us be sure that we have the deck before we do anything below."
"All right, Mr. Farringford."
The captain walked forward, and the mate and myself, with our revolvers ready for use, went down into the cabin. ”

“ The bill of fare was salt junk and hard tack. The starboard watch, which had been on deck from eight till twelve, and from four till eight, were allowed to sleep in during the forenoon; but after dinner all hands were required to be on deck, and to work on sails, rigging, and chafing-gear.
"Phil Farringford, able seaman!" shouted the mate, who was busy setting the men at work.
"Here, sir," I replied. "But I don't pretend to be an able seaman."
"Don't deny it any more. You are on the shipping articles as such, and draw wages as an able seaman." ”

“ I was one of those upon whom devolved the duty of preventing the Michigan from being turned into a slave ship. We were to act not alone for our own safety and comfort, but in the interests of humanity. God would bless our efforts in his own way, and we were in duty bound to do our best, without regard to consequences.
Though I did not know till afterwards, what followed on deck, I shall relate it now, in the order of the events. Martino and Grego returned to the waist, and reported to the mate that the prisoner was safe. Martino then went forward, and told the men what had happened to me. ”

“ I found that the hard work I had done over algebra and geometry, on the Upper Missouri and in Chicago, had prepared me for the duty I was now called upon to perform. I needed more experience in practical seamanship; but I felt competent, so far as the navigation was concerned, to sail a ship all over the world.
"Mr. Waterford says he wants to see me," said Captain York to me in the afternoon. "Would you see him?"
"I should; we ought to listen to what he has to say."
"Come with me, Mr. Farringford."
I followed him into the steerage. Waterford was the picture of despair. ”

“ In a moment more I was free, and the steward handed me one of the revolvers.
"Take this; you may want it," said he. "It isn't worth while to be too nice in a scrape of this kind. The mate or those Spaniards would murder any of us, if it was necessary, as easy as they would turn a hand."
"I shall use it if the case requires; but I hope it will not be necessary to shoot any one. Sanderson has been down to see me." ”

“ You will be crowded into a dirty forecastle with the hardest kind of men."
"I am willing to take things as they come. I am going to Nice, at any rate, and I may as well work my passage there, and learn what I wish to know, as to be a gentleman in the cabin."
"You are old enough to think for yourself, Philip; but in my opinion, one voyage will satisfy you." ”

“ There are half a dozen demijohns of liquor here in the cabin."
"But nearly all the men are drunk. Where did they get their liquor?"
"They must have got it in the hold," replied the steward.
"It is a mistake that these casks were not stove before," I replied, as I led the way, pistol in hand, to the steerage.
"Let me go first," said Sanderson. "You are a young man, and have a mother. It is not time for you to die yet, Phil." ”

“ The men had given up the battle, drank their grog, and, under the influence of liquor, would be as willing to trade in human beings as to perform their ordinary duty. I could do nothing single-handed, and I might as well give up before I had suffered the tortures of the mate's wrath as afterwards. I would yield no principle, I would take no part in handling the vessel, but I would tell the mate where my gold was. I actually shuddered when I thought of having the money which I had earned by my labor applied to the purchase of human beings ”

“ CHAPTER IV. IN WHICH PHIL VISITS THE BARK MICHIGAN, AND LOOKS AFTER HIS FINANCES.
"I believe you said you came from the west," said Captain Farraday; and we walked down to the North River, where his vessel lay.
"Yes, sir; I was born in St. Louis, but have lived a great portion of my life on the Upper Missouri."
"I don't know that I have heard your name yet."
"Philip Farringford, sir."
"Do you ever take anything, Mr. Farringford?"
"Take anything?" I replied, puzzled by the question.
"Anything to drink."
"No, sir; I never drink anything stronger than tea and coffee." ”

“ It's piracy, you know, and there is no law that can compel you to do duty in a vessel engaged in an illegal voyage."
"That's so; Phil's a sea lawyer," said Walker.
"We won't let him have Phil," echoed Baxter, "or any other man. We'll stick together, and go down together, if we can't get out of the scrape."
"But what can we do?" asked one of the more timid of the men.
"We can only refuse to do duty, and take the consequences." ”

“ I can't go to Europe without money."
"That's true; a man wants money in Europe, if he don't in America. Where did you say your mother was?"
"At Nice."
"Just so; you can go in my vessel to Palermo, and then to Genoa and Nice by the steamers. If you want to learn how to knot and splice, reef and steer, you shall go before the mast and work your passage. It will do you good, besides what you learn."
"But I shall have no money when I get to Nice," I suggested.
"What of that? You say your mother belongs to a rich family, and of course she has money enough." ”