Chapter 39 - Ran Away to Sea by Mayne Reid
I was beginning to draw hope from the behaviour of the slave-captain and his mate. Their apprehension increased as they saw the cutter expand her sails and commence moving through the water. So rapid was the manoeuvre, it was evident she had not waited to take up her anchor, but had cut the cable! So said the people of the Pandora.
The mate appeared to urge some desperate course upon his superior. His words were—as I heard them:—
“We can’t pass her—it’s no use, by —, the other’s our only chance—the tide’s well in—there’ll be no danger.”
“Try it, then!” was the captain’s reply; “we’ll be taken anyhow if we don’t, and, by —, I’d rather go to pieces on a reef than be taken by this bloody so-and-so.”
The blasphemous dialogue ended, and the mate hurried off to give some directions to the crew.
I knew not what they meant to do, but in a few moments after, I observed that the Pandora suddenly changed her course and steered direct for the cutter! One would have thought she was going to run right down upon the latter, as if to ride over her, or have a shot from her bow-ports; and no doubt the warship was astonished at the manoeuvre, as were many of the slaver’s own crew.
The mate, however, who had counselled this movement, had a method in his madness. It was not his intention to rush upon destruction, so certain as that would have been; and before the Pandora had sailed three cables’ length in its new direction, she was seen to tack round, till the wind lay upon her beam and her bowsprit once more pointed towards the land!
This manoeuvre was still a mystery to most of the slaver’s crew, who, of course, acted only in obedience to orders. There were a few of them, however, in the confidence of their officers who knew the intention.
The cruiser evidently did not. No doubt the idea of her commander was that the barque was making back for the river, for towards that point was she now heading. Seeing that she could not escape out to sea, she was giving up the attempt, and her crew were now resolved in running the vessel either into the river again, or ashore anywhere, with the design of abandoning her and making their escape to the boats. Thus only could the cutter’s commander interpret the strange manoeuvre of the barque. He never suspected a ruse, for there seemed no chance of affecting one. But the cutter’s commander was mistaken. A ruse was intended, and, in less than twenty minutes after, was carried out before the commander’s eyes, no doubt to his astonishment and chagrin. If the slave-captain and his assistant lacked humanity, they were not deficient in seamanship, and their superior knowledge of the coast now gave them the advantage.
As soon as it was perceived that the slaver had tacked and was heading back towards the river, the cruiser also changed her course and followed after. Of course the latter made all speed, in full expectation of either capturing the barque at once, on chasing her into the river, where she would become an easy prey. The only fear now among the cutter’s crew was, that the slaver’s would either scuttle the barque, or set fire to her on leaving; and, with the thoughts of prize-money in their minds, this was their great source of apprehension. But they were determined to give no time either for scuttling or burning, and every hand on board the warship was exerting himself to produce speed.
I have stated that there was a reef to leeward: it should rather be called a shoal, since it was a sort of muddy sand-bank formed by the current of the river, and running diagonally into the sea for a long distance—a sort of low peninsula. Now this sand-bank, where it joined the land, was usually covered with water, and, during full tides, a good-sized ship might cross over the miniature isthmus, and get out to sea through the long reach of water between the sand-bank and the shore. It was only at high-tide that this could be done, with a vessel drawing any considerable depth of water.
For some ten minutes had the chase continued—one vessel following directly in the wake of the other. The barque was now close into the land, and as if about to enter the river’s mouth, while the cutter was a half-mile astern, and just opposite the longitudinal edge of the shoal.
At this moment the slaver let slip her lee braces—her head came round till the wind was right astern, and she stood right in behind the reef. It was a moment of anxiety among her crew. In another instant she would strike or go free. In another instant she would be bilging helplessly among the sands of Africa, or would be on her course free and unimpeded for the shores of America!
This time the triumph was for the wicked. The barque scraped the sand upon the bottom, but passed safely across. The crisis was over, and the hoarse huzza of that ruffian crew announced the victory!
Further pursuit was useless. The cutter was still climbing along the edge of the sandy shoal—slowly, for wind and tide were against her, while the barque, with all sail set, was scudding down the opposite side at the rate of twelve knots an hour!
Shots were fired from the cruiser’s guns, but with little effect—a broken spar and a rope or two cut in the rigging were easily set to rights; and before the cutter could wear and get out to sea the slave-ship was far, far away towards the rim of the horizon!