CHAPTER THIRTY
The British navy gloated over the four French ships delivered to them in Cork, however there was an argument about the crews. The British claimed the ratings belonged to Fial but the officers should be prisoners of the British navy. Fial was furious at the attempt to take advantage of fine print and stowed the crews on one French ship, the Leopard anchored under the guns of the Conquistador.
The British navy paid handsomely for the ships and using a meeting to distribute payment of the money Fial addressed them regarding his next move. The British had asked that the fleet head north around the cape of Scotland, past the Orkney Islands, across the North Sea to Denmark and down the coast of the Netherlands, Belgium and France where they would be re-stocked at Plymouth and paid for any booty and captured shipping.
Fial had a completely different idea. He and his fleet had seen the port of Soyo in the Congo and witnessed the slave factory there. The slave ports of Benguela to the south of Soyo on the coast of Angola and Elmina to the north of Soyo on the coast of Ghana were far bigger than Soyo. He saw the reason being they were easier to access from the land mass of semi-arid desert with an abundance of tribes to pick on. Transporting across arid open land was relatively easy. oyo at the mouth of the Congo River was surrounded by dense, impenetrable jungle swamps and could be controlled with sea power from its sheltered port and backwaters. If he took Soyo he could dominate the area and penetrate inland by using the river through the jungle. From here he planned to educate the natives and encourage the persecuted from the source itself.
It took some time to explain and debate the plan at a meeting with the captains of his fleet. Fial persevered, wanting to take advantage of an immediate move unexpected from any quarter, and pushed the fact the fleet's power had been shown when last in Soyo. The relatively better standing in life for the fleet of the victimised, declared pirates, was in some ways due to the native crew of the Ghost. They had risked their lives at the forefront of every battle to the advantage of all and this was a dignified factor in a unilateral backing of the plan: it was now time to free the black members of the fleet.
A factor of concern was the Soyo port slave trade was controlled by the Portuguese. They traded with everyone, but now British ships could no longer carry slaves. Entering the port with the Irish ensign and demanding control would cause a few political problems but solve others.
They were unanimous in the belief that they could take the port by force if necessary, should verbal negotiation fail. Bongo and One to Ten had assisted in the drawing of a map, showing the layout of the backwaters and villages within the Soyo district for tactical discussion. No matter what obstacle was thrown in the ring Fial worked on a solution. Fial gave the first destination as Viana do Castelo port on the north coast of Portugal; he planned to re-stock there. They would still attack French shipping on the way, trading the booty for supplies. He also planned to talk to high-ranking members of the Portuguese church to see if he could raise support for his quest. This would steer the decision on whether the fleet entered Soyo under an Irish ensign or a black flag. By the end of the day the captains returned to their ships and prepared to make sail the next morning; they told no one.
The Leopard, badly overloaded with the French crews, was ordered to put to sail with the rest of the fleet and would be given its freedom when in range of Brest. Some of the French crews were operating on the captured French ships against their will and of sundry origin. They joined the fleet, being distributed amongst ships in need of their individual talents.
On the 15th of April 1808, Good Friday, the fleet put to sail from Cork. In the early hours of darkness the Ghost silently lead the exodus, the final ships leaving by first light. The British assumed they were heading north to Scotland.