My First Cruise, and Other stories

  STORY ONE, CHAPTER 5.

  PETER PONGO.

  I forgot to say that Dickey Snookes was sent on board the prize to keepme company. He told me that the captain had called him into the cabin,and given him a long lecture about playing tricks, and that he had madeup his mind to behave very circumspectly. I doubted that he would keepvery long to his good resolution. I felt excessively proud when I firstwalked the deck of the prize as officer of the watch, though that fellowSnookes would declare that the old quartermaster who kept it with me wasmy dry-nurse, and that I was a mere make-believe. I know that I keptpacing up and down on the weather side of the quarter-deck with greatdignity, looking up at the sails, and every now and then giving a glanceat the compass, to assure myself that the man at the helm was steering aproper course. I should like to know what officer in the service, underthe circumstances, could do more. We were ordered to keep the frigatealways in sight, and as the prize sailed well, we had little difficultyin doing that. In the day time we collected the poor blacks to come ondeck in fifties at a time, and walk up and down. We had a black man onboard the frigate, who was now sent with us, and he understood thelanguage of some of the slaves. I had not forgotten the poor boy whosemother I had seen die, and I got permission for him to attend at ourmess. The other black seaman was able to explain to him what he had todo, and I set to work to teach him English. He learned with surprisingrapidity, and could soon exchange words with me. I wished to give him aname, and succeeded in learning that his native one was Pongo. He, ofcourse, had no Christian name, so I proposed calling him Peter, and hewas always afterwards known as Peter Pongo. He soon became a capitalservant, though he did now and then make curious mistakes. Once hebrought our soup into the cabin in a wash-bowl, and another time emptiedinto a pail two bottles of wine which he had been ordered to cool inwater. Snookes was for punishing him, but I saved the poor fellow, as Iwas certain that he had not done either of the things being aware oftheir incorrectness. He exhibited, in consequence, the greatestgratitude towards me, and evidently looked up to me as his friend andprotector. He improved rapidly in his knowledge of English, and by thetime we drew near the coast of South America he was able to explainhimself with tolerable clearness. With the aid of the negro seaman Ispoke of, I got somewhat of poor Peter Pongo's simple history out ofhim. I cannot put it in his words, for though at the time I couldunderstand them, yet you certainly would not if I wrote them down. Oneday I had gone forward, and when seated on the forecastle, under theshade of the fore-staysail, I listened to his narrative. "Ah! MassaPringle, my country very good," he began. He always called me Pringle,for he could not manage to pronounce my surname. "Plenty yams there--plenty denge--plenty corn--plenty sheep--tall trees--high mountains--water come gushing out of rocks up among clouds--so cool with foam--loudroar--make grass grow--bright ponds--many animals come and drink. Ah!no country like mine. My father have good house too--very warm--verycool--no rain come in--all built round square--high roof, hang long wayover wall--room for walk up and down under it. Dere we all sit inmiddle of square, listen to stories--now we laugh, now we cry--sun godown, moon get up--star twinkle in dark sky, all so bright--still wetalk--talk on--tell long stories--so happy--laugh still more. Ah! whatis dat? Dreadful shriek--shriek--shriek--guns fire--we all start up--some run one way, some anoder--house on fire--flames rise up--fierce mencome in--cut down some--kill--kill--take women, children--many youngmen--some fight--dey all killed--my father killed--mother, brother, andme all carried away together--hands tied behind our backs--hundreds--hundreds poor people, all drive away towards coast--then with longsticks and whips drive along--walk, walk--foot so sore--sleep at nightunder tree--all chained--up again before sun--walk, walk on all day--cruel men beat us--some grow sick. My brother, him grow sick--lie downunder tree--men beat him with stick--he look up--say, Oh, no beat me--give one sigh, fall back and die. Dere he stay--many die like him--somelie down, and men beat him up again. On we go--see at last blue ocean--put into Barracoon--all chained to iron bar--no move one side nor oder--wait dere many days. Ship with white sail come at last--we all put onraft--carried to ship. Oh, how many--more, more come--ship no holdthem--many sick--many die--thrown overboard--shark eat them. On wesail--oh, how hot--more, more die--many days no more--float on waterlike one log--den you come--white man, Spaniard, say you kill us--ah,no, no--you very good--we very happy--yes, massa, Peter Pongo very happynow." Such was Peter's brief account of himself. You will not considerit too much of a rigmarole. I was, I know, much interested when he toldit me, and I had some little difficulty in making out what he meant.Soon after this we entered the magnificent harbour of Rio de Janeiro,which looks like a lake surrounded by lofty hills, the curioussugar-loaf rising above all. I have heard it said that it would containall the ships in the world; but, large as it is, I have an idea thatthey would be very close packed if they were all brought together there.The city is large, built on level ground, or rather on a swamp, withmountains covered with trees rising directly behind it. There arenumerous churches and fine palaces, and many large public buildings, butthe white inhabitants are very brown and dirty, and the black, who seemto be very numerous, wear a remarkably small amount of clothing. Thoughthe greater number are slaves, they are very merry slaves, and it wasamusing to see one party meet another. They would stop, pull off theirstraw hats, make a series of mock polite bows, and some remarks whichwere sure to produce roars of laughter; how they would twist and turnabout, and at last lean against each other's backs, that they might moreat their ease indulge in fresh cachinnations. I have never seen any butblacks twist themselves into such curious attitudes. I cannot give amore lucid account of this imperial city, because I was so very littleon shore. We had a great deal of work in getting the schooner refitted.All the poor blacks were taken on board the frigate, for we could nottrust them on shore lest the Brazilians might have spirited them away,while the schooner was thoroughly cleansed and fumigated. We then tookin an ample supply of water and provisions, and prepared to recross theAtlantic. The Brazilians could not understand why we took so muchtrouble about a few miserable blacks, and thought that we should havedone much more wisely had we sold them to them at half-price. MrTalbot had still charge of the prize, and having Sommers as hislieutenant, with Dickey Snookes and me, he was ordered to carry her backto Sierra Leone. We flattered ourselves that both My Lord and Pollylooked at us with a considerable amount of envy as we wished themfarewell.