Oldalképek
PDF
ePub

embarked on the raft, fifteen only were received on board the brig, and of these six died shortly after their arrival at St. Louis; and the remaining nine, covered with cicatrices, and exhausted by the sufferings to which they had so long been exposed, are stated to be entirely altered in appearance and constitution. We are shocked to add, that such was the neglect and indifference of their shipmates who had arrived there in safety, that had it not been for the humane attention of Major Peddy and Captain Campbell, they would in all probability have experienced the fate of their unfortunate companions.

Of the boats, two only (those in which the governor and the captain of the frigate had embarked) arrived at Senegal: the other four made the shore in different places, and landed their people. They suffered extremely from hunger and thirst, and the effects of a burning sun reflected on the surface of naked sand; with the exception, however of two or three, they all reached Senegal.

The governor, recollecting that the Méduse had on board two hundred thousand francs in specie, sent off a little vessel to visit the wreck; but (that no one part of this wretched expedition might reflect disgrace on another) with only eight days' provision on board; so that she was compelled to return without being able to approach it: she was again sent out with twenty-five days' provision, but being ill found, and the weather bad, she returned to port a second time. On the third attempt she reached the wreck, fifty-two days after it had been abandoned; but what were the horror and astonishment of those who ascended it, to discover on board three miserable wretches just on the point of expiring!

It now appeared that seventeen men had clung to the wreck when the boats and the raft departed; their first object had been to collect a sufficient quantity of biscuit, wine, brandy and pork for their sustenance for a certain number of days. While this lasted, they were quiet; but forty-two days having passed without any succour appearing, twelve of the most determined, seeing themselves on the point of starving, resolved to make for land: they therefore constructed a raft, or float, which they bound together with ropes, and on which they set off with a small quantity of provisions, without oars or sails, and were drowned. Another, who refused to embark with them, took it into his head, a few days after, to try for the shore; he placed himself on a hencoop, dropped from the wreck, and at the distance of about half a cable's length from it, sunk to rise no more. The remaining four resolved to die by the wreck; one of them had just expired when the vessel from Senegal arrived; the other three were so exhausted, that a few hours more must have put an end to their misery.

EXORCISING.

Sir Eyles Irwin in his voyage up the Red Sea observes that, besides our nokidah and pilot, there was another Arab on board: the rest of the crew were Abyssinians. During the first watch at night, which it was my turn to keep, this Arab, who was talking with his companions, suddenly fell upon the deck in the stern of the boat, and to all appearance, was seized with ả convulsive fit. We were immediately in motion, and offered to administer such relief to him, as we had seen practised in the same cases. But our astonishment was great, when we found the Arabs would not permit any assistance to be given him. They declared, that he was only disordered in

mind, and that an evil spirit possessed him, who could only be expelled by the force of prayer. Accordingly the nokidah began to pray over him aloud, while two men held the unhappy creature down, to prevent, as they said, the ill effects of the temporary influence which over-ruled him. They told us stories of men in this situation, who committed murder, and every other act of desperation. This idea appeared so extravagant to us, that we treated it with ridicule; and could not but pity the ignorance of a people, who were such slaves to superstition. The notion was certainly imbibed from the demoniacs of Palestine, who are mentioned in the New Testament. We were much surprised, however, at the length of the fit, which continued between two and three hours; and, from the strong agitations of his body, left the Arab in a state of imbecility for the rest of the night. But the devils was at length exorcised, and the nokidah remarked to us with triumph, the great efficacy of prayer!

ATHENIAN CRUELTY TO THEIR SOLDIERS.

The Athenians condemned and executed ten of the principal commanders in their army, when they returned with a glorious victory, for no other reason but because they had not buried the bodies of the soldiers that were slain in the fight, though the sea was so rough and tempestuous it was impossible to do it. Ungrateful people to exercise cruelty, instead of honouring and rewarding

virtue.

FALL OF THE GALLANT MAJOR-GENERAL GILLESPIE.

At the attack of Kalunga in the Nepaul war, after the retreat had been sounded a second time, Major Ludlow took post in some ruined huts immediately under the wall of the fort, and considerable apprehensions were felt for him and his party, who were likely to be cut off. At this instant General Gillespie saw that it was requisite to do something to save this little band of heroes; and being greatly vexed at the failures of the storming party, he turned to an officer standing by him, and said, "I will take that post, or die before it." He then gave some orders; and addressing himself to the brigade major, said, Now, sir, I am at your service." After this he went on most gallantly, waving his hat and cheering the men, until he was shot through the heart, and fell without uttering a syllable.

66

THE CRUELTY OF DGEZAR.

To such a height he carried his cruelty, that it was even his pride; and this monster had taken the name of Dgezar (butcher) as an illustrious addition to his title. It was, no doubt, well deserved; for he had immured alive a great number of Greeks, when he rebuilt the walls of Barut, to defend it from the invasion of the Russians. The bodies were immured by bricks and mortar, while the heads of these miserable victims were left out in order that this butcher might enjoy their tortures, and are, says Baron de Tott, still to be seen.

ADVENTURES OF MORGAN, THE PRINCE OF THE FREE-BOOTERS. (Concluded from page 686.)

At first the heroine of this little romance did not suspect that her charms were the cause of such a delicate and unexpected reception. She shortly, however, learnt the real design of this treatment. Morgan gave her three days to consider whether she would voluntarily yield to the passion she had inspired. He laid at her feet whatever was most valuable of his booty, either in gold, pearls, or diamonds. But she rejected all his presents; and, after steadfastly refusing the most pressing entreaties, she told him with the greatest firmness," My life is in your hands; but you shall exercise no dominion over my body until my soul is separated from it." As she uttered these words, she drew forth a dagger, which she had concealed, but which was instantly taken from her. The ferocious Morgan, incapable of any sentiment of generosity, a stranger to every kind of virtue, and violently irritated at such an unexpected resistance, caused her clothes to be torn off, and cast her naked into a dark and fetid cellar, where she was supplied only with the grossest food, and in such small quantities as were scarcely sufficient to prolong her melancholy days. Similar barbarities, yet more revolting, were of so common occurrence among the free-booters, that the fate of this unfortunate woman would have been entirely unheeded, if her singular beauty had not excited the pity of Morgan's comrades. Those robbers, less ferocious than their chieftain, blamed his conduct with such vehemence, that in order to exculpate himself, he was obliged to have recourse to an imposition. He pretended that this woman had repaid his kindness by the blackest ingratitude and kept up a secret correspondence with the Spaniards; the design of which was to destroy him and his brave companions in arms. They believed him; their murmurs ceased, and Morgan continued with impunity to torture his unfortunate captive.

In general, however, the free-booters were sufficiently discontented with their chieftain. Many of them had formed the design of separating from him, and without returning to Chagre, of sailing directly from Panama, and making the South Sea for some time the theatre of their cruises, as they would there have no attack to apprehend. Their intention was, afterwards to entrench themselves in some remote island, there collect booty in silence, and then return to Europe, by the West Indies. In pursuance of this design, they had already secretly collected a considerable supply of provisions, powder, and ammunition, together with a great quantity of arms. They had likewise clandestinely taken a few pieces of cannon out of the ships, and had fixed upon the largest of the prizes for their voyage. This plan was on the eve of being carried into execution, when it was detected by Morgan, who instantly conceived an expedient for frustrating it: he caused the main-mast of the ship in question to be cut down, and set fire to that vessel, as well as to all those which were then in port.

Morgan began now to think seriously of returning. After three weeks' residence at Panama, the free-booters abandoned that city, or rather the situation which it had formerly occupied. The booty, which consisted principally of gold, silver, and jewels (for no other articles were portable), was laden upon one hundred and seventy-five beasts of burden, by the side of which upwards of six hundred prisoners, men, women, and children, inhabitants as well as slaves, were compelled to walk on foot. Ignorant of the place of their destination, and exhausted by hunger and fatigue, these unfortunate

persons abandoned themselves to lamentations, which would have excited compassion in the breasts of every one but their ferocious conductors, whom they conjured upon their knees to grant them the favour of returning to the pile of ashes which had been their country. Morgan replied that he would grant them permission, provided they would produce money for their ransom. Such a condition was equivalent to a refusal. The captives, however, waited four days, for the return of some ecclesiastics, whom they had dispatched for the purpose of collecting, if it were possible, the sum required by the insatiable Morgan. As they did not return, the pirates resumed their march, violently goading and beating, even to death, such as did not walk with sufficient speed. In this group of unfortunates were mothers, carrying infants at their breasts; and who, being themselves destitute of sustenance, could not yield a single drop of milk to support their offspring; and among them was the lovely woman already noticed, for whose liberty Morgan required a ransom of thirty thousand piasters. To raise that sum, she had sent two monks to a particular spot, whence they returned with the money she had expected. But, instead of employing it in her deliverance, they appropriated it to the redeeming of some other prisoners who were their friends. This atrocious treachery soon became known, and increased the interest which the free-booters took in the fate of the hapless victim. Morgan himself could not suppress an emotion of pity; he interrogated the other monastics whom he was dragging along, respecting the transaction; which being fully proved, he at length released his beauteous captive, but detained all the monks by way of retaliation, in order to atone for the perfidy of their brethren. They also succeeded in procuring their ransom; and, during their march, many other prisoners had the same good fortune; but the majority, not being able to obtain the sum exacted for their ransom, were obliged to continue their route.

They halted about half-way from Chagre; when every free-booter was called upon to affirm by oath, that he had not appropriated to himself the slightest portion of the plunder. Notwithstanding the oath was taken, the suspicious Morgan demanded that the clothes and portmanteaus of the whole troop should be minutely examined, one after another. In order to obviate any thing that might be offensive in these commands, he underwent an examination first; and lest any thing should escape the strict search to which he himself had submitted, he stripped off his own boots. From this rigorous inquiry none of his companions in arms durst shrink, although very many of them, particularly the French, murmured loudly with much bitterness at such a proceeding. The execution of the chieftain's orders was committed to the officers, who discharged them with extreme severity. Even the fusees were taken to pieces, lest any precious stones should have been secreted between the iron and the stocks. This excessive mistrust excited the indignation of some of the free-booters to such a degree, that they threatened Morgan with death; but the majority of voices was against them, and supported a measure which the common interest seemed to require. In this point of view, every thing was lawful; every thing was commanded on one part, and tolerated on the other. Morgan, who knew how to unite address with imperious arrogance on some occasions, had recommended to the officers to take silently away the concealed articles their inquiries might have discovered, without divulging the transgressors of the law. These manoeuvres produced the desired effect, and the general tranquillity was not disturbed.

At length, on the 9th of March, 1671, the free-booters reached Chagre, where they found all things in tolerable order, excepting that most of their

comrades had expired for want of proper assistance. From Chagre Morgan sent all his prisoners in a ship to Porto Bello, which city he threatened with total destruction, unless it were redeemed by a very heavy ransom. To this requisition it was answered, that not a single halfpenny would be given; and consequently that he might do whatever he pleased. Morgan's threats were never in vain. He caused all the cannon belonging to the fort to be conveyed on board his own ship, with which he demolished the walls, caused the houses to be burnt, and destroyed every thing which could not possibly be carried away.

The expedition was now terminated; and it only remained to make a divison of the booty, which was valued at four hundred and forty-three thousand two hundred tbs. weight of silver, at the rate of ten piasters per lb. On this occasion Morgan behaved like a shameless robber towards those very comrades who had so quietly submitted to his examination, and who had brought into the common chest every thing they could have appropriated to themselves, to his detriment. He allowed the most flagitious spoiliations, causing a vast quantity of precious stones to be set apart for his own use; so that each of his companions in arms, or rather each of his accomplices in all his tortures and cruelties, received, as a reward for so many fatigues and dangers, only to the value of two hundred piasters for his own share.

The free-booters expressed their displeasure in violent murmurs; they reproached Morgan to his face for not bringing the most precious articles into the general mass, and charged him with applying them to his own use exclusively. The charge was certainly well founded; a great number of articles, which many of the pirates had brought in, having disappeared at the time of making the division. To these complaints were added others of equal weight; which would, at some moment or other, excite a mutiny: but the faithless chieftain was not at all disposed to grant any satisfaction to the malecontents. He did not, however, wait for the breaking out of the rebellion; and in order to reconcile every difference, he went secretly on board his own ship, and set sail with three other vessels, whose commanders had been equally dishonest as himself with regard to the booty, and who were in consequence devoted to him. The remainder of the fleet was left behind. Furious at finding themselves so shamefully abandoned, the other free-booters determined to pursue Morgan, and immediately attack him; but they were entirely destitute of provisions, and every other necessary article. They were therefore obliged to disperse themselves into small troops, in order to procure sustenance by pillaging the coast of Costarica, and afterwards resume their route from different quarters. But this plan was frustrated by a variety of accidents which occurred; nor did they succeed in re-entering Jamaica till a long time had elapsed, and after they had encountered infinite difficulties.

Notwithstanding his fortunate exploits and his laborious exertions, Morgan did not yet think of relinquishing the stormy profession of piracy; and, although he had lately conducted himself so unfairly towards his comrades, still he was certain to meet with others who would co-operate in his future expeditions. He therefore conceived a new project, which entered into all his views, and was to render his successes more solid. He proposed to convey a certain number of men to the island of St. Catherine, to fortify it carefully, and to render it the residence of the free-booters. This plan was on the eve of being carried into execution, when an English ship of the line arrived at Jamaica with dispatches, which were a thunderbolt to the free-booters. The governor of the colony was recalled home to answer for the protection he had

« ElőzőTovább »