The Privateersman Part 19

"That is very true, Ingram," replied I. "Leave me now for half an hour, I wish to be alone."

You may imagine, my dear Madam, my agitation at hearing this intelligence. I, who had thought that I was within a few days' sail of Liverpool, to be there received by my cherished Amy, to find myself in the hands of pirates, and close to the Brazils with a cargo of slaves; which they, or rather Olivarez, had taken in the vessel to Rio that he might not be discovered; for he might have found a better mart for his live cargo. And then what would be the anxiety of Amy and her father when I was not heard of? It would be supposed that the schooner was upset in a squall, and all hands had perished. Excited and angry as I was, I felt the truth of what Ingram said, and that it was necessary to be quiet. Perhaps I might by that means not only preserve my life, but again find myself in my own country. When Ingram returned, I asked him if Olivarez knew that I was better, and had recovered my reason. He replied that he did, but that he had told him I was so weak that I could hardly recover.

"That is well," said I; "keep him in that belief as long as you can."

He now offered me more gruel, which I took, and I believe that he put an opiate in it, for shortly after I had taken it I again felt drowsy, and was soon fast asleep. I awoke sooner than before, for it was night, and I heard the voice of Olivarez on deck; from what I gathered, land was in sight, and I heard him order the schooner to be hove-to. In the morning Ingram came down in the cabin, bringing me some breakfast, which I ate heartily, for I was recovering fast, and had become quite ravenous.

"Land is in sight," said I.

"Yes, Sir, it is; but we are many miles to the northward of Rio, I understand, for Olivarez knows the coast well. We shall not be in to-day, if we are to-morrow."

"I feel quite strong now," replied I, "and I want to get up."

"Do so, Sir," said he; "but if you hear any one coming down the ladder get into bed again."

With Ingram's a.s.sistance I dressed myself, and went into the cabin. I reeled as I walked, but as soon as I felt the cool breeze from the stern-ports, I was revived, and in an hour I could walk quite strong.

"Have you heard any more?" inquired I of Ingram.

"Olivarez asked me this morning how you were. I replied that you were recovering fast."

"'Very well,' said he, 'you will share his fate, whatever it may be, since you have been so careful of him, and have put us in such a dilemma; but I'll contrive to dispose of you both.'

"I made no reply, Sir, as I knew that would only irritate him."

"You did right, Ingram; a few days will decide our fate. I do not think that he dares to murder us."

"Nor do I think he wishes it, if he can be clear of us with safety to himself," replied Ingram.

Two days more pa.s.sed away, and then Ingram told me that we were a few miles from the town, and should soon be at anchor.

"Go softly," replied I, "and tell me what is going on."

He went up the ladder, but soon came down again, saying, "We are locked in, Sir."

I was very much annoyed at this, but it could not be helped--our only remedy was patience; but I must confess that I was in a state of great anxiety. We heard the anchor let go, and boats came on board, after which all was silent for the night. The next morning we heard them open the hatches, and the slaves were ordered upon deck. The day was pa.s.sed in landing them. I was ravenously hungry, and asked Ingram whether they intended to starve us. He went up the ladder to call for victuals, when he found on the upper step of the ladder a large vessel full of water and some cooked provisions, which had probably been put there during the night. There was enough to last two or three days. The next day pa.s.sed and no one came near us, and I had some thoughts of dropping out of the stern-ports and attempting to swim on sh.o.r.e; but Ingram, who had put his head out of them as far as he could, told me that we must be at some distance from the sh.o.r.e, and there were several sharks playing round the stern, as is always the case with vessels laden with slaves.

The next morning, however, put an end to our suspense; for the companion was unlocked, and Olivarez, accompanied by four Portuguese, came down into the cabin, he spoke to them in Portuguese, and they advanced, and, seizing Ingram and me by the collar, led us up the ladder. I would have expostulated, but of course could not make myself understood. Olivarez, however, said:

"Resistance is useless, Mr Musgrave; all you have to do is to go quietly with these men. As soon as the schooner has sailed, you will be released."

"Well," replied I, "it may be so, Olivarez; but mark my words, you will repent this, and I shall see you on a gibbet."

"I trust the wood is not yet out of the ground," replied he; "but I cannot waste any more words with you."

He then spoke to the Portuguese, who appeared to be government officers of some kind, and they led us to the gangway; we went into the boat, and they pulled us to the sh.o.r.e. "Where can they be taking us, Ingram?"

said I.

"Heaven knows, Sir, but we shall find out."

I attempted to speak to the officers, but they cried "_Silentio_," which word I fully understood to mean "silence," and, finding that I could not induce them to hear me, I said no more. We landed at a jetty, and were then led through the streets to a large square. On one side of it was a heavy building, to which they directed their steps. The door was opened for us, and we were led in. A paper was produced by our conductors, and was apparently copied into a book, after which they went away, leaving us with the people who had received us, and who, by their appearance, I knew to be gaolers.

"Of what crime am I accused?" inquired I.

No reply was given, but two of the subordinates took us away, unlocked a ma.s.sive door, and thrust us into a large court-yard, full of men of every colour.

"Well," said I, as the door closed upon us, "we are in gaol at all events; but the question now is, shall we be released as Olivarez had stated?"

"It is hard to say," replied Ingram. "The question is, what gaol is this? Could we find any one who could speak English, we might discover."

Several of those around us had come towards us to examine us, and then left us, when, as we were conversing, a negro came up, and, hearing what we said, addressed us in English.

"Ma.s.sa want one to speak English--I speak English--some long while on board English vessel."

"Well, then, my good fellow," said I, "can you tell us what this gaol is, and what prisoners are confined here for?"

"Yes, ma.s.sa, everybody know that, suppose he live at Rio. This gaol for people that go dig diamonds."

"How do you mean?"

"Mean! Ma.s.sa--people sent here to work in diamond-mines all life long till they die. Keep 'em here till hab plenty to send up all at one time. Then guard take them up the country, and they go dig and wash for diamond. Suppose you find very big diamond, you go free. Suppose not, den you die there."

"Merciful Heavens!" cried I to Ingram, "then we are condemned as slaves to the mines."

"Yes," replied Ingram with a sigh. "Well, it's better than working in the quicksilver-mines. At all events, we shall have fresh air."

"Fresh air, without liberty," cried I, clasping my hands.

"Come, Sir, courage, we do not yet know our fate. Perhaps we may, as Olivarez said, be allowed to go free after the schooner sails."

I shook my head, for I was convinced otherwise.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN.

THE DIAMOND-MINES, AND WHAT OCCURRED THERE--I LOSE MY FRIEND INGRAM, AND ANOTHER ACQUAINTANCE, BUT THEY BOTH LEAVE ME VALUABLE LEGACIES.

After remaining in the court about two hours, it being then near to nightfall, the gaolers came out into the yard, and we were all driven into a large apartment, the walls of which were of such solid materials, and the floor of large flag-stones, as to prevent any possibility of escape. I was never in such a scene of filth and wretchedness. There was not a spot where one could be driven without being defiled in some way or another; and so many human beings--one half of whom were negroes--being crowded into so small a s.p.a.ce, with only one barred window, so high up as only to serve as a ventilator, created an atmosphere worse than any slave-vessel's hold. I leaned with my back against the wall, and, I must say, never was so miserable in my life. I thought of Amy, and my sanguine hopes and antic.i.p.ations of happiness, now all wrecked. I thought of Captain Levee and my brother Philip careering over the seas, free as the wind. I thought of poor Whyna, and the distress she must feel at finding I did not rejoin her. I planned a hundred schemes to make known my situation, but every scheme, as soon as I weighed it, I found was hopeless. Still weak from previous disease, I felt as if I should be suffocated if I remained long in this pestiferous abode, and I wept like a child. Daylight came at last, and soon afterwards the door was opened; we were admitted into the yard, and all hastened to the large tub of water, which was soon emptied. The fighting and scrambling to obtain first possession was really revolting.

An hour afterwards some coa.r.s.e provisions were served out, and then we learnt, to our great delight, that we were immediately to set out for the mines. It would be thought that this could be no great cause for exultation; we were about to go to pa.s.s the rest of our lives in bondage; but all misery is comparative, and sooner than have remained another night in that dreadful hole, I would have welcomed any change.

About an hour afterwards a guard of dirty-looking soldiers came in; we were all handcuffed to a long chain, at about two feet apart, one on each side, so that we walked in pairs, and as soon as the first chain was full--and I was handcuffed to it--we were ordered out into the square to wait for the others. My superior dress and appearance as an Englishman excited much curiosity; people pointed to me and made remarks, but I had no opportunity of communicating with any of the authorities, nor would it have been of any use if I had had. We remained there more than an hour, as the other chains of prisoners came out one by one; we were five chains in all, about forty on a chain. We were then ordered to move on, walking between a guard of about twenty or thirty soldiers, who marched, on each side of us, with their muskets and bayonets fixed, about three yards from each other. In another hour we were clear of the town, and threading our way through a lane bounded on each side by p.r.i.c.kly pears and other shrubs. There was no want of merriment among the party; they talked and laughed with one another and the soldiers who guarded them, and appeared to care little for their fate. As for me, I was broken-hearted with the disgrace and the villainous manner in which I had been thus sacrificed. My heart was full of bitterness, and I could gladly have lain down and died, had I not been still buoyed up with some faint hope that I should have an opportunity of making my position known, and obtain my release. I will pa.s.s over the journey, as one day was but the forerunner of the other.

We halted at noon, and were supplied with fruit and maize, but we were never unchained, day or night. In a short time I was like all the rest--covered with vermin, and disgusting to myself. It was, I think, between four and five weeks before we arrived at our destination, which was in the district of Tejuco, and the locality of the diamond-mines was called the Sierra de Espinhaco. This sierra, or mountain, was a ridge of inaccessible precipices on each side of a narrow valley, traversed by a small river called the Tequetinhonha, and in this valley, and in the bed of the river, were the diamonds found, for which we were condemned to toil for the remainder of our days. As we entered the ravine, I perceived how impossible it would be to escape, even if a person could find his way back, after having succeeded in his escape. For many miles the road was a narrow path cut on the side of the mountain, a yawning precipice below and inaccessible rocks above, and this narrow way was at every two miles blocked up by a guard-house built upon it, and through the portcullis of which it would be necessary to force a way. And here we were, thousands of miles away from civilised life, in the heart of a country uninhabited except by occasional bands of Indians. At last we filed through the last of the guard-houses, and found ourselves in a wider part of the ravine, which was crowded with buildings of various descriptions. We were led up to the director's house, and our names, persons, and descriptions were taken down by a clerk. When my turn came, and I was asked in Portuguese who I was, I shook my head, and replied "Ingles." An interpreter was called, and I then stated my name and begged the director would hear what I had to say. He shook his head, and, after they had taken my description, desired me to go away.

"Why did you not explain for me?" said I to the interpreter.

"Because he won't hear what you have to say; if he would, every man on the chain would attempt to prove that he was sent here by mistake. You may by-and-by find an opportunity to speak to him, that is, after you have learnt Portuguese, and have been here a year or two; but it will do no good."

During the whole of the journey I had been separated from Ingram, and now, for the first time since we left prison, I had an opportunity of shaking him by the hand. I need not say how glad I was to meet again my companion in misfortune, and our only fear was now, that we should be again separated; but such was not the case. There were regular lodgings or barracks for the slaves, which were certainly not bad but as all escape was considered impossible, any one who chose to raise a little hut for himself out of the bushes which grew on the rocks was permitted so to do. The hours of work were regular; we were allotted out in gangs, which took up a certain square of the river, or river's side; we worked from daylight till near dusk, with only an hour allowed for repose in the heat of the day. There was a superintendent over each gang of twenty, who watched them and made them work. These superintendents were controlled by inspectors, who had the charge of four or five gangs, and who brought unto the director the produce of the day's toil. The work was simple. The sand and alluvial soil were thrown into troughs with small sieve bottoms, out of which escaped all the smaller matter, when it was washed with the water from the river.