After going into the harbour of Ibo, the captain found that there was a great difficulty in obtaining his passport from the Governor; and as there was a considerable amount of money on board the dhow, he became alarmed for its safety, and also, I may add, for his own. However, after loudly complaining of the detention, and making some very strong observations on the cause of his detention, he was permitted to leave Ibo, and proceeded on his voyage to Mozambique. He found the wind south, or dead against him, and consequently, every night, he, as is customary with the dhows, stood in and anchored under the land, getting under weigh at daylight every morning.
It will be remembered that Vasco Guedes, then Governor-general of the province of Mozambique, had refused to supersede the governor of Ibo,[1] for supplying slaves to the “Minnetonka” American slaver, which left Ibo with a cargo of 1,200 slaves for Havannah de Cuba. The real reason for the Governor-general not superseding this delinquent governor was, that he kept his accounts properly—or, in other words, gave to the Governor-general a share of the head money for the slaves exported from Ibo, this share being (as I have already stated) six dollars for every negro shipped on board the French Free Labour ships, or the Spanish and American slavers.
We have seen these two officers, representing the King of Portugal, in defiance of all laws and commands to the contrary, engaged in the nefarious traffic in their fellow-beings.
One would imagine that this was bad enough, but the Governor-general had received an intimation that his successor had left Lisbon in the month of May, and there was no time to be lost—every opportunity must be seized for making money; so thought his worthy coadjutor at Ibo. He dare not take upon himself to plunder a vessel openly in the harbour of Ibo, but he wrote to the Governor-general of Mozambique, to inform him that this dhow was on its way to Port Mozambique, and he detained her at Ibo to give his superior time to act.
About the 20th of August, I heard that a Portuguese schooner of war, called “19 de Maio,” had left Port Mozambique, and was bound to the northward to intercept a dhow coming from Ibo, with a large quantity of bullion on board. At that time a number of extraordinary revelations were made to me relative to the slave-trade, and French Free Labour Immigration; and I naturally inquired if it was usual to intercept traders in this manner. I was told that it was not usual, but that such things did occasionally occur. I asked if the authorities had no fear of the matter being inquired into? I was answered with a laugh, and informed that “there was no one to inquire into these matters.” If inquiry was made, the reply was that the vessel had been seized for attempting to smuggle with the shore, or that it had been done to suppress the slave-trade. This was always satisfactory. But in making such a capture occasionally vessels were scuttled, when they gave no further trouble. It was evident that I was living in a nest of pirates. Let us come to the facts again.
The dhow “Ari-passa” had been gradually working down to Port Mozambique. On the 26th day of August, 1857, blowing fresh from the southward, she endeavoured to get into Conducia Bay (since celebrated by the “Charles et Georges” affair), but did not succeed in fetching it; she therefore bore up, and ran away before the wind to the entrance of Quicimajulo Bay, where she anchored, the wind still blowing fresh from the southward. Soon after she had anchored, the Portuguese schooner of war, “19 de Maio,” dashed alongside, and threw a party of soldiers on board of her. These soldiers, under the direction of their officer, forced open the hatches; and proceeded at once to the place where the boxes containing the bullion were stowed; evidently being well instructed from Ibo. They removed the money to the schooner, and then amused themselves by breaking open the boxes containing the cargo, after which the night was passed in scenes of revolting debauchery which cannot even be alluded to.
The captain and three of the crew were taken on board the schooner as prisoners; and, the next day, the schooner and her prize weighed, and after two days arrived at Mozambique.
As no house could be obtained for me in the city of Mozambique, I was obliged to live on the mainland; which had the object desired by the slave-dealers at Mozambique, who had all conspired not to let me have a house in the city, namely, to prevent my obtaining a knowledge of all their movements. In consequence of this, it was a day or two before the real state of the case came to my knowledge.
It appears that, on the arrival of the “Ari-passa” at Mozambique, the Banyans became very excited, and induced the captain to demand his release, and the immediate restoration of the vessel, asserting their intention of appealing to the British consul. The Governor-general, it appears, regretted the occurrence when he found the vessel had been brought into harbour, and had a British passport; but as the foolish captors had not sunk the vessel, it was necessary to put a bold face on the matter, and therefore a temporizing course was adopted. The prisoners were set at liberty, and vague promises made to them, with which not being satisfied, they asked permission to visit the British consul on the mainland; at first this was refused, but at length permission was granted, and a deputation waited upon me, and stated the case. The information which I had received relative to the destination of the Portuguese schooner, “19 de Maio,” came to my recollection, and I found that the “Ari-passa” was the vessel which she had been sent to capture.
The facts of the case were duly deposed before me by Hery, the captain of the dhow; and I made myself thoroughly master of the whole subject, by examining a number of the crew, and inquiry into the whole circumstances of the affair.