The History of the Rise, Progress and Accomplishment of the Abolition of the African Slave-Trade, by the British Parliament (1839)Clarkson, Thomas
History
The History of the Rise, Progress and Accomplishment of the Abolition of the African Slave-Trade, by the British Parliament (1839)
Clarkson, Thomas
Slave trade -- Africa
When the scuffle was over the woman retired to the cabin, and appeared
pensive. Between eight and nine in the evening, the captain, who was
attended by the captain of the Alfred, came on board; Rodney immediately
ran to him, and informed him that Green had made an assault upon her.
The captain, without any inquiry, beat him severely, and ordered his
hands to be made fast to some bolts on the starboard side of the ship
and under the half deck, and then flogged him himself, using the lashes
of the cat-of-nine-tails upon his back at one time, and the double
walled knot at the end of it upon his head at another; and stopping to
rest at intervals, and using each hand alternately, that he might strike
with the greater severity.
The pain had now become so very severe, that Green cried out, and
entreated the captain of the Alfred, who was standing by, to pity his
hard case, and to intercede for him. But the latter replied, that he
would have served me in the same manner. Unable to find a friend here,
he called upon the chief mate; but this only made matters worse, for the
captain then ordered the latter to flog him also; which he did for some
time, using however only the lashes of the instrument. Green then called
in his distress upon the second mate to speak for him; but the second
mate was immediately ordered to perform the same cruel office, and was
made to persevere in it till the lashes were all worn into threads. But
the barbarity did not close here; for the captain, on seeing the
instrument now become useless, ordered another, with which he flogged
him as before, beating him at times over the head with the double-walled
knot, and changing his hands, and cursing his own left hand for not
being able to strike so severe a blow as his right.
The punishment, as inflicted by all parties, had now lasted two hours
and a half, when George Ormond was ordered to cut down one of the arms,
and the boatswain the other, from the places of their confinement; this
being done, Green lay motionless on the deck. He attempted to utter
something, Ormond understood it to be the word water; but no water was
allowed him. The captain, on the other hand, said he had not yet done
with him, and ordered him to be confined with his arms across, his right
hand to his left foot, and his left hand to his right foot. For this
purpose the carpenter brought shackles, and George Ormond was compelled
to put them on. The captain then ordered some tackle to be made fast to
the limbs of the said Peter Green, in which situation he was then
hoisted up, and afterwards let down into a boat, which was lying
alongside the ship. Michael Cunningham was then sent to loose the
tackle, and to leave him there.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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