"Not so," replied I; "I must pay for her ransom."
"Well then, Sir," said he, "I am in great want of a telescope; you have
one on board, will you let me have it?"
"Most certainly," replied I, "and many thanks into the bargain."
I lifted up the poor creature, who was badly emaciated and weak, and led
her to the boat of the Amy and put her in. Captain Irving came down,
and we returned on board. It was with great difficulty that, after I
had given the poor creature some refreshment, which she was really in
need of, I could recollect sufficient of her language to make myself
understood by her; but by degrees words came to my memory, and as she
spoke I recovered more. As well as I could make her out, the warriors
had risen against the king on account of his barbarity, and had cut him
to pieces; and that all his wives and servants had been sold as slaves.
I promised her that she should not be a slave, but should come to my
country and be taken care of.
She kissed my hands, and as she smiled her thanks, she reminded me of
the Whyna of former times. I did not, however, think it advisable that
she should come on board of the schooner, and I requested Captain Irving
to take charge of her, and let her want for nothing, telling him that I
intended that she should go home in his vessel. He willingly consented,
and I hailed the schooner for a boat and went on deck. Whyna followed,
but I told her I was obliged to go on board of the schooner, and that
she had better go and lie down. As she probably thought that the Amy
was my vessel, and that I was going away on a visit, she complied with
my request, and went down with Captain Irving, who led her into a
state-room which was not occupied.
As soon as I arrived on board the schooner, I sent the telescope which
the captain of the slaver had begged for. Whyna had said to me, "I
shall be your slave now," evidently expecting that she was to remain
with me, but that I could not consent to. Miss Trevannion had heard
from me my adventures when in captivity, and I would not on that account
allow Whyna to be in the same vessel with me. The next day Captain
Irving came on board to tell me that he had two more men down with the
fever, and that he wished I could give them some assistance in getting
his cargo on board, which I did, and before night the Amy was loaded up
to the hatchways, and there still remained a considerable number of
elephants' teeth on shore in the hut where he received them. I
therefore determined, as his crew were evidently sickening fast, that he
should sail immediately, and that I would take the remainder of the
ivory on board of the schooner and follow him, giving him a rendezvous
to wait at until I joined him, that we might proceed home in company.
That night three of my men were ill.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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