Flynn’s Weekly Detective Fiction. Vol. 18, No. 3, September 18, 1926
- Автор: Bailey H. C., Bechdolt Jack
- Год: 1926
- Язык: английский
- Год: The Red Star News Company
- Жанр: Другие детективы
Электронная книга - «Flynn’s Weekly Detective Fiction. Vol. 18, No. 3, September 18, 1926». Краткое содержание книги:
On each ship the captain looked at the other and at the man-of-war and hesitated which to take on first. Then each man recognized something kindred in the hesitation of the other to fire. Misson, with his characteristic impulse to trust people, took a chance. Signaling to Tew for a parley he got into a boat with his lieutenant and rowed over to Tew’s ship. He was allowed to board and was received civilly by Tew.
“Look here, captain,” said Misson. “I have a feeling that you and I have more in common than either of us have with that British man-of-war. Suppose we first settle with him?”
How Brotherhood Worked
“Right!” said Tew.
Misson went back to his ship and both craft turned a united front on the slowly approaching Britisher. The warship was bigger than either the Victoire or the other. It was not big enough to tackle them jointly. So the Britisher showed discretion and, putting about, gave the smaller craft a long stern chase and finally escaped them.
Then the two captains held a parley to decide what next.
“Before we fight each other,” suggested Misson. “Suppose you come to Libertatia and see if you don’t want to join us instead.”
The two men had already recognized in each other spirits profoundly akin. So Tew readily agreed to accompany Misson. The two ships put about and made for the harbor of Libertatia.
Caraccioli, who had come back from his shopping voyage before Misson set out on this cruise, was on shore to greet Misson. He saw coming in with the Victoire another ship and fired a salute of nine guns. Tew replied with a salute from his own guns. And all Libertatia came down to the shore to greet the newcomers.
I have said that in the restless Yankee Tew there was a spirit kindred to Misson’s; which means that there was a strain of the visionary in him. When Tew saw Misson’s little Utopia with its citizenry of all races, owning everything in common and flying as its colors the emblem of liberty and universal brotherhood, he became enamoured.
He threw himself so headlong into the scheme that some of his crew, headed by the quartermaster they had elected, could not, and would not, follow him. They understood the desirability of having a little settlement of their own near by, which they would use as a base for their pirating. And this they decided to bring about.
But all the rest about universal brotherhood and community of ownership seemed childishness to them. So they let Tew and half the crew remain in Libertatia, while they sailed down the African coast and, picking out a favorable spot, made a settlement based on purely practical and piratical considerations.
Stimulated by the arrival of new and able recruits the citizens of Libertatia went ahead with renewed vigor developing their beloved land. More ground was cleared. More soil was tilled. More vegetable farms and grain fields were sown and harvested.
But not everybody laboring there worked in the spirit of Libertatia. It must be remembered that there were about a hundred and fifty Portuguese and other prisoners who were no more converted to the ideals of Libertatia than were those of the crew of Tew, who had sailed away. These men were exceedingly unwilling laborers.
A Word of Honor
At first Misson applied the pressure of the rudimentary justice that those who do not toil do not deserve to eat. But that astonishing streak of kind-heartedness in him which we have encountered before kept him from pushing this remedy to the limit. Besides he was so sincerely a lover of liberty and a hater of slavery that it went against his principles to force men to labor who did not wish to.
In all this Tew and Caraccioli heartily agreed with Misson.
But there still remained the problem of what to do with these unwilling elements in Libertatia. Misson proposed to put them on board the Bijou, to provision the ship, and land them at Zanzibar. Tew heatedly protested. “Do you want these men to tell the Portuguese or the British navy where Libertatia is and have them come and blow you off the face of the earth?”
Misson recognized the weight of this objection. But he countered it by proposing to make the prisoners give their word of honor that they would not reveal the location of Libertatia to any enemy, or serve against them.
“ ‘Word of honor!’ ” Tew cried. “Would you entrust our lives to the word of honor given you by your prisoners?”
There are two kinds of “hard-boiled men.” There is the man who knows that many street beggars are frauds and will not give a plugged penny to the most pathetic-looking mendicant. Then there is the man of Misson’s caliber.
He, too, knows that many beggars are professional frauds. But prefers to retain his faith in men and would rather give money to ninety-nine beggars he suspects of fraud than to deprive the hundredth genuine unfortunate of his needed alms.
Friends of the Slaves
Misson preferred to act on his faith in men and run the grave risk that this faith would be imposed upon. His will prevailed.
He called his prisoners before him and addressed them. He told them that they would be released and sent to Zanzibar on the condition that they give their word of honor they would not serve against him in any way. “Do you promise?”
There was a unanimous affirmative. But in the forefront of the prisoners were two Portuguese who had been petty officers on board their ship. Caraccioli had been observing them. They were over effusive in giving their word of honor as they had been over pleasant whenever any one in authority was looking in their direction. Caraccioli did not put much faith in their word of honor. But loyally he supported Misson.
The Bijou with one hundred and thirty-seven prisoners and ten loyal Liberi set sail for Zanzibar, where the prisoners were put on shore. The ship with its loyal crew returned to Libertatia.
The inland sentinels now reported that a strong war-party of Malagasy blacks and many slaves they had captured in native warfare were coming. The Malagasy offered the slaves for sale to Misson. They were subjects of the queen of Johanna, these slaves.
Misson bought them. Then he made it clear to the Malagasies that he was opposed to slavery, and proposed to send those he had bought back to their queen. Neither the Malagasies nor the slaves understood the spirit of the speech. But the latter were delighted to be sent back unharmed to their queen.
Tew, with his enthusiasm for Libertatia, proposed that he go out on a cruise to capture treasure; and what was more important, secure recruits for their republic. He and a crew of thirty-seven blacks, forty Portuguese, thirty English, and about a hundred Frenchmen set out, and off Angola captured an English slaver. The ship put up no fight and Tew, followed by his blacks, boarded the captive.
With his hatred of the institution of slavery Tew took great pleasure in throwing open the hatches and releasing from the hold the two hundred and forty shackled negro slaves who had been inhabiting their indescribable hell below decks.
As these now came up into the sunlight and saw their shackles struck off, their only thought was that only a greater misfortune was to follow what they had already been through. Grown men with the minds of savage children, they had been living through one hell after another. And to a man they sank cowering to the deck, their bloodshot eyes wildly looking to see what new terror was coming to them.
Battalions of Fighters
But from the well-dressed blacks of Tew’s crew came shouts of recognition, messages of cheer. Kinsmen were recognized. And in their own tongue they heard that so far from having to fear anything they were now set free, and would be taken to some sort of paradise on earth.