Mou-Setsé: A Negro Hero; The Orphans' Pilgimage: A Story of Trust in God, Page 3

forgottenthem. Belief was at hand.

  At the time of which I speak, the English had put away slavery in theirown countries, and they were very anxious to have it stopped everywhere.The other nations of Europe had agreed to check the slave trade so faras to allow to England what was called the right of search. That is tosay, if an English ship saw another ship on the sea which was supposedto be a slaver, she might pursue it; and if slaves were found in it shemight set them free. English vessels were kept cruising about the seasfor this purpose. America, however, though calling herself a freecountry, had then in the Southern States upwards of two millionsuffering slaves, and she would not allow to England the right ofsearch. Many slave-ships, therefore, falsely using the American flag,escaped uncaught.

  The Portuguese brig on board of which little Mou-Setse was had hoistedthis flag; but there must have been something suspicious about herappearance, for one day an English man-of-war was seen bearing down uponher. When the captain and the traders saw this large vessel in fullpursuit, they were in a great fright. They thought all their profitswould be gone, for we may be quite sure they loved money very much, orthey would never have taken to the slave trade. In their terror theytold the poor slaves an untruth. They said that the people in the largeship wanted to eat them. All hands were set to work at the oars. Evenlittle Mou-Setse pulled with every inch of strength he possessed; for,though he was very unhappy, he did not want to be eaten. So eager andfrightened were the poor slaves that ten men pulled at one oar. But allwas of no avail.

  Nearer and nearer came the great ship; and at last, after twenty-fourhours of hard chase, she sailed up alongside the slaver, and all thenegroes, were captured.

  Little did Mou-Setse know, as in terror he was taken on board theEnglish ship, that his dark days--at least his very darkest days--wereover; that from being a poor slave he was free.

  But retribution was at hand for those cruel traders who were soindifferent to the fate of the suffering human creatures they had boughtand made their own. God sometimes punishes very soon, and in a veryawful manner. This was the case on board the vessel where Mou-Setse hadendured his worst sufferings.

  Through some accident the vessel, an old one and badly built, took fire.How terrible it looked in the dark night! How fearful were the criesof the terrified sailors! Mou-Setse and the other rescued slaves sawthe flames from the English vessel. The captain and his crew also sawit and hastened back to the rescue, but too late. Before they couldreach the spot the slave-ship had blown up and foundered, and those whohappened still to be on board had perished.

  STORY ONE, CHAPTER FOUR.

  THE DAWN.

  I do not think Mou-Setse ever told any one what his feelings really werewhen he at last understood that he was free; that the English who hadcaptured him, far from being his worst enemies, were proving themselveshis best friends.

  There is a story told of him that, when he first landed at Sierra Leone,and saw a kind-looking black woman, he threw his arms round her neck,whispered to her in his native tongue that she was like his mother, andwept some of the tears he had restrained through all his sufferings onher bosom.

  But perhaps his early and great suffering had made him reserved, for,unlike most of his race, he had few words, and no ejaculations, tobetray his feelings.

  For a time he even scarcely trusted the new life of peace and happinesswhich was opening before him. He had many dreams of being retaken as aslave, and his little face had a wistful and scarcely trustfulexpression.

  The kind English, however, did well by him. He was sent to a missionschool at Freetown, where he was taught to read and to speak English;also to write, and, above all, in this school he first got any true,knowledge of God.

  It was wonderful how this knowledge took possession of him--how hecraved to know more and more of his Father in Heaven; how eagerly heasked; how quickly he learned; and then, as the great love of Godrevealed itself, how his own warm heart leaped up in answer to it, untilall the "fear which hath torment" passed away, and the little facebecame bright and happy.

  The good missionaries at Sierra Leone were more than kind to Mou-Setse;they had him baptised and openly proclaimed as a Christian. At hisbaptism they called him "John," but Mou-Setse would never allow himselfto be addressed by this name. His mother had herself given him hisother name, and the missionaries, when they saw how his heart stillclung to his mother, spoke to him and of him by his old African name.In his new home he grew tall and strong; and having, notwithstanding thesuffering he had endured on it, a fancy for the sea, went on board anEnglish merchant-vessel when fourteen years of age. In this vessel hetravelled over many parts of the world, and saw strange sights and newfaces. Thus his childhood and early youth passed away.

  STORY ONE, CHAPTER FIVE.

  PART II--A PURPOSE.

  Mou-Setse grew up to be a man, with a very fixed purpose in his heart.All his thoughts and all his desires were bent on its accomplishment;but, as I said before, he was reserved, and never spoke of this thoughtof his inmost heart to human being. It brought out, however, markedcharacteristics in his face, and those who knew him well often spoke ofthe fire and earnestness in his eyes.

  As a sailor, he was a favourite with the crew and with the captain--thatis, he was as great a favourite as any boy with a black skin could be,for it must not be supposed that all white people were as kind to him asthe good missionaries; but, on the whole, he was well treated, and norude words addressed to him on account of his colour brought a retortfrom his lips.

  He was by no means, however, wanting in bravery, as a little incidentonce showed. A great hulking white fellow had been abusing him,taunting him with cowardice, and daring him to fight. The sailorsbelonging to his ship looked on amused, and (as he was a blacky) notcaring to interfere.

  "You ain't nothing but a coward," said the white man; "a coward, and theson of a slave."

  At these words Mou-Setse, who had been sitting very still and apparentlyunheeding, rose to the full length of his great height. The words "sonof a slave" had brought a certain flash into his eye.

  With a stride, he was at the real coward's side.

  "I not fight," he said; "you not make me fight, when de Book say no.No; I not fight, but I knock you down."

  In a moment, without the least apparent effort, the hulking white fellowlay at his feet.

  "I specs you not like to lie dere," continued Mou-Setse. "Well, you begde black man's pardon; den you get up and go away."

  After this little scene, no one cared: again to molest Mou-Setse.

  He remained a sailor until he was two-and-twenty; then he took his leaveof the captain and his crew, and left their ship. He had become asailor for the furtherance of his hidden and unspoken purpose. Now,having made and saved money, he went away. His purpose was calling himto America--then, indeed, the land of slaves.

  STORY ONE, CHAPTER SIX.

  MOU-SETSE SEEKS TO FULFIL HIS PURPOSE.

  I have said that Mou-Setse had a fixed purpose. This purpose led him toAmerica. He settled in a certain town in one of the States, and withthe money he had saved opened a small shop or store. He dealt in thekind of goods that his black brothers and sisters most needed, and manyof them frequented his little shop.

  At this period of his life some people considered him miserly. His shopdid well and his money stores increased, but he himself lived in themost parsimonious style; he scarcely allowed himself the necessaries oflife, and never thought of marrying or giving himself the comforts of ahome. All day long he attended his shop, but in the evening he wentabout a great deal, and gradually became known to all his black brothersand sisters in the town. Most of these were in slavery, and many hadmost bitter tales to tell. A few, however, were free; these were theslaves who had worked for long years to obtain sufficient money to buythis precious boon from their masters. With these free slaves Mou-Setseheld much intercourse, asking them of their past life, and alwaysinquiring most particularly from what part of Africa they or their
parents had come. By degrees, as he collected money, he helped thesefree slaves to emigrate to Canada, where they could enjoy and make agood use of the freedom they had so dearly won. But he never helped anyone to go away with his money without first exacting a promise from himor her. This promise was made in secrecy, and was, I believe,faithfully kept by each and all.

  As he helped each poor freed slave to get away (and as his gainsincreased he helped many)--as he helped them off, and knew that he hadgained a certain promise from them, his heart grew lighter, and he feltthat he was nearer to the realisation of some dearly cherished dream.On these occasions he often repaired to a certain church and prayed.Kneeling in the quiet church, the black man poured out a very full heartto his loving Father in heaven. "God, de good God," he would say, "letme not cry in vain; let me see my fader and moder and my broders andsister again. Give me more of de money, good God, and more, much moreof de faith; so dat I may send more and more of de poor