The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Pirate Slaver, by Harry Collingwood

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Title: The Pirate Slaver
A Story of the West African Coast

Author: Harry Collingwood

Illustrator: W.H. Overend

Release Date: November 15, 2007 [EBook #23498]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PIRATE SLAVER ***

Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England

The Pirate Slaver, a Story of the West African Coast, by Harry
Collingwood.

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This is a very well-written book, especially from the nautical point of
view. It is written as by a midshipman in a British warship patrolling
the west coast of Africa, especially the Congo area, to try to prevent
the slave traders, especially the Portuguese, from succeeding in their
efforts to get the poor captured Africans over the Atlantic to Cuba in
the most miserable conditions.

But it doesn't work out as simply as that! For the hero, Harry Dugdale,
is captured in an action, and would have been killed but for the
interest taken in him by the slaver-captain's son. From this there
sprang a deal with the slaver that Harry would assist with navigation
and watch-keeping, but must go below decks when there is an action in
progress.

We won't tell you much more than that but cannot refrain from commenting
that the book is at least as good as the best by Kingston, though in
this book the action is almost entirely at sea, or at least on board a
sea-going vessel.

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THE PIRATE SLAVER, A STORY OF THE WEST AFRICAN COAST, BY HARRY
COLLINGWOOD.

CHAPTER ONE.

THE CONGO RIVER.

"Land ho! broad on the port bow!"

The cry arose from the look-out on the forecastle of her Britannic
Majesty's 18-gun brig _Barracouta_, on a certain morning near the middle
of the month of November, 1840; the vessel then being situated in about
latitude 6 degrees 5 minutes south and about 120 east longitude. She
was heading to the eastward, close-hauled on the port tack, under every
rag that her crew could spread to the light and almost imperceptible
d