Chapter 231 Unrepentant
Above the ocean, a slave ship disguised as a merchant ship was loaded with 400 slaves and various commodities, and was on a boring and monotonous journey.
Captain Joel Martini is the younger brother of Captain Flor. He was originally a cotton merchant traveling between America and Europe. However, due to the previous economic crisis, he was saddled with huge debts. Fortunately, Captain Flor gave him A more lucrative job was arranged.
The only difference compared to before was that he had to go to Africa one more time. Although this job was very profitable, it was an illegal business. He thought about stopping after a few more trips, and then went to North America to buy a piece of land to do it. A rich man.
Suddenly the lookout shouted, "It's a warship! There's a warship!"
"What's all the fuss about a warship!" the first mate scolded disdainfully.
They have taken care of the British and French warships in charge of this area. As for the warships of other countries, they usually don't mind their own business. If they encounter a stupid man, they just need to take care of it a little, and the sailors will naturally not embarrass them.
"It's been following us! Captain!" the lookout shouted again.
Only then did Captain Joel realize that something was wrong. Could it be that he had encountered pirates? But there are warships of great powers cruising on the seas of West Africa all year round. What kind of pirates dare to rob in these waters.
"Look clearly, which country's warship is it?"
"It's a British ship! It's the Newport!" The lookout's voice was already trembling.
HMS Newport is the flagship of Vice Admiral Henry Berg Stein, commander of the British West Africa Fleet. He is different from most British people. This person neither loves money nor is a gentleman. He is a hero in fighting the slave trade, but he is also a madman.
"Damn it! Damn it! Hurry! Go at full speed! Shouldn't that damn devil be sailing towards the Cape of Good Hope now? Why did it suddenly turn around and come back!" Captain Joel knew very well the consequences of being caught by Lieutenant General Stein. I don’t want to be hung on a mast to dry, or given to cannibals to be made into human sashimi.
However, how could an old merchant ship outrun a second-tier battleship equipped with steam power?
Soon the crew was enveloped by the huge shadow, and the other party issued a flag asking them to stop the ship, and the British Royal Navy wanted to buy some goods.
At this time, the slave traders who were about to wet their pants finally let out a sigh of relief. Although this kind of thing is extremely ridiculous, it does happen from time to time. After all, there is a serious shortage of goods in Africa, and it is not uncommon for warships to intercept merchant ships to buy some daily necessities.
But when they stopped the ship, the British sailors immediately changed their expressions, picked up their weapons and rushed onto the merchant ship.
"What are you doing! Don't you want to buy something? Let's talk to you. We will give you whatever you want. British gentlemen, we are serious businessmen," Captain Joel said in broken English.
In fact, more than half of the British aristocrats of this era could speak French.
"French guys, someone reported you for selling slaves. You must know that your country has signed an agreement. If we find a nigger on your ship, then you will be dealt with by us. Do you know? While a person is alive, Sharks will not attack, but as long as there is a little stimulation, those guys with a keen sense of smell will bite like crazy."
A British naval officer spoke in very fluent French, with a very intoxicated expression, and the strange speech made people feel indescribably weird.
These slave traders all knew Lieutenant General Stein's reputation. They knew that what the other party said was true, so they wanted to fight to the death.
However, in front of the British Royal Navy, this struggle was really ridiculous. Twenty of the more than fifty slave traders were killed directly, and the remaining people were tightly tied up.
"Throw those damn slavers below decks and show them what hell is."
"Captain, what to do with these corpses?" asked a junior officer.
"You see our friends are following us. I think they are hungry too. Throw them into the sea!"
Lieutenant General Stein pointed at the dazed soldiers.
"What are you doing standing around here? Put all the goods on the boat. Remember to wipe the blood. The boat can be sold at a good price when we get back."
In fact, Captain Joel did not suffer the same fate as those crew members, but he watched the entire execution process.
When Lieutenant General Stein proposed a ransom, Captain Joel betrayed his brother without hesitation.
Captain Flor did not intend to admit all this at first, but after Lieutenant General Stein showed a little bit of his methods, he immediately gave in.
The two brothers could only pay money to save their lives. Although the British had no right to execute the French slave traders, they could say that they used deadly force as a last resort because the other party resisted.
Most British sailors serving in West Africa are desperadoes. The mortality rate of the British North Sea Fleet is less than 1%, and the mortality rate of fleets in other sea areas is usually less than 3%. However, the mortality rate of the West African Fleet is more than 6% all year round.
The mortality rate here refers to the mortality rate during service. In the absence of war, a 6% mortality rate is very outrageous.
In this difficult environment, high bounties and plunder are the only motivations to support their survival, and persecuting slave traders is one of the few entertainments.
Lieutenant General Stein, on the other hand, likes the thrill of the chase and the sense of accomplishment he gets when freeing slaves.
He wrote more than once in his diary, "Those niggas were shackled on their feet and tied together in pairs. After arriving at the destination and being unshackled, they were all satisfied, grateful, and even offered sacrifices to me."
Moreover, the Lieutenant General had unique tastes and had a special liking for black girls. The tribes that had been rescued by Lieutenant General Stein were naturally very willing to meet his small request.
His men are loyal to him because of the large bounty they can obtain.
As long as Lieutenant General Stein gave the order, they would not hesitate to raze the French trading post to the ground.
The British took the ransom and left Ivory Coast contented.
The Martini brothers complained to each other and even fought, but to no avail.
So the two brothers decided to contact the Akan tribe again to do something big and stop.
Then they soon got the news that the Akan tribe was wiped out by the Austrian army. The Austrians defeated the main force of the Akan tribe, and the local indigenous tribes took the opportunity to add insult to injury and kill them all.
Of course, this was also allowed by Austria, otherwise those tribes would not dare to compete with them for the spoils of war.
A tribe that was originally very powerful, now their land and population were divided up by three other powerful tribes.
However, the two brothers did not feel sad about losing a die-hard ally, nor did they feel scared by the Austrians' tough attitude. Instead, they felt that there would be many slaves waiting for them to buy after the war. After all, there was nothing new under the sun.
If a deal is proposed at this time, the Kru tribe will be very happy to accept it.
In fact, the chief of the Kru tribe was worried about having too many slaves on his hands. It was undoubtedly a wise choice to exchange them for some firearms and goods with the French.
The two sides hit it off immediately, but after the Kru tribe traded with Austria, they found that the French gave too little and asked for a higher price.
Of course, Chief Pons's vision was still very low. He had previously exchanged a prisoner for a gun, but now Captain Flor added ten more bullets, and he was satisfied.