Chapter II

The writer begins his narrative--The schooner boarded by the _Alabama_--Arrival at Belize, Honduras--American vessels changing their flag--Effects of the new American currency on the West Indian market--No market for cargo--Sails for the coast of Mexico--Finds there a large fleet of shipping--Reasons for the presence of the same.

On imagining myself called upon to give a true and unimbellished account of my experience on the subject asked for in the conclusion of the preceding chapter, I feel that I might say, like the needy knife-grinder, "Story, God bless you, I have none to tell, sir." The rough, but honest outcast, seeing that he could not with truth relate a thrilling story of wrongs and oppressions such as the imaginative soul of the friend of humanity was longing to hear, honestly confessed that he had no story to tell except the truth, and as this was far from affording to his pseudo friend the gratification he desired, he no longer sympathized with, but reviled the outcast.

I have no story to relate of desperate daring, deeds of blood, and miraculous escapes; but I am obliged to give in a very plain fashion simply an accurate account of my trading and adventures in a small way in the Mexican Gulf during the American Civil War.

It was in the position of owner on board the schooner above referred to that I found myself after about ten years' residence in the Southern States, the last three years of which had been marked with considerable excitement and adventure.

The cause in which I had unwittingly, and somewhat unwillingly, got mixed up was now, I could see, hopeless, and the complete subjugation of the Southern States was only a question of time, and any prospects of continuing my business in those States as before the war I considered now impossible. To obtain any kind of civil employment was at this time out of the question. I had, therefore, invested in a small vessel, and after many seizures and detentions, had at last, by running from under the forts during the night, succeeded in getting away from the distracted country.

The tiny vessel and part of the cargo was my own, or to me consigned; the rest of the cargo was freight to be landed at the port of Belize, Honduras. The fulfilling of this part was what I had now in the first place to do, but what I should afterwards do was occupying my thoughts.

To sell the vessel and cargo was my first thought and desire, and then make an effort to follow my profession as an engineer in the West Indies or Mexico; this, however, I might not be able to effect, and my stirring and adventurous life during the last three years had somewhat unsettled me, and made the quiet routine of ordinary life less congenial to me.

To seafaring I was no stranger; I had served as a seaman, and while in the West Indies and other places had acquired considerable knowledge of the management of small vessels; I had also a fair nautical education, and considered myself a tolerable good navigator.

As I might however have had some difficulty in getting a crew and obtaining a clearance, I had retained in command of the vessel for a short time the captain who was in command of her when I purchased her, with the understanding that I might shortly sell her or take command of her myself..

There was little of interest in the voyage from New Orleans to Belize, and I set myself to observe strictly the sea-going and weatherly qualities of the vessel, learn thoroughly the management of her, and study the winds and currents of these seas.

The winds continued steady, but light, veering from S.S.E. to S., which kept us tacking until we readied the latitude of 23° N., when, the wind hauling more to the eastward, the vessel lay her course through the Yucatan Channel. Here we were met by the full force of the Gulf Stream flowing from the Caribbean Sea into the Gulf of Mexico, and so strong was the current, owing to the long prevalence of southerly winds, that although the log showed the vessel to be making seven or eight knots, the actual distance run as shown by observation did not exceed four knots.

So little frequented were those seas at that time that, although we had been nine days in tacking across the Gulf and passing through the Yucatan Channel, we had not seen a single sail.

We had now passed into the Caribbean Sea, when, one morning about daylight, during a dead calm, a large steamer was seen to the eastward. She was steering to the westward, and towards us. She seemed to have come from the locality of Jamaica, and was steering as if she intended to pass through the Yucatan Channel into the Gulf of Mexico. She looked like a ship of war, and I thought it might be a British cruiser, probably the _Rinaldo_; but old Jimmy, one of the seamen, declared it to be the Confederate steamer _Alabama_.

The stranger vessel was soon much nearer, but, as there was a slight haze, we could not yet make her out very well, and there was considerable conjecture as to what she was. At last, however, we made out the Confederate flag, and we showed our British ensign.

She still continued to steer straight for us. I did not altogether like this, for although I was satisfied that our provisional register would protect us, I still thought she must have some important object in bearing down upon such a small vessel, and thus making her presence known in those waters. I feared that she was going to put on board of us the crew of some unfortunate American vessel which she had destroyed.

She came up, stopped, and hailed us. On learning that we were from New Orleans nine days out, they asked if we had any newspapers, and could give them one. We replied we could.

They then lowered a boat, which came alongside of us, with an officer in the stern sheets.

Our captain gave orders to haul the jib to windward; but that was a mere form, as there was not a breath of wind. They said, never mind, as they would not detain us a minute--which was also a mere form, for the same reason as we were not moving--but if we could give them any newspapers they would be much obliged.

We threw them a line, and asked them to come on board. The officer came. He said he would not ask to see our papers, but he supposed we were a "Whitewashed,"[1] and asked the former name of the vessel. On being told it, he said he recognized the vessel, having seen her often at Mobile before the war.

I said she was under a provisional register, and was going to Belize to get a permanent register and official number.

He laughed, and said the official numbers on the British list had been getting much higher of late.

"Yes," cried our captain, "and thanks to the _Alabama_ for that! and I suppose that is the name of your vessel?"

He nodded assent, but said, good-humouredly, that we were not to be too inquisitive on that point.

To which our captain rejoined: "But it has thrown many a poor fellow out of employment."

"Oh no!" replied he; "you get them to command under the British flag all the same."

He asked a good deal about New Orleans, the feeling there under Banks, and remarked that he thought it was a great pity that they had recalled Butler from New Orleans, as his actions there were doing a great deal of good to the Confederate cause. He referred with pleasure to the great defeat which General Lee had inflicted upon Hooker at Chancellorsville, which was about the last news they had heard, but expressed great sorrow for the death of Stonewall Jackson.

The greater part of the newspapers and periodicals which we had brought from New Orleans, of which we had a large number, had been gathered together, and were handed to him, which he declared to be a treasure, and would be more highly prized by them than our whole vessel and cargo would have been had she been a United States vessel, and captured by them.

He then said he supposed that, being such a short time out, we would not be short of provisions? He said his reasons for asking this were, that capturing so many American vessels as they did, which were often loaded with provisions, and as they had no port to take them into, they had to destroy them, taking out of them first whatever they could use or stow away to advantage, so that they were generally overstocked with provisions, and often helped neutral vessels when they were in need. Although for this they seemed to get very little credit, and he spoke somewhat reproachfully about the bad name which they considered had been unjustly attached to them.

Having bundled up the newspapers, he stepped into his boat.

They then wished us good-bye, and good luck to the _Rob Roy_ under her new flag, and rowed back to the steamer, which steamed away to the northward, and was soon out of sight; and a good breeze soon after springing up, the Rob Roy was bounding away to the southward towards her destination.

I afterwards learned that the object of the _Alabama_ in going into the Mexican Gulf at this time was to meet a ship with a supply of coal, the rendezvous being the Alacran Reefs.

About two days afterwards the vessel arrived at Belize, Honduras.

I may here say that I afterwards learned from the master of a vessel that sailed from New Orleans a few days after us, that the reason that we had been stopped at the forts came about in this way: just as the vessel was leaving New Orleans, the harbour patrol came on board, who was an Irishman, who seemed to possess more pride of his own importance than common intelligence or knowledge of his duty, trifling as that was.

He, in a somewhat imperative tone, said he should stop the vessel from proceeding, because she had not the name of a hailing port on her stern. His only authority was his instructions to report at the custom house all vessels which sailed from the port, giving the name of the vessel and hailing port in full. The _Rob Roy_ being under a provisional register, of course had no hailing port; but the tyranny of ignorant officials was at that time almost incredible; it was no use to remonstrate, officials then had it all their own way. A bribe was what was wanted; but the captain, who was greatly enraged, defeated his object by lowering a boat and ordering the carpenter to take a paint-brush, and write after the vessel's name the words, "Of Belize, Honduras," the first three letters of the latter name being sufficient.

This completely disarmed the official; he had no power to make further inquiry.

The carpenter, however, being no great artist, the lettering was somewhat clumsy, and read something like "Balizehon," as already mentioned.

This the official mistook for Babylon, having probably never heard of Belize, but probably of Babylon, as some sinful town in the "ould counthrie," where shipmasters made rich; he accordingly reported at the custom house as having sailed down the river the "_Rob Roy_, of Babylon."

The more intelligent officials at the custom house, however, suspecting that there must be some devilry under this, at once telegraphed to the forts to stop the vessel until further inquiry, which was evaded by our slipping away from under the forts during the night.

Belize was a place of no great pretensions--a small settlement for the shipment of mahogany; this and dye-woods being the chief exports.

There was no wharf or quay of any size, and the vessels lay in a sort of bay, which was land-locked by a number of small islands or clumps of mangroves. The mahogany was floated down rivers and brought coast-ways to the place, and taken alongside of the vessels in small rafts.

In the small town there was some good stores, and some pretty, neat residences, where dwelt the merchants and principal men of the place.

Among the poorer or working class, if they may be so called, were a good many of the mixed breed, composed of White, Indian, and Negro blood, and of various complexions; but the greater proportion were of the old, half-spoiled, emancipated negro.

The place seemed to be thoroughly British, and the population seemed to get on very well in their own quiet way; and, although the town was in a rather low situation, with mangroves in front and thick forests to the back, it appeared to be tolerably healthy.

We discharged what freight we had for the place, which consisted principally of shingles; but I found that there was no market for the remainder of the cargo, the market being already glutted with American goods.

The great depreciation of American currency and the high standard of gold and silver in the United States, had been the cause of immense shipments of goods being made from the United States to the West Indies and other places, where specie could be obtained in payment.

As there was considerable risk and danger from Confederate privateers on the seas at that time, a great many American shipowners deemed it expedient to put their vessels under a foreign flag, generally the British flag.

To effect this the usual way was to procure a British subject to assume the ownership, or stand godfather, as it was called, and a bill of sale was made out transferring the vessel to him, and if the transfer was made within the United States, the British Consul granted a provisional register to take the vessel to a British port.

The British subject, or godfather, granted back to the real American owner letters or power of attorney to do what he pleased with the vessel, so that it often happened that some British subject--often a clerk or lad in a shipping-office--was nominal owner of several vessels.

As no vessel can be under the United States flag unless she has been built in the United States (or condemned in a United States prize court), and any vessel once transferred from the United States flag to a foreign flag can never be re-transferred, or again become an American vessel, and a provisional register holds good for only six months, it was necessary to send the vessel at once to a British port, to be entered upon the British shipping-list, and obtain a permanent register and official number.

The vessel was generally loaded with American goods, and despatched to some British port, where the goods were sold cheap for specie, and the vessel put under a permanent register, and that port then became the hailing port of the vessel. This was the cause of the West India market being at that time glutted with American goods.

There were several vessels lying at Belize which had recently changed their flags, and having obtained permanent register had discharged part of their cargoes, and were going to look for a market for the remainder.

From conversations with the captains of those vessels, I learned that a great number of American vessels had recently changed their flag and had been entered on the British shipping-list, the result being to add considerably to the number of British ships, and to reduce in proportion the number of American ships. I now understood the meaning of the remark made by the officer of the _Alabama_ in regard to the official numbers in the British shipping-list getting higher.

The vessel was surveyed, the permanent register made out, the official number and tonnage marked on the main beam, and the _Rob Roy_ was entered on the shipping-list as a British vessel.

A small quantity of light freight was obtained for Matamoras, and one passenger; and the vessel was cleared for that port, the two passengers from New Orleans continuing on board.

There was now a considerable change in the trim of the vessel.

The weight of the freight which we had discharged at Belize was but little compensated for by the freight which we had taken on board, and the vessel now drew less than four feet of water with the centre board up. This was very convenient, as it enabled us to get a short and easy passage out to sea through the shallow waters among the mangrove islets.

When we got out to sea the weather we met with was what is generally termed "fresh trades," that is, trade-winds blowing very strong, and a pretty high sea. The wind was about due east, and as we lay our course it took us about a point forward of the beam. This allowed the vessel a good "full," and she bounded over the waves at a rapid rate, and so lightly did she rise to the seas that she scarcely wet her decks.

I was very highly pleased with her sailing qualities, and, going up to old Frank, the carpenter, said, "Well, what do you think of her now, Frank?"

Frank shook his head, and replied, "A little bit off her masts, Mr. W., a little bit off her masts."

"Do you still think so? She don't roll even in this heavy sea; and see how quick she rises to the seas without taking a drop of water on board."

"She don't roll," said he, "because there is a good breeze to keep her steady, and she rises quick to the seas because she is light; but she is not the better of that, she rises too quick, and that strains her rigging, for it throws the whole weight of it back with a jerk; if she was deeper she would not rise so fast; she might take some water over her bows, but it would be much easier on her rigging."

"But shortening the masts," said I, "would not affect that."

"It would not affect her rising quick to the seas, but it would greatly ease the strain on her fore- and aft-stays. She parted her fore-stay last voyage, and that was the way the captain got that strong new fore-stay put on her before we left New Orleans."

It was just then four bells, and Frank had to go to take his turn at the wheel; and away he went, continuing to say as he went--"A little bit off her masts, Mr. W., a little bit off her masts."

The man who Frank relieved at the wheel was old Jimmy the Scotchman, who, having walked forward as far as the mainmast, and took off his sou'-wester, which, though perfectly dry, he by sheer force of habit gave a couple of switches downward to throw off the water.

"What do you think of that, Jimmy?" said I, about shortening her mast.

"Weel, it wad ease her a heap," said Jimmy. "When she is light this way the water has unco' little grip a' her, and when she meets a big sea she flees up on it like a dog louping a dyke, and when her bow jumps up so quick it sends the whole weight of rigging back wae a seg, and wae the rake of thae tall masts it's gae and sair on the fore- and aft-stays."

It was not long until we had proof that they were right, for just as we were to windward of the Island of Cozomel the fore-stay parted with a loud crack, and the vessel came up with the jibs fluttering in the wind. The main-boom came down with a sudden jerk, and the masts quivered as if they would have gone overboard.

Halliards were quickly let go and every sail taken in. The old fore-stay, which fortunately we had on board, was got up from the hold and bent to the fore-mast-head and the other end taken to the windlass and hove up taught, to act as a fore-stay _pro tem._, and the vessel hove-to under a single-reefed fore-sail.

Darkness having set in, the men worked with lanterns, as there was not much time to lose, the Island of Cozomel being close under our lee.

Fortunately the stay which had parted was a new rope, and had sufficient spare length to allow a long splice being made; this was done, and the stay again set up, and in a few hours we made sail again.

I mention this incident merely to show the peculiarities of the motion of a flat, light-draught vessel of this kind on a wind in a heavy sea.

I now saw plainly the truth of what the old seaman had said, and that, unlike a sharp, deep vessel, she did not plough through the waves, but bounded over them. This gave her a quick, pitching motion, which with such tall masts threw a very heavy strain upon her fore- and aft-stays, and that it was necessary for sea-going purposes to have her masts shortened. And I may here say that when this was done some time afterwards it greatly improved her sea-going qualities.

The wind continued fresh and steady, and we soon doubled Cape Catouche, after which we had the wind free on our quarter, and having now the Gulf stream in our favour we crossed the Yucatan banks at a rapid rate, and in less than six days from the time we left Belize we arrived off the mouth of the Rio Grande, on which river is situated the Mexican town of Matamoras.

There was nothing to indicate the existence of any port or city--a bare and barren coast, which stretched about north and south, off which, at a distance of about four miles, in the open sea lay at anchor a fleet of nearly one hundred steamers and sailing-vessels, of various sizes and descriptions, in different stages of discharging and loading.

The place was about 26° north latitude, and being about the edge of the trade winds; these were rather unsteady, veering from north-east to south-east, but, coming with one unbroken sweep of over one thousand miles across the Gulf of Mexico, brought a heavy sea from east to west, which fell with full force upon the exposed and unbroken coast. While the Gulf stream, flowing directly along the coast from south to north, crossed the wind and seas, and kept the vessels in a most uncomfortable position.

Most of the vessels had storm try-sails set, to keep their heads to the seas. This helped them so long as the wind held steady, but when that lulled or veered the current brought them into the trough of the sea, and many of them, having discharged their cargoes and waiting for freight, were so light that they rolled and tumbled so that their keels could almost be seen, and the heavy coating of grass and barnacles on their bottoms testified that they must have rode long at anchor.

As we threaded our way through this tumbling mass of shipping, our captain and several of the crew, who had been here with the vessel in the previous winter, recognized many of the vessels which they had seen at that time, waiting for freight, still in the same place, with apparently little difference in their stage of loading. Yet not one of these vessels had a single spar sent down to ease her at her anchors; they had to be in constant readiness to proceed to sea at a moment's notice, the great danger being the frequent northers which swept those seas with more or less violence throughout a large portion of the year.

These northerly gales meeting the current of the Gulf stream raised a tremendous sea, which made it impossible for a vessel to ride at her anchors, so that on the slightest indication of a norther the vessels raised their anchors or slipped their cables and stood out to sea; many of them being so light were often driven far to the southward, and it took them many days, and sometimes weeks, to get back to their anchorage.

On looking upon this fleet of what might be truly called ships leading an unhappy life, one could not help casting a thought as to what was the great attraction to the place; and, having got through the fleet, we cast our eyes towards the shore, about three miles distant, to discover the source of wealth supposed there to exist, or where the freight was to come from which was to load up so many vessels.

Between us and the shore there was an extensive shoal or sand-bar, over which the seas broke with great violence, and through which there was no visible passage even for our light-draught vessel.

Here we came to anchor to wait for a pilot to take us in over the bar.

We now surveyed the coast and supposed landing-place with our glasses; but we could discover not the least appearance of any houses or landing-place--only a coast and country as barren and dismal as it would be possible to conceive.

To the northward, near the coast, there were some sand hills, but in front and to the southward along the coast was a low stretch of sand wastes, and for miles up the country as far as the eye could reach there seemed to exist nothing but sand plains and some scrub brushwood.

Just about the termination of the sand hills, and between them and the sand plains, about half a mile inland, could be seen the masts of several small vessels, seemingly schooners, something of the same size and description as our own vessel, indicating that a river came down and entered the sea there, and near to them were some things like tents, and one or two small wooden shanties, and a great number of things that looked like black hillocks, but which were in reality piles of goods covered with tarpaulins.

The cause which attracted so many vessels to this place, and sent a boom of trade to Matamoras, at this time requires a little explanation.

The Federal forces had now crossed swords with the Confederates in the field sufficiently to know that they were not a power to be easily subdued by force of arms, and they saw the necessity of assailing their more vulnerable points, which was by blockading more closely their ports, cutting off their supplies, and crippling their resources.

The blockade, which at first had been rather inefficient, had now been greatly augmented, and every port in the Confederate States was strongly blockaded, and though some vessels did succeed in entering, the risk was very great; still as the Confederates found their resources to be giving out, the more indefatigable they became in their exertions and inventions.

A good deal of business had to be done by the Confederate Government through their agents abroad in regard to cotton bonds and other matters of importance, and a considerable amount of correspondence was necessary, for which there was no safe or convenient means of transmission.

The uncertainty and danger of it falling into the hands of the enemy precluded it being sent by blockade-running vessels.

The only outlet was through Mexico, a neutral nation, but almost entirely devoid of resources, having no regular inland postal conveyance, no safe or convenient seaports or harbours, and that part of it which lay nearest to the Confederate States was very thinly settled, and, with the exception of Matamoras on the Rio Grande, having neither towns, markets, nor roads.

The "Rio Grande," or "Rio Bravo," as it is sometimes called, is an exceedingly tortuous river about eighty yards in width, and varying--according to the seasons--from seven to nine feet in depth for about one hundred miles up from its mouth. On the right or Mexican side of the river is situated the town of Matamoras, about thirty miles from the sea, although to follow the windings of the river the distance would be about double that number of miles.

On the left bank or Texas side of the river, and immediately opposite Matamoras, is the town of Brownsville.

Between the Mexican town of Matamoras and the American town of Brownsville there was a ferry, and by this ferry was the only communication between the Confederate States and the rest of the world which was not blockaded.

The Rio Grande being a neutral river could not be blockaded; but, supposing it to have been practicable to have shipped goods in small vessels up the river direct to Brownsville, or shipped cotton direct from that place, any vessel bound to, or cleared from, that port would have been liable to capture on the open sea. Brownsville being declared a blockaded port by sea, though not against Mexico, it was therefore necessary to have all goods and correspondence passed through a neutral port. The amount of goods that were thus passed through Mexico, and the fearful labour and cost of such means of transmission, will give some idea of the importance of the blockade.

As regards correspondence, the nearest port from which correspondence could be sent by a mail route was Tampico, in Mexico; at this place the British mail steamer called once a month, and the Spanish mail steamer called once a month, thus making fortnightly mails from that place.

The distance from Richmond--the Confederate capital--to Brownsville was about 1,500 miles, and from Brownsville to Tampico about 270 miles. Very little of this distance was covered by railway or water conveyance, and over several hundred miles of it there were no roads at all.

But it was in the transmission of goods that the greatest amount of labour and expense was incurred.

On the whole of the eastern coast of Mexico there was not a single port or harbour, with the exception of Laguna in Yucatan, which would admit a vessel drawing over eight feet of water, and very few that would admit vessels drawing more than six feet. All vessels exceeding that draught had to ride at anchor in the open sea, and discharge and embark their cargoes by means of small vessels or lighters, which carried it over the dangerous bars when the weather would permit.

The port, or place of landing and embarking for Matamoras was in the river Rio Grande, near the mouth; but it was only small vessels drawing four and a half feet of water which could enter that river, on account of the shoal I have mentioned above.

The danger of loss or damage to the goods in crossing the bar in lighters was very great, and entailed a high rate of insurance. Besides the port charges the Mexican Government levied a duty of 12½ per cent. _ad valorem_ upon all goods imported, which must be paid before the goods were landed, and the latter even then lay on the open sand of the river bank, without any protection.

They had then to be carted over bad roads a distance of thirty miles to Matamoras, in order to be ferried to Brownsville. Here again the Mexican Government levied a duty of 12½ per cent. on all goods exported before the goods were allowed to cross the ferry. After paying a high rate for ferriage the goods were landed at Brownsville, and were within the Confederate States. They were still however over three hundred miles from any population, town, or market, the nearest towns of any note being Austin and Houston. Over this distance there was no formed road, and the goods were conveyed in ox teams across the plains, the time occupied being generally from six weeks to two months.

The exports in return for these goods, and also for implementing the obligation on cotton bonds, was cotton, which had to be conveyed out by the same route, pass through Mexico, pay to Mexico import and export duties, and undergo the danger of getting it out over the bar to the ships.

Notwithstanding all this labour and expense, the demand for goods in the Confederate States, and the still greater demand for cotton outside, was so great that the quantity of goods imported and cotton exported by this route was incredible. The heavy charges were never considered where money would forward the object.

The chief difficulty was in conveying the goods and the cotton across the plains between Brownsville and Houston, especially during the long droughts, which burnt up the grass and dried up the water on the plains, so that there was neither food nor water for the beasts, and they died in hundreds, and, I suppose, the track of the route across the plains might be traced by their bones to this day.

The cotton famine had produced a cotton mania, and the very name of cotton sounded like magic in the ears of speculators, and caused a general rush to be made in any direction where it was supposed to be obtainable.

Such was the cause of so many vessels being attracted to the mouth of the Rio Grande at this time.

It had been represented to me that very high inducements were held out for a light-draught sea-going vessel like the _Rob Roy_, which could cross the bar and proceed up the river direct to Matamoras, land her cargo, take in a cargo of cotton, and proceed direct to Havana, where there was a good market for cotton; and, as this would be a neutral vessel, trading between two neutral ports, she would be free from all risk of capture from either side.

It was with this object in view that I had come to the Rio Grande, but it was not long until I discovered that the prospects of an advantageous trade in that direction were entirely visionary.

[1] A name at that time applied to vessels which had changed their nationality from the American flag to that of some other nation.