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Chapter 4 The Twelve Hours

Fourth hour

The great need

The Atlantic. Voyages of discovery. Blood-thirst of the so-called Christians. Profit-greedy deployment of a slave ship.

1. And now look at the [sea -tr] surface. Again another picture; there is nothing to be seen but wave after wave, and how one tide drives the other. I may only tell you: This picture is nothing but a small part of the Atlantic Ocean, and in this fourth hour we want to romp around a little on this large expanse of water, to watch the doings and activities of the floating houses here and there.

2. Now look! There, on the western edge of the surface, a large so-called liner-ship has just appeared, and look, on it's side, a lot of other smaller vessels under different names.

3. Now, let's follow this ship a bit, and see here on this side in the deep south there is a rather important island; see, the ship is going in a straight line towards this island. What do you think this ship is up to?

4. Guess a little, look into it's storerooms; see, it is provisioned for at least 6 years. Look into the captain's golden cabin; look at the tables and you will find maps of the countries and the most diverse measuring instruments.

5. Now you can almost guess what this ship is up to; just wait a little longer. Observe the expressions of the observer on the high mast, as he stalks around in all directions, equipped with a telescope, and examines the immense expanse of water from wave to wave; but still he sees no land.

6. Behold, the people on the deck of the ship run about desperately, for the long sea voyage has consumed their sweet water.

7. Now look a bit at the scene! See, here lots are thrown into a pot; look, now they draw. A poor negro has drawn the lot; see, now he is stripped, his eyes are blindfolded; both arms are tightly bound at the armpit. Look, the henchman approaches and opens his veins, and the blood that flows from his veins is immediately mixed with some rum and drank to quench his thirst, but the bled negro is immediately thrown overboard into the sea; and because this potion was not sufficient for all, this procedure is again carried out on some others and the blood-potion is prepared from their veins.

8. Although this scene belongs to the extremely rare ones, and only because of the extreme water emergency, so it is nevertheless to be excused; Indeed, it would be a different thing if, in such an emergency, one or the other, out of excessive charity, should decide to water his brethren with his blood for their salvation from death, which act would then really be a great testimony of his charity to him who did so; but in this way it is an abomination, and it would be better that thousands should voluntarily sacrifice themselves for one than that such a cruel deed should be done to one.

9. But now look, the observer cries "land!" from the basket; immediately everyone on the ship is cheerful, all sails are hoisted, as you see, towards that island. Look, like an arrow the ship flies along over towering waves, and see, they have just reached a bay; the anchors are thrown, all the crew except the necessary guards hurry into the small craft and to the shore in them.

10. See how they immediately discover a fresh spring on the shore, and how it is now crowded to take the fresh water; and so in a few hours the ship is again provided with sweet water, and everything is now made afloat again.

11. Slowly, the vehicles move along the coast to see if this land is already inhabited or not. They discover a place consisting of simple round huts; they immediately approach this place.

12. They land and go ashore; the inhabitants, startled by the sound of the cannon, flee; but immediately their huts are searched, and whatever is found is taken, whatever it may be, and whatever name it may have. See, a poor little nation has soon been robbed of all it's possessions; but that is not all there is of this scene.

13. These poor fugitives are pursued, not infrequently almost completely wiped out, or, if it goes well, at least captured and sold as a good trade bribe according to time and opportunity in America.

14. Look, now you will already know what kind of ship this was and what it was up to. See, it was a ship that goes out on discovery voyages.

15. But if we let this ship continue on it's infamously bad way, look, there is already another one. However, this ship, which you now see, I only show you in spirit; for it was already discovered in 1835 in the Mediterranean Sea by another French skipper, and was also immediately destroyed.

16. But now I show it to you, how it conducted it's mischief in the Atlantic sea before this time. Mind you, this is not the only one; indeed about 20 ships of this kind are still drifting around in the Atlantic waters, bringing disaster.

17. The masters of these ships are mostly Spaniards and Portuguese, and only 4 of them are Muslim. And look, this ship is just leaving the coast of Africa loaded with slaves to sell them to a second slave-trader in America; but now look, barely 200 nautical miles from the coast it is discovered, pursued and captured by an English ship.

18. The sailors fight back desperately, but it is of no use; the power of the English ship is far superior to this robber-ship, and so it must surrender. The English sailors immediately climb onto the deck of this ship, free the slaves, and bring them to their ship under better care.

19. But what happens to this robber-ship? Just look very closely, you will discover it in a moment. See how diligently the English sailors, thus commanded by their commander, strip all the crew of this ship, throw their clothes into the sea, nail the people to the deck with long pointed nails according to the order of slave storage, hang the captain on the mast by his hands with his face outward, and fasten his feet with a rope to the bottom of the mast; When they have finished this work, they go into the cabins, take everything they need, tighten the sails of the ship, leave it, return to their ship, of course, and abandon it to the winds with the most shrill cries of lamentation from the deck.

20. Look, and think what must come out in the end, if one cruelty against the other occurs thus merely according to a cruel whim! And think how such scenes look in the face of Him who, dying on the cross, begged the Father's forgiveness for His enemies!

21. Would there be no other means of suppressing the evil of the slave-trade than those which, either in this way or that, are always marked with the seal of the most unthinkable cruelty?

22. But you will ask, what have the slave-liberators now done with the slaves? Do you think they brought them back to their homeland? No, they did not.

23. They did not sell them either, but they kept them in their own service, since they themselves had possessions in America; and in this way, of course, they got them much cheaper than if they had to buy them.

24. And so you see, England is now cultivating a great fight against this slave trade. If such a ship, packed with slaves, is discovered, it is immediately captured with great punishment, the slaves are freed, and there they are either freely used for work, but often also sold out of hand; and so this way of acting is nothing else than what the old Roman proverb says: Scyllam prateris, Charybdim invadis.

25. You see, I have shown you this only so that you may get the true idea of the so-called abolition of the slave trade. And so a disreputable merchant remains a merchant, and is not at all afraid to set up his shameful exchange booths and stores in My sanctuary.

26. Yes, if you offer such a money-hound a million pieces of gold, he will sell you the bleeding heart of his own daughter, and you must not offer him that much again, and the head of his firstborn son will be for sale.

27. But you will say, is it so miserable on all ships? Is God not remembered anywhere in these swaying houses?

28. Then I say to you: It is true that every ship is provided with one - often also with several priests, who are added to such a ship as ballast for the sake of ceremony, just as a band of music is added for the sake of the sailors, and the latter designation also has the most weight; for everything else is nothing but empty form, and the state flag of the ship is by far a greater sanctuary on this ship than the entire priesthood and it's faltering worship. With some better ones I am called only when thundering waves of water awaken them for a short time from their stupor of gain.

29. By the way, on every ship, tyranny is so common that it would not disgrace a ruler of Egypt, and this cold and dry insensibility of the senior seamen is called in the moral world, ship discipline.

30. But I say at the end of this fourth hour: Well be it to such mighty efforts; truly their reward will not be small in the future!

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