Chapter XXX: Page 381 (5)

The mystery however was, that I had been bitten by the vampire or spectre of Guiana, which is also called the flying-dog of New Spain, and by the Spaniards perro-volador; this is no other than a bat of a monstrous size, that sucks the blood from men and cattle when they are fast asleep, even sometimes till they die; and as the manner in which they proceed is truly wonderful, I shall endeavour to give a distinct account of it.—Knowing by instinct that the person they intend to attack is in a sound slumber, they generally alight near the feet, where while the creature continues fanning with his enormous wings, which keeps one cool, he bites a piece out of the tip of the great toe, so very small indeed that the head of a pin could scarcely be received into the wound, which is consequently not painful; yet through this orifice he continues to suck the blood, until he is obliged to disgorge. He then begins again, and thus continues sucking and disgorging till he is scarcely able to fly, and the sufferer has often been known to sleep from time into eternity. Cattle they generally bite in the ear, but always in such places where the blood flows spontaneously, perhaps in an artery—but this is entering rather on the province of the medical faculty. Having applied tobacco-ashes as the best remedy, and washed the gore from myself and from my hammock, I observed several small heaps of congealed blood all round the place where I had lain, upon the ground: upon examining which, the surgeon judged that I had lost at least twelve or fourteen ounces during the night.

As I have since had an opportunity of killing one of these bats, I cut off his head, which I here present to the reader in its natural size, and as a great curiosity, with the whole figure flying above it on a smaller scale. Having measured this creature, I found it to be between the tips of the wings thirty-two inches and a half; it is said that some are above three feet, though nothing like in size to the bats of Madagascar. The colour was a dark brown, nearly black, but lighter under the belly. Its aspect was truly hideous upon the whole, but particularly the head, which has an erect shining membrane above the nose, terminating in a shrivelled point: the ears are long, rounded, and transparent: the cutting teeth were four above and six below. I saw no tail, but a skin, in the middle of which was a tendon. It had four toes on each wing, with sharp nails divided like the web-foot of a duck [9]; and on the extremity of each pinion, where the toes are joined, was a nail or claw to assist it in crawling, like those of its hinder feet, by which it hangs suspended when asleep to trees, rocks, roofs, &c.

One of the marines having this morning taken a murine or mouse oppossum, I shall also take the opportunity of describing it, and present it to the reader as I designed it from the life. This animal differs widely in some particulars from the description of the Count de Buffon:—For instance, it was much swifter than any of the oppossums that he speaks of, and had the whole tail covered over with hair instead of scales, to the best of my remembrance; if, however, my sight deceived me, I am not the only erroneous writer on the subject of this animal. Linnæus, Seba, and Mr. Vormeer, with the last of whom I am acquainted, consider it as common to both the old and new continent; whereas all its species are most assuredly inhabitants of America only. Linnæus is also mistaken when he asserts, that all bats have four cutting teeth in each jaw.—(See Buffon, Vol. V. page 282.)

This murine oppossum was not more than the size of a very large mouse. It was perfectly black, except the belly, the feet, and the extremity of the tail, which were all buff-coloured, with a buff spot above each eye, which resembled those of a rat: the ears were long, rounded, and transparent: its toes were twenty in number, one on each foot being placed behind, and serving as a thumb. It had ten or twelve paps, to which the young ones stick fast, it is said, as soon as produced, when they are not larger than small beetles; but it wanted that pouch which is common to all other oppossums; in place of this there were two longitudinal folds on the inside of each thigh, equally adapted to preserve its offspring from every injury, which no tortures whatever, not even fire, will make it forsake. I have only to add, that it burrows in the ground, and often climbs trees; but it feeds like a mouse on grain, fruits, and roots. Of the other species I shall defer the description till chance affords me an opportunity.

Madam Merion mentions one kind of them, which, in time of danger, carries its young ones upon its back: but this animal, I confess, I never heard of in Surinam, and am persuaded of its non-existence.

I have already stated that, from some unaccountable delay, it was very late this morning before we left the camp; we, nevertheless, all started at last; I having the van-guard with the rangers, and the poor marines loaded each man with nine days provisions on his back. In this condition we had not proceeded long, when one of the rangers sounding his horn, they spread, and I among them, all instantly falling flat upon the ground, with our firelocks cocked, and ready to engage; but this, however, proving to be a false alarm, by a stag rushing out through the foliage, we soon rose, and after marching the whole day through water and mire, at three in the afternoon encamped on a high ridge, where not a drop of water was to be found till we had dug a hole for that purpose, and this was so very thick and muddy, that we were obliged to strain it through our neckcloths or shirt-sleeves before we could drink it. Here I was once more accosted by the Lieutenant Colonel, who invited me to some supper in his hut, and treated me upon the whole with such very great civility as I could not account for after his former behaviour.

On the succeeding day we marched again, keeping course W. and N. W. with very heavy rain, while I had the rear-guard; and once more entered on a quagmire, which cost me three hours time to bring up the rear to the beach, this march being particularly distressing, as the negro slaves, with their burdens, broke through the surface every moment, while the loaded marines had enough to do to mind themselves, and I too weak by my late loss of blood to afford them any assistance whatever. At last, approaching the beach, I perceived the dead bodies of several rebel negroes scattered on the ground, with their heads and right-hands chopped off. These bodies being fresh, induced me to conclude, that they must have been very lately killed, in some engagement with the troops and rangers stationed on the Pirica river.—And here I must again remark, that had I been allowed to pursue, on the 21st, with the rangers, when I was ordered to march back, the enemy would have been between two fires; in which case few could have escaped, and all the plundered spoil must have been re-taken. The reader will probably recollect a similar instance which occurred two years before, when I was stationed at Devil’s Harwar. Had I at that time been provided with men and ammunition to march, I might have rendered the colony a material service. These two capital blunders I am sorry to relate, but a regard to truth and impartiality obliges me to do it. Let not these remarks, however, fix a stigma of cruelty on me in the eyes of the world, since no man could more strongly feel at the sight of such manly youths stretched dead among the surrounding foliage; and finer bodies than two of them were in particular I never beheld in all my life.

“So two young mountain lions, nurs’d with blood,
In deep recesses of the gloomy wood,
Rush fearless to the plains, and uncontroul’d
Depopulate the stalls, and waste the fold;
Till pierc’d at distance from their native den,
O’erpower’d they fall beneath the force of men;
Prostrate on earth their beauteous bodies lay,
Like mountain firs, as tall and straight as they.”

While my mind was engaged by these and similar remarks, many of my loaded slaves still remained entangled and struggling in the quagmire, while the commanding officer, with all the other troops, having got on a dry ridge, were quite out of sight and out of hearing, by which separation the rear-guard not only ran the hazard of losing all the provisions and the baggage, but of being cut to pieces, such was their critical situation.

Having not a single European that had sufficient strength remaining to overtake the party which had proceeded, I resigned the command to my lieutenant, a Mr. de Losrios, and ventured forward alone through the forest, till, greatly fatigued, I overtook them; when reporting the situation of the rear-guard to Colonel Seyburg, I requested “he would slacken his pace till they were able to extricate themselves and come up from the bog, without which I could not be accountable for the consequences.” To this the reply was, “That he would form his camp when he met with good water;” and I instantly returned to the rear, where having struggled until it was quite dark in a most distressed and dangerous situation, the last man was dragged out of the mud at seven o’clock at night, when we slowly proceeded on till we entered the camp.

My solicitude for the people, powder, and provisions, instead of procuring me commendation from the person under whose command I then happened to be, and who had lately been so very polite, brought me now into such difficulties, and produced a misunderstanding of such a serious nature, and so very distressing to my feelings, that it had nearly terminated my existence. The reader may judge of my mortification, when I inform him, that, instead of receiving the approbation of my commander, as I certainly deserved, I was immediately on my arrival in camp put under an arrest, to be tried by a court-martial for disobedience of orders. Colonel Seyburg and I had never been on amicable terms; and though, during the former part of this march, he had treated me with apparent civility, yet from this step it was evident that he was my mortal enemy. I must not omit, that though a prisoner (strange to tell!) I was ordered to carry my own arms and accoutrements, till further orders.

On the 24th, we took our departure very early, and directed our course S. and S. by W. when we passed close by Pinenburg, a forsaken rebel village formerly mentioned—I still a prisoner, in the most dejected spirits.

On the following day our course was S. W. through a matakey or trumpeter morass, which was very deep, and which we entered when we were all in a violent sweat by advancing too fast while upon the hard ground: but the health of our men was not made an object during this expedition, though so much wanted to succeed.

Having got again upon a ridge, an accident had now nearly befallen me incomparably greater than all my former misfortunes put together; this was no less than, having fallen into a deep reverie, while I followed the rearguard, I imperceptibly wandered away from the troops, till I was entirely lost and by myself in an unbounded wilderness. Quaco no sooner had missed me, than, poor fellow, at every hazard he rushed through the wood to recover his master, and by a miracle saw me as I was sitting under a tree, in the most dejected state of mind that it is possible to conceive, immersed in grief and abandoned to despair. I had this morning thought myself perfectly unhappy, but now would have given the world once more to have been in the same situation. Good God! entirely cut off from society, in a forest, surrounded by relentless savages! while a deluge of rain poured from the heavens, and tigers, famine, with every woe and every danger, stared me in the face. Farewell, for ever Joanna!—Such was the picture of my mind, when on discovering the boy, I started up from the ground, and a new life instantly diffused itself through my whole frame. Having now straggled backwards and forwards together for some time, I called to the lad that I saw a pool through which the troops seemed to have passed, the water being fresh clouded with mud; but to my utter disappointment, he observed, that this puddle was only occasioned by a Tapira [10], and shewed me the print of the animal’s foot in the surrounding mire. At this time the boy shed tears, crying, “Massera, we deade, we deade!” In the midst, however, of this distress, recollecting that, by the map, the river Pirica was due west from us, I determined to lose no more time, but to set forwards without delay. Thus having fresh primed my fuzee, I ordered Quaco to follow me; but again to no purpose, my compass being with the troops, and not a glimpse of sunshine, owing to the heavy rain; till the black boy put me in mind that on the south side the bark of the trees was usually most smooth. This in fact was a fortunate hint, and we proceeded through thick and thin, till, overcome by fatigue and hunger, we both sat down, and looked at each other, exactly like two victims doomed to execution. During this last mournful silence, we heard a sound like coughing and the rustling of arms, which, thank Heaven! soon proved to be our own troops, luckily for us resting near an old encampment, where the pursuing party from the river Pirica had lately lodged. At this moment, notwithstanding my present situation, I enjoyed an extraordinary degree of mental happiness; which proves how much all good and evil are only of a relative nature. Having now been heartily welcomed by the other officers, I partook of some cold beef and bread, and a gourd full of grog, as did also my poor boy. After this regale the party rose, and pursuing our march, we once more entered a quagmire, or rather a mud-pool, the surface being too thin to carry us; through which having waded till it was pitch dark, we were obliged to encamp in the very middle of it, the troops by slinging their hammocks in the trees, one above another, and the slaves on temporary rafts made above the surface of the water, on which were also placed the powder, the victuals, &c.

On the 26th, the good Colonel having now drank his coffee in his hammock, while he kept the troops standing round it in water above their middle, a whole hour before day-light, we again scrambled forward, keeping our course, first W. and afterwards N. W. when the road was so excessively bad, that many slaves let fall their burdens, breaking, wetting, and spoiling every thing that was in them. At last, having passed through a second deserted camp, we halted on the old cordon, or path of communication on which I formerly discovered the track of the rebels, when I commanded in Cottica river; and here, having erected slight sheds, we passed the night—I still a prisoner.

At this time a small quadruped running through the camp with incredible swiftness, it was cut down by one of the rangers with his sabre. This proved to be the Paca or Spotted Cavey, called in Surinam the Aquatic Hare. This animal is the size of a sucking pig, and extremely fat. The under jaw is short, the nostrils large, the eyes black, and the ears small and naked. It has five toes on each foot, a tail like the first joint of a man’s thumb, and whiskers like a cat; the colour is an earthen brown, with longitudinal rows of buff-coloured spots; the belly is a dirty white, the hair all over coarse and short. The Paca is an amphibious animal. On land it digs up the earth like a hog in quest of food, and when in danger flies to the water for its safety; notwithstanding this animal is so very plump and heavy, it runs swifter than most other animals of its size in South America, contrary to the account given of it in the supplement to the Count de Buffon’s description [11], where it is said “not to be nimble, to run but seldom, and then with a bad a grace;” which may all be the case in a domestic state (for the Paca is capable of being tamed) but he is not sluggish in a state of nature. This I know to be true, having seen him run like a hare. We had this animal dressed for supper, and found him even more delicious than the wood-rat, or even the warra-bocerra: indeed, nothing can be better eating than the Paca or spotted Cavy.

The long-nosed Cavy, better known by the name of the Agouti Pacarara, or Indian Coney, is also very common in Surinam: this is the size of a large rabbit, its colour is an orange brown, the belly yellow; the legs black and slender, with four toes on the fore-feet, and three on the hindermost; the ears small, the eyes a bright black, the upper lip divided; it has whiskers, and its tail is like that of the Paca. This animal breeds very fast, and suckles its young, which are three or four in number, in concealed holes of old trees, &c. where it also retires for shelter if pursued; but it does not seek its food in the earth, like the former. The Agouti is easily tamed, and feeds on fruits, roots, nuts, &c. But its flesh, though very good, is not so delicious as that of the Paca.

In Surinam I have been told there is still another species of the Agouti, called the Indian Rat-Coney, on account of its having a long tail. This I never saw, unless it is the same animal (which I apprehend it to be) that I have described under the name of the bush-rat.

On the 27th we again broke up, and finally arrived in the forenoon, and in a forlorn condition, at the estate Soribo, on the river Pirica, to defend the plantations against Bonny and his rebel negroes.

The river Pirica by its many windings is thought to extend about three-score miles. It is very deep but narrow, and has its banks, like all the others, lined with fine coffee and sugar plantations; its general course is from S. E. to N. W. We were scarcely arrived at this post, than I was accosted by several deputies from Colonel Seyburg, who earnestly intreated that I would only acknowledge myself to have been in fault, assuring me that I should then be set at liberty, and all would be forgotten. As I was conscious, however, of my own innocence, I could not in common justice criminate myself in an instance, where even my alledged crime amounted to no more than an anxious solicitude for the poor men and the provisions who were entrusted to my care. I was, therefore, placed under the guard of a sentinel, for what my commander was pleased to term unpliant stubbornness, and disarmed. In the mean time the marines caused me fresh uneasiness, and of the most poignant kind, by loudly threatening to mutiny in my behalf; nor could any thing have prevented them, but my decisive declaration, that as no cause could justify military disobedience and rebellion, I should be under the necessity myself (however injurious to my feelings) of taking an active part against them, and seeing the ringleaders brought to condign punishment. I felt that at this time I could war with all the world, and nearly with myself—my heart was breaking apace—my life became a burden:

“Dependants, friends, relations, love himself,
Savag’d by woe, forget the tender tie,
The sweet engagements of the feeling heart.”

The day after our arrival in this station, we received the particulars of the Pirica news, which were, that on the 20th the estates Schoonhove and Altona had been pillaged by the rebels whom we had routed at Gado-Saby, but that at the plantation Poelwyk they had been beaten back by the slaves: that the rangers stationed at an estate called Hagenbos had pursued them on the 21st, overtaken them on the 23d, killed several, and brought back most of the booty: that on the same day another party of the rebels had made an attempt to seize the powder magazine at Hagenbos (which was no bad plan) but that (while the rangers were in pursuit of their associates) they had been repulsed by the manly behaviour of a few armed slaves, one of whom, belonging to the estate Timotibo, took an armed rebel himself, and next discovered their camp at the back of his master’s plantations; for which he was handsomely rewarded. From all which intelligence, there was now no doubt remaining that if Seyburg’s detached party on the 16th had marched forwards instead of backwards, by his orders, the above mischief might have been prevented, and the enterprize of the rebels entirely frustrated. It was also evident from this narrative, that the man whom we fired at on the 21st was certainly one of the plunderers on the 20th, and that the bodies found dead on the 23d had been shot the very same day.

On the 29th, among other fruits, some dates were sent to me by a Society officer. This tree is also of the Palmeto species, but not extremely high; its leaves diverge from its summit, very thick, hanging down in the form of an umbrella. The dates appear in large clusters, being an oblong thin fruit like a man’s thumb, of a yellow colour, and the pulp, which is fat, firm, and sweet, adheres to a hard greyish-coloured stone, with longitudinal furrows.—I ought not to omit mentioning, that this day sixty rangers going to reconnoitre, discovered the old rebel camp at the back of Timotibo, which seemed to have contained about sixty armed men.

On the morning of the 30th of September, having nothing more to do in the neighbourhood of the Pirica River, we left it, and on the 1st of October came to Devil’s Harwar much fatigued, nothing remarkable having happened on our march. I had written on the preceding day to Colonel Fourgeoud, informing him, that I was weary of existence in my present state, and requesting that a court-martial might be immediately called; and this letter I had sent by a slave to the commander in chief. On our arrival at this station, I indeed found every hard means employed to bring me to terms; and such was the severe usage I experienced, that one of the rangers, called Captain Quaci, exclaimed, “If in this manner these Europeans treat one another, is it to be wondered at that they should take a pleasure in torturing us poor Africans?”

At Devil’s Harwar, however, my stormy voyage drew to a conclusion. Colonel Seyburg was evidently convinced that he was wrong, and knowing what must follow, now only wished for a handsome opportunity of extricating himself from the effects of his unmanly passion. On the 2d of October, therefore, he asked me with a smile, “If I had a heart to forget and forgive?” To which I sternly answered, “No!”—He repeated the question.—I then said, “I venerated truth, and would never confess myself in an error, unless my heart coincided in the acknowledgment—that this was a concession I would make to no man living, and least of all to him.”—He here grasped my hand, begged me to be pacified, and declared, “That he would make peace on any terms;”—but I again drew back with contempt, and decidedly avowed, “That I could not agree to any compromise, unless he owned his fault in the presence of all the officers, with his own hands tearing from his journal every sentence that could reflect upon my character.” The journals were immediately produced, my arms were returned me, and my triumph was attended with every circumstance that could add to my full satisfaction. I then, frankly and sincerely gave my hand to Colonel Seyburg, who gave a feast in honour of our reconciliation; and after dinner, to my utter surprize, produced the letter which I had written to Colonel Fourgeoud, which he acknowledged he had intercepted to prevent the affair proceeding to extremities: at the same time he acquainted me, that Fourgeoud was encamped at the Wana Creek, instead of Lieutenant Colonel de Borgnes, who had fallen sick, and was gone to Paramaribo. A perfect reconciliation having taken place, and every thing being now adjusted, while the troops having had some rest, we set out once more on the 4th for the head quarters at Jerusalem; but I was obliged to leave poor Quaco, who was very ill, at Devil’s Harwar, under care of the surgeon; and that evening we encamped opposite the mouth of the Cormoetibo Creek.

On the following morning early, having crossed the River Cottica, the troops marched back to Jerusalem; where I now had leisure to reflect on the various evils which befal poor mortals, as well those who are innocent of the difficulties they are brought into, as those (which are the greater part) who have brought themselves into distress and even despair by their own indiscretions. These reflections arose from finding here, among others, a newly-arrived acquaintance, a Mr. P—t—r, who having squandered away in Europe above thirty thousand pounds, and lost a beautiful wife by elopement, was now reduced to the income of an ensign in the Society troops. This gentleman having formerly possessed considerable property in this very colony, his present situation could not but be assuredly the more galling on that account.—Alas! unhappy young fellow: well might you exclaim—

“Privé de tout mes biens,
Dans un climat funeste,
Je t’adore & te perds,
Le poignard seul me reste.
Mais, Oh! je suis P—t—r,
Reservé pour souffrir;
Je sçaurois vivre encore,
Et faire plus que mourir.”

These are the words which he spouted with a sigh, throwing the last silver he had left among the slaves; and indeed nothing could be more applicable to himself than the lines he quoted, or more lamentable than this poor devil’s forlorn condition; which, however, created in me, during my present humour, no other effect—than a loud and immoderate fit of laughter.

CHAP. XXIII.

Second march to Gado-Saby—Account of a living Skeleton—Beautiful
Landscapes—The Commander in Chief falls sick, and leaves the
Camp—Some Rebels taken—Discourse on the Existence of Mermaids—Heavy
Rains—Disease—Famine—Misery.

On the 9th of October, 1775, Colonel Fourgeoud broke up the encampment at the Wana Creek to join us at Jerusalem, having sent down the half of his party sick in barges; and their number being greatly augmented by the invalids from this place, they were all together transported to receive the coup-de-grace in the hospital at Devil’s Harwar. The rangers also took their leave, and marched, with Mr. Vinsack their conductor, to guard the Pirica River.

Fourgeoud, during his last cruize, had discovered a hundred empty houses, and seen some straggling rebels, but he had taken none. He had also found a scalp fixed to the branch of a tree, which we justly conjectured to be the remains of the unfortunate Schmidt, who was lost [12].

On the 13th my black boy, Quaco, being perfectly recovered, arrived, to my great satisfaction, as his fidelity to me was so steady and unshaken. At the same time we received an account that Captain Stoelman, with some rangers, had discovered a fresh settlement of the rebels by a great smoke appearing at a distance in the forest, but had not yet attacked them; that Captain Fredericy, with a party of black volunteers, was scouring the sea-side below Paramaribo; that the two men we had lost on the 18th of August had miraculously escaped, and found their way to the post at the river Marawina; and that no less than twelve fine negro slaves had just deserted from the Gold Mine estate to join the rebels.

This news so much exasperated Colonel Fourgeoud, that the indefatigable man again determined to persevere in pursuing his enemies. We accordingly entered the woods very early on the morning of the 15th, although he and his little army were at this time greatly reduced. He buried but the evening before one of his countrymen, a volunteer, called Matthew, and brother to the ensign: but death was now become so familiar to us, that upon losing a friend or relation, the first question generally was, “Has he left any brandy, rum, or tobacco?”—“Pauvre Laurant!” said I, to his shrivelled valet-de-chambre, “the brave Fourgeoud is like fire; he is to the colony an excellent servant indeed; but I think to both you and myself but a roughish master.” The poor fellow, shrugging up his shoulders, replied, with a grin and a heavy sigh, “Oui, par ma foi!” and then treated me with a pinch of his snuff. I must not omit that, a little before our departure, seven more of our negro slaves did desert us, who went home to their masters perfectly broken-hearted, emaciated, and nearly starved; however, we proceeded, and marched directly N. E. during which nothing happened, except my box with all my bottles being dashed to pieces; and in the evening we encamped, though then unknown to us, near the Cassipore Creek, where the dry season having commenced, we dug a pit for water. Orders were also issued to the troops no more to build huts, sheds, &c. as the rains were now less violent.

On the 16th we continued our route, marching N. E. as before, and towards the evening arrived at the houses which Colonel Fourgeoud had lately discovered, which proved since to be only a temporary settlement, erected by the rebels as a shelter or asylum in their expected retreat, before they were dislodged from Gado-Saby; and to this little settlement they had given the name of Boossy Cry, that is, “the woods lament.” Here we encamped, and took much notice of Bonny’s house in particular, which was built like a watering machine, being elevated from the ground, with two doors, so that he might the better observe all around him, and prevent his being taken by surprize; it also had more air, and, of course, was better calculated for his health, he having in some late action received a very dangerous wound in the groin, as we afterwards learned from a rebel negro prisoner. Near to Bonny’s house were the private baths, where his women washed themselves morning and evening, there being no river near this settlement.

In this encampment one of our slaves presented me with a land-turtle, which indeed we had met with several times before; but as I have never described this animal, I will now endeavour to give some account of it.—The land-turtle of Surinam is not more than eighteen or twenty inches in length, and of an oval form; the shell is more convex than that of the sea-turtle, and marked with thirteen elevated hexangular shields, dark brown and yellow, so hard that it will bear almost any weight without breaking; the under shell is a little concave, and of a light yellow: the head of this animal resembles that of other turtles; the tail is naked and short, but instead of fins or swimmers it has four feet covered with scales, and armed with sharp claws to assist it in crawling over the ground. When this poor creature sees any danger, it instantly shrinks within its shell. In this situation the Indians put it on the fire, where they broil it until it is drest, which is known by the under shell separating from the upper, which serves for a dish to hold the contents. A less barbarous way, and the way which I always followed, is only to provoke the animal by the heat of the embers to run away; when stretching out its head and neck, they are easily chopped off, and the food extracted without additional torture. I have known Mr. de Graaf keep three or four of these land-turtles for above four months for transportation, during which time they lived without any apparent nourishment whatever, yet still remained vigorous, and even prone to copulation.

Another kind of land-turtle, called here the arlacacca, I have often seen; this is less in circumference, very flat, of a disagreeable greenish colour, and nothing like so good as the former.

On the 17th we continued our march N. and N. E. in hopes of more discoveries, but without success. We this day passed some ant-hillocks above six feet high, and, without exaggeration, above one hundred feet in circumference. We also saw great quantities of valuable timber, and, among the rest, the black-cabbage tree, the wood of which is of a deep brown, and is in high estimation among carpenters and joiners. The sand-booker tree was like-wise shewn me, which receives its name from the fruit, which being divested of its seed, is used as a sand-box by writers. It is of the shape of a large onion, with small holes in the surface; the seed is both laxative and emetic, but the juice of the pulp is a fatal poison. More than this I cannot say, having had neither the time nor the power of examining it with the accuracy of a professed botanist.

On the 18th we continued the same course for a few hours longer, when we found a beaten path, which, though circuitous, seemed to be a communication between Gado-Saby and Boossy-Cry. We followed this path, which led us due W. for a few hours, when a poor rebel negro was found by me covered with branches of the manicole-tree, and indeed barely alive, being in appearance nothing but skin and bone, with one of his eyes almost beaten out of the socket. I put my bottle to his mouth, he swallowed a few drops of rum and water, and said with a faint voice, which we could scarcely hear, “Dank ye, me Massera!” but could articulate nothing more. Fourgeoud ordered this man to be carried with us in a hammock; and we soon afterwards encamped near a biree-biree swamp or quagmire. I ought not to forget that this day we saw some very fine locust-trees, being eighty or a hundred feet high, and prodigiously thick; the trunk is grey and very straight, with no branches till near the top, on which the leaves are disposed two to each stem: this is justly called the king of the forest, for a finer tree cannot be found. The timber is of a beautiful cinnamon-colour, and possesses every desirable quality of gravity, polish, grain, and durability.—But what particularly attracted our notice was its seed, like beans, three or four in number, enclosed in a broad light-brown pod, that lay flattered in quantities at the root of the tree, upon the ground, and tasted like some kinds of gingerbread. From the root of this tree a gum exudes, which, properly prepared, affords a varnish hitherto unequalled for transparency and effect.

Innumerable indeed are the various fine trees that this country produces, and which may be had for the cutting; yet, when we consider the distance they usually grow from navigable rivers, the great labour in felling and working them, the vast number of slaves required to drag them through the forest, where no horses can be employed, besides the danger and loss of time, we may easily account for the enormous price generally paid for the best timber in Guiana.

This march undoubtedly afforded us the most enchanting prospects that can be imagined, in a luxuriant and ever-green forest, while the dry season contributed greatly to beautify the scene; and simple nature by far outshone the most strenuous endeavours of art. Here we met with immense savannas of the most lovely verdure, interspersed with meandring brooks of water, cool and clear as rock crystal; their borders adorned with flowers of every lively hue and fragrance. In some places we observed small clumps of elegant shrubs, or perhaps a single tree, whose beauty would almost induce one to think they had been designedly left growing to enrich the scene. The whole surrounded by a vast wood of lofty palm-trees, waving their sea-green foliage above the variegated copse of never-fading verdure, blossom, and fruit, as if to invite the panting wanderer under its cooling shade, till in the later hours he might enjoy the bracing pleasures of the limpid flood, and contemplate nature’s beauties undisturbed.—When universal silence reigned every where around, how often have I thought on my dear friend, and wished with her to glide through life in these Elysian fields!—But I must wave the pleasing recollection.

On the 19th we again marched, and fell in with our old path, which we followed, leading directly to the fields of Gado-Saby, where quantities of rice once more appeared in full bloom, which we cut down and burned to ashes. Here, perceiving the poor rebel negro hopeless of recovery, not absolutely to bury him alive, he was overspread with moss, leaves, and green boughs; after which we slung our hammocks, being almost choaked with smoke.

In these fields I saw a lizard above two feet long, which the negro slaves killed and ate: they called it sapagala, it was of a brownish green colour, but did not resemble the iguana. Among the ruins of the consumed town we discovered some scolopendras, or centipedes, no less than eight or ten inches in length; this odious reptile is of a yellowish-brown colour, walks very fast backwards or forwards, and bites so severely, that the venom it infuses, though not deemed fatal, generally produces a fever. Some writers assign this reptile twenty pair of legs, others forty; I never reckoned them, and can only observe, that they appeared to me exactly to resemble the centipedes in Europe. Some of our gentlemen formed large collections of these curiosities, which were very valuable, whilst I contented myself with the drawings and descriptions only of those I thought most uncommon.

On the 20th, we marched to visit Cofaay, when I perceiving the unhappy negro captive still alive; after removing the branches, he was, at my earnest intercession, once more carried along with us; but the slaves, being discontented with such a load, took every opportunity, in my absence, of torturing him, by knocking him against roots and stones, and dragging him through mud and water as they went along. Different patroles were now ordered out to reconnoitre the grounds, while the remainder of the troops encamped in the west part of Cofaay; and these patroles discovered no less than four beautiful fields in one chain, situated due west from Cofaay, well stocked with cassava, yams, plantains, pistachio nuts, with maize and pigeon peas: also were seen several human carcases, the relicts of our late engagements in August. We found here a species of medlars of a crimson colour, and of a taste very much like that of strawberries. This fruit grows on a large green shrub, and is cultivated in many gardens at Paramaribo. We also met with a kind of wild plum-tree called monpe: the fruit is yellow, oblong, and small; the stone is large, the pulp thin, and though of a sharp acid has an agreeable flavour.

On the morning of the 21st, all these and every useful vegetable were cut down, and again destroyed by fire; after which, returning to our last night’s camp, we found it also in flames, and were obliged to sling our hammocks in the east skirts of the woods. Here, recollecting that the poor disabled rebel was left alone, I ran back west to the burning camp to afford him assistance; but after seeking him in vain through clouds of smoke and darkness, I was forced to consult my own safety, by hastily returning to my companions; some blaming me much for my temerity, others damning the skeleton, whether dead or alive.

The devastation being now compleated, we marched back to Jerusalem, where on the 24th we arrived perfectly exhausted, and Fourgeoud at last so ill with a phrenzy fever, that he was confined to his hammock, with small hopes of surviving the night. But he however still continued to command, and the next morning ordered a marine to be bastonaded, for asking shoes, although he was bare-footed, and his feet tore to pieces; while another was flogged for coughing, who had a severe cold; a captain was dismissed from actual service, and confined in Fort Zealandia, for having dared to marry without his consent.—Sickness and death now raged through the camp, and every thing was in the utmost confusion.

To compleat the whole, on the 1st of November, twenty-five more negro slaves ran away; and on the 3d we received intelligence that no less than fifty armed rebels had been seen swimming across the River Cottica, about a musket-shot above Barbacoeba.

In consequence of this information, Colonel Seyburg was detached, with the few men that remained able to carry arms, who through distress and famine were now almost ready to attack their own officers; and who being unsupplied with their favourite luxury, tobacco [13], sat smoking grey paper, and chewing leaves and leather as a substitute for the want of it. Few men, however, were worse off than I was at this time; since, having neither provisions nor cloaths, I was almost naked as well as starved, with a running ulcer in my left foot, ever since the ambuscade and march to Pirica; nor had I a friend in the camp who could give me the smallest assistance. To compleat my misery, the little blood I had remaining was in two successive nights again nearly sucked away by the vampire-bat, or spectre: thus I fainted away in my hammock, and was almost sorry to recover, particularly upon being informed by a letter that Joanna and her boy were dying with a putrid fever at Paramaribo.

At last, on the 12th, Serjeant Fowler arrived from Mocha, with one of my boxes; when this poor fellow, notwithstanding my situation, made me laugh aloud by producing a letter from his mother in Europe, which made him extremely happy; and which I must beg leave verbatim to transcribe.

“Dair Shonny,

“I have relaved your girl from the Bridevail—and your shits from
the panbroker—the baby is died—blessed be Goat, while I hop yow be
living. I am your laffing mother tell death,

Maggy Fowler.”

The same evening Colonel Seyburg’s party returned, without having obtained any further intelligence.

On the 14th Colonel Fourgeoud was so dangerously ill, that he at length was obliged to relinquish his command, and proceed to town for his recovery. Accordingly on the 15th, he set out by water for Paramaribo: thus, after having sacrificed all his troops, he became himself finally a victim to his unbounded ambition and obstinate perseverance in this worst of all climates, while by toiling less and living better both he and his soldiers might have rendered the colony, if not superior, at least an equal service.—A barge loaded with sick and dying was at the same time once more sent to the hospital at Devil’s Harwar.

The command of the remaining scarecrows now devolved upon the Lieutenant Colonel, who (strange to tell!) that very evening inherited the same distemper, as well as the chief command; the barge that rowed off the old hero having but just disappeared, when this gentleman was attacked also by the phrenzy fever; the above complaint was indeed at this time very common amongst all ranks and degrees who were broiling under a burning sun at Jerusalem; it being the dry season, when we ought to have been in the woods—but for those expeditions, as I have stated before, the rainy seasons were most unhappily preferred. Several officers would have before now thrown up their military commissions, could they with decency have taken such a measure, during an expedition on actual service; nor, in my opinion, ought such to be granted, cases of the very greatest necessity excepted. I could myself have wished to go for some time to Paramaribo, but as this favour was not offered me, while all the others, and even the slaves, were relieved, I scorned to petition for it while I was able to stand.

On the 19th, however, my foot became so bad, that the surgeon reported me unfit for duty; yet I still remained in the camp, where I could be to none of any service.

A supply of fresh troops, slaves, and provisions being arrived on the 20th, Major Medlar, with 150 men, was detached to make new discoveries.

Among other plagues, the whole camp at this time swarmed with locusts, which appeared every where in most formidable troops, devouring every thing that lay in their way. Indeed the curse of Heaven seemed to visit us here in various shapes, and every vermin were so plenty at this time, that no exertion could keep us perfectly free. These locusts were brown, two inches in length, and shaped like a grasshopper; they did not fly, but crawled by millions on the very tables and seats as we sat at dinner, and at night they tormented us by crawling over our faces by scores.

The only desirable article we found at Jerusalem was fish, of which we seldom wanted plenty, particularly newmara and warrappa, also the patakee, and the old wifee, both very excellent; the former of which is about two feet long, shaped like a whiting, the other is the size of a large perch. A kind of needle-fish, called naaynaay-fisee, was found here in great abundance, these were very thin, and about one foot in length; also a kind of dung-fish, about the size of a small herring, but these two last were only used by the negroes.

On the 3d of December, Major Medlar’s party returned, after fourteen days absence, with a captive rebel woman and her boy about eight years old, taken in a small field of bitter cassava. The poor woman was pregnant, and under great alarms, but was tenderly treated by Medlar, who was always a humane and well-disposed gentleman. He had, however, unluckily lost two of his best men, one Schoelar, a corporal, the other called Philip Van den Bos, a private marine, who having inadvertently eaten a few roots of the above bitter cassava were poisoned, and died during the same night with the most excruciating pain and convulsions: the antidote is said to be Cayenne pepper and spirits, neither of which were at that time to be procured.

The black woman confirmed the account that Bonny had been wounded; she also told us the poor starved negro we had found was called Isaac, and had been left for dead. That one Captain Arico had formed a new settlement near the sea, called Fissy-Hollo; while Bonny, she assured us, maintained the strictest discipline amongst his troops: he was, she said, absolutely despotic, and had executed two of his men but three days before we took Gado-Saby, viz. during the night of the 17th August, when we heard the firing and shouting, only upon suspicion of having hinted some few words in favour of the Europeans, and were the heads which we found stuck on the stakes. She further assured us, that none of his people were trusted with arms, until they had first served him some years as slaves, and given him unquestionable proofs of fidelity and resolution. But these, she observed, were but few in number, when compared to his numerous vassals, who were bound to do without murmuring whatever he thought proper to command them; yet that he still was more beloved than he was feared, on account of his inflexible justice and manly courage.

On the 4th December, this poor woman and her boy were sent to Paramaribo, with Ensign de Cabanus, who had taken them: he had at the same time nearly seized a young girl about fifteen, who by her great agility, and being stark naked, slipped out of his hands:

——“Fugit ocior aurâ
Illa levi: neque ad hæc revocantis verba resistit:
Nympha, precor, Peneia, mane: non insequor hostis.
Nympha, mane.”——

Ovid.

It being proved at the court that the above woman had been forcibly carried off by the rebels, though many years before, the poor creature was pardoned, and joyfully returned with her child to her master’s plantation. It is remarkable, that when the boy saw the first cow or horse he almost fell into convulsions with terror; nor could he bear to be touched by any white person, whom he never had seen before, and whom he constantly called Yorica, which in his language signifies the devil.

About this time a dead sea-cow, or manatee, by the French called Lamantin, floating past Jerusalem, the negro slaves fell upon it, like so many crows upon a carrion, swimming round it, some with a rusty knife, some with a bill-hook, and each carrying off a slice for his dinner; at last they dragged the stinking animal on shore, of which I instantly took a drawing. This manatee was exactly sixteen feet long, almost shapeless, being an enormous lump of fat, tapering backwards to a fleshy, broad, horizontal tail. It had a thick round head, a flattish snout, large nostrils, with strong bristles both on its nose and chin, small eyes, and auditory holes instead of ears. Instead of feet, it had two excrescences or fleshy fins, like those of the sea-turtle, projecting near its head; with these it swims, and moves awkwardly to eat the grass on the banks of the rivers, being an amphibious animal. The colour was a greenish black; the skin was hard and uneven, covered with large knobs, circular wrinkles, and with a very few stiff hairs thinly scattered. It had grinders but no fore-teeth, and a very short tongue. The sea-cow or manatee is, like the whale, a viviparous animal, the female suckling its young by the help of its swimmers. They are very numerous in the river Amazons; their flesh, it is said, resembles veal, and is very good food. This was, however, too far advanced in a state of putridity, for me to taste it. It had the marks of being twice shot, which must have been by the rebels on the 27th, when we heard the report of two muskets at a distance.

As I am once more on the subject of natural history, I shall describe another amphibious animal, called the tapira, which bears some distant resemblance to the hippopotamus of the old continent, but it is a great deal less. This creature is about the size of a small ass, but much more clumsy. The head is not unlike that of a horse, but the upper lip much longer, projecting something like the proboscis of an elephant, and is also moveable, but too short to be of use, as is the trunk of that animal; the ears are short, the tusks strong, and sometimes visible, the mane is bristly and erect, the limbs are low and strong, with a kind of hoof divided into four claws, and the tail is thick and short, like that of the elephant. The skin of this creature is excessively thick, of a brown colour, and when young it is marked with white spots, like those of the stag or paca, proceeding in longitudinal rows. It feeds on grass, and other herbs that grow in watery places, and is so shy, that when alarmed by the smallest noise it plunges under water, also like the paca, for security, where it remains for a considerable time. The flesh of the tapira is delicate, being accounted superior to the best ox-beef.—See both the above animals in the annexed plate.

A Mr. Selefelder, of the Society service, at this time assured me, that he saw quite a different river-horse in the River Marawina; and Major Abercromby, of the same service, declared, that a mermaid was lately seen in the River Surinam. Lord Monboddo also positively affirms the existence of sea-women and sea-men, while he asserts that they were seen so late as 1720. But, however respectable his lordship’s judgment and authority may be on other subjects, I can no more agree with him, as to men and women having fins and scales, than to their having tails.