Chapter IV: Preface (3)

Whilst some employed themselves in kindling a fire, others were busy in digging up and down amongst the grass. I could not conceive what they were doing at first; but I soon observed one of them pulling out of the ground a long white root, which I found was a yam, having seen many of them at Bengal; they soon furnished themselves with a sufficient quantity. I perceived they grew wild without any cultivation: some of them were a yard long at least, and about six or seven inches in circumference; they obliged me with some of them, which I roasted, and eat with a great deal of pleasure, instead of bread, with my beef: they are very agreeable to the taste, as well as wholesome food.

We arrived that evening at a small town, which we no sooner entered than the women and children flocked round about me, pinched me, struck me on the back with their fists, and showed several other tokens of their derision and contempt; at which I could not forbear weeping, as it was not in my power to express my resentment any other way; but when my guardian observed it, he came to my assistance and freed me from my persecutors. All the houses that were empty were taken up by my master, his brother, and other head-men; so that my guardian and I lay exposed to the open air. The ill treatment I met with from the women and children, put a thousand distracting thoughts into my head. Sometimes I imagined that I might be preserved alive for no other purpose, than to be carried to the king and his son, who would, in all probability, be fired with resentment at our late seizing of them, and making them prisoners; then, again, I thought that to gratify their pleasure and revenge, they would order me to be put to death before their faces by slow degrees, and the most exquisite torments. Such melancholy reflections as these so disordered me that when once through weariness I fell into a slumber I had a dream which so terrified me that I started upright, and trembled every joint of me; in short, I could not get one wink of sleep all the night long.

When it was broad daylight we marched homeward (for now I must call it so) and in three or four hours’ time we arrived at a considerable town, with three or four tamarind trees before it. One of the negroes carried a large shell, which, when he blew, sounded like a post-boy’s horn. This brought the women to a spacious house in the middle of the town, about twelve feet high, which I soon perceived was my master’s. No sooner had he seated himself at the door, than his wife came out crawling on her hands and knees till she came to him, and then licked his feet; and when she had thus testified her duty and respects, his mother paid him the like compliment, and all the women in the town saluted their husbands in the same manner: then each man went to his respective habitation, my master’s brother only excepted; who though he had a house, had no wife to receive him, and so he stayed behind.

My mistress intimated by her motions that she would have me go in and sit down. A great deal of serious discourse passed between my master and her, and though I knew nothing of what they said, yet by her looking so earnestly at me whilst he was talking, I conjectured he was relating to her our tragical tale, and I perceived that the tears frequently stood in her eyes. This conference over, she ordered some carravances to be boiled for our dinner; a kind of pulse, much like our grey pease: she gave me some, but as they had been boiled in dirty water, I could not eat them. She, perceiving I did not like them, strained them off the water and put some milk to them, and after that I made a tolerable meal of them. She gave me not only a mat to lie down upon, but a piece of calico likewise about two yards in length to cover me. She intimated that she wanted to know my name, which I told her was Robin. Having received so much civility from my mistress, I began to be much better satisfied than I was at first; and then laid me down and slept without any fear or concern about four hours, as near as I could guess by the sun. When I waked my mistress called me by my name, and gave me some milk to drink. She talked for some considerable time to me, but I could not understand one word she said. My master was all this time with his brother at the door regaling themselves with toake.

When night came on I perceived that I was to lie with them, for there was no other room. My master and mistress lay in the middle, and the whole house was not above fourteen feet in length, and twelve in breadth, so that I lay crosswise close to his feet: in this odd manner we lay three or four nights successively. At last he called me by my name several times to know, I presume, whether I was awake or not; but as I answered him whenever he called, I imagined he would have been better pleased if I had slept soundly, and had not heard him at all; for the next evening he carried me to his aunt’s house, where he told me I must lie for the future. There I remained both day and night, and did little but walk out with her and her daughter to visit the plantations which had been lately sown with Guinea corn and potatoes. In the evening I used to visit my master and mistress, and for supper I generally had milk, which was sometimes fresh and sometimes sour. They were not over fond of putting me to work, as I could do them but little service, being altogether a stranger to what was said to me, and more especially as he had above two hundred slaves always ready to answer his occasions.

My master, whose name was deaan Mevarrow, was grandson to deaan Crindo, who was absolute lord of this country, and his wife was the daughter of a northern king whom they had conquered in battle, and she was one of my master’s captives. For this reason I presume it was that she took so much compassion upon me; considering herself a slave in a strange country, and only preferred to my master’s bed by courtesy.

In a short time I began to reconcile myself to their manner of eating, since no better provision I found was to be had, only I would strip off some of the hair from the hide of the beef, whenever I could do it without being observed. I used often to reflect on my brother and sister’s more agreeable manner of living at my father’s table; being conscious that even some beggars in England fared much better than I did here. However as I found nobody lived better, I made myself as easy as I could; I was now under no apprehensions of being killed till an accident happened soon after, which put me into a violent panic for about an hour. My master, attended by several of his slaves, took me with him one evening into the woods; I observed great preparations made for killing and dressing a bullock or some such thing, but there being none to kill, and it being then dark, I perceived that they walked about with great circumspection, talked softly, and testified all the symptoms of some secret design; upon this the tears stood in my eyes, imagining that they intended to cut me up and make a meal of me, but my fright was soon over when I saw two slaves hauling along a bullock by a rope fastened to his horns, and my master sticking his lance into his throat in order to despatch him. They immediately cut up his carcass and dressed the entrails after their own manner. The booty was equally divided, and I observed that each man took care to hide his portion in some private place, from whence he might convey it away by night. As soon as our business was over we parted, some one way and some another, for fear of being taken notice of. I now plainly perceived that we were all this time plundering of our neighbours. I often wondered indeed that the aunt with whom I lived, dressed meat so often in the nighttime, but this unravelled the mystery; this was not the only time I was forced to assist in this clandestine practice.

In about four months’ time I began to have some tolerable notion of their language; I knew the names of most common things, and could express myself so as to be understood. My master and mistress took me one day into the plantations, where the slaves were hoeing the weeds from the carravances, that were just shooting up. They gave me a hoe, but I had no inclination to work; I pretended to be very ignorant and hoed up plants and weeds together, at which they laughed heartily, and took away my hoe to prevent more mischief.

This artifice, however, proved of but little service to me, for my master perceiving that I either could not or would not work in the plantations, was determined to employ me some other way, and about such business as I could not well do amiss. Accordingly the next day he showed me his cattle, and told me I must take care of them, drive them to water, and see that they did not break either his own or any other neighbour’s plantations. This business I liked much better than the other, because there were three or four lads more of this town about my age, who had cattle to attend to as well as myself. What I disliked most was, that we had a very considerable way to drive them to water, and at night to drive them back again; besides I was obliged to drag home a long tub which held about three gallons; for all the water we used in the house was fetched from this watering place. However we had no just cause of complaint, for we joined our herds together, and in the heat of the day, when the cattle would lie down in the shade, we had three or four hours’ time to ramble through the woods and gather yams. I had been thus long in the country, yet I never knew how they struck fire, till wanting to roast some of my yams, I asked my comrades where their fire was; they showed me their hands and laughing, said, here it is, but one of them soon informed me how to do it. He took one short round stick about half the length of a gun rammer, and another considerably thicker, but both of one sort of wood, and rubbed the former upon the latter till there came a dust from it first, then a smoke, and soon fire after.

We sometimes traversed the woods and stole people’s honey, and eat it just as we found it. When we could spare time, we used to look for a creature which I call a ground-hog, and which in their language is called tondruck; it is about the size of a cat, snout, eyes, and ears are like an English hog’s, it has bristles on its back but no tail, the feet of it are like a rabbit’s; its principal food is beetles and young snails, which they grub up with their snouts; they are very prolific, and have above twenty young ones at a litter, to all which they give suck. In the cold season of the year (for though there is no time which can properly be called winter, yet one part of the year is sensibly much colder than the other) these creatures hide themselves in the ground in a most surprising manner. They first dig a hole about two feet deep directly in the earth, and after that they work obliquely two or three feet one way, and as much another, making angles; though they throw the earth up with their fore feet, yet they make it as firm with their hind feet as if no passage had been ever made. When they have worked in this manner for some time, they then work aslant, upwards, till they get within half a foot of the surface: there they make a kind of lodgment, just big enough for them to turn themselves round in, where they lie for four or five months successively without any sustenance whatsoever; and what is still more strange, they are as fat at the expiration of that term as when they first went in. It is no small difficulty to catch them, for when we have discovered some marks of the place where we imagine they began to burrow, we are often disappointed in digging after them; they work so artfully, that we know not which way to find out their secret recesses; but we spare no pains to take them, for they are excellent food, and their skin when dressed is as brown and crisp as a pig’s. Their hedgehogs too are agreeable enough, but nothing near so delicious as their tondrucks; these conceal themselves all the cold winter in holes of trees, where they remain for some months without any visible support.

This employment of attending the cattle was agreeable to me, except in excessively hot weather, when it was a great fatigue to drive them several miles to water, at least every other day; but in the colder season we had no occasion to observe that practice, for the dew falls so plentifully in the night, that we find it sufficient to drive them into the grass about break of day; and even the inhabitants of this part of the country of Anterndroea, who have no water near them, go into the fields in a morning with two wooden platters and a tub, and in less than an hour will collect about eight or ten gallons of dew-water, which is very good while fresh, but will turn sour in a day or two, and disagreeable to the taste.

I had not followed this employment above a year, when my master went to war, or rather (as I understood afterwards) to plunder a people to the westward whom they pursued with the most implacable hatred, they having surprised deaan Crindo’s father in his own town by night, and murdered him in a most barbarous manner.

My master informed me that I must look after the cattle no more, for he was going to war, and had other business for me of much greater importance. I offered my service to wait on him, but he answered, we shall travel night and day; it is a long and tedious journey, and you cannot, I believe, be able to undergo the fatigue, but your principal business must be to look after my wife, and act as her guardian. He gave me a strict charge to lie in the same house with her, and never to let her stir out without me. After he had given her instructions to the same effect, he took his leave, and accompanied by most of his people, went on his intended expedition.

I now lived at perfect ease, and my mistress was very kind and indulgent to me. I went abroad wherever she went, partook of every thing she had for herself, and lay in the same house with her, both of us strictly observing our master’s orders; neither could I perceive that her compliance therewith was any way repugnant to her inclinations. I was not, it is true, absolutely easy myself; for the thoughts of my friends and native country, and the improbability of ever seeing them again, made me very melancholy, and dejected me to that degree that sometimes I could not forbear indulging my grief in private, and bursting into a flood of tears.

My mistress would frequently ask me whether I was indisposed, or wanted any thing; I could not prevail on myself to reveal the real cause of my anxiety; however one day I took the liberty to tell her, I should be very glad of an opportunity to see the other three lads, whose lives were preserved, and who were taken prisoners when I was. She desired me not to afflict myself on that account, for she would go with me, and should be highly delighted to hear us converse together in our own language. Accordingly she made inquiry amongst her neighbours where they were, who informed us that they were at some distance from one another; but that the nearest to be met with was about four or five miles off. So the next morning we set out and inquired for the white boy: we were told that he was gone to carry his fellow-servants some provisions to the plantation, but as soon as a messenger was sent to him he returned immediately, being as desirous of seeing me in particular as I was of him; we embraced each other in a very passionate manner, and expressed ourselves at first rather in tears than words. We had been very intimate on shipboard, and I used to treat him frequently with punch, being delighted with his company as he had a taste for music, and could play extremely well on the violin. We condoled with each other, and observed how wretchedly we looked, all naked, except a small clout about our middles, and our skins spotted like a leopard’s; for neither of us being ever before so exposed to the sun, we were scorched, and flead as it were, and our skins often rose up in blisters. After our mutual condolence we came to an agreement, that if either of us got safe to England, we would give the other’s friends a particular account of all our misfortunes. We inquired of each other after our other comrades, but were equally strangers to their particular places of abode. My mistress seemed very attentive to our discourse, and showed a compassionate regard for our afflictions; but with great reluctance, and many a tear, we were obliged at last to part.

We had not been at home above two hours, before an express arrived from my master with news of his success; and that he would be at home in a fortnight. My mistress, and all the women who had husbands abroad, expressed their general joy in large bowls of toake. In the mean time I was very much indisposed, but tolerably well recovered before my master’s return.

He made his public entry in a very triumphant manner; the trumpet-shells blowing, and crowds of people dancing before him all the way with their guns in their hands. On his first approach, the foremost men fired their guns towards the ground; which with them is the signal of a victorious return. Deaan Mevarrow, and his brother deaan Sambo, came after them with their attendants; next followed the cattle, which he had taken from the enemy, and the prisoners of war brought up the rear. After they were seated in form before my master deaan Mevarrow’s house, not only his consort, attended by the other women of the town, came as usual, and licked his feet, but the men too, whom he left behind him when he went to war.

I stood all this time as a spectator, till he seeing me at a distance, called me to him. I approached him in the usual form of the country on such a public occasion; that is, with my hands lifted up, and in a praying posture. When I came near him, I paid him the compliment of _salamonger umba_; but did not kneel down as all the others did, having a kind of conscientious reluctance to such an act, as thinking it an adoration that I ought to pay to no one but the Supreme Being; but he seemed to resent my being so over religious; for he asked me, “If I thought it beneath me to pay him the same respect that his own wife, (who was a king’s daughter,) and his own mother too, so readily condescended to?” However, I peremptorily refused, and told him, “I would obey all his lawful commands, and do whatever work he thought proper to employ me in; but this act of divine homage I could never comply with.”

On this he fell into a violent passion, and upbraided me with being ungrateful, and insensible of his saving me from being killed among my countrymen; and urged, moreover, that I was his slave, &c.; but notwithstanding all this, I still continued resolute and firm to my purpose. Whereupon he rose from his seat, and with his lance made a stroke at me with all his might; but his brother, by a sudden push on one side, prevented the mischief he intended. He was going to repeat his blow, but his brother interposed, and entreated him to excuse me; but he absolutely, and in the warmest terms, refused to forgive me unless I would lick his feet. His brother begged he would give him a little time to talk with me in private, which he did; and after he had told me the danger of not doing it, and that in submitting to it, I did no more than what many great princes were obliged to do when taken prisoners, I found, at length, it was prudence to comply; so I went in, asked pardon, and performed the ceremony as others had done before me. He told me he readily forgave me, but would make me sensible I was a slave. I did not much regard his menaces, for as I had no prospect of ever returning to England, I set but little value on my life. The next day I incurred his displeasure again, and never expected to escape from feeling the weight of his resentment.

My master then performed the ceremony of thanksgiving to God, for his happy deliverance from all the hazards of war, and for the success of his arms; which is performed in the following manner:—The inhabitants have in all their houses a small portable utensil, which is devoted to religious uses, and is a kind of household altar, which they call the owley. It is made of a peculiar wood, in small pieces neatly joined, and making almost the form of a half-moon with the horns downwards, between which are placed two alligator’s teeth; this is adorned with various kinds of beads, and such a sash fastened to it behind as a man ties about his waist when he goes to war. [I shall not here pretend to give an exact account of their religious worship, for I had not been long enough in the country to be a perfect master of the true meaning of what they either did or said.] However, I observed that they brought two forks from the woods, and fixed them in the ground, on which was laid a beam, slender at each end, and about six feet long, with two or three pegs in it, and upon this they hung the owley. Behind it was a long pole, to which a bullock was fastened with a cord. They had a pan full of live coals, on which they threw an aromatic gum, and planted it under the owley. Then they took a small quantity of hair from the tail, chin, and eyebrows of the ox, and put them on the owley. Then deaan Mevarrow, my master, used some particular gestures with a large knife in his hand, and made a formal prayer, in which the people joined. In the next place they threw the ox on the ground with his legs tied fast together, and the deaan cut his throat; for as there are no priests among them, the chief man, whether of the country, town, or family, performs all divine offices himself. As soon as the people were all seated on mats in a circular form, my master ordered me to sit down too, and say as the people said, which I absolutely refused. However he pursued his devotion, and when the service was over, took the owley in one hand and his lance in the other, and came directly to me, asking me with a frown, which I rather chose, either to assist in their solemn and public thanksgiving, or to a fall a sacrifice to his just resentment? At first I was startled, but as I thought this sort of worship to be downright idolatry, and that they paid their adorations to the owley, I resolutely told him that I would sooner die than pay divine homage to any false deity whatsoever. Upon this, as soon as he had put the owley in its place, he came to me again, and taking me by the hand was determined to lead me out of the town and kill me; but his brother and all the people round about him pleaded for me, and used their utmost endeavours to persuade him against so rash an action, but to no purpose; till his brother at last very warmly told him, he would that minute depart and see his face no more, if he offered to be guilty of such an act of inhumanity, and rose up to be gone accordingly. When my master saw his brother was going in good earnest, he called him back, and promised to spare my life; but assured him he would punish me very severely for my contempt of his orders. Deaan Sambo told him, he should submit that to his own discretion; all he begged of him was not to kill me. Upon this, by a secret sign, he advised me to kneel down and lick his feet, which I readily complied with, and asked his pardon. When I got up, I kneeled down to deaan Sambo of my own accord, and licked his feet as a testimony of my gratitude and respect for thus saving my life a second time.

As soon as this storm was blown over, I was remanded to my former post of cow-keeper. I had a great deal of trouble sometimes with these cattle, for they are very unruly; and notwithstanding they are larger beasts than any I ever saw elsewhere of the kind, they are so nimble that they will leap over high fences like a greyhound. They have an excrescence between their shoulders, somewhat like that of camels, all fat and flesh; some of which will weigh about three or four score pounds; they are also beautifully coloured, some are streaked like a tiger, others, like a leopard, are marked with various spots. They do not give so much milk as our cows in England, nor will they ever suffer themselves to be milked till their calves have first sucked; so that they keep one calf for every cow all the year, or till the cow is pregnant again, and they seldom miss a season. Here are also some sheep with large heavy tails, like Turkey sheep; they are not woolly as ours, but more like a goat. Here are also a small number of goats, like those in other countries. They bring up no hogs, though there are enough in the country; for they are so mischievous to the plantations, that we are forced to set traps to catch them; but in this country of Anterndroea nobody eats them, except the very refuse of the people.

Whilst I was peaceably tending my cattle, and all things seemed perfectly quiet and easy, the scene of our affairs was changed at once by some sudden news, and my master was summoned to war in good earnest.

It is a common practice for parties to stroll out and surprise their enemies by night, when least they expect them: on these expeditions it is customary for every man to carry a piece of meat in his hand, and when they have entered a town in the dead of night they throw the meat to the dogs, in order to prevent their barking. When they are all got in, one fires a musket, but makes no other noise; the inhabitants thereupon being alarmed, and hastily creeping out of the doors of their low huts in a stooping posture, are stabbed with lances: as to the women and children they take them captive, and drive away with them all the cattle they can find, set the town on fire, and return home by private unpractised ways. In this manner did my master, his brother, and some others belonging to deaan Crindo, enter several of the king of Mefaughla’s remote and defenceless towns; whereupon, in order to retaliate the indignity offered him, the injured king mustered up an army of three thousand men, and entered Anterndroea, with a firm resolution either to fight the deaan in the field, or attack him in his own town, called Fennoarevo; and by fire to lay it level with the ground: accordingly he sent a messenger to deaan Crindo, to tell him that he should soon feel the weight of his just resentment. To which he answered, he would not stir out of the town but wait for him there; and defied him to put his purpose in execution.

Deaan Crindo, therefore, summoned all his people to his assistance, and to be ready at hand in Fennoarevo, or the adjacent villages. He had four sons who were chiefs of towns, besides nephews and grandsons. His sons were deaan Mundumber, deaan Frukey, deaan Trodaughe, but deaan Chahary was unfortunately gone with five hundred able men to traffic into Feraignher; which is Augustine-bay country.

It is a constant custom amongst them in time of war to conceal their wives, children, and cattle in remote and secret places in the woods, that the enemy when they plunder the country may not be able to find them; but the women and children are never with the cattle, lest their bellowing should discover them. The women for the most part secure themselves, by trailing a bough after them as they go to their recess; which prevents their track from being followed. Thus did my master and his people secure their wives, children, and cattle. I was left with the latter; for that reason am incapable of giving an exact account of this war, knowing no more of it than what was told me at their return; which in general was to the following effect.

That deaan Woozington, the king, and his son Chemermaundy, with Ryopheck his nephew, a gallant man who commanded the army of Merfaughla, entered the country without the least opposition; for deaan Crindo having received his menacing message, took care in the first place to secure the families and cattle belonging to his people, and then drew up all his armed men in the town, resolving to wait for his coming; but deaan Mundumber, Frukey, and the younger chiefs, had not patience to hear of his passing without resistance; so they prevailed on the king, though against his will, to let them go out with two thousand men and obstruct his march. Deaan Crindo, however, was resolute and would not stir out of the town. This army was commanded in chief by deaan Mundumber and Frukey; who behaved themselves with great courage and conduct, first sending word to deaan Woozington, that they were come by their father’s command to give him a suitable reception into their country, and hoped he would not fail to meet them. To which he answered, he would most assuredly pay them a visit and make himself welcome; and was as good as his word. They joined battle, and Mundumber was obliged to retire, which he did in good order after a sharp and obstinate fight; in which deaan Woozington’s son was dangerously wounded. Deaan Mundumber returned to his father with eight hundred men, and used his utmost endeavours to prevail on him to go out with his forces, and give deaan Woozington battle; but the old king persisted in his first resolution. So Mundumber continued at home with him, and fortified the town as well as the time would admit.

After this, deaan Frukey and Trodaughe made themselves masters of a pass between two hills, and cut down several large trees to defend them; by which means they entirely stopped deaan Woozington’s progress, notwithstanding he attacked them in the most vigorous manner, and was as gallantly repulsed: at last, Ryopheck, by the direction of a man who was well acquainted with the country, got behind them, and deaan Woozington, at the same time, with Ryopheck charged them again. Frukey, however, and his brethren, were obliged to retire, which they did with great resolution, even through Ryopheck’s party. In this action Ryopheck, who was always in the hottest place, with much difficulty escaped.

Though deaan Woozington at last arrived at Fennoarevo, and attacked it in a vigorous manner, yet he was as bravely repulsed; deaan Crindo and his sons resisting till they were overpowered, and when their enemies were got within the town, they even disputed every inch of ground, till deaan Crindo himself was obliged to cut down several trees, which are their walls, to make a way for their escape. He so much depended on his own courage and conduct, that he kept his wife and daughter in his own house, notwithstanding all the other women and children were sent away long before; these unhappily fell into the hands of deaan Woozington, and were made his captives. The town was reduced to ashes, as soon as they had plundered it of such trifles as their treasures consist in, the principal of which are beads; these they often conceal in holes: so that there is nothing to be got but iron shovels, hoes, earthen and wooden dishes, spoons, &c. some cattle, indeed, they found, which were brought into the town for their necessary subsistence during the siege; and in such cases these cattle live well enough upon the thatches of their houses. They had also filled a great many tubs with water.

Deaan Crindo was inconsolable for the loss of his wife and daughter, and like a distracted man; when his sons told him if he would now join them, as he should have done at first, they were yet able to deal with deaan Woozington. And accordingly they mustered all their forces into one army, and made a number equal to their enemies. Deaan Woozington having no intelligence of this, was detaching a thousand men to plunder the country, and bring in all the women, children, and cattle they could find; which is their constant practice after a complete victory. Just at this juncture deaan Crindo appeared with his potent army, and sent messengers to acquaint him that he must either deliver up the queen and princess with the other people and cattle he was possessed of, or immediately decamp and give them battle. Deaan Woozington in answer thereto, assured him he had no thoughts of detaining his wife and daughter, neither did he come for slaves or cattle, he having plenty of both; but since deaan Crindo had sent him a challenge boasting of his superior strength, and bidding defiance to all the kings on the island, on account of the number of white men that were his friends, he came to see them; but as he could find none, he hoped that the proud deaan Crindo was sufficiently mortified; so he was ready to send him his wife and daughter again: but as to the few slaves and cattle which he had taken, his people should detain them to make themselves some compensation for the robberies which Mevarrow, and some others, had committed in his country.

At last a peace was concluded, and sworn to by the generals on both sides, with the usual formality of killing an ox, and eating a piece of the liver from off the point of a lance; each general wishing at the same time, that whoever first fired a gun might die upon the spot. The ceremony being over, public rejoicings were made on both sides; deaan Woozington returned into his own country, and deaan Crindo to rebuild his shattered town, which was finished with the utmost expedition, and all his chiefs with their people repaired to their respective homes.

As soon as we were well settled again, three boys who belonged to some principal men of our town, and myself, were sent some miles off with about two hundred head of cattle, to look after them and provide for ourselves. There were not above five or six of them however, which gave milk, so that we were at a short allowance: if we expected any other diet, we must search for it in the woods, and get it where and when we could find it. My mistress furnished me with an earthen pot to warm my milk in, a calabash to drink out of, and a mat to lie upon. My master gave me a hatchet to make fences with, and a lance to fight with if any body came to steal my cattle: he also gave me a new clout, to wear after their country fashion, my old one being worn out; the common people seldom wear one broader than a napkin; they call it a lamber, and so shall I for the future; the name of a—se-clout (by which our English seamen distinguish it by way of derision) being too vulgar an expression.

We drove our cattle to the proposed place, and the first thing we employed ourselves about was, the erection of a house, which we completed in about a day and a half. We finished our cow-pen next, and made a small one for the calves, to keep them from sucking while we milked the cows. Our house, however, was but a poor little hut, and but badly thatched; and it being the rainy season, (which is their winter, and sometimes very cold,) we had but a very indifferent lodging. We kept, indeed, a fire, and happy was he who could lie nearest it; for we had no other covering than our lambers, which we pulled off to lay over us. Now I began to feel the weight of my slavery, being almost famished; for all the food we could get, was a small fowl now and then, which creeps upon the ground; and which we caught in traps.

We lived in this melancholy situation almost three months, but at last we formed a project for killing one of our master’s beasts, and dressing it in private. A great many schemes were offered, till at length I proposed one, which was unanimously agreed to; namely, to kill a cow by stabbing her in the side with a sharp pointed stick, and make the horn of another cow, which belonged to the same man, all over bloody, that he might imagine the misfortune came by goring. But then a debate arose, whose beast should be killed; for every one was unwilling that his master should be the sufferer. However, I soon determined that point, by drawing lots with four sticks shorter than each other; and I so contrived it, that I kept the longest in my hand, and by that means secured my master’s.

When the job was done, away ran the boy to inform his master that one heifer had killed another; he and his family came immediately upon the news, and finding a cow with a bloody horn, they all concluded it was done by her. Though the master was sadly nettled at the disaster, yet he soon cut up the dead beast, and gave us a good large piece of it, besides the legs and the entrails; and then went home again. Thus far our scheme succeeded to our wish, but our principal aim was, under colour of having meat given us by our masters, to despatch another heifer privately; and if any person happened to see us (as we were not far from strangers, though we were from our own homes) and ask how we came by our beef, we could say our masters gave it us. But success made us too bold, for one day having killed a beast that had strayed from some other people amongst ours, our masters came to see their cattle, which they found in the cow pens, but finding none of us near them, they began to suspect us: whereupon they divided themselves, and made a more narrow inquiry; one of them heard a noise in the wood, like the felling of trees, where we were very busy; and following the sound, they soon smelt roast meat: in short, our masters surprised us, and came at once amongst us with their guns cocked, crying out, _vonne terach com boar_; which in English is, kill the sons of bitches.

The reader may imagine we were frightened to the last degree, and expected nothing but immediate death; and indeed it proved almost fatal to the other three. They asked us whose beast it was? We answered, a strange one. They told us, however, that the crime was the same; for if we had practised the art of killing cattle privately, they were sensible that theirs must some time or other be our prey, when no others offered; and for that reason were resolved to punish us with the utmost severity. Hereupon each of my comrades’ masters took his slave, and in an instant castrated him. I, not relishing that sort of punishment, fell down at my master’s feet, and endeavoured all I could to convince him that I had been peculiarly careful of his cattle; and told him, moreover, that I would stand the chance of being killed by submitting myself to be shot at, provided he stood at any reasonable distance; or run any other hazard he should think fit, rather than be deprived of my manhood. My proposition was accepted, and accordingly he took me out of the wood and tied my arms behind me round a tree, and placed himself at about fourscore yards; then seeming to take good aim at me, fired, but missed me: whether he did it on purpose I can’t say, but I presume he did; imagining the terror was sufficient, having seen how severely the others were punished. They went away, and told us if ever they found us at such pranks again, nothing should save us from immediate death.

They were no sooner gone from us than I began to reflect on the injustice of our masters, who, though they had cattle of their own, would frequently oblige us to go with them on their thievish expeditions; and yet so severely punish us for one poor crime to satisfy our craving appetites. However, after all, I was forced to be doctor to my comrades in distress, for their masters took no care of them; so I warmed some water and washed off the blood, and dressed their wounds: I was also forced while we remained there to look after all the cattle, and milk them too; for they were not perfectly recovered, when orders were brought us to return with our cattle. As my poor comrades could scarce walk, I made the messenger who came to us assist me in driving the cattle home.

When I came home, I was soon informed that deaan Tuley-Noro, king of Antenosa, had given my master all this trouble by marching his people into Anterndroea, and demanding satisfaction of deaan Crindo for the murder of the white men. Now, though this was two years and a half before (for so long I had been in the country) yet I soon heard that captain Drummond, captain Steward, Mr Bembo, and the rest, who escaped the night before the massacre, were with him; and that there had not been, during all that time, a ship at Port Dauphine, for them to return in; but that notwithstanding they lived free and entirely at their own disposal. This deaan Tuley-Noro was king Samuel, whom I mentioned before, and whose dominions were on the other side of the river Manderra.

As soon as I got home I was taken from the cattle, and two men were ordered to guard me and see that I did not run away to king Samuel. The next day we heard the Antenosa people were within ten miles of our town, which put them all into a great hurry and confusion. The cattle were sent one way, and the women and children another; poor Robin, their white slave, was along with them, but had his hands tied behind him. I had not been long there before a messenger came to my mistress in great haste, with order to send me to my master in the camp, for the white men were to purchase me, and proposed to give two Buccaneer guns as a valuable consideration. My mistress was loth to part with me; I dissembled as much as I could, and showed a seeming reluctance at parting since I had been so long amongst them; though at the same time I struggled hard to conceal my joy. I kneeled down and licked her feet, thanking her for all her favours, and away I went with the messenger, in great hopes now of seeing some of my countrymen again, and getting a passage to England. But see how fortune tantalized me! It was twenty miles, or thereabouts, to the camp where my master was; and it might be somewhat after midnight when we arrived there: my master set a watch over me the remaining part of the night, and made me swear I would never discover the hiding places of their wives and cattle; which I readily complied with.

The next morning king Samuel sent to know if I was come, and desired they would permit a hundred men to be sent down with me between the two camps; and he would send the like number to meet them with the two Buccaneer guns. This being agreed to, deaan Crindo ordered my master to go with the party; and king Samuel seeing them approach, gave directions for his men to meet them; among whom were captain Drummond, and the rest of the white men. When we came near one another, captain Drummond, being glad to see me, called me by my name; and asked me how I did. My master, thereupon, clapped his hand upon my mouth, and vowed if I offered to speak he would kill me; so that I durst not return any answer. Captain Drummond finding I made no reply, imagined, as I suppose, that I could not hear, whereupon he and the white men came nearer. My master, on their approach, thought they came to take me by force, and cheat them of the two guns; upon this he ordered his men to fire at them: so that instead of a parley and an exchange of me for the two guns, a skirmish ensued, and both armies advanced to support each other’s party. I was immediately sent away under a strong guard to the woods, where I parted with my mistress the night before: so that this pleasing prospect of deliverance was nothing more than a short transitory dream of liberty, which immediately vanished; and made me only feel the weight of slavery much more sensibly than before. Which way I returned back I cannot tell; but sure I am, I was in such a disorder of mind as a condemned criminal is when going to execution. In a few hours, however, I found myself in my former station; my legs in parra-pingo (a fastening almost like fetters) for fear I should run away: my old companions stood round about me, and my mistress and the women were glad to see me again. But I was in too melancholy a mood to return them any compliments; nor could they extract from me any thing but tears and exclamations at my hard fortune. I wished for death, and was very near being gratified in my desire two days after.

The next day news came that deaan Tuley-Noro was returning back to his own country; he being (as they said) obliged to retire by deaan Crindo, though the Antenosa army was twice their number. We were also ordered to return home, and I was released from parra-pingo, and set at liberty; my guard being also discharged.

The day following came deaan Mevarrow, deaan Sambo, and their little army, entering the town with great pomp and grandeur, as if they had gained some extraordinary victory; though I heard of nothing but a little bush-fighting and ambuscades. The deaan, however, sat himself down with his brother, the other chiefs, and the rest in the usual form before his house: my mistress, according to custom, crept out to lick her hero’s feet; when she had done, the rest of the women performed the same ceremony; and after them the slaves, among whom I was one. As I was getting up to depart, he ordered me to stay; I stood some time to hear him tell his wife, how like a coward deaan Tuley-Noro behaved himself, though he had twice their number of men. After he had told his tale, he turned his head, and with an angry countenance asked me what the white men said when they called me? Sir, said I, they only asked me how I did? And nothing else, said he. I replied, no, sir. At this he rose up in a rage, cocked his gun, and put the muzzle to my breast; saying, if I did not tell him the truth he would shoot me that moment. I was not much daunted, as I had little or no regard for my life in my then melancholy humour; so with little concern I repeated what I said. At this he pulled the trigger, but Providence being pleased to preserve me for some other purpose, the cock snapped, and missed fire. Whether the prime was wet in the pan, or by what other miracle it was I escaped his fury, I cannot say; but that not succeeding to his wish, he took his lance to stab me; when his brother and the rest of his chief men ran in between us and told him it was cruel and inhuman, and that he had better have killed me at first, than saved me only to terrify me with death on every slight occasion; there being no reason at all for such severe treatment. With much persuasion he returned to his seat and told them there were just grounds to suspect the white men had formed a design to commit some treacherous action, since they came nearer than they ought to have done. And, indeed, their fears proceeded from a natural dread they have of white men, ten of whom will drive fifty black men before them. Besides, captain Drummond and the rest being completely armed with pistols in their girdles, was an additional terror to them. What was the true reason of king Samuel’s retiring I know not; but when this broil was over, my curiosity led me to understand the whole affair; which was thus related to me.

King Samuel’s intention was to have marched directly to Fennoarevo, and fall upon deaan Crindo before he could be provided for him: his way lay over a large plain called Ambovo, leading to a great wood; through which they must also pass. Deaan Crindo having more timely notice than they expected, laid an ambuscade in the wood; king Samuel being lame of the gout was carried on men’s shoulders; they suffered him and great part of his army to enter the wood, and then gave the signal: whereupon deaan Crindo’s men arose and attacked them so vigorously and with so much advantage, (knowing the wood which the others did not,) that king Samuel himself was in danger of being taken; but was gallantly defended by the white men, and others of his bravest people. They were obliged, however, to retire into the plain, where they encamped, as did deaan Crindo’s people close by the wood side, and even in it; by that means securing themselves from the superior number of the Antenosa army, which, as they were informed, consisted of six thousand men. Here they came to a parley: king Samuel sent one of his chiefs to acquaint deaan Crindo, that he had no intention to deprive him either of his cattle or his slaves; but that as he had been brought up among white men, all such were his friends; and he looked on himself obliged in duty and honour to demand some satisfaction of deaan Crindo, for the white men he had so inhumanly sacrificed to his resentment; and if there were any yet alive, he desired to have them in order to send them to their native country.