n
least for that day, and I hastened back to
Mr. Butler’s, eager to enquire into the particulars
of the horrid catastrophe.
That gentleman informed me, that the
night of the arrival of our ship, a chief had
set one of his kookies (or slaves) to watch a
piece of ground planted with the koomera,
or sweet potato, in order to prevent the hogs
committing depredations upon it. The poor
lad delighted with the appearance of our
vessel, was more intent upon observing her
come to an anchor, than upon guarding his
master’s property, and suffered the hogs to
ramble into the plantation, where they soon
made dreadful havoc. In the midst of this
trespass, and neglect of orders, his master
arrived ! The result was certain; he instantly
killed the unfortunate boy with a blow on the
head from his stone hatchet. Then ordered
a fire to be made, and the body to be dragged
to it, where it was roasted and consumed.
It was now time to return on board, and
we walked down to the beach for that purpose,
but it was quite low water, and the boat
was full two hundred feet off. She lay at the
end of a long, slimy, muddy flat, and while
we were debating how we should manage to
get to her, the native chiefs took up the
females in their arms, as though they were
children, and in spite of all their blushes and
remonstrances, carried them to the boat, and
placed them safely in i t ; each seeming to
enjoy the task. They then returned and
gave us a passage, walking as easily with us
upon their backs, as if we had been no heavier
than so many muskets. We took care not to
shock the feelings of the females, by letting
them know the tragedy so lately acted in the
village, or horrify them by telling them that
one of their carriers was the murderer! It
would have been difficult to have made them
believe that such a noble looking and good-
natured fellow had so lately imbrued his hands
in the blood of a fellow creature!
We had now been lying here two days, and
the curiosity of the people did not diminish,
nor'were our visiters less numerous. Parties
were hourly coming up and down the river
to pay their respects to our captain; and the
report of there being numerous passengers on