m N A R R A T I V E OF A N
c h a p. on the Hakes. She further allured ns, that none of. his
people were trufted. with arms, until they had firft
ferved him fome.years as Haves, and given him unquef-
tionable proofs o f fidelity and refolution. But theie, Hie
obferyed, were but few in number, when, compared to
his numerous vaflals, who were bound to do without
murmuring whatever he thought proper to command
them ; yet that he-jfcM was- snore beloved than he was
feared, on account o f his inflexible jpftice and. manly
courage*.
On the 4th December, this poor woman and her boy
were lent to Paramaribo, with Enlign de Ca&siinm^who
had-taken them : he had at, the fame time nearly leized
a young girl about fifteen, who by her great agility, and'
being ftark naked, flipped out of his hands ::
r— ...»»■■— <f Fugit ocior aurg
fe Ilia Jevi; neque ad hxc rcvocantis yerba refiftit:
“ Nympha, precor, Peneia, mane: non infequor holtis.
(c Nympha, mane.” '— . ..
O vid.
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 mailer’s plantation.
It is remarkable, that when the hoy faw the firft cow ox
harfe he almoft fell into convulfions with terrqr; nor
could he bear to be touched by any white perfon, whom
6 he
E X P ED I T I O N TO S U R I N A M. Ï75
he never had leen before, and whom he conftantly called
Vpr\ca, which in his language'fignifies the devil.
About thi§( timf|&, dead fea-reow, or manatee^ by the
French called Lamantifii floating paft Jerufalem, the negro
flaves- fell upon it, dike fo- many croWs upon a carrion,
fwitriming' round it, feme with a nifty knife, feme
with a bill-hook, and each'Carrying - off a flice for his
dinner;-at laft they ■ 'dragged the ftiriking animal on fhore,
of, whièh f ih’ftantly took a drawing, ■ - This manatee was
exadtty fi-xteen feet long, almoft fhapelefs, being an enormous
lump of fat, tapering backwards to a flelhy, broad,
hOTfêöfital taik': It had a thick: round- head,,aflattilh fnout,
lajrge noftrils, with ftrong briftles both on its 'nófe and
chin, Tmall5 eyeè, and auditory holés-inftead ó f ears. In-
ftead o f fëèt, it had two excrefcónóe^ Or ftefhy fins,'like
thole*of* the fea-turtle, ’projecting!pear its head ; with
thefe it fwims^and moves awkwardly to eat the grafs on
the banks of'^the rivers,'Tjeing an amphibious animal.
,The "colour Was a greenifh blank; the fkin wasdiard and
urieveb, covered with large- knobs, circular wrinkles, and
with; a very few ftiff hairs thinly fcattered. It had
grinders‘ bht no fore-teeth,’ and a very Ihort tongue’.-
The fea-cow or manatee is,'like the whale, a viviparous
animal, the female fuckling its young by the help of its
fwimmers. They are very- numerous in the river Amazons;
their flefh, it is faid, refembles veal, and is very good
food. This was, however, too far advanced in a ftate o f
putridity, for me to tafte it. It had the marks o f being
twice
CHAP.
XXIII.
m i