27a ' N A R R A T I V E O F A N
c h a p . « dered by the fons o f a neighbouring prince. To re-
. XX- L . “ venge his death, I daily went a hunting with fome
“ men, in hopes of retaliating upon his aflaflinsf but I
“ had the misfortune to be -furprized, taken, and bound ;
“ hence thefe ignoble fears. I was afterwards fold ta
« your European countrymen on the coaft of Guiana—a
«punilhment which was deemed greater than inftant
« death.’*
The hiftory of Quaco, my black boy, was Rill more
extraordinary:— « My parents,” faid he, « lived by hunt-'
#< ing and fifhing: I was ftolen from them very young,
« whilft playing on the fands with two little brothers; 5
« I was put into a fack, and carried for feveral miles. I
« afterwards became the flave o f a king on the coaft o f
«, Guinea, with feveral hundreds more. When bur matter
« died, the principal part o f his flaves were beheaded
v and buried along with h im ; I, with fome other chil-*
« dren o f my age, were beftowed as prefents to the dif.
« ferent captains o f his army; and the matter o f a Dutch
« fhip afterwards had me, in exchange, for a mUiket and
«fome gun-powder.”— Each loves his country beft, i f
mild its laws, or rigid :
“ The naked negro, panting atthe line,
. “ Boafts of his golden lands and palmy wine}
tc Bafks in the glare, or Items the tepid wave,
“ And thanks his gods for all the good they gave
« Such is the patriot’s boaft, where’er he- roam,
u His firft beft country ever is at home.”
No
E X P E D I T I O N T O S U R I N AM .
No fooner do thefe wretched ftrangers begin to flag at
their labour, than whips^i cow-fkins, bamboos, ropes, fetters,
!and chains ;are introduced, until they are ready, to
fink under accumulated oppreflaon. With fome matters
their talks pah never be performed,-as they mutt toil on,
,day and nightf .even Sundaysmot excepted.' I recollp<ft a
ftfongfyourngi n%rb,^eldkdrAf^rf^j: who had a wife he
loyed-, with two fine children^ he laboured hard, and generally
finilhed Jiis talk tof, diggbagpa trench o f five hundred
feet by four ofclqck in the; afternoon, that he might
haveifonie; time to cultiy-ate hjs little garden, ahd go to
fifh or fowl to fupport his beloved family: hard .did Marquis,
ftrive to earn this additional' pittance, when: his humane
matter,^ apprized o f his. induftfy;vfof• his encouragement
informed him, that i f he could delve fivcihundred
feet by fpur o’clock, he could certainly finilh fix hundred
"before fun-fet:V'and th|sutalk themnformnate) .young man
•was' Condemned from that daymVef fince to perform. .
• h Inr^prin'am the flaives are kept nearlymaked, and their
daily^fobd^confifts of little more than a few yams and
plantains^ perhaps twice a year they may receive a fcanty
allowance of falt-fifh, with a few.leaves o f tobacco,.'which
they call f'Weety-mujfo, and this; is a ll: but What is peculiarly
provoking to them is, that i f a negro and his wife
have ever fo great an attachment for each other, the
woman, if handfome, mutt yield to the loathfome embrace
o f an adulterous and licentious manager, or fee her
hufband cut to pieces for endeavouring to prevent it.
VoL. II. N n This
jfr
■ HA
2 73 . 11 M l
C H A P .
XXVI.
M 3