which is a kernel, and this is covered near half an inch
thick with an orange - Coloured pulp, that has a moft
agreeable acid tafte^ They are feldom ufed till the apples
by ripenefs drop, from the tree, when the Indians fteep
them in water, and by maceration convert them into a
moft healthy ;and agreeable beverage.
An. exprefs oh; the 21ft arriving by. water from Colonel
Fourgeoud, informing us that the alarm-guns * had
been fired in the river Pirica, we! inftantly crofted ito the
oppofite or weft fhore of the river Gotticaj .where the
rangers, with a party of marines, wieroagain;' ordered to
■ Me; in jarphufeadp ,or under cover, im hopes offeutthag off
the, rebel? on their retreat, when they returned ta erofs
the Cpttica river with, their booty. And this very, afternoon,
a rebel negro was feen with a green hamper, who,
ftartled by the fmell of. tobacco (for; feme of the rangers-
wej’e fmoking) „ftopt fhort o f his own. .accord-,: He was
inftantly fired at by me and one ranger.: when the wu-
rimbo or hamper dropped to the%ground, but he himfelf
efcaped. This bundle we found fluffed with ia; dozen. of
the fineft table linen, a cocked gold-laced hat, and a couple
of. fuperb India chintz petticoats, &c. the bulk Of
which I gave to my black companion, referring only the
chintzes for another friend at Paramaribo.
The free negroes now rufhing forwards with unre-
* By this is meant minute-guns, which neighbouring plantations, foon alarm the
are fired on the eftateswhenin danger; whole river, and' bring alfiftance from.
Thefe, being regularly anfwered by the , every quarter..
llrained
ftrained v a lo u r I afked Colonel Seybufg liberty to follow
them; and.calling for volunteers, a great number prefented
themfelvesi:-which, howpver, '-the. Colonel thought proper
.to reduce,- to with wham he fent me off; and
having, ferambled through thorns k and briars woven together
like, a net-nr a mat, which .tore one o f my thighs
in a. terrible-Jnanner, I overtook, the m;-at] one mile’s distance
from the camp,: Shortly after Aye- difeovered thirteen
’freflxhuts, Where.th’eirebels, we-conjectured, had flept but
a - feyr nights -before. In conference o f this, I now dif-
fjpdched a ranger back to Colonel Seybiirg to give him inf
ftelligence, and aik permiffi'on for the rangers and myfelf
to march forward to Pirica With Oh t ddlay,t^lxopes to meet
the enemy : but ‘the ahfwe'r Vais a p^effiptbfy mtder inftantly
to rejoin him with all hands. We now returned
difeufted back to the camp; my fable companions in particular
extremely difcoqtented, apd making many''JjY&k'd,
and Jarc0{c remarks*
we foutld a reinforcement juft arrived from §H |
rufalem^<confiding of fixtyrm|en, ;black and white, with
pofitive orders for us tq break up and march e iily the
ngxt morping for- Pirica River, while this wftole night
a ftrong party lay, once more in ambufh.
.• Accordingly at fix, o’clock, with the rifing-fun,„all wa!s_
in readings, but by fome unaccountable-delay it was very
late before we left the camp; during .which. time we
were informed that a canpe was feen qr offing the river
with qne fingle negro in it, who was no doubt the poor
fellow
CHAP.
XXII.