' 77?- bound? and then told me how I fhould lay my tacks to ftarboard and larboard. I thanked them, and got away from them as well as I could; on which they formed a ring round my fervant, and chattered to him about the road till his head was quite turned. At length they got into a difpute themfelves about the fame fubjedt, by which means we both got loofe from them. What was now to be done ? Being without chart or compafs, I endeavoured to diredt my courfe by .the fun, till I overtook a black heathen, who was tending iheep; and in confequence of whofe fober and fenfible directions, I arrived in the evening at a farm-houfe, the bailiff of which, a Hanoverian, welcomed me in the moft friendly manner, with a hearty flap of the hand, in the African ftyle. He entertained me with milk, and an account of the love affairs and intrigues he had when he was a ioldier in England. He alio gave me a lift (which, by his defire, I took down in my pocket-book, as the refult of his own experience) of the conftant order o f precedence in love, which ought to be obferved among the fair fex in Africa: this was as follows. Firft the Madagafcar women, who are the blackeft and handfomeft; next to thefe the Malabars, then the Bugunefe or Malays, after thefe the Hottentots, and laft and worft of all, the white Dutch women. The exceflively nice ftewed cabbage we had for fupper, he fuppofed to be the beft in the world; and at the fame time, that its crifpnefs proceeded from the foil being highly impregnated with falt-petre. In fadt, the land here was fandy and low, and probably contained much fea-falt. Being but two chriftians among twelve or fourteen men flaves, we bolted the door fail, and had five loaded loaded pieces hung over our bed. During the whole evening I had feen thè flaves in fuch good humour, and fo kindly and familiarly treated, that (with regard to their temporal matters at leaft) they really feemed to be better off than many fervants in Europe ; I therefore obferved to my hoft, that his mildnefs and kindnefs was the beft pledge for their good behaviour, and the fureft preferva- tive againft their attacks. It may be fo, replied he, but befidesthat, feveral runaway and rebel flaves are continually wandering about, in order to plunder houfes of vidtuals and fire-arms, or elfe to draw others over to their party ; we have likewife inftances of the blacks becoming furious at night, and committing murder, more particularly on the perfons of their mailers ; but fometimes, i f they cannot get at them, on fome of their comrades, or elfe upon themfelves. I am here in the place of a matter to them, and am obliged to punifli them whenever they behave ill to me or to each other. The Bugunefe in particular are revengeful, and nice about the adminiftration o f juftice. In order to avoid jealoufy, quarrels, and murder, my maf- ter does not permit any female flaves to be kept here ; but I could wiih it were otherwife, as well as in other places, where I formerly was a fervant. Now they are lonefome and folitary, and confequently flow and fluggiih enough. The chief o f my matter’s income from this farm arifes from the breeding of horfes. . Could he keep female flaves here, he would get ftill more by the propagation o f the human fpecies ; and indeed, a female flave who is prolific, is always fold for three times as much as one that is barren. Y p l . I. L Front m p April.
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