CHAPTER XLI.
Negroes: Occupations—Agricultural labourers—Black sailors—Their excessive gormandizing—The hungry captain’s disappointment—Black cooks—“Melted butter”—A receipt for a cookery book—The obtrusive fish—Grooms and “house boys”—An old planter’s opinion—Concluding remarks.
After mentioning the recreations, dress, and general habits of the negroes, it may be necessary to give some account of their principal occupations. By far the greater part of the black population, as will be seen in the statistical portion of this work, are employed in the cultivation of the sugar-cane, which, although very laborious, pays them better than any other work. When engaged in this pursuit, the hours of labour are as follows:—the bell rings at six o’clock in the morning, and the negroes proceed to the field, and remain there until nine, when the bell again rings, and they go to their breakfast; an hour being allowed for that purpose, they enter the field at ten, and remain until twelve, when they leave for their dinners; at two they resume their labours, which continue until six, when their daily work is finished. It must be remarked, that during the short days, they scarcely reach the field until near eight; and just as the sun begins to sink, they confidently assert it is after six, and refuse to work any longer, let the hour be what it may. During the time of slavery, such women as were nursing did not commence working until seven o’clock; but in these days of freedom, they do not resume the hoe until their children are nine or ten months old. Some of the negroes gain a very plentiful subsistence, by buying a horse and cart, and carting manure to the different estates; others again will agree with a planter to do a certain portion of work; they procure other labourers, and when the work is finished, they divide the profits; but let them do whatever they will, they contrive to make such bargains, that they never fail in obtaining a good supply of that necessary evil—money.
Besides agricultural labourers, there are a great many artisans, fishermen, and sailors. With regard to these last, I cannot say whether they are very firm in times of danger; but from ocular demonstration, I can assert, that when the sky and sea looks fair, they are very careless, although, from July to October, the West Indian seas are very liable to sudden squalls. These black sailors generally confine themselves to the navigation of the Caribbean Sea, making voyages in small vessels to the different islands. Very few of them know all the points of the compass, some of them not any—their manner of steering being more after the manner of the ancients. They see the sun when he rises, and they know that is the east; they observe him when he sets, and that, they are aware, is the west. Their mode of proceeding when upon these voyages is, to keep within sight of land as much as they can; and in most parts, the channels between the different islands are so narrow, that this is not difficult; but to make a bold stretch across, so as to lose all landmarks, they seldom or never think of. The greatest peculiarity among these black sailors is their extreme voracity—never were there greater eaters. In my frequent voyages in these small vessels to the other islands, I have had numberless opportunities of observing this; for from the confinement of the cabins, and the great heat of the climate, the deck is the only supportable part of the vessel, and there it is the sailors partake of their dinners. Such piggins of fungy, with accompaniments of rice or potatoes, salt fish, or beef, as I have then seen consumed, and in such a short period, is really marvellous! Even when at the helm, they are occupied in eating biscuit, of which they generally manage to have their pockets full.
Upon one occasion, I was coming from St. Kitts to Antigua, on board one of these small craft. The second day from our leaving, the sailors caught a very large sucking-fish, (remora,) which was scarcely pulled upon the deck, before they commenced the operation of cooking it. The “captain,” as he termed himself, was that day unfortunately tormented by a violent headache; and after seeing their prize safely deposited in a huge kettle of water, laid himself down to sleep, in hopes of getting rid of his unwelcome visitant. “Soft slumber” sealed his eye for many an hour; but when at length he awoke, his first demand was for some of the tempting dish, whose early stage of cookery he had so ably inspected. “All eat,” was the consoling reply to a hungry man. It was certainly provoking, and so he seemed to think; for he put himself into a violent passion immediately. “War for you eat aw dat fish for, eh? fish big so to. War for you go do so? You aw too much greedy—you aw reg’lar nagers.” And with much growling and grumbling, he was obliged to solace his unappeasable appetite with a hard biscuit, instead of his favourite fare.
This penchant for eating among the negro sailors is universally known. I have heard it remarked, by a gentleman of Antigua, (in answer to some query upon the subject,)—“Oh! have nothing to do with small vessels; or, if you have, on no account provision them, but rather pay them so much a week to find themselves; for those black sailors are never satisfied—they will be eating eleven hours in the day, and on the twelfth they are, or rather pretend to be, hungry. This, I am sure, is the fault of their mothers during infancy; for their common cry to them is—‘Eat, me pic’nee, eat; fill youself, an den go sleep;’ so that the custom grows upon them to that degree, that when they become men, they cannot break themselves of it.” So much for the remark; those who are acquainted with the subject will, I think, readily assent to the truth of it.
In times of slavery, it was customary, among some owners or managers of slaves, to allow such negroes as were not employed in the cane-field the privilege of hiring themselves out to strangers, providing they regularly paid to their masters a certain sum weekly from the wages they received. Many of them acquired a good sum by this permission; while others, again, although they earned high wages, had to pay so large a proportion to their proprietors, that they were not so well off in pecuniary matters as those negroes who remained upon the property. Still, they were comparatively more their own masters; and so dear to every breast is freedom, that they preferred doing so, and gaining less.
Another large body of negroes are to be met with as domestic servants. That there are some good servants among them none can deny; but I am sorry to say, they are seldom met with. In general, the men make better domestics than the females. Some of those who hire themselves as cooks are very clever in their profession, and will dress turtle in various delectable forms, equal, if not superior, to the vaunted cooks at “Cornhill,” or the celebrated “M. de Barre” (late cook to Louis XVIII.) himself. This is to be the more wondered at, as they have not half the conveniences in the culinary departments as their brother cooks on the other side of the water; on the contrary, many an invention has to issue from their teeming brain, before they can arrange these matters to their satisfaction. But one precaution must be carefully observed, in order to insure success: in cookery, they must be left entirely to their own discretion—no improvement proposed; for either they are obstinately bent on following their own plan, and will not adopt any other, or else they do not fully understand their instructions; and what was intended as an improvement will result in failure.
It is the practice in Antiguan cookery, when “melted butter” is used, merely to oil it, and send it to table in that state, which to many strangers proves disagreeable. Soon after my arrival in this country, I begged the cook to adopt some other plan, explaining at the same time, to the best of my abilities, how it was commonly done in England. The next day, at dinner, there was something “in such a” very “questionable shape” upon the table, that I was fain to summon Mr. Cook from his tenement, to ask what it might be. “Melted butter, missis,” quoth the knight of pots and kettles. “Melted butter!—impossible! it has more the appearance of pudding, boiled like the French cook’s, without a cloth.” “Eh, eh, missis, war for you go call him pudding? you no tell me put flower in de butter—it dat make him ’top so!” I was confounded. After my learned dissertation upon melted butter the day before, (which, by-the-bye, I borrowed from the worthy Dr. Kitchener himself,) to be served in this manner was too bad; however, it taught me never for the future to interfere with his department.
They have some peculiarities in dressing different meats in Antigua which I have never heard of being practised in other countries, although it must be owned my knowledge in such matters is very limited, not having devoted much of my time to studying the “Cook’s Oracle;” indeed, (the truth must be spoken,) I am better pleased to form an acquaintance with ragouts, or any other dainties, when they are upon the table, than I am to inspect their various formations, or become versed in their different modes of cookery. But as some of my readers may, with Peter Pindar, be fond of peeping into pots and pans, I will, for their benefit, try to elucidate kitchen mysteries for once in my life, and expound to them the method of doving meat, as the Antiguan cooks term such process. The first point to be achieved is, of course, to procure the meat, and then to see that the “igneous element,” as Mr. Dryden learnedly calls fire, has attained a sufficient degree of heat. These preliminary matters being adjusted, an iron pot is made thoroughly hot, the meat placed in it without the aid of water, and the utensil carefully covered over. In this fiery durance it is allowed to remain until one side becomes of an approved brown; it is then turned to another, until at length it arrives at that state of superexcellence, that, like “Sancho Panza’s cow’s heel,” it has only to cry “Come eat me, come eat me!”
The greatest fault to be found with these kitchen gentry, these black cooks of Antigua, is, that while from various meats and spices they are compounding ambrosial food for their masters, they forget the rules of equity, and, like the lordly lion of the forest, keep the largest share for themselves. This is done with impunity by all the class; they dread not even the “strong arm of the law,” nor exempt the lawyers themselves from this exaction, if report speaks true. When discovered in these petty thefts, they use the greatest art to make you believe it is a mistake, a slip of (not the tongue, but) the fingers, and, consequently, not their fault; or else, that “somebody” did the deed, and laid the blame at their door.
A gentleman proprietor of this island had a servant living with him who was famed for practising this particular species of depredation, quite an adept in the art, and who at the same time possessed a tongue well versed in the doctrine of excuses. Many and oft have been the occasions when this sable offender has appropriated to his own share the eatables which ought to have graced his master’s table, and yet escaped without reproof. But one day, (for so the Fates had willed it,) being pressed for time, “Lemon” was obliged to transfer to his pocket, instead of a place of more approved security, a fish he had adroitly managed to purloin, and hurry into the dining-room, (in his double capacity of cook and footman,) with the remainder properly dished up. “Truth,” says the old proverb, “will pop out its head;” and although the stubborn fish did not exactly do that, it made amends by popping out its tail, and proved to the master’s eye the undeniable fact of his servant’s deviation. Unconscious that his silent but no less true accuser had betrayed him, the faulty cook kept his stand, until, at length, his master, pointing at the same time to the purloined luxury, inquired, “Lemon, what is that you have in your pocket?” His blushes, if he knew how to blush, were effectually concealed by the blackness of his skin, while, with the counterfeit surprise of innocence, he replied to this question by asking another: “Pocket, massa? war pocket?” And then, turning his eye to that particular part of his garment, and perceiving in a moment that the presence of the obtruding fish could not be denied, with ready cunning, he continued, “You see dat, massa? you see dat, missis? you eber see how ‘de ebil’ (witchcraft) follow me! Ebil come quite in me pocket, come put fish dere, so make you aw tink me go tief it!” Oh, worthy Lemon! oh, noble son of Ham! hadst thou lived in the days when Jupiter and his train peopled bright Olympus, undoubtedly thou wouldst have been turned into a constellation as a reward for thy ingenuity!
Among the grooms and “house-boys” (as the Antiguans call their domestic men-servants) there are also some to be met with who have a fair character for general good behaviour, but they are rare instances—seldom found. The greater part of the grooms are too fond of galloping their masters’ horses, (a practice common with most negroes, who will ride almost as soon as they can walk;) and with respect to the latter-mentioned class, indolence and prevarication form (as we have already seen) too often the predominant traits in their character.
Another peculiarity among this tribe is the freedom with which they address their employers. This has even increased, if anything, since emancipation; for now they are free, they appear to think themselves upon an equality with the highest in the land. They condescend, it is true, to take your money, but at the same time seem to think it a degradation to do your work. If it is necessary to find fault with any part of their conduct, they generally return a saucy answer, or else make this rejoinder—“Bery well, as we can’t agree, we best part; me no care to hire meself out again;” and immediately collecting their different articles together, (including, perhaps, some belonging to their master or mistress, of course by mistake!) away they go, and the only plan you can adopt is, to procure another domestic in their place, who, perhaps, acts even worse.
I would not wish to be thought unreasonably prepossessed in favour of my own country-people, but, conscientiously speaking, I have never met with one black domestic who acts with the same degree of propriety as most of the English servants do. If you keep them at their proper distance, they become dissatisfied, and complain of your being harsh to them; if, on the contrary, you shew them any degree of attention, and try to make their situation as comfortable as possible, they then assume too much, and entirely forget the difference of rank. Try to serve them, and it is ten chances to one you make them your enemy; do them ninety-nine favours, and refuse the hundredth, and you are reviled and blamed as if you had injured them.
An old English gentleman, who had spent the greater part of his life in Antigua, and who has several hundreds of these people under his control, used to say, that “the worse you behave to a negro, the better he behaves to you.” This is a doctrine, however, which I do not admit, let the negro character be as defective as it may.
Oh! slavery, slavery! when will all the train of evils thou hast originated cease? when will thy pestilential influence be abolished in these beautiful, but (I must add it) crime-stained islands? Another and another generation will have to pass away ere prejudice is no more—ere suspicion is lulled to sleep, before the servant will learn to look up to his master as his protector, and the master view without distrust the services of his domestic, and find in him an humble friend.
CHAPTER XLII.
Negroes: Employment of the women—Washing—A scene at the pond—Conversations—The sea-side—“Water frolic”—Hucksters—“Damaged flour”—Female porters—Masculine appearance of some of the females—Indelicacy—Their mode of carrying burdens.
Having given a short sketch of the manner in which the generality of the negro-men employ their time, it will be proper also to mention the occupation of the females. Many of these still follow the employment to which they have been habituated from their youth, the cultivation of the sugar-cane. But others, although used to it in their days of slavery, now they have become free, look upon it as degrading; and therefore, quitting the estates to which they formerly belonged, and all the privileges incident to their country-life, they hire a small house in some of the alleys or outskirts of the capital, and there take up their abode. Among this class of women, washing and huckstering are the principal employments; and it is from the profits arising from these means that they are enabled to bring up their daughters in comparative idleness, and send them forth on Sundays dressed in the ridiculous style I have already described.
It may not be deemed superfluous to remark how differently washing is conducted in Antigua to the mode pursued in England. There, among the good housewives who preside over such ablutions, it generally occasions gloom and discontent, particularly if the weather proves foul when the water frolic takes place; in that case (as the song says)—
“The very kittens on the hearth,
They dare not even play;
But away they jump, with many a thump,
Upon a washing day.”
But in this country, where blue skies and sun-shiny days predominate, the case is quite the reverse.
Groups of washerwomen may be seen in the morning with large bundles of clothes upon their heads, their half-naked “pic’nees” clinging round their hips, and similarly accoutred little urchins running by their side, wending their way to some of the ponds near the outskirts of the town. When arrived at the place favourable for such sports or occupations, their bundles are first put down, their youngest children placed upon the ground with one of larger growth to watch over it, their own dress properly arranged, and then the business of the day commences.
The clothes are thrown into the pond, and allowed to remain there until completely saturated with water; they are then taken out, placed upon large stones, (which are generally to be found about such spots,) and holding a piece of wood (in shape like a cricket-bat, which they call a beetle) in their hands, they commence pounding the articles with all their might, utterly regardless of loss of buttons, causing large rents, or any other et cetera which may chance to happen. When they think the clothes are sufficiently washed, (if that term can be applied to this operation,) they are again steeped in the pond, rinsed out, and then spread along the ground, to imbibe the heat of the glaring sun.
All the time the labour of the hands is going on, the tongue is by no means idle. The news of the island is discussed; dress, dances, and religion, descanted on; and the songs upon individuals (already alluded to) composed. One party of staid matrons commence a conversation. “You no go prayers last night; bery well; massa miss yo—why yo no go? Don’t you ’member what godmodder (as they call their leaders in the Moravian society) say ’bout aunty Nanny, ’cause she no go get her speak last time?[[34]] Well! sure the Lor’ he one good Lor’, (what you keep bawling so for, you cross pic’nee, eh?—me no gee you one cane to suck, you good-for-noting you!” addressed by way of parenthesis to a little crawling black-a-moor, who, unable to gain its mother’s attention by more pleasing means, is compelled to raise its ‘importunate call;’) yes, me dear sister, de Lor’ one good Lor’, and massa parson talk all good talk.” Another party of giddy, laughing girls, chatter away in a different strain. “I say, Ange’, (Angelina,) you see dem challis se (sister) Eleanor hab selling last week? Well, I buy one, only it no make yet, ’cause I no get money ’nough to buy de black lace to trim it. I’se wants to hab it make like dat buckra lady’s frock, she as come from England the oder day.”—“No, me no seed em; me buy one robe dress Christmas gone. But did you hear ’bout se Margate?”—“No; war ’bout she?”—“Eh! eh! you no hear. Why, last night she war coming home past were de old play-house used to ’tan, when just as she get close de wall, dere she see one big ole jumby man—ugly so! most kill her, she so frighten. Bery well! she try to run, but he old jumby knock her down, fall to lick (flog) her in such a manner dat she hab feber all last night.”—“Eh! eh! poor Margate! you b’lieve me, me no tink me dare go by de ole play-house at night den.”
With conversations such as these they endeavour to lighten their labours; and during the time the clothes are drying, some form themselves into parties, and dance on the greensward to the music of their own voices; others nurse their little children, or boil their lunch (gipsy fashion;) while the more idle ones stretch themselves upon the grass, and sleep away the hours until the cleansed garments are perfectly dry, when they collect their different articles, and march off to their respective dwellings in the same manner as they came.[[35]]
As remarked at the commencement of this chapter, among those black women resident in the capital, are to be found an immense number of hucksters; indeed, in every street, at every corner, they are to be met with. These persons deal in different articles; some in cloth of various fabrics, threads, tapes, laces, &c.; some in salt-fish, corn-meal, (the flour from the Indian corn,) rice, &c.; and others in fruits, vegetables, soap and candles. Some of these hucksters occupy small shops of about fourteen feet square, (which, by the bye, in most cases they are obliged to use as their sleeping, dining, and dressing room as well,) where they vend their different wares; while others frequent the markets, or walk about the town or country with their goods. These people purchase their goods from the retailers upon a larger scale, or else buy them at an auction sale, of which there are sometimes three or four in a day, at the different merchant’s stores.
There is one peculiarity attending these small dealers, which is worthy of note—this is, the great love they have for buying “damaged flour,” supposing they will be sure to get a bargain. Upon this account, it is common among some merchants, when they are about to dispose of this commodity by public auction, to term it “damaged,” when perhaps the only appearance of such mischance is, that the barrel is a little dirty. It has been often known for one of these sullied barrels to bring a larger amount than a better article, simply because it was put up as damaged.
Many of these women do nothing else but walk about to the different sales all day, in hopes of meeting with bargains, leaving the management of their shop (if they have one) to their children. When an article is put up, they bid in pounds and shillings, of which they have no conception; the consequence of which is, that when they retire from the sale, and get some friend to add it up in dollars and bitts, (current coins,—the dollar 4s. sterling, the bitt 4½d.,) they become alarmed at the amount of their purchases; and as there is no auction duty to be paid by them, they will not return for the articles, and consequently the merchant is obliged to bear the loss.
Some of the females work as porters, hire themselves to mix mortar for bricklayers, or even dig wells, (or springs as they are termed in this country,) and clean out ponds. Many of the negro women, particularly those who live in the country, and are employed in agriculture, are so very masculine in their voice, manners, and appearance, that it is at times a matter of doubt to say to which sex they belong. This may be attributed to the general system of treatment during slavery: they were required to work the same as the men; and when punishment was thought necessary, no regard was paid to their feelings, but their persons were equally exposed as those of the other sex. Of course, these proceedings in time rendered them callous, and in the end, divested them of all those principles of modesty which are so great an ornament to the feminine character, whether in a high or low condition of life. The manner in which they were accustomed to dress during their ordinary employments tended in great measure to have this effect. A petticoat of coarse linseywoolsey, or blue check, with a short jacket of similar materials, constituted the chief part of their covering; and even this was put on so carelessly, that frequently the upper part of their persons was left quite bare. While employed in their daily avocations, it is customary to tie up their garments almost—if not quite—as high as their knees; and even when walking about the streets of the capital, if it is rather wet weather, the same degree of indelicacy is practised. All these causes combined, tend to lessen the women in the eyes of strangers; although the Creoles appear to see no indecorum in their style of dress, or manners.
Most negroes appear to be possessed of great strength, and will carry immense loads, the women as well as the men. The head is the part appropriated by the negroes to bear their burdens. They carry tables, heavy boxes, boards, barrels, and similar articles, in this manner; and if they want to convey a cup or a bottle, it is placed in the same exalted situation. The very little children, of perhaps not more than three or four years old, will also place a calabash of water, or a bottle of rum, upon their heads, and trip along without holding it in the slightest manner.
[[34]] A religious ordinance among the Moravians.
[[35]] In Barbados, the negroes make a little difference in their mode of washing. Going down to the sea-side, they make use of the sea-water, and then spreading them upon the sand, sprinkle them occasionally with the briny fluid. When (during a short visit to that island) I saw them thus employed, it recalled forcibly to my mind the description of the Princess “Nausicaa” in “Pope’s Homer’s Odyssey,” who at the command of Pallas went to wash the robes of state in the “mazy waters.”
“Then emulous the royal robes they lave,
And plunge the vestures in the cleansing wave;
(The vestures cleansed o’erspread the shelly sand,
Their snowy lustre whitens all the strand.)”