Slabbersauce is made of Rice and Fish, a Fowl, a Kid, or Elephant’s Flesh, the better for being on the stink. They boil this with a good quantity of Ochre and Palm-Oil, and is accounted a royal Feast.
A Dog is a Rarity with some: Our Master had a little Boy-Slave of eight years of Age, in exchange for one. At other Places, Monkeys are a very common Diet.
Bomini is Fish dried in the Sun without Salt; stinking, they put it in a Frying-pan with Palm-Oil, then mixed with boiled Rice, snatch it up greedily with their Fingers.
Black Soupee is a favourite Dish, as well at our Factories, as among the Negroes; we make it of Flesh or Fowl, stew’d sweet, with some uncommon tasted Herbs; but the ascendant Taste is Pepper, Ochre, and Palm-Oil. At first I thought it disagreeable, but Custom reconciled it as the best in the Country: Men’s way of Diet being certainly a principal Reason why in all places some of Land and Sea-animals are approved or rejected; liked in one Country, and detested in another.
To return to Jaque a Jaques; we met there the Robert of Bristol, Captain Harding, who sailed from Sierraleon before us, having purchased thirty Slaves, whereof Captain Tomba mentioned there was one; he gave us the following melancholly Story. That this Tomba, about a Week before, had combined with three or four of the stoutest of his Country-men to kill the Ship’s Company, and attempt their Escapes, while they had a Shore to fly to, and had near effected it by means of a Woman-Slave, who being more at large, was to watch the proper Opportunity. She brought him word one night that there were no more than five white Men upon the Deck, and they asleep, bringing him a Hammer at the same time (all the Weapons that she could find) to execute the Treachery. He encouraged the Accomplices what he could, with the Prospect of Liberty, but could now at the Push, engage only one more and the Woman to follow him upon Deck. He found three Sailors sleeping on the Fore-castle, two of which he presently dispatched, with single Strokes upon the Temples; the other rouzing with the Noise, his Companions seized; Tomba coming soon to their Assistance, and murdering him in the same manner. Going aft to finish the work, they found very luckily for the rest of the Company, that these other two of the Watch were with the Confusion already made awake, and upon their Guard, and their Defence soon awaked the Master underneath them, who running up and finding his Men contending for their Lives, took a Hand-spike, the first thing he met with in the Surprize, and redoubling his Strokes home upon Tomba, laid him at length flat upon the Deck, securing them all in Irons.
The Reader may be curious to know their Punishment: Why, Captain Harding weighing the Stoutness and Worth of the two Slaves, did, as in other Countries they do by Rogues of Dignity, whip and scarify them only; while three others, Abettors, but not Actors, nor of Strength for it, he sentenced to cruel Deaths; making them first eat the Heart and Liver of one of them killed. The Woman he hoisted up by the Thumbs, whipp’d, and slashed her with Knives, before the other Slaves till she died.
From this Ship we learned also, that the inland Country who had suffered by the Panyarrs of the Cobelohou and Drewin People, have lately been down, and destroyed the Towns, and the Trade is now at a stand; and perhaps the Consciousness of this Guilt increases their Fears of us. The Ceremony of contracting Friendship and Trade, is dropping a little salt-water into the Eye, or taking it into their Mouth, and spurting out again; which must be answer’d, or no Trade will follow.
At Cape Apollonia, the Natives are of a jet black, very lively and bold, accustomed to Trade, and better fetished than their Neighbours; have cleaner and larger Tomys, wear Amber Beads, Copper Rings, Cowrys, and their Wooll twisted in numberless little Rings and Tufts, with bits of Shell, Straw, or Gold twisted in them. They have all a Dagger † cut in their Cheek, and often in other Parts of their Body: A Custom preserved among a few, down to the Gold Coast. The Romans and Goths, when possessed of Barbary, exempted the Christians from Tribute; and to know them, engraved a + upon their Cheeks; but this seems too distant for any Analogy with theirs. All we learn is, its being a very ancient Custom, and distinguishes them from the Country, who they Panyarr and sell for Slaves, naked at 4 oz. per Head; allowing 100 per Cent. on Goods, they cost at a medium 8l. Sterling. The Cabiceers, out of this, demand a due of 20s. and the Palaaver-Man 10s. whence I conjecture they are more regularly trained to Panyarring or thieving, than the Towns we have past.
There is a great deal of Ground cleared about this Cape, and sown with Indian Corn; first brought among the Negroes, it’s said, by the Portuguese.
