On the morning of the 19th of September 1775, just before sun-rise, Colonel Seyburg marched with one hundred marines and forty rangers, who did me the honour to fix upon me as one of the party, and was upon the whole so polite, and his behaviour so contrary to what it had lately been, that I knew not at all in what manner to account for it.
Having crossed the Cormoetibo Creek, we kept course S. W. and by S. till we approached the river Cottica, where we encamped, having met with nothing on our first day’s march worth describing, except a species of ants, which were no less than one inch in length, and perfectly black. These insects pillage a tree of all its leaves in a short time, which they cut in small pieces the size of a six-pence, and carry under-ground. It was indeed entertaining to see a whole army of these creatures crawling perpetually the same way, each with his green-leaf in a perpendicular direction. So general is the propensity to the marvellous, that some have imagined that [[138]]this devastation was to feed a blind serpent under ground: but the truth is, that it serves for nourishment to their young brood, who cannot help themselves, and are sometimes lodged to the depth of eight feet in the earth. Madam Merian says, they form themselves in chains from one branch to another, while all the others pass over these temporary bridges; and that once a year these formidable armies travel from house to house, killing all the vermin, &c. that comes in their way; neither of which facts ever came within the limits of my observation: but that they can bite confoundedly I have found by experience, though their attack is not nearly so painful as the bite of that diminutive insect the fire-ant already described.
The following day we proceeded along the banks of the river Cottica, till we came near the Claas Creek, (where I formerly swam across with my sabre in my teeth) and early slung our hammocks; from whence I was detached, with a few rangers, to lay in ambuscade in the mouth of the creek till it was dark. Here, however, I discovered nothing, except that the rangers were possessed of the same superstition as the rebels, with regard to their amulets or obias making them invulnerable. They told me that the latter mentioned procured them from their priest, and that they themselves bought theirs from Graman Qwacy, a celebrated and cunning old negro, whom I shall in a proper place circumstantially describe.—When I asked them, “How came any of you, or of your invulnerable [[139]]adversaries, to be shot?” I was answered, “Because, like you, Massera, they had no faith in the amulet or obia.” This piece of policy in Mr. Qwacy, however, had the effect of making all his free countrymen so undauntedly brave, that I must confess their valour had often surprized me. However, this imposition, as shall be shewn hereafter, besides respect and veneration, procured this dealer in magic considerable both ease and wealth, which for a black man in Surinam was indeed not very common.
In the mouth of this creek I again saw a quantity of nuts floating on the surface of the water, such as I have before mentioned, when I was informed that they were the real acajow or cashew nuts, which I have partly described: to which I shall now add, that they grow on the edge of a pulpy substance like a very large pear, which is produced on a middle-sized tree, with a grey bark and large thick leaves. This excellent nut will bear to be transported to any part of the globe, and keep good for a considerable time; it is by some called the Anacardium Occidentalis. From the tree exudes a transparent gum, which when dissolved in water has the consistency of glue.
I also tasted here the eta-tree apple, of which the negroes seemed extremely fond. This tree is of the palm kind, with large leaves, but is less in size than the maurecee or the mountain cabbage-tree. The fruit or apples are round, and grow in large clusters resembling grape-shot. In the middle of each apple is a hard nut, in [[140]]which is a kernel, and this is covered near half an inch thick with an orange-coloured pulp, that has a most agreeable acid taste. They are seldom used till the apples by ripeness drop from the tree, when the Indians steep them in water, and by maceration convert them into a most healthy and agreeable beverage.
An express on the 21st arriving by water from Colonel Fourgeoud, informing us that the alarm-guns[1] had been fired in the river Pirica, we instantly crossed to the opposite or west shore of the river Cottica, where the rangers, with a party of marines, were again ordered to lie in ambuscade or under cover, in hopes of cutting off the rebels on their retreat, when they returned to cross the Cottica river with their booty. And this very afternoon a rebel negro was seen with a green hamper, who, startled by the smell of tobacco (for some of the rangers were smoking) stopt short of his own accord. He was instantly fired at by me and one ranger: when the warimbo or hamper dropped to the ground, but he himself escaped. This bundle we found stuffed with a dozen of the finest table linen, a cocked gold-laced hat, and a couple of superb India chintz petticoats, &c. the bulk of which I gave to my black companion, reserving only the chintzes for another friend at Paramaribo.
The free negroes now rushing forwards with unrestrained [[141]]valour, I asked Colonel Seyburg liberty to follow them; and calling for volunteers, a great number presented themselves, which, however, the Colonel thought proper to reduce to four only, with whom he sent me off; and having scrambled through thorns and briars woven together like a net or a mat, which tore one of my feet in a terrible manner, I overtook them at one mile’s distance from the camp: shortly after we discovered thirteen fresh huts, where the rebels, we conjectured, had slept but a few nights before. In consequence of this, I now dispatched a ranger back to Colonel Seyburg to give him intelligence, and ask permission for the rangers and myself to march forward to Pirica without delay, in hopes to meet the enemy: but the answer was a peremptory order instantly to rejoin him with all hands. We now returned disgusted back to the camp; my sable companions in particular extremely discontented, and making many shrewd and sarcastic remarks.
Here we found a reinforcement just arrived from Jerusalem, consisting of sixty men, black and white, with positive orders for us to break up and march early the next morning for Pirica River, while this whole night a strong party lay once more in ambush.
Accordingly at six o’clock, with the rising-sun, all was in readiness, but by some unaccountable delay it was very late before we left the camp; during which time we were informed that a canoe was seen crossing the river with one single negro in it, who was no doubt the poor [[142]]fellow at whom the ranger and I had fired the preceding day.
I cannot here forbear relating a singular circumstance respecting myself, viz. that on waking about four o’clock this morning in my hammock, I was extremely alarmed at finding myself weltering in congealed blood, and without feeling any pain whatever. Having started up, and run for the surgeon, with a fire-brand in one hand, and all over besmeared with gore; to which if added my pale face, short hair, and tattered apparel, he might well ask the question,