CHAP. XXIII.
Second march to Gado-Saby—Account of a living Skeleton—Beautiful Landscapes—The Commander in Chief falls sick, and leaves the Camp—Some Rebels taken—Discourse on the Existence of Mermaids—Heavy Rains—Disease—Famine—Misery.
On the 9th of October, 1775, Colonel Fourgeoud broke up the encampment at the Wana Creek to join us at Jerusalem, having sent down the half of his party sick in barges; and their number being greatly augmented by the invalids from this place, they were all together transported to receive the coup-de-grace in the hospital at Devil’s Harwar. The rangers also took their leave, and marched, with Mr. Vinsack their conductor, to guard the Pirica River.
Fourgeoud, during his last cruize, had discovered a hundred empty houses, and seen some straggling rebels, but he had taken none. He had also found a scalp fixed to the branch of a tree, which we justly conjectured to be the remains of the unfortunate Schmidt, who was lost[1].
On the 13th my black boy, Quaco, being perfectly recovered, [[161]]arrived, to my great satisfaction, as his fidelity to me was so steady and unshaken. At the same time we received an account that Captain Stoelman, with some rangers, had discovered a fresh settlement of the rebels by a great smoke appearing at a distance in the forest, but had not yet attacked them; that Captain Fredericy, with a party of black volunteers, was scouring the sea-side below Paramaribo; that the two men we had lost on the 18th of August had miraculously escaped, and found their way to the post at the river Marawina; and that no less than twelve fine negro slaves had just deserted from the Gold Mine estate to join the rebels.
This news so much exasperated Colonel Fourgeoud, that the indefatigable man again determined to persevere in pursuing his enemies. We accordingly entered the woods very early on the morning of the 15th, although he and his little army were at this time greatly reduced. He buried but the evening before one of his countrymen, a volunteer, called Matthew, and brother to the ensign: but death was now become so familiar to us, that upon losing a friend or relation, the first question generally was, “Has he left any brandy, rum, or tobacco?”—“Pauvre Laurant!” said I, to his shrivelled valet-de-chambre, “the brave Fourgeoud is like fire; he is to the colony an excellent servant indeed; but I think to both you and myself but a roughish master.” The poor fellow, shrugging up his shoulders, replied, with a grin and a heavy sigh, “Oui, par ma foi!” and then treated [[162]]me with a pinch of his snuff. I must not omit that, a little before our departure, seven more of our negro slaves did desert us, who went home to their masters perfectly broken-hearted, emaciated, and nearly starved; however, we proceeded, and marched directly N. E. during which nothing happened, except my box with all my bottles being dashed to pieces; and in the evening we encamped, though then unknown to us, near the Cassipore Creek, where the dry season having commenced, we dug a pit for water. Orders were also issued to the troops no more to build huts, sheds, &c. as the rains were now less violent.
On the 16th we continued our route, marching N. E. as before, and towards the evening arrived at the houses which Colonel Fourgeoud had lately discovered, which proved since to be only a temporary settlement, erected by the rebels as a shelter or asylum in their expected retreat, before they were dislodged from Gado-Saby; and to this little settlement they had given the name of Boossy Cry, that is, “the woods lament.” Here we encamped, and took much notice of Bonny’s house in particular, which was built like a watering machine, being elevated from the ground, with two doors, so that he might the better observe all around him, and prevent his being taken by surprize; it also had more air, and, of course, was better calculated for his health, he having in some late action received a very dangerous wound in the groin, as we afterwards learned from a rebel negro prisoner. Near to [[163]]Bonny’s house were the private baths, where his women washed themselves morning and evening, there being no river near this settlement.
In this encampment one of our slaves presented me with a land-turtle, which indeed we had met with several times before; but as I have never described this animal, I will now endeavour to give some account of it.—The land-turtle of Surinam is not more than eighteen or twenty inches in length, and of an oval form; the shell is more convex than that of the sea-turtle, and marked with thirteen elevated hexangular shields, dark brown and yellow, so hard that it will bear almost any weight without breaking; the under shell is a little concave, and of a light yellow: the head of this animal resembles that of other turtles; the tail is naked and short, but instead of fins or swimmers it has four feet covered with scales, and armed with sharp claws to assist it in crawling over the ground. When this poor creature sees any danger, it instantly shrinks within its shell. In this situation the Indians put it on the fire, where they broil it until it is drest, which is known by the under shell separating from the upper, which serves for a dish to hold the contents. A less barbarous way, and the way which I always followed, is only to provoke the animal by the heat of the embers to run away; when stretching out its head and neck, they are easily chopped off, and the food extracted without additional torture. I have known Mr. de Graaf keep three or four of these land-turtles for above four [[164]]months for transportation, during which time they lived without any apparent nourishment whatever, yet still remained vigorous, and even prone to copulation.
Another kind of land-turtle, called here the arlacacca, I have often seen; this is less in circumference, very flat, of a disagreeable greenish colour, and nothing like so good as the former.