Captain Drummond, however, and his companions claimed theirs as their own right and property, and therefore would not deliver them; nor would Dudey’s husband part with his. The negroes well knew we had but few left, and went away to all outward appearance well contented for that night. Dudey returned, and assured us that they would let us go in the morning; and as night was coming on, we laid down upon the sand, to repose ourselves as well as our distressed circumstances would admit of; for besides the hunger and fatigue we had already suffered, we reflected a thousand times on the barbarities we had seen committed the day before; and that it was now in their power to treat us as they pleased.
The next morning as soon as we could see, we missed captain Drummond, captain Steward, Mr Bembo, Dudey, and her husband, and four or five more, who deserted us in the night, without communicating their intentions to us. Now we plainly saw destruction before us, and the end of this miserable journey; which, after so bold an attempt, we undertook for the preservation of our lives and liberty; and a tragical one it was. For,
No sooner was it broad daylight, than the negroes came up to us, and the prince had a short conference with Sam. Captain Younge asked him the purport of their discourse. He answered, they wanted to know what was become of captain Drummond, and the rest. The words were no sooner out of his mouth, than one of the princes took hold of me, and delivered me to one of his attendants; there were three or four lads like myself and much about my age, who were seized at the same time and delivered to their people in the same manner; who bound our hands with cords.
The same prince who ordered my hands to be thus tied, stuck his lance into captain Younge’s throat, and afterwards into his sides. Having killed him, he went on to another; and the rest of his barbarous train immediately following his example, they soon murdered every man belonging to our company; they then stripped off their clothes, and like inhuman butchers, ripped open several of their bellies. As for my part, I expected death every moment, but in what shape I could not tell; for one of the generals lifted up his lance, with an intention to pierce me through, but was prevented by the man who had me in custody, for some reasons I could not then rightly understand; but as I heard afterwards, he informed him I was reserved to wait on the king’s grandson. Though this saved my life, yet it would not hinder the officer from rifling me of what I had valuable about me; for he feeling my purse in my breeches pocket, and not readily finding it, in a fury, with his lance cut away my breeches, and narrowly missed my flesh.
When they had concluded this bloody scene, and clothed themselves with the spoils of the slain, they marched away in very great haste, for fear of the natives of Port Dauphine; whom they imagined captain Drummond and the rest had by that time alarmed, and prevailed on them to send some forces down to our rescue. Now whether the negroes might not think we had sent them away on purpose to get such assistance, and thereby provoked them to murder us, I cannot say; but certain it is, we were the most unfortunate wretches in the universe: for I was afterwards informed, before our murdered people were well cold, two thousand of king Samuel’s men came down to rescue us out of their merciless hands.
Perhaps the reader will say, why did we not send two or three of our people as soon as we had passed the river? To which I can only answer, I think we were all infatuated, for with ease it might have been done; especially since we had the woman Dudey to go with them as an interpreter; and we might have kept Sam with us. But none of these reasons at that time occurred to me; for I was but a raw, inexperienced youth. And what motives could induce captain Younge to release both the king and his son, is what I cannot pretend to account for. The plot was doubtless well concerted, and as duly executed at first, but most shamefully conducted afterwards; and, indeed, it is scarcely credible, that such a number of us could be so stupid as we then were; and since I have attained to a mature age, and been capable of any reflection, it is what I have been surprised at.
The only reason that can be offered I now think, is, that as all of us had a great affection for our captain’s father, so it caused us to be too partial, and to entertain too good an opinion of the son. But I since found to my great concern that our captain wanted not only judgment, but experience in the world; for captain Drummond, as I very well remember, frequently opposed him; but by whatsoever ill conduct or folly we might contribute towards our ruin, so it was; and I am relating a real fact, and not inventing a fiction, or telling the reader what might or ought to have been done in the unhappy situation of our affairs at that time; however, through his imprudence were my friends massacred, and myself with three more made perpetual slaves: the eldest of us was not above sixteen years of age, and we were immediately parted, for they marched directly off the spot. As for Sam, I do not reckon him as one of us, because he went off with the negroes. I never saw him afterwards, but was informed, that he lived a freeman under deaan Crindo; and whether he was so faithful to us as in justice and gratitude he ought to have been, is somewhat dubious.
All the way we went I had the shocking prospect of our men’s mangled bodies, as we passed through the woods to the river. I was not so thirsty now, as when I passed it first; but so faint for want of victuals, that I could scarcely stand upon my legs, having had no sustenance for three days together. Though my master expressed some little concern for me, yet he would not wait till he was past the river; however, he ordered his people to stop at the first commodious place, and make a fire. And now I was in hopes of some agreeable refreshment; for some of his servants had carried beef on their backs for that purpose. Though they cut it into long pieces, (like ropes,) with the hide, and dressed and eat it half roasted according to their custom, and gave it me in the same manner, yet I thought this contemptible food, and what a beggar in England would not have touched, the most delicious entertainment I ever met with. We rested here about an hour, when he, to whose care I was intrusted, made signs to know if I could walk; and as I was a little refreshed, I got up, and travelled the remainder of the day with more ease than I expected; since they walked but slowly, as I perceived on purpose to indulge me.
At night we came to a wood, the place appointed for our lodging; and there we met with three or four men, whom my master had sent out a foraging, and they brought in with them two bullocks; one of which my master sent to his brother, for the use of him and his people, and the other was killed for us; for the army was now disbanded, and each party was marching home with their respective chiefs to their own habitations. Here my master came to me and gave me a lance, intimating that I might cut out as much as I thought proper. I cut about a pound without any part of the hide, which he perceiving, imputed it to my ignorance, and so cut a slice with the hide and dressed it for me; which I ate with seeming thankfulness, not daring to refuse it. As soon as supper was over, each man pulled up as much grass as was sufficient for himself to lie on; my guardian, however, provided enough for himself and me. I then reposed myself accordingly, and he lay by me; but his back skin smelled so rank, that I was forced to turn my back on him all night long. I had very little rest, for the ghastly spectacle of my massacred friends was ever before me, and made me start from sleep as soon as I closed my eyes.
At break of day we arose, and after a short repast marched on till noon, when we baited among some shady trees near a pond of water; which very pond we had passed by three days before, or at least within two hundred yards of it, when we were dying with thirst, and the negroes told us there was no water near us.