My master, before I came, had prepared the water with the vauhovalumy, or root of life; the people, terrified at the danger I was in, flocked round the house; some pitied me, and stood astonished at the profound learning of the Umossee, who did not, himself, perceive the cheat. Well, I drank the medicine, and after reposing myself for three or four hours, all the tokens of danger disappeared, and I was well. The vauhovalumy was looked upon as a sovereign medicine, and the Umossee as a very great and wise man, who did not a little value himself upon the success of his secret, repenting that he had parted with it at so cheap a rate; saying, he would have twenty cows for it of the next that wanted it. Deaan Mevarrow, as a gratification, bid him choose any two cows and two calves out of all his cattle in the cow-pen, which he did accordingly, and departed. My master, on my promise of secrecy, discovered both the roots to me, and showed me not only how to find them, but how to use them to the best advantage; for the pain, he imagined, I had suffered, and the hazard I underwent, he presented me with a cow and calf; I then thought I had spent my time to a very good purpose.
When I returned to my plantation, my neighbours and fellow-slaves having observed the sudden and terrible effects of this poison, begged of me to put a mark upon all my hives, that when they went out a honey-stealing, they might not be killed by eating any of mine. This was the very thing I aimed at, and, accordingly, I put a white stick before every hive, and never lost my honey afterwards. Nobody would go near my hives for fear my bees should sting them, and the wounds should prove of more dangerous consequence than those of others.
Having now a cow and a calf, I had milk of my own, and was as rich as my fellow-slaves; besides the advantage I made of my honey, by selling forty or fifty gallons a year for hatchets, beads, &c., to those who make toake with it; more especially against their circumcision, and other solemn festivals.
I lived in this manner about three years, which, with the two years and a half I had spent before, made up almost an apprenticeship in this country. One day my master came to survey our work, and taking peculiar notice of the method I observed, he told me I must go home with him and keep his cattle, which were near the town. This employment was not near so laborious as digging and cultivating his plantation; however, I was pretty well improved, but as he provided for me now, and my honey was safe, I was not much concerned at my removal; so away I went, driving my own cattle, which were considerably increased, having two heifers, besides my cow and calf. My household furniture too was not so cumbersome, but I was able to carry it all away at once; yet I was as rich, and had as much as other people in my mean station, and much more than many of them.
In less than two days I built me a house, and a cow-pen for my cattle. Now was I in my former situation, and looking after my master’s cattle; the hardest of my labour was, as I observed before, the bringing home every other night, either a tub or a calabash, four or five miles, full of water; but considering I was a slave, I lived in as much ease as I could reasonably expect.
I had not continued long in this last station, before a general calamity reduced us to the most deplorable circumstances. The epidemical evil of this island is, their frequent animosities and open quarrels with one another, which is the principal reason why such numbers of them are sold to the Europeans for slaves. This is a dangerous and destructive misfortune to a people, otherwise good-natured and well disposed; who have wholesome laws for the determination of all disputes, and the punishment of all crimes, of which I shall give an account in a more proper place; but what I have to observe here is, that the sovereign prince of any country has seldom force sufficient to oblige the lesser chiefs in his dominions to answer, in a judicial way, to the wrongs they do each other, or the mistakes and errors which they casually commit; but they fight it out, making slaves of, impoverishing, and destroying one another, after the manner I am now going to relate, in which I myself was a severe sufferer.
All things appeared in a state of peace and tranquillity. No foreign enemy for a long time molested us. But what I took particular notice of when first a slave, was, my master and others clandestinely driving away their neighbours’ cattle, and their neighbours being equally guilty of the same practice, so that it was a very difficult point to determine who was the aggressor in the present quarrel. But one day, as I and some others went about five or six miles to water our cattle, having two men armed with guns to guard us according to custom, it happened, on our return home, that notwithstanding the greater number of them went on slowly, grazing as they passed along, some of the milch cows, wanting to be sucked by their calves, ran homewards before the rest. The man knowing me to be very active and nimble, desired me to run forwards and stop them, in order to keep them in a body; but they being got at a great distance, it was some time before I could turn them. When I wheeled about, I was surprised to see one of our men shooting amongst a body of men, who were driving the cattle another way, and running from them towards me; they soon espied us, and our cattle, and ran after us. Hereupon I quitted my post, and fled as fast as I could home to my master, and was the first messenger to relate our disaster. I puffed and blowed, being frightened, and out of breath, and in imperfect exclamations I told him, that an army had seized our cattle; and that one of our men, named Roynsowra, had fired and killed somebody; but I could not inform him who the enemy were, nor on what account they thus attacked us. While my master and some others were discoursing with me, in came two or three more, who informed them that deaan Chahary and his brother deaan Frukey, two of deaan Crindo’s sons, were the parties concerned. Our master, it seems, had been found guilty of stealing three of deaan Frukey’s cattle, and this they did by way of retaliation. All was in an uproar and confusion at once. Each man took up his arms in a hurry. Deaan Mevarrow ordered them to follow him, which they were as much inclined to do as he was to lead them, for the loss was general. All the milch cows and home-kept cattle were gone, and now away went all the men in pursuit of them, except such as were old and infirm. Amongst others, I was demolished, having lost my cow and my two heifers; my calf, indeed, was left at home, lowing for its dam, as did every body’s else; between which vociferations, and the outcries of the women and children, there was a most confused and hideous uproar.
Deaan Frukey, who then was, or at least pretended to be, the injured person, lived within two or three miles of our watering place; but they drove our cattle more to the northward, to deaan Chahary’s town, which was better fortified, and much more capable of sustaining the assault, which they justly imagined we should make against it. Though our people were highly provoked, and very expeditious, yet they followed them with all the circumspection imaginable; having spies who ran softly before, by whom they found their enemies were entered the town with their booty. Our people, not being provided with strength sufficient, and having no time to call in their neighbours to their assistance, did not attempt to assault deaan Chahary’s town, but turned off without being suspected, and went about five miles farther, where they kept their breeding cattle. As it was now late in the night, they took them all without any opposition, the few keepers they had being at a distance, and fast asleep; so that they drove away the beasts without any noise, and made their way homewards as fast as possible. We looked out all the morning, expecting every minute they would return; and, at length, we espied them with a vast drove of cattle, containing as many at least, if not more than our own, being above five hundred. All of us imagined they had recovered their own; and for my own part, I was thinking how I should kiss my cow for joy of seeing her again; but too soon we perceived they were strangers, and as I was not with them, I had no share of the booty.
My master, and several others, after they had divided them, killed some of the oxen; a jovial feast was made immediately, and our people sent me part of the banquet. The day following my master despatched me to look after the cattle as before, whilst he went to repair some breaches in his town walls, by putting in several poles, which were cut down for that purpose, and made preparations for a war. He had not patience, however, to stay at home and see whether his enemies would come to create him any new disturbance, though he might be very well satisfied with the reprisals he had made on them, since he had taken away more than he had lost. However, in two or three days’ time after, he was resolutely bent to surprise the enemy’s town by night, though he left his own unguarded, and met with such success as so precipitate a conduct justly deserved; for the very next morning after their expedition, as I and others were watering our cattle, and looking carefully after them, lest they should run to their own home, which was considerably nearer to the watering place than our town, about twenty men rushed out of a thicket of bushes, and leaped upon us like so many tigers on their prey. However, I and three or four more boys had time to start out of their clutches and fly for it; but they soon overtook the rest, carrying them back, and all the cattle and the other slaves that were with them; while some followed me, hollaing out, and menacing to kill me if I did not stop and surrender myself their captive. Thereupon I turned about, and perceiving I had gained ground of them, I ran directly forwards for a mile and a half at least, before I came to any proper shelter. At length I came to a wood, with which I was well acquainted, where I soon lost them. They returned back to their companions, and went off with their prisoners and cattle. Perceiving them gone I hastened home; when I entered the town the women immediately flocked round about me, for they saw by my countenance and the confusion I was in that some misfortune had attended our party. I soon acquainted them with the loss we had sustained, and they as soon reflected on their husband’s ill conduct; who, to gratify the dictates of a blind passion, and to avenge themselves on their enemies, would leave all that was valuable to themselves unguarded to become their prey; for they might be very well assured that they had spies out to give notice of every opportunity which might tend to their advantage.
Deaan Mevarrow returned about evening, when, for his welcome home, the news of this morning’s expedition was related to him. I also understood the project they went upon had proved fruitless and ineffectual; for though they arrived at the enemy’s town an hour before daylight, yet so cautious and vigilant were they in sending out their spies all ways both night and day, that they discovered our people, and alarmed the townfolks, who came out and met them. And all that was done, as I could hear, was only a tongue-battle, and vollies of opprobrious language. Deaan Mevarrow, indeed, fired at them at a distance, which they returned, but no execution was done on either side. A kinsman coming soon after daylight to deaan Frukey’s assistance, deaan Mevarrow thought it most advisable to withdraw; but not without telling them, if his kinsman and his people had not come in to his assistance, he would have had all his cattle again in a few hours. To this they replied, that they would not only keep the cattle they had of his, but that their own, which had been lately carried away by surprise, were by this time in their own hands again, as he would find at his return. And what they asserted, indeed, proved too true: at this he was heartily nettled. We had killed, however, a considerable number of them first, and stocked ourselves with provisions. He vowed to be revenged on his uncles, and accordingly made preparations for another enterprise, which was entered upon in three days after. He asked me if I was willing to make one of the party? I very readily embraced his offer, for there was safety nowhere now; and being at home was as dangerous as being with them. So he furnished me with a gun, cartouch box, and powder-horn, and thus accoutred, I commenced soldier.