Our spies were two days before they could discover any cattle. At length, however, they informed us they had heard some bellow, whereupon a thousand men were detached to fetch them. They were gone a whole week; they returned, however, with above two thousand beeves, and two hundred and fifty captives, women and children. This great prize made them fond of a second expedition; so, upon a consultation, a new camp was formed, and fortified in the same manner as before; in which deaan Crindo remained with four thousand men, whilst two thousand went out to plunder; and on their return two thousand more were to go.
Deaan Afferrer, deaan Sambo, Rer Mimebolambo, and Rer Befaugher, went out with two thousand men. We had three or four for our guides who were perfectly well acquainted with the country, and knew where the cattle were usually fed. We were two days before we came to any of their tracks, and then they were driven off, and, as appeared by their marks, quite different ways. So our army divided, deaan Sambo and Rer Befaugher went northward, and we south-west. We marched in the tracks all day and all the next night, as it was moonshine. We found ourselves in the morning near the sea, where they had driven the beasts to the margin of the water, that the ebbing and flowing and the wash of the sea might efface their footsteps on the sands; as indeed it did in a great measure: but we continued our march all day, till we found out where they turned off towards the woods. The next morning our spies came in, and informed us, that they heard a cow bellow. We soon came to the plain, where we found a hundred at least, but these were not sufficient; and therefore, narrowly observing their footsteps, we traced them farther, and found eight or nine hundred more. Here were besides two or three hundred sheep, which we killed, the best of them we dressed, and left the others behind us. However, we were in great want of water, for we had none for nearly two days. At length one of our scouts discovered a pond, where the cattle used to drink, and this, though hot and foul, we eagerly drank, as we could get no better. Till this time we saw no enemies, though we expected them, for we could see the cow-herds fly from their cattle, in order, no doubt, to alarm their masters. And as some of us were taking up this water, as clean as we could, in our calabashes, and whilst one in particular was stooping down to wash his lamber, a volley of shot was fired amongst us before we perceived any body. We looked up and saw about eight or ten men, who ran back into the wood, which extended along on the other side of the water, within three or fourscore yards. We fired at them, but they vanished out of sight. None of us were hurt, but the man who was washing his lamber; he received a shot in his fundament, of which he instantly expired.
Though I had been superstitiously addicted to observe certain fixed characters, or hieroglyphics, when they occurred to me in dreams, which was indeed but seldom, and used to find they foretold some things to me; yet I could not but observe a remarkable instance which we had here of relying on dreams, and I did not fail taking notice of it to deaan Afferrer, and thereupon to turn their superstitious devotions to their owleys into ridicule. For seeing me come in a hurry, and hearing guns go off, he asked, “What news?” “Nothing,” said I, “but a man was killed by the order of his gods.” “How!” says the deaan, “by the order of his gods? I do not understand you.” “Why,” says I, “a man prayed to his owley last night, and when he lay down, bid it not fail to come when he was asleep. The demon which attends his owley, according to his desire, came, and told him in a dream, or, which is the same thing, he dreamed he told him, that he must wash his lamber the next morning. He went along with us in obedience to this divine vision, to the watering place, though he had no other business there; and as he stooped to wash his lamber, was killed by a random shot, which he received in his posteriors from some of our fugitive enemies, who fired, ran away, and hurt nobody else.” I was under no apprehensions of deaan Afferrer’s anger on this piece of raillery, for persecution on account of difference in religion is not thought of there.
I remember one instance, whilst I lived with deaan Mevarrow, of a piece of bigotry more blind and senseless, if possible, than this. A young man had an owley, the demon of which was called Ry-Leffu. He made his addresses one night to him, and Ry-Leffu in a dream told him, that his brother must shoot at him. Early in the morning he took above an hour’s walk to his brother, told his dream, and desired him to perform the order of Ry-Leffu. His brother endeavoured to dissuade him from it, but the other insisted it must be done, or worse would ensue. “Well then,” said he, “I will shoot near you, but take care to miss you.” “No,” said the bigoted idiot, “it must be executed according to order, without the least prevarication; for I am fully persuaded that the demon will defend me from all harm.” At length he prevails on his brother, who loads his piece, and stands about thirty yards distant, and fires at his lower parts; but notwithstanding all his precaution he broke a leg; and then, blaming himself for his credulity, and being so easily overruled in an action he no ways approved of, ran with tears in his eyes to the assistance of the wounded bigot. In short, with the usual means, together with some of the fat of a sacrifice, laid on the owley of Ry-Leffu, the wound was healed, but he never recovered the free use of that leg.
We drove our cattle to the seaside, the same way we came, by the verge of the water, and went round the bay called St. John’s. I took particular notice of it; there is a ridge of rocks which seemed to extend quite across it, so as to leave no entrance; but were there a channel wide enough for ships to sail in, it would be a very commodious harbour, the waters being smooth within. Not far from hence, as I have heard, on the coast of Merfaughla, a French ship was cast away about two or three years before ours, and the whole crew destroyed; but the reason of their inhuman murder, or the particular circumstances of it, I could never learn. They have no canoes, either here or in Anterndroea, for which reason the natives can have no commerce with ships. For they are very treacherous to white men of any in the island. Whether their little acquaintance with Europeans gives them a dread of them, I cannot say; but I am sensible they imagine that white men are extremely addicted to fighting, and not so tender-hearted as themselves. This received notion may be a great motive to their destroying them on very trivial provocations; for they are always jealous that the white men have some cruel designs upon them. So that they are ever on their guard, dreading the audacity and superior skill which the Europeans have over them in point of war.
As to their mercy. In such places where they have subdued them, as the French did in Antenosa, they made them all slaves, inverted the whole order of their government; and most of them being illiterate seamen, who took upon them to rule, they showed no regard, either to morality, civility, or indeed common decency; made no distinction of persons, confounded all order, and treated every black as if he were a brute; and so much inferior to themselves, as not to have the least right or title, in their opinions, to the common privileges of human creatures. So that to kill one of them was no more than killing a dog, or any other noxious animal whatsoever. I do not make this as a general reflection on the French only, though if credit were to be given to half that the natives say, they were guilty of the most scandalous and execrable actions. Our own countrymen (too much addicted to their follies and vices) are not exempt from the just cause of this scandal upon white men; for the conduct of our British pirates, and others too, who are not willing to be thought inhuman, has been barbarous to the last degree. And in the countries of Anterndroea and Merfaughla, where no stories are told but what are very strange; and as they cannot distinguish by experience, that wicked men are the product of every land; and having seen no good ones here, every white man is looked upon by them as much a monster as a cannibal is by us.
We returned to our camp with our booty four days before Rer Befaugher, who not only got a good prize of cattle, but of captives likewise: which they discovered by the observance of a smoke. Deaan Crindo was in pain to be at home, lest deaan Woozington should go into his country and plunder it; but Rer Mundrosser and deaan Mussecorro would take their turn to see what they could find, and return with slaves as well as cattle. We had no enemy all this time come near us; for deaan Trongha stayed in the camp till we returned. I told deaan Afferrer I would go and pay deaan Sambo a visit as before, on purpose to conceal my visit to the other. He treated me with the same good manners as at first; but whilst we were in discourse, one of deaan Afferrer’s slaves came in and told me his master desired to speak with me. I durst not speak privately to deaan Trongha before him, nor would I stay, as he would have had me; but went directly with the man, being apprehensive of some ill treatment. When I came, he was in a terrible passion, charging me with being deceitful; and asking me, if I intended to go away with them? He would take care, however, that I should not go out of Anterndroea. I might go any where among his own countrymen; but he would not part with me. I perceived he was determined to be my master, though he was a much better than deaan Mevarrow; for he never offered to strike, much less to kill me. It was fourteen days before Rer Mundrosser returned; he brought, likewise, several slaves as well as cattle. As soon as the cattle were divided, which was the next day, the army marched back into Anterndroea; for deaan Crindo would not consent that the Feraignharians should go home, till they had accompanied him into his own country, and till he was out of danger. Our habitation on Yong-gorvo hills lay in the way. Deaan Trongha, with his brother and cousin, came the night before we parted, to take their leave of deaan Afferrer; and after some general discourse, he said if you will part with your white man, I will give you three slaves for him. Though this was a handsome price, yet my master, for so I must call him, made answer, I will not take three times three for him. So no more was said, and deaan Trongha went his way. The next morning before they marched, I had the opportunity of seeing one of the Feraignher men; whereupon I desired him to assure his general that I would be with them in three or four days at farthest; for I was determined to run away, and follow their tracks at all adventures. At present, indeed, I was prevented; because as they were jealous of me, two men were ordered never to let me go out of their sight, either by night or day, till we got home. And for two months afterwards, I was never suffered to go any where without somebody with me.
Before I take my farewell of Anterndroea, my readers may justly expect an account of such things as I thought most worthy of observance, and which have not hitherto been described; and which, indeed, are but few, considering the great variety of things, which a more curious person than myself would have employed himself in inquiring into. But when they consider how young I was when I first came here, how I passed the prime of my years in slavery among these savages, and the little or no hopes I had of ever making my escape; it will not, I presume, be expected, that, at this time, I should have known what was worth a virtuoso’s regard. I shall not, however, supply these deficiencies of mine, as many travellers frequently do, with inventions of my own. I could not help knowing such things as were of daily service, and in common with other places; such as bonanas, plantanes, monkies, turtle, and a hundred other things of the like nature; of which it would be impertinent to give a particular detail.
There is no good thing to be met with, either on the trees, or in the earth, that lie within three or four miles of the sea; nothing but short prickly wood, that bears no eatable fruit. In the country there is great variety; among which is a currant that grows on a tree, not a bush, as in Europe, and is very pleasant. Here is a very large tree likewise that bears a plumb; which is black when ripe, and as big as a cherry, with little stones like those of grapes. There are thorns too on the tree about two inches long. Here is a fruit like a sloe, which grows also on a prickly bush, but is very sweet. Another fruit grows on the most stately trees, that are speckled like a sparrow’s egg, and in the same shape, which is full of seeds, and very juicy. It is looked upon as an infallible cure for fluxes; the leaf of it is like that of a pear-tree. Here is a tree, the leaves and tender sprigs whereof will sting like nettles. The root of this is of great service when water is scarce, which it often is in many parts of this country; and as this root is spongy, it retains abundance of juice. We beat it in a wooden mortar (as we beat our Guinea corn) and express the liquor. They make ropes of the bark of this tree. Here is wood in plenty fit for building; as also some cedar and ebony, but none proper to make ship masts of. The plains are well covered with divers kinds of grass, and of various colours; which grow much taller than any in England. They never cut any down for hay, for before the old is dead, there is new springing up under it; but the old grass is commonly set on fire. Here is also some tobacco, which they smoke in reeds; or shells, as they do the jermaughla.
When I was in deaan Murnanzack’s country, I frequently went fishing; but they have no canoes, as I hinted before, so we only go upon the rocks and fish with hooks and lines, and not with nets. Night is the best time, when it is low water. Then we carry lights with us, and take the fish out of deep little holes (as the negroes say) fast asleep. Here are abundance of lobsters and crawfish, which never run away at sight of the lights. We have also a sharp pike made for no other purpose than to strike fish. Here are eels and the sword-fish, and some such other fish as are common to countries in the same climate: but many of a species I never saw elsewhere. Here is one fish as round as a turnip, and full of prickles; which, I suppose, may be called the sea hedgehog, but in their language it is called sorer-reake. Here is likewise great plenty of fine turtle.