On my arrival, the people stared to see a white man without clothes; some said, a ship was arrived; but most said, I could not come from a ship naked, and without a hat. When I came near Rer Befaugher’s house, I perceived he looked earnestly at me, not knowing me at first; but, when I came nearer, he arose from his seat, clapped his hand to his mouth and cried, “Ah! Ry-Robin, how came you here?” Had I been his brother, he could not have embraced me with more affection. As soon as I was seated, several came about me; some who knew me in the army asked me, who were with me? And when I answered, nobody, they wondered how I could find the way by myself; but when I informed them how I lost my way, and came through the mountainous wilderness, and what stratagems I made use of to pass the rivers, they were perfectly astonished.
Rer Befaugher took me into his house, and made me sup with him; he had roast beef, and his wife brought milk on purpose for me. I asked about the state of the country, and he gave much the same account I had heard before; with this addition, that he expected every day that Rer Trimmenongarevo would come, and ravage the whole country, for they were altogether incapable of making any resistance; those, however, who were the pillars of the land, were determined to stand till they were cut down by death, and not to fly. For indeed, said he, we have nowhere to go but into the sea, and we have no notion of living there as you white men have.
When we had supped, and talked till I was sleepy, he sent a man with me to a house prepared for my reception. The next morning I begged the favour of him to send a man to direct me in the right road to deaan Trongha’s; but he would go himself. I told him that it was too great a condescension, and too much beneath his dignity, to attend a slave as I was. He answered, that he never looked on white men as slaves, and that he had waited on several. And Rer Vovvern, as well as he, had clothed and maintained some who did not deserve it, but they did it for the sake of others; for, says he, here have been some very quarrelsome people who come ashore, and never go aboard again, and behave themselves shamefully ill. I asked him what they trafficked for here. He said, for nothing but provision, for which they gave them gold and silver in exchange, and sometimes pieces of silk; and when they sail away, no one, nay, they themselves don’t know to what country they are going: for they are wicked, careless wretches, and their whole business is to plunder other ships. I told him, they were to blame either to assist them, or sell them any provisions; and that the government of England was at a prodigious expense to fit out ships on purpose to destroy them, for they spoil the merchants’ trade, and were a disgrace to their country. The English, for the generality, said he, were very good people, and by the trade which they drove with them, were of singular service to their country. That he had been on board divers ships, and had met with several captains, who were very honest men, for they used to receive him in the most courteous manner, and entertain him with wine, punch, and brandy; and sometimes another sort of liquor that was very bitter, what the name of it was he could not tell, but they loved it themselves. I told him it was beer. He said, yes; but he could never drink it with any pleasure. Thus we went chatting along to deaan Trongha’s, which was about two hours’ walk. When we arrived the people flocked round me, some saying a samb-tuley; that is to say, a ship was arrived, but others said no, for men seldom come naked from a ship.
When I came before deaan Trongha, I perceived he did not recollect me, I offered to kneel and lick his feet, but he would not permit; saying, be he who he may, he is a white man, and they shall never lick black men’s feet. At length, his brother informed him who I was: no sooner had he heard it than he rose up, and embraced me with abundance of joy and friendship. When we had been seated some time, and I had given them an account of my travels, he told me, I was still a very unfortunate man; for they were in a very poor state and condition, and I should be miserably mistaken, if I expected to live happy there. I told him, it could not well be worse than it had been with me all along, and I was determined to live with him all my life long, if he pleased to admit me into his service, unless he would be so indulgent to me as to send me home when a ship came. He told me, I should fare as he did himself; for he looked on it as his duty to relieve a white man in distress, for the favours he and his family had received from my countrymen. In short, he received me with such tokens of friendship, and treated me with so much tenderness, that my own father could not have shown me more compassion. He lamented very much the deplorable circumstances to which his country was reduced, and was extremely afraid lest the white men should know it; for then, said he, they would never come to trade with us any more, nor give me an opportunity of sending you to your native home.
When I had eaten and drunk with him, he took his leave of his brother, being obliged to guard the slaves who were at work in the plantations, lest they should be surprised and taken by small parties of their northern enemy, who lay in ambuscade, in order to sally out, and carry off what they could steal on a sudden, and so run away again. When we were a little way out of town, we came to a spacious thicket of wild canes, reeds, and rushes; in the midst of which were the plantations, bounded on the other side with the great river Oneghaloyhe. Here were plantains, bonanoes, sugar-canes, and rice, with all these the southern country from whence I came were wholly unacquainted; but here were likewise several things which I had seen before, as anbotty, anchoroko, &c. These were but lately planted and sowed; the enemy having destroyed all the plantations in the incursions they made, whilst deaan Trongha, &c. were in the late war in Merfaughla. I began to suspect that he intended to set me to work, but I soon perceived he had no such design; for he gave me his gun, and told me since I was willing to be his servant, all he should require of me should be to carry his gun, and never to be the length of it from him, that in case of a surprise he might have it at hand.
As we went homewards, some of our people climbed up tamarind trees, and gathered abundance of the fruit. I asked them what they did with it. Eat it said they. I told them, it was impossible to eat much of it, without setting their teeth on edge. It is sour enough, indeed, said they, if we do not put ashes to it to make it sweet. I laughed at them for their ignorance, but when I came home there were platters full mixed with them for our supper. The strings of the tamarinds, which are white, appearing in it when thus mixed, I could not forbear comparing it to mortar with hair in it; but when I tasted it, I found it was sweet beyond my expectations. I could not, however, be rightly reconciled to it at first, being prejudiced as men too frequently are, even against the testimony of their senses. Deaan Trongha perceiving that I did not much like my mess, assured me that this was always esteemed amongst them a pleasant dish, when they had the greatest profusion of other things. Sometimes, indeed, said he, we have nothing else to eat. I have seen many odd things eaten, but nothing ever surprised me more than sour tamarinds mixed with wood ashes, becoming sweet and palatable. Let the chemists reason and philosophize upon it at their leisure, I can assure them it is matter of fact; and can produce several gentlemen now living in London, to testify the same who have seen me mix it. It did not rightly agree with me, indeed, the first time I eat it; but after I was used to it a little, I never found any inconvenience attend it afterwards.
Deaan Trongha had two wives, who lived in separate apartments. He divided himself pretty equally between them, living nearly as much at one house as at the other, in order to prevent any jealousies on either side, and to keep up a harmony between them. Now it is customary for them to appoint every slave his proper mistress, to whose commands he is peculiarly to attend; and it is her business to see what they want, and give it them. He did not, however, appoint me any such service; but said, that as I was a person in distress, and my lot by Providence was cast amongst them, it was their duty to provide for all such; but as for me, he had a more particular regard for my misfortunes, for the sake of my fathers and brothers, (meaning Englishmen;) and for that reason, he had ordered that I should be taken care of at both their houses, and had free liberty to go to either of them at my pleasure, where I found the best entertainment; and, indeed, as long as there was meat, I had my proportionable share with them. Though he behaved himself with decency enough to both of them, yet I observed the first wife was a greater favourite than the other, upon which account, she was distinguished by the title of his head wife. He was at her apartment when I came first, and when these directions were given; so she immediately furnished me with a pot or two, and calabash, &c. for my use; but as she had not every thing I wanted, he sent a servant with me to the other, and she as cheerfully supplied me with what my occasion required, chiding me in a friendly manner for not coming sooner to pay her a visit: so I sat down and had half an hour’s conversation with her; and to do them both justice, their behaviour towards me was perfectly courteous and engaging.
The next morning two messengers came from deaan Mernaugha; deaan Trongha being desired to go and consult with the king on some affairs of importance. When they were taking their leave, he would not let them depart till he had killed a heifer to entertain them with, notwithstanding provision was so very scarce; and here I found the same generous manner of treating one another as was practised in Anterndroea, for most of the people in town came about the house, and no one went away without some portion of beef. As to their cookery, they have but a slovenly manner of dressing their meat here, for the liver, as soon as it was extracted, was thrown directly into the fire and broiled in smoke and ashes, and the entrails were broiled likewise with but very little cleaning. I had a piece of beef given me to dress at home, and we all lived well as long as this lasted. When I went the next morning, the deaan was dressing himself in order to go; for though he had no clothes to put on, yet some time was spent in curling his hair and platting it into knots. After he was shaved, the owley was brought out and dressed to be carried before him, for he went in state. The friendship between deaan Mernaugha and him not being over hearty or sincere, made him go in more form than otherwise he would have done. I carried his gun after him. We marched up an easy ascent of nearly two miles, when I perceived we were near the sea; the descent on the other side extended to the shore of St. Augustine-bay, where there were ships generally at anchor. Here deaan Trongha showed me the spot of ground on which the English built their houses during their residence in these parts. It was an agreeable prospect to me, though at that time there were no ships. I saw some canoes a considerable way out at sea; some men I could perceive were striking and darting fish, and others in the water, as high as their knees, at the same diversion; for the sand is almost flat, so that one may walk at low water above a mile into the sea. The seacoast lay almost north and south, but from whence I came, it lay east and west. After we had passed through a wood, on a point of land, we came among the towns which belonged to deaan Mernaugha. Every body stared to see a white man naked, and at first took me for the Dutchman who had lived amongst them, and who would have sometimes very odd freaks; but my fame flew before me, and when I came to deaan Mernaugha’s, I was very well known; for after the usual compliments were over, he asked “where was the white man who came from Anterndroea;” I not being in sight, having delivered my gun to my master. Whereupon I was called, and seated amongst them. The king asked me about my travels, and the adventures I had met with; and I very readily gratified him with my whole story at large. A bullock was given to deaan Trongha, for the entertainment of himself and his retinue.
At night there was a long consultation about the posture of affairs: none were admitted to this august assembly, but a few principal men, among whom I had the honour to be one; but to my no small mortification, I heard deaan Mernaugha propose to send nine hundred, or a thousand people, under the command of deaan Trongha into Merfaughla, to join with deaan Crindo against deaan Woozington. This scheme was approved of, and unanimously agreed to; the manner and time were both appointed, which was not to be till some months after. When we broke up, deaan Trongha told me the whole assembly had confidence in me; as knowing it to be my interest to keep their secrets. But, says he, a more than ordinary care is absolutely necessary at this juncture; for the common people abandon us to live under other lords, if our proceedings do not please them; though we aim at nothing but their own security and welfare. They have not, however, the sense to know it, and will be for ever throwing reflections on our conduct, and finding fault, though we lose our wives, families, and cattle, and run all hazards to protect them. It is natural for the refuse of the people to abuse their superiors; but yet governors ought nevertheless to study the good of their country, and defend those under their care from injuries and insults, without regarding such reflections; but then those things which we very well know beforehand, and they have not the sense to understand or judge of, ought never to be divulged.
I assured him of my fidelity, but told him that what I heard gave me no small uneasiness, since I was apprehensive that he would press me to go with him; where my former master, Mevarrow, would very probably be, whose barbarous treatment I had too much experience of, not to dread the consequence of being again in his power. He replied, that could never be; for they know (said he) that I am resolute, and that it would be dangerous for any man to provoke me so far, since it might prove the ruin of the whole army; for I am determined to protect you at the hazard of my own life, and revenge with the utmost severity any affront that shall be offered to you. I was not perfectly satisfied, but as I knew him to be a man of strict honour, I had all the reason imaginable to depend upon it. When I returned to my companions, they used their utmost endeavours to sift out of me the purport of their council; but I told them with a very careless air, that I stood at a distance, and did not observe one word that passed.