The next day, being the 15th of April 1727, I paid the King of Dahomè’s Officers the Custom agreed on; and in two days after, a great many Slaves came to Town, being sent by his Majesty for me to chuse such as I liked of them: Which having done, I offered to pay the Lord of Jaqueen his usual Duties, but he insisted on a larger Custom than my Surgeon had agreed for with him at our first coming: So I refused to pay it, and put him in mind of the Injunction the King of Dahomè had sent him by his Brother. This put him in a Passion, and he asked me sternly, Whether I designed to bring War on him, by informing the Conqueror of what he demanded? This being a tender Point, and hoping Time and Patience might bring him to do me Justice, I took my leave of him: For I had been told, it was not possible, no more than prudent, to engage any one to go with a Complaint to the King of Dahomè; for the Messenger would certainly be murdered on the Road by the Jaqueens. Moreover, I was informed, they and their Lord had sent their beloved Wives and best Effects to an Island, which is about thirty Miles to the Eastward of Jaqueen on the Sea-Coast, and under the Protection of the King of Appah, whose Country extends as far as the Bay of Bennin. And as they durst not trust intirely to the Conqueror’s Faith and Promises, so the Men were always ready to fly there themselves, on the least appearance of Hostility: There they could be in safety, the Dahomes not having Cannoes to follow them, or if they had, none amongst them understanding the Management of them.
A few days after the Lord of Jaqueen had refused to take his usual Customs, another difficulty arose; for the Porters refused to bring up my Goods from the Sea side, except I would pay them double the price I did at my first coming. Thereupon I sent my Complaint to their Lord, who acknowledged it was a great Imposition, but he sent me word, “It was not in his Power to oblige those sort of People to do me Justice; for by the stranding of the Dutch Ship, they had got so many Goods, that it had made them rich and proud; and should he go about to force them to bring up my Goods at the usual rates, they would forthwith quit the Country, and fly to Appah.” Being in these melancholy Circumstances, imposed on by all hands, and without hopes of redress, an accident relieved me very unexpectedly. For a few days after this, the Lord of the place sent for me; and going to him, he told me, “He had just then received Advice, that an English Ship was arrived in the Road of Whidaw; and he desired I would send my Boat there, to persuade the Captain to come to Jaqueen.” I answered, “I did not doubt but that Ship was the Italian Galley, Captain Dagge, who was known to him; for I had expected him some time, his Ship belonging to the same Gentleman as mine did: But since I had received such bad usage from him and his People, he could not expect I would be so imprudent as to advise the Captain, who was in the same Interest with me, to come and receive the like Treatment: Adding, If I sent my Boat, it should be to desire Captain Dagge to stay at Whidaw, and send a Messenger to the King of Dahomè, to represent the usage I had met with from him; tho’, to let him see how loth I was to give any Offence that way, I should intirely forget what was past, if he would make me easy.” This immediately brought him to do me Justice: He took his usual Custom that very day, and the following went himself to the Sea side, to the Towns where the Porters lived, and persuaded them to carry my Goods at the usual rates.
Soon after this I received a Letter from Captain Dagge, desiring I would let him know how Affairs flood at Jaqueen. Having informed him of all matters, he concluded, it would be for our Owner’s Interest if he stayed at Whidaw, where he had great Success; for that People being in a starving Condition, and obliged to sell their Servants and Children for Money and Goods, to buy Food from their Neighbours of Popoe; his Ship was soon filled with Negroes, and he had the good fortune to sail from the Coast three days before me. Not long after the Arrival of Captain Dagge, I was taken ill of a Fever; my Surgeon, a very eminent Man for Trade as well as his Profession, died in a few days after my being taken ill; and the rainy Season coming on, my white People both on board and on Shore grew sickly; and to add to my Misfortunes, the King of Dahomè’s Traders began to grow troublesome and imposing. Indeed I had one Comfort in this Distress; namely, that tho’ I was two days together without a white Man in the Factory with me, (occasioned by the Sickness) yet I had nothing stole from me, which I believe was owing to the severe Charge given by the King to the Lord of Jaqueen and his Brother, to take care of me and my Goods. But as to the King of Dahomè’s Traders, when I objected to them my Agreement with their Master, producing the Writing I had made in his Presence, and calling the Linguist to witness, that I was not to take any Slaves but such as I liked; yet it signified nothing: For tho’ the Interpreter was so honest as to own it, yet he was as imposing as any other, pretending the King’s Orders for what they did. Nay, I began at last not to think my self safe, one of the Traders being so insolent as to present his Fusil at me, for refusing to take his bad Slaves. For tho’ they came to trade, yet they were always armed with Sword and Dagger, and a Boy carried their Gun for them. These People were far different from the Traders we used to deal with at Whidaw: For these came always in a modest manner to deal with us, and tho’ sometimes I owed them Goods on my Notes for ten days together, because the badness of the Sea prevented our landing them; yet they shewed no Uneasiness about it: Whereas, on the contrary, these Dahomè Traders would come ten times a day with their Notes; tho’ they were sensible the Sea was so great on the Shore, that we could land no Goods. And when I expostulated with them, about the needless trouble they gave me and themselves, in coming so often to me to read their Notes; it not being in my Power to pay them, ’till I could get goods landed; they angrily replied, “They did not like a bit of Paper for their Slaves, because the writing might vanish from it; or else the Notes might be lost, and then they should lose their Payment.” Upon that I used to shew them my Book, telling them their Notes were entered therein, and should they lose them by any Accident, yet I would pay them by my Book: And as to the writing it would never go off the Paper; but this did no ways satisfy them.
About this time several Portuguese Ships arrived in the Road of Whidaw and stay’d there, on a prospect of the Country’s being settled again; for the King of Dahomè had permitted a great number of the common People to return, and they began to build them Houses near the English and French Forts. But some time after it appeared, that it was only done to deceive the Europeans. However the King of Dahomè being desirous of the Portuguese Gold, which they bring to purchase Negroes with, his Majesty sent a great many Slaves down to Whidaw, which made Trade dull with us at Jaqueen. For tho’ formerly great Numbers came to this place, from other Nations now destroyed by the Dahomes, there remains at present only one Country called Lucamee, lying towards the North-East, for Jaqueens to trade to. Which Nation, by means of a wide River, has escaped being made a Conquest to the barbarous and cruel Dahomes. As I was in this melancholy state, one day, my old Acquaintance the Captain (who had been so civil to me at the Camp) came to visit me; and the Linguist not being in the way, I made use of a little black Boy, who spoke pretty good English, and was entertained by me in the Factory as a Servant, to be my Interpreter; ordering him to tell the Captain my Grievances, for which he seemed concerned. He told me he was a warlike Person, and so had no Knowledge of the Affairs of the Traders; but he was confident the Jaqueens were not tolerated in such things by the King. Then I bid the little Boy further inform him, That the Traders very much imposed upon the military Gentlemen of his Country, in selling them Muskets bought out of the French Factory, for the sake of a small Present. These being made in imitation of English Arms, were sent to the King, as if bought from me, by which means a bad repute was brought on our Arms; because the French Guns split in firing, and hurt the Soldiers; which is owing to their not being proved as ours are, with a good load of Gunpowder, before they are put into a Stock and finished. I observed, this very much moved him, so I made him a Present of some things, with a promise of a greater Reward, if he would go to the King, and let his Majesty know my Complaints. So having considered the matter a little while, he agreed to go, charging the little Boy to keep the thing secret, on pain of being put to cruel Torments if he divulged it; and I soon after experienced the good Effects of his Journey.
The People of Jaqueen, as I mentioned before, were in very uneasy Circumstances. The King of Dahomè being informed of it, resolved to send the great Captain to their Lord, to settle all things to their Satisfaction. The Captain my Friend being got to the Camp before the Great Captain set out, and acquainting the King with my Complaints, it much incensed him against the Traders, and he caused the great Captain to go forthwith to Jaqueen, to settle all matters. He made such haste, that he brought the first news of his coming himself; and because he had a great Retinue, on the first report of his arrival, the Inhabitants of Jaqueen were going to fly to Appah; believing he was come in a hostile manner: But he soon made them easy, ordering the far greater part of his People to remain on the other side of the River, which runs on the back part of the Town; and he came only with one hundred Attendants into the place. Upon the first notice of his coming, the Duke, Brother to the Lord of Jaqueen, went to receive him; and all the white Gentlemen in the Town, both Merchants and Commanders of Ships, assembled at the Door of the Dutch Factory, to salute him as he pass’d by that House. He was conducted to the Duke’s Court, with all the Honours the place could possibly afford. His Retinue was lodged near my Factory, which proved a great disturbance to me; for they made a dismal noise with their musical Instruments, both night and day; but on my complaining of it, they were afterwards removed.
It seems the Great Captain, at his first coming into the Town, had given orders to some of his Officers, to seize all the Dahomè Traders. But by means of some Friend they had in their Retinue, notice was given them; whereupon several of them fled. However, about ten were seized, and immediately sent in Irons to the King: And the Duke, brother to the Lord of Jaqueen, told me afterwards, “That when the Great Captain began to talk of Business with him, the first Question he asked, was, Whether the Traders had used me ill? To which he replied in the affirmative; Adding, He was in my Factory, when one of them presented his Piece at me, because I refused to buy the bad Slaves brought by him.” The great Captain upon that asked him, “Why he suffered me to be so used?” To which the Duke answered, “That not only he himself, but his Brother, had been treated by them with great Insolence; and that they were afraid to resent it, for fear they should represent their Actions in a bad Light to the King.” On this account the Great Captain said, they had talked enough upon that Point.
We understood afterwards, that this great Man, at his return to the King, acquainting him with the Misbehaviour of the Traders, his Majesty ordered the Person who presented his Piece at me, to be beheaded, with another, who had highly insulted me at the same time: And the others were kept in bonds, fed only with Bread and Water; and whenever it rained, they were put out into the Prison Court, and exposed till it had done raining. By this I found, that the Traders and the Linguist had shamefully belied the King; however, in Prudence I did not think fit to complain of the Interpreter, but only chid him in private; at which he was so frighted, that he left me, when the great Captain returned to their King.
The next day after this Great Man’s arrival, all the white Gentlemen in the place went to wait on him at the Duke’s House, carrying him Presents; and I went amongst the rest. Upon my taking leave, I invited him to dine with me at my Factory the next day. He came accordingly with many Attendants, one of whom he admitted with the Duke, to sit at Table with us. He seemed to be much pleased with the Victuals, especially with a Ham; and was much surprized when I told him, it was part of a Hog that had been killed six Months ago. I was so much diverted to see him handle a Fork, which it seems he had never used before, that I could hardly keep my Countenance, so aukwardly did he manage it. Amongst other dishes there was brought to the Table a Pye of minced meat. Of this he eat greedily, asking me, “How it was prepared?” I told him the manner; adding it was done by my Wife, and being put up in earthen Pans, it would keep in so hot a Country as this was, for six Months at least. He then asked me, “How many Wives I had?” I told him we were allowed by our Laws but one; on which he fell a laughing, saying, “He had five hundred, and wished fifty of them could prepare such meat for him as mine had done.” After this the Servants brought Bananas, with other Fruit of the Country, on Delft Plates. These Plates he was much taken with, and desired I would give him that he eat on, with the Knife, Fork, and Napkin he used. I told him he was welcome to all on the Table: Of which the Linguist had no sooner informed him, but he spoke to his Servants, and they immediately swept all away, so suddenly, that they had like to have broke all the Plates, but they luckily escaped. I put on a good Face on the matter, tho’ I was something surprized to be so soon taken at my word, with the manner of it; so I said to him, “I would present him further with some Mugs and Cups, which I called for.”
I had almost forgot to relate another Circumstance, full as odd as this. When we first sat down to dinner, some of his principal Servants who stood behind his Chair, would every now and then snatch off his Plate, a Slice of Ham or Fowl; and observing he did not rebuke them for it, I bid the Linguist tell him, “His Servants should not want for Victuals after we had dined; for it was not the white Peoples custom, to let their Guests Attendants go home hungry;” so he ordered them to be quiet for the future.