The last Voyage I went to this place, was in the year 1713, when I commanded the Ship Anne, belonging to Messieurs Bradley, Virginia Merchants; where I had the good fortune to save a Child from being Sacrificed, as the other poor Infant had been. And tho’ ’tis a long story, and therefore may not so well suit an Introduction, yet on account of the singular Circumstances wherewith it was attended, I believe the Reader may be pleased with it.
The chief King, or Lord of the Country (for there are several petty Princes on that River) called Acqua, came on board, sometime after my arrival, to see the Ship, and hear our Musick. Being highly pleased with his Entertainment, he kindly invited me on Shore; so I promised to wait on him in a few days. Accordingly I went; but as I knew his People to be fierce brutish Cannibals, I took, by way of precaution, ten of my Sailors as a Guard, with my Gunner to command them. They were all well armed with Musquets and Pistols, which those savage People I knew were much afraid of.
Upon my landing at the Water side, I was received by some persons, whom the King had appointed to conduct me about a quarter of a mile up, where I found him sitting on a Stool, under some shady Trees; another being placed by his side, which I was desired to sit on. The King did not speak one word, or moved in the least, till I was sat down; but then he bid me welcome, enquiring after my health; as I did after his, having first paid my respects to him, by bowing and taking off my Hat. There were many of his Courtiers present, and I observed above 50 of his Guard, stood at a little distance. They were armed with Bows and Arrows, a Sword by their side, and a barbed Lance in their Hands. My people ranged themselves opposite to them, at the distance of about twenty paces.
After having presented the King with some things, which, tho’ trifling to us, he seemed highly delighted with; accidentally turning my Head about, I saw a little Negroe-Child tied by the Leg to a Stake driven in the Ground, the flies and other vermin crawling on him, and two Priests standing by. Being surprized at this sight, I asked the King, “What was the reason of the Child’s being tied in that manner?” He replied, “It was to be sacrificed that night to his God Egbo, for his prosperity.” Moved at the hearing of this, I called (too hastily I must own) to one of my People, to take the Child from the Ground, in order to preserve him. He had no sooner done it, but one of the King’s Guard advanced towards him, in a threatning posture with his Lance; and fearing he would run him through, I immediately took out of my Pocket a small Pistol; at the sight of which, the King rose from his Stool in a fright. But I bid the Linguist tell him, “I would offer no Injury to him or his, provided he ordered his Guard not to attack mine:” Which he readily doing, and all things being quiet, I expostulated with him, “for his breaking the Laws of Hospitality, in permitting one of his Guard to threaten my Man with his Lance.” To this the King replied, “I had not done well in ordering him to seize the Child, it being his Property.” This I acknowledged, “excusing it on the account of my Religion, which, tho’ it does not allow of forcibly taking away what belongs to another, yet expresly forbids so horrid a Thing, as the putting a poor innocent Child to death. And that this would, instead of Blessings, certainly bring on him the Wrath of the most high God, whom we white Men adored.” I also observed to him, “That the grand Law of human Nature was, To do to others as we desir’d to be done unto;” and many other Arguments I used, too long to repeat here. At the same time I offered to pay him for the Child, which the King readily accepted: And on my asking, what he desired for it? to my surprize he only asked a bunch of sky coloured Beads, worth about half a Crown Sterling. I expected he would have demanded at least ten times that Value; for the Negroes, from the King to the Trader, are generally very ready, on any extraordinary occasion, to make their Advantage of us.
After this was over, I staid about an hour with the King, treating him with European Liquors and Victuals, which I had carried on Shore for that purpose; but I took care not to drink any of his Palm Wine, (which is a Liquor drawn from a Tree, and which they can artfully poison) under pretence, it did not agree with me. But my People did not spare it, drinking plentifully of it with his Guards; and eating likewise heartily of their Victuals.
After this I took my leave, and the King expressed himself well pleased with my Visit; promising to come on board again, before I went out of the River.
As we were returning in our Boat, I told the Gunner, “That when we came on board, he should pitch on some motherly Woman, to take care of this poor Child.” To which he answered, “He had already one in his Eye.”
It happened, the day before I went on Shore to see the King, I had purchased the Mother of the Child (tho’ I knew it not then) from one of his People; and at that time my Surgeon observing to me, she had much Milk in her Breasts, I enquired of the Person that brought her on board, whether she had a Child when he bought her from the Inland Trader? To which he answered in the negative.
But now on my coming on board, no sooner was the Child handed into the Ship, but this poor Woman espying it, run with great eagerness, and snatched him out of the white Man’s Arms that held him. I think there never was a more moving sight than on this occasion, between the Mother and her little Son, (who was a fine Boy about 18 Months old; for ’tis to be noted, the Negroe-Women generally suckle their Children till they are above two years old) especially when the Linguist told her, “I had saved her Child from being sacrificed.” Having at that time above 300 Negroes on board my Ship, no sooner was the Story known amongst them, but they expressed their Thankfulness to me, by clapping their Hands, and singing a Song in my praise. This affair proved of great service to us, for it gave them a good Notion of white Men; so that we had no Mutiny in our Ship, during the whole Voyage.
I went from the River of Old Callebar, to the Island of Antegoa, where our Cargoe was sold; and upon my telling one Mr. Studeley this remarkable story, he bought the Mother and her Son, and was a kind Master to them.