VOLUME ONE, CHAPTER FIFTEEN.
_Lucy_. Are all these wretches slaves? _Stanley_. All sold, they and their posterity, all slaves. _Lucy_. O! miserable fortune! _Bland_. Most of them know no better, but were Born so, and only change their masters. OROONOKO.
The party were up at an early hour on the ensuing morning, that theymight enjoy the delightful freshness of the air, which so soonevaporates before the scorching rays of the tropical sun. They werejoined at breakfast by the doctor who attended the estate, and who hadcalled in to announce the birth of a little negro boy in the early partof the night.
"Who did you say, doctor?" answered the planter, "Mattee Sally? Why, Ithought Jane Ascension was in advance of her."
"They were running it _neck and neck_, sir," replied the surgeon.
"How is she--quite hearty?"
"Quite, sir; but very anxious about the child's name, and requests tospeak with you as soon as you have breakfasted."
"We will go to her. You have no idea," observed the planter to MrBerecroft and Newton, "what importance these people attach to the namingof their children. Nothing but a fine long name will satisfy them. Ireally believe, that if I refused her, or called the boy Tom, she wouldeat dirt. I believe we have all done; Boy Jack, bring the sangoree.Doctor, I dare say that your clay wants moistening, so take the firstpull."
This important commencement and finale to the repast having been dulyadministered, they proceeded to the range of buildings before mentioned,in one of which they found the lady _in the straw_, sitting up, andshowing her white teeth at her master's approach, as if nothing veryparticular had occurred.
"Well, Mattee, how are you?" said the planter. "Where's thepiccaninny?"
"Ab um here, sar--keep im warm," replied the woman, pointing to a rollof blanket, in which the little creature was enveloped.
"Let us see him, Mattee."
"No, sar, too cold yet--bye bye, massa, see um; make very fine sleepnow.--Suppose white piccaninny, suppose black piccaninny--all same,--like plenty sleep. Um know very well, hab plenty work to do bye andbye--sleep all dey can, when lilly."
"But you'll smother him," observed Newton.
"Smoder him?--what dat--eh?--I know now massa mean, stop um breath.--No:suppose him no smoder before, no smoder now, sar. Massa," continued thewoman, turning to the planter, "no ab name for piccaninny?"
"Well, Mattee, we must find one; these gentlemen will give him a name.Come, captain, what name do you propose?"
"Suppose we christen him _Snub_," replied Berecroft, winking at therest.
"Snob! What sort a name you call dat, sar?" replied the woman, tossingup her head. "Snob! no, sar, you 'front me very much. Snob not propername."
"Well, then Mr Forster," said the planter, "try if _you_ can be morefortunate."
"What do you think of Chrononhotonthologus?" said Newton to the woman.
"Eh! what dat?--say dat again, sar," replied the woman.
"Chrononhotonthologus."
"Eh! dat real fine name for piccaninny," cried the woman, with delightin her countenance. "Many tanky, sar. Chroton-polygarse."
"No, no," replied Newton, laughing; "Chrononho-tonthologus."
"Es, hab now--Hoten-tolyglass."
"No, that's only part. Chronon-hoton-thologus."
"I see--very fine name--Proton-choton-polly-glass."
"Yes, that's nearer to it," replied Newton.
"Well, then, that point's settled," said the planter to the woman. "Isit all right, Mattee?"
"Es, massa; many tanks to gentleman--very fine name, do very well, sar."
"Doctor, put the name down opposite the register of the birth. Now,Mattee, all's right, good bye," said the planter, leaving the room, andfollowed by the others.
"Do you really intend to call the child by that name?" inquired MrBerecroft.
"Why not? it pleases the woman, and is as good as any other; it is of noconsequence. They almost all have names, certainly not quite so long asthe present; but, as they grow longer, their names grow shorter. Thisname will first be abbreviated to Chrony; if we find that too long, itwill be reduced again to Crow; which by the bye, is not bad name for anegro," said the planter, laughing at the coincidence.
Reader, did you ever perchance, when in a farm-yard, observe hen orother domestic fowl, who having pounced upon half a potato, or somethingof the same description too large to be bolted down at once, tries toescape with her prize, followed by all the rest, until she either dropsit or eludes their vigilance? If so, you form some idea of a negrowoman, with a hard word in her mouth; which, although she does not knowthe meaning of, she considers as an equal treasure.
Newton had turned round to the court-yard, in the centre of whichseveral women were sitting down at various employments; when one who hadbeen busied in some little offices for the woman whom they had justvisited, and had in consequence been present at the choice of the name,took her seat with the party in question. To several queries put toher, she replied with extreme hauteur, as if she considered them asimpertinent, and frowned upon her companions most majestically.
After a short time she rose, and turning round, with the look of anempress, said, "Now I shall go look after my Hoton-poton-polybass."
"Eh?" cried one, opening her eyes in wonder.
"What dat?" screamed another.
"How you call dat long ting?" demanded a third.
"Eh! you stupid black tings," replied the proud possessor of the newword, with a look of ineffable scorn, "you no know what um callPoton-hoton-poll-fuss. Me _no tell_ you," continued she, as she walkedaway, leaving the others almost _white_ with envy and astonishment.
Shortly after this Mr Kingston with his party took their leave of thehospitable old planter, and commenced their return to Bridgetown. Theyhad not proceeded further than a quarter of a mile when, ascendinglittle hill, Newton discovered that a negro was assisting his own ascentby hanging on to the tail of his mule.
"How you do this morning, sar!" said the man, grinning, as Newton lookedround.
"I'm very well, sir, I thank you; but I'm afraid I shall not be able tokeep up with the rest, if my mule has to pull you up hill, as well ascarry me."
"Es, sar, mule go faster. Massa not understand; mule very obstinate,sar. Suppose you want go one way, he go anoder--suppose you pull himback by tail, he go on more."
"Well, if that's the case you may hold on. Do you belong to theplantation?"
"No, sar, me free man. Me work there; carpenter, sar."
"A carpenter! How did you learn your trade, and obtain your freedom?"
"Larn trade board man-of-war, sar--man-of-war make me free."
Mr Berecroft, who had been listening to the colloquy, took up thediscourse.
"Were you born in this country?"
"No, sar! me Ashantee man."
"Then how did you come here?"
"Why, sar, ab very fine battle in Ashantee country. Take me and send medown to coast; sell me for slave. Go on board French schooner--Englishfrigate take schooner, send me to Sarra Leon."
"Well, what did you do there?"
"Bind 'prentice, sar, to Massa Cawly, for farteen years--all de same asslave; work very hard; yam bad; plenty fever in that country--muchbetter here."
"Then how did you get away from Sierra Leon?"
"Go to sleep one day in de bush--tieves come steal me, take me down tocoast, sell me again."
"Well, where did you go then?"
"Bard schooner again, sar. Another man-of-war take schooner in WestIndies; send her in prize. Keep and some on board becase want hands;keep me, becase speak little English."
"How did you like a man-of-war?" inquired Newton.
"Man-of-war very fine place; but all slaves there--captain steal menevery ship he come to. But sailor no tink so; ebery night we all sing--Britong nebber, nebber, nebber, will be slave. Make me laugh, sar,"continued the man, showing his teeth with a broad grin.
"What was the frigate's name?"
"Very fine name, sar, call her Daddy Wise," [_Dedaigneuse_, we suppose.]
"How long were you on board of her?"
"Far year, sar; larn carpenter trade--go to England--pay off--get plentymoney--come out here in marchant vessel--England very fine place, toomuch cold," said the negro, shuddering the bare recollection.
"Now tell me," said Kingston, "of course you recollect being in your owncountry?--Which do you like best--that or this?"
"Ashantee very good country--Barbadoes very good country. Ashanteenebber work, hab no money--here plenty work, plenty money."
"Well, but where would you rather be, here or there?"
"Don't know, sar. Like to find country where no work, plenty money."
"Not singular in his opinion," observed Newton.
"Men do all work here, sar: women only talk," continued the negro. "Mycountry, men nebber work at all--women do all work, and feed men."
"Then what does the man do?" inquired Berecroft.
"Man, sar," replied the negro proudly, "man go fight--go kill."
"Is that all?"
"Yes, sar, that all."
"So, you then mean to say, that if you could go back to Ashantee now,you would remain there?"
"Yes, sar, stay there--do no work--sleep all day--make women feed me."
"How inveterate is early habit!" observed Mr Berecroft. "This man,although free in a civilised country, would return to his idleness andresume his former ignorance."
"And so would every slave not born in the country. It requires one ortwo generations to destroy this savage nature," replied Kingston. "Ibelieve idleness, like gout, to be an hereditary disease, either inblack or white; I have often observed it in the latter. Now, until manlabours there is no chance of civilisation; and, improved as the race ofAfrica have been in these islands, I still think that if manumitted,they would all starve. In their own country nature is so bountiful thatlittle or no labour is required for the support of life; but in theseislands the soil, although luxuriant, must be nurtured."
"You do then look forward to their ultimate freedom?" inquired Newton.
"Most assuredly. Already much has been done, and if not persecuted, weshould be able and willing to do much more."
"The public mind in England is certainly much inflamed against you,"said Berecroft.
"It is; or rather, I should say, the more numerous public composed ofthose persons unable to think for themselves, and in consequence, led byothers, styling themselves philanthropists, but appearing to have veryjesuitical ideas with regard to truth. This I have no hesitation inasserting, that if philanthropy had not been found to have been so veryprofitable, it never would have had so many votaries: true philanthropy,like charity, begins at home. Observe how the papers teem with themisery of the lower classes in England, yet this affects not the WestIndia philanthropist. You perceive not their voices raised in behalf oftheir suffering countrymen. They pass the beggar in the street; theyheed not the cry of starvation at home; but every where raise petitionsfor emancipation; or, in fact, for the destruction of the property ofothers. That it is an invidious property, I grant, and I wish I coulddispose of mine; but that is not so easy. My ancestors embarked theircapital in these islands upon the faith and promises of the country,when opinions were very different from what they are now, and I cannothelp myself. How the time will come when England will bitterly rue thehaving listened to the suggestions and outcries of these interestedpeople."
"I do not understand you:--How do you mean?"
"I said before, that it was on the faith of the country that we embarkedour property in these islands. You are not perhaps aware, that when inthe reign of Queen Anne the Assiento treaty was made, by which weobtained the privilege of supplying all the islands with slaves, it wasconsidered as one of the most important acquisitions that could beobtained. Public opinion has now changed; but if a nation changes heropinion, she must at the same time be just. Let the country take ourestates and negroes at a fair valuation, and we shall be most happy tosurrender them. If she frees the slaves without so doing, she is guiltyof robbery and injustice, and infringes on the constitution of thecountry, which protects all property, and will of course allow us todecide upon our own measures."
"May I inquire what those would be?"
"Throwing off the yoke, declaring ourselves independent, and puttingourselves under the protection of America, who will gladly receive us,aware that we shall be a source not only of wealth but of security."
"Would America risk a war to obtain these islands?"
"She would be foolish not to do so; and England would be more thanfoolish to engage in one. It is true, that if not immediately supportedby America, England might create a scene of confusion and bloodshed inthe colonies; but the world has too often had the severe lesson, thatcolonies once detaching themselves are never to be regained. Englandwould therefore be only entailing an useless expense, however gratifyingit might be to her feelings of revenge."
"But do you think that this is likely to occur?"
"I do, most certainly, if those who govern continue to listen to theinsidious advice of the party denominated `Saints;' and I afraid that itwill not be until these islands are separated from the mother-country,that she will appreciate their value. Our resolution once formed, whiteslaves (for slaves we are) will not flinch; and the islands of theCaribbean Sea will be enrolled as another star, and add another stripeto the independent flag, which is their natural protector."
"I trust that will never come to pass."
"And so do I, Mr Berecroft, for I am an Englishman, and love mycountry, and the loss of these colonies would be blow from which Englandwould never recover."
"You forget her extensive colonies in the East."
"I do not; but the West Indies add to her wealth and her commercialprosperity, to her nursery of seamen and her exhausted revenue. They,on the contrary, add only to her grandeur, for they cost the countrythree millions a year; and I doubt whether at that expense it is worthwhile to retain any colony, however vast and extensive it may be. Iconsider, that if the East India ports were open to all the world, andthe territory governed by its former princes, England, with all thecompetition which would take place, would yet be a gainer; and, on theother hand, I know that by the loss of these islands, she would find adecrease of millions in her revenue."
"Then the philanthropists must pay the national debt," observed Newton,laughing.
"They be damned!" replied Kingston, who was warm with his argument;"they would not pay a farthing."