On arriving at a large village one day, they were struck as they
approached by the far greater appearance of comfort and neatness than
generally distinguish African villages. The plots of plantations were
neatly fenced, the street was clean and well kept. As they entered the
village they were met by the principal people, headed by an old white
haired negro.
“Me berry glad to see you, white men,” he said. “Long time me no see
white men.”
“And it is a long time,” said Mr. Goodenough, shaking hands with him,
“since I have heard the sound of my own tongue outside my party.”
“Me berry glad to see you,” repeated the negro. “Me chief of dis
village. Make you berry comfortable, sar. Great honor for dis village
dat you come here. Plenty eberyting for you, fowl, and eggs, and
plantain, and sometime a sheep.”
“We have, indeed, fallen into the lap of luxury,” Mr. Goodenough said
to Frank; and they followed the negro to his hut. “I suppose the old man
has been employed in one of the factories upon the coast.”
The interior of the hut was comfortably furnished and very clean. A sort
of divan covered with neatly woven mats extended round three sides. In
the center was an attempt at a table. A doubled barreled gun and a rifle
hung over the hearth. A small looking glass and several colored prints
in cheap frames were suspended from the walls. A great chest stood at
one end of the room, while on a shelf were a number of plates and dishes
of English manufacture.
The negro begged his guests to be seated, and presently a girl entered,
bringing in a large calabash full of water for them to wash their hands
and faces. In the meantime the old negro had gone to his chest, and,
to the immense surprise of the travelers, brought out a snow white
tablecloth, which he proceeded to lay on the table, and then to place
knives, forks, and plates upon it.
“You must 'scuse deficiencies, sar,” he said. “We berry long way from
coast, and dese stupid niggers dey break tings most ebery day.”
“Don't talk about deficiencies,” Mr. Goodenough answered smiling. “All
this is, indeed, astonishing to us here.”
“You berry good to say dat, sar, but dis chile know how tings ought to
be done. Me libed in good Melican family. He know berry well how tings
ought to be done.”
“Ah, you have traveled a good deal!” Mr. Goodenough said.
“Yes, sar, me trabel great deal. Me lib in Cuba long time. Den me lib
slave states, what you call Confederate. Den me lib Northern state, also
Canada under Queen Victoria. Me trabel bery much. Now, sar, dinner come.
Time to eat not to talk. After dinner white gentlemen tell me what they
came here for. Me tell dem if they like about my trabels, but dat berry
long story.”
The dinner consisted of two fowls cut in half and grilled over a fire,
fried plantains, and, to the astonishment of the travelers, green peas,
followed by cold boiled rice over which honey had been poured. Their
host had placed plates only for two, but they would not sit down until
he had consented to join them.
Two girls waited, both neatly dressed in cotton, in a fashion which was
a compromise between European and negro notions.
After dinner the negro presented them with two large and excellent
cigars, made, as he said, from tobacco grown in his own garden, and the
astonishment of the travelers was heightened by the reappearance of one
of the girls bearing a tray with three small cups of excellent black
coffee.
Their host now asked them for the story of their journey from the coast,
and the object with which they had penetrated Africa. Mr. Goodenough
related their adventures, and said that they were naturalists in search
of objects of natural history. When he had finished Ostik, in obedience
to a whisper from him, brought in a bottle of brandy, at the sight of
which the negro broke into a chuckle.
“Me tree months widout taste dat. Once ebery year me send down to coast,
get coffee, tea, sugar, calico, beads, and rum. Dis time de rum am
finish too soon. One of de cases get broke and half de bottles smash.
Dat berry bad job. Dis chile calculate dat six dozen last for a year,
dat give him one bottle each week and twenty bottles for presents to
oder chiefs. Eighteen bottles go smash, and as de oder chiefs expec'
deir present all de same, Sam hab ta go widout. De men start three weeks
ago for coast. Me hope dey come back in six weeks more.”
“Well,” Mr. Goodenough said, “you need not go without it till they
come back, for I can give you eight bottles which will last you for two
months. I have got a good supply, and as I never use it for trade unless
a chief particularly wants it, I can very well spare it.”
The old negro was greatly pleased, and when he had drank his glass of
brandy and water he responded to Mr. Goodenough's request, and, lighting
a fresh cigar, he began the story of his adventures.
“I was born in dis berry village somewhere about seventy years ago. I
not know for sure widin two or three year, for when I young man I no
keep account. My fader was de chief of dis village, just as I am now,
but de village was not like dis. It was not so big, and was berry dirty
and berry poor, just like the oder nigger villages. Well, sar, dere am
nothing perticlar to tell about de first years of my life. I jus' dirty
little naked nigger like de rest. Dose were berry bad times. Ebery one
fight against ebery one else. Ebery one take slabes and send dem down de
river, and sell to white men dere to carry ober sea. When I grow up
to seventeen, I s'pose, I take spear and go out wid de people of dis
village and de oder villages of dis part ob country under king, and
fight against oder villages and carry the people away as slabes. All
berry bad business dat. But Sam he tink nothing, and just do the same as
oder people. Sometimes oder tribes come and fight against our villages
and carry our people away. So it happened to Sam.
“Jus' when he about twenty years old we had come back from a long
'spedition. Dis village got its share ob slabes, and we drink and sing
and make merry wid de palm tree wine and tink ourselves berry grand
fellows. Well, sar, dat night great hullyballoo in de village. De dogs
bark, de men shout and seize deir arms and run out to fight, but it no
good. Anoder tribe fall on us ten times as many as we. We fight hard but
no use. All de ole men and de ole women and de little babies dat no good
to sell dey killed, and de rest of us, de men and de women and de boys
and girls, we tied together and march away wid de people dat had taken
us.
“Berry bad time dat, sar. De season was dry and de water scarce. We
make long march ebery day, and berry little food given. Dey beat us wid
sticks and prod us wid spear to make us go. A good many ob de weak ones
dey die, but de most ob us arribe at mouth ob riber; me neber know what
riber dat was, but we were berry nigh two months in getting dere. By
dis time Sam arribe at the conclusion berry strong, dat de burning ob
villages and carrying off ob slabes berry bad affair altogether. Sam hab
changed his mind about a great many things, but about dat he am fixed
right up to dis time.
“Well, at de mouth ob dat riber Sam saw de white man for de first time;
and me tell you fair, sar, Sam not like him no way. Dey were Spanish
men, and de way dey treat us poor niggers was someting awful. We huddle
up night and day in a big shed dey call a barracoon. Dey gabe us berry
little food, berry little water. Dey flog us if we grumble. Dese men
belong to ships, and had bought us from dose who brought us down from
up country. Deir ship not come yet, and for a long time we wait in the
barracoon wishing dat we could die. At last de ship came, and we were
taken on board and huddled down below. Law, what a place dat was to be
sure! Not more than tree feet high, just high enough to sit up, and dere
we chained to deck. De heat, sar, was someting terrible. Some ob us yell
out and scream for air, but dey only come down and beat us wid whips.
“De day after we got on board de ship set sail. Tree hours after dat we
hear a great running about on deck, and a shouting by the white men. Den
we hear big gun fire ober head, almost make us jump out of skin wid de
noise. Den more guns. Den dere was a crash, and before we knew what was
de matter dere was a big hole in de side, and six niggers was killed
dead. Ebery one yelled berry loud. We tink for sure that de last day
come. For a long time de guns keep firing, and den everyting quiet
again. At de time no one could tink what de matter, but I s'pose dat
British cruiser chase us and dat de slaber sail away.
“Dat was an awful voyage, sar. At first de sea smoove, and de ship go
along straight. Den de ship begin to toss about jus' as nigger does when
he has taken too much palm wine, and we all feel berry bad. Ebery one
groan and cry and tink dat dey must have been poisoned. For tree days it
was a terrible time. De hatches were shut down and no air could come to
us, and dere we was all alone in de dark, and no one could make out why
de great house on de water roll and tumble so much. We cry and shout
till all breaff gone, and den lie quiet and moan, till jus' when ebery
one tink he dead, dey take off de hatch and come down and undo de
padlocks and tell us to go up on deck. Dat berry easy to say, not at all
easy to do. Most of us too weak to walk, and say dat we dead and cannot
move. Den dey whip all about, and it was astonishing, sar, to see what
life dat whip put into dead nigger. Somehow people feel dat dey could
crawl after all, and when dey get up on deck and see de blessed sun
again and de blue sky dey feel better. But not all. In spite ob de whip
many hab to be carried up on deck, and dere de sailor men lay 'em down
and trow cold water ober dem till dey open dere eyes and come to life.
Some neber come to life. Dere were about six hundred when we start, and
ob dese pretty nigh a hundred die in dose tree days.
“After dat tings not so bad. De weather was fine and no more English
cruisers seen, so dey let half ob us up on deck at once for tree or four
hours ebery day. Dey give us more food, too, and fatten us up. We talk
dis ober among ourselves, and s'pose dat dey going to eat us when we
get to land again. Some propose not to eat food, but when dey try dat
on they get de whip, and conclude dat if dey must be eaten dey might as
well be eaten fat as lean.
“At last we come in sight of land. Den we all sent below and stay dere
till night. Den we brought on deck, and find de vessel lying in a little
creek. Den we all land in boats, and march up country all night. In de
morning we halt. Tree or four white men come on horses and look at us.
Dey separate us into parties, and each march away into country again.
Den we separate again, till at last me and twenty oders arribe at a
plantation up in de hills. Here we range along in line before a white
man. He speak in berry fierce tones, and a nigger by his side tell us
dat dis man our master, dat he say if we work well he gib us plenty of
food and treat us well, but dat if we not work wid all our might he whip
us to death. After dis it was ebident that de best ting to do was to
work hard.
“I was young and berry strong, sar, and soon got de name of a willing
hard working nigger. De massa he keep his word. Dose who work well not
bad treated, plenty ob food and a piece of ground to plant vegetables
and to raise fowls for ourselves. So we passed two or tree year, plenty
ob hard work, but not berry much to grumble at. Den me and a gal of my
own village, who had been bought in de same batch wid me, we go to massa
and say we want to marry. Massa say, berry well. I fine strong nigger
and work well, so he gib de gal four yards ob bright cotton for wedding
dress, and a bottle ob rum to me, and we married.
“Two or tree years pass, and my wife hab two piccanninies. Den de massa
go home to Spain, and leab overseer in plantation. Berry bad man dat.
Before, if nigger work well he not beaten. Now he beaten wheder he work
or not. For two or tree months we 'tand it, but tings get worse and
worse. De oberseer he always drunk and go on like wild beast. One day he
passed by my wife hoeing de sugarcane and he gib her cut wid whip, jus'
out of 'musement. She turn round and ask, 'What dat for?' He get mad,
cut her wid whip, knock her down wid de handle, and den seizing de chile
dat she had fastened to her back, he catch him by de leg and smash him
skull against a tree. Den, sar, I seize my hoe, I rush at him, and I
chop him down wid all my strength, cut his skull clean in sunder, and he
drop down dead.
“Den I knew dat dat was no place for Sam, so I take my hoe and I run
away as fast as I could. No one try to stop me. De oder niggers dance
and sing when dey saw de oberseer fall dead. I ran all dat day up among
de hills, skirting round de different plantations till I get quite into
de wild part. Wheneber I came to stream I walk a long way in him till
I get to tree hanging ober. Den pull myself up into de branches, climb
along and drop at de farthest end, and den run again, for I knew dat dey
would set de bloodhounds after me.
“At last I tink dat it am quite safe, and when de night came on lie down
to sleep for a few hours. Before morning me off again, and by night get
to de center of de wild country. Here I light a fire, and sit down, and,
just as I 'spected, in two or tree hours five or six men come down to
me. Dose were niggers who had run away from plantations. I tell dem my
story, dey agree dat I did berry right in killing oberseer. Dey take me
away to place where dey hab little huts and patches of yams. Two or tree
days pass and no one come, so, we s'pose dat dey hab lost de scent.
Me waited a month and den determined to go down and see about wife. I
journey at night, and reach plantation in two days. Dere I hide till I
see nigger come along close to bush. I call him and he come. I tell him
to tell my wife to steal away when night come, and to meet me dere. He
nod and go away. Dat night my wife come wid de oder chile. We not talk
much but start away for mountains. Me berry much afraid now because
my wife not berry strong, she hurt by de blow and fretting after me.
Howeber, we follow the way I had gone before. I make shift to help her
up into trees from the streams, and dis time after tree days' travel we
got back to hut in the mountain.
“Dere we lib berry happy for a year. Sometimes some ob us go down to
plantation and take down baskets and oder tings dat we had made and chop
dem for cotton. We had tobacco of our own, and some fowls which we got
from the plantations in de fust place. Altogether we did berry well.
Sometimes band of soldiers come and march trough the country, but we hab
plenty hiding places and dey never find us. More and more runway slabes
come, and at last we hear dat great 'spedition going to start to search
all de mountains. Dey come, two tree thousand ob dem. Dey form long
skirmishing line, five or six mile long, and dey go ober mountain. Ebery
nigger dey find who not surrender when dey call to him dey shoot. When
I heard ob deir coming I had long talk wid wife. We agree that it better
to leave de mountains altogether and go down and live in the bushes
close to the old plantation. Nobody look for us dere. So we make our way
down and lib there quiet. We get the yams out ob de plantations and lib
very comfortable. When we tink all ober in the mountain we go back.
“Well, sar, when we tink it all safe, and we get widin a mile ob de huts
whar we had libed, all at once we came upon a lot of soldiers in camp.
Dey see us and make shout. I call to my wife to run, when dey fire. A
bullet hit de baby, which she hab at her back, and pass through both
deir bodies. I did not run any more, but jus' stood looking at my wife
and chile as if my senses had gone. Dere I stood till the soldiers came
up. Dey put a cord round my arms and led me away. After a time I was
taken down the country. Dere I was claimed, and when it was known I had
killed a white oberseer I was tried. But de new oberseer did not want me
to be hung, for I was a strong slave and worth money, so he told a story
about how it happen, and after dey had flogged me very hard dey sent me
back to plantation. Dere I work for a long time wid a great log of wood
chained to my ankle to prevent me from running away again.
“For a time I not care whether I lib or die, but at last I made up my
mind to 'scape again. After six months dey took off de log, tinking dat
I had had enuf of de mountains and would not try to 'scape, and de log
prevented my doing so much work. De bery next night I ran away again but
dis time I determined to make for de town in hopes ob getting on board
an English ship, for I had heard from de oder slabes dat de English did
not keep black men as slabes, but dat, on de contry, dey did what
dey could to stop de Spanish from getting dem away from Africa, and I
understood now dat de dreful noise we had heard on de first day we were
on board ship was an attack upon our vessel by an English cruiser.
“It was four days' journey down to de town by de sea. Dere was no
difficulty in finding de way, for de road was good, and I s'pose dat dey
only looked for me towards de hills. Anyhow I got dar safe, walking at
night and sleeping in the bushes by day. I got as near de town as I dar,
and could see seberal vessels lying near de shore. I could see dat some
ob dem had de Spanish flag--I knew dat flag--de oders had flags which
I did not know. When it was dark I walked boldly into the town; no one
asked me any question, and I make my way through de streets down to de
shore. Dere I get into a boat and lay quiet till all de town was asleep.
Den I get into water and swim off to a ship--one dat I had noticed had
a flag which was not Spanish. Dere was a boat alongside. I climb into it
and pull myself up by the rope on deck. Den some white men seize me and
say someting in language which I not understand. Den dey take me into
cabin and say someting to captain; me not know what it was, but de
captain laugh, and me not like his laugh at all. Howeber, dey give me
someting to eat, and den take me down into hold of ship and tell me to
go to sleep on some sacks of sugar, and throw some empty sacks ober me
to cover me. Den dey close up hatch and leab me alone.
“When I come on deck de land was gone and de vessel sailing along. I
speak to no one, for I only understand little Spanish, and dese people
not speak dat. We sail along for some time, and at last we come in sight
of land again. Den dey hoist flag and I see dat it a flag wid lots of
red stars and stripes upon him. I know now dat it was a 'Merican ship.
Den I know noting. We get to port and I want to land, but dey shake deir
heads.
“De next day de captain he make sign to me to come wid him. I go
along to shore and he take me to a open space in town, where a man was
standing on a raised platform. He had a black woman by de side ob him.
Seberal men come up and look at her. De man he shout bery loud. Oder men
say something short. At last he knock on de table; a man tell de woman
to come after him and she walk away. Den a boy was put up, and den two
more women, and ebery time just de same ting was done. Den de man call
out, and de captain push his way through the crowd wid me, and tell
me to climb up on platform. I get up and look round quite surprised.
Eberybody laugh. Den de man began to holloa again. Den seberal men come
up and feel my arms and my legs. Dey point to de marks which de whip had
left on my back, and dey laugh again. Presently de man who was shouting
bang his hand on the table again, and a white man in the crowd, who had
seberal times called out loud, come up to me, take me by the arm, and
sign to me to go wid him.
“I begin to understand now; dat rascally captain had sold me for a
slabe, and dat flag I had seen was not de English flag. However, it was
no use to say anyting, and I went along wid my new massa. He was a nice
looking man, and I thought it might not be so bery bad after all. He
took me to a high carriage wid two wheels and a fine horse. A negro, who
was dressed up like a white man, was holding de horse. He showed me to
climb up behind, de oders climb up in front, and we dribe away.”