_A Description of Hispaniola.--Also a Relation of the French
Buccaneers._
THE large and rich island called Hispaniola is situate from 17 degrees
to 19 degrees latitude; the circumference is 300 leagues; the extent
from east to west 120; its breadth almost 50, being broader or narrower
at certain places. This island was first discovered by Christopher
Columbus, A.D. 1492; he being sent for this purpose by Ferdinand, king
of Spain; from which time to this present the Spaniards have been
continually possessors thereof. There are upon this island very good and
strong cities, towns, and hamlets, as well as a great number of pleasant
country houses and plantations, the effects of the care and industry of
the Spaniards its inhabitants.
The chief city and metropolis hereof is Santo Domingo; being dedicated
to St. Dominic, from whom it derives its name. It is situate towards the
south, and affords a most excellent prospect; the country round about
being embellished with innumerable rich plantations, as also verdant
meadows and fruitful gardens; all which produce plenty and variety of
excellent pleasant fruits, according to the nature of those countries.
The governor of the island resides in this city, which is, as it were,
the storehouse of all the cities, towns, and villages, which hence
export and provide themselves with all necessaries for human life; and
yet hath it this particularity above many other cities, that it
entertains no commerce with any nation but its own, the Spaniards. The
greatest part of the inhabitants are rich and substantial merchants or
shopkeepers.
Another city of this island is San Jago, or St. James, being consecrated
to that apostle. This is an open place, without walls or castle, situate
in 19 deg. latitude. The inhabitants are generally hunters and planters,
the adjacent territory and soil being very proper for the said
exercises: the city is surrounded with large and delicious fields, as
much pleasing to the view as those of Santo Domingo; and these abound
with beasts both wild and tame, yielding vast numbers of skins and
hides, very profitable to the owners.
In the south part of this island is another city, called Nuestra Sennora
de Alta Gracia. This territory produces great quantities of cacao,
whereof the inhabitants make great store of the richest chocolate. Here
grows also ginger and tobacco, and much tallow is made of the beasts
which are hereabouts hunted.
The inhabitants of this beautiful island of Hispaniola often resort in
their canoes to the isle of Savona, not far distant, where is their
chief fishery, especially of tortoises. Hither those fish constantly
resort in great multitudes, at certain seasons, there to lay their eggs,
burying them in the sands of the shoal, where, by the heat of the sun,
which in those parts is very ardent, they are hatched. This island of
Savona has little or nothing that is worthy consideration, being so very
barren by reason of its sandy soil. True it is, that here grows some
small quantity of lignum sanctum, or guaiacum, of whose use we say
something in another place.
Westward of Santo Domingo is another great village called El Pueblo de
Aso, or the town of Aso: the inhabitants thereof drive great traffic
with those of another village, in the very middle of the island, and is
called San Juan de Goave, or St. John of Goave. This is environed with a
magnificent prospect of gardens, woods, and meadows. Its territory
extends above twenty leagues in length, and grazes a great number of
wild bulls and cows. In this village scarce dwell any others than
hunters and butchers, who flay the beasts that are killed. These are for
the most part a mongrel sort of people; some of which are born of white
European people and negroes, and called mulattoes: others of Indians and
white people, and termed mesticos: but others come of negroes and
Indians, and are called alcatraces. From the said village are exported
yearly vast quantities of tallow and hides, they exercising no other
traffic: for as to the lands in this place, they are not cultivated, by
reason of the excessive dryness of the soil. These are the chiefest
places that the Spaniards possess in this island, from the Cape of Lobos
towards St. John de Goave, unto the Cape of Samana nigh the sea, on the
north side, and from the eastern part towards the sea, called Punta de
Espada. All the rest of the island is possessed by the French, who are
also planters and hunters.
This island hath very good ports for ships, from the Cape of Lobos to
the Cape of Tiburon, on the west side thereof. In this space there are
no less than four ports, exceeding in goodness, largeness, and security,
even the very best of England. Besides these, from the Cape of Tiburon
to the Cape of Donna Maria, there are two very excellent ports; and from
this cape to the Cape of St. Nicholas, there are no less than twelve
others. Every one of these ports hath also the confluence of two or
three good rivers, in which are great plenty of several sorts of fish
very pleasing to the palate. The country hereabouts is well watered with
large and deep rivers and brooks, so that this part of the land may
easily be cultivated without any great fear of droughts, because of
these excellent streams. The sea-coasts and shores are also very
pleasant, to which the tortoises resort in large numbers to lay their
eggs.
This island was formerly very well peopled, on the north side, with many
towns and villages; but these, being ruined by the Hollanders, were at
last, for the greatest part, deserted by the Spaniards.
The spacious fields of this island commonly are five or six leagues in
length, the beauty whereof is so pleasing to the eye, that, together
with the great variety of their natural productions, they captivate the
senses of the beholder. For here at once they not only with diversity of
objects recreate the sight, but with many of the same do also please the
smell, and with most contribute delights to the taste; also they flatter
and excite the appetite, especially with the multitudes of oranges and
lemons here growing, both sweet and sour, and those that participate of
both tastes, and are only pleasantly tartish. Besides here abundantly
grow several sorts of fruit, such are citrons, toronjas, and limas; in
English not improperly called crab lemons.
Beside the fruit which this island produces, whose plenty, as is said,
surpasses all the islands of America; it abounds also with all sorts of
quadrupeds, as horses, bulls, cows, wild boars, and others, very useful
to mankind, not only for food, but for cultivating the ground, and the
management of commerce.
Here are vast numbers of wild dogs: these destroy yearly many cattle;
for no sooner hath a cow calved, or a mare foaled, but these wild
mastiffs devour the young, if they find not resistance from keepers and
domestic dogs. They run up and down the woods and fields, commonly
fifty, threescore, or more, together; being withal so fierce, that they
will often assault an entire herd of wild boars, not ceasing to worry
them till they have fetched down two or three. One day a French
buccaneer showed me a strange action of this kind: being in the fields
a-hunting together, we heard a great noise of dogs which has surrounded
a wild boar: having tame dogs with us, we left them to the custody of
our servants, being desirous to see the sport. Hence my companion and I
climbed up two several trees, both for security and prospect. The wild
boar, all alone, stood against a tree, defending himself with his tusks
from a great number of dogs that enclosed him; killed with his teeth,
and wounded several of them. This bloody fight continued about an hour;
the wild boar, meanwhile, attempting many times to escape. At last
flying, one dog, leaping upon his back, fastened on his throat. The rest
of the dogs, perceiving the courage of their companion, fastened
likewise on the boar, and presently killed him. This done, all of them,
the first only excepted, laid themselves down upon the ground about the
prey, and there peaceably continued, till he, the first and most
courageous of the troop, had ate as much as he could: when this dog had
left off, all the rest fell in to take their share, till nothing was
left. What ought we to infer from this notable action, performed by wild
animals, but this: that even beasts themselves are not destitute of
knowledge, and that they give us documents how to honour such as have
deserved well; even since these irrational animals did reverence and
respect him that exposed his life to the greatest danger against the
common enemy?
The governor of Tortuga, Monsieur Ogeron, finding that the wild dogs
killed so many of the wild boars, that the hunters of that island had
much ado to find any; fearing lest that common substance of the island
should fail, sent for a great quantity of poison from France to destroy
the wild mastiffs: this was done, A.D. 1668, by commanding horses to be
killed, and empoisoned, and laid open at certain places where the wild
dogs used to resort. This being continued for six months, there were
killed an incredible number; and yet all this could not exterminate and
destroy the race, or scarce diminish them; their number appearing almost
as large as before. These wild dogs are easily tamed among men, even as
tame as ordinary house dogs. The hunters of those parts, whenever they
find a wild bitch with whelps, commonly take away the puppies, and bring
them home; which being grown up, they hunt much better than other dogs.
But here the curious reader may perhaps inquire how so many wild dogs
came here. The occasion was, the Spaniards having possessed these isles,
found them peopled with Indians, a barbarous people, sensual and
brutish, hating all labour, and only inclined to killing, and making war
against their neighbours; not out of ambition, but only because they
agreed not with themselves in some common terms of language; and
perceiving the dominion of the Spaniards laid great restrictions upon
their lazy and brutish customs, they conceived an irreconcilable hatred
against them; but especially because they saw them take possession of
their kingdoms and dominions. Hereupon, they made against them all the
resistance they could, opposing everywhere their designs to the utmost:
and the Spaniards finding themselves cruelly hated by the Indians, and
nowhere secure from their treacheries, resolved to extirpate and ruin
them, since they could neither tame them by civility, nor conquer them
with the sword. But the Indians, it being their custom to make the woods
their chief places of defence, at present made these their refuge,
whenever they fled from the Spaniards. Hereupon, those first conquerors
of the New World made use of dogs to range and search the intricatest
thickets of woods and forests for those their implacable and
unconquerable enemies: thus they forced them to leave their old refuge,
and submit to the sword, seeing no milder usage would do it; hereupon
they killed some of them, and quartering their bodies, placed them in
the highways, that others might take warning from such a punishment; but
this severity proved of ill consequence, for instead of fighting them
and reducing them to civility, they conceived such horror of the
Spaniards, that they resolved to detest and fly their sight for ever;
hence the greatest part died in caves and subterraneous places of the
woods and mountains, in which places I myself have often seen great
numbers of human bones. The Spaniards finding no more Indians to appear
about the woods, turned away a great number of dogs they had in their
houses, and they finding no masters to keep them, betook themselves to
the woods and fields to hunt for food to preserve their lives; thus by
degrees they became unacquainted with houses, and grew wild. This is the
truest account I can give of the multitudes of wild dogs in these parts.
But besides these wild mastiffs, here are also great numbers of wild
horses everywhere all over the island: they are but low of stature,
short bodied, with great heads, long necks, and big or thick legs: in a
word, they have nothing handsome in their shape. They run up and down
commonly in troops of two or three hundred together, one going always
before to lead the multitude: when they meet any person travelling
through the woods or fields, they stand still, suffering him to approach
till he can almost touch them: and then suddenly starting, they betake
themselves to flight, running away as fast as they can. The hunters
catch them only for their skins, though sometimes they preserve their
flesh likewise, which they harden with smoke, using it for provisions
when they go to sea.
Here would be also wild bulls and cows in great number, if by continual
hunting they were not much diminished; yet considerable profit is made
to this day by such as make it their business to kill them. The wild
bulls are of a vast bigness of body, and yet they hurt not any one
except they be exasperated. Their hides are from eleven to thirteen feet
long.
It is now time to speak of the French who inhabit great part of this
island. We have already told how they came first into these parts: we
shall now only describe their manner of living, customs, and ordinary
employments. The callings or professions they follow are generally but
three, either to hunt or plant, or else to rove the seas as pirates. It
is a constant custom among them all, to seek out a comrade or companion,
whom we may call partner in their fortunes, with whom they join the
whole stock of what they possess towards a common gain. This is done by
articles agreed to, and reciprocally signed. Some constitute their
surviving companion absolute heir to what is left by the death of the
first: others, if they be married, leave their estates to their wives
and children; others, to other relations. This done, every one applies
himself to his calling, which is always one of the three
afore-mentioned.
The hunters are again subdivided into two sorts; for some of these only
hunt wild bulls and cows, others only wild boars. The first of these are
called bucaniers, and not long ago were about six hundred on this
island, but now they are reckoned about three hundred. The cause has
been the great decrease of wild cattle, which has been such, that, far
from getting, they now are but poor in their trade. When the bucaniers
go into the woods to hunt for wild bulls and cows, they commonly remain
there a twelvemonth or two years, without returning home. After the hunt
is over, and the spoil divided, they commonly sail to Tortuga, to
provide themselves with guns, powder, and shot, and other necessaries
for another expedition; the rest of their gains they spend prodigally,
giving themselves to all manner of vices and debauchery, particularly to
drunkenness, which they practise mostly with brandy: this they drink as
liberally as the Spaniards do water. Sometimes they buy together a pipe
of wine; this they stave at one end, and never cease drinking till it is
out. Thus sottishly they live till they have no money left. The said
bucaniers are very cruel and tyrannical to their servants, so that
commonly they had rather be galley-slaves, or saw Brazil wood in the
rasphouses of Holland, than serve such barbarous masters.
The second sort hunt nothing but wild boars; the flesh of these they
salt, and sell it so to the planters. These hunters have the same
vicious customs, and are as much addicted to debauchery as the former;
but their manner of hunting is different from that in Europe; for these
bucaniers have certain places designed for hunting, where they live for
three or four months, and sometimes a whole year. Such places are called
deza boulan; and in these, with only the company of five or six friends,
they continue all the said time in mutual friendship. The first
bucaniers many times agree with planters to furnish them with meat all
the year at a certain price: the payment hereof is often made with two
or three hundredweight of tobacco in the leaf; but the planters
commonly into the bargain furnish them with a servant, whom they send
to help. To the servant they afford sufficient necessaries for the
purpose, especially of powder and shot to hunt withal.
The planters here have but very few slaves; for want of which,
themselves and their servants are constrained to do all the drudgery.
These servants commonly bind themselves to their masters for three
years; but their masters, having no consciences, often traffic with
their bodies, as with horses at a fair, selling them to other masters as
they sell negroes. Yea, to advance this trade, some persons go purposely
into France (and likewise to England, and other countries) to pick up
young men or boys, whom they inveigle and transport; and having once got
them into these islands, they work them like horses, the toil imposed on
them being much harder than what they enjoin the negroes, their slaves;
for these they endeavour to preserve, being their perpetual bondmen: but
for their white servants, they care not whether they live or die, seeing
they are to serve them no longer than three years. These miserable
kidnapped people are frequently subject to a disease, which in these
parts is called coma, being a total privation of their senses. This
distemper is judged to proceed from their hard usage, and the change of
their native climate; and there being often among these some of good
quality, tender education, and soft constitutions, they are more easily
seized with this disease, and others of those countries, than those of
harder bodies, and laborious lives. Beside the hard usage in their diet,
apparel, and rest, many times they beat them so cruelly, that they fall
down dead under the hands of their cruel masters. This I have often seen
with great grief. Of the many instances, I shall only give you the
following history, it being remarkable in its circumstances.
A certain planter of these countries exercised such cruelty towards one
of his servants, as caused him to run away. Having absconded, for some
days, in the woods, at last he was taken, and brought back to the wicked
Pharaoh. No sooner had he got him, but he commanded him to be tied to a
tree; here he gave him so many lashes on his naked back, as made his
body run with an entire stream of blood; then, to make the smart of his
wounds the greater, he anointed him with lemon-juice, mixed with salt
and pepper. In this miserable posture he left him tied to the tree for
twenty-four hours, which being past, he began his punishment again,
lashing him, as before, so cruelly, that the miserable wretch gave up
the ghost, with these dying words: "I beseech the Almighty God, creator
of heaven and earth, that he permit the wicked spirit to make thee feel
as many torments before thy death, as thou hast caused me to feel before
mine." A strange thing, and worthy of astonishment and admiration!
Scarce three or four days were past, after this horrible fact, when the
Almighty Judge, who had heard the cries of the tormented wretch,
suffered the evil one suddenly to possess this barbarous and inhuman
homicide, so that those cruel hands which had punished to death his
innocent servant, were the tormentors of his own body: for he beat
himself and tore his flesh, after a miserable manner, till he lost the
very shape of a man; not ceasing to howl and cry, without any rest by
day or night. Thus he continued raving mad, till he died. Many other
examples of this kind I could rehearse; but these not belonging to our
present discourse, I omit them.
The planters of the Caribbee islands are rather worse, and more cruel to
their servants, than the former. In the isle of St. Christopher dwells
one named Bettesa, well known to the Dutch merchants, who has killed
above a hundred of his servants with blows and stripes. The English do
the same with their servants; and the mildest cruelty they exercise
towards them is, that when they have served six years of their time
(they being bound among the English for seven) they use them so cruelly,
as to force them to beg of their masters to sell them to others, though
it be to begin another servitude of seven years, or at least three or
four. And I have known many, who have thus served fifteen or twenty
years, before they could obtain their freedom. Another law, very
rigorous in that nation, is, if any man owes another above twenty-five
shillings English, if he cannot pay it, he is liable to be sold for six
or eight months. Not to trouble the reader any longer with relations of
this kind, I shall now describe the famous actions and exploits of the
greatest pirates of my time, during my residence in those parts: these I
shall relate without the least passion or partiality, and assure my
reader that I shall give him no stories upon trust, or hearsay, but only
those enterprises to which I was myself an eye-witness.