Visit to Bluefields.
Bluefields lies about twenty-five miles south of Pearl Key Lagoon on the
main land, and has a good harbor for small vessels, the water on the bar
at the mouth being about nine feet deep.
The English government took possession of it many years ago, but
afterwards exchanged their possessions here with the Spanish government
for the Bay of Honduras. Colonel Hudson, an English planter from the
Island of Jamaica, settled here with a number of negro slaves. By the
exchange of the country, he found it difficult to remove his slaves, who
had intermarried with the Indians, and he was obliged to sell them their
freedom and take their security for the payment of the debt, which was
to be paid in yearly instalments. From what I could learn from these
negroes, he never realized much from them. The inhabitants of
Bluefields are mostly called Samboes, being a mixture of negro, Indian,
and white blood.
After remaining a few months at the Lagoon, and receiving many
invitations, I concluded to make a visit to Bluefields, form some new
acquaintance, and call on my _countrywoman_, Mrs. Peggy, who claimed to
be a relation of mine because her father was said to be an American, and
ascertain what progress she made in disposing of the goods I had sent to
her to sell on commission.
I fitted up my canoe, hired three Indians, put our dinner-pot, gun,
fishing spears and some provisions on board, and launched out into the
broad ocean again. After we had proceeded about fifteen miles the wind
increased, which caused the sea to run so high that we were obliged to
run our canoe on shore, and hauling her up we built a fire, a precaution
necessary in travelling in this country to avoid being attacked by wild
beasts, and after cooking a scanty meal took lodging on the ground. We
were much annoyed during the night by musquittoes and small gnats, or
sand-flies, which allowed us but little sleep. The next morning, the
wind having moderated, we got under weigh and proceeded to Bluefields,
where we arrived about sunset.
Here we learned that a negro man had lately been employed in cutting up
a large green turtle on the shore near that place, and while stooping
down to accomplish his undertaking, a tiger sallied out of a thicket of
bushes, sprang upon his back and struck one of his claws into the back
of his neck, inflicting a mortal wound which caused his death the third
day after.
I was joyfully received by Mrs. Peggy, my countrywoman, and all her
family: also received invitations to visit most of the families of the
town. A good supper was provided for me, and I was treated with the best
food and fruits that the country afforded. The usual lodgings in this
country is hammocks, suspended across the house, in which a person
accustomed to them can sleep very comfortably. Mrs. Peggy wishing to
treat me with extraordinary kindness, I being a kinsman of hers,
furnished me with what she called a crawl, fitted up in a spare bedroom,
for my lodging.
A crawl is made by cutting four small crotched sticks of wood, three or
four feet in length, which are driven into the ground, (the house having
no floor,) and two sticks some three feet in length, placed across the
ends, then a number of round sticks, much resembling hoop-poles roughly
trimmed with the bark on them, are laid closely together, resting on the
cross-poles and covered over with a piece of Indian cloth, which forms
the sacking of the bedstead. I retired to my lodging at an early hour,
as I had not enjoyed much sleep the preceding night, and laying myself
down on the crawl thought to take some repose, but I soon found the
knots in the poles were harder than my flesh. "So coy a dame was sleep
to me, with all the weary courtship of my care-tried thoughts, I could
not win her to my bed," and I was glad to _crawl_ off the crawl and take
up my lodgings on the ground under it.
The next day Mrs. Peggy wishing to treat me with the best food the
country afforded, procured a large fat monkey, had it neatly dressed,
and roasted in good style for dinner. As it was roasting before the fire
it looked so much like a human being that I felt my appetite crawl off,
and told my good countrywoman that I had made an engagement to meet an
Indian at a village about two miles from that place, at 12 o'clock, to
purchase a quantity of shell, and wished to be punctual in my promise.
This excuse for absence obtained her reluctant consent to let me go, and
I lost my dinner. I left Bluefields the next day and returned to Pearl
Key Lagoon.
I must here relate a humorous conversation I heard at Bluefields between
two of the most respectable young ladies of that place, named Mary and
Mauger. A vessel having arrived there from Curracoa, the captain and two
others came on shore, and setting down along side of these young ladies,
commenced a vulgar conversation with Mauger. Mary having more modesty
than her companion, immediately called Mauger away from them, and said,
"Mauger, you fool gal, why you talk them Curracoa Buckras, mind by and
by, mouth fly off."
The father of the present Musquitto king must have been fond of women,
as he had no less than fourteen wives. He was a great tyrant, and was
murdered by his subjects for his tyranny over them. The English
government ordered his two eldest sons to be carried to Jamaica and put
under the care of the Duke of Manchester, then governor of that island,
where they remained about six years and obtained a fair English
education. The present king, who calls his name George Frederick, was
furnished with a large outfit from the duke, consisting of a suit of
clothes worth eighteen hundred dollars, repairs of his father's crown
fifteen hundred dollars, and four thousand dollars' worth of goods and
presents to distribute among his subjects. A sloop of war was fitted out
to carry him to the Bay of Honduras, where he was crowned, and from
thence conveyed to his own dominions.
Soon after my return from Bluefields I was visited by the new king, it
being his first visit to the Lagoon. After my introduction I told him
the English traders on the coast were determined to prevent my opening a
trade with his subjects, and solicited his protection. He readily agreed
to give me a permit, which he himself signed, and is as follows:
"Pearl Key Lagoon, _July 20th, 1815_.
"Permission is hereby given to Captain Jacob Dunham, a citizen
of the United States of America, to touch and trade in all
parts of my dominions in any vessel from North America.
"GEORGE FREDERICK,
King of the Musquitto Nation."
I made the king a few presents, and the inhabitants gave us a ball,
where we amused ourselves by dancing on a ground floor. The king left us
a few days after.
I soon became familiar with the Indians, by joining in their amusements
and obtaining a knowledge of their laws, customs, &c. I received an
invitation to go to what they call "a drink-about of pine-liquor." I
quickly dressed myself in Indian fashion, having my face ornamented with
red paint, forming curls and other figures, and my hat ornamented with
beautiful plumage plucked from the birds of the forest. I proceeded
about two miles in company with most of the inhabitants of our place to
the village of Bigman's Bank, where we were joined by the principal
inhabitants of the neighboring villages within five or six miles of that
place, who had previously brought their pine-apples, pealed them, grated
them up fine and squeezed out the juice into a sixty gallon cask, which
was full, and had been in a state of fermentation for some days past,
but had now become pure, and contained spirit sufficient to intoxicate
all those who drank much of it. Before the drinking commenced the men
gave up their knives and other weapons to the squaws. The men remained
there two or three days, but I returned home the first evening, fully
satisfied. I continued my trade with the Indians, bartering my goods for
tortoise-shell, cow-hides, deer-skins, tiger-skins, gum copal, India
rubber, &c.
Having much leisure time, I devoted a great part of it to learning
their language, customs, laws, manner of taking turtle, fish, birds and
different animals; mode of agriculture; births, marriages and burials,
of which I shall endeavor to give the reader some information.