I had now grown to such sudden importance among the natives, that the
neighboring chiefs and kings sent me daily messages of friendship,
with trifling gifts that I readily accepted. One of these bordering
lords, more generous and insinuating than the rest, hinted several
times his anxiety for a closer connection in affection as well as
trade, and, at length, insisted upon becoming my father-in-law!
I had always heard in Italy that it was something to receive the hand
of a princess, even after long and tedious wooing; but now that I was
surrounded by a mob of kings, who absolutely thrust their daughters on
me, I confess I had the bad taste not to leap with joy at the royal
offering. Still, I was in a difficult position, as no graver offence
can be given a chief than to reject his child. It is so serious an
insult to refuse a wife, that, high born natives, in order to avoid
quarrels or war, accept the tender boon, and as soon as etiquette
permits, pass it over to a friend or relation. As the offer was made
to me personally by the king, I found the utmost difficulty in
escaping. Indeed, he would receive no excuse. When I declined on
account of the damsel's youth, he laughed incredulously. If I urged
the feebleness of my health and tardy convalescence, he insisted that
a regular life of matrimony was the best cordial for an impaired
constitution. In fact, the paternal solicitude of his majesty for my
doubloons was so urgent that I was on the point of yielding myself a
patient sacrifice, when Joseph came to my relief with the offer of his
hand as a substitute.
The Gordian knot was cut. Prince Yungee in reality did not care so
much who should be his son-in-law as that he obtained one with a white
skin and plentiful purse. Joseph or Theodore, Saxon or Italian, made
no difference to the chief; and, as is the case in all Oriental lands,
the opinion of the lady was of no importance whatever.
I cannot say that my partner viewed this matrimonial project with the
disgust that I did. Perhaps he was a man of more liberal philosophy
and wider views of human brotherhood; at any rate, his residence in
Africa gave him a taste not only for its people, habits, and
superstitions, but he upheld practical amalgamation with more fervor
and honesty than a regular abolitionist. Joseph was possessed by
Africo-mania. He admired the women, the men, the language, the
cookery, the music. He would fall into philharmonic ecstasies over the
discord of a bamboo _tom-tom_. I have reason to believe that even
African barbarities had charms for the odd Englishman; but he was
chiefly won by the _dolce far niente_ of the natives, and the Oriental
license of polygamy. In a word, Joseph had the same taste for a
full-blooded _cuffee_, that an epicure has for the _haut gout_ of a
stale partridge, and was in ecstasies at my extrication. He neglected
his _siestas_ and his accounts; he wandered from house to house with
the rapture of an impatient bridegroom; and, till every thing was
ready for the nuptial rites, no one at the factory had a moment's
rest.
As the bride's relations were eminent folks on the upper part of the
river, they insisted that the marriage ceremony should be performed
with all the honorable formalities due to the lady's rank. Esther, who
acted as my mentor in every "country-question," suggested that it
would be contrary to the Englishman's interest to ally himself with a
family whose only motive was sordid. She strongly urged that if he
persisted in taking the girl, he should do so without a "_colungee_"
or ceremonial feast. But Joseph was obstinate as a bull; and as he
doubted whether he would ever commit matrimony again, he insisted
that the nuptials should be celebrated with all the fashionable
splendor of high life in Africa.
When this was decided, it became necessary, by a fiction of etiquette,
to ignore the previous offer of the bride, and to begin anew, as if
the damsel were to be sought in the most delicate way by a desponding
lover. She must be demanded formally, by the bridegroom from her
reluctant mother; and accordingly, the most respectable matron in our
colony was chosen by Joseph from his colored acquaintances to be the
bearer of his valentine. In the present instance, the selected Cupid
was the principal wife of our native landlord, Ali-Ninpha; and, as
Africans as well as Turks love by the pound, the dame happened to be
one of the fattest, as well as most respectable, in our parish.
Several female _attaches_ were added to the suite of the ambassadress,
who forthwith departed to make a proper "_dantica_." The gifts
selected were of four kinds. First of all, two demijohns of
_trade_-rum were filled to gladden the community of Mongo-Yungee's
town. Next, a piece of blue cotton cloth, a musket, a keg of powder,
and a demijohn of _pure_ rum, were packed for papa. Thirdly, a
youthful virgin dressed in a white "tontongee,"[2] a piece of white
cotton cloth, a white basin, a white sheep, and a basket of white
rice, were put up for mamma, in token of her daughter's purity. And,
lastly, a German looking-glass, several bunches of beads, a coral
necklace, a dozen of turkey-red handkerchiefs, and a spotless white
country-cloth, were presented to the bride; together with a decanter
of white palm-oil for the anointment of her ebony limbs after the
bath, which is never neglected by African _belles_.
While the missionary of love was absent, our sighing swain devoted his
energies to the erection of a bridal palace; and the task required
just as many days as were employed in the creation of the world. The
building was finished by the aid of bamboos, straw, and a modicum of
mud; and, as Joseph imagined that love and coolness were secured in
such a climate by utter darkness, he provided an abundance of that
commodity by omitting windows entirely. The furnishing of the domicil
was completed with all the luxury of native taste. An elastic
four-poster was constructed of bamboos; some dashing crockery was set
about the apartment for display; a cotton quilt was cast over the
matted couch; an old trunk served for bureau and wardrobe; and, as
negresses adore looking-glasses, the largest in our warehouse was
nailed against the door, as the only illuminated part of the edifice.
At last all was complete, and Joseph snapped his fingers with delight,
when the corpulent dame waddled up asthmatically, and announced with a
wheeze that her mission was prosperous. If there had ever been doubt,
there was now no more. The oracular "_fetiche_" had announced that the
delivery of the bride to her lord might take place "on the tenth day
of the new moon."
As the planet waxed from its slender sickle to the thicker quarter,
the impatience of my Cockney waxed with it; but, at length, the firing
of muskets, the twang of horns, and the rattle of tom-toms, gave
notice from the river that COOMBA, the bride, was approaching the
quay. Joseph and myself hastily donned our clean shirts, white
trousers, and glistening pumps; and, under the shade of broad
_sombreros_ and umbrellas, proceeded to greet the damsel. Our fat
friend, the matron; Ali-Ninpha, her husband; our servants, and a troop
of village ragamuffins, accompanied us to the water's brink, so that
we were just in time to receive the five large canoes bearing the
escort of the king and his daughter. Boat after boat disgorged its
passengers; but, to our dismay, they ranged themselves apart, and were
evidently displeased. When the last canoe, decorated with flags,
containing the bridal party, approached the strand, the chief of the
escort signalled it to stop and forbade the landing.
In a moment there was a general row--a row, conceivable only by
residents of Africa, or those whose ears have been regaled with the
chattering of a "wilderness of monkeys." Our lusty _factotum_ was
astonished. The Cockney aspirated his _h's_ with uncommon volubility.
We hastened from one to the other to inquire the cause; nor was it
until near half an hour had been wasted in palaver, that I found they
considered themselves slighted, first of all because we had not fired
a salvo in their honor, and secondly because we failed to spread mats
from the beach to the house, upon which the bride might place her
virgin feet without defilement! These were indispensable formalities
among the "upper ten;" and the result was that COOMBA could not land
unless the etiquette were fulfilled.
Here, then, was a sad dilemma. The guns could be fired instantly;--but
where, alas! at a moment's notice, were we to obtain mats enough to
carpet the five hundred yards of transit from the river to the house?
The match must be broken off!
My crest-fallen cockney immediately began to exculpate himself by
pleading ignorance of the country's customs,--assuring the strangers
that he had not the slightest inkling of the requirement. Still, the
stubborn "master of ceremonies" would not relax an iota of his
rigorous behests.
At length, our bulky dame approached the master of the bridal party,
and, squatting on her knees, confessed her neglectful fault. Then, for
the first time, I saw a gleam of hope. Joseph improved the moment by
alleging that he employed this lady patroness to conduct every thing
in the sublimest style imaginable, because it was presumed no one knew
better than she all that was requisite for so admirable and virtuous a
lady as COOMBA. Inasmuch, however, as he had been disappointed by her
unhappy error, he did not think the blow should fall on _his_
shoulders. The negligent matron ought to pay the penalty; and, as it
was impossible now to procure the mats, she should forfeit the value
of a slave to aid the merry-making, _and carry the bride on her back
from the river to her home_!
A clapping of hands and a quick murmur of assent ran through the
crowd, telling me that the compromise was accepted. But the porterage
was no sinecure for the delinquent elephant, who found it difficult at
times to get along over African sands even without a burden. Still, no
time was lost in further parley or remonstrance. The muskets and
cannon were brought down and exploded; the royal boat was brought to
the landing; father, mother, brothers, and relations were paraded on
the strand; tom-toms and horns were beaten and blown; and, at last,
the suffering missionary waddled to the canoe to receive the veiled
form of the slender bride.
The process of removal was accompanied by much merriment. Our
corpulent porter groaned as she "larded the lean earth" beneath her
ponderous tread; but, in due course of labor and patience, she sank
with her charge on the bamboo couch of Master Joseph.
As soon as the bearer and the burden were relieved from their fatigue,
the maiden was brought to the door, and, as her long concealing veil
of spotless cotton was unwrapped from head and limbs, a shout of
admiration went up from the native crowd that followed us from the
quay to the hovel. As Joseph received the hand of COOMBA, he paid the
princely fee of a slave to the matron.
COOMBA had certainly not numbered more than sixteen years, yet, in
that burning region, the sex ripen long before their pallid sisters of
the North. She belonged to the Soosoo tribe, but was descended from
Mandingo ancestors, and I was particularly struck by the uncommon
symmetry of her tapering limbs. Her features and head, though
decidedly African, were not of that coarse and heavy cast that marks
the lineaments of her race. The grain of her shining skin was as fine
and polished as ebony. A melancholy languor subdued and deepened the
blackness of her large eyes, while her small and even teeth gleamed
with the brilliant purity of snow. Her mouth was rosy and even
delicate; and, indeed, had not her ankles, feet, and wool, manifested
the unfortunate types of her kindred, COOMBA, the daughter of
Mongo-Yungee, might have passed for a _chef d'oeuvre in black
marble_.
The scant dress of the damsel enabled me to be so minute in this
catalogue of her charms; and, in truth, had I not inspected them
closely, I would have violated matrimonial etiquette as much as if I
failed to admire the _trousseau_ and gifts of a bride at home.
Coomba's costume was as innocently primitive as Eve's after the
expulsion. Like all maidens of her country, she had beads round her
ankles, beads round her waist, beads round her neck, while an
abundance of bracelets hooped her arms from wrist to elbow. The white
_tontongee_ still girdled her loins; but Coomba's climate was her
mantuamaker, and indicated more necessity for ornament than drapery.
Accordingly, Coomba was obedient to Nature, and troubled herself very
little about a supply of useless garments, to load the presses and vex
the purse of her bridegroom.
As soon as the process of unveiling was over, and time had been
allowed the spectators to behold the damsel, her mother led her gently
to the fat ambassadress, who, with her companions, bore the girl to a
bath for ablution, anointment, and perfuming. While Coomba underwent
this ceremony at the hands of our matron, flocks of sable dames
entered the apartment; and, as they withdrew, shook hands with her
mother, in token of the maiden's purity, and with the groom in
compliment to his luck.
As soon as the bath and _oiling_ were over, six girls issued from the
hut, bearing the glistening bride on a snow-white sheet to the home of
her spouse. The transfer was soon completed, and the burden deposited
on the nuptial bed. The dwelling was then closed and put in charge of
sentinels; when the plump plenipotentiary approached the Anglo-Saxon,
and handing him the scant fragments of the bridal dress, pointed to
the door, and, in a loud voice, exclaimed: "White man, this authorizes
you to take possession of your wife!"
It may naturally be supposed that our radiant cockney was somewhat
embarrassed by so public a display of matrimonial happiness, at six
o'clock in the afternoon, on the thirtieth day of a sweltering June.
Joseph could not help looking at me with a blush and a laugh, as he
saw the eyes of the whole crowd fixed on his movements; but, nerving
himself like a man, he made a profound _salaam_ to the admiring
multitude, and shaking my hand with a convulsive grip, plunged into
the darkness of his abode. A long pole was forthwith planted before
the door, and a slender strip of white cotton, about the size of a
"_tontongee_," was hoisted in token of privacy, and floated from the
staff like a pennant, giving notice that the commodore is aboard.
No sooner were these rites over, than the house was surrounded by a
swarm of women from the adjacent villages, whose incessant songs,
screams, chatter, and _tom-tom_ beatings, drowned every mortal sound.
Meanwhile, the men of the party--whose merriment around an enormous
_bonfire_ was augmented by abundance of liquor and provisions--amused
themselves in dancing, shouting, yelling, and discharging muskets in
honor of the nuptials.
Such was the ceaseless serenade that drove peace from the lovers'
pillow during the whole of that memorable night. At dawn, the
corpulent matron again appeared from among the wild and reeling crowd,
and concluding her functions by some mysterious ceremonies, led forth
the lank groom from the dark cavity of his hot and sleepless oven,
looking more like a bewildered wretch rescued from drowning, than a
radiant lover fresh from his charmer. In due time, the bride also was
brought forth by the matrons for the bath, where she was anointed from
head to foot with a vegetable butter,--whose odor is probably more
agreeable to Africans than Americans,--and fed with a bowl of broth
made from a young and tender pullet.
The marriage _fetes_ lasted three days, after which I insisted that
Joseph should give up nonsense for business, and sobered his ecstasies
by handing him a wedding-bill for five hundred and fifty dollars.
There is hardly a doubt that he considered COOMBA very _dear_, if not
absolutely adorable!
FOOTNOTE:
[2] A _tontongee_ is a strip of white cotton cloth, three inches wide
and four feet long, used as a _virgin African's only dress_. It is
wound round the limbs, and, hanging partly in front and partly behind,
is supported from the maiden's waist by strands of _showee-beads_.