Berbische, June.
I have lately been present at the sale of a Dutch cargo of slaves, at
the new town of Amsterdam. Many of the officers went from the fort to
witness this degrading spectacle, and although my feelings had suffered
from a similar scene at Demarara, I could not resist the novelty of
observing the Dutch mode of proceeding in this sad traffic of _human
cattle_.
On arriving at the town, we were surprised to find it a holyday, or a
kind of public fair. The sale seemed to have excited general attention,
and to have brought together all the inhabitants of the colony. The
planters came down from the estates with their wives and families all
arrayed in their gayest apparel; the belles and beaux appeared in their
Sunday suits; even the children were in full dress; and their slaves
decked out in gaudy clothes. It was quite a gala-day, and greater
numbers of people were collected than we had supposed to have been in
the colony. Short jackets, with tawdry petticoats of large flowered
patterns, and loose Dutch slippers formed the prevailing dress of the
females. Scarlet, crimson, and poppy, with all the bright colours used
in a northern winter, rivalled a tropical sun, and reigned conspicuous
in their flaming apparel. To the inhabitants it seemed a day of
hilarity, but to the poor Africans it was a period of heavy grief and
affliction; for they were to be sold as beasts of burden—torn from each
other—and widely dispersed about the colony, to wear out their days in
the hopeless toils of slavery.
The fair being opened, and the crowd assembled, these unpitied beings
were exposed to the hammer of public auction. A long table was placed in
the middle of a large room, or logis. At one end was seated the
auctioneer; at the other was a chair for the negroes to stand upon, in
order to be exhibited to the view of the purchasers, who were sitting at
the sides of the table, or standing about the different parts of the
room. All being in readiness, the slaves were brought in, one at a time,
and mounted upon the chair before the bidders, who handled and inspected
them, with as little concern as if they had been examining cattle in
Smithfield market. They turned them about, felt them, viewed their shape
and their limbs, looked into their mouths, made them jump and throw out
their arms, and subjected them to all the means of trial as if dealing
for a horse, or any other brute animal. Indeed the indelicacy shown
towards the defenceless Africans, by some of these dealers in their
species, was not less unmanly than it was disgusting, and insulting to
humanity.
We were shocked to observe women in the room who had come to the fair
for the express purpose of purchasing slaves. Even children were brought
to point the lucky finger, and the boy or girl, thus chosen, was bought
by papa at the request of superstitious mamma, to give as a fairing to
young massa or missy!
The price of these poor degraded blacks varied from 600 to 900 guilders,
according to their age and strength, or their appearance of being
healthy or otherwise. The boys and girls were sold for 600 or 700
guilders; some of the men for as many as 900; and the women were knocked
down at about 800.
In the course of the sale, a tall, robust negro, on being brought into
the auction-room, approached the table, with a fine negress hanging upon
his arm. The man was ordered to mount the chair. He obeyed, though
manifestly with reluctance. His bosom heaved, and grief was in his eye.
The woman remained in the crowd. A certain price was mentioned to set
the purchase forward, and the bidding commenced: but on the slave being
desired to exhibit the activity of his limbs, and to display his person,
he lowered his chin upon his breast, and hung down his head in positive
refusal; then, looking at the woman, made signs expressive of great
distress. Next he pointed to her, and then to the chair, evidently
intimating a desire to have her placed by his side. She was his chosen
wife, and nature was correctly intelligible. Not obtaining immediate
acquiescence, he became agitated and impatient. The sale was
interrupted, and as he could not be prevailed upon to move a single
muscle by way of exhibiting his person, the proceedings were at a stand.
He looked again at the woman,—again pointed to the chair; held up two
fingers to the auctioneer, and implored the multitude in anxious
suppliant gestures. Upon his countenance was marked the combined
expression of sorrow, affection, and alarm. He grew more and more
restless, and repeated signs which seemed to say—“Let us be sold
together! Give me my heart’s choice as the partner of my days, then
dispose of me as you please, and I will be content to wear out my life
in the heavy toils of bondage.” It was nature that spake, and her
language could not be mistaken! Humanity could no longer resist the
appeal, and it was universally agreed that they should make but one lot.
A second chair was now brought, and the woman was placed at the side of
her husband. His countenance instantly brightened. He hung upon the neck
of his wife, and embraced her with rapture; then folding her in his
arms, and pressing her to his bosom, he became composed; and looked
round with a smile of complacency, which plainly said, “Proceed!—I am
yours, yours, or yours! Let this be the associate of my toils, and I am
satisfied.” The bidding was renewed. They exhibited marks of health and
strength, and, quickly, the two were sold together for 1650 guilders.
“Enough!” you will say. “Give me no more of slaves, nor of slavery!” For
the present I obey, and, leaving the dusky Africans, hasten to introduce
you to the copper-coloured Indians; thus, leading you to the opposite
extreme of human life, and placing you among those of our species, who
spurn alike the shackles of slavery, and the slavish trammels of
society. I have lately had an opportunity of seeing several parties of
the wild and naked inhabitants of these woods—men who range, at large,
in the fullest enjoyment of native freedom; neither suffering their
liberty to be effaced by bondage, nor abridged by civilization. Being
one day at the town of New Amsterdam I took a walk with the acting
surgeon of the garrison, down to the Bush[12], on the border of the
creek or river Kannye. Nigh to the water we met with a party of Indians,
and observing that they made no attempt to avoid us, we went so near to
them as to mix in the group. We found them engaged in various pursuits;
and remarked that none of their occupations suffered any interruption by
our presence. A woman and her son, who were in the river, continued to
bathe before us, and seemed greatly to enjoy the water. Some were
cutting wood for firing; some collecting the Bush-water[13] with a
calabash, for the purpose of drinking, or of cooking—some were stewing
crabs, together with capsicum and cassada juice into pepper-pot; and
some were eating the raw tops of the mountain-cabbage. To the latter I
held forth my hand, implying a desire to partake of their repast. They
immediately gave me a part; and seemed pleased on observing me eat of
it. A better salad I never tasted. It was very crisp and white—much
superior to the best lettuce or endive; and, in flavour, somewhat
resembling the filbert. Perceiving that they were not incommoded by our
society, we continued a considerable time attentively watching their
proceedings; but their curiosity was not commensurate with our own, for
they scarcely looked at us, or appeared to be, in any degree, interested
concerning us. With indifference they saw us approach; they regarded us
with indifference whilst we remained; and with indifference they
witnessed our departure.
Two days after, I saw a much larger party of Indians, who came to the
government-house to ask for rum, as a compensation for felling timber;
and the same evening, on walking towards the creek with some of the
officers, we met with a still more numerous body of these inhabitants of
the forest, who had been employed by the Governor to cut down wood
preparatory to clearing the land near the town for cultivation. They
were busied in packing up all their little store of implements and
utensils, in order to return to their native abode in the Bush. Bows and
arrows, apparatus for preparing cassada, the clay cooking-vessel,
hammocks, calabashes, and crab-baskets constituted their whole list of
stores and furniture. All these were light in structure, or in the
materials, and, being arranged in compact order, were easily carried on
their backs. The women were made to bear the burden; while the men took
no share of the load. One man, who had three wives, packed upon their
backs, very neatly, the whole of what he had to carry away; then taking
up a long staff, he marched on before with lordly step, the wives
following him in silent train, one after another. We walked gently
behind a party of about forty as far as the creek, and there saw some of
them embark in their canoes, to paddle up the river; while the others
took a narrow path leading into the depths of the forest: so that
quickly all of them were out of sight, leaving not a trace of their
visit behind.
They come down, occasionally, in parties, and enter into an engagement
to cut wood for a certain compensation; but no dependence can be placed
upon them for a single day, for they sometimes pack up all belonging to
them, and return suddenly and unexpectedly into the Bush; from whence
they come not again for several months, perhaps not at all. They are
naturally indolent, and, being tenacious of freedom, they become
impatient of the restraint imposed by daily labour; wherefore, they
hastily cast it off, and fly back to the forest to range in their native
liberty. From possessing a degree of expertness in the felling of
timber, they might be highly useful in forwarding the cultivation of the
colony; but they have no sense of industry, nor do they seem to acquire
the least disposition to emulate the colonists in any of their pursuits:
content with finding food and pepper in the woods, they have no ambition
to become planters. Cotton is not necessary to protect their naked
skins; nor are their appetites so refined as to require either coffee or
sugar.
At the fort we have had a visit also from an Indian family who came to
us in the true style of forest accommodation, forming a scene of high
interest and novelty. Before their little vessel reached the fort, we
observed the long black hair and naked skins of the man, his two wives,
and several children, who were all stowed about the vessel with the
strictest attention to equipoise—_trimming_ it most exactly. The canoe
was large, and, in addition to the family, was loaded with cedar and
other kinds of wood for sale or barter. On the top of the cargo appeared
a ferocious-looking animal, setting up his bristles like the quills of
the porcupine. It was a species of wild hog caught in the forest, and
hence called a _bush-hog_. A small monkey was likewise skipping about
the canoe. At one side sat two very fine parrots, and on the other was
perched a large and beautiful mackaw, displaying all the splendour of
his gay plumage. On the canoe arriving at the landing-place, the bow and
arrows, the clay cooking-vessel, calabashes, hammocks, and crab-baskets,
were all brought into view; and we gazed on the whole, as forming a very
complete and striking specimen of original equipage. The entire family,
the household apparatus, the canoe and paddles, in short all the
furniture and implements for cooking, for sleeping, for shooting,
fishing, and travelling were here moved together in one compact body, so
as to render it indifferent to them, whether they should return to the
home from whence they came, or take up a new abode in any other part of
the forest.