Berbische.
From the inactivity of the Indians they are generally seen to be
_enbonpoint_, and this, as I remarked before, gives them a certain
equality of form, and of surface; but their skins have not that velvet
softness so common to the negroes. Their bodies are peculiarly free from
hair. Possessing an idea, that it is more becoming not to have any
hairs, except upon the head, they are in the habit of pulling them out
from the chin, the breast, the armpits, and other parts. The general
smoothness, thus given to the surface, has led some travellers, who have
been ignorant of the cause, into the error of considering this to be
their natural appearance; and hence have arisen the strange opinions
that they differed from Europeans, and were in this respect a peculiar
race of the human species. The instrument used for eradicating the hairs
is a small piece of wood partially split. Those who intermix with the
colonists often employ a bit of wire, twisted into a spiral form.
From the heat of the climate, and the facility of procuring food, the
Indians of Guiana are naturally indolent. In every quarter of the globe
the great incentive to industry is either necessity, interest, or
ambition. Labour, simply as such, is no where a natural impulse. It is
the effect of our real, or imaginary wants. Among the natives of these
woods, it springs from necessity alone, and ceases with the immediate
occasion which calls it forth. They have no interest in the accumulation
of property; and therefore do not labour in order to obtain wealth. They
live under the most perfect equality, and hence are not impelled to
industry by that spirit of emulation, which, in society, leads to great
and unwearied exertion. Content with their simple means, they evince no
desire to emulate the habits, or the occupations of the colonists: but,
on the contrary, seem to regard their toils and customs with a sense of
pity or contempt. I have, occasionally, seen parties of them looking on,
when our soldiers have assembled to go through the various evolutions of
their exercise; and they always regarded them with a quiet indifference;
or indicated by their features a sort of contemptuous pity, which was
sometimes expressed by a significant look, that seemed to say, “Ay,
foolish people! you take vast pains with these things: but we do them
much better, with infinitely less trouble.”
They are very fond of drinking rum, and eagerly swallow it to
intoxication. But they observe a kind of method in their drunkenness:
for when they come down to the towns in bodies of considerable number,
it is remarked that half the party will freely devote to Bacchus, whilst
the other half carefully refrain, in order to watch the helpless; and
these, when restored by sleep, are observed to take _their turn_ of
watching, and to guard their late protectors through similar visits to
the deities of turbulence and repose. They have no pleasure in long
sipping, but swallow large draughts of rum, or drink quickly glassful
after glassful, till they are unable to move.
The Indians are excessively arbitrary and despotic towards their women.
Polygamy is practised among them. Each man takes as many wives as he can
conveniently maintain. They are very jealous, and commonly appoint the
senior of their wives as a spy or guardian over the conduct of the
others; but, as a spice of intrigue has found its way even into the wild
woods, it is said that means have been found to convert the old Duenna
into the best channel of obtaining an introduction to the junior
branches of the _harem_.
All the domestic labour is done by the females, and in their
journeyings, from place to place, the women are made to toil under the
burden of whatever they may have to transport. Thus, in removing from
any abode to take up a new home, the different articles of furniture,
and all the little variety of implements and utensils are placed upon
the backs of the women, who follow in silent train, bending under a
heavy load, while their imperious lord marches on before unincumbered.
From the rigid government exercised over them, by the men, the women
appear to be sombre and reserved. They commonly sit with their backs
towards strangers, and remain in profound silence when their husbands
are present. In their absence they show less restraint, and seem
disposed to cheerfulness and vivacity. Like the men they are very fond
of rum, and drink bumpers in rapid succession as if it were only water.
I have observed, that notwithstanding the great heat of climate, the
Indians of this part of South America are not of the same meager
appearance as the negroes. From their habits of indolence a portion of
fat is deposited under the skin, which gives them a soft fulness of
form; but we did not see, among the people of the woods, a single
instance of the heavy, protruding obesity so common among the luxurious
sons of civilized society. Figures, it is true, may be found among them
as lean as hard-toiling slaves; but perhaps no Indian was ever seen
palpitating under that oppressive protuberance of fat, which the _bons
vivans_ of Europe, and particularly the beef-eating subjects of England
so frequently carry before them. This circumstance may tend to show that
great obesity is only the effect of indolence, or good living, or of
both acting together; and that by a due observance of exercise and
abstemiousness it might, in all cases, be prevented.
Let me return with you to our tour, and tell you that M. Fenner very
kindly met us at Arends in the morning, with a fine mule, and a whole
troop of slaves and horses to conduct us back to his home at Johanna.
According to the usual custom, coffee was brought to us at seven
o’clock, on leaving our hammocks, and without waiting for a more
substantial breakfast, we went round the plantation, and walked to see
some Tonquin-bean trees, which were growing upon the estate, then
mounted our ponies, and put ourselves on the march, attended, part of
the way by M. Mittelholster, with whom we had been guests for the night.
The party formed a motley group, consisting of Dutch planters, British
officers, and naked Africans marching across an immense waste surrounded
with wild woods, under a scorching and vertical sun, with M. Fenner our
friendly conductor, seated upon a prancing mule, leading the way as
commander at the head of the squadron. His grotesque appearance would
have highly diverted you; for, worthy man, he was not barely a Hollander
on horseback, but a _gros-culottes_ dressed in a white coat and
broad-brimmed hat, capering upon a slender mule, and in danger of
falling off at every step: indeed it was evident to the whole corps,
that if they should venture to move quicker than the Dutch _pas grave_,
their leader would soon _fall_ in the _rear_: nor had we gone far before
our fears were realized, and our decanted conductor seated on the
_parterre_; leaving his sprightly mule to kick her heels in air across
the wide savanna. Finding that our chief had fallen without being
wounded, the whole troop was quickly engaged in a chase across the
plain, to overtake their captain’s charger. At this moment a rapid
thought winged its way to England, and I wished I could have placed a
picture before you, representing your friend occupied, amidst a group of
horse and foot, planters, officers, and slaves—_Englishmen_, _Africans_,
and _Dutchmen_, scampering over a wild savanna, enclosed by the deep
forests of _Guiana_, in pursuit of a _South American_ mule. We
fortunately surrounded the animal before she had made her way into the
woods, and after a long gallop about the plain, she was brought back
into the ranks.
It now became a question, who should mount our captain’s steed; for
Mynheer Fenner, though not hurt, had grown pallid and nervous, and was
in truth, so bad a horseman, that there was not the least probability of
his remaining many minutes upon her back, if he should again attempt to
ride her: and to leave our commander, our guide, and our host behind us,
to walk to Johanna, could not be endured. In this dilemma it fell to my
lot to undertake the management of the frisky mule, throughout the
remainder of the journey. Whether her capering fit was subdued by the
chase about the savanna, or whether she preferred an English to a Dutch
rider, it were of no consequence to determine: she carried me pleasantly
and quietly, and we arrived at Johanna without any further disaster.
On our way we were conducted to an Indian village, built at the edge of
the savanna, just within the border of the forest. Very few of the
people were in their dwellings. They were engaged in the chase, in
search of provisions, or had concealed themselves in the woods, upon
seeing us approach. In one of the huts we found an old woman wretchedly
diseased, left quite alone, and lying naked in a hammock. She seemed to
be only a breathing skeleton: her countenance was deeply _Hippocratic_;
eruptions and foul ulcers disfigured her body, and rendered her a
perfect object of horror; she was unable to move—almost to speak, or to
respire, and exhibited, altogether, a most striking example of human
misery.
In the neighbourhood of the huts we saw some of the fine reeds growing,
which are used by the Indians for making their arrows. They appeared to
have been planted about the village for the convenience of furnishing a
ready supply.
In our ride through the woods, some large trees were pointed out to us
as being a species of wild cinnamon. The bark had somewhat the flavour
of that spice, and on being broken resembled it in odour, but it was
very rough and coarse.
We reached the Johanna estate three hours before the negroes, who had
been sent round by way of the river with our boat; their journey by
water having been above four hours longer than ours by land,
notwithstanding our delay in the savanna.
Having gone to the extent of our expedition, and it only remaining to us
to return down the river amidst the same unvaried scenery which we had
passed, we became anxious to reach New Amsterdam and the fort, with as
little delay as possible, and, therefore, set off in the afternoon for
Fort Nassau, intending to hang our hammocks at Mynheer Scholten’s until
the morrow. But in this, we were disappointed, by the failure of the
tide; consequently, finding at the dusk of evening, that we were not
likely to arrive at the old town, we pursued our marooning system, and
put into the first port we could make. This happened to be at the
plantation Helvetia, where we were received with great kindness and
civility by Mynheer Freinde. Coffee was presented on our arrival: soon
afterwards the supper-board was plentifully spread; and, although
unexpected intruders, we found excellent accommodations for the night.
We did not enjoy the society of Mynheer Freinde so much as we could have
wished, in consequence of our limited knowledge of his native language;
yet, by means of the many good things he gave us, he made himself
extremely well understood. The estate is large, and is the property of
Mynheer Freinde jointly with three other gentlemen, one of whom resides
in London, the two others at Amsterdam.
I might have remarked to you that at the Johanna plantation, we were
this day indulged with the luxury of having two young negroes, and an
Indian girl, placed behind us waving lime boughs around our heads, in
order to keep us cool, and prevent us from being annoyed by insects,
while we were eating our dinners; and, in addition to this general
protection, I was farther indebted to the flattering attention of
Mynheer Fenner, for the distinguished honor of having a separate slave
stationed at my elbow holding an Indian fan, with express orders to give
me air, and guard me from the musquitoes.
We left Helvetia with the early tide, in order to breakfast at the old
town; and accordingly arrived at nine o’clock at Mynheer Scholten’s.
During breakfast we were visited by the fiscal, who, looking extremely
abashed, begged us to believe that he felt it incumbent upon him to
offer multitudes of apologies, for his rude behaviour on the day we had
dined at his house, adding, that he had been greatly afflicted, from the
moment he had been told of it; and, in explanation, ascribing all his
loud noise and political violence to the _levelling_ bumpers which he
had taken of claret and Madeira. We likewise met, at breakfast, another
of the oldest inhabitants of the colony, an uncle of Mynheer Scholten,
whose aged and venerable figure commanded great respect for his person,
while it impressed a favorable idea of the salubrity of the climate.
After satisfying the calls of appetite, we took a walk into the town,
and, in the course of our promenade, had an opportunity of procuring a
very beautiful lion-monkey, from one of the handsomest Indian women we
had seen, and who, by signs and gestures, gave us to understand, that if
desired, means might be devised, to make the mistress the companion of
the little animal, at our quarters at the fort.
Before noon we were again in the boat pursuing our journey down the
river. Having the current in our favor, we were carried rapidly on, and
were enabled to make longer tides than when going the opposite way. In
proceeding up the river, the slaves had found it necessary to avoid the
centre, and to keep the boat as near as possible to the shore; but in
returning, they gladly sought the middle of the channel, in order to
avail themselves of the current. As the evening approached, the return
of tide overpowered the fresh-water stream, and, by putting a stop to
our progress, compelled us to seek quarters at an earlier hour than we
wished. The plantation Daargradt being nearest, we dropped our anchor,
there, and, without ceremony, took up our abode for the night.
This is one of the colonial estates, and is subject to a question of
sequestration; it being yet in doubt whether Daargradt, together with
some other plantations similarly circumstanced, may not be condemned as
public property, for the benefit of the captors. The estate is
extensive, and cultivated by a numerous gang of slaves, who are attached
as stock, and consequently make a part of the property. My mind
anticipates the idea which suggests itself to you upon this subject; but
you will not expect that I should offer comments upon the prospect of
sharing _prize-money_ from such a source.
The usual difficulty respecting language would have occurred to us, from
the manager not knowing either English or French; but fortunately, a
gentleman whom I had met at Mynheer Ongre’s, happened to be at
Daargradt, who, with great kindness, undertook the troublesome task of
interpreter; and procured for us the best accommodations of the house.
We went early to our hammocks; but passed a sad restless night, owing to
our being assailed by hosts of musquitoes, whose venomous bitings wholly
deprived us of sleep.