I had written to Cross, informing him of my promotion, and his being
appointed to the Diligente.
I had been a fortnight with the admiral when the Naiad arrived with the
prizes in company, and, my wound being now cured, I took leave of the
admiral, and went down, that I might superintend the fitting out of my
new vessel. As there were supernumerary men expected out of England,
the admiral, at my suggestion, allowed me to turn over the crew of the
Firefly to form the nucleus of my ship's company, and made up my
complement from his own ship.
In two months I was ready for sea, and most anxious to be off. The
admiral perceived my impatience, but, as there was no other vessel in
the harbour, he would not let me go until another arrived, to be at his
disposal in case of emergency. The weariness of so long remaining in
harbour was, however, a little relieved by a circumstance which took
place, and which probably will make my readers imagine that my
propensity for playing tricks was not quite eradicated.
I lodged at a sort of hotel, kept by a mulatto woman of the name of
Crissobella, as the negroes termed her, originally Christobela. She was
of Spanish blood by the father's side, and had come down from the
Havannah. She was very portly; very proud and dignified in her
carriage, and demanded as much attention from her lodgers as a lady
would who had received us as her guests, so that, to gain and retain
admittance into her hostelry, it was necessary not only to pay a large
bill, but compliments to an equal amount. She was very rich, possessed
numerous slaves, and was perfectly independent of keeping an hotel. I
believed she preferred to have something for her slaves and herself to
do, and moreover, probably, she felt that if she retired she should be
thought a person of no consequence, whereas in her present position she
received a great deal of attention. One thing was certain, that if
those who lodged and boarded with her were very polite, and, on their
return from any other place, brought her small presents, she was very
indifferent as to their paying their bill; nay, to those who were her
favourites, her purse was open, and a handful of doubloons was freely
tendered, if required.
The living was the same as at a boarding-house. Breakfast was ready in
the large hall by nine o'clock, and remained there until every one had
come down at their own hour. Dinner was always ready at five o'clock,
and then Crissobella presided at the table. She admitted civilians,
army officers, and navy, down to midshipmen; but warrant officers and
captains of merchant vessels were considered too low. On the whole, it
was a very pleasant establishment, as the private rooms were well
furnished, the slaves numerous, and the attendance very good.
Considering the price of most eatables on that island, it could not be
considered as very dear, although the wines, etcetera, made up a
formidable bill at the end of the month.
This kind of exclusiveness on the part of Signora Crissobella made the
hotel quite the fashion, and certainly it was by far the best in the
town. The inmates of it at this time were besides me Lieut. Thomas
Dott and Lieut. William Maxwell, both appointed to the Diligente; three
or four young civilians, on mercantile speculations from New York; three
midshipmen, who had been left behind on account of fever, and who were
promising fair, by the life they were now leading, to be very soon sent
to the hospital again; and one or two planters from the other islands.
The latter and I were very well behaved, but the civilians were noisy,
drinking and smoking from morning till night. The midshipmen were
equally troublesome; and as for the new-made lieutenants, they were so
authoritative and so disagreeable, and gave themselves such
consequential airs, that Mammy Crissobella, as the slaves called her,
was quite indignant--she had never had such a disorderly set in her
house.
She complained to me, and I spoke to them, but that was of little use.
I had no power over the young merchants, and the three midshipmen did
not belong to my ship. As for my lieutenants, I could not say much at
their giving themselves airs at an hotel where they paid for what they
had. It was not an offence that a captain could remonstrate upon. I
therefore merely said, that Mammy Crissobella could not have them in her
house if they did not leave off their treatment of the slaves, and if
they continued to give her so much trouble and annoyance. At last our
hostess would stand their behaviour no longer, and ordered them all to
leave the hotel, sending in their bills; but they all were unanimous in
declaring that they would not go, and it was not very easy to use force
on such occasions. I tried all I could to make matters right, but my
efforts were of little avail. At last Mammy Crissobella became quite
furious. She did not make any alteration in the meals, as that would be
punishing all of us; but she refused wine and spirits; this they did not
care for, as they sent for it elsewhere by their own servants, and there
was nothing but noise and confusion all day along. Mammy often came to
appeal to me, and wished to go to the governor, but I persuaded her not
to do so; and the mutiny continued, and every day there was nothing but
altercation at the meals.
"So help me God, gemmen, you no gemmen. You make wish me dead, dat you
do. I tak obeah water some day. I not live like this," said Mammy
Crissobella. "I take pepper-pot--I kill myself."
"Pray don't do that," replied Tommy Dott; "we shall be put to the
expense of mourning."
"And I shall weep my eyes out," continued one of the mercantile
gentlemen.
"Weep your eyes out--is that all? I shall blow my brains out," said
another.
"And I will lie down on your grave and die," said the third.
"Dat all very well, gemmen; you say dat and laugh--but I no slave.
'Pose I not get you out my house, I ab _vengeance_, now I tell you, so
look to that. Yes," continued Mammy Crissobella, striking the table
with her fist, "I ab revenge."
"I have been thinking," said one of the mids, "what I shall do if Mammy
Crissobella takes pepper-pot; I shall marry Leila, and keep the hotel.
Mammy, you'll leave me the plate and furniture."
Leila was the head female slave--a very well-featured young mulatto
girl, and a great favourite, as she was always laughing, always in good
humour, and very kind and attentive. At this remark Leila laughed, and
Mammy Crissobella, who observed her showing her white teeth, "You laugh,
you huzzy: what you laugh for, Leila? Get away--get out of room. I
give you nice flogging, by-by. You dare laugh--you take side against
me, you nigger."
I must here observe that Mammy Crissobella had been closeted with me for
some time previous to this scene, and that Leila and the two planters
were in the secret; this was, of course, unknown, and the hostess's
anger appeared now to be extended towards me and the two planters, with
whom she had been on good terms.
Shortly afterwards Mammy rose and left the room, and then I spoke to the
party, and told them that they were driving the poor woman to
extremities. The planters agreed with me, and we argued the case with
them, but the majority were, of course, against us, and the young
merchants appeared to be very much inclined to be personal with me. At
last I replied, "Very well, gentlemen--as you please; but as I happen to
be well known both to the admiral and governor I give you fair warning
that, if this continues much longer, I will report the affair. I should
be very sorry to do so; but the house is now very uncomfortable, and you
have no right to remain when the landlady insists upon your going."
At this reply of mine the naval portion of the guests were silent, but
the civilians more insolent than before. I did not wish to come to open
war, so I said nothing more, and left the table. After I was gone, the
refractory parties made more noise than ever. Just before the dinner
hour on the following day, Mammy Crissobella sent a circular round to
the young men, stating that she could not receive them at dinner. They
all laughed, and went down to table as before. The dinner was better
than usual, and they complimented Mammy upon it. Mammy, who had taken
her seat with a scowl on her brow, and had not spoken a word, merely
bowed her head in reply to their observations.
Dinner was over, and then Mammy desired Leila to bring her a goblet
which was on the sideboard, and a small white jug which was in the
_buffet_. She appeared much distressed, and hesitated a good deal,
putting the goblet to her lips, and then putting it down on the table
without tasting it. This conduct induced us all to look seriously at
her. At last she took it up, sighed deeply, and drank the whole off at
a draught. For a few seconds she held her hand over her forehead, with
her elbows resting on the table. At last she looked up and said,
"Gemmen, I got a little speech to make--I very sorry dat I not drink
your health; but it no use--dat why you see me drink; I tell plenty time
you make me mad--you make me drink obeah water--make me kill myself.
Now I ab done it--I drink pison water just now. In two hour I dead
woman."
At this communication, the truth of which appeared confirmed by the
woman's behaviour, all the company started from their chairs.
"Gemmen, I dare say you all very sorry; you be more sorry by-and-by.
Captain, I beg your pardon; Mr W---, Mr G (the two planters), I beg
your pardon; I not mean hurt you, but could not help it. Now I tell all
company, all drink the pison water--because I not like die on the
jibbit, I drink de pison water--Gemmen your dinner all pison, and you
all pisoned. Yes, all pisoned," cried Mammy Crissobella at the highest
pitch of her voice, and rushing out of the room.
At this announcement, I started from my chair and clasped my hands, as
if in agony. I looked round me--never did I witness such a variety of
horror as was expressed in the different faces at the hotel. The old
planter; Mr D, who sat next to me, and who was in the secret as well as
Mr G, laid his head on the table with a groan. "The Lord have mercy on
my sins," exclaimed Mr G; Mr Lieutenant Maxwell looked me in the face,
and then burst into tears; Mr Lieutenant Dott put his fingers down his
throat, and with three or four more getting rid of their dinner as fast
as they could.
At last I sprang up to ring the bell; no one answered. I rang again
more furiously. At last a slave appeared.
"Where's my servant?"
"Not here, sar."
"Where's all the people of the house?"
"All with missy, sar; Mammy Crissobella die."
"Run down then to the beach, and desire the surgeon of the brig to come
up immediately."
"Yes, sar," replied the negro, leaving the room.
"Oh, I feel it now--here," exclaimed I, putting my hand to my chest;
"I'm suffocating."
"And so do I," replied one of the midshipmen, weeping.
The girl Leila now entered the room in tears. "Mammy dead," said she.
"Oh Captain Keene, I very sorry for you: you come with me, I give you
something. I know how stop pison."
"Do you, Leila? then give it me; quick, quick."
"Yes, yes; give it us quick."
"I not stuff enough but I make more when I gib what I ab to Captain
Keene. You all stay still, not move; pose you move about, make pison
work. I come back soon as I can."
Leila then took my arm and led me tottering out of the room, when I went
to Mammy Crissobella, and laughed till I cried; but the punishment was
not over. After remaining about ten minutes looking at each other, but
neither speaking nor moving, in pursuance of Leila's direction, with the
utmost despair in their countenances, they were gladdened by the return
of Leila with a large jug, out of which she administered a glass of some
compound or another to each of them. I watched at the door, and the
eagerness with which they jostled and pushed each other to obtain the
dose before the rest was very amusing, and never did they swallow any
liquor with so much avidity, little imagining that, instead of taking
what was to cure them, they were now taking what was to make them very
sick; but so it was; and in a few minutes afterwards the scene of
groaning, crying, screaming, writhing with pain, was quite awful.
After a time, the slaves came in and carried them all to their
respective beds, leaving them to their own reflections, and the violent
effects of the drugs administered, which left them no repose for that
night, and in a state of utter exhaustion on the following morning.
At daylight I went into Mr Dott's room with the surgeon, to whom I had
confided the secret. Tommy was a miserable object.
"Thank heaven! here is one still alive," said the surgeon to me.
"Oh! Captain Keene," said Tommy, "I'm glad to see that you are so well;
but you had the remedy given you long before we had."
"Yes," replied I, "it was given me in good time; but I hope it was not
too late with you."
"I feel very bad," replied Tommy. "Doctor, do you think I shall live?"
The doctor felt his pulse, and looked very grave; at last he said, "If
you get over the next twelve hours, I think you may."
"How many are dead?" inquired Tommy.
"I don't know; you are the first that I have visited; it's a shocking
business."
"I've been thinking that we were very wrong," said Tommy; "we ought not
to have driven the poor woman to desperation. If I do recover, her
death will be on my conscience."
"I'm glad to hear you say that, Tommy," replied I; "but the doctor says
you must remain very quiet, and therefore I shall leave you. Good-bye;
I will see you again this evening."
"Good-bye, sir, and I hope you'll forgive me for not having been so
respectful as I should have been."
"Yes, yes, Tommy; we have been friends too long for that."
Mammy Crissobella's dose had certainly put an end to all Tommy's spirit
of resistance. All the others who had been victims to our plot were
kept in the dark as to the real facts, and, as soon as they were able to
be moved, paid their bills to Leila, and left the house.