Part 30

Their necks are thick, and for the most part not sufficiently long to be graceful. The chest is high and full; the shoulders square, going off at nearly right angles from the neck. The limbs are fleshy and robust. Upon the whole, they may be said to be of the figure usually denominated square-made, and consequently their form denotes more of strength, than of gracefulness or agility. Still there is a difference between them and the strong-marked muscular subjects of colder and more mountainous regions. Among the Indians of Guiana, the rough lines denoting strength are concealed in consequence of the interstices between the muscles being so filled with fat as to give a general smoothness to the surface; and from the same cause, the fine action of the different muscles becomes less obvious, when they are in motion, or under any exertion. Hence, although an Indian be square, full, and robust, still his appearance does not convey precisely that idea of strength which attaches to the rough and muscular frames of the North; and yet his form is _more unlike_ that of the negroes.

It has happened to me to have frequent opportunities of seeing parties of Indians, and of Africans standing naked together, and I have always remarked a striking distinction in their persons. The negroes have longer necks, and a finer fall of the shoulder. Their chest is not so full and open. The limbs are not so stout, but thinner, and longer in proportion to the body. The form of the Indians appears close and compact, while that of the negroes is more loose and slender, and more indicative of the languor arising from the heat of climate. The projecting curvature of the tibia, so common to the Africans, does not prevail among the Indians. The difference of countenance is still more remarkable than the difference of form; but, as the negro face is familiar to you, I need not enter into a more minute detail of the discordant features.

The Indians wear no clothing, except a band tied round the waist and brought between the legs to fasten before; such as I have mentioned to be in use among the negroes of these colonies. This is worn both by the men and women. Some, who have visited the colonists, have it made of blue cloth: but those who have not had the same opportunities of procuring cloth, make it of the bark of a tree. Sometimes, instead of this band, the women use a small apron about three or four inches square, which being tied round the waist, and left to hang loose before, serves by way of a _fig-leaf_. These aprons they call _kways_. Among those who have associated with the colonists, the kway is occasionally made of small beads of different colours, ingeniously put on threads of cotton, or of the silk-grass, so as to give the apron the appearance of being woven in a variety of figures. This is used as high dress, and is much valued. It happened that I, one day, met a young buckeen, thus ornamented, walking with her mother, and, being desirous to add a sample of the kway to my collection of specimens, I made signs to the parent, meaning to ask if she could procure me one; when, without the slightest hesitation, she took off that which was before my eyes, and presented it to me: the young lady very modestly, but without blushes, supplying its place with the pocket-handkerchief which I gave her in exchange.

LETTER LVII.

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.

LETTER LVIII.

Berbische.

We rose with the sun in order to go round the plantation and the negro-yard previous to our departure, and before ten o’clock we took our seats in the boat, availing ourselves of the early tide, with the intention of hanging our hammocks at Mynheer Roboloski’s in the evening; and of proceeding on the morrow to New Amsterdam. M. Roboloski had made a visit to the British officers at the fort, and had very pressingly invited us to his plantation; which we understood to be situated on the opposite bank of the river, between Mynheer Abbensets’ and the town, and very conveniently for becoming the last place of rest upon our excursion. A little past noon we arrived at Essendam, intending to make only an _en passant_ call upon Mynheer Abbensets; who received us with all the kindness and cordiality of a friend; nor would he hear of our going further, but insisted that we should pass the remainder of the day with him; and, the more effectually to reconcile the delay, he assured us that the tide would not carry us so far as M. Roboloski’s by night. Finding this to be the case, we yielded to his kind solicitations: and the more readily from our knowing that the town and the fort were still within the morrow’s journey; besides having proved by experience, that neither shore of the river could supply us with more desirable quarters. Having agreed to pass the night at Essendam, we rested for a short time, and then made an excursion across the river to offer thanks to M. Schneider, for the information he had given us respecting our journey; and to see the sugar-works at Mr. Blair’s estate. As soon as we returned, a well-served dinner, with plenty of good wines, was set before us: and the generous Abbensets warmly bade us welcome. It is not the custom in these colonies, as in England, to consume the whole of the afternoon over the bottle. Wine is taken liberally at dinner-time, and the party withdraw from the table very soon after. At M. Abbensets’, cards were introduced almost as soon as the cloth was removed. When the sun was declining we engaged in a pleasant promenade about the plantation, and proceeded as far as _Sans Souci_, the adjoining estate, to call on Mynheer Abbensets’ nephew.

Soon after we returned from our walk, the supper-board was spread, and to crown the evening, some very fine old Hollands, and the social pipe were introduced. You will perhaps be surprised to learn, that I was the only one who could not enjoy this part of the repast: most of the officers have acquired the habit of smoking, and some of them have become such adepts in this very dirty and inelegant, however social custom, that they can already drink gin, and whiff a pipe or sagar almost as well as any Dutchman of the colony! You will probably envy them the accomplishment as little as I do! We went to our hammocks very soon after supper, hoping, by a long sleep, to relieve the heavy fatigue of two disturbed and restless nights; but we were sadly disappointed!—the tormenting musquitoes again besieged us, and the third night proved no less sleepless than the two preceding. The heat and itching from former bitings, the pain of new and acute punctures, and the still more wearisome buzzing of the insects, in our ears, combined in such utter annoyance, as not only to deprive us of sleep, but of all ease and quiet. Even the power of lying still was unattainable. The irritation, caused by the pain and excessive itching, rendered us quite feverish, and with the weariness and languor arising from want of sleep, made us really ill. At length, grown impatient of suffering, and finding it impossible to rest in our hammocks, we got up, walked about the room, washed with cold water, rubbed ourselves with orange-juice, and with limes, then opened the windows, shook our hammocks, beat about the apartment with cloths and handkerchiefs, and tried various means of driving away the insects, and obtaining relief: but in vain; all our efforts failed of success; and we were compelled to drag out a most wearisome and comfortless night.

We left our room early in the morning oppressed with feverish feelings, and a sense of general stupor. Our eyelids were swoln and heavy; our faces inflamed and tumefied, and we were almost blind.