Читать книгу Samboe; or, The African Boy - Mary Ann Hedge - Страница 3

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“What’s all that Afric’s golden rivers roll,

Her odorous woods, and shining ivory stores?

Ill-fated race! the softening arts of peace,

And all-protecting freedom, which alone

Sustains the name and dignity of man:

These are not theirs!”

Presuming that our young readers are not uninterested in the accounts of Charles Irving, we shall make a few more extracts from his correspondence. “You tell me,” he observes in reply to the expressed wishes of his sister, “you tell me, my dear Sophy, to give you some information respecting the inhabitants of Whidáh. I am myself unable to speak very decisively, but I am assured by those who have visited other parts of Africa, that those of Whidáh exceed the other negroes in civilization, and they certainly appear to me, both industrious and ingenious. The women, I can assure you, are very important personages, truly help-meets to their lords. They brew the beer, dress the food, sell all sorts of articles, (except slaves!) at the markets; they are also, I am sorry to add, employed in tilling the land with the slaves. But, Sophy, this may be accounted for: the light of Christianity has not yet beamed upon this land. Its humanizing spirit we have, you know, often remarked, as peculiarly favourable to the weaker sex; and were Africa free, and blessed with the genial ray of true religion, doubtless her women would acquire that consideration which is their due, and be regarded as what they ought to be, as the companions and solace, not the slaves of man. In reference to their ingenuity, I have many specimens. They spin cotton yarn, weave fine cotton cloth, make calabashes, wooden vessels, plates, dishes, &c. I have now lying before me, a present from a great man, a pipe for smoking, which is remarkably neat. It is formed of clay of a reddish hue, the stem a reed about six feet in length. It is beautifully and finely polished, perfectly smooth, white, and even elegant. The bowl and stem are fastened together with a piece of delicate red leather. It has also a fine leather tassel, attached to about the middle of the stem; and so neat is the work, that although the end of the reed goes into the bowl of the pipe, it appears as if formed of one piece. They clean the reed, when filled up with the smoke, by drawing long straws through it, and the bowls, by scraping them with a small sharp instrument.

“Last week we had quite a gala day, one of the country chiefs paying a visit to the governor at the fort. He was saluted with five guns on his landing: I was much pleased that my duty obliged me to go to the fort at the time.

“The ostensible motive of his visit, was respect to the governor; but the real one, to solicit powder and ball, in order to defend himself against the attacks of a neighbouring chief. He assumes the title of emperor, and is a fine model of negro beauty, young, extremely black, tall, and free in his carriage, with teeth which rivalled pearls in beauty. His dress consisted of short yellow cotton trowsers, reaching only to the knees; and a sort of mantle of the same material, flowing full like a surplice. His feet and legs were naked; but he wore a very large cap, with a white goat’s tail fastened in it: I suppose, the insignia of his dignity.

“All the officers of the fort were in full uniform, waiting to receive this chieftain; and, I assure you, it was a very gratifying sight to observe the expecting numbers ready to welcome him.

“He and his retinue came in a large and splendid canoe, containing about sixteen persons, all armed with guns and sabres, with a number of drums, upon which they beat with one stick. Two or three women were of the party, and danced to the sound of the drums. They remained at the fort all night, highly pleased with the visit, and the success of it; not only receiving what they solicited, but an ample present of rum, beads, bugles, and looking-glasses, from the governor, by which he quite won the hearts of the emperor and his suite.

“The natives are, indeed, generally good-natured and obliging, particularly to Europeans; and if the latter are liberal in presents, they seldom find the obligation forgotten. If a favour is asked of them, they will use their utmost efforts to comply, even to their own prejudice. Gentle measures are, indeed, the only means to succeed with them: they then seem to have pleasure in compliance; but if treated with violence, they are obstinate and refractory, and they will take as much pains to injure, as, in the other case, to serve. This, you will say, sufficiently proves their native generosity of disposition. Can such a people require any thing but freedom, and a pure faith, to render them equal to the European, who despises them, and denies that they possess a capability of enjoying freedom? I grant this, my dear advocate; and, did time allow me, could relate many instances to prove that your opinion is just.

“In my last, I mentioned the employment of the women partly consisted in weaving fine cotton cloths. We frequently barter these with our commodities. The pieces are generally twenty-seven yards long, but never more than nine inches wide. They cut them what length they require, and sew them together very neatly, to serve the use of broader cloths. The cotton is cleared from the seed by hand, and is spun with a spindle and distaff: it is afterwards woven in a loom of very simple and coarse workmanship. These cloths are made up into pairs, one about three yards long, and one and a half broad; with this the shoulders and body are covered. The other is almost of the same breadth, and but two yards long: this is gathered neatly in folds round the waist, and falls loosely over the limbs. Such a pair of cloths is the dress of men and women, with a slight variation in the mode of adjustment. I have seen a pair of such cloths, so beautifully fine in texture, and so brightly dyed, as to be very valuable. Their usual colours are either blue or yellow, some very lively: I do not remember, however, ever to have seen any red. (Note D.)

“I shall conclude this letter by an account of my visit to Sabi, as I promised you. With European ideas of the state of society and commerce in Africa, I confess, the surprise I experienced was very great, on my entrance into the market of this capital of Whidáh, which is kept twice in a week. Great regulation is observed in the keeping of these markets, a distinct and proper place being assigned for every different commodity; and the confluence of people, although great, are preserved from disorder and confusion, by a judge or magistrate, appointed by the king; and who, with four assistants, well armed, inspects the markets, hears all complaints, and, in a summary way, decides all differences among the buyers and sellers, having power to seize, and sell as slaves, all who violate the peace. Besides this magistrate, there is another, whose peculiar office it is to inspect the money, which is called toqua, consisting of strings of shells, to the number of forty; and if one of these strings happens to be deficient in a single shell, the whole are forfeited to the king. Round the markets are erected booths, which are occupied by cooks or suttlers, who sell provisions ready dressed, as beef, pork, goats’-flesh; and others, in which may be obtained rice, millet, marre, and bread; and others where they sell spirituous liquors, palm and ciboa wine, and pito, which is a sort of beer. The chief commodities on sale, are slaves, cattle, and fowls of every kind, monkeys and other animals; various sorts of European cloth, linen, and woollen; printed calicoes, silk, grocery, and china; gold in dust and bars, iron in bars or wrought.

“The country manufactures are Whidáh cloths, mats, baskets, jars, calabashes of various sorts, wooden bowls and cups, red and blue pepper, salt, palm-oil, &c. All these commodities, except slaves, are sold by the women, who are excellent accountants, and set off their goods most judiciously. The men are also good accountants, reckoning every thing by the head; and are as exact as the Europeans are with pen and ink, although the sums are often so many and so considerable, as to render it very intricate.

“The slaves are paid for in gold-dust, but other payments are made in strings of cowries, which, as I have said, contain forty in a string. Five of the strings make what the natives call a fore; and fifty fores make an alkove, which generally weighs about sixty pounds.

The various commodities of these markets, and the order and regularity with which they are disposed, would be a peculiarly pleasing sight to a stranger, were not human beings included in the articles of commerce; but, to behold a number of men, women, and children, linked together, and ranged like beasts to view, is a sight truly shocking to behold; and I will acknowledge, Sophy, I felt a sickness come over my heart, and a glow of shame suffuse my forehead, as I contemplated upwards of sixty individuals, whom a few short hours, perhaps, might separate, for ever, from their kindred and their country. There is, however, little chance that it will now ever be otherwise; for the worst passions of men are engaged, and the despotism of the African kings gives them ample opportunity to gratify their cupidity and intemperance, by the barter of their unhappy subjects1. The revenues of the king of Whidáh are very considerable; for he not only has large landed possessions, but he receives a duty on all commodities sold in the markets, or imported into the country. His lands furnish him with provisions for his numerous household, as well as for exportation; great quantities being annually sold to the neighbouring nations, less bountifully supplied by nature. The revenues arising from the slave-trade are very considerable, and induce him to favour it, by the strongest principle in the soul of man, selfishness; for he receives three rix dollars for every slave sold in his dominions. Every European vessel also pays him a pecuniary duty, exclusive of presents, which they make to conciliate his favour, and to secure his protection in trading.

Some years, slaves to the number of two thousand are brought from the interior, by the native merchants, most of whom, they say, are prisoners of war. These merchants purchase them from the different princes, who have made captives of them. Their mode of travelling is by tying them by the neck with leather thongs, at about a yard distant from each other, thirty and forty in a string; having generally a large truss or bundle of corn, or an elephant’s tooth, upon the head of each or many of them. In their way from the mountains, far in the interior, they have to travel through vast woods, where, for several days, perhaps, no water is to be procured. To obviate this distressing scarcity, they carry water in skins. There are a great number of these merchants, who, furnishing themselves with European goods from the slave-factors, penetrate the inland countries, and with them purchase, in their route, gold, slaves, and elephants’ teeth. (Note E.)

“They use asses as well as slaves to convey their goods, but no camels nor horses. Besides the slaves brought down to the factories by these merchants, many others are bought in the vicinity. These are either taken in war, as the former, or are men condemned for crimes; and, not unfrequently, they are stolen. These the Company never purchase, if able to ascertain the fact. It is worthy of remark, that, since the great demand for slaves, most punishments are changed into slavery; and there being an accruing advantage on such condemnations, they exaggerate faults scarcely more than venial, into crimes, in order to obtain the benefit of selling the criminal. Not only murder and the grosser crimes are punished in this manner, but every trifling misdemeanour renders the culprit obnoxious to the same dreadful penalty. It was not many days since that I had a man brought to me to be sold, for having stolen a tobacco pipe; and I had infinite trouble to persuade the aggrieved party to accept of a compensation, and to leave the man free.

“From what I have seen of the people, they are well disposed and cheerful, excessively fond of dancing, keeping it up to the sound of a drum or a balafeu, for many hours, without any appearance of weariness. Their dances are sometimes pleasing and regular, but at others wild, and apparently confused. The instrument they call a balafeu is very pleasing, sounding something like an organ, when not too near. It is composed of about twenty pipes of very hard wood, finely polished: these pipes gradually diminish, both in size and length, and are tied together with thongs made of very fine thin leather. These thongs are twisted round small round wands, which are placed between each of the pipes, in order to leave a short space. Underneath the pipes are fastened twelve or fourteen calabashes, of different sizes, which have the same effect of sound as organ-pipes. This they play upon with two sticks, covered with a thin skin, taken from the trunk of the ciboa, or with fine leather, in order to soften the sound. (Note F.) Both sexes delight to dance to this instrument, and their pleasure seems to rise almost to ecstasy, if a white man will unite in the dance; which, you will readily suppose, I am never unwilling to do. The only indication of suspicion they show, is when asked to take any beverage with a white man, always requiring the liquor to be first tasted by the inviter.

“Many of the natives have invited me to their habitations and dancing parties, and brought their wives and daughters to salute me. They, with great artlessness, generally sit down by me, and are never weary in admiring the different articles of my dress; making their comments one to another, with the most lively admiration and astonishment. Some, who had never seen a white man, ran away from me, apparently terrified at my monstrous appearance.

“In their persons they are of a good height, well shaped, and extremely black; and, as an instance of the female subjection, I am told, that, when a man has been absent from home, even but for a short time, his wife salutes him upon her knees at his return, and, in the same attitude, offers him water and refreshments. Both sexes are exceedingly cleanly in their persons, washing themselves in pure water twice in the day, and using aromatic unguents. Their dress consists of the country cotton cloths I have named; the superior classes add a short garment, made of taffety, or other silk, and scarfs of the same material passed over the shoulder. They generally go with the head and feet uncovered, but occasionally wear sandals, and caps or bonnets. The superior females wear calico paans, or a sort of petticoat, which are very fine, and beautifully variegated with different colours: these are confined round the waist, and the upper part of the body is covered with a cloth, serving also as a veil.

“They wear necklaces of coral, &c. agreeably disposed; and their arms, wrists, fingers, and legs, are encompassed and ornamented with rings of amber, silver, and even gold, to a considerable value. The inferior ranks wear copper or iron. The men suffer the hair to remain in its natural form, except buckling it in two or three places, in order to affix a coral ornament to it; but the women arrange theirs more artificially, with long and small buckles, or ornaments, the hair divided on the crown of the head, and the ornaments placed with great uniformity. They have a bad practice of using an oil, which injures the glossy blackness of the hair, in time changing it to a colour approaching green or yellow, which they much admire; but it is very unpleasing to the eye of a stranger.

“I have mentioned that the natives of Whidáh are idolaters. The object of their worship, you will be surprised to find, is a serpent; an animal to which men, in general, have an antipathy This Whidáh god is called the fetiche: it is a harmless, as well as beautiful animal, having an antipathy to venomous serpents, attacking them whenever it meets with them. The serpent has a large, round, beautiful head; a short, pointed tongue, resembling a dart; and a short but sharp tail; the whole adorned by the most beautiful colours, upon a light grey ground. In general its pace is slow and solemn, except when it seizes on its prey, in which case it is quick and rapid. They are perfectly tame and familiar, permitting themselves to be caressed and handled, which is frequently done by the natives and Europeans, without apprehension of danger. This deity has a temple to his honour, with priests, sacrifices, &c.”

With this account we will close our extracts from Irving’s letters; and as they will give some idea of the people of the country which forms the principal scene of our narrative, it is hoped the digression will not be thought irrelevant. In the next chapter we resume the thread of our story, merely pausing to express our ardent hope, that good may spring out of evil; that even the slave-trade may be the medium of promulgating the gospel of peace; and that good may, in God’s own time, overcome evil.

O, ’tis a godlike privilege to save,

And he that scorns it is himself a slave.

Inform his mind, one flash of heav’nly day

Would heal his heart, and melt his chains away:

“Beauty for ashes,” is a gift indeed;

And slaves by truth enlarg’d are doubly freed.

Cowper.

1 It is necessary to apprize our readers, that the remarks and descriptions contained in this volume, apply to Africa as it was some years since.