Читать книгу Antigua and the Antiguans (Vol. 1&2) - Mrs. Lanaghan - Страница 13

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Governor William Mathew​—​Insurrection of the Negroes​—​A Legend of the Ravine​—​Punishment of the Conspirators.

In 1730, William Mathew, Esq., the lieutenant-governor, succeeded to this government, vacant by the non-acceptance of Lord Forbes and General William Crosbie; and, in the first year of his appointment, fresh regulations were made for the payment of such slaves as suffered death for crimes, according to the ancient custom of the island. The affairs of Fort James were also looked into. In 1680, Colonel James Vaughan, of Antigua, had granted to his majesty Charles II. and his successors, a certain promontory, generally known as St. John’s Point, for the purpose of building a fort, and for the support of the matrosses. This had been done as far as the erection of Fort James; but the other part of the land was not used; and consequently, this year, (1730,) it was determined that it should be given to the matrosses; only reserving a part which might be wanted for the purpose of building hospitals or magazines. In 1731, Antigua suffered very much from a long drought; when the want of water was so excessive, that a pail of that fluid sold for 3s. The following year (1732) amendments were made in the court of chancery. By the regulations of 1715, this court was made to consist of the captain-general or governor-in-chief, and five or more members of council; but as his excellency was not always upon the island when such courts were held, great delays were occasioned, and it was determined that in future the president of Antigua should, in the absence of the governor, or lieutenant-governor, preside.

After a temporary absence, the Lieutenant-governor William Mathew returned to Antigua in the early part of the year 1733, assuming the government as captain-general of the Leeward Islands, and presented his additional instructions to the council and assembly, directing that body to be no longer restricted, as formerly, from making any additional allowance to the salary of 1200l. per annum, allowed by the home government, namely:—​“Whereas, it has been represented to us, that the salary of 1200l. sterling per annum, which we have hitherto thought fit to allow out of the duty of four-and-a-half per cent., arising in our Leeward Islands, for our governor-in-chief of these islands, is not at present sufficient for his support and the dignity of that our government, we have taken the same into our consideration, and are graciously pleased to permit and allow that the respective assemblies of our said islands may, by any act or acts, settle upon you such sum or sums, in addition to your salary of 1200l. per annum, as they shall think proper; and you are hereby allowed to give your assent to any act or acts of assembly to that purpose. Provided, such sum or sums be settled on you and your successors in that government; at least on you during the whole time of your government there, and that the same be done by the first respective assemblies of our said island after your arrival there.”

In accordance with this new arrangement, the council and assembly readily granted an annual sum of 1000l. Antigua currency.

In 1734, copper coins were imported from England, and passed at about the same rate they do at this day. Bayonets were also introduced this year into Antigua, for the use of the militia, they having been found to answer so well in the late wars in Flanders. These weapons obtained their name from being first manufactured at Bayonne, in France.

The events of the year 1736 were such as to strike horror into the hearts of all the white inhabitants of Antigua. The negroes, who, as we have before seen, attempted an insurrection in 1728, attributed their want of success to the fact of their having no regular plan; and accordingly they chose one of their tribe, a very powerful black man, to be their king; and vowed to render to him the strictest homage, and follow his every order. This man, whose real name was “Klaas,” although his master called him Count, was a person of undaunted courage and strong resolve; and, was it not on account of the demise of Governor Mathew’s son, which frustrated their original plan of blowing up government house (or at least the house which was hired for the governor at Clark’s Hill) with gunpowder, the night a grand ball was to be given in honour of the anniversary of the king’s coronation, no doubt Antigua would have been another “Hayti,” and “Klaas” another “Christophe.”

There is still an old tradition, which relates to this melancholy subject; and as it may not prove uninteresting to some of my readers, I will give it in a newer dress.

The Fate of Klaas.

A LEGEND OF THE RAVINE.

At a late period in the evening of the 3rd of October, 1736, two horsemen might be seen riding slowly along the high road which leads from the capital to English Harbour. The eldest of these travellers was probably past the meridian of life; but his round florid face bore not a mark of care, nor could a single wrinkle be detected upon his open forehead. Age, indeed, had tinged his hair with grey, and, perhaps, slightly bent his form; but had neither depressed his spirits nor robbed his laughing blue eye of its lustre. In person he was tall and robust; and although jollity was written upon every feature, he possessed at the same time that air of determination which would make few wish to thwart him in his views, or offer an insult that was sure to be resented. The animal he bestrode was of a coal-black, and, like his master, bore his years well. Logo, as he was called, had often followed the hounds in “merrie England;” and, when his master came to take possession of a property in Antigua, his faithful steed, the sharer of many a long day’s sport, was not to be left behind.

The companion of this first-mentioned traveller was, in every respect, far different. Scarcely had seventeen summers passed over his head; and his slight, but well-formed person, was in direct contrast to the large and heavy make of his friend. His rich brown locks clustered around his lofty brow unspoiled by powder; but in his large dark eye, consumption had lit its fire, and flushed, at times, his naturally pale cheek.

“Come, Edward,” said the elder traveller, addressing the youth; “we must mend our pace, lad: here’s Logo champing his bit with every mark of anger at being kept with tightened reign: the old fellow has too much mettle still left to like this hippopotamus trot, when he has an hungry stomach, and the prospect of a well-stored stable before him.”

“Ay, uncle; and one there is at home, who must be as anxiously looking for us, as Logo is for his stable.”

“What, Marien? Well, I dare say the girl feels the loss of her cousin Edward from the side of her spinet, if she don’t her old father from his settle in the gallery. Women love those little attentions you know so well to offer; and Marien would miss you from tuning her lute, or turning the pages of her music book, as I should old Logo, were anything to happen to him. Dame Nature has made you, boy, to shine in lady’s bower, more, I think, than in tented field.”

The deepest hectic sprang to the face of the youth, as his uncle uttered these words, and a half-smothered sigh broke from his lips, which, catching the attention of his companion, caused him to turn and look ardently at him.

“Nay, dearest Edward, I meant not to distress you; I hope your trip to these sunny shores may restore you to stronger health; and then you may follow the steps of your brave father, and fight your country’s battles. But we must not loiter any longer upon the road; for, in truth, I like not the appearance of the night, and we have no shelter near. I care not for myself, for I have weathered too many a storm to shrink from a sprinkling; but you are still delicate; and your cousin Marien will scold me for having already kept you out in the heavy night dew of this climate.”

So saying, they gave their steeds the rein, and dashed on, throwing the loose pebbles with which the road was strewed, on every side.

The night, indeed, was far from promising; the wind blew in sudden gusts, and whirled the dead leaves on every side. A low moaning sound came from the distant mountains, the sure forerunner of a storm; while peals of thunder broke upon the ear. The black clouds drifted rapidly along the sky, and several meteors gilded the night with their evanescent glories. Suddenly a deep silence prevailed, broken only by the sound of the horses’ feet upon the flinty road, as the benighted travellers struck their rowels into the sides of the animals, to urge them to greater speed. But this boding silence did not last long; the wind again rose with redoubled violence​—​the thunder rolled in awful peals​—​and a sheet of vivid lightning covered the whole face of the heavens; clap followed clap in rapid succession, shaking the very earth to its centre; the rain came down in torrents, yet still the red-winged lightning struggled through it, and kept up its terrific fire.

A moment’s pause in the storm gave the elder traveller time to exclaim​—​“Well, Edward, my prognostications have proved true, have they not? Poor Marien must indeed feel anxious;” when, just at this instant, a dark object issued out of a kind of ravine which appeared on one side of the road, and darted across the path close to the horses’ heads. “What was that?” continued the speaker. “Was it man or animal? My glance was so momentary, that indeed I know not.” “A boy,” returned his companion, “an’ my eyes deceived me, or it was Marien’s dumb page.” “What! Julio? Impossible! What could the boy do abroad in such a night? unless”​—​and the speaker paused; “unless, indeed, Marien sent him forth to gain some tidings of us; for although the poor little fellow was born deaf and dumb, he has the brightest intellect and swiftest foot of any negro I ever knew. I have often promised to tell you his story; and as the tempest seems to have worn away a little, I may as well give it now, which will tend to make the road seem the shorter.

“Julio’s mother was the foster-parent of my own Marien, although at that period she did not belong to me. But she was a great favourite of my wife’s, and for that reason we hired her to nurse our child; and after my wife’s death, I purchased her from her old master, who was a friend of mine. Nuno was a very superior negress; and was it not on account of her husband, ‘Count,’ whom I pointed out to you the other day as the reputed king of the negroes, I do really think she might have been living now. She never would say what he did to her, or indeed make any complaint against him; but I am certain there was something mysterious about it; for when afterwards she was confined with Julio, she made it her dying request to me that Count might never know the child was his, or the boy be told who his father was. This ‘Count,’ as he is called, although I believe he bears another name, made a great deal of talk in the country some few years ago. It appears, his master had him severely flogged for a trifling offence, and Count ran away; but he afterwards came back, and all was forgiven, although his master might have had him hung for it, without any loss to himself. There is a law of the island, which punishes with death any negro who runs away for longer than three months, and the country pays their value to their owners. I heard a flying report of an intended insurrection of the negroes while we were in town to-day; but for my part, I give no credit to it. They have not forgotten the rebellion of Crump’s negroes yet, and the punishment awarded to the offenders, which will keep them quiet, at least for a little time. I have heard, that Count was concerned in that affair; but none of the culprits mentioned his name; and although, from the character of the man, I should not think it unlikely, for the sake of poor Juno, I would not accuse him. But to return to Julio. His mother died immediately after his birth, and no one but ourselves, and his mother’s brother, a slave named Cuffee, know who is his father. Upon finding the poor child was deaf and dumb, our hearts have been drawn the closer to him; and as soon as my affairs are arranged in this island, I shall return to England, and intend carrying Julio with me.”

By this time, the travellers had gained an ascent, and before them was spread a cluster of negro-huts, various out-buildings, and works of a flourishing estate; while on the top of another eminence stood the hospitable mansion of the owner. In a moment, all was bustle. “Massa come home!” was shouted from one to another, as a party of black boys and men started from their slumbers upon the dry trash, and ran to take the horses. After seeing Logo properly attended to, the travellers walked to the house, where, at an open jalousie, a slight figure, whose graceful outline bespoke it Marien’s, was seen watching their progress. The family party having once more met, and a thousand inquiries as to their ride &c. having been made, Marien touched a silver bell, and a domestic entering, orders were given to send in Julio. “By-the-bye,” exclaimed the elder gentleman, “didst thou send forth Julio in search of your absentees to-night, Marien?”​—​“No, dearest father; Julio has not left the anteroom since dinner, that I am aware of. Anxious as I was to gain tidings of you, the night was too inclement to send the poor child abroad. But why do you ask that question?”​—​“Oh! nothing; only that our bright-eyed Edward thought he saw him cross the road at the ravine down yonder; but I think it must have been a dog, or something of the kind. However, to be certain, I mentioned it to you.” At this moment the door opened, and Julio entered. He had, perhaps, attained his eighth year; but from his diminutive form, a stranger would have thought him even younger. His dress was a kind of white tunic embroidered with crimson, and a broad belt of gilded leather, with tassels of bullion, gathered it in folds around his slender waist. Smart silk stockings encased his legs, and white leather shoes, ornamented with gold, graced his little feet. When abroad, a small crimson cap, in which was placed a single ostrich feather, reposed upon his head: its snowy plume strangely contrasting with his ebon complexion. It was Marien’s whim to dress her page in this fantastic manner, and her indulgent parent never thwarted her in any of her little pleasures.

The deficiencies of poor Julio’s external faculties did not extend to his intellects. The slightest action of Marien’s was noticed by him, and her every wish gratified, if possible. Did a shade pass over her brow, he flew for her lute, or arranged her books at the spinet; did a smile illuminate her face, Julio jumped for joy. It was his task to gather for her the sweetest fruits, and range the tangled copse and dell to cull the fairest flowers; and when she walked abroad, he attended the steps of his young mistress, and swept from her path every noisome insect. Bright were the eyes of Julio, and joyous was the look expressed in his dark round face; but on this evening, when, at the summons of his mistress, he stood before her, every one was struck with the alteration in his appearance. His cheek was blanched to an unearthly hue​—​his eyes, bloodshot and dim, sought the floor; while a shudder seemed to run through his frame, as if he saw some dreaded form. To the anxious inquiries of the party, expressed by significant gestures, the boy only shook his head, while a darker shade of sadness passed over his brow. Thinking that a slight degree of illness was the cause, Marien kindly dismissed him to his repose, in hopes the morrow’s dawn would restore him to his usual gaiety, and rising from her seat, placed in her father’s hand a small billet. “A grand ball at Government House, eh! to be given in honour of our good king’s coronation. What say you to that, young people? Wilt thou pay thy devotions at the shrine of the laughter-loving muse? No doubt, all the beauty and fashion of Antigua will be there. But come, the hour is past midnight; and if I keep our Marien up so late, she will lose the last of her roses she brought from Old England.” So saying, the party separated for the night; and the scene changes to another spot, at an earlier hour.

* * * * *

In one of the deepest parts of a ravine grew a variety of tangled bushes, which clothed it to its very bottom with their verdant foliage. Disrupted rocks were thickly scattered about, over which glided the speckled snake, while cricket and frog kept up an incessant chirping. About the commencement of the storm already described, a dark figure was seen slowly, but firmly descending the steep bank of the ravine, whose nearer approach bespoke him a son of Ham, one who wore the chain of bondage. In height he measured about six feet, while his broad chest and muscular arms shewed his Herculean strength. His complexion was of the deepest jet, and his large black eye shone with the fierceness of a firebrand. A mantle of dark blue cloth was wrapt around his form, leaving his arms and legs bare; and his head was bound round with a scarlet handkerchief, the ends of which floated in the breeze with graceful negligence. In one hand he bore a massive club, which assisted his steps in his descent; while the other rested upon a horse-pistol, which, heavily loaded, lay hid in the folds of his garment. Upon gaining the bottom of the ravine, he looked cautiously around; and then, as if satisfied all was right, he raised a conch-shell to his lips, and blew a low but clear blast. This repeated thrice, he seated himself upon one of the rocks; and burying his face in his hands, mused in silence, unmindful of the threatening appearance of the heavens. But a few minutes passed, when he again started to his feet, and blew a louder blast, which at a short interval was answered by a low whistle; and the crackling of dry leaves (as if trodden under foot) proclaimed the approach of other visitants. Drawing the pistol from its confinement, the first occupant of the ravine stepped a few paces forward, and, in a voice rendered thick by contending passions, demanded the word. “Death to our foes!” was the answer; and in another moment, about forty negroes stood around their king. “Welcome, brave friends, to this lone spot; for here at least we can feel we are free, and bid defiance to the hated whites. But where is Morah? Surely she will not desert us, Tomboy?” And he directed his looks to a short stout man, who ranked as his general, and answered to that name, and who had taken up his post at the right shoulder of his sable majesty. “Oh, no; Morah knows too well to desert Klaas at his need. Believe not that,” returned the man. “We should have been here long before, but she was knocked up with her walk, and we were obliged to wait her will. But see!”​—​and touching the arm of Klaas, he pointed to two lusty youths who were coming down the bank, bearing between them some object, which could scarcely be pronounced human. Placing their burden safely at the feet of Klaas, the young men drew back, while he, giving her his hand, raised and placed her upon a rocky seat near himself. The woman, (for so she proved,) although looking more like the habitant of another world, must have numbered her hundredth year. Her face, which had lost its naturally black hue from age and sickness, was puckered up in a thousand wrinkles; while her toothless gums were seen through her thick open lips. The few hairs which time had left her were bleached to a snowy white; but her black eyes had lost none of their brightness: they gleamed from beneath her overhanging brow with a supernatural ray. Her form was bent almost double, and the skin hung about her hands and arms like black and shrivelled parchment. An old blanket partly covered her attenuated person, which she firmly grasped with her long bony fingers; but it afforded her no defence against the inclemency of the evening; for she shivered and trembled at every blast. Such was Morah, the old Obeah woman,⁴⁶ who was hated, yet dreaded, by nearly all her tribe.

“Morah,” said the leader of the band, after she had rested for a few minutes, “Morah, dost thou not know me? hast thou forgot the purpose for which we have met? The time is short, remember.”

“Oh, no, no! me no forget,” said the old crone; “me know you very well; you’re ‘Count,’ the negro king, as you call yourself, but your massa call you ‘Count the Runaway,’ ” and she laughed demoniacally.

“Call me Klaas,” shrieked the negro; “oh! call me not Count​—​the name of my servitude​—​the name those detested whites gave me when, torn from all my heart holds dear, and forced into their ships, they brought me to this country, and sold me, for a miserable pittance, to the man I despise​—​the man who, for a small fault, had me flogged until the blood gushed down my back. Yes! flogged me, who was born heir to a kingdom, and who followed the chase in my own bright land, free as the zephyr which kisses its sunny mountains, until the fortunes of war made me the despised, degraded slave I am. Call me not ‘Count,’ I say; for every misery I have ever borne is recalled by that hated name. Why was it I spurned poor Nuno from me, and embittered her after life? Because, in a moment of repose​—​when the weary toil of the day was over​—​seated before our hut in the bright moonbeam, I talked to her of Africa, and of my hopes of soon escaping from my degraded state, she raised the demon within me by calling me ‘Count,’ when I had taught her to use no other name but ‘Klaas;’ and thus bringing all my wrongs before me, I vowed to sacrifice our child to the gods of my country should its eyes ever see the light. Oh, then, call me not ‘Count’ in this wild ravine, where everything breathes an air of freedom, although I am obliged to bear it (but not for long, I hope) before the abhorred Christians. Oh! call me not ‘Count.’ unless—” and he flung his arms on high, while his eyeballs rolled in fire, and every nerve quivered with emotion​—​“unless you wish to see me, like the hunted lanté turn on all alike. But enough;”​—​and by strong effort he mastered his turbulent passions, although the perspiration flowed from off his forehead in large drops, and his breast heaved like the stormy billow;​—​“I came not here to-night to recite my wrongs, or the wrongs of these my comrades; but to plan our redemption from them, and the destruction of our enemies. To business, then. But first let me ask you, Morah, has Obeah given the sign?”

“An’ think you me come here to-night had he not?” returned the old woman, doggedly; “ay, that he has, and a good sign it is; but p’raps you no want white man dead, eh? And again the hag uttered her horrible laugh, which seemed still more so in the midst of a clap of thunder, while her miserable form looked more unearthly in the lightning’s flash.

“Death to our foes!” broke from the lips of the leader, which was repeated by all the band; and then breaking up the circle in which they had been standing, they proceeded to prepare the different articles used in their superstitious orgies, under the inspection of old Morah, while Klaas and his general, Tomboy, conferred apart.

A large hole being dug in the middle of the ravine, and all things properly arranged, the king and his companion were called; when, joining in a rank around the opening, the mysterious rites began. Morah, squatting at one end of the aperture, called upon Obeah, under the title of Nzambiampongee, to assist them in the extirpation of their foes; and after many a mumbled incantation, proceeded to bury in the hole small quantities of gunpowder, rusty iron, a little money, and a portion of human hair; while Klaas added to the heap by throwing in a few bujis.⁴⁷ After another incantation was chanted by them all, the hole was carefully covered over with black dog-bush,⁴⁸ and the earth once more thrown in and pressed down. At this moment a night-raven screeched, and Morah interpreted it as a kindly sign from Obeah; whilst a beautiful speckled snake, gliding over the spot, was greeted by Klaas as his country’s god. This ceremony over, Morah departed, and other business was discussed. Seated upon his rustic throne, Klaas issued his mandates to his attentive subjects, who, stretched around, looked up to him as their presiding divinity.

“In eight days’ time,” began their king, in a distinct and audible tone, “there is to be a ball given by the governor, in honour, they say, of their king, and as all our tyrants are expected to be present, it has been determined to make that night the scene of our grand endeavours, that, at one stroke, shall destroy our enemies, and make us once more free. Under yonder bushes, where the earth looks fresh, are buried the kegs of gunpowder which we have, at various times, been enabled to collect; and the night before the ball takes place do you, Quashey Coonah, make it your business to remove them carefully up to Clark’s hill, where Harry, who has been lately hired there, will have them placed under the cellar. Frank, I look to you to take care of what arms we have procured, and also to distribute them. You will also have those bills sharpened​—​they may prove very useful. I make it my duty to fire the train about the time the moon rises above the top of yon mountain, while Tomboy will lead the party who is to prevent any of the whites escaping. Hercules will lay in wait with his band at the entrance of the town; so that, when the flames rise high, and the inhabitants hasten to give them assistance, he may fall upon them and prevent them. I have sent him and Jemmy to meet a large party of negroes up to windward to-night, who, no doubt, will aid us with their force; and as many of them are in the habit of going out shooting for their masters, they may be able to add a little to our stock of powder. Ned, do you try and obtain what arms you can; in such a cause, any means are fair.

“Ah! that I will, King Klaas; and look what I have brought you to-night,” and turning round, he drew from its sheath a blade of the finest steel; “what say you to Massa Colonel’s own good sword. He told me to take care of it to-day, after he had done looking at it, and to put it carefully up; and so I have, ah! ah!” and Ned laughed until the water ran down his cheeks.

“That’s right, my fine fellow!” exclaimed Klaas; and taking it from the hand of his comrade, he examined, with intense interest, its shining surface. After some moments had passed in this employment, he replaced it carefully in its sheath, and, with something like a sigh, exclaimed—​“Well, I have been driven to this. They might have made me their friend, but harshness, contempt, and insult, has conspired to render me what I am; and for this bright weapon, perhaps the gallant Colonel Morgan has often drawn it in a far less worthy cause. But hist! I hear the sound of horses’ feet, and it is time we part. At the close of three more days, meet me here again to receive final orders; till then, farewell; and remember our motto​—​‘Death to our foes!’ ” So saying, Klaas rose from his seat, and grasping once more his club, prepared to depart. At this moment, however, a slight rustle was heard among the brushwood, as if some person was retreating, and Klaas, drawing his pistol from his bosom, started forward in that direction, followed by the others. “What could it be?” was the anxious inquiry, when, after a strict search, no object met their view. “What, indeed!” replied their chief; “if it was any of our friends, why did they not come forward; but if it was a foe​—​a spy​—​our plans of vengeance will be defeated, and we ourselves dragged to a felon’s death;” and he ground his teeth at the thought. As nothing else could be done, they once more bade good night, and departed to their respective homes, leaving Klaas and his general to make one more attempt to discover the cause of the noise.

* * * * *

Six times had the chariot of the sun rolled along the heavens, and bright-eyed Phœbus sought his golden couch, since the conspirators gathered around their king in that wild and silent glen. Among the inhabitants of Antigua nothing was talked of but the governor’s ball, which was to be upon the grandest scale imaginable. Many a young heart beat high at the prospect of its gaieties, and many a bright eye grew brighter at the thoughts of the conquests to be made on that eventful night. The few shops which dealt in European fashions were crowded from morning to night with fair visitants, or their femmes de chambre; and laces and bugles, catgut and tiffany, were in constant demand. The busy sempstresses plied their needles with double speed; and various were the flounces and furbelows, pinkings and quiltings, they invented. In the midst of this bustle and activity, this anticipation of joyous festivities, a plaint of distress was borne down upon the gale: the governor’s best-beloved son​—​the hope and pride of his parents​—​tossed his fevered head upon the couch of sickness; and in a few short hours, that beautiful and blooming youth lay a stiffened corse.

* * * * *

In a large but well-arranged apartment, whose open jalousies admitted the evening breeze, loaded with the fragrance of the Arabian jasmine, were seated three persons. Two out of the group ranked under the lofty title of “lords of the creation;” but the third was a young and beautiful creature, whose elegant figure and flowing ringlets bespoke her one of Nature’s fairest flowers. Reclining upon a fauteuil, she drew from a lute sounds so soft and sweet that every sense was held in thraldom; and anon, when she joined her liquid voice, and sang of other days, few were there who would wish to break the spell. But the spell was ordained to be broken​—​broken in a sudden manner. The door opened hastily, and a negro, darting into the middle of the room, exclaimed, in a voice of terror​—​“Massa, me must speak with you!”​—​“What’s the matter?” returned our elder acquaintance, rising up, “what’s the matter, Cuffee? You frightened us by your sudden entrance, and sent my Marien’s roses back to her heart.”​—​“Beg your pardon, massa, and yours, young missis, but me have something to tell you make your ears ring again: but, massa, where’s Julio?​—​please let him come in.” And without waiting for an answer, he left the room in search of the boy. “Marien, dearest,” said her father, “take your cousin’s arm, and retire for a little, until I have heard what the mad fellow has to say: his foolish nonsense has frightened you more than I like to see.” And fondly pressing his daughter’s hand, he led her to the door.

In a few minutes Cuffee returned with the boy Julio, who wore the same downcast look as he did on the evening of the storm; and, holding the boy by the hand, gave his master the following narration. Julio, who, from being deaf and dumb, appeared to possess the other senses in a higher degree, had one evening observed a strange negro loitering about his master’s estate, and hiding behind the bushes when any one passed. Thinking this peculiar, the dumb boy determined to watch his proceedings, and if he discovered anything wrong, to endeavour to acquaint his master with it. After spending more than an hour in this employment, the stranger departed, and Julio, unable to comprehend his motives, and fearful of not being understood, kept his discovery to himself. Some weeks had elapsed, and he had almost forgotten the circumstance, when, on the evening before the storm, he saw the same person lurking about the same spot; and, watching him unobserved, perceived he was shortly joined by a slave, of the name of Quelch, who, for repeated bad behaviour, had been punished by his master a few weeks before. After they had consulted for some time together, the stranger pointed in the direction of the ravine; and putting his hand under his cloak, drew forth a long sharp-pointed knife, which he shewed to his companion, giving at the same time a peculiar look. The knife being returned to its owner, the negroes parted, leaving Julio with the determination of watching Quelch more strictly.

On the next evening, leaving his young mistress engaged with a book, the boy left the house with the intention of going to look for his master; and, upon gaining the high road, he saw Quelch entering an opening on the other side. Following his steps, he hid himself among the bushes, and thus became a witness of that lawless meeting, where, although he could not hear the words uttered, he saw enough to inform him some evil was intended. Frightened, and uncertain how to tell his discovery, his first care was to reach home; and, harassed in mind and body, the poor child stood before his mistress in the manner described. The next morning, he sought his uncle Cuffee, and, by significant gestures and passionate mutterings, at length made him understand the above relation. Cuffee’s first care was to inform a friend of his of the name of Robin, and these two negroes watched the ravine every night in hopes of discovering what poor Julio could not inform them​—​the names of the conspirators. All, however, remained silent: the ravine had no occupants: and Robin and Cuffee were almost inclined to think they had misunderstood the boy, when, one evening, just as they had gained their accustomed post, they thought they heard the sound of voices; and, creeping upon their hands and knees, espied the whole band, with Klaas, or, as they called him, “Count,” at their head, plotting their dreadful schemes. Knowing that this negro king was the father of Julio, Cuffee liked not to inform against him; and the next morning bringing intelligence of the death of the governor’s son, and consequently the prorogation of the ball, he was in hopes the negroes would get disheartened at the failure of their plans, and forego their horrible intentions. Still he determined to keep an eye upon their movements; and a few weeks after, through the medium of another slave, named Manuel, he discovered that the conspirators intended to put their designs into execution on the 15th of December; and that they were to have a final meeting in the ravine, to receive orders from their king.

These were the tidings Cuffee conveyed to his master’s ear​—​tidings which made his stout heart beat faster, and caused a shade of care, for once, to cross his brow. The time was short: the next night was the one on which the negroes were to meet, and Mr. ———, after leaving a kind message to his daughter, to excuse his absence, started immediately for the capital, accompanied by Robin and Cuffee, to lay the information before the proper authorities.

* * * * *

The evening was calm. There was no moon, but the stars shone bright, and, by their refulgence, parties of men were seen walking cautiously along in the same direction. Every now and then they stopped as if to listen, and then proceeded again, as no sound met their ear. Leaving the high road, they struck across a wild and sterile plain, until, arriving at the bank of a kind of rocky defile, where the sable conspirators held their nocturnal meetings, they separated; and taking up their position on all sides, and holding their very breath, they presented more the appearance of marble statues than living men. After remaining in this situation for some time, a noise was heard as the tramp of a body of horse passing over a flinty road​—​no uncommon occurrence at that period. The sound came nearer and nearer, and presently a large band of soldiers appeared in sight, led by a middle-aged officer, and accompanied by several gentlemen. Riding for a short distance past the ravine, the word was given, “Halt!” and in a moment the horses stood motionless. “Dismount!” broke from the lips of the commander, and the men, all heavily armed, sprang to the ground. Walking quickly forward, they joined the watchers around the ravine, while their leader, followed by many others, bounded down the bank, and exclaimed, in a stentorian tone, “Surrender! or you are dead men.” All was confusion among the assembled conspirators. Hemmed in on all sides, and daunted by the gleaming arms and pointed muskets of the soldiers, who came so silently but surely upon them, the negro band were driven to despair. Klaas alone maintained his firmness, and shouted in a voice of thunder, “Fire the gunpowder, lads, fire the gunpowder, and let us die as brave men, and not as cowards. Who will mourn the fate which will be shared by our hated tyrants!” But this was not to be. Overpowered by numbers, their arms tightly pinioned behind them, their mouths gagged, and held between two soldiers, negro after negro was marched off​—​the ravine was left to its usual silence​—​and the reign of “Klaas,” the “Slave King,” was over.

* * * * *

So ends the legend. The conspirators being conveyed to the capital, various were the punishments awarded them. Klaas, or, as he was more generally called, “Count,” Tomboy, and Hercules were broken alive upon the wheel. In their last moments their fortitude did not forsake them; and their last words expressed their hatred to the whites. Some were gibbeted alive in a place called Green’s Bay. Frank, who belonged to E. Chester, Esq., and several more, were burned in Otto’s pasture, at the outskirts of the capital; and the rest, who were looked upon as the dupes of their reputed king, were transported to the Spanish coasts. Quelch was pardoned: he played the traitor’s part, and amused the ear of Klaas and his comrades with some chimerical scheme while the soldiers passed by who accomplished their destruction; and old Morah, the Obeah woman who attended their meetings, escaped punishment by falling a prey to death before her trial. So signal was the victory obtained, and so severe the punishment of the conspirators, that the remaining slaves became intimidated, and quietly bore their yoke without seeking for deliverance. In 1739, the country emancipated Cuffee and Robin for their discovery of this insurrection, paying to their masters their respective value, and presented Manuel with a reward for his services in that affair.⁴⁹

⁴⁶ A dealer in necromancy.

⁴⁷ A small white shell, about the size and shape of an olive, used as the general currency in Guinea.

⁴⁸ A wild shrub, supposed to be of great use in witchcraft.

⁴⁹ For some further particulars, see Appendix, No. 14.