LETTER XXXIII.
Perhaps you will feel surprised if I should tell you that we have seen an African slave perform a chirurgical operation, with greater dexterity than it could have been done by the most skilful surgeon of Europe!
Walking on the beach, we remarked two negroes sitting on the sands, occupied with something, which seemed to command minute attention. On approaching near to them, we found the one engaged in extracting that sadly troublesome insect the Chigoe from the other’s foot. Our curiosity being excited, we stopped to witness the operation, and saw it executed with great neatness and ability.
The chigoe is a very minute insect, which insinuates itself, imperceptibly, under the skin, most commonly of the toes, and there, forming a nidus, produces its young. These are enveloped in a small cyst or bag, which usually increases to the size of a pea, as the period of maturity approaches. When the young are about to escape, a sense of tingling, or itching is felt in the part, at first very slight and often not sufficient to attract the notice of Europeans; but, if longer neglected, it increases to a sense of soreness on pressure, or on treading upon that part of the foot. This commonly leads to examination, when a dark point is discovered, which directs to a small, and scarcely tumid circle, whitish, or very slightly inflamed, of an appearance somewhat like what might arise from a pea lodged under the skin. If, at this period, the cyst be removed, the disease may be eradicated, and nothing further apprehended; but if it be still neglected, the nidus ruptures, and the young ones escaping, penetrate into the parts around, producing a sore which degenerates into a troublesome ulcer, and this being increased by the new cysts of many chigoes, often proceeds to incurable disease, and ultimately to the destruction of the toe.
The chigoes prevail most in sandy places: in this island they are very numerous. A negro sometimes extracts five or six from his feet, at one sitting; and so expert is he at finding them, that, in examining the foot of an European, a slave will, frequently, discover two or three chigoes, before the individual could perceive the least itching or uneasiness from them.
The mode of extracting them is as follows: with a pointed penknife, not very sharp, or the blunt end of a large needle, a slight opening is made in the skin, at the small black point over the cyst. From this opening the skin is forced away, by being torn, or broken down, and pressed outwards, on all sides, care being taken not to puncture, or otherwise rupture the cyst. The skin being thus separated, the nidus or small bag becomes exposed in form of a little round body, and is, afterwards, extracted by forcing down the point of the instrument, at one side, and turning it out. A hole remains not unlike a pea issue: this the negro commonly fills with ashes from the pipe or sagar, mixed with butter, tallow from a candle, or any other kind of grease that happens to be at hand, and the cure is completed with the operation.
A specimen of indolence in labour has occurred to our observation, which, whether it be regarded as the effect of climate, or of slavery, I may note to you as an additional example of the feeble exertions used by slaves in their unrequited round of toil. A party of negroes being employed to remove some hospital stores, from the side of the water to a warehouse, Dr. Cleghorn and myself took the opportunity of passing that way in our walk, in order to see them at work, and observe their industry and mode of labour. We found no less than ten slaves occupied in rolling a middle-sized chest, with a black driver holding his whip at their backs, and an overseer, of fairer skin, to command them. It was perhaps, in all respects, the very worst way in which such a package could have been moved! From the size of the chest it was only with difficulty each negro could find space for an assisting hand; from its shape it was most inconvenient for rolling; and from its contents, most improper; being filled with bottles, jars, earthen pots, and the like. In England four men would have carried it upon a hand-barrow with great ease: but here, the time and labour of twelve men were consumed in moving it, at a rate incomparably slower, and at the expense, probably, of great part of its contents.
We pointed out to them the injury that might, and the loss of time that necessarily must derive from this method of moving it, and endeavoured to convince them how much safer, and more expeditious it would be, to take it up, and carry it. But, no! that was not their way! “We no savez carry him, we roll him gently, Massa, den we no break ’em bottles inside,” was the reply. In even the most liberal it is always a task to oppose habits confirmed by long usage; among slaves it were utterly in vain to attempt it! Had we insisted upon the case being carried, it is more than probable that it would have quickly fallen to the ground, and the whole contents been shattered to atoms; we, therefore, left them to pursue their own means.
We have since met with another circumstance nearly similar, which I might offer to you as a further example of the indolent manner in which slaves execute their task: or I might note it as a specimen of the cruelties which men, held in slavery, may, and too frequently do become subject to, from passionate, and unfeeling individuals. Walking towards the hospital we met a party of negroes rolling a box of stores from the boat, in which they had been brought on shore, to the store-room. Perceiving the case to be light, and knowing it to contain only vessels of tin, a desire to see how they would perform led us to try the experiment of making them carry it: nor, in doing this, were we aware of exposing any of them to an act of cruelty, or we should have left them, as before, to their own way. On attempting to lift the package to their shoulders, they set about it precisely in the awkward and ludicrous manner we had expected; still as no accident, nor injury of consequence could derive from it, we, who were recently from Europe, were quite diverted at their fruitless and incompetent efforts; but Captain ——, who was with us, and had resided long enough in the West Indies to have accustomed himself to the arbitrary treatment of slaves, seeing the stupid way in which they attempted this new task, immediately gave one of the poor fellows a cruel cut, with a large horse-whip, across the face and eyes! We remonstrated with him on this unnecessary and unmerited severity; and could not but mark it, in our minds, as an act of wanton cruelty; which, if I may judge from the impulse of my own feelings, will long stand against him. We desired the poor negroes to put down the box, and convey it according to their own method; and, in sentiments of indignation, left the Captain to the remorse which ought to be his punishment.
You will be pleased to know that intelligence has just reached us of the defeat of the brigands at Grenada, in an action with our troops, commanded by General Nicoll. Their loss is said to amount to three hundred men.
The Portsmouth fleet is still a truant to our expectations. From the tidings we had received of it we now think it long delayed; and have many fears lest Admiral Cornwallis may have sailed into Admiral Christian’s unfortunate path; and, like him, been obliged to trace his course back into an English port.