LETTER LI.
We left Essendam early the following morning, but not without receiving additional proofs of attention from Mynheer Abbensets, who kindly intreated us to lengthen our present visit, and invited us to make his house our home, and remain longer with him on our return. In all the generosity of his character he ordered some bottles of wine, and a store of provisions to be put into the boat for our use, en route; and, likewise, supplied the negroes with a fresh stock of Hollands and of plantains. According to the Dutch custom, coffee had been served to us as soon as we rose from our hammocks, but we reserved ourselves for a more solid breakfast at our next place of call.
This was at one of the sugar plantations of Mr. Blair, on the border of the river, nearly opposite to Essendam. Here again warm greetings met us at the landing-place. M. Schneider, who has the management of the estate, received us with a most friendly welcome; and a breakfast of fowls, eggs, and other solids was, presently, set before us. We found M. Schneider a very intelligent man, and acquired more information from him respecting our journey, than from any other person. He had made a similar excursion; but to a far greater extent than we could possibly follow him, he having gone many hundred miles up the river. He was equipped for the purpose, and attended by a party of Indians as conductors, together with a young Indian girl, who had resided among the colonists, as interpreter.
The tide serving for us to proceed, we were compelled to make our visit at M. Schneider’s much shorter than we could have wished; we had therefore barely time to take our breakfast, and accompany the manager in a short walk about the estate, in order to see the sugar-works, some fine trees of the mango, and a young plantation of the bread-fruit. At ten o’clock we resumed our seats in the boat, when M. Schneider kindly desired to contribute to our store, some bread, and some rum. We also discovered that he had sent on board, without our knowledge, half a dozen bottles of very fine porter, of which he had observed us to partake, with great enjoyment, at our second breakfast. Instructed by M. Schneider, we were to make our next home at Vigilantie, where we arrived at seven o’clock in the evening. This was a severe day for the slaves. Indeed they were exposed to far more of labour and exertion than we should have required of them, but from their own consent to the proposal of M. Schneider; who, assuring us that they were fully competent to the toil, asked if they could row to Vigilantie that evening? They replied in the affirmative, and cheerfully executed the task, arriving in high spirits, and smiling when we asked them if they were not sadly tired. Except the short time we remained with M. Schneider, we were in the boat from half past eight in the morning until seven in the evening. That even negroes could support so many hours of heavy and incessant labour in such a climate was past our conjecture. The only relief they required was to rest, occasionally, for a few minutes, upon their oars; at which intervals, although extremely heated, and bathed in perspiration, they plunged from the side of the boat into the river, and swam about in order to cool themselves, and drive away fatigue. Hazardous as this might seem, they did not suffer the slightest inconvenience from it, but returned to their oars with renewed spirit and vigour, feeling more refreshed, and more delighted with their bathing than with their food, or even their beloved grog, which we gave them in very plentiful supply.
The borders of the river offered but little to arrest our attention or to gratify our curiosity, so that we were in danger of suffering more fatigue from our wearisome confinement, in the boat, than the negroes did from the heavier labour of pulling the oars.
We were received with great kindness, and entertained with much cordiality, by M. Malsted, but unluckily no person at Vigilantie understood any other than the Dutch language; our conversation was therefore very limited, being carried on only by signs and broken words. The task of interpreter fell to the lot of your friend, and you would have been highly diverted could you have seen him occupied throughout the evening in repeating a few words of bad Dutch to serve all purposes, and explain for all parties.
Desirous to know the mode of life, and to observe the habitations of the slaves, as well as of their masters, I did not neglect to make visits to the different negro-yards at our various places of call. Pursuant to this custom, soon after my arrival at Vigilantie, I took with me one of the house negroes, as conductor, and went to view the huts of the slaves. In one of them my ebon guide, with great form, begged to introduce me to a very fine negress, his sister. I dare not tell you what soft overtures were made by this young lady, on my having the honor of being presented to her. But, to convey kind hints, seemed equally the object of brother and sister. I mention this fact only to show you in what light prostitution is viewed by slaves—the brother would feel honored in placing the pillow, for his sister, on a backra man’s bed!
In my walk to the negro-yard I met a slave who appeared under a peculiar mode of punishment, being compelled to wear an iron collar with three long spikes projecting from it, in sharpened points, to the distance of eight or ten inches from his person. What crime had led to this strange method of punishment I did not learn. The poor man not only suffered the annoyance of moving about, loaded with this heavy collar, but he was effectually prevented from lying down, and from approaching near to any person without the danger of injuring him with the sharp points of his iron yoke.
The house at Vigilantie was very inferior to that at Essendam, but we found in it good fare, and an honest welcome. Fowls, milk, rice, eggs, and various other dishes, were set before us for supper; and we had afterwards some very fine Hollands; but as my bad Dutch gave no charms to conversation, we retired at an early hour to our hammocks.
The following day was far less fatiguing to us: although equally busy, it was broken into more varied succession. We went into the boat between three and four o’clock in the morning, in order to avail ourselves of the tide, so as to reach the old town of Amsterdam before breakfast. We accordingly arrived at seven, in time to take coffee with Mynheer ——, le vieux fiscal, with whom we afterwards shared a more solid breakfast à la Hollandoise. Our visit was divided between the fiscal, and the doctor (M. Scholten), both of whom received us with great urbanity, and invited us to prolong our stay at the old town.
The fiscal is 61 years of age, and although his youthful days are past, he is still active and alert. He walked with us to M. Scholten’s, and the different parts of the town, during the morning, and was very animated and facetious, meaning to be good company; but sadly fatigued us with an incessant flow of senile garrulity. He knew but little French, and although he was more fluent in Latin, it was neither classical, nor always intelligible. At dinner he took his glass rather freely, as we afterwards learned was too commonly his custom. He now became officious and troublesome in his attentions, and at length grew unpleasant and querulous. He professed a high esteem for the English, and his civilities to us had seemed in unison with his professions. He drank bumpers to “George the Third and Old England,” but on the health of the Stadtholder being given, as we had intended in complimentary return, the mask at once fell off, and exposed him in the full character of a modern leveller. He raved and swore, called himself a patriot, and declared that he was the firm friend of Holland, adding, “I hope again to see Batavia a great nation, for England has not yet conquered all the world!” But still, in loud noise, and with strange inconsistency, the poor old man would drown himself in bumpers to George III.! It availed nothing to tell him that His Majesty and the Stadtholder were friends: he would lose his senses, and sober himself again, drinking to the king of England; but nothing, he persisted, should ever compel him to swallow a drop to the health of the prince of Orange. His nephew, who was present, was very much distressed, and, begging us to accept apologies from him, intreated that we would pardon the conduct of his uncle, which he attributed to the royal bumpers he had taken. We could only regard his effusions as the harmless ravings of imbecility, which but served to verify the common adage! Before dinner his sentiments were disguised: wine tore away the veil, and in deep drinking, the intemperate old man again became a child—was unguarded, and ... spake the truth!