Under their own affliction, could
neither quit their vessel to go on board the Leon, nor receive the
crew of the latter into the Rodeur, where, on account of the cargo
of negroes, there was scarcely room for themselves. The vessels
therefore soon parted company, and the Leon was never seen nor heard
of again, so far as could be traced at the publication of this
narrative. In all probability, then, it was lost. On the fate of
THIS vessel the poem is founded.
The Rodeur reached Guadaloupe on the 21st of June, 1819, her crew
being in a most deplorable condition. Of the negroes, thirty-seven
had become perfectly blind, twelve had lost each an eye, and
fourteen remained otherwise blemished by the disease. Of the crew,
twelve, including the surgeon, had entirely lost their sight; five
escaped with an eye each, and four were partially injured.
Footnotes:
{1} I should have before observed that I found the language of
Bambarra a sort of corrupted Mandingo. After a little practice, I
understood and spoke it without difficulty.
{2} There is another town of this name hereafter to be mentioned.
{3} From a plant called kabba, that climbs like a vine upon the
trees.
{4} Soon after baptism the children are marked in different parts
of the skin, in a manner resembling what is called tattooing in the
South Sea Islands.
{5} Chap. xxxi. vv. 26-28.
{6} Poisoned arrows are used chiefly in war. The poison, which is
said to be very deadly, is prepared from a shrub called koono (a
species of echites), which is very common in the woods. The leaves
of this shrub, when boiled with a small quantity of water, yield a
thick black juice, into which the negroes dip a cotton thread: this
thread they fasten round the iron of the arrow in such a manner that
it is almost impossible to extract the arrow, when it has sunk
beyond the barbs, without leaving the iron point and the poisoned
thread in the wound.
{7} A minkalli is a quantity of gold nearly equal in value to ten
shillings sterling.
{8} This is a large, spreading tree (a species of sterculia) under
which the bentang is commonly placed.
{9} When a negro takes up goods on credit from any of the Europeans
on the coast, and does not make payment at the time appointed, the
European is authorised by the laws of the country to seize upon the
debtor himself, if he can find him, or, if he cannot be found, on
any person of his family; or, in the last resort, on ANY NATIVE OF
THE SAME KINGDOM.
