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cowards; and the support of rogues and runagates, that have abandoned their own countries for
rapine, murders, theft, and villainies. Do you not hear every day how they upbraid each other with
infamy of life, below the wildest savages? And shall we render obedience to such a degenerate race,
who have no one human virtue left, to distinguish them from the vilest creatures? Will you, I say,
suffer the lash from such hands?" They all replied with one accord, "No, no, no; Caesar has spoke
like a great captain, like a great king."
After this he would have proceeded, but was interrupted by a tall negro of some more quality than
the rest, his name was Tuscan; who bowing at the feet of Caesar, cried, "My Lord, we have listened
with joy and attention to what you have said; and, were we only men, would follow so great a
leader through the world. But oh! consider we are husbands, and parents too, and have things more
dear to us than life; our wives and children, unfit for travel in those unpassable woods, mountains,
and bogs. We have not only difficult lands to overcome, but rivers to wade, and mountains to
encounter; ravenous beasts of prey." To this Caesar replied that honor was the first principle in
Nature, that was to be obeyed; but as no man would pretend to that, without all the acts of virtue,
compassion, charity, love, justice, and reason, he found it not inconsistent with that to take equal
care of their wives and children as they would of themselves; and that he did not design, when he
led them to freedom and glorious liberty, that they should leave that better part of themselves to
perish by the hand of the tyrant's whip: but if there were a woman among them so degenerate from
love and virtue, to choose slavery before the pursuit of her husband, and with the hazard of her life
to share with him in his fortunes that such a one ought to be abandoned, and left as a prey to the
common enemy.
To which they all agreed and bowed. After this, he spoke of the impassable woods and rivers; and
convinced them, the more danger the more glory. He told them that he had heard of one Hannibal, a
great captain, had cut his way through mountains of solid rocks; and should a few shrubs oppose
them, which they could fire before 'em? No, 'twas a trifling excuse to men resolved to die, or
overcome. As for bogs, they are with a little labor filled and hardened; and the rivers could be no
obstacle, since they swam by nature, at least by custom, from the first hour of their birth: that when
the children were weary, they must carry them by turns, and the woods and their own industry
would afford them food. To this they all assented with joy.
Tuscan then demanded what he would do. He said they would travel towards the sea, plant a new
colony, and defend it by their valor; and when they could find a ship, either driven by stress of
weather, or guided by Providence that way, they would seize it, and make it a prize, till it had
transported them to their own countries: at least they should be made free in his kingdom, and be
esteemed as his fellow-sufferers, and men that had the courage and the bravery to attempt, at least,
for liberty; and if they died in the attempt, it would be more brave than to live in perpetual slavery.
They bowed and kissed his feet at this resolution, and with one accord vowed to follow him to
death; and that night was appointed to begin their march. They made it known to their wives, and
directed them to tie their hamaca about their shoulders, and under their arm, like a scarf, and to lead
their children that could go, and carry those that could not. The wives, who pay an entire obedience
to their husbands, obeyed, and staid for 'em where they were appointed: The men staid but to
furnish themselves with what defensive arms they could get; and all met at the rendezvous, where
Caesar made a new encouraging speech to 'em, and led 'em out.
But as they could not march far that night, on Monday early, when the overseers went to call 'em all
together to go to work, they were extremely surprised, to find not one upon the place, but all fled
with what baggage they had. You may imagine this news was not only suddenly spread all over the
plantation, but soon reached the neighboring ones; and we had by noon about 600 men, they call the
militia of the country, that came to assist us in the pursuit of the fugitives: but never did one see so
comical an army march forth to war. The men of any fashion would not concern themselves, though
it were almost the common cause; for such revoltings are very ill examples, and have very fatal
consequences oftentimes, in many colonies: but they had respect for Caesar, and all hands were
against the Parhamites (as they called those of Parham Plantation) because they did not in the first
place love the Lord-Governor; and secondly, they would have it that Caesar was ill used, and
baffled with: and 'tis not impossible but some of the best in the country was of his council in this
flight, and depriving us of all the slaves; so that they of the better sort would not meddle in the
matter. The Deputy-Governor, of whom I have had no great occasion to speak, and who was the
most fawning, fair-tongued fellow in the world, and one that pretended the most friendship to
Caesar, was now the only violent man against him; and though he had nothing, and so need fear
nothing, yet talked and looked bigger than any man. He was a fellow whose character is not fit to be
mentioned with the worst of the slaves. This fellow would lead his army forth to meet Caesar, or
rather to pursue him. Most of their arms were of those sort of cruel whips they call cat with nine
tails; some had rusty useless guns for show; others old basket-hilts, whose blades had never seen the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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