We now come to take a view of their burials. I have in a former chapter made some mention of these ceremonies; but still there is a great deal to be said, for be it known, a negro funeral is a matter of no small importance.
When the intelligence reaches them that one of their friends has departed to another world, many of them immediately flock to the residence of the defunct, and are very ready to a.s.sist in the melancholy but necessary offices which are required to be performed. The first consideration of the relatives is to procure a coffin, a decent shroud, and a suit of apparel to inter the corpse in. The coffin is made of deal boards, _not over thick_, and is covered with black or white cotton cloth, according to the age or state of the individual; those persons who cannot afford to purchase cotton for this purpose have the coffin painted black or white. Among the higher cla.s.s of negroes the shroud is made of white mull muslin, but those of less means purchase cotton cambric, while the _very poor ones_ are enveloped in a sheet. If the deceased has a pretty good stock of clothes, the best amongst them are selected for the occasion. Should it be a man who is dead, he is arrayed in his "Sunday clothes," with the exception of coat, shoes, and hat; but if it is a female, her best white dress is used, a cap trimmed with white ribbon is placed upon her head, a white band round her waist, silk stockings, and white gloves. The warmth of the climate necessarily obliges the interment to take place soon after dissolution; for example, if a person dies one day, he is buried the next. The intervening night is called by the negroes "wake night;" and about seven or eight in the evening a great number of persons of both s.e.xes meet at the house of death to a.s.sist in keeping the "wake." This is understood to mean, the singing of psalms and hymns over the corpse; but, in most cases, while the females are so employed in one part of the house, the young men are laughing, talking, or playing off practical jokes upon some one whom they deem not quite so wise as themselves. It sounds very melancholy, should you chance to be awake at the solemn hour of midnight, to hear these persons chanting forth their sacred lays, and as the breeze sweeps its strain to and from your ear, memory "starts up alarmed, and o"er life"s narrow verge looks down" upon a "fathomless abyss." But in the midst of these thoughts the heartless laugh breaks upon your ear, like the voice of some scoffing demon; and "so dies in human hearts the thoughts of death," for "all men think all men mortal _but themselves!_"
About five o"clock in the morning, coffee, bread, biscuits, and cheese, are handed round, and then the company depart, until such hour as the funeral is arranged to take place. Some of the nearest friends or relations, however, remain all the time, and of course partake of the different meals provided; for there is one thing worthy of note in these negro-funerals-grief never spoils their appet.i.tes. If the person dies in the country, it is sometimes the practice to bring them into town during the night; at other times, the funeral takes place in whatever part of the island they may chance to reside in. The company a.s.semble to a town-funeral about four o"clock, and (a multiplicity of chairs having been borrowed from the neighbours for the occasion) seat themselves, the women in the house, and the men on the shady side of the street; but as for thinking of _death_, and its important consequences, it is as far from them as if they were at a ball or a play. They laugh, they joke, they make bargains, and they discuss the news of the day, and think no more of the inanimate corpse within, than if it had been a waxen figure, or an ideal form. I am sorry to add, that it is not the negroes alone who exhibit this utter thoughtlessness of heart upon these melancholy occurrences, as I shall have further to mention when I come to speak of the superior grades of society. But to resume our subject: about the time the company are a.s.sembled, and the bearers arrayed in white or black cotton scarfs and hat-bands, according to the age of the deceased, the hea.r.s.e arrives; for, it is to be remarked, it is but seldom that a funeral takes place in Antigua without the attendance of one of those "carriages for the dead." The hea.r.s.es are rather differently constructed from those used in England, having more the appearance of a van painted black. There is a top to them in a kind of half-pyramidal form, mounted by a few brown-black or dirty white feathers; the body of the hea.r.s.e is partly railed round, so that the coffin can be seen, and a door opens behind. They are drawn by two sorry horses, one perhaps white and the other brown; or, as is often the case, one a horse about twelve hands high, its companion a Canadian poney, rough and s.h.a.ggy as one of the Shetland breed.
Another observable fact is, that these animals are generally as opposite in tempers as they are in appearance, so that while one is wishful of going to the east, the other has an incontrollable desire of proceeding in the opposite direction. This, as may be supposed, leads to a violent contention between them and the driver keeps the company standing in the streets and often endangers even the safety of the vehicle. A stranger could not fail to notice all these particularities, and also the indecent manner in which the hea.r.s.e is driven to the house where the corpse is, and upon its return from the place of interment- namely, as fast as the two horses can possibly be urged.
Another matter of surprise to a stranger is to see the prodigious number of persons which attend these funerals, often consisting of from four to five hundred, and very seldom less than from two to three. These persons are arranged as follows:-The nearest members of the family walk immediately after the hea.r.s.e; if the deceased is a man, then follow a number of that s.e.x, then a number of women, after them men again, and so on until the procession is complete. On the contrary, should the corpse be that of a female, the women precede the men; the train is sometimes so long, that it reaches the entire length of a street.
Of course it is not to be supposed that all this mult.i.tude is habited in black; from the short time which intervenes between the demise and the interment, even the family are unable to procure mourning, unless, as it sometimes happens, they may chance to have those sable garments by them; the consequence of this is, that the procession presents a most motley group. Some of the followers are indeed habited in black; some in white, with a little black ribbon and a coloured bonnet; but the greater part appear in the various hues of the rainbow. As before remarked, at these funerals almost all their friends give something, if it is but a bottle of wine, or a small quant.i.ty of tobacco, and so universal is this practice, that I knew a servant who refused to attend the funeral of his father, because he had not money enough to give. It used to be the custom in former times, to hand round to the company cake, wine, rum and water, porter and "drink," but this is now dispensed with; the greater part of the a.s.semblage follow the corpse to the place of burial, and then disperse. When a funeral takes place in the country, however, a grand dinner is generally provided for the company after the ceremony is over; and on these occasions all is mirth and joy, and the cup and the gla.s.s is so often replenished, that many of the party return home in a state of intoxication. It is among the Moravian congregations the largest funeral processions are seen, the reason of which is as follows:-As is the case in the established church, and with the Methodists, the Moravians have formed a society among their own people, in which every member throws in a certain sum monthly, and when attacked by illness a doctor is found them and so much per week allowed until they recover. When any of these members of the Moravian society die, it is inc.u.mbent upon the rest to follow the deceased to the grave, or if they fail in so doing, a fine of 2s. currency is imposed upon them; the consequence is, that, as few like to pay this penalty, they endeavour upon all occasions to be present.
A christening sometimes gives rise to another entertainment, although, of course, not so grand as a wedding or a ball; fruit, cakes, and wine forming the princ.i.p.al repast. The baby is very smartly dressed in a long white robe, smart cap or bonnet, and is carried in the arms of one who acts for the day as an attendant, with a parasol held over it to screen it from the sun"s rays, although at other times it is exposed to every change of temperature with scarcely anything to cover it. In former times, the negroes were generally known by the names of "Sambo,"
"Pompey," "Quashy," "Quasheba," &c., &c., but those days have long ago pa.s.sed. The "march of intellect" has marched into the West Indies, and we now have "Arabella Christiana," "Adeline Floretta," "Rosalind Monimia," &c., for the girls; and "Augustus Henry," "Alonzo Frederick," "Octavius Edward," and similar _high-sounding_ names for the boys. "What"s in a name?" is a query. I think a great deal; but really it is perfectly ridiculous to hear such aristocratic appellations applied to your servants. The parents are not always satisfied with even two names, but are unconscionable enough to add a _third_. To hear them accosted by these lengthy names brings to recollection "Miss Carolina Wilhelmina Amelia Skeggs," whom Goldsmith has immortalized.
[31] A large bird mentioned in the travels of Sinbad the Sailor, a tale in the "Arabian Nights."
[32] A chest made of cedar, for the purpose of containing their wearing apparel, is looked upon by the negroes as quite indispensable; and consequently, there are but few among them who do not lay by part of their earnings, that they may be enabled to procure one.
[33] It may be necessary to remark, that the word _buckra_, in the negro tongue, signifies "a white person;" but as the smart people I have been describing imitate in everything _fairer brethren_, they are ironically termed "black buckras."
CHAPTER XL.
Negroes: Further sentences upon "dress"-Sunday transformations- The black cook and his metamorphosis-Christmas waits-Negro houses-The mode of building upon estates-Town negro houses- Architecture-The mode of moving houses.
I have in so many places made reference to the style of dress adopted by the negroes, that to bring it under a particular head may be deemed superfluous. And yet I cannot let it pa.s.s without saying something more upon this subject.
I must own I was very much surprised, on first arriving in Antigua, at the style of dress adopted by these people. That the negroes were very fond of adorning themselves I was well aware, but I thought it consisted in a display of what we should term _trumpery_, such as the worn-out garments of their superiors which had once been smart; but I was soon undeceived. It was during the jovial season of Christmas I first made my appearance in this island, a time of all others devoted by the negroes to the purpose of exhibiting the contents of their wardrobes.
Christmas-day, and the two succeeding days, are, in this country, exclusively termed "Christmas;" and poor indeed must be the negro who does not sport a new dress upon that occasion, even if they have to wear nothing but rags for the rest of the year. Those of the _fair s.e.x_ who can afford it, generally purchase three dresses; one to wear each day, and formed of various materials, such as silks, (figured and plain,) satins, mousseline de laines, challis, c.r.a.pes of different names and textures, or handsome white muslin robes variously embroidered. The fashion now in vogue among these _ladies_ is, to have the skirt of their dresses dropping on the ground for about a quarter of a yard in length, the bottom terminated by two rows of flounces, _demi-bishop_ sleeves, and pointed corsages. But the great novelty is in the arrangement of the different tints, most of them thinking they are not sufficiently well-dressed if they leave out any of the prismatic colours. The bonnets are worn just at the back of their heads, and often present a singular appearance. A negress lately presented herself to my notice, whose dress deserves particular attention. Her daily business is to work in the cane-field, and for some time past I had been used to see her bringing gra.s.s for the use of our horses in a state approximating to nudity. Upon the Sunday she honoured me with a call the case was, however, very different. Her dress of figured white muslin was profusely ornamented with pink ribbon and fringe of the same gay tint, her silk stockings were "ditto to match," and her shoes yellow, with white sandals. But her bonnet struck me as most particular; it was formed of that material called "Tuscan," lined with green, trimmed with pink, and further decorated with a prodigy among flowers, a blue rose with silver leaves!
Another very favourite article of dress amongst these black belles, is what they term "a Victoria cloak," which is nothing more or less than a square of coa.r.s.e net, tamboured, in the commonest manner, in large flowers; but which, like everything else of the present day, is named after the queen. I am sure, did her majesty but know how her name is applied to all kinds of articles, from a steam-coach in England, to a lap-dog here, she must think herself greatly honoured! I have already spoken of their splendid jewellery, and therefore it only remains for me to mention, that elaborately worked collars, with three rows of cotton lace round them, fancy reticules, coloured boots and shoes, and parasols, are to be found composing a part of their attire. The latter mentioned articles are unfurled, and twirled about by the young ladies with peculiar grace; but those who are less modish in their manners generally close them, and carry them over the right shoulder, with the end sticking up like the point of a bayonet. A few years ago, the negroes were accustomed to tie their heads with Madras handkerchiefs of the brightest dyes, or else wear large leghorn or silk hats, covered with flowers and ribands; but since emanc.i.p.ation, bonnets are most generally worn, particularly among the young, although some still prefer the use of the hat.
The gentlemen negroes present also a most _dandified_ appearance.
Surtouts or coats of different colour, with velvet collars, splendid waistcoats, white or coloured trousers, with very high-heeled boots, are most in vogue. It is customary with these beaux, when they order a pair of boots, to give particular injunctions to the cordwainer, to make them in such a manner that they may "stamp and creak well," when they wear them. To these specified articles of dress, must be added broad-brimmed hats, silk umbrellas, (if they can get them, if not, cotton suffices; but a negro never thinks himself well arrayed without this article,) and pocket handkerchiefs, one end making its appearance from the coat pocket. The persons who dress in this manner are generally coblers, tinkers, carpenters, bricklayers, and servants. It is almost impossible to know your own domestics, so great are their metamorphoses.
In the ship which conveyed us. .h.i.ther, was a black man, who officiated as cook. Our first place of destination, after leaving England, was British America, where we arrived in the beginning of a very severe winter. Sincerely did I pity this poor man, for his scant and tattered clothing was no protection from the pitiless blast, and excessive cold of that hyperborean clime.
Being a native of so warm a country as the West Indies, and having never before experienced the rigours of winter, it was with some difficulty he could bear up against this (to him) acc.u.mulation of ills. His custom was to remain in the steerage of the ship, and when any of his messmates tried to arouse him, and invite him to visit the deck, his only answer was, "I brought all my fingers and toes from Antigua, and please G.o.d, I must try and carry them back again." After remaining in America for some time, (suffering _hot aches_, and I know not what beside,) until the ship had discharged her cargo of _interesting_ emigrants, and re-loaded with that necessary article "lumber," (_alias_ timber,) we took our departure, with many a favour of "King Frost"s"
hanging about our vessel, in the shape of huge blocks of ice. A pretty fair wind soon carried us into warmer lat.i.tudes, and I used frequently to remark, how delighted that _poor half-clothed_ man must be. "Oh! oh!" was the answer, "that poor half-clothed man, as you call him, is a very respectable and dashing fellow, I do a.s.sure you, in his own country." I thought this a.s.sertion bordering upon the burlesque, but I made no reply, wisely remembering the old saying, "Time will shew all things."
At length, after encountering, as every other mortal must, calms as well as storms, one bright morning brought us to the sh.o.r.es of fair Antigua. This, as I have before remarked, was during the season of Christmas, the time for fun and dress among the negroes. The morning after we landed, I early shook off "tired nature"s sweet restorer, balmy sleep," and hurried over the duties of the toilet in order that I might look about me, and see what kind of _bipeds_ I had fallen in with. I had not long left my apartment when I saw a very dashing-looking gentleman enter the back gate, and approach the door near which I was standing, admiring the bright sun and blue sky of this December morning. It certainly struck me as rather surprising, that a gentleman of his appearance should enter by that part of the house usually appropriated to the servants, but I supposed it was one of "the customs" of the country. Not wishing to be in that disagreeable situation of having to introduce myself, I retired into an inner apartment; but ere long I learnt, to my great surprise, that the "_exquisite_," whose appearance caused my sudden departure, was no less a personage than the black cook from on board the ship.
Christmas is also the season here, as in England, for roast-beef, plum-pudding, and plum-cake; most of the negroes endeavour to get _one_ of these articles, should they not be able to procure them all; but if their pockets are too low to do this, they purchase a few raisins to treat their friends with. "Christmas day" is ushered in with the sound of fiddles and drums; parties of negroes going round the town about four o"clock in the morning, playing upon these instruments for the purpose of breaking people"s rest, (for I am sure it cannot amuse;) and then they have the a.s.surance to call at the different houses during the day for payment. At the conclusion of this serenade, or _waits_, or whatever else they choose to term it, the musicians generally raise their voices to the highest pitch, and call out, "Good morning to you, ma.s.sa; good morning to you, missis; good morning to you, ladies and gentlemen _all!_" a flourish is then given with fiddle and drum, and they march off to disturb another quiet household.
The next point to be considered is the dwellings of the negroes.
The generality of negro houses upon estates contain two apartments, and are built of stone, cemented by a rough mortar.
The roofs are composed of _trash_ (the dry leaves of the sugar-cane), loosely piled on, which gives them an untidy appearance. Some of the industrious people, however, greatly add to the look of the interior, by neatly ceiling them with the split boughs of the cocoa-nut, formed into a kind of basket-work.
The best huts have the hall, or sitting-room, paved with bricks, or a kind of smooth cement, and the sleeping-apartment boarded.
Among the articles of furniture may be found sofas, sideboards of manchineel, (or some other species of native wood,) mahogany and deal tables, and a large cedar chest. Besides these articles, some of them possess decanters, tumblers, wine-gla.s.ses, and a large bowl to make their punch in, with plates and dishes, tea-cups, and various other kinds of gaudy crockeryware. These are the residences of the head negroes; the next kind have their stone-houses unceiled, and only the bare earth for their floor; they contain but little furniture, two or three chairs of the country make, a deal table, and a wooden box or two being their princ.i.p.al stock. Some estates have fallen into a plan of building their negro-houses entirely of wood, as it has been found that the negroes prefer hiring themselves where such dwellings have been provided for them.
Since emanc.i.p.ation, many proprietors have disposed of part of their uncultivated lands to the negroes, which are divided into lots, measuring 30 feet one way, and 40 the other, at 30 dollars, or 6l. sterling per lot. Upon these spots of ground, the purchasers have erected houses, some of them very neatly finished, and containing two rooms, a hall, and chamber; and here they reside, supporting themselves by working upon different estates, (where they obtain higher wages than the resident labourers, on account of not being provided with houses or negro grounds;) huckstering, or else working their own land. In some parts of the island, whole villages are formed in this manner; and from the similarity of the dwellings, and their several little patches of ground, laid out in rows of different luxuriant edibles, present, altogether, a very pleasing appearance. Some of the poorer negroes build their houses in the following manner. A sufficient number of stakes are firmly driven into the ground at regular distances; these are interwoven with the branches of the "black cherry," (a native wood,) stript of their leaves, and the interstices filled up with clay. The roofs are composed of a species of coa.r.s.e gra.s.s (called by the negroes, "hurricane gra.s.s," on account of its wild growth,) fastened on with the bark of the "soursop tree." I cannot speak much for the apparent comfort of these last-mentioned dwellings; there is one thing, however, to be considered, warmth is not necessary in this climate, yet, I should think, the heavy rains which fall at times must penetrate them, and render their clayey floors still more unpleasant. The fire with which the negroes cook their victuals is always made in the open air, unless they fence in a small portion of ground, and loosely throw a bundle of dry cane-leaves on the top, in which case it frequently answers for stable and kitchen.
Those negroes who reside in the capital invariably have their houses built of wood; they seldom consist of more than one room, in which a whole family, of perhaps six or eight persons, eat, sleep, and live; and from whence issue, upon a Sunday, those _ladies_ and _gentlemen_ who equal in splendour of dress the habitants of princely halls. The form of architecture is very simple; four sides, of equal length, breadth, and height, are first erected, and the whole surmounted by what is called a _pitched_ roof, which also consists of four uniform sides, meeting at the top in a pyramidical form. For further protection from the weather, this roof is covered thickly over with "shingles," (flat pieces of board, manufactured in America, for that purpose, from the wood of the cypress, or cedar,) which are put on in the same manner as slates. Some of these dwellings have doors facing to each of the cardinal points, besides a window or two; so that, when agreeable, they can have a free circulation of air. When I speak of windows, it must not be understood I mean such as contain any portion of gla.s.s; but simply what Dr. Johnson calls them, "an opening in a house for light and air." These houses are generally left dest.i.tute of any outward colouring, except what they acquire from exposure to the weather, but when paint is made use of, the favourite tints are yellow for the sides, and red for the roof and doors. As I have before hinted, many of these small houses are built by pilfering a board or a plank at a time, or now and then a few shingles. It often happens, that dwellings which are erected upon this plan, take some time before they are completed. To a.s.sure myself of this a.s.sertion, I need only raise my eyes from my paper, and one of these _contributory_ edifices greets my view. It was commenced before I came to the island; and after remaining here for about two years, and returning to England for near the same period, upon my second visit to Antigua, I found the house not quite finished. I could not help observing this house during its tardy erection; a stroke or two of the hammer now and then broke upon the silent ear of night, and in the morning it might be perceived that another board had been added to the side, or a few more shingles nailed upon the roof. It most frequently happens, that the possessors of these small tenements have no land of their own, but pay a small ground-rent for the s.p.a.ce occupied by their habitations. When they are wishful of removing to another part of the town, like the snail, they carry their houses with them, which, from the manner of construction, is no difficult matter.
These buildings are always raised a little way from the ground, and have a step or two at the princ.i.p.al entrance. Sometimes the s.p.a.ce between the ground and the house is entirely filled up with loose bricks or stones; others have only an empty barrel, or a few stones piled up at each corner, just sufficient to support the fabric.
When a removal is agreed upon, their first care is to hire a few porters, and an accompaniment of trucks. These "four-wheeled"
carriages are firmly fastened together, and placed under the house, the slight foundation pulled away, and strong ropes being attached to the first truck, the porters (with the a.s.sistance of other men, women, and children) commence pulling with all their might, and the house moves off to the song and chorus adapted to the occasion. To preserve its equilibrium, two men march on each side of the house with long poles, which they place against the side; one of these commences the song, (which is of their own composition,) and the whole tribe join in the chorus of "Pull away, my hearties," or similar phrases. In former times, when the negroes had only the Sunday allowed them to perform any of their own work, that day was used to execute these removals; but the noise it occasioned during the period of Divine service was such, that the legislature found it necessary to prohibit this practice at the same time they abolished the Sunday markets.
It is particularly disagreeable to be in the vicinity of these houses when their owners take it into their heads to remove them.
The negroes are always noisy; but when such deeds are in contemplation, they are more so than ever; the songs they sing, the quarrels they have, and the language they use, would tire the patience of the most stoical. Sometimes a sudden crash is heard, and the whole edifice comes tumbling to the ground; this leads to another "wordy war,"-the G.o.ddess Discord again waves aloft her arm,-the whole neighbourhood is in commotion,-and poor I (who, alas! am a most _unwilling_, but compulsory listener) cannot help exclaiming-"Oh! that I were in dear old England, where at least the houses are not moved."
CHAPTER XLI.
Negroes: Occupations-Agricultural labourers-Black sailors-Their excessive gormandizing-The hungry captain"s disappointment- Black cooks-"Melted b.u.t.ter"-A receipt for a cookery book-The obtrusive fish-Grooms and "house boys"-An old planter"s opinion -Concluding remarks.
After mentioning the recreations, dress, and general habits of the negroes, it may be necessary to give some account of their princ.i.p.al occupations. By far the greater part of the black population, as will be seen in the statistical portion of this work, are employed in the cultivation of the sugar-cane, which, although very laborious, pays them better than any other work.
When engaged in this pursuit, the hours of labour are as follows: -the bell rings at six o"clock in the morning, and the negroes proceed to the field, and remain there until nine, when the bell again rings, and they go to their breakfast; an hour being allowed for that purpose, they enter the field at ten, and remain until twelve, when they leave for their dinners; at two they resume their labours, which continue until six, when their daily work is finished. It must be remarked, that during the short days, they scarcely reach the field until near eight; and just as the sun begins to sink, they confidently a.s.sert it is after six, and refuse to work any longer, let the hour be what it may.
During the time of slavery, such women as were nursing did not commence working until seven o"clock; but in these days of freedom, they do not resume the hoe until their children are nine or ten months old. Some of the negroes gain a very plentiful subsistence, by buying a horse and cart, and carting manure to the different estates; others again will agree with a planter to do a certain portion of work; they procure other labourers, and when the work is finished, they divide the profits; but let them do whatever they will, they contrive to make such bargains, that they never fail in obtaining a _good supply_ of that necessary evil-money.
Besides agricultural labourers, there are a great many artisans, fishermen, and sailors. With regard to these last, I cannot say whether they are very _firm_ in times of _danger_; but from ocular demonstration, I can a.s.sert, that when the sky and sea looks fair, they are very careless, although, from July to October, the West Indian seas are very liable to sudden squalls.
These black sailors generally confine themselves to the navigation of the Caribbean Sea, making voyages in small vessels to the different islands. Very few of them know all the points of the compa.s.s, some of them not any-their manner of steering being more after the manner of the ancients. They see the sun when he rises, and they know that is the east; they observe him when he sets, and that, they are aware, is the west. Their mode of proceeding when upon these voyages is, to keep within sight of land as much as they can; and in most parts, the channels between the different islands are so narrow, that this is not difficult; but to make a bold stretch across, so as to lose all landmarks, they seldom or never think of. The greatest peculiarity among these black sailors is their extreme voracity-never were there greater eaters. In my frequent voyages in these small vessels to the other islands, I have had numberless opportunities of observing this; for from the confinement of the cabins, and the great heat of the climate, the deck is the only supportable part of the vessel, and there it is the sailors partake of their dinners. Such piggins of _fungy_, with accompaniments of rice or potatoes, salt fish, or beef, as I have then seen consumed, and in such a short period, is really marvellous! Even when at the helm, they are occupied in eating biscuit, of which they generally manage to have their pockets full.
Upon one occasion, I was coming from St. Kitts to Antigua, on board one of these small craft. The second day from our leaving, the sailors caught a very large sucking-fish, (_remora_,) which was scarcely pulled upon the deck, before they commenced the operation of cooking it. The "captain," as he termed himself, was that day unfortunately tormented by a violent headache; and after seeing their prize safely deposited in a huge kettle of water, laid himself down to sleep, in hopes of getting rid of his unwelcome visitant. "Soft slumber" sealed his eye for many an hour; but when at length he awoke, his first demand was for some of the tempting dish, whose early stage of cookery he had so ably inspected. "All eat," was the consoling reply to a hungry man. It was certainly provoking, and so he seemed to think; for he put himself into a violent pa.s.sion immediately. "War for you eat aw dat fish for, eh? fish big so to. War for you go do so? You aw too much greedy-you aw reg"lar nagers." And with much growling and grumbling, he was obliged to solace his unappeasable appet.i.te with a hard biscuit, instead of his favourite fare.
This _penchant_ for eating among the negro sailors is universally known. I have heard it remarked, by a gentleman of Antigua, (in answer to some query upon the subject,)-"Oh! have nothing to do with small vessels; or, if you _have_, on no account provision them, but rather pay them so much a week to find themselves; for those black sailors are never satisfied-they will be eating eleven hours in the day, and on the twelfth they are, or rather _pretend_ to be, hungry. This, I am sure, is the fault of their mothers during infancy; for their common cry to them is-"Eat, me pic"nee, eat; fill youself, an den go sleep;" so that the custom grows upon them to that degree, that when they become men, they cannot break themselves of it." So much for the remark; those who are acquainted with the subject will, I think, readily a.s.sent to the truth of it.
In times of slavery, it was customary, among some owners or managers of slaves, to allow such negroes as were not employed in the cane-field the privilege of hiring themselves out to strangers, providing they regularly paid to their masters a certain sum weekly from the wages they received. Many of them acquired a good sum by this permission; while others, again, although they earned high wages, had to pay so large a proportion to their proprietors, that they were not so well off in pecuniary matters as those negroes who remained upon the property. Still, they were comparatively more their own masters; and so dear to every breast is freedom, that they preferred doing so, and gaining less.
Another large body of negroes are to be met with as domestic servants. That there are some good servants among them none can deny; but I am sorry to say, they are seldom met with. In general, the men make better domestics than the females. Some of those who hire themselves as cooks are very clever in their profession, and will dress turtle in various delectable forms, equal, if not superior, to the vaunted cooks at "Cornhill," or the celebrated "M. de Barre" (late cook to Louis XVIII.) himself.
This is to be the more wondered at, as they have not half the conveniences in the culinary departments as their brother cooks on the other side of the water; on the contrary, many an invention has to issue from their teeming brain, before they can arrange these matters to their satisfaction. But one precaution must be carefully observed, in order to insure success: in cookery, they must be left entirely to their own discretion-no improvement proposed; for either they are obstinately bent on following their own plan, and will not adopt any other, or else they do not fully understand their instructions; and what was intended as an improvement will result in failure.
It is the practice in Antiguan cookery, when "melted b.u.t.ter" is used, merely to oil it, and send it to table in that state, which to many strangers proves disagreeable. Soon after my arrival in this country, I begged the cook to adopt some other plan, explaining at the same time, to the best of my abilities, how it was commonly done in England. The next day, at dinner, there was something "in such a" _very_ "questionable shape" upon the table, that I was fain to summon Mr. Cook from his tenement, to ask what it might be. "Melted b.u.t.ter, missis," quoth the knight of pots and kettles. "_Melted b.u.t.ter!_-impossible! it has more the appearance of pudding, boiled like the French cook"s, without a cloth." "Eh, eh, missis, war for you go call him pudding? you no tell me put flower in de b.u.t.ter-it _dat_ make him "top so!" I was confounded. After my learned dissertation upon melted b.u.t.ter the day before, (which, by-the-bye, I borrowed from the worthy Dr.
Kitchener himself,) to be served in this manner was too bad; however, it taught me never for the future to interfere with his department.
They have some peculiarities in dressing different meats in Antigua which I have never heard of being practised in other countries, although it must be owned my knowledge in such matters is very limited, not having devoted much of my time to studying the "Cook"s Oracle;" indeed, (the truth must be spoken,) I am better pleased to form an acquaintance with ragouts, or any other dainties, when they are upon the table, than I am to inspect their various formations, or become versed in their different modes of cookery. But as some of my readers may, with Peter Pindar, be fond of peeping into pots and pans, I will, for their benefit, try to elucidate kitchen mysteries for once in my life, and expound to them the method of _doving_ meat, as the Antiguan cooks term such process. The first point to be achieved is, of course, to procure the meat, and then to see that the "igneous element," as Mr. Dryden learnedly calls fire, has attained a sufficient degree of heat. These preliminary matters being adjusted, an iron pot is made thoroughly hot, the meat placed in it without the aid of water, and the utensil carefully covered over. In this fiery durance it is allowed to remain until one side becomes of an approved brown; it is then turned to another, until at length it arrives at that state of superexcellence, that, like "Sancho Panza"s cow"s heel," it has only to cry "Come eat me, come eat me!"
The greatest fault to be found with these kitchen gentry, these black cooks of Antigua, is, that while from various meats and spices they are compounding ambrosial food for their masters, they forget the rules of equity, and, like the lordly lion of the forest, keep the largest share for themselves. This is done with impunity by all the cla.s.s; they dread not even the "strong arm of the law," nor exempt the lawyers themselves from this exaction, if report speaks true. When discovered in these petty thefts, they use the greatest art to make you believe it is a mistake, a slip of (not the tongue, but) the fingers, and, consequently, not their fault; or else, that "_somebody_" did the deed, and laid the blame at their door.
A gentleman proprietor of this island had a servant living with him who was famed for practising this particular species of depredation, quite an adept in the art, and who at the same time possessed a tongue well versed in the doctrine of excuses. Many and oft have been the occasions when this sable offender has appropriated to his own share the eatables which ought to have graced his master"s table, and yet escaped without reproof. But one day, (for so the Fates had willed it,) being pressed for time, "Lemon" was obliged to transfer to his _pocket_, instead of a place of more approved security, a fish he had adroitly managed to purloin, and hurry into the dining-room, (in his double capacity of cook and footman,) with the remainder properly dished up. "Truth," says the old proverb, "will pop out its head;" and although the stubborn fish did not exactly do that, it made amends by popping out its _tail_, and proved to the master"s eye the undeniable fact of his servant"s deviation. Unconscious that his silent but no less true accuser had betrayed him, the faulty cook kept his stand, until, at length, his master, pointing at the same time to the purloined luxury, inquired, "Lemon, what is that you have in your pocket?" His blushes, if he knew how to blush, were effectually concealed by the blackness of his skin, while, with the counterfeit surprise of innocence, he replied to this question by asking another: "Pocket, ma.s.sa? war pocket?" And then, turning his eye to that particular part of his garment, and perceiving in a moment that the presence of the obtruding fish could not be denied, with ready cunning, he continued, "You see dat, ma.s.sa? you see dat, missis? you eber see how "de ebil"
(witchcraft) follow me! Ebil come quite in me pocket, come put fish dere, so make you aw tink me go tief it!" Oh, worthy Lemon!