Part 21 (2/2)

”Man-of-war, buccra, Man-of-war, buccra.

He de boy for me; Sodger, buccra, Sodger, buccra, Nebba, nebba do.

Nebba, nebba do for me; Sodger give one s.h.i.+lling, Sailor give me two.

”Ma.s.sa, now suppose you give me only one pictareen now. You really handsome young gentleman.”

”Now, just walk off,” said Swinburne, lifting up a stick he found on the beach.

”Eh; walk off:--

”Nebba see de day, boy, 'Badian run away, boy.”

”Go, do your work, sar. Why you talk to me? Go, work, sar. I free man, and real Barbadian born.

”Negro on de sh.o.r.e See de s.h.i.+p come in, De buccra come on sh.o.r.e, Wid de hand up to de chin; Man-of-war, buccra, Man-of-war, buccra, He de boy for me, Man-of-war, buccra, Man-of-war, buccra, Gib pictareen to me.”

At this moment my attention was directed to another negro, who lay on the beach, rolling and foaming at the mouth, apparently in a fit.

”What's the matter with that fellow?” said I to the same negro, who continued close to me, notwithstanding Swinburne's stick.

”Eh! call him Sam Slack, ma.s.sa. He ab um _tic tic_ fit.”

And such was apparently the case. ”Stop, me cure him;” and he s.n.a.t.c.hed the stick out of Swinburne's hand, and running up to the man, who continued to roll on the beach, commenced belabouring him without mercy.

”Eh, Sambo!” cried he at last, quite out of breath, ”you no better yet,--try again--”

He recommenced, until at last the man got up and ran away as fast as he could. Now, whether the man was shamming or whether it was real _tic tic_, or epileptic fit, I know not, but I never heard of such a cure for it before. I threw the fellow half a pictareen, as much for the amus.e.m.e.nt he had offered me as to get rid of him.

”Tanky, ma.s.sa; now man-of-war man, here de tick for you again to keep off all de dam n.i.g.g.e.rs.” So saying, he handed the stick to Swinburne, made a polite bow, and departed. We were, however, soon surrounded by others, particularly some dingy ladies, with baskets of fruit, and who, as they said, ”sell ebery ting.”

I perceived that my sailors were very fond of cocoa-nut milk, which, being a harmless beverage, I did not object to their purchasing from these ladies, who had chiefly cocoa-nuts in their baskets.

As I had never tasted it, I asked them what it was, and bought a cocoa-nut. I selected the largest.

”No, ma.s.sa, dat not good for you. Better one for buccra officer.”

I then selected another, but the same objection was made--”No, ma.s.sa, dis very fine milk. Very good for de 'tomac.”

I drank off the milk from the holes on the top of the cocoa-nut, and found it very refres.h.i.+ng. As for the sailors, they appeared very fond of it indeed. But I very soon found that if good for de 'tomac, it was not very good for the head, as my men, instead of rolling the casks, began to roll themselves in all directions, and when it was time to go off to dinner, most of them were dead drunk at the bottom of the boat.

They insisted that it was the _sun_ which affected them. Very hot it certainly was, and I believed them at first, when they were only giddy; but I was convinced to the contrary, when I found that they became insensible; yet how they had procured the liquor was to me a mystery.

When I came on board, Mr Falcon, who, although acting captain, continued his duties as first lieutenant almost as punctually as before, asked how it was that I had allowed my men to get so tipsy. I a.s.sured him that I could not tell, that I had never allowed one to leave the watering-place, or to buy any liquor: the only thing that they had had to drink was a little cocoa-nut milk, which, as it was so very hot, I thought there could be no objection to.

Mr Falcon smiled and said, ”Mr Simple, I'm an old stager in the West Indies, and I'll let you into a secret. Do you know what '_sucking the monkey_' means?”

”No, sir.”

”Well, then, I'll tell you; it is a term used, among seamen for drinking _rum_ out of _cocoa-nuts_, the milk having been poured out, and the liquor subst.i.tuted. Now do you comprehend why your men are tipsy?”

I stared with all my eyes, for it never would have entered into my head; and I then perceived why it was that the black woman would not give me the first cocoa-nuts which I selected. I told Mr Falcon of this circ.u.mstance, who replied, ”Well, it was not your fault, only you must not forget it another time.”

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