HISTORY OF [BOOK n. 



any kind, and regarding as superfluous and useless most 

 of those things which every people in the lowest de- 

 gree of civilization, would consider as almost abso- 

 lutely necessary to human existence. 



Their lan^ua^e was a barbarous dissonance of the 



o o 



African dialects, with a mixture of Spanish and broken 

 English; and their thoughts and attention seemed 

 wholly engrossed by their present pursuits, and the 

 objects immediately around them, without any reflec- 

 tions on the past, or solicitude for the future. In 

 common with ail the nations of Africa, they believed, 

 however, as I have observed, in the prevalence of 

 Obi, and the authority \vhich such of their old men as 

 had the reputation of vizards, or Obeah-men y possess- 

 ed over them, was sometimes very successfully em- 

 ployed in keeping them in subordination to their 

 chiefs. 



Having in the resources that have been mentioned, 

 the means of procuring food for their daily support, 

 they had no inclination for the pursuits of sober in- 

 dustry. Their repugnance to the labour of tilling the 

 earth was remarkable. In some of their villages I 

 never could perceive any vestige of culture : but the 

 situation of their tow r ns, in such cases, was generally 

 in the neighbourhood of plantations belonging to the 

 whites, from the provision grounds of which they ei- 

 ther purchased, or stole, yams, plantains, corn, and 

 other esculents. When they had no supply of this 

 kind, I have sometimes observed small patches of In- 

 dian corn and yams, and perhaps a few straggling 



