28 Ziineo, a taie. March 7. 



ZIMEO, A TALE. 



Some vearsago, PaulWilmot, a quake r, and a native of Phi- 

 ladelphia, having settled in Jamaica, retired to a plantation, 

 beautifallv situated on the declivity of a mountain, near the 

 centre of the island. His family consisted of a wife and 

 three young children. He pofsefsed a number of slaves, 

 nhose looks . and whole appearence betokened that their 

 servitude was not grievous. Indeed Wilmot was one of 

 those benevolent characters that consider the wide world, 

 as their country, and the whole human race as their bre- 

 thren. His negroes were distributed into little families. 

 Among them were no difsentLons, no jealousies, no thefts, 

 no suicides, no conspiracies : The labours of the day gave 

 place in the evemng to the song and the dance j and they 

 retired to rest, with hearts full of gratitude, satisfaction, 

 and content. 



About this time, a negro of Benin, known by the name 

 of John, had instigated the slaves of two rich plantations 

 to revolt, tomafsacre their masters, and to fly to the moun- 

 tain. This mountain is in the middle of the island ; it is 

 almost inaccefsible, and is surrounded with fruitful vallies, 

 which are inhabited by negroes, called the wild negroes. 

 These, having formerly deserted their services, settled in 

 those vallies, from whence they often made cruel sallies 

 upon their former masters 5 but now they seldom rise, ex- 

 cept to revenge their brethren, who fly to them for refuge 

 from insupportable persecutionr- John had been chosen 

 chief o'^ those negroes, and had ifsued from the vallies with 

 a ccuisiderable body of followers. The alarm was soon 

 .spread in the colony •, troops were marched to the moun- 

 tain, and soldiers distributed in those plantations that 

 \v*re defensible* 



