416 Jamaica. 



their (laves with extraordinay harflinefs, snd fomet'mies even barbarity ; 

 a fure charafteriftic of a vindidlive, bafe, and cowardly mind. 



The domeftics are remarkably adroit in the negociation of all in- 

 trigues, and affairs of gallantry ; and fhew a peculiar delight on being 

 entrufted plenipos, to affifl at thefe congrelies of love. Upon thefe 

 occafions, the brain of a Spanifli enamorato, or an Italian cecifbeo, 

 cannot be'more fruitful of expedients. The fuperftition of thefe Blacks 

 is carried to very lingular lengths, although the more poliflied 

 among them believe in a future ftate of reward and punifhment ; 

 they do not confider certain a ft s to be criminal, which are ufually re- 

 puted fuch among true believers. — Murder is with moll of them 

 efteemed the higheft impiety. — Filial difobedience, and infulting the 

 aflies of the dead, are placed next. But as for petty larcenies, affairs 

 -of gallantry, fornication, ^c. they are reputed only peccadilloes, which 

 are fufficiently punilhed in this world, with the baftinadoe, or the dif- 

 tempers occafioned by them. I'he greateft affront that can poffibly 

 be offered a Creole Negroe, is to curfe his father, mother, or any of 

 his progenitors. This generally provokes a fpeedy revenge on the ag- 

 greflbr, after every other mode of provocation has failed. They firmly 

 believe in the apparition of fpeftres. Thofe of deceafed ftiends are 

 Juppies ; others, of more hoftile and tremendous afpeft, like our raw- 

 head-and-bloody-bones, are called bugaboos. The moft fenlible among 

 them fear the fupernatural powers of the African obeah-men, or pre- 

 tended conjurers ; often afcribing thofe mortal effects to magic, which 

 are only the natural operation of fome poifonous juice, or preparation, 

 dexterouily adminiftered by thefe villains. But the Creoles imagine, 

 that the virtues of baptifm, or making them Chrillians, render their art 

 wholly inefFedual ; and, for this reafon only, many of them have de- 

 lired to be baptized, that they might be fecured from Obeah. 



Not long fince, fome of thefe execrable wretches in Jamaica 

 introduced what they called the tnyal dance, and eftabliflied a 

 kind of fociety, into which they invited all they could. The lure 

 hung out was, that every Negroe, initiated into the myal fociety, 

 would be invulnerable by the white men ; and, although they 

 might m appearance be (lain, the obeah-man could, at his pleafure, 

 reflore the body to life^ The method, by which this trick was 



carried 



