THE MAROONS. 159 



posed in the new allies. By one clause of the convention, 

 it was stipulated that the Maroons should hunt, and capture 

 if they could, at so much per head, such stray negro slaves 

 as they might have been set upon the trail of. An oppor- 

 tunity of seeing how the Maroons would behave on any such 

 emergency soon occurred. Three negro slaves having run 

 to the woods, our gentle Maroon friends and allies, between 

 whom and the British perpetual peace and good fellowship 

 were vowed, were armed and set upon the trail. Did they 

 give satisfaction? To affirm they did would be rather too 

 much. Our new allies failed in just that particular, too 

 much zeal, which the wily Talleyrand deprecated so sternly. 

 They responded promptly to call; came up with the run- 

 aways ; caught them and killed them ; and, horrible to an- 

 nounce, devoured them at least, in part. 



On another occasion they outwitted their employers in a 

 fashion one cannot regret, seeing that by virtue of the trick 

 the lives of men who had done no worse than run from 

 slavery were saved. Certain slaves had run to the woods. 

 Inveterate law-breakers were the aforesaid slaves. They 

 had run and been caught, and brought back again and 

 again. They were deemed incorrigible offenders. They 

 were known to be brave men too ; men who would sell their 

 lives dearly if brought to bay. To catch them alive was 

 deemed hopeless; so to the Maroons the request went forth 

 that the runaways should be dealt with summarily. They 

 were to be killed, in point of fact, and some personal attes- 

 tation of the killing was to be produced at head-quarters to 

 justify payment of the reward. No long time passed before 

 some Captain Quasho, or Johnny, or Tommy name not re- 

 corded,, but surely some captain at least ; maybe some Colonel 

 or even General Tommy or Johnny presented himself at 

 head- quarters, the bearer of a little bag. Opening that little 

 bag, he produces certain dusky-looking leathery things that, 

 when speered at, are seen to be negroes' ears. Behold the 



