1770 RUNNING AMOC 409 



him from his design ; but he repeatedly pushed her on one 

 side before he could get at her mother, and when he had 

 killed the latter, ran out as usual. These people are generally 

 slaves, who indeed are by much the most subject to insults, 

 which they cannot revenge. Freemen, however, sometimes 

 do it : one of them who did it while I was there was free 

 and of some substance. The cause was jealousy of his own 

 brother, whom he killed, with two more that attempted to 

 oppose him before he was taken. He, however, never came 

 out of his house, which he attempted to defend ; but so mad 

 was he with the effects of the opium, that out of three 

 muskets which he tried to use against the officers of justice, 

 not one was either loaded or primed. 



The marineu has also these amocs committed to his 

 charge. If he takes them alive his reward is great : if he 

 kills them that reward is lost ; notwithstanding which three 

 out of four are killed, so resolute and active is their resistance 

 when attacked. They have contrivances like large tongs or 

 pincers to catch them, and hold them till disarmed : those 

 who are taken are generally wounded severely; for the 

 marineu' s assistants, who are all armed with hangers, know 

 how to lame the man if once they can get within reach. 

 The punishment of this crime is always breaking upon the 

 wheel ; nor is that ever relaxed, but so strictly adhered to, 

 that if an amoc when taken is judged by the physician to 

 be in danger from his wounds, he is executed the very next 

 day, as near as possible to the place where he committed 

 his first murder. 



Among their absurd opinions proceeding from their 

 original idolatry, which they still retain to some extent, is 

 certainly the custom of consecrating meat, money, etc., to 

 the devil, whom they call Satan. This is done, either in 

 cases of dangerous sickness, when they by these means try 

 to appease the devil, whom they believe to be the cause of 

 all sickness, and make him spare the diseased man's life, or 

 in consequence of dreams. If any man is restless and 

 dreams much for two or three nights, he immediately con- 

 cludes that Satan has taken that method of laying his 



