Waterton and his Demerara Friend. 17 



water, and laid out so as to require great skill on the 

 part of the Indians to find the way. The whole of the 

 settlement was surrounded by a circle of sharp stakes, 

 which being under water efife6lually prevented an enemy 

 from penetrating inside except through the winding 

 path, which was concealed by lines of similar stakes. 

 Only Indians could find these hidden passages, and 

 without these people nothing could have been done to 

 suppress the evil. Every effort was therefore made to 

 conciliate the various tribes by means of presents, which 

 in 181 2 became such a burden to the colony that Gover- 

 nor Carmichael was compelled to stop these subsidies 

 except in the shape of payment for services aftually 

 performed. The Indian chiefs were rather important 

 personages in those times, as they received the annual 

 presents and distributed them to a considerable extent 

 by favour. It naturally followed, that being commis- 

 sioned by the government and provided with a silver- 

 headed stick of office, an Arrawack chieftain thought 

 himself a somebody. In the latter half of the last century 

 a daughter of one or these Owls^ as they were called, 

 who went by the name of "Princess Minda" was mar- 

 ried to William Reid, a Scotchman, and one of their 

 children became Mrs. Charles Edmonstone. The 

 gallant Burgher-Captain was therefore conne6led by 

 marriage with the Arrawacks and no doubt this was one 

 reason why he had such great influence over them. 



The Burgher-Captain of the time had a great number 

 of duties to perform : he was really the medium of com- 

 iH^inication between the Government and the citizens. 

 Once a quarter he had to colle6l a sort of census return 

 of the people, produce of their plantations and a number 



c 



