[56 A he dnd Ba Bing 
This point of Philofophy was a little too hard for him , and fo he 
{tood in a {trangemufe ; which to put himout of, I bad him reach his 
axe, and putit near to the Compafs, and remove it about ; and ashe 
did fo, the Needle turned with it, which put him in the greateft ad-| 
miration that ever {aw a man, and foquite gave over his queftions, 
and defired me, that he might be made a Chriftian; for, he thought 
to be a Chriftian, was to be endued with all thofe knowledges t e| 
wanted. of 
I promifed to do my beft endeavour 5 and when I came homne , 
fpoke to the Mafter ofthe Plantation, andtold him, that poor Sambo 
defired much to bea Chriftian. . But hisanfwer was, That the people} ~ 
of that Ifland were governed by the Lawes of England. and by | 
thofe Lawes, we could not mfiake a Chriftian aSlave. Itoldhim, my 
requeft was far different from that, forfdefired him to make a Slave 
a Chriftian. © His anfwer was, Thatit wastrue, there was a great 
difference inthat : But , beingonce a Chriftian; he could no more 
account. him @ Slave; and fo lofe the hold they had of them as 
Slaves, by making them Chiiftians 5 and by that means fhould open 
fucha gap, as allthe Planters in the Ifland would curfe him. So I 
was\{truck mute, and poor Sambo kept out of the Church 5 as inge- 
nious, as honeft, and as good a natur'd poor foul, as ever wore black, 
or €at green. as | 
afte ¢ playés, and to dancing 
théy go, the men by themfelves , arid the women by themfelves, no 
adie @aheing ~ Their mottonsare rather what they aim at, than what 
they do; and by that means, tranfgrefs the lefs upon the Sunday ; 
their handshaving more of motion thantheir feet,and their heads more 
than their hands. They may dancea whole day,and ne’t heat them- 
felves 5 yet, row and then, oneof the activert among{t them will leap 
bolt-upright, and fallin hisplace again, but without cutting a capre,|_ 
Wher they have danc’dan hour or two, the men fallto wietile, tthe 
Mufick playing allthe while) :and their manner of wreftling is , to 
ftand liketwo Cocks, with heads as low astheir hips; and thrufting |- 
their ‘heads one againft another; per inge catch one.another by the 
leg, which fometimes they do: But ifboth parties be weary,and that 
they cannot get that advantage, then they raife their heads, by pref- 
fing hard one againft another, and fo having nothing to take hold of 
e. but their bare flefh, they clofe, and grafponeanother.about the mid- 
: _ | dle; and ‘have one another in the hug, and then a fair fall is given on 
ee a the back. And thus two or three couples of them are engaged at once, 
for an hour together, the women looking on: for when the men be- 
gin to wreftle, the women leave off theit daticing, and come to be fpe- 
Peg ra hendip | 2 ee oe 6 = 
~. When any of theni dye, they diga grave, andat evening they bury} 
him, cla eae and wringing their hands, and making a. dolefal ‘ound 
wit thee voices.’ They ate a people of a timerous and fearful dif | 
x pofition; andconfequently bloody , when they find advantages. If} 
= any of them¢ommit a fault, give him prefent punifhment, but do not 
| threaten hims forifyou do, it isan even lay, he will go and hang him- 
felf, to avoid the punifhment. OTe E 
| . 3 What} 
ps <a ial - 
a cepa eR SAR, Ne oe Z * ‘ : : > ; ; 
‘ ' bi ¥ : = le - 
