■ 



SLAVERY. 



of bobas. I had opportunities of seeing it, 

 and most loathsome is the sight of the indi- 

 viduals who are afflicted with it. The body 

 becomes covered with large ulcers, the patient 

 is reduced to a mere skeleton, and is rendered 

 generally for a time quite helpless. The facility 

 with which it is communicated to others in- 

 creases the distress of the patient ; for every 

 precaution must be taken in separating the suf- 

 ferer to some distance from the other slaves. 

 The adult who recovers from it seldom enjoys 

 as perfect health as before. The negroes say 

 that it gets into the bone ; every change of 

 weather is felt by those who have had the 

 disorder, although they are again accounted in 

 health, and in some cases the use of one or 

 other of the limbs is occasionally lost for a time. 

 A certain diet must be observed for many 

 months after the disorder has apparently left 

 the person who has had it, for the purpose of 

 preventing a relapse ; and sometimes a deviation 

 from this, ev«|some years after, will cause 

 violent pains in the joints. The following cir- 

 cumstances occurred under my own eyes. A 

 child belonging to one of my neighbours, whilst 

 I resided at Jaguaribe, was in the practice of 

 coming to amuse itself with some of the chil- 

 dren of the plantation. He had this disorder 

 upon him ; and soon afterwards the son of a 

 labourer caught it ; all this was not made known 



