76 NARRATIVE OF AN 



CHAP, figurative language of a facred book, Surinam was a land 

 . that flowed with milk and honey. 



But this delufive fehcity lafted not long. The planter,, 

 too earneft to become immediately opulent, never once 

 confidered the wretchednefs of the flave ; while drunken- 

 nefs, luxury, and riot, became predominant in the one 

 party, the mifery of the other propartionably increafed; 

 nor did the deflrudtion that fo lately threatened therrx 

 feem to have the fmalleft influence on their minds ; at 

 the fame time the fuccefsful example of the Seramica and 

 Ouca negroes ferved to ftimulate the other flaves to re- 

 volt, and from thefe complicated caufes the colony was 

 again plunged into its former abyfs of difficulties. The 

 mofl beautiful eftates in the fettlement, called Plantations,, 

 were once more feen, fome blazing in flames, and others 

 laid in allies ; while the reeking and mangled bodies of 

 their inhabitants were fcattered along the banks of the 

 river Cottica, with their throats cut, and their effects pil- 

 laged by their own negroes, who all fled to the woods,, 

 men, women, and children, without exception. 



Thefe new revolters were now diftinguiflied by the 

 name of the Cottica Rebels, from the fpot on which their 

 hoftilities commenced ; and their numbers augmenting; 

 from day to day, they foon became as formidable to the 

 fettlement as the Seramica and Ouca negroes had for- 

 merly been, and in 1772 they had nearly given the 

 linifliing blow to Surinam. At that period all was hor- 

 ror and confternation— nothing but a general maffacre 



