EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. 251 



On the 20th we detached a captain, with twenty pri- Chap. 



vates and twenty rangers, to reconnoitre the demoliflied ^ ^ 



village of Boucou : on the following day Major Rughcop 

 died ; and now Colonel Fourgeoud refolved to march him- 

 felf to Boucou, leaving me the command of four hun- 

 dred men, white and hlack, two hundred of whom were 

 fick in their hammocks; but of that number I tranfported 

 thirty to die at Devil's Harwar, while I fent fixty rangers 

 with leave down to Paramaribo. Thefe latter went away 

 declaring, that Fourgeoud's operations were only calculated 

 to murder his own troops inftead of the enemy's. Such 

 is the nature of the negroes, that where they know no- 

 thing is likely to be done, they will not march ; it is in- 

 deed extremely difficult to maintain proper difcipline 

 among them, and when they expe6t to fee the enemy, 

 nothing can poffibly keep them back. It is amazing 

 to obferve, with what fkill one negro difcovers the haunts 

 of another : while an European difcerns not the fmalleft . 

 veftige of a man's foot in the foreft, the roving eye of 

 the negro-ranger catches the broken fprig, and faded leaf 

 trod flat, without ever miffing it ; but when he finds the 

 marks of the enemy being near, he can then no longer 

 be reftrained. This undoubtedly is inconfifbent with 

 modern tadtics, but indicates that fpirit of liberty, which 

 in antient times alone completed the valiant foldier; and 

 {lich was at this time the native and natural fpirit of a 

 people, who had but yefterday been Haves. 



Kk 2 



On 



