EXPEDITION TO SURINAM, • I27 



Jieur Cachellcuj at his plantation Egmond. Here, anaongft CHAP, 

 other company, I met v/ith an Itahan, a planter called ^^^J^ 

 D'O — s, who had but one arm; with which, however, he 

 took up a knife at table, and without the fmalleft provo- 

 cation, as I fat next him, miade a back thrufl at mc, to 

 the aftonhliment of all who were prefent. Having fortu- 

 nately parried the blow by beating up his elbow, which 

 occalioned the point of his knife to pafs over my flioulder, 

 I ftarted up, and was going to put him inftantly to death ; 

 but this being prevented, I offered to fight him with one 

 hand tied behind m.e, and with any inftrument he chofe, 

 fill, bludgeon, fword, piftol, or even knife ; this the cow- 

 ardly affaffin having refufed, was kicked out of company, 

 and fent hom.e to his plantation called Hazard, 



So violent was this unhappy man's difpofition, that fome 

 little time before, he ordered a poor negro woman, who was 

 advanced eight months in her pregnancy, to be flogged, 

 until her inteftines appeared, and that only for breaking 

 a tumbler. One of his male flaves, trying to evade his 

 feverity, was ftiot dead on the fpot; and there was not a 

 flave belonging to his effate but was cut by the lafli of 

 his whip from the neck to the heel. 



Colonel Fourgeoud now fending a proper fupply of 

 men, with a furgeon and medicines, the wore a 



more pleafing afped, and health and content began to be 

 vifible in every countenance. Amonp-ft other thinps, I 

 encouraged the men to catch fifli, which were here in 

 abundance, and the negroes taught them how to make 



G g 2 the 



