EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. 



difcovered, fhe, in the hopes of faving her chara6ter, be- 

 fides the expence of paying the penalties, gave up her 

 valuable flave, and permitted the unhappy man to be thus 

 facrificed. He laid his head upon the block with great 

 indifference, ftretching out his neck; when, with one 

 "blow of the ax, it was fevered fron> his body. 



The third negro, whofe name was Neptune, was no 

 flave, but his own mafter, and a carpenter by trade ; he 

 was young and handfome, but having killed the over- 

 feer of the eftate Altona, in thc^ Para Creek, in confe- 

 quence of fome difpute, he jiijily forfeited his life. The 

 particulars, however, are worth relating: This man having 

 flolen a fheep, to entertain a favourite young woman, 

 the overfeer, who burnt v/ith jealoufy, had determined to 

 fee him hanged; to prevent whi: 'ij the negro fliot him 

 dead among the fugar-canes ; for thefe offences of courfe 

 he was fentenced to be broken airue upon the rack, with- 

 out the benefit of the coup de grace or mercy-ftroke.- 

 Informed of the dreadful fentence, he compofedly laid 

 himfelf down on his back on a flrong crofs, on which, 

 with arms and legs expanded, he was fa^lened by ropes :. 

 the executioner, alio a black man, having nov/ wirli a. 

 hatchet diopped off his left liandj next took up a he; vy 

 iron bar, with which, by repeated blows, he broke his 

 bones to fhivers, till the marrow, blooc, and i[:jlinters 

 flew about the field ; but the p.iifoner never uttered a 

 groan nor a ligh. The ropes benii^ next unlaihed, I iir i- 

 gined hun dead; and felt happy; till the magiiha^es 

 6 ftnring 



