EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. 319 

 people to fire at him, I civilly delired him to approach CHAP. 



XXVIII 



me, pledging myfelf that no perfon under my command ^ \ 

 Ihould dare to hurt him ; but that he fliould have every 

 thing for his relief that I could afford. — He anfwered, 

 " No, no, maffera !" with the utmoft deliberation, and 

 fliaking his head in an inftant difappeared ; while two 

 of my men (contrary to my orders) fired after him, at 

 the diftance of perhaps fix paces only, yet both miffed 

 their obje6t, to my great fatisfa6lion, he being a poor for- 

 faken creature, that had been left behind the reft, glean- 

 ing a precarious fubfiftence from his own deferted fields 

 which we had formerly deftroyed. What renders the 

 negroes fo difficult to hit with a ball is this, that they 

 never run ftraight forward, but zig^zag^ like the forked 

 lightning in the elements. 



I now, to fulfil my orders, once more ranfacked Cofaay, 

 with its adjoining plains, though with a for^ heart, on 

 account of the poor lonely old rebel. Here, having cut 

 down feveral cotton and plantain-trees, okeor or althea, 

 pigeon-peafe, maize, pine-apples, and fome rice, moft of 

 which had fpontaneoufly fprung up again fince our 

 laft devaftation, I could not help leaving, before a little 

 Jhed^ where was fome frefli afhes and banana, fhells, a 

 few ruik bifcuits and a good piece of fait beef, as alfo a 

 bottle of new rum, for the unfortunate foiitary old man, 

 this being his retreat; after which we once more en- 

 camped in the fields of Cofaay. 



Having fo frer^uently mentioned nV^, it may be ex- 

 pected 



