SETTLEMENTS ON THE DEMERARY, &C. 219 



iish and Dutch that, this was Mynheer's residence, and that 

 he was in the field with the negroes. I aUghted, and desired 

 he might be called. Cudgo, an old negro superintending others 

 in cleaning cotton, took my horse, and Miss Vos, commonly 

 called Quasheba, a yellow buckeen girl, with long black hair, 

 about the age of twelve or thirteen, and without shoes, was 

 sent for her father. The Indian woman, who proved to be her 

 mother, now insisted on my walking in, out of the sun. I was 

 accordingly shewn into a sort of apartment, indeed the only 

 one there was, which served for parlour, dining room, chamber, 

 and kitchen ; in fact this was a room for every purpose. 



I was now seated on a bench and left to ruminate. The roof 

 of the house was covered in with plantain leaves, time had 

 made several apertures in it, which admitted air, rain, or 

 sun as it occurred ; the sides and gable ends were secured by 

 manicole trees split and slightly tied together. The light was 

 admitted by a wooden shutter, which was kept open by a 

 piece of stick. The roof afforded a favourable retreat for cen- 

 tipedes, scorpions, and cockroaches, and the ants, which 

 were creeping about the clay floor, seemed to be the only 

 scavengers of the habitation. A large carpenter's chest con- 

 tained all his pantry, and kitchen utensils ; an old deal table, 

 two stools, and a bench, completed the scanty furniture; 

 save two or three empty gin cases, whose flasks were converted 

 into water botdes. A hammock was slung from the cross 



F f 2 



