AFRICAN BELIEF.
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for a long time, robbed of its ground provisions, and to discover, if possible, the offenders, the owner had given orders not to distribute to the negroes their usual share of salt food, until the guilty parties confessed their crime. This poor old man came up to the “ great house"* one morning to beg the owner's lady to intercede with " his massa" for him, that he might have some herrings to eat with his potatoes ; “ For," said he, " me ole now, missis—me want something to 'trengthen me ; do, missis, beg massa gib me lilly salt provision." His tremulous voice, as it broke upon my ear, called my attention to him, and thus caused the introduction. Seeing that I pitied him, he continued, “ But now me ole, me soon go hom—me no 'top much longer to trouble me massa!" I asked him what he meant, and where was his home. “ To me own country—to Africa!" he replied, the " light of other days" beaming, for a moment, in his eyes.— “ What ! now you are so old ? You have less chance of returning there than you ever had."—" Oh ! missis, you no sabby, (understand.) Me mean me die soon, an' den me go home—den me happy, den me hab no mo' work, no sick no mo', no hungry no mo' ; me ole bone no ache den, but me get 'trong den an' happy too !" Poor fellow ! before this he must have gone “ home ;" a better home than even Africa I hope he may have found it, for “ Though earth has full many a beautiful spot, As a poet or painter may shew ; Yet more lovely and beautiful, holy and bright, To the hopes of the heart, and the spirit's delight, Is the land that no mortal may know."
There are not many Africans now in Antigua who were brought there as slaves, they having principally died off, but there are a great many who have been captured in slavers, and brought here by some of her majesty's ships, who have been made free, after serving an apprenticeship of some years. These persons are termed by the Creole negroes * Proprietor's residence. VOL. II.
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