The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African: Written By HimselfEquiano, Olaudah
History
The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African: Written By Himself
Equiano, Olaudah
Enslaved persons -- Great Britain -- Biography; Enslaved persons -- United States -- Biography; Equiano, Olaudah, 1745-1797
make them dead. This was something like magic. The clamour immediately
ceased, and I gave them some rum and a few other things; after which
they went away peaceably; and the Governor afterwards gave our
neighbour, who was called Captain Plasmyah, his hat again. When the
Doctor returned, he was exceedingly glad at my success in thus getting
rid of our troublesome guests. The Musquito people within our
vicinity, out of respect to the Doctor, myself and his people, made
entertainments of the grand kind, called in their tongue _tourrie_ or
_dryckbot_. The English of this expression is, a feast of drinking
about, of which it seems a corruption of language. The drink consisted
of pine apples roasted, and casades chewed or beaten in mortars;
which, after lying some time, ferments, and becomes so strong as to
intoxicate, when drank in any quantity. We had timely notice given to
us of the entertainment. A white family, within five miles of us, told
us how the drink was made, and I and two others went before the time
to the village, where the mirth was appointed to be held; and there we
saw the whole art of making the drink, and also the kind of animals
that were to be eaten there. I cannot say the sight of either the
drink or the meat were enticing to me. They had some thousands of pine
apples roasting, which they squeezed, dirt and all, into a canoe they
had there for the purpose. The casade drink was in beef barrels and
other vessels, and looked exactly like hog-wash. Men, women, and
children, were thus employed in roasting the pine apples, and
squeezing them with their hands. For food they had many land torpins
or tortoises, some dried turtle, and three large alligators alive, and
tied fast to the trees. I asked the people what they were going to do
with these alligators; and I was told they were to be eaten. I was
much surprised at this, and went home, not a little disgusted at the
preparations. When the day of the feast was come, we took some rum
with us, and went to the appointed place, where we found a great
assemblage of these people, who received us very kindly. The mirth had
begun before we came; and they were dancing with music: and the
musical instruments were nearly the same as those of any other sable
people; but, as I thought, much less melodious than any other nation I
ever knew. They had many curious gestures in dancing, and a variety of
motions and postures of their bodies, which to me were in no wise
attracting. The males danced by themselves, and the females also by
themselves, as with us. The Doctor shewed his people the example, by
immediately joining the women's party, though not by their choice. On
perceiving the women disgusted, he joined the males. At night there
were great illuminations, by setting fire to many pine trees, while
the dryckbot went round merrily by calabashes or gourds: but the
liquor might more justly be called eating than drinking. One Owden,
the oldest father in the vicinity, was dressed in a strange and
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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