Cambridge (12 page)

Late last night, having no doubt been informed by Stella of my extended residence, the negroes took it into their heads to pay me a compliment of an extremely inconvenient nature. In order to display their pleasure at my continued sojourn among them, they thought it proper to treat me to a nocturnal serenade. Accordingly, a large body of well-dressed negroes arrived under my window about midnight, accompanied by drums, rattles, and a full orchestra of such unlikely instruments. Thereafter, there appeared to me a congregation of black limbs tumbling and leaping and seemingly determined to pass the whole night singing and dancing beneath my balcony. From their lungs bellowed forth stentorian snatches of Bacchanalian songs, and their unseemly laughter disturbed the still night air. Their fiddlers, cognizant of neither sharps nor flats, embraced with enthusiasm their old friend
discord,
while those who danced were unable to prolong their individual exertions above a minute or two; nevertheless, this sufficed to distil an abundance of perspiration. Such a vulgar, yet dextrous, set of antics never came into the brain, or out of the limbs, of anything but a
son of Ham
enjoying his jubilee. After an hour of this Dionysiac abomination, I instructed Stella to inform them that I had long since retired and that they should withdraw promptly to their village. This she did, and then presented herself once
more, whereupon she began to address me, her countenance displaying a degree of concern which approached severity.

Dear Stella. Things between us have not been easy of late. I suspect that she is a shade jealous of the attention that Mr Brown has recently bestowed upon me. I suspect also that he has exchanged fewer words with her than was the case before my arrival. Jealousy being the transitory emotion that it is, I am sure that this difficulty will soon pass, and before long a familiar sweet smile will once more be embellishing her features so that despite their dusky tint they might reassume the appearances of both gentleness and refinement. There has been no sign of Christiania for some while, and Stella and I are once again the dominant females of the household. Dear Stella, she seemed delighted to hear that I would be prolonging my visit, and I am sure that the emotions she displayed were no mere show of theatrical skill. We two sat together until all the negroes had ceased their noisy revelry and returned to their lairs and nests. What we in England call autumn is now upon us. Stella, seemingly both exhausted and preoccupied with her own cogitations, informed me that we were entering the time of the rainy season, with its occasional hurricane. Then she closed her eyes.

The sultriness began to give way to more windy weather, promising a most boisterous and tempestuous night. A sudden flurry swelled into a gale, the thunder began to peal most awfully, and the lightning flashed its fearful fires. The dark clouds laboured to rest upon the mountains, and the wind called mournfully among the trees. As the air became chill, the mercury fell, and the shuttered casements of heaven opened wide. And then, as suddenly as the skies opened, they closed up again. I knew from past experience that one consequence of such rain is that in the morning animal life of all kinds will be crowding for space. The ground will be discovered to be Uttered with lizards, centipedes and cockroaches, all of whom will be present in platoons, under cushions, behind bookshelves,
lurking in the most unlikely places. One has to learn not to fear these ugly black creepers and crawlers; there are negro boys a-plenty to crush each noisome creature the moment it invades one's life. There is no stemming the invasion. The creatures are sent to try us, but we must not relax our patient self-defence.

Disconcertingly, the emotion of fear is becoming increasingly familiar to me. These past nights the sensation has seized me again, causing me to recollect the prior occasion on which I felt such trepidation. After the death of Isabella at sea, the demon made his last assault. As these alarms continued to threaten me in my impotence, I feared that I should soon be reunited with my dead companion. And now this devilish fear has reasserted its power, but this time I find myself adrift, not on threatening waves, but upon an ocean of negroes who care little for my fears. Outside my window, I began to discern nocturnal scratching noises. At first I was too frightened to properly investigate, in fear that some strange beast might be waiting for an opportunity to assault and devour me body and soul. Eventually, on the third night, I pulled back a corner of the blind and peered into the darkness, whereupon I observed the re-entry into the drama of my life of the arrogant black wench, Christiania. Squatting down on her hams, she appeared to be scratching at the dirt, to what purpose I knew not. Furthermore, she was uttering sinister sounds which I did not wish to hear repeated throughout the night. I thought it best not to approach the half-witted creature directly, especially as I was sure that she was unaware of being observed by me. So I called to Stella, directed her attention to the origin of these noises, and instructed her to drive away the crazy woman. Before Stella could jabber a reply, I read the reluctance in her sooty countenance. I have hitherto observed that amongst the other blacks, there is a deep fear of this foolish Christiania, a fear which has its origins in this obeah that they pay so much attention to, about which I have gleaned further information.

This dark practice was brought by the negroes from Africa,
where open and devoted worship of the devil is still encouraged, and temples erected in his honour. The doctors and professors of this obeah are known to have entered into a league with Satan, and with his aid are able to seal the doom of all those who offend them. A fear of the sudden afflictions that this obeah is irrationally believed to call forth strikes terror in the woolly negro head piece. The symptoms include the loss of appetite, day-long fretting and brooding, a perverse desire to consume what is patently indigestible, a heavy listlessness, gross swelling of the extremities, and in due course, an inexplicable death. Clearly Stella, in common with the other plantation slaves, feared that such marvellous powers would be visited upon her person, should she choose to incur the anger of this Christiania. Accordingly, Stella did not venture an inch to carry out any instructions to send Christiania on her way, so I deemed it proper to repeat the order more forcibly. You hear these noises, I insisted, and asked, What is she doing down there upon her knees? Stella pleaded ignorance, and backed hesitantly from my chamber. I let close an hour pass before summoning her again. The noise was growing increasingly frightful, and I demanded of Stella what was signalled by this woman's persistent animal scrabblings and croakings beneath my window. At this the poor woman burst into tears and confessed that, 'Massa say we no talk with Christiania. Massa say we leave she be.' This really was becoming quite intolerable!

As chance would have it, Mr Brown was away visiting a plantation on our sister-island, to intercede in a dispute between the slave stock and an overseer. Apparently on some islands this is a common way of settling feuds, by calling in an overseer or agent from a distant estate to adjudicate. One imagines that such decisions would seldom be passed in favour of the blacks, for the whites must surely be required to merely venture a personal preference and encourage a chorus of assent. However, the negroes have little choice but to endure and comply with the system. The critical point was that Mr Brown would not be
returning for at least another three to four days, and I could see no manner in which I might pass the time, and retain a sound grip on my sanity, while Christiania persisted in this noisy charade. I instructed Stella, making it clear to her that I was in no way sympathetic to her imprudent distress, to bring before me the book-keeper who first escorted me up to the estate, for I knew that his duty was to deputise for Mr Brown during his absence. Stella stared lugubriously at the space between her splayed feet. Then she remarked upon the lateness of the hour, presumably unsure as to the propriety of a woman visiting a man's chambers in such circumstances. I responded with some spirit, pointing out that the greater impropriety was for a woman attired in rags to be crawling and whining like a dog in the filth, making noises as if she were communing with the devil himself. Upon this, Stella's face fell into the expression of a melancholy ape, and she took a dejected leave of me.

Within the half-hour the book-keeper arrived, ushered into my bed-chamber by a recalcitrant Stella. From the creased wrinkles upon his face, and the heaviness of his lids, I took it that he had been aroused from sleep. From the smell of rum on his breath I could easily ascertain what form of nightcap had been employed to induce such a slumber. In the few months since our introduction, this man seemed to have hurried past the meridian of life and adopted both a round and florid face, and an increasingly bowed and bent bodily form. Although age had tinged his severely barbered hair with grey, and presumably encouraged him to dress with what might at best be described as graceful negligence, time had not succeeded wholly in driving the brightness from his eyes or depressing his shrewdly alert, but nonetheless properly respectful manner. I began to complain, omitting to mention the essential facts, wrongly assuming that Stella would have related these to him. Apparently not. He looked quizzical, and I realized that I should have to begin afresh. But there was, in fact, little required to explain, for
the negress ventured anew to utter her beastly noises, and I had only to lead the book-keeper to the window and invite him to view her conduct. He seemed not in the least surprised and asked how he might help. At this juncture I near-lost my patience. You might ask her to leave forthwith and afford me the opportunity to enjoy a little sleep, I suggested. Somewhat embarrassed, the book-keeper informed me that Mr Brown would not tolerate anyone to disturb the woman. He believed that this was on account of her knowledge of the magical arts. Having successfully avoided a direct confrontation with either myself or the black Christiania, our book-keeper then outlined emergency plans for a negro to be immediately stationed outside my room, so that, should there be any intrusive assaults, or magical manifestations, I would simply need to call out and my sable saviour would rush in to protect me. In the fatigued state that I found myself in, I acquiesced to this curious proposal, and the book-keeper took a relieved leave. His scheme appeared much superior to a night of solitude in my chamber, and certainly preferable to the fear-stricken company of Stella. At least a slave outside, and Stella inside, would render some support to my failing spirit.

I opened the door a few inches so I might gain a sight of my negro sentinel. To my astonishment I recognized the negro as Cambridge, the aged slave who had previously had some disagreement with Mr Brown, a debate which had resulted in his being quite tremendously lashed with the cattle-whip. Mr Brown had laid
sambo
down with a flogging whose severity had, according to Stella, obliged the proud black to go to the pond and wash off the blood for many an hour. My dark sentry looked up at me, and I noted that I appeared to have disturbed him in the most unlikely act of studying the Bible. I asked if this was his common form of recreation, to which he replied in highly fanciful English, that indeed it was. You might imagine my surprise when he then broached the conversational lead and enquired after my family origins, and
my opinions pertaining to slavery. I properly declined to share these with him, instead counter-quizzing with enquiries as to the origins of his knowledge. At this a broad grin spread over his face, as though I had fallen into some trap of his setting. Indeed, so disturbing was the negro's confident gleam, that I quickly closed in the door, for I feared this negro was truly ignorant of the correct degree of deference that a lady might reasonably expect from a base slave.

Hardly had I settled down into these new circumstances, when there came a light, and a knocking upon the door. Never, outside the performance of one of Shakespeare's plays, had I been subjected to so much drama, counter-drama, indeed melodrama, in such a short space of time. Stella roused herself from the rocker in which she reclined, and cracked the door a little. I heard the voice of Mr McDonald and called to Stella to allow him admittance. He quickly apologized for the late hour, but informed me that a concerned book-keeper had earlier this same evening communicated to him that there was something amiss at the Great House. It appeared that Mr McDonald had taken it upon himself to accompany the sooty messenger back to our plantation in case he should need to pronounce judgement upon some person. I sat up in bed and ordered Stella to fetch some
beveridge
for the doctor. I then invited him to take up the seat that Stella had vacated, and above the noise of the black woman without I related to him the tales of the evening.

The chapter which seemed to cause him the most anxiety was that which involved stationing the negro male outside my bed-chamber. The impropriety of this new situation had not struck me, my principal concern being for my own safety. But I asked the attentive Mr McDonald whether, were I to dismiss the black, he in turn would be prepared to sit all night outside my chamber. To this Mr McDonald made reply which would have persuaded me that his true profession was lawyer rather than physician. He claimed to have extensive knowledge of the black Christiania, and vigorously assured me that I should
expect no danger from this quarter. Stella's presence, he went on, would be security enough. There was, of course, no direct response to my question as to whether or not he would choose to exchange places with the negro sentinel, but I espied clearly the deepest hectic rush to colour the face of the good doctor when I presented him the opportunity to pass the night on my bed-chamber doorstep. However, I virtuously resisted the temptation to tease him further.

Stella returned, and when Mr McDonald had finished his drink he stood up from the rocker. He remarked that the noise seemed somewhat to have abated, but then he continued, having apparently thought of a way in which it might be made to cease altogether. Addressing Stella, he enquired whether the vast negro on sentry duty had some influence with Christiania. In vain Stella attempted to feign indifference, but it was as clear as the blackness of her face that she knew the negro possessed considerable influence. Mr McDonald turned and addressed me. 'If anybody can persuade the negress to depart I think it will be your black sentinel, for he fears nobody and is afforded great respect by the body of slaves.' With this information delivered, Mr McDonald dispatched a sullen Stella to make it known to her dark
brother
what was required of him. I asked the doctor why it was that such a man should come to be beaten so severely by Mr Brown, who otherwise seems a just enough fellow in his attitude and conduct towards the stock. To this Mr McDonald made no answer, except to observe that when two strong wills cross one must expect trouble. I mused upon his words, and then realized that the wolfish noises had ceased. At last I could discern the sounds of nature unobscured by the scratchings of lunacy. I permitted a smile to cross my face and thanked Mr McDonald. At this moment Stella returned. Mr McDonald prepared to take his leave, and as I continued to thank him most properly he informed me that it was neither he nor Stella I should thank, but the giant negro. I asked Stella if the woman had truly ceased her infernal scratching, and I
received an affirmative answer. 'Cambridge tell she to stop and so she stop. Is so it do be.' Mr McDonald, clearly pleased with himself, and imagining that he had performed some sterling service on my behalf, bade my person a flourishing farewell and left Stella and myself, and the night, to ourselves.