placed under the care of our European females, who,
either from envy or the force of habit, not approving the Eve-like dress
in which she came on board, immediately clothed her in blue cotton
garments. The poor child of nature, unused to such incumbrance, which
probably, in her opinion, served only to irritate the skin, and prevent
the contact of the refreshing atmosphere, felt any thing but easy, or
gratified with this addition to her circumstances, and availed herself,
at first, of every opportunity to lay it aside; but our unrelenting
countrywomen were equally zealous in persisting to replace it. At
length, she either became more accustomed to it, or aware of the
necessity of compliance with the wishes of her new friends; this effort
was, however, not unaccompanied by some ludicrous occurrences: for
instance, whenever her tormentors were out of sight, she lost no time in
tucking the grievance up round the waist, and dropping it below the
shoulders from above, thus leaving her limbs, and the general surface,
as free as nature intended them to be. On being taken on shore some days
after, and placed under the protection of the wife of a seaman who had
charge of the guns and ordnance stores, she had become sufficiently
reconciled to her new dress to wear it with less apparent inconvenience;
she was, indeed, once caught tripping, having one evening taken an
opportunity of throwing it off, when finding herself light and free,
like a bird on the wing, she ran into the jungle, where she frisked
about and enjoyed herself for some time; after which she returned to the
seaman's hut, and resumed her dress.

When this woman had been with us about a week, her husband came to
Captain Harrison, bearing with him a present of two calabashes of
palm-wine, and a couple of fowls, intimating his wish to have the child
restored to him. With regard to his wife, he at this time shewed no
anxiety to recover her; he afterwards, however, returned with a
deputation of chiefs, and expressed his wish to have both of them
restored to him. This being represented to Captain Owen, in order to
convince them that she was under no restraint, he conducted her to the
boundary line, and, pointing first to her countrymen, and then to our
settlement, gave her to understand that she was at liberty to make her
choice. One of the chiefs now advanced, and taking her by the hand,
evinced his intention of leading her away, but Captain Owen would not
permit this wit