earth. After pouring a small quantity of this mixture on the ground as a
libation, the calabash was handed round from one to another until all
the company had taken a sip. Then the gadoman (priest) took heaven and
earth--exemplified by the water and clay--to witness the agreement, and
invoked the curse of God upon the first who broke it, the company and
crowd of negroes around calling out _Da so!_ (that is so, or amen).

Yet, after all this solemnity, quarrels soon arose again. One chief with
his sixteen hundred people had come to terms, but these did not bind his
neighbour, who perhaps had half as many. The different chiefs were not
united in any way, and it followed, therefore, that, after thousands of
guilders had been spent on one, the others made incursions to get a
share of the good things for themselves. To the colonists they were all
bush negroes, but among themselves they were as distinct as if they had
been different nations. Even when at peace, and when the chiefs had
received gold-headed canes as symbols of authority, they would often
call at the outlying plantations and demand rum or anything else they
fancied, which the whites dared not refuse.

The immediate occasion for the special corps from the mother country was
an insurrection of the slaves in 1772, who, after plundering and burning
some of the plantations, and murdering their owners, fled in great
numbers to join the bush negroes. The whole colony was a scene of horror
and consternation--the colonists expected the rising to become general,
and took refuge in Paramaribo, thus leaving their plantations
unprotected. However, it was soon checked, mainly by raising a body of
three hundred free negroes, called rangers, who were expert
bushfighters, and therefore thoroughly well fitted to cope with the
rebels.

One of the chiefs named Baron had settled on an island in the swamp,
such as we have described, where he defied the whole colony. There were
no means of communication except hidden tracks under water, and in
addition to the palisades the chief had erected a battery of swivel guns
which he had stolen from the plantations. Thus triply defended by water,
stakes, and guns, it is no wonder if he thought his position
impregnable. However, he was discovered by a party of rangers, and
assaulted by them and a large body of white soldiers. Camping first on
the edge of the swamp about a mile away, they could see Baron's flag
waving in defiance on the littl