The Cost of Sugar(69)

There came a knock on the door and Mr van Ritter entered. Like Rutger, he was a member of the Court of Civil Justice. Alex went to sit outside near the door on his bench. Just as he had expected, the conversation was mainly about the soldiers’ fight against the Boni-negroes. Masra van Ritter told Rutger that the governor was now corresponding with the Dutch State. The directors of the Society had been so angry with the governor in the past. Those gentlemen in Holland – they simply could not imagine what it was like here in Suriname.

Jean Nepveu had, however, done his very best. Since his inauguration in 1770 he had set up a corps of free negroes and mulattos. That this corps was ineffective in practice was not the governor’s fault. The military themselves should have seen to this. Every time the governor had requested reinforcements for the Dutch troops in the country, the gentlemen in the Netherlands were always so amazed that a corps twelve hundred strong was not able to suppress a handful of bush-negroes. They had sent the governor an extremely angry letter accusing him that there was total lack of discipline in the ranks of the troops that were costing them so much money, and that they were cowardly, lazy, incapable and negligent.

The letter went on to demand of the governor, nay, to compel him, to investigate thoroughly the behaviour of the Dutch soldiers in the military posts and to react accordingly. In addition, a list must be sent to Holland detailing the concrete evidence of the soldiers’ behaviour, for it was a disgrace that the good officers in the homeland were compared in the same breath with the good-for-nothings and failures in Suriname who would sacrifice salary rather than go on expeditions. And one thing was for sure: they would not be sending any new troops!

But now the governor had sent a desperate letter to His Royal Highness the Prince. He had made it clear to him that the situation was untenable. Everyone was scared. The colonists were expecting that at any minute a general revolt would break out among the slaves. The Dutch parliament had decided to send state troops. These forces were recruited from the various European countries. These mercenaries would be under the command of the Swiss colonel Fourgeoud.

“And when are these troops coming, then?” asked Rutger. “These are plans. It could take years before anything concrete happens.”

Masra van Ritter thought not. “The parliament has clearly shown that it recognizes the seriousness of the situation,” he believed. “In the meantime we’ll have to fight with the troops we have. The governor has high hopes for the Zwarte Jagers. He wants to strengthen the corps. Do you perhaps have a few good, strong negroes for sale? What about the one who was here in the room just now? He seems to be a good strong lad.”

“Not a chance,” said Rutger. “That is Alex. Alex is not for sale, for any price and to anyone except to himself. Good morning, Mr van Ritter.”

And with his hand on the bell, he called out, “Alex, will you please see Masra van Ritter out?”





ALEX


The same evening Alex went to look for Caesar in the Zwarte Jagers’ camp. He did not dare go in by the main entrance, but walked round and waited in a dark corner. He saw a few negroes and about four whites sitting on a bench near the entrance. Each of them was holding a weapon.

“Psst, Kwasi,” whispered Alex when someone he knew came near, “Where is Caesar?”162

“Wait,” said Kwasi softly. “Come with me.”163

He took Alex to a small open camp a little further on where a group of about twenty men sat under a thatched shelter164. Caesar was surprised to see Alex. Alex didn’t really know what to say, but Caesar began to speak of his own account. He had been in the camp for a few weeks now. There were always more than fifty Zwarte Jagers and some had already carried out several sorties. They were kept under tight supervision because several had deserted to the other side during the first sortie. They had pretended that they would fight, but when they had actually met the Alukus, they simply joined the side of Boni and his followers. Caesar wondered whether he should do that, too, but he had a wife and children. What would happen to them if he changed sides? Would they perhaps have to suffer?

The Alukus had quickly seen off the Redi Musus. It was a straight man-to-man fight. They were not all that bothered about the white soldiers, but could not accept that negroes were fighting against their own kind. They regarded the Redi Musus as traitors.

And Caesar decided sadly that he did not know what to do for the best. He was no traitor, no more than the other Redi Musus. What could he do? If he wanted to leave the corps before the end of his period of service he would have to pay eight hundred or a thousand guilders. Where could a poor slave find that kind of money? He simply had no choice. Redi Musus were not traitors; they were just ordinary people whose situation was being readily taken advantage of.