In the meantime it had become clear to the colonists that the Boni-negroes were anything but defeated. Plantations were raided, military posts overwhelmed and soldiers killed. Governor Nepveu and Colonel Fourgeoud bickered. Governor Nepveu had decided that a cordon of military defences must be established to act as defence against the Maroons. This would comprise a ten-metre-wide path through bush and swamp on which carriages could drive. Wooden bridges would be built over the creeks, and at approximately every five kilometres a military post would be established. This cordon path would stretch about a hundred kilometres from Joden-Savanna to Vredenburg on the Oranje Kreek.
At a party at the Levens’ family home in April 1774 Rein Andersma told Sarith that he would be away from Paramaribo for a few weeks because he was in charge of the military posts that were to be established. Sarith and Rein had become good friends during the past months, and in fact it was already more than a friendship. Rein knew that he found this beautiful woman desirable and she made no secret of her being not indifferent to him. The way they looked at each other when they were together spoke volumes, and they had kissed several times when they thought no-one was looking.
Now that Rein said this particular evening that he would be leaving Paramaribo in a few days’ time, she said what a pity that was. He said that he would like nothing better than to spend the remaining three days constantly in her company. Could she not come home with him after the party? Sarith knew she was playing with fire, but, oh, why not, no-one would need to know about it? They could simply pretend he was seeing her home. The lieutenant’s house was in the Kleine Combéweg. Next door to Fort Zeelandia there were several houses reserved especially for captains and lieutenants.
Sarith rode along with him in the carriage, and once they had arrived in the house Rein dismissed his personal slave, who had been waiting for him on the rear veranda, telling him that he would not be needing him again that evening. As soon as they were in his room they were kissing each other passionately, and Rein slowly undressed this beautiful woman and undid her hair. When she stood before him like this, with her black hair falling over her breasts, his admiration for her boiled over in an amorous embrace which was completely mutual.
Nicolette waited for her mistress. She lay on the floor in front of the door in the Saramaccastraat and woke with a shock when she heard the six o’clock gun fire. Had she slept the whole night and not heard the misi come home? She could not understand it, for if misi came home late, she always kicked the sleeping Nicolette, who was then naturally wide awake and ready to help the misi undress. Cautiously she opened the door of the room and peeped inside, but the misi was not in bed. Where was she, then? Nicolette went downstairs, washed herself and went and sat on the rear porch.
When Sarith awoke in bed in a strange house, she suddenly wondered how on earth she could start the day without Nicolette. She woke Rein and said, “How can I get going without Nicolette?”
“Who is Nicolette?” grunted Rein.
“My slave-girl,” whispered Sarith. Rein did not understand what she was on about.
“Do you have a slave-girl in the house?” she asked.
No, Rein did not. He had only male slaves and even those he held at a safe distance, for he could not stand having those people around him all the time, always watching what he was doing.
“But how can I get dressed, and what about my hair, how must I do my hair?” Sarith asked.
“Now, just do it yourself, of course!” Rein was amazed.
“But I can’t. I don’t know how to do it.” Sarith was almost in tears.
Rein could not help himself and started laughing out loud. Just imagine, a grown-up woman, married and with a child, who didn’t know how to dress herself and do her hair! That’s a good joke. These colonial girls are quite something!
“Stop that laughing,” cried Sarith, hitting him in the face with a cushion. A wild romp ensued, that ended again in love-making. “But really, I don’t know what to do,” said Sarith eventually.
“Can’t I help you, then,” said Rein, teasingly. “Come on, I’ll be your slave-girl, just step in.” Laughing, he took an item of underwear from the chair.
“No, stop it for heaven’s sake,” said Sarith. “Can’t you send your slave to fetch Nicolette?”
“All right, that’s possible.”
Rein put on trousers and a dressing gown and went downstairs to explain to Kwasi, his slave, how and where he should fetch a certain Nicolette. When, almost an hour later, Nicolette was brought in by Kwasi, she understood immediately from Sarith’s state and the presence of ‘that white soldier’171, what had been going on. She helped her mistress to wash, dressed her and did her hair up. Sarith then left for Esther’s house, thinking that it would not be such a good idea to be away for so long. But before they went, she warned Nicolette, “If you dare say one word, I’ll send you to get a good thrashing and I’ll sell you to the Suynigheid Plantation.”172