The disagreement between Colonel Fourgeoud and Governor Nepveu flared up again, because the latter was of the opinion that Fourgeoud was sacrificing human life needlessly by undertaking sorties during the rainy season.
Of the five hundred men who had arrived from Europe before 1775, there were no more than two hundred left. They had been sent to fight a small group of negroes. It was, however, a small but highly motivated group of negroes. They fought to achieve just one thing, the highest virtue: freedom, no longer to be enslaved. For the rest they wanted nothing from the whites; all they wanted was to live in freedom in the Suriname bush. Hundreds of innocent soldiers met their death in the jungles of Suriname, and not particularly at the hands of the Maroons. They died from disease, starvation and exhaustion, or from drowning in the swamps. Their fighting wasn’t motivated. They were in fact playthings in the hands of the group of whites who misused them: the planters, the colonial government, the directors of the Society in the Netherlands. These individuals simply could not grasp that there was no question of fighting against people who waged a ‘guerrilla’ struggle just to be ‘free’. They needed the slaves. Everything must be sacrificed for the production of the things that would bring them a pile of money: cotton, coffee and sugar.
Especially sugar …
SARITH
When Sarith heard that Reindert Andersma would be spending several weeks on the Boven-Commewijne River between l’Esperance and Tampoco Creek, her enthusiasm knew no bounds. That was after all where Klein Paradijs was located. On the other side of the river, true, but that was no problem. Reindert had only to walk from where he was based through an abandoned plantation and he would be opposite them. She just needed to send a slave with a boat to the other side to collect him. Even before the military had left Paramaribo she was back on the plantation. She was really nice and sweet to Julius, who was glad that his wife was in such a good mood and had come back to the plantation of her own accord.
There were two reasons for Sarith’s show of affection. In the first place she had discovered that she was pregnant, and she had to admit to herself in all honesty that she did not know whether Reindert or Julius was the father of the child she was expecting. But Julius must definitely not know of her doubts. Reindert had told her time upon time that she must not expect anything of him. He had a wife and children in Holland, and he did not want to jeopardize his position or that of Sarith. The other reason was that Julius should accept that the military who were encamped there should on occasion visit the plantation.
She therefore described to Julius how the poor lieutenants and officers were having such a tough time there in their camp. Now they were so close, he would certainly not mind if they came now and then to Klein Paradijs for a good meal, a good bath or a good night’s sleep. Julius, as hospitable as all Surinamers, of course did not mind. The poor lads were having a difficult time and especially those who had stayed at the plantation the previous year were most welcome.
And therefore a boat often went to the other side of the river to collect an officer, but this officer was always Lieutenant Andersma. Sometimes when Julius returned from a journey or from a visit to a neighbouring plantation, he would hear that an officer had eaten there, or had rested in a bed for a time while Kwasiba washed and ironed his clothes.
Then Julius had to go to Paramaribo for a couple of weeks. It was mid-September. He would then travel on to Joden-Savanna for the annual Feast of Tabernacles. Of course Sarith would go along too, wouldn’t she? But to Julius’ amazement, Sarith refused. Julius simply could not understand this. Sarith, who grabbed at every opportunity to be away from the plantation, now did not want to go. “Oh, at this time of year it’s so hot and dusty in town,” she said. “No, I prefer to stay here.”
“But aren’t you afraid, then?” asked Julius. “You yourself have been saying how unsafe you feel here.”
“Oh, not really,” answered Sarith. “The Maroons will most certainly not dare come round here. It’s very well known that there are so many soldiers around.”
Julius decided therefore to go alone, but not to travel on to Joden-Savanna, rather to return in about ten days’ time, after completing his business.
A few days after Julius had departed, Sarith lay in her bedroom. Next to her in bed lay Reindert Andersma. He had left the group the day before, saying that he would be away for about three days, being on the track of something special. He would prefer to go alone, without soldiers or slaves. Sarith did not worry about what the slaves in the house thought of all this. Mini-mini just cared for Jethro. Nicolette she had already threatened enough. With Kwasiba, however, she did have to be careful. Kwasiba wasn’t pleased with all this. She could see it from the way Kwasiba looked at her, and in addition Kwasiba wasn’t treating Reindert with due subservience. She would always send one of the other slaves to pour him drinks or serve him. But Sarith resolved to give Kwasiba some money and so buy her silence.