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 :• MISSION LIFE IN 
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TEN YEARS 
 
 BlissioiT X\it ill ^ritisb Guiana; 
 
 A MEMOIR 
 
 OF THE 
 
 REV. THOMAS YOUD. 
 
 BY THE y 
 
 REV. W. T. VENE SS 
 
 iiirfjUsfjtU unlin tj^c Dircrtion of tfjt Zxaxi Cflnnmtto. 
 
 LOSTDOB: 
 
 Sorittg £crr iiromoting Christian SnoiDlrSgc. 
 
 So]d at the Depositories : 
 77 Great Queen Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields ; 
 4 Eoyal Exchange; 48 Piccadilly; 
 Acd by all Booksellers. 
 New York : Pott, Young, & Co. 
 
CLARENDON PRESS, OXFORD. 
 For the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. 
 
MISSION LIFE IN BRITISH 
 GUIANA. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 In travelling along the coast of South America 
 south-eastward from the mouth of the great river 
 Orinoco, you will fail in with a river called the 
 Essequibo, running through the middle of the 
 Colony of British Guiana. The coast lands are 
 flat and uninteresting, stretching back from the 
 sea some forty miles, without any rising ground ; 
 but, as you ascend the rivers, the beauty of the 
 scenery will demand your notice and compel 
 your admiration. There is an exuberance of 
 vegetation only to be met with in the Tropics; 
 and you cannot but be struck with the variety of 
 the trees, the lovely colours of the flowering 
 plants, the tangled network of lianas or bush- 
 ropes, the graceful foliage of the numerous palms 
 that flourish near the banks, and the marvellous 
 growth of orchids and other parasites. Occasion- 
 ally a troop of monkeys (saccawinkies) leap like 
 B 2 
 
4 MISSION LIFE 
 
 flying squirrels along the interlacing boughs over- 
 hanging the stream, and disappear in the depths 
 of the gloomy forest; macaws, parrots, and other gay 
 birds skim along overhead, uttering their discordant 
 cries ; beautiful king-fishers with brilliant plumage 
 dart out from the bank, and take up a position in 
 advance on some dry bough of a patriarch of the 
 woods, that has fallen into the water; an angry 
 water-dog (a kind of otter) shows his head and 
 snarls, as asking what right you have to trespass 
 upon his domain ; and the noise of various in- 
 sects — the chirrup of the cicada, and the sharp 
 whirr of the razor-grinder — alone disturb the 
 stillness of the greenwood. The abodes of civi- 
 lised men are left behind after voyaging but a few 
 miles, and then you behold Nature in all her 
 solitary grandeur, as she sprang from the hand of 
 the Great Creator, not disfigured as yet by man's 
 contrivances. The river is studded with islands, 
 and down to its very edge are seen giants of the 
 forest — the mora, locust, silk-cotton, &:c., rearing 
 their tall heads to the sky, and spreading out their 
 lusty arms over many a lithe sapling. At rare 
 intervals you will meet with a small settlement 
 of aboriginal Indians ; their huts or benabs always 
 situate on high ground near the water-side, the 
 river being their high road. As this narrative is 
 chiefly concerned with these Aborigines, it is well 
 that the reader should have a correct impression 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. 5 
 
 of them on his mind at the outset. He must 
 throw aside at once all the ideas that he has 
 formed from the perusal of Cooper's novels, and 
 be prepared to contemplate in the " noble savage'"' 
 a very different picture to what his fancy had 
 pourtrayed. Instead of a tall, muscular, majestic 
 figure, he will fipd that the Indians of Guiana 
 are generally rather short in stature, plump and 
 stout in build, and short necked. They have 
 long, straight, black hair (something like the 
 Malays), large heads, somewhat broad faces, nose 
 often aquiline, eyes disposed to be almond shaped, 
 smooth cheeks and chin. From their indolent 
 habits leading them to alternate seasons of en- 
 forced abstinence with rounds of repletion, they 
 have generally a paunchy appearance ; and to this 
 their excessive drinking at Piwarrie feasts doubt- 
 less also contributes. Whatever may have been 
 their character in past ages, it can be truly said of 
 them now that, so long as they are treated with 
 justice, and their passions are not roused, no more 
 docile or inoffensive people can be found on the 
 face of the earth. Although there can be but 
 little doubt that the Indians of Guiana have a 
 common origin with those of North America, as 
 is testified by the same copper-coloured skin, the 
 similarity of their legends, superstitious practices, 
 &CC., yet do they differ from them very markedly 
 in appearance, habits, and disposition. The 
 
6 MISSION LIFE 
 
 tribes best known to Europeans — not the most 
 favourable specimens of the race — are those lo- 
 cated near the coast. These are — 
 
 I. The Warows, who delight in low, swampy 
 situations, nor far from the sea, and are the most 
 degraded and improvident of all. They are 
 utterly regardless of personal appearance, and very 
 filthy in their habits. They excel in the manu- 
 facture of corials or canoes, which they shape out 
 of the trunk of a tree — most commonly the cedar 
 — and hollow out with fire. 
 
 Being very expert in wood-craft, they are fre- 
 quently employed as axemen by the woodcutters. 
 In the swampy country about the mouth of the 
 Orinoco, when a large tract is inundated during 
 the heavy rainy season, they construct for them- 
 selves dwellings in the tops of the forest trees, 
 and are frequently forced to subsist entirely on 
 the fruit of the Eta and other palms ^. 
 
 ^ " It will scarcely be out of place," says the Rev. J. W. Wadie, 
 S. P. G. Missionary at Waramuri, " to state how wonderfully the 
 goodness of God is manifested towards His creatures of every class 
 and clime, and particularly in the provision of the Eta palm (Mauritia 
 flexuosa, Linn.), for the sustenance and service of these peculiar 
 children of the forest. This remarkable tree appears to be avail- 
 able in every possible way. Hammocks are made from the centre 
 leaves while young, before they begin to open ; the fruit, and also 
 the crown of the tree, called the cabbage, is used as food, particularly 
 in seasons of scarcity ; from the extracted juice, when cut down, the 
 Indians make a beverage, of which they are very fond; from the 
 heart of the plant, reduced to pulp by grating, a sediment of starch 
 is obtained, which is made into bread ; and even in death this tree 
 is still profitable, from the large number of worms which breed in the 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. 7 
 
 2. The Arawaaks are the most polished and 
 gentle of the Indian tribes, and readily receive 
 the impress of civilised habits. They consider 
 themselves superior to the other tribes, styling 
 themselves, by way of pre-eminence, " the ineit'' 
 Their language and intonation are very musical, 
 with somewhat of a plaintive cadence. They 
 have come more into contact with Europeans 
 than any other tribe, and are found a little 
 farther from the coast than the Warows. 
 
 3. Still farther inland are the Caribs, the once 
 formidable cannibals who dominated over the 
 whole of the West Indian Islands before Euro- 
 peans became acquainted with them, and from 
 whom the Caribbean Sea takes its name. They 
 are a fine, manly race, more martially disposed 
 than any of the other tribes. In " slavery time " 
 they were employed by the planters to hunt the 
 
 decaying stem, and are readily eaten*. Sails for corials, for long 
 journeys, are made from the pith of the stem of the leaves ; the dry 
 leaves which fall off the plant are used for making fires inside the 
 Indian canoes ; the stems of the leaves are used by some of the 
 people in making rooms or partitions, &c,, in their houses, being 
 split and laced on rods, and also for lengthening their arrows or 
 harpoons for fishing." 
 
 * Groo-groo worms (Tucuma). Considered a delicacy by some. 
 The following is the recipe for cooking them : " Snip off the heads 
 with a pair of scissors, fix the bodies on small wooden skewers, and 
 do them on the gridiron over hot embers to a delicate brown. 
 Dust them with salt and pepper, and eat them off the skewer." A 
 favourite Indian dish is to split open the worms, and to bake them 
 with boiled rice. They answer in place of butter to it, and give the 
 rice an exquisitely delicious flavour. 
 
8 MISSION LIFE 
 
 runaway negroes. They also carried on a sort of 
 domestic slave trade among the Aborigines. 
 
 4. The Accawoios live in the neighbourhood of 
 the Great Falls — a marked feature in all the large 
 rivers of Guiana. They have acquired an un- 
 enviable notoriety as poisoners and night-mur- 
 derers (kanaima), and supply hired assassins to the 
 others tribes, to enable them to execute their 
 revenge ; and thus they exercise a constant terror 
 by night as well as by day. No one considers 
 himself safe from their attacks, sleeping or 
 waking. They are also the Indian pedlars and 
 newscarriers, and in the pursuit of their calling 
 they traverse a vast range of territory. Within 
 the last few years many of them have been con- 
 verted to Christianity, and been the means of 
 bringing others from far distant regions to our 
 Mission stations, to be instructed in the truths of 
 the Gospel. 
 
 5. The Macusi inhabit the savannahs, or vast 
 unwooded plains of the interior, and are totally un- 
 like the tribes previously mentioned. The latter 
 accomplish most of their travelling by water, and 
 spend a great part of their time afloat, while the 
 Macusi hardly know what a corial is. They are 
 peculiar also in having dome-shaped dwellings. 
 The Wourali, a deadly poison used by the 
 Indians for tipping their arrows, and which has 
 recently been discovered to be an antidote to 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. 9 
 
 Strychnine, is manufactured exclusively by them ; 
 and they are very careful to guard jealously the 
 secret of its composition. Individuals of two 
 other tribes — Maiongkongs and Arecunas — have 
 lately made themselves known at the Waramuri 
 Mission in the Moruca Creek; and there are 
 many others in the far interior — Atorais, 
 Woyawais, Tarumas, Maopityans, Wapisianas, 
 &c. One or two tribes have become extinct 
 within living memory. In the Census tables of 
 1 871, the Aborigines of British Guiana are 
 loosely put down at 7000, as in 1851 and 1861, it 
 being impossible to get at a correct enumeration 
 of them; but Mr. M'^Clintock, a very high au- 
 thority, estimates their number as high as 20,000 ; 
 while a still more recent observer, Mr. C. Brown, 
 of the Geological Survey, who traversed the 
 country in every direction, and has probably seen 
 more of it and its people than any previous 
 traveller, is of opinion that they should be 
 reckoned at 50,000. 
 
 Members of most of the tribes above de- 
 scribed may be found at one part or another 
 of the course of that noble river the Essequibo or 
 its very important affluents. At the lower part 
 of its course, which may be called an estuary, 
 there are several considerable islands, as Wake- 
 naam, Leguan, Hog Island, and Fort Island ; and 
 about fifty miles from its embouchure, it receives 
 
lO MISSION LIFE 
 
 the waters of two large tributaries, the Cuyuni 
 and Mazaruni. At the junction of this latter 
 river with the Essequibo, at a place called 
 "Bartica" (Red earth), a Mission station had 
 been established in 1829 by Mr. John Armstrong, 
 who had been sent out to the Colony as a 
 Catechist, under the auspices of the Church Mis- 
 sionary Society. The attention of that Society 
 had been called to the condition of the native 
 tribes, as calling for the message of the Gospel to 
 be extended to them, and Mr. Armstrong was 
 sent to ascertain what prospect there was of a 
 religious teacher being welcomed by the ab- 
 original Indians of the Essequibo, among whom 
 the knowledge of Christ had died away since the 
 self-denying labours of the Moravians had been 
 discontinued in the early part of this century. 
 The site was chosen for the convenience of the 
 people who lived up the Mazaruni and the 
 Essequibo. There were some Arawaaks located 
 at the spot, and a Carib settlement was within 
 view. There were also in the neighbourhood some 
 families of mixed race, called " Bovianders," 
 whose progenitors — of negro extraction — had 
 intermarried with the Indians. These people 
 were chiefly squatters, who had abandoned the 
 domain of civilisation, and preferred to lead a 
 life of indolent freedom, cultivating a small patch 
 of provision ground, and trusting to the chase and 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. II 
 
 the beautiful river for a supply of animal food ; 
 unregardful of the comforts or even conveniences 
 of civilised life. There are many of such people 
 to be found on all the rivers of British Guiana. 
 It is only within the last three quarters of a 
 century that the coast lands of the Colony have 
 been cultivated. Whether from the fear of free- 
 booters, or from the superior healthiness of the 
 interior, when the Dutch first settled in the 
 country, they chose positions from fifty to a 
 hundred miles from the mouth of the rivers and 
 there established the seat of government. In 
 course of time, when they discovered the superior 
 productiveness of the deep alluvial soil on the 
 coast, the population was transferred from the 
 river estates, with the exception of a few 
 stragglers who still clung to their old haunts, and 
 continued to spend an easy untrammelled exist- 
 ence, occasionally visiting the settlements to 
 exchange the produce of their labour for such 
 articles as they could not otherwise provide 
 themselves with. 
 
 Mr. Armstrong's experiment was so far success- 
 ful that he gathered a number of Indians around 
 him, and settled down among them with the 
 intention of building up a native church among 
 these children of the forest. The interest of the 
 ruling powers in the attempt was shown by the 
 grant of a piece of crown land, embracing 300 
 
12 MISSION LIFE 
 
 square roods, to the west of Bartica Point, by 
 the governor. Sir Benjamin D'Urban, to be held 
 during His Majesty's pleasure, for the purposes 
 of the Mission. 
 
 It is not the design of this narrative to 
 dwell on the labours of Mr. Armstrong. No 
 doubt he had his seasons of trial and disap- 
 pointment, but what we are concerned with is 
 this — that, after nearly three years of unwearied 
 exertion, his efforts were so far blessed with 
 success that the Society deemed it advisable 
 to despatch a helper, who should relieve him of 
 the drudgery of the school teaching, and set him 
 free to preach the Gospel, and devote himself to 
 the higher interests of the people. This helper, 
 in whom we are now chiefly interested, was Mr. 
 Thomas Youd, a native of Liverpool, and a young 
 man of about twenty-three years of age at this 
 time. Like Mr. Armstrong, he had been a 
 student at the Church Missionary Society's 
 College at Islington ; and having sailed from 
 England on October 21, 1832, in the ''Marquis 
 of Chandos," Captain Gaylor, he arrived in 
 Demerara on December 4, and on the twenty- 
 third of the same month joined Mr. Armstrong 
 at Bartica. A strange Christmas must that have 
 seemed to this young man, fresh from England, 
 under a tropical sky, among the red men in the 
 wilds of Guiana! That Christmas, however, 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. 13 
 
 found him entering with high spirits and full of 
 hope upon the instruction of the Indian children, 
 reclaimed from a wild and roving life, decently 
 clad, and perceiving with eager pleasure the 
 advantages of a Christian education. When 
 first they were assembled for instruction, their 
 clothing was of the very scantiest description, 
 and their skin not always of a bright red tint ; 
 their behaviour too was very like that of a troop 
 of saccawinkies. It required no slight expendi- 
 ture of patience and loving forbearance to bring 
 them into habits of order and cleanliness,' and 
 induce them to submit to discipline. But time 
 and perseverance had accomplished all this, and it 
 was a pleasure to watch their bright eyes as they 
 listened to their teacher, and to hear their sweet 
 voices raising the hymn of praise with which the 
 day's work commenced and ended. It was a real 
 pleasure to be engaged in the work of teaching 
 such gentle, docile, plastic natures. 
 
CHAPTER 11. 
 
 For the first six months in the year Mr. Youd 
 continued to carry on the school at Bartica, which 
 was largely increased through his persevering at- 
 tention. The children were very shy of coming 
 at first, but after awhile their attendance was as 
 regular as clockwork: only sometimes the in- 
 dulgent parents would carry them away with them 
 on a visit to some distant settlement^ and then 
 they would be lost sight of for several months, 
 when they would return and have to commence 
 learning the lessons afresh. About the middle of 
 1833, however, Mr. Armstrong was compelled by 
 ill health to quit the colony for awhile, and pro- 
 ceeded to England, leaving the entire charge of 
 the Mission to his schoolmaster and catechist. It 
 was a weighty responsibility for so young a man ; 
 but he was equal to the trust. It is difficult to 
 make English people understand the position in 
 which Mr. Youd was placed. He was not only 
 separated from family and friends by thousands of 
 
MISSION LIFE IN BRITISH GUIANA. 1 5 
 
 miles of ocean, but he was also isolated from all 
 congenial society, the nearest white person being 
 two or three days' journey distant ; secluded in the 
 forest, with no companionship but that of the 
 native Indians or persons of colour, the " Bovi- 
 anders " before alluded to ; debarred from all the 
 luxuries and most of the comforts of civilised life. 
 His dwelling was an Indian hut or benab, thatched 
 with the fronds of the Troolie palm ; he slept in 
 a hammock, and ate the same food as the Indians, 
 bush meat, — the flesh of the tapir, wild hog, deer, 
 &c., and cassada bread. Hitherto his work had 
 been sedentary, but now he entered with alacrity 
 on a new line of duty. For weeks at a time he 
 was away from home, searching out the people at 
 their settlements up the innumerable creeks and on 
 the banks of the river, spending much of his time 
 in his boat, paddled by Indian lads, and at night 
 slinging his hammock between two trees in the 
 forest, with no covering overhead but the friendly 
 boughs and the bright spangled firmament, a fire 
 being lighted to scare away the jaguar and other 
 wild beasts that prowl in the woods during the 
 silent hours. There was an air of novelty and 
 romance in this kind of life, which stimulated the 
 young missionary, and compensated for the loneH- 
 ness and deprivation which he had to undergo ; 
 but above all he had a burning desire to do the 
 work of his Master Christ, and therefore felt him- 
 
l6 MISSION LIFE 
 
 self always secure and blessed with His presence 
 in his most solitary hours and in positions of the 
 greatest peril. During the time that he was able 
 to spend at Bartica, his multifarious duties would 
 not permit of his looking back or thinking of his 
 trials, and the sleep of the weary eased him of 
 any uneasy thoughts on his bed, if he had 
 been disposed to indulge them ; but indeed, 
 he threw himself with such complete trust upon 
 his heavenly Father that he committed his way 
 entirely to Him and humbly followed His guid- 
 ance. " Really," he writes a little later, " to see 
 the things which I have to do would surprise 
 many at home. Some of the different offices of 
 the ' Dominie,' as they call us, are schoolmaster, 
 doctor, sick-nurse, steward or provider, overseer 
 and manager in cultivation, captain or steersman, 
 architect, boat-builder, mason, blacksmith, &c." 
 
 The practice of daily prayer at the Mission was 
 never intermitted. In the early morning a horn 
 sounded, and men, women, and children were 
 soon seen wending their way to the schoolhouse, 
 and the same thing took place as the sun went 
 down. The routine on week-days was pretty 
 uniform all the year round. Morning prayer; 
 after which the adults went into the fields or 
 provision grounds, the children assembling for 
 school at lo a.m., and making way for the adults 
 at 2 p.m. for Evening Prayer. In the evening, 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. 1 7 
 
 classes were taught English, Sec. Mr. Youd soon 
 became endeared to the people, and it was very 
 touching to see the manner in which the Indians 
 gathered round him on his return from one of his 
 occasional tours. He had not yet learned to 
 address them in their own language; but they 
 understood the patois^ a corrupt form of Dutch, 
 called Creole-Dutch,^ spoken by the Bovianders 
 or half-breeds, and this he too was master of. 
 On Sundays his congregations assembled some- 
 times at one place, sometimes at another, varied 
 according to circumstances, seldom exceeding forty 
 or fifty. The behaviour of the hearers was fre- 
 quently very embarrassing ; many, coming simply 
 from curiosity and having but little idea of pro- 
 priety, gazed about them and engaged in con- 
 versation. Nor was there aught in the accompani- 
 ments of public worship to impress them with a 
 solemn awe, as in well-appointed churches in 
 England. They met together frequently in a 
 rude hut, without decoration, perhaps with logs 
 of wood and rough blocks or rough planks for 
 seats. It was years before anything like a regular 
 place of worship made its appearance among 
 them. 
 
 Mr. Youd was not always able to get about 
 
 ^ A legacy of the former possessors of the colony, the Dutch, 
 who finally ceded it to Great Britain in 1802. Creole is equivalent 
 to native. A horse foaled in the colony is called a Creole horse. 
 
 C 
 
1 8 MISSION LIFE 
 
 among the Indians when he was disposed to do 
 so. On one occasion he was compelled to remain 
 at Bartica because he had sent his boys down in 
 the boat to Fort Island to procure a supply of 
 plantains, which are an important article of food, 
 although seldom cultivated by the Indians. Fort 
 Island was two days journey from Bartica, lower 
 down the river. It was once the seat of govern- 
 ment of the Dutch Colony of Essequibo, and the 
 ruins of the fort and church are still to be seen. 
 The Colony of Essequibo ceased to be a separate 
 colony and was united to Demerara in 1789. 
 The circumstance of so long a distance having 
 to be traversed to procure an article of food will 
 illustrate the difficulty experienced in procuring 
 sustenance in such an out-of-the-way place ; and 
 every one knows how needful a change of food is 
 to the maintenance of a healthy constitution. 
 Now the crops of the Indians are almost limited 
 to cassada, sweet potatoes, and pumpkins ; these, 
 with peppers, supply almost all their wants. An 
 European, however, requires more nourishing food 
 than this: and nothing can be more nutritious 
 than the plantain. 
 
 On the return of his boat from Fort Island, 
 towards the end of the year Mr. Youd paid a 
 visit to Cartabo, seven miles from Bartica, at the 
 confluence of the Mazaruni with the Cuyuni. 
 Here was the seat of government when Essequibo 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. IQ 
 
 was first settled by the Dutch at the end of the 
 sixteenth century, until it was removed, a few 
 years later, to Fort Island. On an island just 
 opposite, Kyk-over-all, are still to be seen the 
 ruins of a fort built for its protection. There w?r 
 a settlement of Caribs at the place, and Mi, 
 Youd's object was to pay them a weekly visit, if 
 they would undertake to attend to receive in- 
 struction, which they agreed to do. Accordingly 
 the following week' he paid them another visit. 
 There were thirty-nine present ; and he at once 
 commenced keeping school, opening and closing 
 with prayer, and giving a short address in con- 
 clusion. There being present some Spanish Caribs 
 from the Cuyuni, he was compelled to employ an 
 interpreter, as they could not understand the 
 Creole-Dutch in which he addressed the others. 
 Two days later, on paying another visit to the 
 settlement, he found it nearly deserted, and was 
 informed that the Indians had gone to a funeral. 
 To the funeral he accordingly made his way, and 
 found that it was one of his scholars who had died. 
 In that hot climate you frequently first know of 
 a person's death by hearing of his funeral, which 
 generally takes place after an interval of not more 
 than thirty-six hours. Mr. Youd seized the oppor- 
 tunity of discoursing to them about death and the 
 immortality of the soul. " They were truly aston- 
 ished," he says, "at hearing that the soul was 
 C 2, 
 
20 MISSION LIFE 
 
 Still alive, and was gone to appear before its 
 Maker." 
 
 The Indian notions of religion are exceedingly 
 scant and imperfect. There are not wanting in- 
 dications of a definite creed having been possessed 
 by them in ages long past ; but nothing remains 
 of it now except a few mutilated traditions. " It 
 is truly astonishing," says Mr. Youd, " to find that 
 when we speak to them of God, even in their own 
 language, they will tell you they know not to 
 whom you allude, although they are acquainted 
 with the meaning of the word Tamoosy ; but it is 
 not until we point to the creation, and ask Who 
 is the author of it, that they can be led to say, ' I 
 know.' " Twice he was seriously asked if the God 
 of Whom he spoke did not come from England. 
 It is not surprising, therefore, that there should 
 be nothing like a prescribed ritual, no temples, no 
 priesthood among them. In this respect they 
 were in as deep a state of ignorance as the savages 
 of Africa. Without holding any decided tenet on 
 the subject, their superstitions seemed to inculcate 
 a belief in the transmigration of souls, and they 
 were not without such rude notions of a future 
 state as were held by the heathen of antiquity. 
 This is evidenced by their peculiar mode of burial. 
 When a man dies among them, they cut a corial 
 or canoe in halves for the coffin and place the 
 deceased in it, with his bow and arrows (or gun). 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. 21 
 
 his cutlass, knife, and a lump of Carimanni wax 
 in his hammock by his side. The bow and arrows 
 (or gun), they say, is for him to hunt with in the 
 other world ; the cutlass is to enable him to clear 
 the bush, the knife to cut up game ; and the wax 
 to make his fishing lines. They also bury the 
 last thing the deceased had to eat and destroy the 
 crop in his provision ground, often leaving his 
 family destitute. They have no burying ground, 
 the grave is always made in the benab occupied 
 by him during his lifetime, in order that the corpse 
 may be sheltered from the wind and rain. After 
 a certain period of mourning, which the nearest 
 relative must spend beside the newly made grave, 
 the benab is deserted, and no further notice 
 is taken of it, except in so far as it is avoided, 
 just as our churchyards are at night by ignorant 
 and superstitious people, who stand in awe of the 
 ghosts of the departed. 
 
 An Indian funeral is always followed by a 
 piwarrie feast, which generally lasts two or three 
 days, i. e. until the last drop of piwarrie is finished. 
 It is fortunate that these simple people are not 
 acquainted with the art of distilling strong liquors, 
 which have an irresistible fascination for them, 
 and are the cause of frequent deaths among them. 
 Their favourite beverage, piwarrie, comparatively 
 innocent in its effects, only stupifies them for a 
 time when they drink considerable quantities of it. 
 
22 MISSION LIFE 
 
 It is this practice, and the habit of gorging them- 
 selves with animal food when they have it in 
 abundance, which gives them such a paunchy ap- 
 pearance. But what is piwarrie? It is a drink 
 made from cassada bread, i. e. thin cakes of the 
 baked meal made from the grated root of the 
 bitter cassada (Janipha Manihot.) For this pur- 
 pose the cakes are roasted until they become a 
 dark brown. The bread is then taken by women, 
 chewed, and thrown into some receptacle, pro- 
 bably an old corial or canoe ; water is added in 
 sufficient quantity, and it is allowed to ferment. 
 The liquor is then emptied into large earthen 
 jars, which are manufactured by the Caribs, from 
 which it is dipped by the women in bowls or 
 calabashes, and carried round to the men as they 
 sit or lie in their hammocks ; the women not 
 forgetting to take their own share. The piwarrie 
 is said to have a not unpleasant, slightly acid 
 taste ; but from the disgusting manner in which 
 it is prepared, it is seldom or never touched by 
 a European. It is probably from the duty of 
 preparing the piwarrie falling to the lot of the 
 women that they lose their front teeth at so early 
 an age ; it being not at all unusual to see girls 
 of seventeen thus disfigured ; and it is very rarely 
 that a woman is fortunate enough to arrive at the 
 age of twenty-five and boast of a sound set of 
 teeth. 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. 23 
 
 As long as any piwarrie remains they spend 
 their time in idleness, dancing and merry-making. 
 It is a sickening sight to visit an Indian settle- 
 ment towards the close of one of these carouses. 
 The men are lying in their hammocks or sitting 
 on logs of wood in a state of semi-stupefaction ; 
 the women, slatternly and dull-eyed, bear the 
 seductive beverage to their lords and masters, 
 who, devoid of any idea of temperance, drink and 
 vomit, and drink again ; never refusing the bowl 
 so long as it continues to be handed round and 
 they preserve their consciousness. These feasts 
 are held as often as a plausible excuse can be 
 found for them, at the naming of a child, a 
 wedding, or funeral ; or the return of the head of 
 the family from a journey or crab-catching ex- 
 pedition at the mouth of the rivers; after the 
 gathering in of the cassada crop, &:c. Go where 
 you will among the Indians of Guiana, you will 
 find the piwarrie feast a great institution. 
 
 To wean the Indians from this evil habit which 
 had become inveterate among them, and associated 
 itself with all the leading incidents of their every 
 day life was one, and that not the easiest, of the 
 objects set before him by the young missionary. 
 At this early stage of his labours he saw how 
 necessary it was to revolutionize the whole state 
 of feeling and habits of life of the Indians, before 
 they could be brought to the practice of the Chris- 
 
24 MISSION LIFE IN BRITISH GUIANA. 
 
 tian religion ; and his training had taught him to 
 look for this result, not through any instruction 
 on his part, but through the quickening operation 
 of the blessed Spirit of God, which it was his 
 duty to follow up by sowing the seed of the Word 
 in the soil thus prepared. His second Christmas 
 at Bartica brought with it evidence that the seed 
 had been sown on good ground, and would bring 
 forth fruit in due season. The Indians showed a 
 great desire for instruction, and were very regular 
 in their attendance at public worship. On one 
 occasion there were upwards of fifty Indians pre- 
 sent at Bartica, and the Bovianders or coloured 
 people brought up the congregation to nearly a 
 hundred ; the Postholder ^ and another gentleman, 
 with their families, honouring him with their 
 attendance. Such an unusual influx of worship- 
 pers made it difficult to provide seats, and, in his 
 exultation at this fair sign of promise, Mr. Youd 
 exclaims — " This is the Lord's doings and wonder- 
 ful to be seen." 
 
 ^ A Government Officer, Resident Magistrate, and Protector of the 
 Indians. The Office is now abolished and the duties performed by 
 the Superintendents of Rivers and Creeks. Unfortunately, very little 
 protection is now extended to the aborigines by the Government. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 1834. 
 
 It is very rarely that new comers to the Colony 
 escape a disagreeable process of acclimatisation, 
 attended more or less with sickness, and particu- 
 larly with attacks of that kind of fever to which 
 most dwellers on low, marshy lands are subject. 
 The climate, food, water, and general habits are 
 so different to what they are in England, that it 
 is not surprising that the whole system should 
 feel and resent, as it were, the enforced change, 
 to which, however, it must needs adapt itself, 
 however violent the sufferings to which it might 
 be exposed in the process. This seasoning Mr. 
 Youd, too, had to undergo ; he occasionally refers 
 to slight attacks of fever as hindering him in the 
 prosecution of his labours. 
 
 Very early in the year he had the satisfaction 
 of receiving a visit of enquiry from an Arawaak 
 chief, at whose settlement he had made a call 
 some time in the previous year. This man was 
 
26 MISSION LIFE 
 
 the only individual of his tribe who could speak 
 English, which he had learned through living in 
 the family of an English gentleman when a boy. 
 He informed Mr. Youd that he had for some 
 time purposed coming to see him, but had been 
 dissuaded from doing so by a white man whom 
 he named. It is very lamentable, but unfortu- 
 nately a fact of frequent occurrence, that Chris- 
 tian Englishmen should hinder the spread of the 
 Gospel among the ignorant heathen, through their 
 evil example and often shameless lives. There 
 are, of course, honourable exceptions ; but in 
 many cases it is true, that when men quit the 
 confines of civilization and are cut off from the 
 regular ministrations of religion, they break away 
 from every restraint, and relapse into a state of 
 worse than heathen indifference and recklessness. 
 Thus the teaching of our missionaries has often 
 been counteracted by the ungodly lives of Euro- 
 peans who should have exhibited in their own 
 persons the excellence of 'Christianity. Fortu- 
 nately, in this case, the dissuasions of the white 
 man were of no effect. As Mr. Youd observes — 
 " When God wills^ men cannot hinder the know- 
 ledge of Himself." This Arawaak chief was a man 
 of great consideration among his own people, in 
 consequence of his knowledge of English ; and it 
 was Mr. Youd's design, by teaching a number of 
 picked lads the English language, to give them a 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. . ' 27 
 
 like advantage and make them useful among their 
 countrymen when they arrived at manhood. 
 
 In the latter part of February he commenced a 
 tour among the various settlements, commencing 
 at Ampa, where was the "Post/' or station of 
 the Postholder, the rallying place at which the 
 Indians assembled when summoned for the 
 annual distribution of presents, or fch: other pur- 
 poses in the olden time, when their services 
 were retained by the Government as a sort of 
 irregular militia. The following week he went a 
 day's journey up the Essequibo, calling in at the 
 various settlements, and only reaching his destin- 
 ation long after dark. There is something in- 
 expressibly solemn in travelling on these great 
 rivers by night, especially when the moon is not 
 visible. The dark night, only sufficiently lighted 
 up to enable you to see the dark shadow of the 
 bush thrown on the water, the overpowering sense 
 of solitude, the still silence broken only by the 
 sound of the paddles, or of the insects in the forest, 
 or perhaps the horrible roar of the red howling 
 monkey, or "baboon" as it is erroneously called, 
 combine to fill the mind with awe and to carry 
 the thoughts beyond the world to its great 
 Artificer. At one place he found a number of 
 coloured people assembled at what in Canada 
 would be called a Bee ; i. e. they had united for 
 the purpose of cleaning and planting a neigh- 
 
28 MISSION LIFE 
 
 hour's cassada field. At one time this was made 
 an excuse for dancing, rioting, and drunkenness 
 in the evening, but the presence of a Christian 
 teacher in the vicinity served to make the people 
 more thoughtful and anxious to observe the de- 
 corum of civilized society. They were ashamed 
 of the flagrant barbarism into which they were 
 disposed to -relapse when they were not conscious 
 of being overlooked. The following day he spent 
 at a place called Winnepera, where he met some 
 Accawoios, whom he invited to come to see him 
 at Bartica. A few weeks after this, Mr. Youd 
 was visiting a Carib settlement in the Mazaruni, 
 when he found two piaimen in attendance upon 
 two sick persons, one of them a child, who had 
 fever. His spirits he tells us, " were greatly 
 wrought upon." He drew near and listened for 
 a time, and then requested the mother of the sick 
 child to dismiss the piaiman, while he made 
 known Him Who is the great Physician of souls 
 as well as bodies. 
 
 The piaiman is a most important personage 
 among the Indians of Guiana, — corresponding to 
 the Medicine-man of the North American conti- 
 nent, and Obeah-man of Africa. He combines 
 the office of priest with that of doctor, and fre- 
 quently exercises sway also as chief or captain 
 of his tribe. His influence is immense, and no 
 one would dare to thwart him in anything with 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. 29 
 
 regard to which he had issued his fiat ; for he is 
 skilful in the manipulation of poisons, and would 
 scruple as little to put an enemy out of the way 
 as to knock a snake on the head. He is in re- 
 quisition on every domestic occasion of import- 
 ance, such e. g. as the naming of a child, wed- 
 dings, funerals, dec. In sickness the most implicit 
 confidence is reposed in his healing powers. He 
 might claim this by virtue of a deep acquaintance 
 with the numerous medicinal plants, which are 
 found in abundance in the forests and elsewhere ; 
 but he prefers that his success should be attributed 
 to supernatural agency, and to this the poor 
 deluded Indians in nowise object. In the exer- 
 cise of his craft he wears no sacerdotal vestments, 
 but he makes use of an instrument called a ma- 
 racca. This is manufactured by taking a calabash, 
 scraped clean, and cutting a round hole at each 
 end, through which a stick, about three feet in 
 length is placed — the calabash being fixed on it 
 near the middle. Inside the calabash or goobie, 
 are placed (before it is fixed on the stick) frag- 
 ments of rock crystal, (Maraweri diamonds, or 
 Calicut stones, as they are called,) brought from 
 the mountains of the interior, and supposed to 
 possess some hidden virtue. These stones are 
 intended to rattle in the calabash, and slits are 
 cut in it in various directions, in order to make 
 as much noise as possible. Attached to the ma- 
 
30 MISSION LIFE 
 
 racca, and wound round and round it, is a string 
 of the beautiful red and green and blue wing- 
 feathers of the kalow or large Amazon parrot, 
 which are also believed to have a wondrous charm. 
 When any one is sick, and the piaiman is sent 
 for, he comes with his maracca and takes posses- 
 sion of the benab in which the sick person is 
 lying in his hammock, and fumigates it with 
 tobacco smoke — tobacco, in their eyes, being pos- 
 sessed of some mysterious virtue. Then he com- 
 mences to chant a kind of invocation to the evil 
 spirits to depart from the sick person, and cease 
 to afflict him ; but with this is mixed up a lot of 
 gibberish, that no one can understand ; and the 
 utterances generally are anything but musical. 
 All the time he continues to rattle his maracca 
 in order to drive the evil spirits away, shouting 
 and leaping and dancing, as if he were himself pos- 
 sessed. Sometimes the piaiman will pretend that 
 a revelation has been made to him that certain 
 herbs will effect a cure; and then he goes out 
 into the forest and gathers them with great 
 ceremony, and returns to administer them. If 
 the sick person should recover, he claims the 
 credit ; if he dies, some plausible excuse is 
 trumped up to account for the spirits being un- 
 propitious. The piaimen of the Warow Indians 
 are looked upon by all the tribes as the most 
 powerful in the practice of their art. Candidates 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. 3 1 
 
 for the profession have to go through a regular 
 novitiate, during which they are secluded from 
 the world, are enjoined a rigid and prolonged 
 abstinence, and have to submit to a very trying 
 ordeal, in which tobacco plays an important 
 part ; this being looked upon as a sacred herb. 
 The object of this initiatory process is probably 
 to thin the number of aspirants, as well as to test 
 their powers of endurance, and thus to keep 
 piaiing a lucrative, because an exclusive, profes- 
 sion. 
 
 Shortly afterwards, just as Mr. Youd was going 
 to sleep one night, he heard the rattle of the 
 maracca at a distance, and jumping into his 
 corial paddled to the spot and found a man 
 pretending to cure his wife of a bowel complaint. 
 He ordered him to desist, and reasoning with 
 him on his folly, made known Who it was that 
 permitted sickness and blessed with health ; 
 directing him to look to Him Who alone can 
 preserve and keep us. " It is truly astonishing," 
 he writes, " what a hold this awful delusion has 
 upon the minds of the Indians, and even some of 
 the coloured people." 
 
 It was by thus moving about among the people 
 and boldly putting a veto on their objectionable 
 practices, that he was enabled to bring about an 
 entire reform in their manner of living, which no 
 amount of mere preaching could have accom- 
 
32 MISSION LIFE 
 
 plished. The Indians venerate the white man, 
 and are submissive to him — even to a fault ; for 
 they do not always draw a distinction between 
 the good and the bad. Worthless characters are 
 aware of this, and take advantage of it to rob 
 and maltreat the poor inoffensive Indians, who 
 are led as sheep to the slaughter. 
 
 The school in the Cuyuni also continued to 
 receive Mr. Youd's particular attention. About 
 the middle of this year it was attended by about 
 forty Indians, and a few coloured people of negro 
 extraction, from twenty years of age and upward. 
 Three days in the week were now devoted to this 
 important work, during which Mr. Youd remained 
 at the place, returning on Thursday evening to 
 teach the Arawaaks at the settlement opposite 
 Bartica, the two last days of the week. He soon 
 found, however, that this latter labour was too 
 great a tax upon his time, and so he resolved to 
 send his boys over in a large corial (as they had 
 not a corial of their own) and fetch them to 
 school with his own boys and the children living 
 in the neighbourhood of Bartica. 
 
 The Indians of Guiana are not fond of congre- 
 gating in large communities: they live in scat- 
 tered settlements — often widely separated — and 
 accessible only by water. They generally choose 
 an elevated spot, very near to the river, for their 
 dwellings. The missionary, therefore, who labours 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. 33 
 
 amongst them, must almost make his boat his 
 home; because he need be constantly on the 
 move, and cannot afford to waste his time in going 
 backwards and forwards to and from his station 
 day by day. The disadvantage of losing so much 
 time in travelling about, soon became apparent 
 to Mr. Youd, and he tried to remedy it by in- 
 ducing the Indians to settle in the immediate 
 vicinity of the Mission premises at Bartica. 
 There was this difficulty, however, in the way of 
 their changing their abodes — in quitting their 
 old homes they would have to leave behind them 
 the provision fields on which they depended for 
 subsistence, and therefore it was necessary to 
 provide for the new comers' support until the 
 crops which they might plant should come to 
 maturity. 
 
 An incident occurred about this time which 
 had important results to the Mission, in giving 
 practical effect to these views of Mr. Youd. He 
 was on his way up the river one Tuesday, to pay 
 his usual weekly visit to the school for the Caribs 
 in the Cuyuni, when they saw a corial coming in 
 the opposite direction. As they drew near to 
 each other, it was discovered that the strangers 
 were Accawoios, and on being questioned they 
 said that they were going down to Wakenaam, 
 one of the large islands at the mouth of the 
 Essequibo, and returning. They ceased paddling, 
 D 
 
54 MISSION LIFE 
 
 and asked in their turn where Mr. Youd was 
 going, to which he replied, through an Accawoio 
 youth who was one of his crew, that he was going 
 to teach the Caribs, at the school on the opposite 
 shore. This aroused their attention, and they 
 seemed inclined to go with him, for they drew 
 alongside and held on to his corial for some little 
 while. They, however, proceeded on their journey, 
 after they had received an invitation from Mr. 
 Youd to pay him a visit on their return from 
 Wakenaam. Accordingly on Thursday afternoon 
 the chief's son, Aramoosey, with ten or twelve of 
 his people, came to the school, when an interest- 
 ing conversation took place between him and 
 Mr. Youd (he being the only one of the party 
 who could speak Dutch), as to the object of the 
 Missionary in settling down among the Indians. 
 They were exceedingly interested in the school 
 work that was going on, and exhibited great 
 surprise when some of the copy books were shown 
 to them. They were evidently piqued at people 
 of their own race being in possession of advan- 
 tages of which they knew nothing. Mr. Youd then 
 brought out to them the sacred volume, first shewing 
 the Old Testament, as being the part which the 
 Great Spirit had caused to be written before the 
 coming of Christ ; then what was said and done 
 by Christy the Son, while on earth; and after- 
 wards the concluding part, as the writings of His 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. 35 
 
 followers the Apostles. All this was explained 
 to the other Accawoios by Aramoosey, who 
 taking the Bible into his hands turned over the 
 leaves, showing the different divisions, as Mr. 
 Youd had done. The conversation then turned 
 upon the advantage of being near, that they might 
 avail themselves of the instruction that was given 
 to the other Indians. They seemed anxious to 
 do this ; but, as Aramoosey said, there was a 
 large number of them, and what would they do 
 for food while they were preparing their dwell- 
 ings on the Mission premises and planting up a 
 stock of provisions. Mr. Youd, anxious to secure 
 such an imposing accession of willing disciples, 
 suggested that it would be possible to purchase a 
 field of ripe cassada, which would suffice until 
 their own crops were ready. This pleased them 
 very much; and Aramoosey said that he would 
 shortly return and bring all his people with him. 
 He further urged that two of those with him 
 should now be left behind, whether as a pledge of 
 his fidelity, or as observers of the mode of life 
 among Christian Indians did not appear. Mr. 
 Youd combated this notion, as the men would 
 have to be supported at the expense of the 
 Mission; but the young chief would take no 
 refusal: so there were left a promising youth of 
 sixteen, who took great delight in attending 
 school, and a young man of twenty-five, who 
 D 2 
 
2,6 MISSION LIFE 
 
 preferred spending his time in hunting and 
 shooting game, which he no doubt considered a 
 more manly employment. It was not long be- 
 fore Aramoosey returned with his father, whose 
 name was Drunkaman, and a number of his 
 people prepared to settle at Bartica, and Mr. 
 Youd, went up the Cuyuni and purchased a 
 field of cassada for them according to pro- 
 mise. 
 
 The original position chosen for the Mission 
 by Mr. Armstrong having been found to be in- 
 salubrious, Mr. Youd had selected a new site about 
 a mile to the eastward of Bartica Point, which 
 was called "The Grove." This now became a 
 scene of busy life, — the newly-arrived Accawoios 
 running here and there, fetching materials, build- 
 ing benabs, clearing the ground and planting it 
 up. Mr. Youd himself was not idle, pointing out 
 to the people their locations, instructing the 
 young folks in cultivation, and working in his 
 own garden m order to set all an example of in- 
 dustry. This was his recreation: his serious 
 business was the daily routine of teaching, the 
 performance of Divine worship, and the study 
 of the Indian language. 
 
 It was evident that the new comers were 
 thoroughly in earnest, for they lost no time in 
 attending school. Mr. Youd notes in his diary — 
 " Oct. 9. Had about thirty of our settlers at 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. 37 
 
 school to day." And on the following Sun- 
 day — "Oct. 12, Lord's Day. Completely throng- 
 ed to day, having about sixty Indians present, 
 chiefly Accawoios, but among them were Arra- 
 waaks and Carabeese ; I should suppose there were 
 120 present. The Indians, who never attended 
 service before, were quite delighted, saying — " A 
 good day to day." It may easily be imagined 
 how greatly increased were the demands upon 
 the Missionary's time and strength. Well might 
 he say, " I have had much labour of body and 
 mind to pass through with regard to the pros- 
 perity of my work." Yet, after recording his 
 visits to different localities, he speaks of starting 
 a new school at a distant settlement. 
 
 About this time he was cheered by the sight 
 of some white faces. A party of ladies and 
 gentlemen from Leguan called in at Bartica, on 
 their way to the Falls, and inspected the school. 
 They were surprised to see the writing of the 
 boys — particularly the freedom of their hand — 
 having been under instruction only eighteen 
 months ; their singing also pleased them much. 
 Although no one could be working more with 
 a single eye to the glory of God than Mr. Youd, 
 he would have been more than human not to feel 
 gratified by the approval and sympathy of his 
 visitors. Such recognitions of willing labour 
 
38 MISSION LIFE IN BRITISH GUIANA. 
 
 afford a refreshment and stimulus, the value of 
 which is inestimable, foreshadowing, as it were, 
 that commendation of the Great Master "Well 
 done, good and faithful servant." 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 About the end of October and the beginning 
 of November is the time when the Indians pre- 
 pare their provision fields ; and, as there were 
 now a large number of persons on the Mission 
 station for whose maintenance Mr. Youd was 
 in some measure responsible, he was naturally 
 anxious that a sufficient quantity of land should 
 be put in cultivation to provide for their wants. 
 In superintending the planting operations (which 
 he found it necessary to do, as some of the people 
 were naturally indolent), a matter was brought 
 forcibly to his notice, which called for his inter- 
 ference, viz., the hard lot of the Indian women. 
 As is the case among most barbarous nations, 
 the weaker sex were looked upon as mere drudges. 
 The conduct of the men can hardly be called 
 tyrannical ; it is the rough way in which unen- 
 lightened human nature enforces the idea of the 
 natural subjection of women; and, as it is re- 
 cognised as the Indian custom, the females submit 
 
40 MISSION LIFE 
 
 and perform their duties cheerfully. If they mis- 
 behave themselves in any way, it is not unusual 
 for the husband to inflict corporal chastisement. 
 But, nevertheless, there are traces of that rever- 
 ence on the part of the wife for her husband 
 which is so striking a feature in Oriental life. 
 
 When the Indian returns home from hunting, 
 he drops his game on the ground, puts away his 
 gun, and throws himself into his hammock. His 
 wife must be at hand, but dare not speak a word 
 until he addresses her. When he is in the 
 humour, he will ask her. Who has called. What 
 has been going on during his absence, &c., much 
 as an English husband might do. After replying 
 to all his questions, she will then, if he be hungry, 
 bring him the pepper-pot ^ and wait on him until 
 he is satisfied. 
 
 On a journey it is the women who carry all 
 the loads, which are packed in quakes, or open 
 baskets made from the outer covering of a 
 sort of reed called Iturite, and balanced on the 
 back by a broad strip of bark which goes over 
 the forehead. The husband generally stalks on 
 before, with his gun or bow and arrows in his 
 hand. The women also prepare the meals, make 
 
 ^ Pepper-pot is the standing Indian dish. Meal, game, fish are 
 thrown into an earthen vessel, called a buck-pot, manufactured by 
 the Caribs, and stewed with Cassareep the inspissated juice of the 
 Jatropha Manihot or bitter Cassada, with ripe peppers added to give 
 a pungent flavour. Cassada bread, dipped in the liquor, is generally 
 eaten with it. 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. 41 
 
 Cassada bread ^, and wait upon the men while 
 eating; having their own meals afterwards with 
 the children. When travelling on the water, they 
 can handle a paddle as well as the men, and 
 never think of sitting idle in the corial. In the 
 cultivation of the land also they take a very 
 conspicuous part. As a rule the Indians seldom 
 cultivate the same patch of ground for two suc- 
 ceeding years. The reason of this is because, 
 in the first place, virgin land is the most produc- 
 tive ; and secondly, new land, having undergone 
 the ordeal of purification by fire, is more free 
 from the weeds that spring up so rankly after a 
 while in that tropical climate. Towards the fall 
 of the year the men, having selected suitable spots 
 for their " fields," first clear the undergrowth with 
 
 ^ There are two descriptions of Cassada, sweet and bitter. The 
 tubeious root of the former is boiled or roasted, and eaten as a vege- 
 table: Cassada bread is made from the latter. The root is peeled, 
 then grated, after which the pulp is put into a pliable tube, about 
 4 feet long and 4 inches in diameter, made of plaited Iturite, and 
 called a Matapi ; this is suspended by one handle, while a lever is 
 passed through the other, a weight being attached. The pulp is 
 thus compressed and drained of the juice, which is poisonous ; but 
 by being boiled is converted into cassareep. The meal, when suffi- 
 ciently dry, is ready to be made into bread, which is done by first 
 sifting it in a Simarri (also made from the Iturite) and then baking 
 it on round iron plates placed over a clear wood fire, the cake being 
 turned when one side is done. This bread, when kept dry, will 
 remain good for a length of time. If the Cassada meal is not 
 required for immediate use, it is kept near the fire-place in large 
 cylindrical lumps, as it comes out of the Matapi, until it is required. 
 It is the old stock, dried and browned by the smoke, which is 
 generally used for the manufacture of piwarrie. There is no article 
 of food of such supreme importance to the Indians as Cassada bread : 
 it may be truly designated by them " the staff of life." 
 
42 MISSION LIFE 
 
 the cutlass and then fell the trees and junk them.- 
 Then, after a short interval — three weeks if the 
 weather be dry — the torch is applied and every 
 thing is burnt up except the thick trunks, which 
 defy the flames ; these are left lying as they fell. 
 The task of the lords of creation is now com- 
 pleted, and it is the duty of the women to plant 
 the land, to keep it clean, and to reap the crops 
 in due time. A man considers it a degradatioa 
 to take a hoe in his hand. He has been ac- 
 customed to look upon weeding as the occupation 
 of a slave ; and the Indian prides himself upon 
 his freedom. 
 
 Mr. Youd felt that these poor people would 
 never learn Christianity aright until they had been 
 taught the true position of woman under the 
 Gospel. He therefore strove to reverse their 
 barbarous practice and induce the men to take 
 upon themselves all kinds of heavy labour, and 
 to allot to the women work only of a lighter 
 description. This was no easy task ; for un- 
 renewed human nature is loth to resign its 
 prescriptive rights and privileges and to come 
 down from its pedestal of pride and dignity; 
 but how could they refuse to follow when their 
 teacher himself set them an example? At first 
 the women had many a good laugh at seeing 
 the tables so completely turned, — and to their 
 great advantage; — but the men took it all in 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. 43 
 
 good part, and joked one another about their 
 novel duties. The great advantage of the new- 
 arrangement was that by a proper system of 
 cultivation, the same fields were kept in use from 
 year to year, and thus the people were encouraged 
 to remain at the settlement, instead of wandering 
 away every year to look out for new fields and 
 bring fresh land into cultivation. The result 
 was that they were kept more directly under the 
 influence of Christian teaching; and indeed, 
 the reform told beneficially in many ways on 
 their domestic life, for it taught them something 
 of that spirit of courtesy and chivalry in their 
 relations with the weaker sex, which is one of the 
 most evident fruits of the gospel message. 
 
 The labour that now devolved upon Mr. Youd 
 was beyond the strength of any one man to cope 
 with. Besides the daily teaching and services, 
 the superintendence of the planting operations, 
 the visiting of the various settlements far and 
 near, he had every morning a number of visitors 
 seeking advice, or asking him to settle their 
 differences, or prescribe for their sick. Fortu- 
 nately towards the latter end of the year he 
 received assistance in the person of a nephew, 
 Mr. W. Youd, who relieved him at once of the 
 school work, so wearing and trying to the con- 
 stitution in a hot climate. "How would it be 
 possible," he writes, "to act for all here, were 
 
44 MISSION LIFE 
 
 it not for the assistance of my nephew, and 
 assistant in the schools ? " He still continued to 
 have large congregations. "November 23, Sunday. 
 Had more than 100 present, chiefly Indians. 
 We have not benches enough to seat the people." 
 It may easily be imagined that, while Mr. Youd 
 was executing his task single-handed, there was 
 little opportunity afforded him for study of any 
 kind. One beneficial result of the accession of 
 a colleague was that he was enabled to devote 
 a portion of his time to the study of the Indian 
 language. " I am almost daily engaged," he says, 
 "in getting up my Caribeese Dictionary, as I 
 long to be able to speak the language, for it is a 
 grand key to several others." Of this language, 
 however, he discovered that there were several 
 dialects; the Carib nation being very widely 
 dispersed. Among those who came to the Mis- 
 sion was a chief named Seru, who had been under 
 the instruction of the Spanish Roman Catholic 
 priests in Venezuela. He gave an account to 
 Mr. Youd of the restrictions these priests laid 
 upon their disciples, e.g. forbidding them to drink 
 water for many days together. Another chief, 
 named Eli, also visited the mission about this 
 time. Mr. Youd speaks of him as apparently 
 " a candid and open minded young man." The 
 Accawoios also were not behindhand in their 
 desire for instruction at this time, notwithstand- 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. 45 
 
 ing their subsequent falling away. To these he 
 had to speak through an interpreter. 
 
 One of the most noteworthy features of Mr. 
 Youd's diary is the slight mention that is made 
 of the sickness and suffering, the inconveniences, 
 annoyances, and deprivations that had to be 
 borne in the hard life that he had chosen, — as 
 though he had determined with the Apostle Paul 
 that none of these things should move him. At 
 the beginning of December he had paid a visit 
 to the Indians in the Cuyuni, calling in at the 
 different settlements, and was returning home 
 when he was seized with a violent pain in his 
 eyes, which almost distracted him. During the 
 night he had no rest, for the suffering was intense ; 
 and the inflamation became so acute, that he 
 found it necessary to bandage the eyes and 
 remain within doors. He was thus incapable 
 of doing any duty except in the way of speaking. 
 "In this way," he says, "I assisted at the ser- 
 vices of last Sabbath, though in pain to myself, 
 yet I believe to the joy of a few others, among 
 the congregation, who came to seek after God. 
 During my sickness, which has now continued 
 more than a week, several Indians came to see 
 me, among other friends, to whom I spoke on 
 Divine subjects as they came around my bed. 
 I trust my days have not been altogether lost 
 as to usefulness." 
 
46 MISSION LIFE 
 
 The Indians, and all who live up the rivers, 
 especially about the sand-hills, are very subject to 
 attacks of opthalmia, caused by the glare and heat 
 from the sand, v^hich is so white as frequently to 
 be taken for chalk. The suffering which is ex- 
 perienced when inflammation is set up is most dis- 
 tressing, and the light becomes intolerable. The 
 eyes of those who inhabit the river districts of the 
 colony are also liable to be attacked by a small fly,, 
 which causes intense annoyance during the rainy 
 season. They are a perfect pest for the time, and 
 very often cause inflammation. There is another 
 small fly which punctures the skin and draws blood: 
 a person after their visitation presents very much 
 the appearance of a victim to the ravages of small 
 pox. Their bite must be slightly poisonous, for it 
 causes a terrible irritation of the skin and the for- 
 mation of pustules wherever the insect has inserted 
 its proboscis. It would be a lengthened task to 
 refer to all the vermin that have a share in making 
 life miserable in the bush. As, however, we are 
 on the subject, it will be a convenient opportunity, 
 for touching on some of the most common pests 
 that afflict humanity in the wilds of Guiana. The 
 chigoe is one of the most formidable. It is very 
 much like a small flea, and is found in sandy 
 places, particularly in deserted Indian huts. It 
 burrows in the skin, and generally selects some 
 tender part of the foot, under the toenails for in- 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. 47 
 
 Stance, and there it makes its nest. As the feet 
 of the Indians are bare and unprotected, it may be 
 imagined how exposed they are to its attacks : 
 even persons who wear shoes and stockings do not 
 escape. The insidious miner is not felt at first ; 
 but, after a few days, a slight itching is felt, and 
 if this be not attended to, the part gets inflamed 
 as the nest increases in dimension. It must then 
 be extracted with a needle, being about the size of 
 a small pea, otherwise a whole family of chigoes 
 will set up their establishment on the spot, and 
 the result will be amputation, if not mortification. 
 It is usual, as a measure of precaution, to rub to- 
 bacco-ash or some other acrid substance into the 
 hole from which the nest has been extracted. 
 The Indians keep chigoes at a distance by anoint- 
 ing themselves with the oil made from the seed of 
 the Crab-wood (Carapa-Guianensis), which has a 
 bitter principle in it. It is this oil that the 
 Indian women also use for their beautiful long, 
 black hair. As the chigoe luxuriates in a warm, 
 dry place, he can be dislodged by a copious use of 
 water. There is also a plant frequently found 
 growing near the huts of the Indians, the leaves of 
 which strewn on the ground are said to rid a place 
 of them. This plant presents one of the curi- 
 osities of the vegetable kingdom. It has a seed 
 with two claws, which is called by the Indians 
 
48 MISSION LIFE 
 
 Bahouribadda or bat's claw. ^ In the cultivated 
 districts of the colony also the chigoe is not un- 
 common ; delighting in the dusty floors of the 
 Negro and Coolie houses, where cleanliness is at a 
 discount. The hands and feet of the children 
 frequently display a horrible picture of the result 
 of neglect ; the ends of the fingers and toes pre- 
 senting all the appearance of having been nibbled 
 by rats. 
 
 Another insect-nuisance is the wood-tick, which 
 attacks those who have occasion to journey through 
 the forest. They fasten on the skin of the traveller 
 and gorge themselves with his blood, just as some 
 of the same genus exhibit a fondness for dogs and 
 other animals, causing infinite discomfort. 
 
 A bloodsucker of a larger description is the bat, 
 which is found every where in British Guiana. It 
 takes up its abode in old buildings, especially 
 those which are uninhabited, in hollow trees, 
 caverns, &c. There are many different kinds of 
 bats, some of which grow to a large size. The 
 traveller who slings his hammock in the open 
 forest, or in a benab at some Indian settlement, or 
 in some unfrequented dwelling, must not be 
 surprised in the morning to find marks of blood 
 about his resting place, and a puncture on his foot 
 or some other part of the body, from which a con- 
 
 * Martyria proboscidea. See Good Words for August 1866, p. 528, 
 where it is figured. 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. 49 
 
 siderable quantity of blood has been taken in 
 the night while he was asleep. Bats also attack 
 horses, pigs, Sec, and are very destructive to ripe 
 fruit. In the day-time they hang together in a 
 great cluster, like a fresh swarm of bees when they 
 settle on a tree, and only come out in the dusk of 
 the evening to make war upon the winged insects. 
 In towns they harbour under the eaves of houses 
 and are detested on account of the unpleasant 
 odour that attends them ^. 
 
 There is a very tiny insect which causes great 
 inconvenience to the pedestrian by burrowing 
 under the skin and giving rise to an intolerable 
 irritation. This induces its victim to scratch the 
 part, and he is soon tormented with numerous 
 ulcers. The wretched little cause of this misery 
 is called " Bete rouge." It particularly affects a 
 fine kind of grass, tempting on account of its rich 
 
 ^ Mr. Youd writes, " When I was in the Institution at Islington, I 
 remember to have stated that the bats of this country bite people 
 while asleep, to one who ridiculed me for, as he thought, such a false 
 account ; but I would that he were here ; the bats would soon con- 
 firm the statement to him, unless, by mosquito netting, he should 
 keep them off"; for they sometimes bleed my nephew and the children 
 well, and every young person, on the nose, arms, fingers, legs, and 
 toes, especially; taking small pieces clean off, as though cut by a 
 knife, and that in a moment ; and as to the fowls, they bleed them 
 in the course of a few days, actually to death. They are not always 
 so desperate ; but both I and others occasionally suffer loss by them 
 in this way." 
 
 It is usual, in places that are infested with bats, to burn a lamp all 
 night in the fowl-house, hog-pen, or wherever stock is kept. This is 
 supposed to dazzle them and prevent them from doing any mischief. 
 
 E 
 
50 MISSION LIFE 
 
 emerald colour and lawn-like growth, called 
 " Bahama "" or " DeviFs grass;" but it is found 
 on all kinds of herbage. There is no prophylactic 
 against it except crab oil ; but most persons would 
 probably rather submit to the assaults of the bete 
 rouge than daub themselves with this evil- 
 smelling remedy. 
 
 In the inhabited parts of the colony snakes are 
 not at all common ; but in the wild waste of forest 
 and savannah they are not only frequently met 
 with but are also of a very venomous character. 
 The largest kind is a species of boa called the 
 water camoudi, which has been known to exceed 
 thirty feet in length, and is amphibious. It is not 
 venomous, but destroys its prey by crushing it in 
 its folds. The land camoudi or kolokonarou is 
 beautifully marked. The rattlesnake, bushmaster, 
 and labarri are the best known of the venomous 
 snakes. The Indians pretend to be able to cure 
 the bites of some of these ; but cases are constantly 
 occuring of death from snake-bites. The Negroes 
 of Surinam are sometimes inoculated with a 
 secret specific, which renders them as invulnerable 
 against the bite of a snake as hogs are. It is a 
 comfort to know that snakes nearly always en- 
 deavour to escape from man, if they have the 
 opportunity; but if encountered unawares, or if 
 anyone intrude near the place where a female has 
 deposited her young, they attack with the utmost 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. 5 1 
 
 malignity. The roof thatch is not uncommonly 
 the resort of snakes, and they have been known 
 to find their way into a bed or hammock where a 
 person was sleeping, for the sake of the warmth. 
 It seems a providential arrangement that the 
 rattlesnake, whose bite is most deadly, is very 
 sluggish in its movements- Perhaps it is from 
 this circumstance that the popular notion has 
 arisen that before it strikes it will shake its rattle 
 three times. 
 
 Mr. Youd writes, "We killed three kinds of 
 snakes in one day ; indeed they are very numer- 
 ous here. This week I killed a snake in the room 
 under the house, and one in the school, coiled up 
 under one of the children's slates. They some-r 
 times take tithe of our fowls, &c." 
 
 The spiders of British Guiana are very large, 
 and some of them exceedingly noxious. There is 
 a great, black, hairy fellow, called the Tarantula, 
 who is furnished with two most formidable claws. 
 His bite will surely produce fever. 
 
 These are some of the pests which a person 
 living in the interior, like Mr. Youd, has to put 
 up with, to say nothing of centipedes, scorpions, 
 cockroaches, ants, &c., 6cc. 
 
 It need scarcely be said that, to anyone coming 
 
 from a country in which all such scourges have 
 
 been exterminated, it was no slight drawback to 
 
 the comfort and security of life to be constantly 
 
 E 2 
 
^2 MISSION LIFE IN BRITISH GUIANA. 
 
 subject to the apprehension of their attacks. It 
 takes off considerably from the romance of the 
 situation to get up in the morning and find one's 
 fowls swallowed by a camoudi, and one's pigs 
 sucked to death by bats, and be laid up with angry 
 ulcers on the ancles through enjoying a stroll on a 
 particularly nice-looking patch of lawn-like grass. 
 The sky is clear, the air exhilarating and balmy, 
 the climate delightfully equable, and the face of 
 Nature most charming ; but what a catalogue of 
 horrors when you step forth to make an intimate 
 acquaintance with the beauties so lavishly displayed 
 on every side. The bete rouge almost drives you 
 to distraction, the wood-tick torments you hor- 
 ribly, the snakes frighten you out of your life, the 
 bat will hardly allow you to sleep for dread of 
 being drained of your life-blood, and the chigoe 
 threatens you with a prospect of amputation. 
 Such are some of the delights of a life in the wilds 
 of Guiana ; and such it was the lot of Mr. Youd 
 to endure uncomplainingly. Let no timid man 
 attempt it. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 1835- 
 
 It must have been a pleasant sight on a Sunday- 
 morning to see the corials coming from various 
 directions, each with its quota of worshippers to 
 make up the congregation at Bartica, which now 
 numbered about a hundred and twenty. Those 
 from a distance generally arrived on Saturday 
 with their pegalls, or baskets of Indian manufac- 
 ture, containing their best clothes. Those who 
 came on Sunday dressed in the dwellings of 
 their acquaintance before service. The men, with 
 their dark hair and copper coloured skin, looked 
 neat and clean in their white shirts and light 
 trowsers ; the women with their long, glossy hair, 
 plaited in long queues presented a picturesque 
 appearance in their cotton dresses and gaily 
 coloured kerchiefs, although their figures would 
 have appeared strangely clumsy and uncouth to 
 an English belle. First of all there was a service 
 in English, as there were many, chiefly among the 
 coloured people, i. e. descendants of the old Dutch 
 
54 MISSION LIFE 
 
 settlers who had Negro blood in their veins, who 
 understood that language. Although forming a 
 part of his charge, Mr. Youd was not proud of his 
 success among this class. He remarks that there 
 were many " wayside hearers " among them. 
 Occasionally some among them showed signs of 
 deep conviction. " There is one poor Negro," writes 
 Mr. Youd, " of the name of Batay, who^ I am per- 
 suaded, is under strong conviction of sin ; while 
 she with tears often says, ' Sin lies heavy on my 
 breast.' I never saw a person, who under the Word 
 could be so overcome . . . There are several others 
 much in the same state." Most of these people lived 
 an easy, indolent, careless life and being left very 
 much to themselves had very little regard for re- 
 ligion. The following dialogue will serve to show 
 something of their character. Mr. Youd calls at 
 a settlement of these coloured people, and meets 
 with an old man to whom he had often spoken on 
 the same subject previously. The language used is 
 Creole-Dutch, a corrupt patois inherited from the 
 early Dutch settlers. 
 
 Mr. Youd : " Well, old man, you never come 
 to chapel now. How is it? You see I come 
 close by your house to hold service every Friday, 
 and yet you never come." 
 
 He replied, " I am sickly ; my knees tremble 
 when I walk." 
 
 " Yes ; but, old man, I saw you going about a 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. ^^ 
 
 little while ago, in Mazaruni and Cuyuni rivers ; 
 and if you can go about so, you can attend chapel." 
 
 "Me! me! when was I in Cuyuni? You must 
 be mistaken." 
 
 I said. "You were in Cuyuni when I was 
 keeping school there ; for I saw you." 
 
 " Oh, yes ; I remember." 
 
 " Now, old man, you know you have a soul that 
 can never die ; and that soul will be lost if you 
 do not seek to know Jesus. You are an old man, 
 and must soon die : we all must die. Perhaps I 
 may die before you ; but you, from your age, must 
 die soon; and you will lose your soul if you do 
 not pray to Jesus." 
 
 " I cannot understand. What's the use ?" 
 
 " Do not say so : there was a time when I used 
 to come to you, when I could not speak to you ; 
 which made my heart sore : but now I can speak 
 your language, and that you understand. I can 
 teach children, and you can understand as well 
 as they." 
 
 " Oh, yes : that's true." 
 
 " But, remember, old man, you have not to learn 
 to read and write; but to hear and to believe, 
 and to act by what you hear and believe. For 
 instance, if I tell you I am going to town next 
 week ; if it were so would you not believe me?" 
 
 " Yes ; I would." 
 
 " Well ; you would not have to read what I said 
 
56 MISSION LIFE 
 
 neither write it, but believe; and so it is ycu 
 must learn to love Jesus." 
 
 " But I cannot walk much." 
 
 " But, old man, I was here at your house on 
 Saturday last, and then you had gone all the way 
 to Bidral, to put out your hooks : now you can go 
 here and there, but cannot come just round the 
 Point to the Grove. Now, you have no excuse. 
 You have no high hill to climb, as at Bartica; 
 but just to step out of your corial at the water- 
 side, and so come to me : there you will find me 
 willing to teach you and to talk to you about 
 your soul any time, " 
 
 His answer was, " Ah, well. " 
 
 "This," says Mr. Youd, "reminds me of what a 
 Buck (Indian) captain once said to me, ' I want not 
 to be taught. I am content to live and die far 
 in the bush.' " 
 
 But to return to the Sunday service. Imme- 
 diately after the English service was concluded 
 another was held in Creole-Dutch, in order that 
 those who had to go long distances should not be 
 detained later than possible. It is no wonder 
 that after these two services Mr. Youd should 
 sometimes experience great fatigue, occupying as 
 they did nearly four consecutive hours. It is 
 true that he was relieved to some extent by the 
 psalmody; for by this time he had trained up 
 some of the Indian children to lead the congre- 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. ^y 
 
 gation in that pleasant part of the service, and to 
 read the responses tolerably well. But this was 
 not all: there was a third service held at the 
 Grove. It is charming to read " Sometimes 
 God so blesses me that I feel a sweet satisfaction 
 afterwards, though, when the sun is hot, I feel a 
 little spent for an hour or two." 
 
 During the rainy season the congregations ge- 
 nerally fell off in point of numbers ; for, although 
 the Indians are not afraid of the wet, they do not 
 like to sit through the service in damp clothes. 
 In British Guiana there are two wet and two dry 
 seasons in the year. The heavy rainy season ex- 
 tends from April to July; the long dry season 
 from August to November ; the short rainy season 
 comprises the months of December and January ; 
 and the short dry season or Awarra summer, Feb- 
 ruary and March — the pleasantest part of the 
 whole year. There is a good deal of planting 
 done in the month of April on account of the 
 light showers that fall then ; but the close of the 
 year is the most favourable period for putting in 
 the main crops, such as cassada. Sec, which have 
 the hot sun of the dry season to mature them. 
 The Indians resort to superstitious practices in 
 order to ward off any ill from their crops; e.g. 
 they believe that, by burning the branches of a 
 certain tree in their field, their cassada will be 
 saved from being scorched up by drought. During 
 
58 MISSION LIFE 
 
 the early part of April Mr. Youd was with the 
 people in the provision grounds a good deal, 
 encouraging them to take advantage of the few 
 fine days for planting, there having been an un- 
 usual quantity of rain ; but he did not forget to 
 offer up a prayer at the daily assembly for the 
 blessing of fair weather, teaching his people to 
 look to Him Who makes the sun to shine upon 
 the just and unjust and not to trust in any vain 
 and idle ceremony. 
 
 About this time a Macusi chief, named Man- 
 uary, paid a visit to Bartica. The circumstance 
 is note-worthy on account of the influence it had 
 in shaping the subsequent career of Mr. Youd. 
 He was introduced to the Missionary by another 
 Indian chief named Captain Englishman, who had 
 lately joined the Mission, and was, to a great 
 extent, settled there. The Macusi chief, also, 
 was anxious to come and reside there ; but the 
 means of providing for all his people, who were 
 very numerous, were not available. Indeed at this 
 time Mr. Youd's own people were short of pro- 
 visions, and he had to go to the Cuyuni shortly after 
 this to purchase cassada for them. So he told 
 Manuary to send four good working men, in order 
 that they might cut and plant a field ; and when 
 that had grown, then they might all come and be 
 comfortable. After explaining to him the object 
 the Missionaries had in view in gathering the 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. 59 
 
 Indians around them, that they might teach them 
 the knowledge of Christ, and also that they might 
 have a better opportunity of improving them, 
 under the blessing of God, he sent him away to 
 his distant home. That journey to the Cuyuni 
 in search of cassada was a very trying expedition, 
 and must have had a detrimental effect upon 
 Mr. Youd's constitution, complaining, as he was 
 at the time, of a severe cold. The swamps that 
 he had to wade through were sometimes thigh 
 deep, and the air at night was much more chilly 
 than at Bartica; besides, the Indian huts were 
 unenclosed, and therefore the cold was felt all the 
 more. His visits to the Indian settlements here 
 were not attended with success on this occasion. 
 He remarks — "Weekly visits effect but little a- 
 mong the Indian tribes ; for they wander from 
 their homes so often that it is very seldom that 
 a body of them can be seen together. I feel half 
 broken-hearted when I think of these lost Caribs 
 here ; being unable at present to be more among 
 them on account of the settlers at the Grove." 
 
 On Good Friday a congregation assembled 
 twice in the chapel at Bartica, and many wept 
 as they listened to the mournful story of the 
 Saviour's suffering and death on Calvary. 
 
 On Easter-Day he was summoned to visit an 
 Indian named Stephen, who was very ill. His 
 sickness had been brought on with a severe cold 
 
60 MISSION LIFE 
 
 through working for some length of time in the 
 damp bush. Mr. Youd administered such medi- 
 cines as he thought proper, and as the sick man 
 expressed a wish to be removed to the Mission 
 house, he was carried there. " I am very thankful 
 to the committee,"' writes Mr. Youd to the 
 C. M. S., "for allowing me medicines; there 
 being no doctor in this quarter, every family looks 
 to me, and I thank God that He has almost con- 
 tinually given healing virtue to the medicines 
 dispensed by me." 
 
 Before the introduction of Christianity the 
 Indians depended entirely upon their piaimen 
 for the cure of their more serious ailments. If 
 the skill of these pretenders was found to be un- 
 availing, the sufferers were left to their fate. In 
 this respect the Indians are very unfeeling. They 
 will go about their usual business, absenting them- 
 selves from their homes from morning till night, 
 and leave a sick person lying helpless in a ham- 
 mock, without any one near to give them so much 
 as a drink of waters No doubt much of the 
 popularity of the piaimen is to be attributed to 
 their knowledge of medicinal herbs. They live 
 
 ^ Mr. McClintock, special Magistrate of the Pomeroon River and 
 its tributaries, in his half yearly report (Jan, 7, 1875) alludes to the 
 " extreme heartless disposition of the race towards each other, in 
 sickness especially. This utter want of feeling causes the sufferings 
 of many of the poor creatures to be quite appalling. In too many 
 instances the dying are left to take care of themselves, fear causing 
 those who are well to abandon their settlements." 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. 6 1 
 
 in a country which is bountifully endowed with 
 vegetable productions of rare virtue, and it is their 
 business to make themselves acquainted with the 
 properties of these and their effects upon the 
 human system. Not only the Indians, but the 
 woodcutters, and all who live in the bush, far 
 away from civilization, are forced to depend upon 
 their own resources and the gifts of Providence, 
 in the event of sickness or disease overtaking 
 them; for they are quite beyond the reach of 
 professional assistance. And this is another 
 disadvantage under which a Missionary to the 
 Indians labours. Dysentery, buck-sick, ophthal- 
 mia, and fever are complaints to which every one 
 is liable in that tropical climate, and each of them 
 (particularly the first two) is apt to be attended 
 with serious consequences, if not carefully watched 
 in its early stages. There in the forest, however, 
 are remedies provided by the Merciful Father, 
 which tradition hands down from generation to 
 generation, to moderate the flood of ills to which 
 our poor flesh is heir and to assuage our suffer- 
 ings. Some of the plants most commonly resort- 
 ed to by the Indians in sickness, are cultivated in 
 the immediate vicinity of their dwellings. There 
 you may see the boora-boora, which furnishes an 
 antidote for snake-bites, and the hiarry, used in 
 poisoning the water to catch fish ; there also you 
 will see the plants which the Indian believes will 
 
62 MISSION LIFE 
 
 give him luck in hunting, this for deer, this for 
 wild hog, this for turtle, and this for driving away 
 jumbies or spirits, if carried in the pouch or 
 rubbed on the breast. Since the establishment 
 of Christian Missions throughout the colony a 
 regular supply of medicines has been provided, 
 in most cases at the expense of the Diocesan 
 Church Society; and the Government has occa- 
 sionally forwarded supplies also. The superior 
 efficacy of these to the rude remedies administer- 
 ed by the piaimen has no doubt contributed to 
 destroy the confidence which was once so impli- 
 citly reposed in these characters, since it was de- 
 monstrated to their dupes that the power was 
 not of men but of God. The Rev. W. H. Brett, 
 speaking of the benefit derived by the Indians at 
 Waramuri, from these medicines during a period 
 of severe sickness in 1845, when as many as 300 
 doses were issued in the course of one month, 
 says, "Were there no other result than the tem- 
 poral benefit that flowed from the Mission at 
 Waramuri, all the exertion and expense of its 
 establishment would still have been amply re- 
 warded." And of how many missions is not the 
 same thing true ? 
 
 At the end of April Mr. Youd received a letter 
 informing him of the approach of a schooner with 
 a party of visitors on board. He, therefore, imme- 
 diately manned a boat with Indians and proceed- 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. 63 
 
 ed to the vessel to invite them to his house. 
 The party consisted of the Rev. Leonard Strong, 
 Rector of St. Matthews (through whose instru- 
 mentality the Church Missionary Society had 
 been led to establish the Mission at Bartica); 
 Mr. W. B. Pollard, a layman, who took a deep 
 interest in the Missionary work of the Church ; 
 Mr. Armstrong, who was on his return to his 
 post, having brought with him a wife from Eng- 
 land ; a brother of Mr. Armstrong, and Mr. Carter, 
 Catechist at Leguan^, an island at the mouth 
 of the Essequibo. The following morning after 
 prayers Mr. Youd conducted his visitors to an 
 Arawaak settlement, where a number of Indians 
 assembled, and Mr. Strong addressed them, 
 Mr. Youd acting as his interpreter. In the even- 
 ing, service was held, as usual, at a place called 
 Hooboo, there being a very good attendance; 
 when Mr. Strong again preached and Mr. Youd 
 interpreted. Next day the provision grounds, on 
 which the people were very busily employed, 
 were inspected. The following day was Sunday, 
 "After morning prayer at the Grove," writes 
 Mr. Youd, " Mr. Strong and party accompanied 
 us to the chapel. We first sang a hymn ; I then 
 prayed in Dutch ; after which the Rev. L. Strong 
 preached in English, which I interpreted in 
 
 ^ So called from the abundance of Iguanas there — a large lizard, 
 much relished as food. 
 
64 MISSION LIFE 
 
 Creole -Dutch. Mr. Strong then conducted an 
 English service and delivered the Sacrament ; 
 our friends partaking with our six members whom 
 I recommended to that ordinance, among whom 
 was a Prow- wean Indian. We all had a refresh- 
 ing day." On Monday they commenced a jour- 
 ney up the Essequibo, and by midnight found they 
 had proceeded a distance of thirty miles. The 
 currents of these rivers are so rapid that it is im- 
 possible to make any way against the tide. 
 When, therefore, the tide turns, the boat has to 
 be tied at the water-side and the voyagers go 
 ashore, if the spot is favourable for camping, 
 and remain until the stream again flows in the 
 direction in which they are going. On Tuesday 
 they continued their journey, calling at the prin- 
 cipal settlements that they passed in order to 
 hold service, Mr. Strong usually preaching and 
 Mr. Youd interpreting. The falls of the Essequibo 
 were reached this day. The river, broken into many 
 channels by huge rocks, and swollen by the heavy 
 rains, poured down over the opposing obstacles 
 with terrific force. The descent of these falls is 
 not only "awfully grand," as Mr. Youd says, but 
 attended with imminent risk ; and the ascent is 
 attended with great labour and difficulty. In 
 shooting the rapids, on their return, one corial 
 took in a large quantity of water. In the even- 
 ing Mr. Strong preached at Epia, where a 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. 6$ 
 
 suitable spot was selected for an out-station 
 chapel. 
 
 A striking natural phenomenon was met with 
 in this expedition, of which the following account 
 is given by Mr. Strong. "We stopped to inspect 
 a very extraordinary rock, based on a point, and 
 extending its broad surface over a large space on 
 each side : the outside is fluted in large columns, 
 from the incessant rains, that have been dropping 
 from the spreading trees, which have successively 
 grown upon it during the space of 2000 or 3000 
 years : the upper surface is excavated into a 
 variety of recesses or small chambers : one, being 
 more elevated than all the rest, has acquired for 
 it the name of the pulpit or chapel rock. We 
 ascended it by a natural winding staircase, and 
 standing on its summit, with all the Indians, 
 we sang the beautiful hymn, " Rock of ages, cleft 
 for me." Mr. Youd describes this rock more 
 minutely. *'One very remarkable sight is the 
 Praek-stool or pulpit, and pews. It is one solid 
 lofty rock, standing upon one grand pillar, then 
 hanging over in the front for several yards: at 
 the back is a road by which to walk up : on the 
 top is the pulpit, having an entrance open like a 
 doorway, with a seat inside : all round, with the 
 exception of the door, is enclosed by perpendic- 
 ular, slab-like rock, formed by Nature's powerful 
 operations in the course of time. The pews are 
 F 
 
66 MISSION LIFE 
 
 chiefly square, much like the double seats in our 
 churches, and are fully as deep,, being sufficient to 
 hold a congregation of about forty. I was inform- 
 ed that a minister preached in the above pulpit 
 many years ago, during the time the Dutch had 
 plantations in that quarter. The whole is only 
 one rock, so formed by water, as I should suppose 
 from the form of neighbouring rocks at times 
 covered with water. There would be no difficulty 
 in accounting for this wonder of nature, were 
 it not that it is so many feet above the level of 
 the island on which it is placed : its diameter is 
 about thirty feet." 
 
 Mr. Strong was extremely gratified with all 
 that he saw during this visit. He writes, " Mr. 
 Youd has cleared a front of 1400 or 1500 feet: 
 in the centre he has erected a very suitable build- 
 ing. On each side of his house the Indian houses 
 are to extend: at present they have only erected 
 their kitchens, under which they now reside. 
 Near to the house is the schoolroom, a building 
 about thirty-six feet by seventeen, for which no 
 charge is made, erected by the Indians. There 
 are now resident with him ninety-five Indians, 
 all of the Accawoio nation; and never can I 
 forget the joyful, hopeful sensations of my heart 
 at this infant settlement. The broad sandy 
 beach is covered at times with the Indian chil- 
 dren, gambolling before the village: every coun- 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. 67 
 
 tenance seems cheerful, and the obedience, rever- 
 ence, and confidence which they evince toward 
 Mr. Youd are astonishing. The Indians are now 
 very busy in planting up their provision grounds 
 aback." So satisfied was Mr. Strong, judging 
 from the past success of the Mission, of the pros- 
 pect of its permanence, that on his return to his 
 parish he memorialized the Governor and ob- 
 tained a further grant of land at Bartica, making 
 in all 560 acres, for the purposes of the Mission. 
 
 F 2 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 1835. 
 
 Mr. Armstrong, having returned to his post, 
 now resumed the direction of affairs at the Mission. 
 It has already been mentioned that Mr. Youd 
 had transferred his quarters from the original 
 station at Bartica Point to the Grove. The house 
 formerly occupied by Mr. Armstrong, not having 
 been occupied in the interval, was not, therefore, 
 in a very habitable condition. It is astonishing 
 how rapidly in that country buildings will fall 
 into ruin unless they are well cared for, and the 
 incipient symptoms of decay or first inroads of 
 destructive insects provided against. When 
 once the wood-ants have established a footing in 
 a building they must either be exterminated or 
 the building will fall a prey to their assaults, for 
 they will eat out the heart of all the wood work, 
 unless it is either too tough for their mastication 
 or too nauseous for their stomach. In selecting 
 materials for building, the ravages of these wood- 
 ants have to be borne in mind. If the soft deal 
 
MISSION LIFE IN BRITISH GUIANA. 69 
 
 imported from North America is used, there is a 
 prospect of the structure having to be renewed 
 every few years, as Missionaries have discovered 
 to their cost. The wood-ants make their first 
 approach to a building by a covered way which 
 they ingeniously construct, and under the protec- 
 tion of which they carry on their operations. If, 
 when this sign of their presence is first discovered, 
 a little arsenic or calomel is poured into it 
 through an opening made, it will rid the place of 
 them; but if they are not molested they will 
 make large brown nests, from which they will 
 issue, as from a fortress, and attack the building 
 in every direction. 
 
 When Mr. Armstrong took possession of his 
 old house he found it in a very ruinous condition. 
 The thatch of the roof was old and afforded but 
 little protection from the weather. Unfortunate- 
 ly it was now the heavy rainy season, and he and 
 his wife had to sit in the house with an umbrella 
 to protect them from the rain. During the time 
 that he had been in England he had received 
 ordination. His presence was very welcome 
 to Mr. Youd, for it relieved him of some of his 
 most responsible duties, and enabled him to de- 
 vote a portion of his time to the study of the 
 Indian language. He writes, "May 20, 1835. 
 I have been a good deal engaged in increasing 
 my Caribeese Dictionary." His work of teaching 
 
70 MISSION LIFE 
 
 afforded him real pleasure and satisfaction. " In 
 the evening catechised our people and felt much 
 delight while so doing. I do believe, that God 
 will, before long, cause His Spirit to work on some 
 of these poor Indians^ hearts: they are really very 
 attentive. — June 7, Lord's day. I question whe- 
 ther I have enjoyed a Pentecostal day since 1 
 came out, as I experienced to-day : had about 
 seventy hearers, who continued, for the greater 
 part, until about nine o'clock at night. I was 
 quite fatigued when we had ended our several 
 meetings. — June 14, Lord's day. I have been 
 out in the highways and hedges^ directing the 
 poor wandering Indians to seek after God." 
 
 Meanwhile sickness and the many inconveni- 
 ences incident to the position which they occupied, 
 so trying to a lady brought up with all the com- 
 forts of life in an English home, decided Mr. 
 Armstrong and his wife to quit the colony ; so 
 he resigned the charge of the Mission, and Mr. 
 Youd was again placed in the responsible position 
 of superintendent of the work, his nephew being 
 still engaged in the work of conducting the school. 
 On June 14 he notes in his diary, " This morning 
 a youth, son to the wife of Stephen, who is now 
 sick at my house, died in the next chamber to 
 the one in which Stephen is lying. — June 15. 
 To-day I buried the youth at Drumpan Hill. I 
 spoke at some length to the assembled crowd on 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. 71 
 
 the importance of looking early for God's renewing 
 grace. — June 16. Stephen is now dying. We 
 prayed with him twice. He was received into 
 the Church by Baptism, while sick, by the Rev. 
 L. Strong. I remained with him until one o'clock, 
 and saw him passing tJie valley of the shadow of 
 death; he died in about five minutes after I 
 went out of the room. It may not be hard to 
 imagine the state of my mind, having two deaths 
 in one family in three days. — June 17. I hope 
 that both Stephen and the little boy have died 
 in the Lord. We buried Stephen to-day at 
 Agatath, having a great number of people in 
 attendance." 
 
 Unfortunately these two deaths were but the 
 avant-coiiriers of a great mortality. A month 
 later we find the following entry. — " Three of 
 my Indians were seized with fever, which is 
 the forerunner of measles ? " An ominous word ! 
 This complaint makes awful havoc when it breaks 
 out among the Indians, who have a superstitious 
 dread of death, and very frequently create an 
 epidemic through their faint-hearted and unreason- 
 ing fears. Often has a promising mission been 
 scattered before the ravages of some insidious 
 disease, although the attachment of the Indians 
 to particular localities is proverbial. In 1856 the 
 people at the Cabacaburi Mission in the Pomeroon 
 suffered terribly from measles and a malignant 
 
72 MISSION LIFE 
 
 kind of dysentery called " buck-sick," to which the 
 Caribs, more than any other tribe, are peculiarly 
 subject. " Some of them/' wrote Mr. Brett, " have 
 gone into the dense forest to escape the disease, 
 and have cut down large trees to stop others from 
 coming among them." Mr. Youd goes on to say, 
 " I have at the Grove no fewer than thirteen ill 
 with the measles: to attend upon them I am 
 obliged to get an experienced old coloured woman, 
 who watches over them, and can carry into practice 
 any medical direction I give. Six are recovering, 
 and the rest are doing as well as can be expected. 
 — July 24, 25. I feel concerned about some of 
 our sick, for death seems to be near some ; perhaps 
 I may with a clear conscience say I have used 
 almost every effort possible ; and what shall I say 
 but—' God's will be done.' " 
 
 On the day following he went to open a new 
 chapel in the Cuyuni, where a former assistant 
 was now stationed among the Caribs located 
 there. The service commenced with a hymn 
 composed by Mr. Youd in the Carabeese language ; 
 this was followed by prayer, after which he read 
 a short address, also in Carabeese, and then spoke 
 to them freely through the medium of an inter- 
 preter. The service concluded with another hymn 
 and prayer. " I do not know," writes Mr. Youd, 
 " whether these Caribs ever sang the praises of 
 God in their own language before, but they sang 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. 73 
 
 with heart and spirit to-day." One of the Indians, 
 observing that some in his neighbourhood did 
 not join in with sufficient heartiness, was heard 
 to exclaim, " Come, sing ! this is our own lan- 
 guage." But while the missionary was engaged 
 in this promising work, which was to extend the 
 kingdom of Christ more widely among the un- 
 tutored heathen, he could not prevent his thoughts 
 from wandering back to those whom he had left 
 at the Grove. While he could not but feel satis- 
 fied with the progress of the Gospel in the Cuyuni, 
 the sufferings and imminent peril of the other 
 members of his flock weighed down his spirits. 
 No time was therefore lost in returning to what 
 was now the post of danger. " I had scarcely 
 had time to put off my clothes," he says, " before 
 I had to hasten to help one of our dying people. 
 I had occasion to leave him to go to another, and 
 before I could return he died. On account of 
 the Indians being so afraid of the dead, I had to 
 lay it out myself. On Monday we buried him a 
 little distance from the Grove. A few hours after 
 the burial of the above, a second young man 
 died, apparently in much pain. Him we buried 
 on Tuesday. During the night, or rather on 
 Wednesday morning, I was awakened by a la- 
 mentable cry from our schoolroom, which I have 
 been obliged to convert into a temporary sick- 
 house while the measles are raging here. I well 
 
74 MISSION LIFE 
 
 understood the cry, and immediately proceeded 
 thither, to aid in comforting the sorrowing re- 
 latives. The deceased is a fine young woman, a 
 sister to the above. My nephew and myself had 
 to remove her, for the Indians would not even 
 touch her." No doubt the execution of these last 
 kind offices for their dead, exemplifying as it did 
 the active virtues of Christianity, was not without 
 its effect upon the minds of these poor terror- 
 stricken creatures. About three weeks later Mr. 
 Youd writes, "August 17. The Lord seems, at 
 this time especially, to be trying our faith greatly. 
 The spreading of the measles among our people 
 has caused a great alarm, not only among the 
 settlers, but also among those far distant, who 
 desire to come but dare not ; some, indeed, 
 came to see me, but said they must return at least 
 part way, until the sickness had passed, which 
 they did, but yet were overtaken by it about forty 
 miles beyond us." 
 
 It may be remembered that during the visit of 
 Rev. L. Strong to the Falls of the Essequibo a 
 site was fixed upon at a place called Epia to 
 build a chapel. This building was proceeded with 
 at once and completed by the end of August. It 
 was enclosed with split manicole\ and the roof 
 
 ^ The manicole is a tall graceful palm, having a slight stem about 
 six inches in diameter. This is split and formed into laths for enclosing 
 buildings. The fronds are used for thatch. It grows in swamps. In 
 Surinam it is called the " palisade tree." 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. 75 
 
 was thatched with the manicole leaf. On August 
 30, Mr. Youd held the first service in the new 
 chapel. There were between seventy and eighty 
 Indians present. They felt very proud of their 
 place of worship, and expressed an intention to 
 do something towards making it a credit to them. 
 In this good resolution they received every pos- 
 sible encouragement. School was afterwards held, 
 many of the people being anxious to learn to read ; 
 and next day after prayers Mr. Youd returned to 
 his labours at the Grove, thankful that God had 
 vouchsafed this further opening to preach the 
 Gospel among the Aborigines. Of course the 
 great distance prevented the missionary from 
 visiting the place frequently, but it is interesting 
 to find these preaching places set up in the wilder- 
 ness for a witness, even though only occasional 
 services might be held in them. Very often these 
 occasional visits afforded Mr. Youd much com- 
 fort and encouragement, for he found that in 
 proportion to their rarity the people valued the at- 
 tention paid them. Sometimes instances of great 
 earnestness and solicitude came under his observa- 
 tion. Thus he notes, "October 16. Held a meeting 
 at Hoobo, having about twenty present. A young 
 man of the Arawaak tribe stood beside one of 
 the posts of the shed under which we were, and 
 fastened his eyes upon me during the whole time 
 I was speaking, apparently much interested in 
 
76 MISSION LIFE 
 
 what was said." Two days after this, during the 
 Sunday morning service in the chapel at Bartica, 
 a heavy squall came on attended by rain, and 
 took ofif the ridge of the roof, which was of palm 
 leaves. The consequence was, that the rain 
 poured in upon the congregation, and the service 
 had to be suspended until the squall had passed 
 over. British Guiana lies beyond the region of 
 hurricanes ; but it is sometimes visited with fierce 
 gales of wind that might almost be called tor- 
 nadoes. Crashing through the forest it sweeps a 
 path right and left, as straight as a road, snapping 
 off the mighty boughs of the towering giants as 
 if they had been match-wood. Heavy rain in 
 October, however, is an unusual occurrence. In 
 that latitude October is usually a dry month, one 
 of the pleasantest in the year on account of the 
 return of the refreshing North-east trade winds, 
 which cease to blow regularly during the hot 
 dry months of July, August, and September, 
 and thus make this the "sickly season" of the 
 country. 
 
 There are indications about this time in Mr. 
 Youd's diary that he was already beginning to 
 feel the debilitating effects of the climate in an 
 undue excitement of the nervous system. "I 
 fear teaching school," he says, " will soon break 
 my constitution ; the hum of the children's going 
 through their lessons now continually gives me 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. y^ 
 
 headache, but I will try yet longer to see if I 
 can hold out, but if I fail in that, my duties are 
 heavy enough for me ; for now there is a longing 
 among the people for the expounding of the 
 Scripture. Congregations are not wanting, every 
 house and creek where Indians are is open, but 
 the school forbids my wandering much just now, 
 except on the Lord's day." School-teaching in 
 that hot climate is very exhaustive of the vital 
 powers, and the addition to that of numerous 
 other duties, leaving but a few hours for relaxation 
 and rest, was putting a strain upon the constitution 
 which it could not be expected to endure for any 
 length of time. This accumulation of labours had, 
 however, lately been again forced on Mr. Youd 
 in consequence of the death, after a short illness, 
 of his nephew and schoolmaster, Mr. W. Youd. 
 His end was probably hastened by injudicious 
 exposure and excessive exertion, common traps 
 into which many a young European is tempted 
 to fall by that fatal sense of security engendered 
 by the exhilarating air and balmy climate. 
 
 On November 30 Mr. Youd started on another 
 trip to the Falls of Essequibo. His principal 
 object was to visit an Indian settlement, named 
 " Marrahee," situated near the third fall, in order 
 to find out, if he could, why so many Indians at 
 Bartica should so frequently desire to go to this 
 place. Being unwell when he left, he had to lie 
 
y^ MISSION LIFE . 
 
 down in the boat during the whole of the journey. 
 On the following day they arrived at Mar- 
 rahee, and he writes — " Came to the above- 
 mentioned settlement, and truly, of all the Indian 
 residences I have ever seen, none can be com- 
 pared to this for wretchedness. The whole place 
 is covered with underwood, weeds, and high 
 grass; the houses well pierced with sky lights 
 above, so that the rain can have no difficulty in 
 wetting the inmates at all hours of the night; 
 the heavy dews themselves, I am persuaded, must 
 take possession of the whole of the houses, for 
 they are as open all round as an umbrella when 
 spread out ; and to mend the matter, they have 
 chosen to dwell some distance in the heavy moosa 
 bush, beside a cold creek, amidst all the miseries 
 of a dreary hiding place. Of the people three or 
 four were lying ill, five or six of our own settlers 
 had just come out of the measles, which had at- 
 tacked them while on a visit hither; and two 
 others were suffering from having taken cold. I 
 could not help saying to one — ' Is this the Mar- 
 rahee of which you speak ? You had better return 
 quickly to the Grove or you will soon be dead 
 men.' Oh, thought I, if this be the place which 
 you have so often asked me to let you come to, 
 you will not get permission so easily again, unless 
 some changes take place in those dungeon-Uke 
 habitations. We slept under small tents during 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. 79 
 
 the night, on the side of the river.-" The next day 
 they came to Etabally. Of the striking scenery 
 at this point of the river, he says — "It is truly 
 delightful to behold the scenery at this place: 
 the rocks, standing as islands in the bed of the 
 river, without even a shrub to cover them, form a 
 noble contrast with the numerous islands covered 
 with towering trees, and wild, spreading vines, 
 while the water roars beneath and above, as it 
 crosses the rocks in a rapid stream on its way 
 to the ocean." Another object which Mr. Youd 
 had in undertaking this journey to the falls was 
 to procure a supply of fish, as they were out of 
 provisions ; and in this they were fortunately 
 very successful. There were about twenty of his 
 people who volunteered to accompany him, and 
 wherever they might be, alone in the waste forest, 
 or at a friendly settlement, or afloat on the mag- 
 nificent river, they sent up their morning and 
 evening sacrifice of praise and prayer to Him 
 who dwelleth in the heavens. 
 
 The rivers of Guiana abound with fish in great 
 variety, some of them of exceeding delicacy; pacu, 
 haimura, lau-lau, cuffum, cartabac, dali, luganani 
 or sun-fish, gilbacker, queriman, &c. ; and every 
 little creek and pond teems with smaller speci- 
 mens of the finny tribe, as asser, houri, mullet, &c. 
 It is wonderful how some of them get there, 
 unless they are the produce of ova deposited in 
 
80 MISSION LIFE 
 
 the earth, and which have resisted the scorching 
 heat of the dry season ; for if rain falls and 
 settles in a hollow that has been perfectly dry 
 for weeks, perhaps months, in a short time the 
 water will be found to be tenanted by small fry. 
 No allusion is here made to such fish as might 
 travel overland in search of water, as some are 
 reported to do, or of those which bury themselves 
 in the mud, as the water in the small streams 
 disappears, to await the return of the next rainy 
 season. Various methods are resorted to by the 
 Indians for securing a supply of fish. The readiest 
 is to find a small creek suitable for their purpose, 
 a section of which they enclose by making two 
 weirs or barriers a certain distance apart, with 
 stakes or reeds fastened together ; the fish are thus 
 confined in a trap, as it were, from which there 
 is very little difficulty in getting them out. Some- 
 what similar to this is the plan adopted in using 
 the hiarry; this is a poisonous plant which the 
 Indians generally have growing in the vicinity of 
 their houses. When they are going to fish, they 
 take a bundle of hiarry with the roots, beat them 
 with a mallet, and then steep them in water in a 
 corial. After a time they empty this water into 
 the river or creek where they intend it to operate ; 
 and the fish, being stupefied by the poison, float 
 on the surface and are secured. The poison does 
 not render the fish unwholesome. This was most 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. 8 1 
 
 probably the method adopted by the people who 
 travelled with Mr. Youd to the Falls. 
 
 The Indians are marvellously clever in shooting 
 fish with the bow and arrow. Their quickness 
 of eye in detecting the unsuspecting victim far 
 down in the clear water, and their sureness of aim 
 in transfixing their scaly prey with the quick 
 glancing arrow are worthy of our highest ad- 
 miration. The ordinary fishing-rod and line, 
 their own manufacture, is not very much used by 
 the men ; but they set lines in the river for the 
 larger kinds of fish. They would have little re- 
 compense for their labours, however, were it not 
 for an ingenious contrivance called a spring hook, 
 by which, when a fish swallows the bait, it is 
 lifted some distance out of the water by the 
 action of the rod to which the line is secured. 
 This is managed by fixing one end of it in the 
 mud and bending down the other, to which the 
 line is made fast, so as to form a spring ; when 
 the fish jerks the line a catch is set free and the 
 rod springs back, bringing the line with it. Were 
 it not for this, when the fisherman came to secure 
 his prey he would find nothing but bare bones, 
 the flesh having been devoured by a shoal of 
 small fish, called by the Caribs " pirai " and by 
 the Arawaaks " hooma," which infest these rivers. 
 They are armed with most formidable teeth and 
 snap at everything tempting that presents itself. 
 G 
 
82 MISSION LIFE IN BRITISH GUIANA. 
 
 Indians have frequently to mourn over a finger or 
 toe taken off by them ; and for this reason they are 
 a terror to bathers, although they are not more than 
 four inches in length. Another method adopted 
 to procure a supply of fish is, when the banks of 
 the river are somewhat flat, to enclose a space 
 with a kind of palisade, within which the fish 
 come at high water and are left behind as the 
 tide recedes. The enclosure is called a fish-pen. 
 Of course, this is possible only in the lower por- 
 tion of the rivers where the rise and fall of the 
 tide is considerable. The Indians never have 
 recourse to the cast net, or the seine, which are 
 both so commonly used by the more civilised 
 races in the cultivated districts of the colony. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 1836. 
 
 The year 1836 was pregnant with consequences 
 of deep concern to the Mission at Bartica. The 
 visitation of the measles, of which we saw the first 
 threatenings alluded to in the foregoing chapter, 
 broke out this year with unexampled virulence. 
 There were no less than seventy deaths from this 
 cause. Like most ignorant and superstitious 
 people, the Indians were ready to ascribe the 
 calamity to anything but the working of natural 
 laws. The piaimen, incensed against Mr. Youd 
 for breaking down their influence over the people, 
 and thus depriving them of their gains, took 
 advantage of this weakness, and hoped, by ac- 
 cusing him of being the author of their mis- 
 fortunes, to detach them from him, and eventually 
 get rid of him altogether. Many of the Indians 
 were prevailed on to desert the place, and 
 nothing would induce them to return. Seven 
 years afterwards Mr. Berman wrote (Jan. 2, 1843), 
 speaking of the progress of the Indians, " The 
 
84 MISSION LIFE 
 
 Accawoios alone form an exception. They are 
 still a very shy, credulous, and treacherous set of 
 people ; and I feel persuaded that there might be 
 found not a few who would not scruple to send 
 us out of the world, either by poison or the arrow. 
 They seem to abhor this place, because of the 
 many who died from measles in Mr. Youd's days ; 
 and most assuredly a mysterious dispensation it 
 was, chiefly affecting that tribe. But I leave them 
 in the hands of the Almighty Saviour, who yet is 
 able to call them to Himself, and to make them 
 willing in the day of His power." How remark- 
 ably this anticipation was fulfilled in succeeding 
 years it does not come within the scope of this 
 work to relate. Suffice it to say that thousands 
 of Accawoios have been brought into the fold of 
 Christ within the last few years, and that there 
 are now flourishing Mission stations among them. 
 But although the piaimen had no power to 
 poison the minds of the people against Mr. Youd, 
 the prospect was to him sufficiently disheartening. 
 Sickness and death had been busy among his 
 most promising disciples, and thinned his flock, 
 while panic had seized others and removed them 
 from his influence. It is true that the scenes he 
 had witnessed at some of the deathbeds had filled 
 him with lively hope and joy ; but he was like 
 the prophet bewailing his Zion wasted and 
 brought low. There was this consolation, — that 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. 8^ 
 
 the strain on his energies was somewhat abated, 
 and he had leisure for private study, and especially 
 for increasing his knowledge of the Indian lan- 
 guages. He writes, " I am proceeding slowly 
 with the languages. However, I expect two 
 interpreters on Monday, one for Caribeese, and 
 the other for Macusi. I think my dictionary of 
 the four languages, Creole-Dutch, Caribeese, Acca- 
 woio, and Macusi, will be valuable to those who 
 come after in this laborious and self-denying, yet 
 blessed work ; as also the grammar of the Cari- 
 beese. 
 
 It has already been noticed that among the 
 people who formed a portion of Mr. Youd's 
 charge, were a remnant of the old labouring 
 (negro-slave) population, that was left behind 
 when the estates up the rivers were abandoned, 
 and the richer lands on the sea-coast began to be 
 cultivated. Up to the end of the eighteenth 
 century, the most seaward of the cultivated lands 
 commenced far higher up the rivers than the 
 utmost limit of cultivation now extends. The 
 object of the first settlers was to ensure an 
 immunity for their commerce from the incursions 
 of freebooters, who at that time were the terror 
 of the West Indian seas. When this danger had 
 passed away the river estates were deserted, and 
 the slaves transferred to the coast, where new 
 plantations of much greater productiveness were 
 
S6 MISSION LIFE 
 
 formed. Many of the old people, however, pre- 
 ferred remaining where they had spent the greater 
 part of their lives, and it was among these that 
 the corrupt pa lots called Creole-Dutch was spoken. 
 Their descendants still survive in those localities, 
 and continue to make use of Creole-Dutch as a 
 medium of communication among themselves, 
 although it has died out in the settled parts of the 
 Colony, where English is spoken. These people 
 also now received a greater share of attention 
 from Mr. Youd ; but they do not seem to have 
 given proof of much good resulting from his 
 labours among them. Seldom does he speak of 
 any of them in terms of satisfaction. It is not so 
 with regard to the Indians. He had repeated 
 proof that his instructions to them bore fruit. 
 One day an Indian boy was helping to paint the 
 outside of his boat, and said, " Mr. Youd, I read 
 in Scripture that men painted the outside, while 
 the inside was full of dead men's bones." Among 
 his catechumens about this time was France_, " a 
 noted piaiman," who had abjured his magic arts, 
 thrown away his maracca, and now came to be 
 prepared for baptism and Christian marriage. 
 The house of this man, which before had echoed 
 to the wild cries and deafening rattle of the 
 sorcerer's incantation-ceremony, was now used 
 every Friday evening as a place of worship. 
 In that remote situation it is probable that the 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. 8/ 
 
 missionary's library was very select. Books were 
 difficult to procure, expensive to purchase, and dif- 
 ficult to protect against the attacks of the insect 
 tribes. Cockroaches make sad havoc of the bind- 
 ings, and lay their eggs against the edges ; wood- 
 ants sometimes find their way into the interior, 
 and literally devour the contents; and a kind of 
 bumble-bee is fond of making its nest, composed 
 of sticks and strong gum, against the edges. In 
 such a case as this, how frequently is it found that 
 the Bible is a library in itself. Among Mr. Youd's 
 books it is interesting to know that one which 
 had a peculiar charm for him, was the Life of 
 David Brainerd ; and it is not surprising that he 
 should say " that work always benefits me when I 
 look into it." How very similar in many respects 
 was his field of labour to that of Brainerd ; how 
 like their trials and difficulties ! 
 
 One of the greatest curses introduced by civili- 
 sation among the Aborigines of any country is 
 the use of intoxicating drinks. It has already 
 been mentioned that the beverages concocted by 
 the Indians of Guiana are of a comparatively 
 harmless nature. They stupify for a while, if taken 
 in large quantities ; but they do not make men 
 frantic, and bring disease and death in their train. 
 When once the Indian has made an acquaint- 
 ance with spirituous liquors— which in his case is 
 generally in the form of rum manufactured in the 
 
8S MISSION LIFE 
 
 Colony — his fondness for them amounts to a 
 passion. A sad case is mentioned by Mr. Youd, 
 of a man passing up the river in a corial, which 
 was capsized. In the corial there was a large 
 flask (or Dutch case bottle) of rum, and the man 
 making a grasp at this to save it, the bottle broke 
 and cut the blood-vessels in or near the wrist ; in 
 consequence of which he bled to death. There is 
 scarcely anything that the Indians will not do for 
 the sake of procuring strong drink ; and there are 
 unprincipled men who are always ready to take 
 advantage of this failing, and to make a profit 
 out of the practical servitude of the victims of it. 
 When an Indian once gives way to the vice of 
 drunkenness, and has the opportunity of indulging 
 it, he is a lost man, for moderation is a virtue of 
 which they are totally ignorant. It is a melan- 
 choly reflection that the evil habit was fostered in 
 days gone by, through the government including 
 rum in the number of the presents annually dis- 
 tributed among the Indians, as a kind of retainer, 
 in case their services should be required in the 
 event of a slave-insurrection, or any such emer- 
 gency. The custom is now happily discontinued ; 
 but it is not unusual, even now, for travellers to 
 carry a supply of spirits with them, in order to 
 conciliate their boat hands, or to induce the 
 Indians to dance, &c. Whether it is a natural 
 sense of shame, or whether they have learnt 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. 89 
 
 it from white people, is not certain ; but they are 
 aware that it is wrong to get drunk. On one 
 occasion a party of Arawaaks went on to a sugar 
 estate, and procured some rum, which they drank. 
 The consequence was that a female of the party 
 was unable to proceed ; upon which all the rest 
 began cuffing and kicking her unmercifully. One 
 of the principal men also thought it expedient to 
 go to the clergyman and inform him that the 
 woman who had disgraced them did not belong 
 to his tribe. The informant himself had been 
 drinking pretty freely, for there was a grog-shop 
 on the road along which he had to pass. The 
 woodcutters sometimes say that the Indians refuse 
 to labour unless they have a certain daily allow- 
 ance of spirits ; but beyond this, they are in the 
 habit of selling them as much as they ask for, 
 until they are sufficiently in debt to keep a hold 
 upon them, and extort work from them in pay- 
 ment ; for the Indian is sufficiently honourable, 
 when uncontaminated by " civilised "' humanity, 
 not to repudiate any just claims on him. Some 
 Indians are kept in continual bondage under this 
 system. They are under the nominal protection 
 of the government ; but in many cases the protec- 
 tion is but nominal, and they are looked upon as 
 fair game by any vagabond who can make a profit 
 out of their simplicity; no one venturing to 
 interfere. 
 
90 MISSION LIFE 
 
 The year 1836 was also memorable in the 
 annals of the Bartica Mission for the visit of the 
 Bishop of Barbados (the "good'' Bishop Cole- 
 ridge), of whose diocese at this period British 
 Guiana formed a part. In his thorough visitation 
 of every part of the Colony in this year, and again 
 in 1839, he saw sufficient cause for urging that 
 British Guiana should be formed into a separate 
 diocese, which was carried into effect in the year 
 1842, when the present Bishop was consecrated 
 (August 24) for the new see of Guiana. 
 
 The Mission, at the time of Bishop Coleridge's 
 visit, was suffering from the effects of the late 
 epidemic and the desertions consequent thereon ; 
 but his Lordship expressed himself much gratified 
 with what he witnessed. He was particularly 
 impressed with the gentle and docile bearing of 
 the Indians, and was led to form plans for 
 Christianising the Aborigines in the other rivers 
 of the Colony, which bore fruit at a subsequent 
 period. At this visit it was arranged that Mr. 
 Youd should receive ordination, in order to 
 enable him to carry on his work more regularly 
 and efficiently. His own health required that he 
 should relax his labours, and have the benefit of a 
 change of scene. He had been in the Colony 
 four years, and during that time had been no- 
 where beyond the bounds of his charge, except to 
 pay one or two visits to Georgetown, to supply 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. 9I 
 
 himself with necessaries that could not be procured 
 elsewhere; as on these occasions he was attended, 
 wherever he went, by the party of Indians who 
 accompanied him, his appearance in the streets of 
 Georgetown was an event that was remembered 
 long after he had passed away. There being a lull 
 in the Mission work, now that so many Indians 
 had left the station, it was considered a favourable 
 opportunity to get away. He accordingly pro- 
 ceeded to Barbados, at the latter end of the year, 
 and was ordained Deacon, November 13, 1836. 
 Four weeks afterwards he was united in the holy 
 bonds of matrimony to Miss Rachel W. Adam- 
 son, of that island, who shortly afterwards ac- 
 companied him back to the Colony. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 1837. 
 
 The condition of affairs at Bartica was gloomy 
 enough when Mr. Youd departed for Barbados ; 
 yet although he was only absent a few weeks, 
 everything seemed to have gone wrong during 
 the interval. The* Mission station he found 
 almost deserted, the people being under an im- 
 pression that he did not intend to return; the 
 buildings had been neglected, and disorder reigned 
 paramount. All the labour lavished by him for 
 so long a period seemed to have been spent 
 almost in vain, and in recommencing his labours 
 it appeared that he would have almost to lay the 
 foundations anew. But under what different 
 circumstances was the work begun ! He had 
 now some one who could share his anxieties, 
 alleviate his sorrows, and ease his burdens ; who 
 was always at hand to cheer him on his arduous 
 path, and solace his hours of rest, after the heavy 
 burdens of the day. If an affectionate, sympathis- 
 ing wife is a treasure to a man who is living under 
 
MISSION LIFE IN BRITISH GUIANA. 93 
 
 the ordinary conditions of civilised society, what 
 an inestimable boon must she not be to one 
 whose sphere of activity is far away among wild 
 and untutored tribes, beyond the reach of the 
 helps and comforts of settled life? and what a 
 high degree of courage and devoted attachment 
 there must be in the woman who sacrifices the 
 smooth domestic ease of a home life, to follow 
 her husband, and share with him the privations 
 and coarse fare of the Bush! A true helpmeet 
 did Mr. Youd find in his wife. She assisted him 
 in the school ; she assembled the women at such 
 times as she was able, and gave them instruction 
 in religious matters, taught them to dress be- 
 comingly, and be neat and clean in their persons, 
 and took a pleasure in enlarging their knowledge 
 of the little things that go to make life happy and 
 pleasant. The girls were taught to sew, to wash, 
 and iron clothes, and do many things of which 
 they were utterly ignorant, and for which they felt 
 no use before. It is astonishing what a marked 
 change was very soon observed in the attire of the 
 Indian women, when they came to Church on 
 Sunday ; and all through the influence of a single 
 lady among them. With their clean print dresses 
 and coloured kerchiefs, and glossy black hair in 
 heavy plaits, they formed a striking contrast to 
 the unkempt, ill-clad, wild-looking groups that 
 attracted Mr. Youd's attention soon after his 
 
94 MISSION LIFE 
 
 arrival. The women, indeed, had had far more 
 reason to be thankful for the establishment of the 
 Mission than the men, for they had been bene- 
 fitted in every way. How proud they were now 
 to have a lady to live among them and teach 
 them, and show them how to do everything 
 properly ! 
 
 Meantime Mr. Youd was busy in gathering 
 up the dropped threads of his work, and re- 
 organising the Mission. He was indefatigable 
 in travelling from place to place, and setting in 
 order the things that were wanting, till at last 
 affairs began again to wear their old cheerful aspect. 
 The Indians were stirred up to renewed exertion, 
 and two out-station chapels, built by them at 
 this time at their own expense — one at Cartabo 
 by the Caribs, the other by the Arawaaks opposite 
 Bartica, — were an evidence of the activity, that 
 was at work among them. They were not elabo- 
 rate buildings such as our places of worship, 
 being simply large sheds, resting on hard wooden 
 posts, and thatched with the leaf of the Manicole 
 palm; but, such as they were, they represented 
 a considerable amount of willing labour, capable 
 of being represented by a money-value. For the 
 posts had to be cut in the forest, and the manicole 
 leaf procured, perhaps from a distant spot, and 
 transported to the site; and then the work of 
 erection involved an amount of patient work, 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. 95 
 
 that Europeans — accustomed to see building 
 operations performed by persons skilled in me- 
 chanical arts — can scarcely realise. Not a ham- 
 mer or nail is used in an Indian building. They 
 do not understand the use of carpenters tools. 
 The wild vines or bush-rope of the forest supply 
 them with a material for securing the different 
 parts of the building to each other : and so well 
 does this kind of fastening answer its purpose, 
 that such buildings will sometimes stand without 
 repairs for seven, ten, or even twelve years, if 
 they are protected against the inroads of de- 
 structive insects. While Mr. Youd was thus fully 
 employed in active duty, he did not forget to 
 keep up and to increase his knowledge of the 
 Indian languages.. This was a slow and tedious 
 exercise ; for no books were in existence to assist 
 him. He had to learn every thing from the 
 lips of the Indians themselves, and construct his 
 own grammars and dictionaries. He had already 
 acquired considerable fluency in the use of the 
 Carib dialect, and was now studying with great 
 interest the Macusi language, which was after- 
 wards to be of such important service to him. 
 
 In the early part of 1837 fresh dispositions 
 were made by the Church Missionary Society, 
 and the Rev. J. Bernau, who had been employed 
 in preaching the Gospel to the people on the 
 Corentyn Coast of Berbice, was sent to take 
 
g6 MISSION LIFE 
 
 charge of the work in the Essequibo. In order 
 more effectually to carry out the objects of the 
 Society, it was resolved that Mr. Bernau should 
 remain at Bartica Grove, and organise the Mis- 
 sion anew, while Mr. Youd travelled about 
 among the Indians who dwelt in scattered settle- 
 ments at a distance. While thus set free from 
 the settled labours of the parent station, he was 
 enabled still to keep up a connexion with much 
 of his old work. Of Mr. Bernau's labours at the 
 Grove, and how, with the aid of increased re- 
 sources placed at his disposal by the Society, the 
 Mission attained to the highest state of promise, 
 the reader may obtain a full report in a most 
 interesting work published by him, entitled " Mis- 
 sionary Labours in British Guiana." 
 
 At the end of this year we meet with the 
 following announcement : — " Dec. 2, Mrs. Youd, 
 of a son." But this star of hope that rose in 
 those Western wilds only lightened the home of 
 the Missionary for a brief period of three weeks 
 and then faded away into darkness. Mrs. Youd 
 was so seriously ill that her recovery was de- 
 spaired of; but she rallied for awhile. Far 
 away from medical aid and comforts, deprived 
 of nourishing and stimulating diet, a delicate 
 female in such critical circumstances is placed 
 at a fearful disadvantage. She never entirely 
 regained her strength, and in the following April 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. 97 
 
 she was laid by the side of her babe to await in 
 that secluded spot the trump of the Resurrection 
 Angel. 
 
 Mr. Armstrong had paid a visit, in the year 
 1832, to the Macusi Indians, who occupy the 
 vast savannahs or unwooded plains of the far 
 interior of Guiana. Mr. Youd had never for- 
 gotten the glowing account which he heard of 
 this expedition, and the grand opening for mis- 
 sionary work which was represented to exist 
 there. He had frequent opportunities of con- 
 versing with Macusi Indians who came down to 
 Bartica, and had made considerable progress in 
 learning their language. There was now a strong 
 desire among them to procure a teacher who 
 should furnish them with the same advantages 
 which were possessed by the other Indians. Mr. 
 R. H. Schomburgk, the Government Commis- 
 sioner for defining the boundaries of British 
 Guiana, which were undetermined on the side 
 of Venezuela and Brazil, passed through the 
 Macusi country just about the time when pre- 
 parations were being made in anticipation of 
 the Missionary's arrival. He thus describes what 
 was going on among them. "Three years had 
 elapsed since my first visit, when, in the pursuit 
 of discovery, I again approached Pirara and re- 
 marked, with surprise and pleasure, the appear- 
 ance and number of dwellings which composed 
 H 
 
98 MISSION LIFE 
 
 the village. I counted upwards of thirty Indian 
 huts, the highest place being occupied by a build- 
 ing somewhat European in construction^ the walls 
 of which, plastered with the red ochreous clay 
 of the savannahs, and the roof with gable ends 
 neatly thatched with palm leaves, formed a strong 
 contrast to the surrounding dome-shaped huts of 
 the Indians i. Another building, a little to the 
 East of the former and of large dimensions, but 
 of similar construction, was in the course of 
 erection, and men, women, and children, appeared 
 equally eager to lend an assisting hand for its 
 completion. This house was intended to be 
 dedicated to the service of the only true God, 
 the former for the dwelling of the Missionary, 
 to whose arrival and residence among them they 
 appeared to look forward with great delight. 
 It was pleasing to observe their zeal in such a 
 good cause, the more so when I considered that 
 the light of Christianity had not yet been diffused 
 among them. Their wish to become Christians 
 had been awakened by the temporary visit of 
 a Missionary from the Mission at Bartica Point, 
 at the confluence of the Mazaruni with the Esse- 
 quibo, who, as they expressed themselves, only 
 opened the sacred book, which the white man 
 possessed, without telling them of its contents. 
 
 ^ The dwellings of the Macusi are totally different from those of 
 any other Indian tribe in Guiana, 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. 99 
 
 In anticipation that their request for a Missionary 
 to come and settle among them would be ulti- 
 mately granted, they had begun to erect these 
 houses, according to their idea of the mode of 
 building among the white people, and twenty- 
 nine men of their tribe had been selected to 
 proceed to the coast region, in order to assist in 
 conveying the Missionary to his station." 
 
 The village of Pirara is situated on a rising 
 ground amidst a vast extent of almost clear 
 savannahs, with here and there a single shrub, 
 which in no way obstructs the view. A range 
 of mountains runs between Pirara and the village 
 of Annie, and forms a sort of boundary to the 
 view that presents itself from the village^ run- 
 ning North-west at a distance of twenty miles. 
 Between Pirara and the above mountains is a 
 fine plain, on which immense herds of cattle 
 may be seen feeding. These cattle long ago 
 strayed from the Portuguese cattle farms, and 
 have now in a wild state increased to thousands. 
 
 It was somewhere near this place, in the midst 
 of the Lake Amucu, that the golden city of 
 Manoah — the " El Dorado " of the early voy- 
 agers — in the search for which Sir Walter 
 Raleigh wrecked his fortune and his reputation, 
 and some of his officers lost their lives, was 
 supposed to be situated. It is difficult to know 
 how the tales of the fabulous wealth of its in- 
 H 2 
 
100 MISSION LIFE IN BRITISH GUIANA. 
 
 habitants are to be reconciled with the utter 
 absence of all trace of the city, the disappearance 
 of all tradition respecting it and the apparent 
 impossibility of obtaining gold, except in small 
 quantities, in the surrounding country. It is 
 probable that the public mind was so inflamed 
 with the stories of the immense wealth amassed 
 by the Spaniards in Mexico and Peru that men 
 were ready to believe the wildest tales and to 
 follow every airy "Will o' the wisp," if it only 
 promised to lead to riches. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 1838. 
 
 On February 18, 1838, Mr. Youd was admitted 
 to priest's orders by the Bishop of Barbados. 
 We must contemplate him at this time as looking 
 forward to the call which he had received from 
 the Macusi to go and settle among them. We 
 have heard of the preparations that were being 
 made for that event by the inhabitants of Pirara. 
 Everything being arranged, Mr. Youd started on 
 his adventurous journey into the interior, on 
 Thursday April 5, with two good sized corials 
 and a small hunting one. On the following 
 morning about 9 a.m. they arrived at Epia, and 
 finding that their crafts were too heavily laden, 
 hired an additional canoe for the trip. Pro- 
 ceeding after breakfast, they came to Cumaka^- 
 Seirame, about ten or twelve miles higher. Here 
 they encamped at i p.m. in order to put new 
 washboards to one of the canoes and to repair 
 the hired one. On Sunday April 8, Mr. Youd 
 
 1 Many Indian places are called by the name of trees, probably 
 from such as once made a mark at the spot. Cumaka-silk cotton 
 tree (Bombax Ceiba.) 
 
102 MISSION LIFE 
 
 held service twice. That in the morning was 
 in Macusi, through Alfred the interpreter; that 
 in the evening in English for the sake of those who 
 did not understand Macusi. " At break of day," 
 he writes in his diary, " I walked upon the im- 
 mense beds of rocks that surrounded the Marchee 
 Island, which, connected with those of neighbour- 
 ing islands, form a most picturesque scene. 
 Among these craggy rocks the water roars, during 
 the rainy season, streaming with such a force as 
 though it had determined to tear them up and 
 carry them away. Many of them are much worn 
 on the side upon which the stream dashes." On 
 the 9th, he observes that they had seen no 
 strangers since they left Epia, four days back. 
 Such is the solitude of those vast rivers. On 
 the loth they started at daybreak, and came to 
 Tepooroo before breakfast, and from thence to 
 Mocomoco sand, where they encamped. Through 
 Mocomoco Creek, which is a few roods below 
 the sandbank, Mr. Youd learned that there was 
 a path that led to the Demerara river. An old 
 man that formed one of the party said that he 
 had gone by the same path some time ago, and 
 that to go easily, a person might take a day's 
 paddle in the creek, and the next morning walk 
 over land and arrive at the Demerara river a 
 little above the Post, by twelve oclock the next 
 day. There are Indian paths, from river to river, 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. I03 
 
 by which communications used to be regularly 
 kept up in olden times, but since the government 
 left the Indians to themselves most of these have 
 been abandoned and forgotten. On April 14 
 they ascended the rapids and came to Waraputa 
 about the middle of the day. "Ascended the 
 rapids!"' How much is implied in those three 
 words ! During this tedious and perilous journey 
 probably more hardships and difficulties were en- 
 countered in the arduous work of passing the 
 rapids than in all the rest of the trip put together. 
 Frequently the boats had to be unloaded, then 
 hauled up by main force over the rocks that block 
 the way, and then reloaded. At other times, 
 where the falls presented unusual obstacles, a path 
 had to be cut through the forest — occasionally for 
 half a mile and more — and a road or portage 
 made, along which the boats were dragged until 
 a navigable part of the river was reached. Much 
 time was consumed in these operations, and the 
 strength and patience of all hands were sorely 
 tried. An incident in the after history of these 
 Missions will illustrate the difficulty attending 
 the ascent of these rapids. The Rev. J. Pollitt 
 was returning from Georgetown with a supply 
 of necessaries, and being anxious to arrive at his 
 post in time for his Sunday's duty, he travelled 
 night and day, and reached one of the rapids of 
 the Essequibo about 2 a.m. Now the passage 
 
104 MISSION LIFE 
 
 of the rapids is attended with danger at all times, 
 more particularly at night, when few indeed 
 would attempt it. The greatest skill and caution 
 are required on the part of the crew, and es- 
 pecially of the captain or steersman, to conduct 
 the frail craft through them in safety. The 
 slightest want of decision or error in judgment 
 might be attended with fatal results. In this 
 case, the night being dark, they missed the pas- 
 sage, and the canoe in which Mr. Pollitt travelled 
 was capsized, and all its contents went to the 
 bottom. The Indian boatmen, being almost am- 
 phibious and wearing but slight clothing, escaped 
 with wet skins : Mr. Pollitt was fortunate enough 
 to save himself from being swept down by the 
 current by catching hold of the bushes that grew 
 from the crevices of the rocks. But his position 
 was one of imminent peril. The rushing waters 
 swayed him backwards and forwards like a rush, 
 and cramp after a time began to threaten his 
 numbed limbs. Beside this, a colony of stinging 
 ants, enraged at this unexpected invasion of their 
 haunts, spread themselves over his body, and 
 almost drove him to desperation by their enve- 
 nomed attacks. At length the Indians righted 
 the canoe and came to his assistance. A gun 
 was all that they had saved from the wreck. The 
 result of this night's exposure to the wet and 
 cold was an illness which compelled Mr. Pollitt 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. 105 
 
 to seek a change of air and to resign his work 
 in the Colony. 
 
 In the river district of Guiana the rains are 
 more copious and abundant than on the coast. 
 At the middle of April, Mr. Youd might have 
 reckoned on tolerably clear weather, but while he 
 was at Waraputa the rains came on, and con- 
 tinued all night, putting him to considerable 
 inconvenience. They were enabled at this place 
 to replenish their stock of provisions, by the 
 purchase of some cassada and two bunches of 
 plantains. 
 
 "April 15, Lord's day. I have been unwell 
 all night. About twelve we assembled in one of 
 the Indian houses, and there held Divine service 
 in Creole-Dutch and Macusi. We did not find 
 more than twelve of the settlers at home. There 
 were a few strangers, one of whom said that she 
 had come to see the Dominie, having heard that 
 he had come. I held a Dutch service afterwards, 
 for those who understood it ; which would have 
 been conducted in English, had it not been that 
 I wished two strange Indians from the Demerara 
 river, to hear the Gospel of Jesus in a language 
 with which they are acquainted : they seemed to 
 rejoice in hearing." — "April 16. The rain has 
 continued all night. About ten the rain ceased, 
 and the weather became fine. All were now 
 busily engaged in opening out clothes, provisions. 
 
106 MISSION LIFE 
 
 hammocks, and all sorts of articles for barter. 
 In the afternoon I went to see what is called 
 Skender Stenna, a peculiarly marked stone, which 
 has caused so much wonder among the Indians 
 and coloured people, who rightly imagine that 
 they were engraved by the ancients, with the 
 rude forms of monkeys, frogs_, circles, &cc. When 
 we came below the island where these stones are, 
 I was astonished to see every stone of a glossy jet 
 black ; and on examining them found that the 
 coat of black was about the eighth of an inch 
 thick. On examining the wonder stones, which 
 our people eagerly showed us, I was astonished 
 to see such peculiar engravings, and upon the 
 finest grained granite that I have seen for a long 
 time." 
 
 These rock sculptures are found in other parts 
 of Guiana, and seem to be disposed across the 
 country in an unvarying line, occurring chiefly on 
 the great rivers, and in the neighbourhood of the 
 Falls. Their origin and purpose is lost in remote 
 antiquity. Travellers are puzzled to account for 
 them, and have hazarded the most diverse hypo- 
 theses ; -the Indians have no traditions respecting 
 them. They could hardly have been executed 
 without some serious object, for they are cut deep 
 into the very hard rock ; and could not have been 
 completed, simple as they appear, without a vast 
 expenditure of time and labour. It is not likely 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. 107 
 
 that metal tools were used at that remote age, 
 and therefore these inscriptions were probably 
 graven by the patient process of grinding with 
 sand. The position of them in certain localities 
 shows that the natural features of the country — 
 the level of the river-beds in particular — have 
 altered considerably since the date of their execu- 
 tion. The glossy coat of black spoken of by Mr. 
 Youd, was probably oxide of manganese. What 
 he took for fine-grained granite was most likely 
 greenstone, which is commonly found forming 
 dykes in the rivers of Guiana. 
 
 Departing from Waraputa they proceeded on 
 their journey up the river. For three days they 
 travelled without meeting a solitary human 
 being. Animal life was abundant enough; macaws 
 and parrots flew overhead morning and evening, 
 and the forest supplied an abundance of game. 
 On the third day they passed a canoe in which 
 were an Indian, his wife, and child, but it was at 
 too great a distance to hold any conversation ; so 
 that they had no idea from whence it had come 
 or whither it was going. 
 
 It was not until May 15, 1838, that Mr. Youd 
 reached the Macusi village of Pirara, the scene of 
 his future labours. Mr. R. H. Schomburgk thus 
 speaks of his arrival. — "While residing in this 
 place, I was present at the arrival of the first 
 Protestant Missionary among the Indians, in the 
 
I08 MISSION LIFE 
 
 interior of British Guiana ; and the joy which it 
 caused to those who were to be confided to his 
 spiritual care, although they were as yet walking 
 in perfect darkness, was a proof of their wish to 
 become Christians. The efforts of the Missionary 
 were crowned with success, and I have seen from 
 400 to 500 Indians assembled in the chapel ; and 
 although in the commencement, they attended in 
 their native and savage state, young and old 
 appeared equally zealous for conversion and to 
 receive instruction." 
 
 Mr.Youd gives the following quaint and amusing 
 description of his first Sunday among the Macusi. 
 — "May 20, Lord's Day. At an early hour the 
 village was quite lively ; the Indians walking to 
 and fro, awaiting the time of public service, in 
 order to hear what were my intentions. My 
 house and all around was completely thronged 
 the whole day. Through the two windows which 
 I have made, from the door, and every hole in 
 the wall, were their eyes glancing upon me. 
 When I had put on my robes, there was a general 
 rush to the chapel, where they stood in groups 
 around each post, until they were prevailed upon, 
 by persuasion, to sit on the trunks of trees that 
 were laid in order for them. Our singing hymns 
 in the Macusi language seemed to please, as also 
 the prayer that was offered through Alfred the 
 interpreter. In order to meet their wishes, my 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. IO9 
 
 first discourse was the making known the object 
 of missions ; mentioning, at tlie same time, what 
 anxious care God's people in England have for 
 the welfare of the souls of all Indians and 
 heathens in all parts of the world. As to myself, 
 I told them, my intention was to remain among 
 them, in the place that should appear to be best 
 for making a settlement ; and as soon as the dry 
 season commenced, I purposed travelling to see 
 the surrounding nations, and likewise endeavour 
 to do something for them also. For the present 
 I should remain here ; and that daily service and 
 school would be carried on for their welfare. I 
 also returned them my sincere thanks for the 
 preparation which they had made in erecting a 
 commodious house to the name of God, and also 
 a suitable house for myself. The chief responded, 
 saying, 'We have done it; and now you have 
 come among us, all is good ; yes, all is good ; you 
 will sit well.' I need not say that the sight in 
 the chapel was somewhat strange. All parties, 
 excepting the chief, were well painted on the 
 forehead, face, arms, and legs. Some had cut- 
 lasses, others a bow and arrows, having come 
 from a distance : one had a monkey on his back ; 
 others wreaths and crowns of feathers; others 
 with belts of wild hog's teeth, hanging from the 
 top of the shoulder, crossing the breast and back, 
 and falling on the hips on the opposite side; 
 
no MISSION LIFE 
 
 others with knives, sticks, and many other things. 
 Some were engaged in cutting their nails, or 
 small sticks ; others in picking the vermin from 
 children's heads ; some with their side to me, 
 and some with their back; while others leaned 
 against the posts. In fact the whole, even to 
 me, seemed like a fanciful dream instead of a 
 reality. The number present was 156. The after- 
 noon service also was well attended, and with 
 more devotion, I am happy to say. In the even- 
 ing I held an English service for the benefit of 
 our fellow travellers and party, as also the coloured 
 people with me." 
 
 The experience gained by Mr. Youd, in his 
 intercourse with the Indians during the past 
 six years, was of incalculable value in his new 
 position. A new comer might have been years 
 before he could have entered into intimate rela- 
 tions with the Macusi, even if he did not estrange 
 them from him, through some unintentional 
 wounding of their feelings. Mr. Youd, being 
 already acquainted with the people, was able at 
 once to organize the Mission and proceed to 
 practical work. In a couple of months' time 
 he was able to write, — "July 21. It is pleasing 
 to me to hear the Macusies each morning and 
 evening, both old and young, lifting their voices 
 to heaven in hymns of praise, in their own 
 language ; some with apparent devotion. Three 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. Ill 
 
 couples have been married, and others are giving 
 in their names for publication. The evening lec- 
 tures are variously attended ; sometimes by thirty 
 or forty, and at others by fifty and upwards ; 
 chiefly depending on the number that may be at 
 work in their distant field for a few days. A 
 third of the people is always, in turn, engaged in 
 the above way, if the weather be suitable for 
 cutting or planting." 
 
 A month after this two more weddings took 
 place, and the daughter of the veteran Macusi 
 chief, Claude, was baptized, with her daughter. 
 The occasion was celebrated with great joy, the 
 old chief seeming to feel himself honoured in 
 having a daughter who had become a Christian. 
 
 A trifling incident will sometimes tell more 
 than many words the work that is going on in 
 the hearts of a congregation. When a newly 
 instructed people are found to engage spontan- 
 eously in private prayer in the house of God we 
 require no better evidence that the Gospel was 
 having free course there. Mr. Youd notes that 
 one evening, while walking round his house after 
 dark, he was agreeably surprised to hear two or 
 three persons engaged in prayer in the chapel. 
 The chapel being dark, he could not discover 
 who they were, and he refrained from disturbing 
 them. « Shall I not hope," he adds, " that this is 
 of God?" 
 
112 MISSION LIFE IN BRITISH GUIANA. 
 
 He had at this time commenced to preach in 
 the Macusi language, and was settled down 
 happily and comfortably to his new labours. So 
 matters went on prosperously for about twelve 
 months, only one incident happening out of the 
 ordinary course that deserves to be chronicled — 
 the appearence on the scene, for a short time, of 
 a Roman Catholic priest — the stormy petrel fore- 
 boding dirty weather. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 1839-1841. 
 
 In the early part of 1839, Mr. Youd took a 
 temporary leave of his Mission to visit George- 
 town, calling at Bartica on his way down. What 
 occurred during his absence is thus related by Mr. 
 R. H. Schomburgk, — " On our return from an 
 exploring expedition to Pirara in May, 1839, we 
 found it occupied by a detachment of Brazilian 
 National Guards under Senor Pedro Ayres. The 
 church in which formerly hymns to the praise of 
 our Lord had been sung, and where the seeds of 
 Christianity had been sown among the benighted 
 Indians, was now converted into barracks, and 
 was the theatre of obscene language, and of 
 nightly revels. Urgent business had called the 
 Missionary to the Colony, and during his absence 
 it had been taken possession of by the Brazilians." 
 On his return, an official despatch was delivered 
 to him, from the Commander of the Upper and 
 Lower Amazon, who, it appears, assumed authority 
 over Pirara, and desired him to withdraw, and to 
 I 
 
114 . MISSION LIFE 
 
 disperse the Mission. The Brazilian detachment 
 had orders to see the mandate obeyed, or to 
 enforce it in case of refusal. The Missionary 
 removed to the Eastern bank of the Rupununi, 
 and after his departure the inhabitants of Pirara 
 dispersed and have since wandered about the 
 wilderness. Too many desolate places are now 
 to be seen in the savannahs, which were once 
 the site of villages, and which met with a similar 
 fatei. 
 
 The place selected by Mr. Youd for the con- 
 tinuance of his ministrations, after his enforced 
 removal from Pirara, was near the Urwa rapids 
 of the river Rupununi (a tributary of the Esse^ 
 quibo) in Lat. 3° 26' N., where he arrived May 
 23, 1839, and soon commenced operations, many 
 Indians having accompanied him from Pirara. 
 But here again he was molested by the Brazilians, 
 
 ^ In t868 a party of the Geological Survey paid a visit to Pirara, 
 of which we have the following report : — " We got to the present 
 village of Pirara in the afternoon, and found it to consist of seven 
 houses, containing a large population. It is situated on the same 
 low ridge, on the south side of Lake Amucu, and within one mile 
 east of the old village of Pirara, where in the year 1838 the Rev. T. 
 Youd established a mission. Within a radius of three miles around 
 Pirara, there are three small Macusi villages to be seen. I remained 
 that night at Pirara, and early next morning visited the site of old 
 Pirara, hardly a vestige of which now remains, except the decaying 
 posts of the old church and the intrenchments of the Brazilians, when 
 in 1839 they seized the place and drove away the Missionary, Half 
 a mile due East of this, and divided from it by a deep and narrow 
 swamp, is a small circular earthwork, some thirty yards in diameter, 
 and with walls three feet high, which were thrown up by the English 
 troops who were sent to drive out the Brazilians." 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. II5 
 
 who claimed that this place also was within their 
 territory. They ordered the Indians not to 
 attend his instruction, promised to send them 
 a priest, and threatened them with vengeance if 
 they ventured to encourage the Missionary. The 
 consequence was that the attendance fell off 
 gradually, until at length he had to mourn over a 
 deserted church and school. Again the fair pro- 
 mise of success which had begun to open out 
 before him was doomed to disappointment, and 
 he was compelled to look about for a more in- 
 viting field of labour. There were other causes 
 which made the parting from Urwa one of deep 
 concern to Mr. Youd. During his residence here 
 he had laid to rest the body of his second wife, 
 who had latterly shared with him all his trials 
 and privations. The manner of her death led to 
 the suspicion that she had been poisoned by an 
 Indian. It happened that^ on the occasion of 
 some native festivity, the father of two lads who 
 had been placed with the Missionary for instruc- 
 tion, asked permission for them to attend it. 
 Mr. Youd left the boys to decide for themselves, 
 and they declined countenancing the revels, on 
 account of the scenes of drunkenness which were 
 always associated with them. Next day the man 
 sent a leg of venison as a present, after eating 
 of which both Mr. and Mrs. Youd fell ill. He 
 took an emetic and recovered ; but she, being in 
 I 2 
 
Il5 MISSION LIFE 
 
 a delicate state of health, did not think it prudent 
 to follow his example, and fell a victim (there can 
 be little doubt.) to the deadly feeling of revenge. 
 Her death took place on December 31, 1839, and 
 is thus described by her husband. — " I must now 
 tell of past trying days. On the 8th of October 
 last, I sent off my canoe to town from Urwa 
 rapids, as I was then suffering more or less from 
 fever — but in a few days after I became worse. 
 For three weeks I had the fever on alternate 
 days ; but afterwards, for nearly two months, I 
 had it every day. On Lord's day I was so freed 
 from fever and strengthened, as to be able usually 
 to preach twice, and conduct a Sunday school ; 
 but ere cock-crow on Monday morning the usual 
 fever came on. Mrs. Youd was quite healthy 
 during my sickness, which was a source of great 
 comfort - to me. On Christmas morning, before 
 break of day, according to Mrs. Youd's request, 
 we all went down to the Rupununi rapids to 
 bathe. The walk seemed to be too much for 
 her : she complained for two or three days after. 
 She had also a little fever, but not so bad as to 
 be laid up. On December 31, about 4 p.m., she 
 had a burning fever, which seemed to increase 
 until night ; after which she felt a difficulty in 
 breathing. We gave her such medicines as we 
 deemed best; but all was of no avail. She 
 walked about a little ; *but the difficulty of breath- 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. 11/ 
 
 ing became worse, so that we were alarmed, — 
 when suddenly, after we had been at prayers, she 
 breathed her last in my arms ; neither she nor we 
 knowing that she was so soon to be on her way 
 to glory. We buried her in the intended church- 
 yard ; on which occasion about eighty Indians 
 attended : some of them wept greatly. 
 
 " Of her safety I feel well assured, for Christ 
 was all in all to her : she was a woman of much 
 prayer, was well read in the Scriptures, and lived 
 near to God. Thus I am left to mourn her loss, 
 yet gain ; instead of she mourning mine, as was 
 expected." 
 
 Mr. Youd, having reported to the Church 
 Missionary Society in England the interruptions 
 to which his labours had been subjected, was 
 instructed to select a new locality not within the 
 debateable territory. In accordance with these 
 instructions he fixed upon a place much nearer 
 the coast, and which has already been mentioned 
 in these pages. It was called Waraputa ; its 
 place on the map is just above where the River 
 Potaro pours its dark waters into the Essequibo. 
 
 " I am now," he writes, " through God's assist- 
 ance, although in a delicate state of health,' on 
 my way to the second set of rapids in the Esse- 
 quibo, at the commencement of which there is a 
 small village called Waraputa, from the rapids 
 opposite to which it stands; somewhere in the 
 
Il8 MISSION LIFE 
 
 neighbourhood, perhaps on the eastern side of the 
 river, and between the two rivers Essequibo and 
 Demerara. I hope the Lord will direct me to a 
 suitable spot, to which I may be able to call the 
 Indians of the interior, which by us Missionaries 
 and the Corresponding Committee is thought to be 
 the only remaining step to be taken for the 
 present." 
 
 His sentiments regarding the bright prospect 
 which presented itself forgathering in a rich harvest 
 among the aboriginal Indians of the interior had 
 undergone no variation in consequence of the 
 reverses he had met with. Looking back at this 
 time upon the work in which he had been en- 
 gaged he says, " Of all my labours among the 
 Indians since I came out to the colony_, I look 
 back with far more pleasure upon what, under 
 God, I have been a means of setting at work 
 among the Macusi and other tribes of the interior, 
 than all that was done before by me; and I as 
 firmly believe that it will be to the general pros- 
 perity of the cause which you have so near at 
 heart. I certainly believe that some sons and 
 daughters of the Lord Almighty have been 
 brought into the fold by the all-powerful workings 
 of the Holy Spirit. As a father, I shall (d.v.) 
 watch them still, and see how they walk. . . . 
 
 "During my long sickness, much transpired 
 that would be of interest to you, especially the 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. IIQ 
 
 great regard shown toward me by the Indians, 
 and their never-ceasing anxiety for instruction. 
 I close my letter with this testimony, that I 
 believe the Indians in the interior to be prepared 
 for the Gospel; and rejoice that I ever went to 
 them, with the intention of settling among them, 
 if possible." 
 
 Being now beyond the risk of molestation from 
 his old tormentors, the Brazilians, or indeed from 
 anybody else, Mr. Youd endeavoured to form a 
 new centre of work at Waraputa. There were 
 not many Indians resident there on his arrival, 
 but as soon as his intention of founding a new 
 Mission station became generally known, the 
 number of inhabitants was soon swelled by 
 the accession of families who followed him from 
 Pirara, Urwa, and even Cartabo^. His health had 
 been considerably shaken by the effects of the 
 poison administered at Urwa on his constitution, 
 already excessively tried by his arduous labours; but 
 the change of air and scene produced a visible 
 improvement, and he set to work with somewhat 
 of his former zeal and energy. A second attempt 
 was soon made upon his precious life by the same 
 reckless villain who had compassed the death of 
 
 ^ At the confluence of the Cuyuni and Mazaruni, was once the 
 seat of government when this country was first settled by the Dutch 
 at the close of the i6th century, and which, a few years later, was 
 moved to Fort island. On the island Kyk-over-all, immediately 
 opposite Cartabo, was a fort for its protection, now in ruins. 
 
120 MISSION LIFE 
 
 the Missionary's beloved wife; but again the 
 timely resort to an emetic proved efficacious in 
 frustrating the diabolical intent. 
 
 Every thing appeared to be going on prosper- 
 ously, and Mr. Dayce, the catechist at Cartabo, 
 was detached from the Bartica Mission and sent 
 to his assistance. At this favourable conjuncture, 
 when the prospect of ultimate success was so 
 promising, Mr.Youd was requested by the Govern- 
 ment to accompany a military expedition which 
 was being dispatched to Pirara to assert British 
 rights over the disputed territory. His knowledge 
 of the Macusi language, and acquaintance with 
 and influence over the Indians, were invaluable, 
 both in maintaining communication with them 
 and more especially in procuring subsistence for 
 the troops. It was not to Mr. Youd's taste to 
 relinquish his ministerial work for civil employ- 
 ment ; but this seemed to him to be a case in 
 which no option was left to him, as a loyal sub- 
 ject, but to obey. His departure was a disastrous 
 event for his infant settlement ; for, many of the 
 Indians, believing that their wrongs were going to 
 be redressed, left Waraputa to accompany the ex- 
 pedition. Pirara was taken possession of and a 
 fort constructed ; and for seven months Mr. Youd 
 carried on a new work among the troops in his 
 old quarters, a work of far less promise than that 
 which he had lately relinquished. At the end of 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. 121 
 
 that time the military were recalled, a rumour 
 having been spread that the Brazilians were pre- 
 paring to contest the possession of the place, and 
 the fort was blown up. The Roman Catholic 
 priest, who had made his way to the Brazilian 
 Fort, San Joachin, on the arrival of the British 
 troops, returned to the village, and Mr. Youd has- 
 tened back to V/araputa, to find it nearly deserted, 
 and its provision grounds pillaged. It must have 
 been with a heavy heart that he again settled 
 down and commenced to take up the dropped 
 threads of his work. 
 
 There was this advantage in the position of 
 Mr. Youd at Waraputa, — that he was not so 
 utterly cut off from the outer world as he had 
 been at Pirara. He was now not more than a 
 week's journey from Bartica, and the assurance 
 that sympathising friends and fellow workers 
 were so near at hand must have been a great 
 solace to his spirit. He must have regarded this 
 as some compensation for the loneliness of heart 
 which he was now again called upon to experience, 
 the sense of working single handed where hitherto 
 he had had a willing helper at his side. There 
 was much, however, in the progress of his work to 
 cheer him. Among his Catechumens was Erie 
 Manerwa, a Carib chief, of whom he remarks " I 
 think he is not far from the kingdom of God." 
 The congregation of Waraputa was quite differ- 
 
12Z MISSION LIFE 
 
 ent from any other by reason of the great diversity 
 of people composing it. Sometimes there were 
 seven or eight different languages represented in 
 it; this arose from the inhabitants having been 
 gathered from different quarters by the great 
 reputation of Mr. Youd. But as the majority 
 were Macusies, it was agreed that the Macusi 
 language should be the one used in public worship 
 and teaching. The fact of so many Indians, of 
 hostile tribes, laying aside their implacable 
 enmities and inbred prejudices, and consenting 
 to sit side by side to hear the same Word and 
 serve the same Lord, is a practical illustration of 
 the value of Christianity that must appeal forcibly 
 to every one. Fortunately, among Mr. Youd's 
 flock were some who had been resident some 
 length of time at Bartica, and who were of great 
 service in setting an example to the others and 
 helping to bring home the teaching of the Church 
 and school to their hearts. This was done chiefly 
 at night while they lay in their hammocks, smok- 
 ing cigars, and not far from a comfortable wood- 
 fire kindled on the ground. At such times the 
 Indians, but especially the Caribs, of whom there 
 was a considerable number at Waraputa, love to 
 talk over the events of the day and discuss mat- 
 ters of general interest, when surrounding objects 
 do not distract the attention and they are not 
 liable to interruption. One of the people who had 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. 123 
 
 come from Bartica was a Macusi, named Alfred 
 Maneshere, who frequently came to study the 
 Word of God with Mr. Youd, and then went 
 home and gave his wife and family the benefit 
 of the instruction he had received. Erie Maner- 
 wa, the Carib chief, was also doing good work 
 among his tribe. His name is frequently men- 
 tioned approvingly by Mr. Youd. " Erie and his 
 wife occasionally read together, having just begun 
 the Gospel of St. John. . . In the evening our 
 prayer meeting was well attended. Erie was 
 quite fervent in prayer, to the cheering of us all. 
 It is evident that he is becoming acquainted 
 with the depravity of the human heart. He told 
 me that he had long prayed without properly 
 understanding the evil of sin; but that he now 
 sometimes wept when he thought of his past wick- 
 edness. In such a strain he speaks to his people, 
 saying, 'I have tried sin, and have done evil 
 enough in my day; but it brings sorrow to the 
 mind : that I can tell from experience.' . . ." " Erie 
 has been with me and stated that he longed to be 
 with us yesterday in church, but was hindered by 
 fever. ' The singing,' he said, ' seemed to be so 
 sweet : I could hear quite plain, while lying down, 
 I wished to be with you." In another place 
 Mr. Youd remarks, " Thanks be to God ! I am per- 
 mitted to hear the Macusi Indians pray in their 
 language, and the Caribs in theirs or the Macusi, 
 which those with us also know." Of the general 
 
124 MISSION LIFE 
 
 advance of the settlement he writes, "May i6, 
 Lord's Day. Some of our people are now emerg- 
 ing, I trust, out of their half savage state, to some- 
 thing bordering on civilisation. Their progress 
 is most pleasing. When an Indian begins to pay 
 attention to God's Word, it is astonishing to see 
 the great change which is soon wrought in him : 
 his manners and actions are quite altered ; and 
 he says, ' I am now coming out of ignorance/ " 
 
 An entry in his diary about this time shows 
 also how, in those far distant scenes, his mind 
 fondly reverted to his native land and to cherish- 
 ed associations. " We do not forget our praying 
 friends in England and those in the Institution 
 at Islington, who on this day (June 19) especially 
 call to mind the Foreign Missions." 
 
 Towards the end of June the settlement was 
 somewhat startled by the arrival of a party of 
 wild Caribs, elaborately painted after their fashion 
 from head to foot and bringing with them a num- 
 ber of dogs, parrots, and other creatures. Notice 
 of their approach had been given soon after the 
 Sunday morning service by the sounding of the 
 quama. A strange contrast these half wild Caribs 
 presented to the neatly dressed congregation 
 emerging from the house of God, who stood there 
 to witness the landing ! " During the afternoon 
 school and Divine service they peeped in at the 
 chapel windows and door, but feared to come in. 
 Their captain, an old man, attended." On the 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. 12$ 
 
 next day, Monday, there was a wedding, which 
 the strange Caribs were very anxious to witness. 
 Before the ceremony Mr. Youd delivered an 
 address on the Divine Institution of Marriage 
 and our Lord's observations on that head, which 
 was listened to with great seriousness. The 
 parties married were a daughter of the late cap- 
 tain at Waraputa and a young man of the 
 Wapisiana tribe, who lived in the far interior. 
 
 The hope of benefitting their Carib visitors 
 was quite sufficient inducement to encourage 
 them to prolong their stay, but their wild, undis- 
 ciplined behaviour was a sore trial to Mr. Youd's 
 patience. He writes, "The Caribeese strangers 
 are very noisy. The quama gets but little rest. 
 When speaking to the young Carib, Edward, who 
 used to be very fond of the quama, and asking 
 why he did not join the chorus, he said, ' Oh, no ; 
 they go too far ! One can hardly get any time to 
 think.' May the Lord carry on His work in this 
 young man^s heart ! . . . . Erie tells me that the 
 Caribeese strangers have been thinking much of 
 the Word of God, preached to them last night : 
 and that he took occasion further to recommend 
 the Word of God to them." 
 
 Mr. Youd mentions rather a remarkable answer 
 that was made to him by a Macusi Indian who 
 came for instruction. The man was asked what 
 he thought would become of us when we died. 
 
126 MISSION LIFE 
 
 He said, he supposed that our bodies would 
 remain in the earth and decay ; but that the man 
 in otir eyes would not die, but wander about. 
 
 There were such fair prospects of the ultimate 
 success and growth of the Settlement, at this time, 
 that Mr. Youd was engaged [iG July) in laying 
 out an intended church square. "This square," 
 he says, " has been planned in hope that the Lord 
 will so far bless our labours here as to make it 
 necessary to have a substantial church built in the 
 course of a few years.^ " The same instructions 
 had to be given to the Indians here, and the same 
 rules laid down respecting the tasks of the women, 
 the duty of providing for their daily wants, &c., 
 as had cost so much labour at Bartica. But the 
 Missionary had very docile and attentive hearers. 
 He writes, " The inhabitants generally are busily 
 engaged, either in preparing provision grounds or 
 making houses : indeed it is not easy to get even 
 a trifling job of any other nature done. How 
 many hundred times have I pressed upon these 
 Indians the importance of seeing well to their 
 own concerns; and now I have the pleasure of 
 seeing them turn out manfully to work, each seek- 
 ing to have a provision field to call his own." 
 Not only in this work, but also in regard to 
 
 ^ This hope was realised, but not in Mr. Youd's lifetime. His 
 successor, the Rev. J. PoUit, erected a substantial church, towards 
 the cost of which the Government contributed £500. 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. 127 
 
 school instruction and the attendance at public 
 worship there seemed to exist a healthy spirit of 
 emulation, and this was exhibited also in in- 
 ducing strangers to avail themselves of the ad- 
 vantages offered by the Mission. One Sunday 
 while walking to church Mr. Youd overheard a 
 young man saying to his companion, " If you were 
 here you would soon learn : every day we have 
 school : so you would soon know the book." 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 1842. 
 
 However fair might be the prospects of the 
 Gospel to the devoted Missionary who was so 
 willingly sacrificing himself to the poor Indians 
 in this out-of-the-way spot, in the mysterious 
 providence of God, they were destined to be 
 obscured and overclouded. It seemed as though 
 the footprints of this patient soldier of Christ 
 were tracked by Satan, and that the enemy of 
 souls was permitted to work his will upon him 
 without restraint. The Indian who was sus- 
 pected of administering poison to Mr. Youd at 
 Urwa, and again at Waraputa, had been seen 
 hanging about the Mission premises, and he now 
 sought a further opportunity of executing his in- 
 fernal design. One day, while at dinner, the 
 Missionary, overcome with drowsiness, fell asleep. 
 He awoke with a sharp pain, and divining the 
 cause took an emetic, as on previous occasions. 
 The poison, however, had had time to work, and 
 although it was not immediately fatal, his health 
 became so enfeebled that he found it necessary to 
 
MISSION LIFE IN BRITISH GUIANA. 1 29 
 
 try the effect of a change of air. He embarked 
 in the ship "Demerara" in June, 1842, with the 
 intention of proceeding to England ; but nothing 
 could arrest the power of the fell destroyer. All 
 remedies were alike unavailing, and his spirit 
 passed away when the vessel had proceeded but a 
 few days on her voyage. 
 
 His fellow-labourer, the Rev. J. Bernau, writes^ 
 "Oct 8, 1842. It was with sorrow of heart that 
 we learned the death of dear Mr. Youd on his 
 passage home. The Lord has given him rest from 
 his labours, and his works follow him ! It must be 
 said of him that he served the Lord in the Mis- 
 sionary work with a devoted heart; and that in 
 his lonely travels in these wilds he bore with sub- 
 mission the many deprivations and trials incident 
 to a Missionary life. I feel persuaded that the 
 seed which he scattered will bring forth fruit in 
 season." 
 
 " It has pleased God," says the Report of the 
 Church Missionary Society for 1843-3, "to deprive 
 this mxission of the services of the Rev. T. Youd, 
 who was well fitted by his zeal and enterprising 
 character for commencing Missionary labours 
 among the Indians in the interior. He died on 
 the voyage home for the recovery of his health." 
 
 It is a sad ending to a sorrowful tale : yet one 
 not unrelieved by glimpses of sunshine, if, as we 
 cannot but believe, the blessing of God rested 
 K 
 
130 MISSION LIFE 
 
 Upon His humble servant. During the whole nine 
 years and a half which he spent in the wilderness, 
 he seldom left his post even to go as far as 
 Georgetown. He gave himself to the work of 
 Christ with a single-minded devotion which is 
 worthy of all imitation. More desirable appoint- 
 ments in point of worldly comfort and conveni- 
 ence, with the advantages of society and position, 
 in settled parts of the colony, might have been 
 had for the asking, — indeed were his due, by virtue 
 of the good profession he had witnessed ; but he 
 would not desert his first love. He had deter- 
 mined to be a Missionary; there could be no 
 prouder title for him than that ; no position offer- 
 ing brighter prospects. He had put his hand to 
 the plough, and nothing in this world could avail to 
 make him turn back. He was happy not only in 
 the consciousness of being about His Master's 
 business, but also in the filial attachment of the 
 docile and simple-minded savages, as yet uncon- 
 taminated by the vices of men who boasted a 
 higher civilisation and a purer creed, with whom 
 he had thrown in his lot. These poor people re- 
 garded him in the light of a Father and a 
 Benefactor. He was a true Patriarch among 
 them ; and his behests, founded as they were on 
 justice and truth, were as implicitly attended to 
 as though he had wielded a kingly sceptre. God 
 had cast his lot in one of the fairest spots on the 
 earth, in a region where perpetual summer reigns, 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. I3I 
 
 and where the soil brings forth abundantly as 
 though no curse had ever lighted there^ — where 
 life in infinite variety seems to luxuriate in being. 
 Some drawbacks to this fair picture, indeed, have 
 already been noticed ; but, taking all things into 
 account, it is not difficult to fancy so faithful a 
 servant of Christ, — with such unwavering trust in 
 God, enjoying life exquisitely in such a position. 
 His domestic bereavements were heartrending; 
 but with what noble fortitude and calm resigna- 
 tion he bore them, and concealed in his own 
 breast the sting that they left behind ! No doubt 
 the Master's words, "As many as I love, I re- 
 buke and chasten," were verified in this patient 
 sufferer. All his trials did not make him despond 
 or relax his energies one jot. Accumulated la- 
 bours and sickness reduced his strength; afflic- 
 tions wrenched his heartstrings ; but he knew 
 himself to be a son of God's love, and he strove 
 cheerfully to bend his neck to the yoke " and to do 
 his duty in that state of life unto which it had 
 pleased God to call him." 
 
 How inscrutable are the mysterious dispensa- 
 tions of Providence ! When such an indefatigable 
 worker is taken away in the full vigour of man- 
 hood (he was about the same age, when he died, 
 as his great Pattern), after a comparatively short 
 period of service, we speculate on what good he 
 might have done had he been permitted to live to 
 K 2 
 
132 MISSION LIFE 
 
 the ordinary term of man's life, threescore years 
 and ten. Perhaps (we say) the whole of the 
 Indians in the interior of Guiana might have been 
 brought to the knowledge of the Saviour. Do 
 not let us be impatient ; God is not in a hurry. 
 His servant was willing to devote to Him a life- 
 time : God was satisfied to accept but ten years. 
 " He, being perfect in a short time, fulfilled a 
 long time, for his soul pleased the Lord." 
 
 To a worldly-minded man Mr. Youd's whole 
 life WTDuld appear to be a failure, to be wasted. 
 Yet, although to the eyes of man so little result 
 appeared to flow from his labours, we know that 
 good seed was sown which will bear fruit in the 
 harvest of souls. We cannot count the number 
 of those who through his instrumentality are 
 washed in the precious blood of Jesus and made 
 meet for the inheritance of the saints in light ; 
 but what if there be only one such ? " What shall 
 it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world 
 and lose his own soul ? Or what shall a man give 
 in exchange for his soul ?" 
 
 What an overwhelming catalogue of trials and 
 disappointments seemed to be heaped upon his 
 devoted head, and to follow one another, as it 
 were, with cruel deliberation; as though Satan, 
 by repeated crushing blows, would drive him to 
 desperation, and urge him to curse God and die. 
 First came the loss of his nephew, the death of 
 his firstborn, and then of his wife, the small pox 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. 1 33 
 
 epidemic among the Accawoios at Bartica, when 
 some of his most promising pupils were carried 
 off, and his work came almost to a dead stop ; the 
 enforced relinquishment of his best-loved work at 
 Pirara, at Urwa, the loss of his second wife and 
 his own dangerous illness; and lastly his death at 
 sea. It may be supposed that, as he lay faint and 
 helpless in his cabin, he looked forward with 
 eager longing to the time when he should see 
 again the old familiar faces, which, for years he 
 had gazed upon only in imagination; and when 
 his eyes should be gladdened with a view of the 
 well-remembered scenes of his youth, the green 
 fields, the sunny villages and taper spires of merry 
 England, from which he had been parted for so 
 long a time. He might well have wished that 
 the cool sea breezes might send back the colour 
 to his wan cheek, and renew his wasted strength, 
 and drive the fever from his blood, that he might 
 feel himself again, and be able to get back to the 
 field in which there yet remained so much to be 
 done for God. But it was not to dear old Eng- 
 land that the Father's loving hand was conducting 
 his submissive child: it was to a land where 
 there is rest and peace, where there shall be 
 no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, 
 neither shall there be any more pain, and God 
 shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. The 
 loved ones whom he hoped to meet, after so long 
 a separation, he should see no more on this side 
 
134 MISSION LIFE 
 
 of the dark river ; but instead, a bright array were 
 awaiting him, the spirits of just men made perfect, 
 and Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, Whose rod 
 and staff had defended and guided him through 
 the "valley of the shadow of death." He had 
 looked for an earthly haven of rest after his so- 
 journings ; but God had provided for him " some 
 better thing," a refuge "where the wicked cease 
 from troubling and where the weary are at rest." 
 
 We know that " He doeth all things well :" and 
 if we possessed a faithful record of the last hours 
 of the dying Missionary, we should doubtless find 
 that a blessed peace reigned supreme over his well 
 disciplined mind, and that his spirit passed away 
 as he joyfully breathed a Nunc Dimittis. May 
 the example of his devoted labours and constancy 
 in doing Christ's work stimulate new Champions 
 of the Faith, and prove to them that " the Lord 
 is mindful of His own," and He delivereth them 
 out of all their troubles. When the trump of the 
 Resurrection Angel shall sound and the sea shall 
 give up her dead, there will be many who, like 
 Thomas Youd, were unknown to the world, but 
 had a great name in heaven ; to whom the Judge 
 shall then address those words of Commendation 
 that will be to them abundant recompense for all 
 their toils and sufferings for His sake, "Well 
 done, good and faithful servant, enter thou into 
 the joy of thy Lord." 
 
IN BRITISH GUIANA. 1 35 
 
 Postscript. 
 
 It may interest those who have perused the 
 foregoing narrative to know what became of the 
 Waraputa Mission after its founder's death. 
 
 For a few months a native teacher, William 
 Simmons, carried on the work of the Mission. 
 But at the commencement of 1843, Mr. J Pollitt, 
 who had previously been employed as a catechist 
 in Jamaica, arrived in the Colony and had the 
 charge committed to him. Having been or- 
 dained deacon by the Bishop of Guiana^ in the 
 month of February, he set out for his distant 
 field of labour. At first he had very up-hill work : 
 the foundations of the Mission had almost to be 
 laid anew, for everything had become disorganised 
 in the interval since Mr. Youd's departure. He 
 was soon enabled, however, not only to build a 
 comfortable residence for himself, but also to 
 carry out Mr. Youd's project of erecting a sub- 
 stantial place of worship. To this latter object 
 the Government of the Colony contributed the 
 handsome donation of ^^ 500 sterling. 
 
 Mr. Pollitt met with an accident ^ in returning 
 from Georgetown, by which his boat was capsized, 
 and the exposure and cold which he underwent 
 brought on a severe illness, which compelled him 
 
 ^ The archdeaconry of British Guiana had been now constituted a 
 separate see. The first Bishop, Dr. William Piercy Austin was conse- 
 crated August 24, 1842. 
 
 ^ See Page 103. 
 
136 MISSION LIFE IN BRITISH GUIANA. 
 
 to quit his post and seek to recruit his health by 
 rest and change of air. He accordingly left the 
 Colony October 12, 1843 and proceeded to Eng- 
 land. He was succeeded by Mr. Edmund Chris- 
 tian, as catechist ; but he, too, was soon obliged 
 by ill-health to give up the work. William 
 Simmons was again placed in charge, but the 
 settlement gradually dwindled down to insigni- 
 ficance and was ultimately abandoned, the Indians 
 preferring to attach themselves to the Mission 
 stations lower down the river. 
 
 In April, 185 1, Waraputa was visited by Mr. 
 ■J. J. Lohrer, who was connected with the Bartica 
 Mission. He wrote, " The place is quite desolate ; 
 no trace of building is to be seen. One of my 
 people says, two years ago, when he was up here, 
 the frame of Mr. Youd's house was quite perfect, 
 but now all is overgrown with bush and under- 
 wood." 
 
 A party of the Geological Survey spent Christ- 
 mas Day, 1868, on the site of the Mission ; but not 
 a vestige remained to show that it had ever been 
 the abode of man. So rapid is the progress of 
 decay, as well as of life in this climate, — the old 
 constantly undergoing the process of metamor- 
 phosis in the workshop of Nature for the produc- 
 tion of the new ! 
 
 THE END. 
 
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