The coffin was borne along on the heads of two negroes--a negro
carries every thing on his head, from a bale of goods to a wine--glass or
tea--cup. It is a practice for the bearers, when they come near the house
of any one against whom the deceased was supposed to have had a grudge, to
pretend that the coffin will not pass by, and in the present case, when
they came opposite to where we stood, they began to wheel round and round,
and to stagger under their load, while the choristers shouted at the top
of their lungs.
"We beg you, shipmate, for come along--do, broder, come away;" then
another reel. "What, you no wantee go in a hole, eh? You hab grudge
against somebody lif here, eh?"--Another devil of a lurch "Massa----'s
housekeeper, eh? Ah, it must be!"--A tremendous stagger--"Oh, Massa----,
dollar for drink; someting to hold play [negro wake] in Spring--path,
[the negro burying--ground;] Bediacko say him won't pass 'less you give
it." And here they began to spin round more violently than before; but at
the instant a drove of bullocks coming along, they got entangled amongst
them, and down went body and bearers and all, the coffin bursting in the
fall, and the dead corpse, with its white grave--clothes and black face,
rolling over and over in the sand amongst the feet of the cattle. It was
immediately caught up, however, bundled into the coffin again, and away
they staggered, drumming and singing as loudly as before.
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