Page:The Captivity of Hans Stade of Hesse.pdf/193

would catch them now and then in the wood as they had caught me.

I further said to him: "Yes, thy real enemies, the Tuppin Ikins, are equipping twenty-five canoes, and will soon appear and invade thy country;" as also happened.

The while he so questioned, the others stood and listened. In short he asked me much and told me much; boasting to me how he had already killed many a Portuguese, and savages besides who had been his enemies. During the time he was thus talking to me, the liquor in the huts was drunk up. 'Then they moved off to another hat to drink therein also, so that he ceased speaking.

After this those in the other hut began to carry on their jokes and to deride me. The said king's son having tied my legs together in three places, I was made to hop with joined feet through the huts; at this they laughed and said, "there comes our meat hopping along." Upon this I asked my master (Ipperu Wasa) who had taken me there, whether he had led me thither to be killed. He said no, it was the custom, that foreign slaves were treated in this manner, and they again untied the ropes round my legs, thereupon they walked round about me and grabbed at my flesh, one said the skin of the head belonged to him and another that he claimed the fleshy part of the leg. Then I had to sing to them, and I sang spiritual songs. These I was asked to translate to them in their language, and I said, "I have sung of my God." They said my God was filth, that is in their language, "Teuire."^[1] These words hurt me much and I thought, "O merciful God, how long-suffering Thou art !” Now on the next day when all in the village had soen me and had heaped every insult upon me, the king Konyan Bebe told those who had charge of me, that they were to watch me carefully.

Thereupon, when they again led me from out of the huts,