e, Governor of the negroes of Berbice." The rebel chief said
that as the negroes did not want war, he would give His Honour half the
colony, while he himself would govern the other half and go up the river
with his people, who were determined never again to be slaves. No notice
was taken of this, and Charbon, who had been warned to bring back an
answer at his peril, was too pleased to get back to his white friends to
again wish for his post of secretary.

Even now the Governor's situation was not only perilous, but most
pitiful. St. Eustatius sent two vessels, but almost as soon as they
arrived the men were attacked by sickness, and instead of being a help
they had to be nursed, even the Governor himself taking his part in the
necessary attendance. At one time there were not enough healthy soldiers
to relieve guard, but fortunately Coffee had no means of knowing this,
or all would certainly have been over with them.

It was not until December that a fleet arrived from the Netherlands, and
then a horrible vengeance overtook the rebels. There was not much
difficulty in subduing them, especially when a large contingent of
Indians was sent overland from Demerara to drive them from the forest.
In March, 1764, the trials began with a hundred ringleaders, fifty of
whom were sentenced to death. Fifteen of these were burnt, sixteen
broken on the wheel, and twenty-two hanged. The following month they
executed in similar ways thirty-four, and later again thirty-two. The
chiefs were burnt at slow fires, punishment which they bore with the
utmost stoicism. One named Atta, however, told the bystanders that he
only suffered what he deserved. Finally, in December a general amnesty
was proclaimed, which made the negroes cry out with joy, _Dankje!
Dankje!_

Berbice was of course utterly ruined for a time. The plantations were
overrun with weeds, the buildings in ruins, and many of the slaves
missing. Of the whites only 116 remained; the rest were dead from
sickness, had been killed by the negroes, or had fled from the colony.
The loss in killed was small, as the general fright prevented any show
of resistance. What would have happened if the whites had fallen into
the hands of the rebels was shown in one or two flagrant cases. One of
the colony surgeons was said to have been flayed alive on the ground
that he had poisoned the slaves by forcing them to take medicine. One
poor girl who had been captured at Peereboom was compelled to subm