The Pull Of Freedom

by Barrett, Brenda

  Cudjoe did not welcome them with open arms; he seemed tired and ill at ease with their suggestion to fight the white men.

  “I want peace,” he said, looking shiftily at Quao.

  Quao had cornered him as he sat dangling his legs in a stream. Asha was bone weary but she had wanted to see the man that was her father. He was short and hunched over; his coffee coloured skin was shining in the sun. He had a wad of tobacco in his mouth and he chewed and spat.

  Quao argued to no avail, finally he got up and left Cudjoe.

  Asha surveyed him quietly, he was shorter than she thought but his body exuded princely confidence, his eyes looked wary and sad.

  “You look like Martha,” Cudjoe said turning to his daughter.

  Asha nodded. “That’s what Mamee tells me.”

  “It was a brave thing to walk all this way,” Cudjoe said quietly.

  “Nanny said I should,” Asha looked off into the distance, “when we left the village, I could hear the guns blowing up the settlement and people like little dolls. They should pay for it.”

  Cudjoe shrugged, “I am tired of the war, we should be free to do what we want, when we want without constantly fighting for it. I am tired of seeing my men lose their lives and I am tired of taking the lives of others.”

  “But that’s the way it will be if we are constantly hunted by the white man,” Asha said fiercely.

  “You speak like Nanny,” Cudjoe said trailing his hands in the water, “Nanny is a warrior, she would fight to the end to accomplish her vision of the black man ruling this island.”

  “It won’t happen. We will just fight for our freedom until we all die.”

  “Nanny said blacks will be the majority on this island someday and that they will make decisions. She says that one day all the blacks in the world will be free.”

  “She speaks foolishly,” Cudjoe said wearily, “I'm tired of her dreaming and her predictions of future glory, I live in the here and now and I'm just tired of all this running around and hiding.”

  Asha got up. “Nanny has never been wrong, I believe her.”

  “Are you going back with the others to join Nanny?” Cudjoe asked, a look of vulnerability flashed in his eyes and Asha sat back down, this was her father. The man that had played a role in her existence.

  She loved Nanny and had gotten to know her but she wanted to know her father. You will get your hearts desire when you stay at Cudjoe. Nanny’s words wafted in her brain. Her hearts desire was to know her father and to see Mark Simmonds. At least she would get one of her heart's desires.

  “No,” she answered Cudjoe, “I am staying here with you. I would like to meet Accompong and Jelani, Nanny speaks so much about them and about when you were children.”

  Nanny’s maroons went back the day after there arrival at Cudjoe’s with enough supplies to last them the journey back. Quao hugged Asha and looked at his brother balefully.

  Cudjoe had asked him to stay but he was sticking to Nanny and her vision of freedom, he would never abandon his sister the way Cudjoe had. They walked the long journey back into the hills—they were strong people they could handle anything.

  They found Nanny at a new spot along with the few people that had stayed with her. They set up their village once more and decided to fight the white man even more than before. They were going to punish them for those they killed.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  “Mark, so lovely to see you,” Bridget grinned at the young man. Mark had arrived minutes before and had stopped to talk with Daniel at the pond.

  Mark leaned over to kiss Bridget.

  She stared up at him warmly, “since the rebuilding of your plantation you hardly visit.”

  Mark grinned, “I try to escape my father on numerous occasions but its all for naught. He insists on my help and company.”

  Bridget glanced over to a man sitting on one of her brocade chairs, “Mark meet my new neighbour Sir Floyd Kesington. He bought out the Penwoods.”

  Mark went over to Sir Floyd Kesington and shook his hand. “Nice to meet you Sir.”

  Kes laughed, he had come back to Jamaica because he could not stand the frigidity of England. He was also highly placed in the confidence of the Governor of Jamaica. He had said to the Assembly only yesterday that they should forge peace with the maroons—he was determined to fight like the maroon, that he was, for the interest of his people.

  He stared at Mark, he hardly looked like the five year old that he had seen on the veranda of the plantation house all those many years ago, the lad had grown up to be a fine man.

  “Your Aunt Bridget and I have a lot in common,” Kes said looking at Mark intently, “I pay my men to work and they do their own trades on my plantation.”

  Mark cleared his throat; “my father disagrees with Aunt Bridget on that score.”

  Kes grinned, “but I heard that you do not. I heard that you are in love with the slave girl who is the daughter of our major maroon rebel called Cudjoe.”

  Mark sighed, “I would do anything to see Asha again.”

  “Then you are in luck,” Kes said glancing at Bridget, “the Assembly has voted for one Colonel Guthrie to sign a peace treaty with the maroons. The Assembly is tired of the fighting. Have you noticed that the skirmishes have gotten worse through the years.”

  Mark sat up straighter in the chair that he had sunk himself in, “that’s good news for the maroons but what’s the good news for me and Asha, we will never live together as equals in this society.”

  Kes shrugged, “if you knew where she was you could find her and discuss that.”

  Bridget stood up and poured tea, “here you go Mark, while you mull that over. Kes and I were talking about him paying his slaves.”

  “They are not slaves,” Kes said quickly, “they are ordinary workers, they work hard for their days wages. I now have the problem of free men coming to my plantation looking for work when all I wanted to do was liberate the men the rest of the society call slaves.”

  “What motivates you?” Mark asked frowning.

  “I was a slave,” Kes looked at Bridget and Mark sensing that they would keep his secret, they were both of a liberal mind. “I travelled with Nanny of the Maroons.”

  Bridget gasped, “what?”

  Kes nodded, “Nanny is a great warrior and I doubt that she will sign this peace treaty but I have to try for her sake. She deserves to rest sometime.”

  “But how?” Mark asked interestedly, “how on earth could a white man travel with maroons.”

  “I am mulatto,” Kes grinned, “my father was as black as coffee, unfortunately I wasn't born with any of his outward genes.”

  Bridget placed her hand over her heart, “that’s utterly interesting.”

  “I knew you would like the story,” Kes straightened, “I missed Jamaica so badly when I left here, after I helped the men to raid the Braithwaite plantation, I left for England and found my mother. We set up house and I went around subtly instigating hatred for slavery, especially among the religious groups like the Quakers.”

  “My God, the Braithwaites?” Mark eyes almost bugged out of his head, “my mother’s friend is Hilma Braithwaite Stoddard. She is in England a more pompous woman you can never find.”

  Kes looked at Mark puzzled, “so Hilma lived then? And married her Captain Stoddard?”

  “Yesssss,” Mark said earnestly, “he blew up the village of Nanny of the maroons some months ago, he has been lauded as one of the best soldiers we have.”

  Kes, looked frightened, “is Nanny alright?”

  Mark shrugged, “I wouldn’t know but I heard that the maroons were walking across the island, all the plantation owners got scared.”

  “That’s why the Assembly was quick to follow my suggestion of a peace treaty,” Kes said wonderingly. “Might be I shouldn’t fret about Nanny she is a survivor.”

  They all sat in silence for a while digesting the revelations of the moment.

  “How do you know that we won’t tel
l anyone about you?” Bridget asked curiously.

  “Because I would have to tell them about you my dear Bridget,” Kes said smiling.

  “What about me?” Bridget asked uncomfortably.

  “That your slaves here are not really slaves.” Kes said promptly, “I admire you for that, that’s why I made the courtesy call. I would never call on your father though, he glanced at Mark, he is too much of a bigot.”

  Mark grimaced, “I grew up with my father but spent most of my time with slave women. I guess you could say that ruined me somewhat, I constantly struggle in this society.”

  Kes got up and doffed his hat, “I must take your leave Madam Bridget.”

  Bridget stood also, “you are welcome here anytime.”

  Kes nodded at Mark, “come to me in four weeks, we can take the trek to Cudjoe’s village together, there you will see if your lady love resides with her father.”

  Mark eagerly nodded his head; “I would not miss it for the world.”

  “We go with Colonel Guthrie and his men,” Kes said warningly, “so do not let your emotions show.”

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Cudjoe had refused to see Colonel Guthrie, he was not sure that the white man was not out to set a trap for him. He sent his men to secure the way, they spread out with guns and traps all the way down to the cotton tree at the bottom of the hill.

  Asha wanted to accompany her father, he refused at first but he finally capitulated when she said, “I'm Ashanti woman I know what to do in war.”

  He shrugged in resignation, the girl sounded so much like Nanny at times that he knew when to hold his peace and not argue.

  When they finally reached the cotton tree, Colonel Guthrie was there. He laid his gun on the ground. He had twenty men with him; they were all dressed in uniform except two.

  Cudjoe spotted one in gentleman’s clothes and squinted his eyes.

  “Am I seeing right? Kes?”

  Kes stepped forward to the front of both sides, they were very tense, he laughed, “call off the guns Cudjoe, the Assembly has agreed to grant you your full freedom, 1500 acres of land between Trelawney town and the Cockpits and you can hunt wild pigs anywhere except within a three mile limit of towns and plantations.”

  Cudjoe relaxed and exhaled.

  "You will also be commander here and you can name your successors.” Colonel Guthrie, a big man with a red tinted beard and a barrel of a belly said with forced heartiness.

  “There are two conditions,” Guthrie cleared his throat and watched as the friendly look in Cudjoe’s eyes faded, “the governor named two white men to live here permanently with you so that friendly contact can be maintained with you and the colonists and you will have to return any runaway slaves to the plantations.”

  “I'm not sure I like that, Cudjoe said turning away.

  Kes walked up to Cudjoe and whispered in his ear, “I fought for this for you, take the deal, what will happen if two white men live here? They will keep to themselves who knows they might even become maroons.”

  Cudjoe stood silently for a while and looked at Guthrie. Guthrie returned his look unwaveringly.

  “I agree,” Cudjoe said strongly, the men in uniform started clapping in glee followed by the loud singing of the maroons in the trees and on the hillsides.

  Guthrie looked around; he would have been in deep trouble if Cudjoe had refused. He had no idea so many men were stationed throughout the hills.

  He exchanged hats with Cudjoe and said, “one of the men that the Governor appointed is a friend of your friend Kes here.”

  Cudjoe nodded, “who is he?”

  “Mark Simmonds Sir,” Mark said, coming to the forefront of gathered men.

  Asha gasped and came closer to the ring of men.

  Mark looked at her and winked.

  Chapter Forty-Four

  It took Asha and Mark three months before they got married—both in the traditional Ashanti way and the English style.

  Bridget attended with her husband, declaring herself the honorary mother of the bride. Mamee argued with her good-naturedly over the title. She caught Ibo’s eye from Nanny’s party and decided that she was not going back to the Simmonds plantation.

  She had gotten the option of staying with Asha in the maroon village by Massa Robert. Her heart pains had turned out to be nothing more than gas but she had played the sickness card for all it was worth. Massa Robert had reluctantly granted her freedom after a long argument with Massa Mark.

  “I'm staying here with Asha and Mark,” she declared loudly while looking at Ibo longingly.

  Nanny was there too, she had made the trek with her men to see her niece joined to the white man. Her men had willingly followed when she declared that she was needed in Cudjoe’s camp. She arrived on the morning of the wedding feast but no one was surprised to see her.

  She had refused a similar offer made to her by Guthrie. She was not enamoured with the idea that she would be helping out the plantation owners by giving back the runaways. She was uncomfortable with the idea of selective freedom. Freedom was not to be bargained for was her stance.

  Kes who was also a part of the wedding celebration stood in a quiet corner with Nanny trying to persuade her to take the offer. Quao stood near them and silently listened, nodding readily when Kes made a point but Nanny shook her head stubbornly.

  Cudjoe sat beneath the cotton tree, they had named the tree Cudjoe’s tree. He didn't mind that his daughter was tying herself to the white man—he saw benefit in that for his village. Besides, the two of them seemed to really love each other. They had reached across the divide of colour and culture to find a common ground in the uncertain times of slavery.

  His brothers sat beside him almost forming a circle: Accompong sat to his right, Cuffy to his left, Jelani directly faced him and Quao, who still held resentment towards him for turning the people away when they needed help, had sat reluctantly beside Jelani and gave him a hostile appraisal. Nanny came to join them, she seemed relaxed, not as world weary as she normally did. Today she was forgetting her burdens. She proudly completed the circle. They were together again, the first time for eighteen years.

  They sat in silence absorbing the significance of the occasion. The festivities flowed around them. There were so many things they wanted to say to each other—these children of the Asanthene, brought from Africa on a boat as slaves.

  “Asha’s offspring will bring great changes to this country,” Nanny said quietly, “they will fight this battle of freedom better than we can, they will be infused with the pull of freedom from birth. The future will be turbulent but they will survive.”

  “Do you see anything about me?” Jelani asked excitedly.

  Nanny looked at him and quirked her brow, “in the future your name will be forgotten.”

  “No,” Jelani looked stricken, “will I be called by that stupid English name that Cudjoe teases me with?”

  Nanny shrugged, “what does he call you?”

  Cudjoe grinned and smacked his leg, “whenever he acts like an English man I call him Johnny.”

  “The name that the overseer gave me on the Simmonds plantation years ago.” Jelani looked pained.

  Accompong cleared his throat, “I would like to know too what will happen to me.”

  Nanny laughed, “Accompong, Accompong. You will be a great leader once you remove yourself from Cudjoe’s shadow.”

  Cudjoe sniffed, his face contorting, “you insult me.”

  Nanny looked at him slyly, “people will remember you forever as a freedom fighter, they will name a hill after you.”

  He looked mollified, “how far in the future are you talking?”

  Nanny shrugged, “no specific date, I just know.”

  “That leaves Cuffy and me,” Quao said earnestly.

  Cudjoe laughed, “this one is easy let me tell you. Nanny is not the only one with the gift of knowing.”

  “Go ahead,” Quao said grinning, Cudjoe just had to compete with Nanny.

>   “Quao will sign that peace treaty that Nanny is refusing,” Cudjoe said deeply, “and Cuffy will father twenty sons.”

  The group laughed, including Nanny.

  “Do you remember when we came over on the ship?” Jelani asked after a long pause, he looked at Nanny.

  Nanny grinned, “you were a baby, what do you remember?”

  “I remember that cut on my back and your voice in the dark,” Jelani said seriously, “I asked, how can you be so sure that we will be free where we are going, and you said, no one can take your freedom unless we let them.”

  “And no one will,” Nanny said smiling, “no one will.”

  THE END

  Did you enjoy reading this book?

  Please take a few seconds to share you thoughts on it. You can do so by leaving a review on Amazon.

  Author’s Notes

  Soon after arriving in Jamaica, Nanny and her five brothers escaped from slavery. Her brothers were Cudjoe, the great Maroon leader, Accompong, Johnny, Cuffy and Quao. This Ashanti family soon became leaders of the Maroons and of many other free Africans.

  The name Johhny is English in origin. Hence, I took the liberty of assigning an African name to the brother known as Johnny. He was given the name Jelani which means mighty. All the others retained their African names, according to the accounts of history, except this brother.

  By 1720 Nanny had taken full control of the Blue Mountain Rebel Town. It was renamed Nanny Town. There Nanny, Quao and their people cleared over 600 acres of forest for cultivation. Their society was organized like the Ashanti society.

  In 1739 Cudjoe signed a peace treaty with the British. This treaty gave the Maroons lands and rights as free men. But in return they promised the British to do three things: They promised not to war against the British. They were to help capture run-away slaves. Lastly, they were to help the Government put down revolts.

  Article fourteen of the article of pacification; states that two white men shall live with the Maroons “in order to maintain a friendly correspondence with the inhabitants of this island.” Even though this treaty was to encourage a friendly relationship between the two parties, it also gave white planters first-hand knowledge of the situation in the Maroon camp. Most important of all, the treaty also required the Maroons to act as a sort of police force for the planters, returning future runaways to the plantations, and drafting them to fight against future rebellions.