TV 
 
 Copy 1 
 
 
 
 WILLIAM 
 BIR0E '] 
 
Class f^OBi 
 
 Book__ .~£><g> 
 
IN OLD ROSEAU. 
 
 Reminiscences of Life as I Found It in 
 
 the Island of Dominica, and Among 
 
 the Carib Indians. 
 
 BY 
 
 WILLIAM Si BIRGE, M.D. 
 
 WITH ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 ISAAC H. BLANCHARD CO., 
 
 Publishers, 
 
 NEW YORK. 
 
ft- 
 
 COPYRIGHTED IN" THE UNITED STATES <. v ) SBUSAX BRITAIN IN* 1900 
 
 By WXUUAM S. BikuE, M.P. 
 
 ' 
 
 /T- %* 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2011 with funding from 
 The Library of Congress 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/inoldroseaureminOObirg 
 

 PART I. 
 
 Depicting Life as I Found It in the 
 Island of Dominica. 
 
DEDICATION. 
 
 TO MY WIFE, 
 
 Who has been a constant companion and help 
 through years of a busy professional life, this 
 little book is dedicated with a feeling of respect 
 and honest affection. 
 
ixTEorrcTiox. 
 
 This little book was written in the beginning as 
 a relaxation from the worry and care of an active 
 professional life, and to recall to mind the many 
 pleasant and varied incidents narrated herein. It 
 was not intended for publication, but at the solici- 
 tation of friends, who have been entertained by its 
 perusal, saying that it differed so materially from 
 the ordinary humdrum book of travel, I have con- 
 sented to place it in the hands of the publisher. 
 
 A few of the chapters have appeared in print 
 before, but these have been rewritten and. for the 
 most part, materially changed, particularly a por- 
 tion of the first chapter, which was written in con- 
 junction with a friend and formed an article in a 
 guide-book of West Indian travel. For some of 
 the statistics and other information furnished, I 
 am indebted to various sources, among others 
 Ober s incomparable work on the Carribean Isl- 
 ands. 
 
 I make no pretensions of any literary effort, but 
 have tried to make the book readable, and incite in 
 the minds of its readers an interest in. and an ad- 
 miration for, one of the most beautiful islands in 
 the world. It is not too highly colored, for the 
 pen of the most gifted writer cannot do justice to 
 this tropical isle of the sea. One of the few places, 
 if, indeed, such can be said to exist on this earth, 
 that might truly be entitled to the synonym of 
 God's country. 
 
 Proi'ineetown, llass., May SO, 1900. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAET ONE. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 An Idyl of the Carribean 9 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 A Chapter of No Account 25 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 Tom and I Visit the Boiling Sulphur Springs ... 28 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 A Twilight Picture 36 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 The Obeah Practise 42 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 We Visit the Government Hospital and See Some Cases 
 of Leprosy ... 50 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 The Story of Old Buttman's Jule — A Dominica Trag- 
 edy • 54 
 
PAET TWO. 
 
 AMONG THE CAEIBS. 
 CHAPTER I. 
 Reminiscences and a Determination to See the Mahoe 
 Country and its Carib Inhabitants 65 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 The Start — Jean Baptiste Pierre — I Reach the Mahoe 
 Country 70 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 My Advent Into the Carib Settlement — I Become Ac- 
 quainted with the Family of Jean Baptiste Pierre — ■ 
 Attend Divine Worship and Meet with a Surprise 75 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 King George — My Introduction — Jean Baptiste Pierre 
 and I Hunt the Wild Hog 82 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 Manners and Customs of the Carib Indians — A Few In- 
 cidents 88 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 A Broken Reverie — Marcella's Love-Making — My De- 
 parture from the Land of Mahoe 95 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 The Carribean Islands as a Health Resort .... 101 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Marcella, Carib Girl ........ Frontispiece 
 
 Street Scene, Roseau Page 17 
 
 Steamers of Quebec Line Page 102 
 
IN OLD ROSEAU. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 AN IDYL OF THE CARRIBEAK. 
 
 "My dream is of an island place, 
 By distant seas kept lonely, 
 A little island, on whose face 
 The stars are watchers only." 
 
 /in the fine old days when the history of the 
 West Indies and the Spanish Main was fraught 
 with romance and tragedy, those islands running 
 in a crescent shape from Trinidad, on the south, to 
 the Virgin Islands, on the north, were known as 
 the Windward Islands. The Leeward Islands were, 
 and properly speaking are, another cluster, lying 
 off the coast of Venezuela from Magarita to Oruba J 
 The Britishers owned none of these, and to make 
 themselves happier, divided their Windward chain 
 and called the northern part the Leeward Islands. 
 This has been the cause of confusion and misun- 
 derstanding. When I read of the Windward Isl- 
 ands I do not know to what the author refers; 
 when someone speaks of the Leeward Islands, I am 
 at a loss to understand. The changes which have 
 taken place these later years in the time of fast 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 steamships and much going are discouraging to 
 the lovers of old books of travel. It was in the 
 days before the poetry of the deep had been sent 
 swirling astern out of sight by the propeller that 
 the Windward Islands were the Windward Islands. 
 "The glory and the dream has gone/'* says W. 
 Clark Eussell; "the demon of steam has possessed 
 with its spirit the interior of the sailing ship, and 
 from the eyes of the nautical occupants of that 
 combination of ore and wire, that ocean visionary 
 life which was the substance and sum of sea calling 
 has utterly faded. A man is taken from port to 
 port with railroad punctuality. He is swept head- 
 long through calms and storms. The mantle of 
 mystery has been lifted by the hand of discovery, 
 and the superstition and fear begotten of intrusion 
 into the obscure and unknown and the magic that 
 was in them is gone." 
 
 But, perhaps, the elimination of poetry from the 
 sea life by the pounding of the steam engine and 
 the swift voyage, is more deplorable on land than 
 it is on the ocean itself. Let us admit that it is. 
 Most likely we shall then be willing to hasten on, 
 borne by the very impolite, but very comfortable, 
 iron steamship. 
 
 In no part of the ocean are voyages attended 
 with so much enjoyment as in the Southern Sea, 
 and anything pleasanter, more lotus-bearing, more 
 
 10 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 Eden-like, than the Carribean Islands can hardly 
 be. Deep in emerald valleys, hemmed in by ra- 
 vine and precipice, overhung with towering tree 
 ferns and the glassy and quaint leaf of the wild 
 plantain, moist with the daily showers that sud- 
 denly sweep down like white curtains from the 
 dark and jagged heights overhead, to be as sud- 
 denly followed by the hot sunshine of the cloud- 
 less blue, until every form of vegetable life springs 
 up and nourishes in a confused plenitude of 
 beauty — a veritable paradise, indeed! 
 
 In these West Indian Islands you live in a cli- 
 mate averaging 80 °. The air has no longer any 
 harshness or asperity. It feels soft and bland to 
 the skin. Every breath is healing. You are be- 
 side a tinted and eye-delighting ocean, where soft 
 breezes are constant and strengthening; amid 
 lovely scenes of vivid and varied hues, and be- 
 neath fair, solemn and deep blue skies, whose brief 
 sunsets are glorious beyond the painting of words, 
 and whose prismatic stars glow like steel when not 
 (fuenched by the most mellow and brightest of 
 moonlights. The mind partakes of the tranquility 
 of it all, and year by year after you have come 
 away you will look back to those verdant hills, 
 to those palm-bordered roads, to that purple and 
 rosy sea, to those brilliant noons and beautiful 
 nights, to the charming climate, and you will 
 
 11 
 
In Old Koseau. 
 
 come to understand with the sympathy of experi- 
 ence the answer made me by an accomplished 
 Creole, whose acquirements fitted him for higher 
 positions than he could find to fill in the islands, 
 when I asked him why he did not seek more ac- 
 cessible and worthy fortunes elsewhere. "Ah/' he 
 said, looking up to heaven all aglow with the 
 morning light, "I cannot live away from the 
 tropic sun!" 
 
 Dominica is the real elysium of the Carribean 
 Islands. The hand of nature has there dissemi- 
 nated her richest treasures. Pleasure and repose 
 there find the sweetest security. 
 
 Let one ascend the mountains back of Koseau, 
 and one cannot help gazing with enthusiastic ad- 
 miration on the beauties by which one is sur- 
 rounded, on the perfect picture whose loveliness 
 meets one's view at every turn. Below, extending 
 as far as the eye can reach, are the tranquil waters 
 of the Carribean, glistering in the beams of the 
 southern sun. North and south, the valleys glow 
 in the same life-giving splendor, the mounta^i 
 springs gushing forth in very wantonness, and the 
 beautiful foliage of the various tropical trees and 
 plants clothing the sides of the mountain and the 
 valley below, beyond which, extending along the 
 water's edge, lies the sombre old town itself. The 
 breezes, redolent with perfume and freshened by 
 
 12 
 
In Old Koseau. 
 
 the waves over which they are wafted, will bear 
 with them a coolness more than delicious. Noth- 
 ing is wanting for the perfect unity of loveliness, 
 the natural enchantment of the scene. 
 
 Dominica is thirty miles in length by eleven 
 miles in breadth, and, owing to its numerous 
 mountain ranges, presents a more uneven surface 
 than any other island in the West Indies. When 
 Columbus was asked by the queen to describe its 
 general appearance, he crumpled a sheet of paper 
 in his hand and threw it on the table. In no 
 better way could he clearly convey his own idea. 
 
 This island, like most of the group, is of volcanic 
 formation; but the only active evidence of that 
 character now existing is in the numerous boiling 
 sulphur springs found there, and far in the interior 
 on the almost inaccessible mountain is a boiling 
 sulphur lake, which Ober, in his work on the Car- 
 ribees, describes as being from 300 to 400 feet in 
 diameter, although no actual measurements have 
 ever been made. Its temperature varies. When 
 Mr. Ober saw it, he found it to be 96°, although 
 when examined some months previous by Dr. 
 Nichols, of Roseau, it was found to be 196°. Its 
 depth has never been ascertained. Some years ago 
 it suddenly emptied itself, blowing high into the 
 air like a geyser, and destroying the forest for 
 several miles around and ' frightening the native 
 
 13 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 inhabitants nearly to death. Since that time it has 
 gradually filled up again, until at present it has 
 assumed its old proportions. It is safely approach- 
 able, but difficult of access, much of the jour- 
 ney having to be performed on foot through a mass 
 of tropical vegetation that would try the patience 
 of a saint, if such an individual were ever to be 
 found traveling through the West Indies. 
 
 Far back on the Atlantic side of the island, 
 bordering on the Mahoe Eiver, is the reservation of 
 the Carib Indians, the remnant of a once power- 
 ful nation. They number between three and four 
 hundred, and live in a very quiet, peaceful man- 
 ner. Their chief occupation is making the pan- 
 nier, or Carib basket, which is much sought after 
 by the natives of all these islands. These baskets 
 vary in size from a small hand-bag to a large trunk. 
 They are made in a peculiar manner, from a reed 
 called Mahoe, and are so tight that they will hold 
 water. They are durable, and with proper care 
 will last for years. The price varies according to 
 the size, some of the larger ones bringing as much 
 as five dollars. It is seldom that a Carib Indian 
 will visit the towns, and then only to dispose of his 
 baskets and purchase supplies. It is said that there 
 are numbers of the tribe who have never left the 
 reservation. 
 
 The principal town and capital of the island is 
 
 14 
 
In Old Eoseau. 
 
 Roseau. It is a quaint, sombre-looking place, with 
 its long line of sea wall, built of solid stone, ten 
 feet in thickness. The houses, too, have a solid 
 look, the principal ones being wholly or in part 
 built of stone. This does not apply to the native 
 habitations, which are much the same in all the 
 West Indian Islands— simply boxes of wood fifteen 
 or twenty feet square, covered with bonnet or 
 thatched roofs. Eoseau is a very healthy city and 
 no offensive sights or sounds are to be encountered. 
 There has been no epidemic sickness for years, and 
 very few cases of fever are to be found. There 
 is an excellent hospital situated on Morne Bruce, 
 about two miles from the city, where the poor of 
 the island receive treatment free. It is open daily 
 for the inspection of visitors, and an hour devoted 
 to it is well spent. One ward will be found espe- 
 cially interesting, as it is occupied entirely by pa- 
 tients afflicted with the yaws, a skin disease con- 
 fined entirely to the negroes, and which manifests 
 itself by an eruption more or less over the entire 
 body. As soon as a native is attacked with this 
 disease he is immediately taken to the hospital, 
 whether he will or no, where he is put on a whole- 
 some diet and under general treatment, when he 
 soon recovers. 
 
 The streets of Roseau are free from wheeled 
 vehicles of any kind. Indeed, there is only one 
 
 15 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 carriage in the whole island, and that, like the old 
 fort, in whose courtyard it may be seen, is a 
 thing of the past. The reason for this is easily ex- 
 plained. In the town itself the cobblestone pave- 
 ments would so shake up a man's interior were he 
 to drive over them, that it would be simply im- 
 possible to stand it; and outside of the town there 
 are no carriage roads whatever. So that it is go on 
 horseback or go on foot. There are many excellent 
 horses on the island, however, and it is really a 
 pleasure to mount one of them and take a ride 
 into the country. 
 
 One point of interest in Eoseau is the old fort. 
 It is on a hill leading directly up from the water's 
 edge, and commands a magnificent view of the 
 harbor. Many years ago it was garrisoned with 
 troops, and was considered one of the strongest 
 fortresses on the islands; but those times have long 
 since passed away, and the old fort, like the town 
 itself, is a relic of by-gone days. The structure is 
 still very solid, and it will be a long time before 
 the hand of time will destroy it. It is now used 
 for police barracks, and the present inspector takes 
 pleasure in keeping the grounds and premises in a 
 neat condition. They are mostly set out to flowers, 
 shrubs and fruit-bearing trees, such as the cocoa- 
 nut, palm, limes, lemons and Smyrna figs. The 
 inspector is a very genial type of an Englishman. 
 
 16 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 He is one of the regular army men on the reserve 
 list. He has fifty men under him in all, about 
 thirty being stationed in Eoseau. They are all 
 blacks, and receive, according to rank, a salary of 
 from £20 to £30. They are quite efficient, and the 
 inspector told me that he had little difficulty in 
 preserving complete order throughout the whole 
 island with a population of 28,000. The natives 
 as a class are very peaceable, and most of the ar- 
 rests are for theft and drunkenness. 
 
 There are three religious denominations in the 
 town, the largest of which is the Eoman Catholic. 
 The Church of England has a neat little edifice, 
 and is supported by a congregation of about 800. 
 The other, the Wesleyan Methodists, has a small, 
 but zealous, congregation, and is regularly opened 
 every Sunday for day services and twice a week 
 for evening prayer meetings. Out of a population 
 of 28,000 nearly 27,000 are Roman Catholics, and 
 every little hamlet, no matter how remote, will 
 have its church or chapel where services are held. 
 The priests, for the most part, are Irishmen, and a 
 more genial, kind-hearted, self-sacrificing class of 
 men it would be hard to find. 
 
 While speaking of churches and ministers, I re- 
 call to mind an anecdote in Coleridge's "Six 
 Months in the West Indies," of Mr. Audain, one 
 of the early preachers in the .Church of England in 
 
 17 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 Roseau. The story is too good to "be lost, and I 
 shall repeat it as I remember it. The Reverend 
 Mr. Audain was a patriot; few of his cloth like 
 him. He was not content with praying against the 
 enemies of his country; he fought against them 
 also. St. Peter certainly owned a boat, and the 
 authorized translation (Mr. Audain loved literal 
 orthodoxy) intimates a partnership among some 
 of the apostles in a ship. So Mr. Audain built a 
 schooner and carried on for many years a system 
 of practical polemics with the disputants of the 
 French school, to his own abundant profit and 
 notoriety. Some of the older inhabitants of Roseau 
 can yet remember hearing their parents tell of 
 Audain, with how joyful a rapture this holy Do- 
 minican once broke off his service on a Sunday, 
 unable to repress the emotions of his triumph on 
 seeing the vessel of his faith sail into the bay with 
 a dismasted bark laden with sugar, rum and other 
 Gallic vanities from Martinique. It was shortly 
 after this event that the star of Audain began to 
 wax dim. His zeal was equally great, his courage 
 undaunted, but an evil destiny met him at every 
 turn. An acquaintance met him one day in the 
 streets of Basse Terre, in St. Kitts, surrounded by 
 negroes, to whom he was distributing plantains, 
 yams, potatoes and other eatables, and holding pri- 
 vate talk with them all by turns. Having caught 
 
 13 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 the eye of his friend, he came up to him and said; 
 
 "I am going to smuggle all these rascals to 
 
 Gaudaloupe." He did so in his schooner, but 
 himself remained on shore. A privateer of Nevis 
 captured the smuggler before she could get to the 
 market. Audain became furious, went himself to 
 Nevis and challenged the owner of the privateer 
 to tight. The challenge was not accepted, and Au- 
 dain immediately posted the name of the recusant 
 on the walls of the court-house as that of a scoun- 
 drel. For two days he himself kept watch upon 
 the platform, with sword by his side and four pis- 
 tols stuck in his belt, to see if anyone dared touch 
 the shield. 
 
 Audain fitted out another schooner and sailed 
 in her himself; but fate was too heavy for him, 
 though he struggled against it like a man. On 
 the second day a vessel was seen on the leeward; 
 he found it to be a Spanish trader, and supposing 
 she was wholly unarmed, bore down upon her as 
 upon a certain prey. When he came within pistol 
 shot fourteen masked ports were opened, and as 
 many guns pointed at him through them. Au- 
 dain was obliged to strike in an instant, and with 
 the carpenter succeeded in secreting himself under 
 some water casks in the hold of the schooner. The 
 Spaniards came on board and cut every man in 
 pieces, except Audain and -the carpenter. These 
 
 15 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 two lay all night under the casks; but in the 
 morning, upon further search, their asylum was 
 discovered. They were brought on deck and the 
 Spaniards were on the point of hewing them in 
 pieces, when their captain exclaimed with an oath: 
 "Hold on! this man's life is sacred and the other's, 
 too, for his sake." Audain had formerly done the 
 Spaniards great service at St. Thomas, and it now 
 saved his own and the carpenter's life. 
 
 Up to this time Audain, though occasionally 
 non-resident for the aforesaid reasons, had con- 
 tinued minister of Koseau. He was a singularly 
 eloquent preacher in the pathetic and suasory 
 style, and he rarely failed to bring down tears 
 upon the cheeks of most of those who heard him. 
 His manners were fine and gentle, and his appear- 
 ance even venerable. He was hospitable to the 
 rich, and gave alms to the poor. But his repeated 
 losses were such as to bear a royal merchant down, 
 and the Dominicans became more scrupulous, and 
 a Governor came who knew not Audain. So Au- 
 dain abdicated the pulpit of Koseau. 
 
 Privateering and smuggling had failed, so now 
 he commenced honest trade. He went to St. Do- 
 mingo with a cargo of corn, sold it well and lived 
 on the island. But his star grew fainter and 
 fainter. He quarreled with two black general offi- 
 cers, challenged them, and shot them both se- 
 
 20 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 verely. Christopher sent for him, and told him 
 that if the men recovered it were well, but if either 
 of them died he would hang him on the tamarind 
 tree before his own door. Audain thought the men 
 would die, and escaped from the tamarind tree by 
 night in an open boat. He now settled in St. Eu- 
 statius, put on his black coat again, and recom- 
 menced life a clergyman. St. Eustatius was a free 
 port, yet the division of labor had made surprising- 
 ly slow advance in it. There were many religions 
 but few priests in the island when Audain made 
 his appearance there. He had become liberal- 
 minded by misfortune, and he was always actuated 
 by a faith of such immense catholicity that it com- 
 prehended within its creed every radiation of opin- 
 ion from the centre of Christianity, as the felloe 
 embraces the spokes of a wheel. Audain offered 
 to administer to all the sects respectively, which 
 offer the free-traders thankfully accepted. In the 
 morning he celebrated mass in French; in the fore- 
 noon read the liturgy of the Church of England; in 
 the afternoon sprackened the Dutch service, and 
 at nightfall chanted to the Methodists. Audain 
 seemed to be again gaining wealth and fame. He 
 was a married man, but his wife resided in Eng- 
 land. A Dutch widow — rich, pious and large — 
 cast a widow's eye on Audain. The rigor of Creole 
 viduity softened under the afternoon sprackenings 
 
 21 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 of Audain. as Dutch butter melts under the kisses 
 of Titian. She told Audain that if Heaven had 
 made her such a man she would have married 
 twice. The hint was broad as herself, hut Audain 
 liked it the better for its dimensions, and married 
 her on the spot, reading the service himself. 
 
 Audain fought thirteen duels, and was a good 
 boxer. He lived to a ripe old age. and wholly re- 
 formed his manners. He loved his Dutch wife 
 and said his prayers so loud as to disturb his neigh- 
 bors. His English wife sent him a Christmas box 
 annually. He was a man of infinite talent and had 
 seen the world. If he had written a life of himself, 
 it would have been the most entertaining book of 
 the age: but, like many others whose life has been 
 full of romance, he sank into an oblivion which he 
 did not seem to deserve. 
 
 A visit to the market-place, early in the morn- 
 ing, particularly on Saturday, will be interesting, 
 and at the same time show us what the Domini- 
 cans live upon. A better market it would be hard 
 to find, and a cheaper one impossible: excellent 
 beef. goat. pork, mutton and fowl can be pur- 
 chased for from eight to ten cents a pound. Fish 
 of various kinds and delicious flavor, from four to 
 seven cents. All varieties of tropical fruit in 
 abundance, at fabulously low prices. Several 
 times on visiting the market we noticed some pe- 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 culiar animals, resembling lizards in appearance, 
 being about two feet in length, and covered all 
 over with brown warts. They were vicious-looking 
 things, and showed their disposition by snapping 
 at every one who passed near them. We were told 
 that they were iguanas, and were considered a great 
 delicacy. The flesh is white and is said to re- 
 semble the chicken in flavor, but is more delicate. 
 The market is almost wholly controlled by women, 
 and one will find them of all shades, from the 
 blackest of the black to a light olive tint. They 
 go bare-footed, and their only clothing consists of 
 a dress, a single undergarment, and a bright ban- 
 danna handkerchief tied around the head in a 
 manner peculiar to themselves. Their dress is al- 
 ways made with a long train, which is generally 
 looped up and held in place by a cord tied around 
 the loins. They present a very picturesque appear- 
 ance, and are certainly very noisy, each calling out 
 her wares at the top of her voice and naming the 
 price, some speaking English and others the na- 
 tive patois, which to a stranger is perfectly unin- 
 telligible, even though he understand the French 
 language. A few of the market women occupy 
 stands covered over with rough boards, but the 
 large majority are content to squat on the rough 
 stone pavement, their baskets by their side. A lit- 
 tle apart from the market proper, in a group by 
 
 23 
 
In Old Koseau. 
 
 themselves, are the charcoal venders, who always 
 have a good trade, for charcoal is the only fuel 
 used in these islands. 
 
 The women of Dominica are not so pretty as 
 their sisters in the neighboring island of Marti- 
 nique. They are generally larger in figure and 
 coarser in feature, and have not the dainty feet 
 and graceful gait of the French belles. They also 
 lack that voluptuous languor which is so character- 
 istic of a Martinique woman, The complexion is 
 generally much darker, and they resemble more 
 the native African type. 
 
 The boarding houses of Koseau are excellent, 
 the table such as would suit the most fastidious. 
 
 To one who is fond of quiet, likes to live well, 
 enjoys out-of-door life, and loves to commune with 
 nature, we would say go to Dominica. There in 
 that tropical isle of the sea, all is quietness, all 
 is rest. Far from all the tumults and cares of city 
 life, he can truly say that he stands in the midst 
 of a paradise, and has veritably left the world be- 
 hind him. 
 
 24 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 A CHAPTEE OF NO ACCOUNT. 
 
 How few people are content in this world of rest- 
 lessness and strife. The most favored child of 
 fortune is oftenest spoiled. How true it is that 
 the heart constantly longs for something that it 
 has not, even though that longing may be only a 
 cloud to hide for a moment the perpetual sunshine. 
 Thank heaven, we were not of these. I say we, for 
 hut a few days before my old-time friend, Tom 
 Paine, who had been spending a month in Mar- 
 tinique, the guest of his uncle, the American con- 
 sul, had taken a run across to Dominica. He 
 would spend an even week with me before the re- 
 turning steamer would carry him back to the 
 States. 
 
 We were true philosophers, and belonged to 
 that school who had but little as the world goes, 
 and wanted nothing. 
 
 We had been discussing the feminine types of 
 these Southern isles of the sea. I was lying at 
 full length under the shade of a fig tree with my 
 jacket for a pillow, and Tom stood a few feet dis- 
 tant with his hands in his pockets, smoking stead- 
 ily on his briarwood, as though the question was 
 one of the greatest moment. 
 
 25 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 "Do you think after all," said I, reverting to 
 the matter-of-fact view of my own mind, which 
 was usually inclined to the romantic; "that these 
 dark-skinned houris, with the most beautiful and 
 languishing eyes, as you call them, are not de- 
 cidedly inferior to even the average New England 
 girl. Of course, laying aside your own native 
 town of Salem, that I believe has always been 
 noted for its pretty girls. How long would you iove 
 a woman that could neither read nor write, and 
 who could not converse intelligently for five min- 
 utes on a given subject, and whose knowledge of 
 the outside world is so circumscribed that to define 
 it would be almost ludicrous?" Your brief resi- 
 dence in Martinique must have turned your head, 
 Tom. Here you are, a man of education and refine- 
 ment, fairly raving about these women who were 
 never even taught their letters." 
 
 Tom removed the pipe from between his lips, 
 and began to whistle an air of some favorite piece, 
 which was always a sign that he was displeased, 
 generally with himself. 
 
 "Did it never occur to you, Tom," I continued, 
 "that a woman's education is after all the ground- 
 work and secret fascination over man?" 
 
 "You are not altogether wrong," said my com- 
 panion, after smoking in silence for some mo- 
 ments. "The women of the North would, indeed, 
 
 26 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 be considered of little account, to say the least, if 
 they had no education, if they could neither read 
 nor write. But the women of these sunny isles 
 is another thing altogether. I am inclined to 
 believe that education would be inconsistent with 
 the clime. Now you have been here in Roseau 
 some little time, but how many times have you, 
 my friend, been guilty of bringing into existence 
 a single new idea or thought? Why, probably not 
 once. Your intellect remains unchanged, and 
 your imagination, I am sure, is not dull. But you 
 know from your own experience, as I know from 
 my own, that it is only from the force of necessity 
 that one acts or thinks in these latitudes. What a 
 glorious existence, old fellow! Is it not sublime? 
 Can you not feel it taking possession of your every 
 faculty, of your whole physical self? Indolence, 
 voluptuous indolence of body and mind — the lat- 
 ter at the same time lying awake in its chamber, 
 taking in with pleasure and keenest interest every- 
 thing that passes before its windows. To live, 
 and a realization of the same is enough in these 
 isles of the sun. But merely to live in our own 
 Northern land is to be bound hand and foot to 
 the stake like the Indian's captive, submitting to 
 slow torture. 
 
 How would one of these island maidens look 
 upon the suitor that would conduct his courtship 
 
 27 
 
in Old Roseau. 
 
 after the manner of our Northern swain. A book 
 of poems in one hand and a sheet of music in the 
 other, and whose whole set of ideas seem to be 
 made to conform to a code of society ethics, to 
 break which would insure instant dismissal or 
 bring everlasting disgrace upon the would, be vio- 
 lator. 
 
 Such is life in our grand republic — give me a 
 land like this, of perpetual sunshine and happy- 
 thoughts, each one's life a book unto itself. A 
 land where book-learning is unappreciated by the 
 masses. Where the men and women grow up as 
 flowers about them grow, fed by bright sunshine 
 and balmy air. That is my ideal country. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 TOM AND I VISIT THE BOILING SULPHUR 
 SPRINGS. 
 
 "Dominica's fire- cleft summits 
 
 Rise from bluest of blue oceans; 
 
 Dominica's palms and plantains 
 Feel the trade wind's mighty motions, 
 
 Swaying with impetuous stress 
 
 The West Indian wilderness. 
 
 "Dominica's crater-caldron 
 
 Seethes against its lava- beaches; 
 
 28 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 Boils in misty desolation; 
 
 Seldom foot its border reaches; 
 Seldom any traveler's eye 
 
 Penetrates its barriers high.* 
 
 Lucy Larcom- 
 
 It was a beautiful afternoon that Tom and my- 
 self, in company with Mr. Gillion, an officer of the 
 customs, left our inn, mounted on horses, which 
 if not handsome in appearance, were certainly as 
 sure-footed animals as I have ever seen. We were 
 off for the boiling springs, situated some seven 
 miles distant in the mountains. 
 
 The streets of Roseau were certainly never con- 
 structed as an aid to locomotion, for either man 
 or beast. The roadway, formed of large cobble- 
 stones laid closely in opposition with each other, 
 presented a very uneven surface, and on a wet 
 day a decidedly slippery one. In many places the 
 grass had grown to some length between the stones, 
 which did not tend to increase the facilities for 
 travel. The law is, that at certain times of the 
 year the streets shall be thoroughly weeded, and 
 each householder is responsible for that portion 
 of the street in front of his residence or place of 
 business. The principal thoroughfares are gener- 
 ally weeded at these periods, but there is ample 
 time between whiles for the most luxuriant growth, 
 and at times, after frequent rains, some of the by- 
 
 29 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 ways present the appearance of a much-neglected 
 garden. 
 
 After reaching the outskirts of the town and 
 crossing the bridge, the road was very good, and 
 we could canter along for some distance, gradually 
 ascending the mountain. Proceeding in this way 
 for a mile or two we turned to the right from the 
 main road and took a narrow but well-beaten path. 
 The first obstacle in our way was a river to ford. 
 Dominica is noted for the number of its rivers. 
 How many there really are I never ascertained, 
 but I do know that in traveling through a certain 
 section one is liable to cross the same stream in its 
 circuitous windings anywhere from one to a dozen 
 times. The horses of the island are equally at 
 home in fording the streams, or in climbing up 
 some of the seemingly impassable mountains. The 
 river was not very deep at this point, it being the 
 dry season, and by drawing our feet up until they 
 were almost under us, we went across and were 
 quite dry. After crossing the river the road led 
 us through a large estate of lime trees, among 
 which were mingled here and there the cocoanut 
 palm and other varieties of tropical vegetation. I 
 was particularly struck with the size and beauty 
 of the ferns there, as well as in many other parts 
 of the island. There were myriads of them in the 
 recesses of the mountains, and most of the separ- 
 
 30 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 ate trees were fifteen or twenty feet in height. 
 The branches, too, were as finely pennated as any 
 that I have seen in our own country, and their 
 colors fresh and vivid beyond description. This is 
 probably owing to the abundance of the water, 
 which all the year round is running down the 
 mountains, diffusing a coolness of temperature 
 that is very delightful. From this lime plantation 
 the road led us by various windings up the moun- 
 tain side, and here came in the picturesque beauty 
 of the road. 
 
 Think of riding along a precipice, the path in 
 some places not more than three feet wide, a step 
 from which would throw you down into the Roseau 
 Valley, over a thousand feet below. It is seldom 
 that an accident occurs, as these roads are not fre- 
 quented at night, and the ponies are very careful 
 in picking their way along, always, however, tak- 
 ing the outside edge, much to the consternation of 
 one not used to this way of traveling. The reason 
 for this is that the green sward is always thickest 
 near the brink of the precipice, making a softer path 
 for their feet. The view, as you near the springs, 
 is wild and beautiful; the valley below you, the 
 opposite mountains towering up far above, so far 
 that its summit is hidden from view in the clouds, 
 as is also that of the mountain up which we are 
 traveling, and as you look up it seems that the cliffs 
 
 31 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 verily overhang yon. Owing to the depth of the 
 valley the distance across, from mountain to moun- 
 tain, appears much less than it really is. One 
 would judge that a pistol ball could easily span 
 the distance, yet at the foot of the mountain it is 
 some two miles across. 
 
 The mountains, being composed of soft lime- 
 stone, I suggested to Mr. Gillion the possibility of 
 a portion of the cliff becoming detached and per- 
 haps annihilating some unfortunate travelers who, 
 like ourselves, might be on their way to the boil- 
 ing springs. Detachments have never been known 
 to occur, except after an unusually long spell of 
 rainy weather, when the streams are overflowed. 
 At such periods, although no one was ever known 
 to be injured, huge masses will sometimes become 
 loosened and go thundering down the mountain 
 sides, carrying everything before them into the 
 valley. 
 
 An old darkey, whom I employed several times as 
 a guide in pedestrian tours up the mountain, told 
 me about a little experience of his own, which I 
 think will bear repeating. It was during the rainy 
 season, and for two days previous there had been 
 an unusually heavy fall of rain, but the forenoon 
 of that day it had cleared up; so taking his donkey 
 he thought he would make a trip up the mountain 
 to a little hamlet near the summit, where his 
 
 32 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 "brother and family lived. When some distance up, 
 he came to a cocoannt grove, near which was a 
 nice piece of green sward. Here he thought was 
 a good place for refreshment for himself and his 
 poor beast, so leaving his donkey to graze awhile 
 on the savanna, he betook himself to the cocoannt 
 grove, where knocking down a half-dozen of the 
 green fruit, he proceeded to satisfy his thirst. 
 While thus employed he heard a deafening crash, 
 and the very ground on which he sat shook be- 
 neath him. The next instant a dark cloud passed 
 over the savanna with the quickness of lightning, 
 and disappeared in the valley below. On recover- 
 ing from his fright he repaired to where he had 
 left his donkey. Here, for a space of two hundred 
 yards in width and extending the whole length of 
 the savanna, the ground was torn up and not a 
 shrub or particle of turf left upon it. In response 
 to my inquiry as to what became of the donkey, 
 he said: 
 
 "Well, Massa, I done tell de truf, but I never 
 see dat animile from dat day till now. I specs 
 when dat bit of mountain struck him he just melt 
 right away, sah." 
 
 As we proceeded, I perceived the smoke ascend- 
 ing from various soufrieres a little higher up the 
 mountain, and the odor of the sulphurous exhala- 
 tion became very strong. Soufriere is the com- 
 
 33 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 mon name in the West Indies for all active vol- 
 canoes, as it is also for those numerous quarries of 
 hot sand and springs of boiling water which are 
 themselves either the remains of ancient craters or 
 the imperfect eruptions from a soil highly im- 
 pregnated with volcanic elements. A little further 
 and a sudden turn of the path brought us up on a 
 plateau some acres in extent. Near the centre 
 we descended a deep gorge, from the bottom of 
 which steam and vapor were arising from various 
 pools, and from a little stream whose source is 
 further up the mountains. It was a strange sight, 
 this little stream. The water in one place would 
 be in a state of violent ebullition, while it was 
 perfectly cold six feet away. The strong sulphur- 
 ous odor was almost suffocating, and the steam 
 arising from springs so dense that we could not 
 venture within several feet of them. In places 
 the stream would be so strong of sulphur that we 
 could not drink it, and in others as clear and 
 tasteless as any mountain stream. 
 
 Mr. Gillion informed us that the location of the 
 boiling springs was continually changing; that 
 perhaps in a few weeks' time these would cease 
 their bubblings and others a few feet or yards 
 distant would commence, but some of them were 
 always boiling. A rumbling, seemingly way down 
 in the bowels of the earth, was at all times per- 
 
 34 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 ceptible, and a vibration of the earth on which we 
 stood could be plainly felt. These springs, if they 
 were only near the town or easier of access,, would 
 be worth much for bathing purposes. A bath 
 could be constructed at little expense, into which 
 both hot and cold sulphur water could be con- 
 ducted. 
 
 Much of the country about this section is cov- 
 ered with coffee bushes, and here and there are 
 patches of cocoa. The Dominica planters are cul- 
 tivating the latter more largely of late years, and 
 find it a very profitable production. We saw land 
 crabs crawling about in great numbers. The 
 draupaudes, enormous frogs, the color of the com- 
 mon toad and about five times as large, are also 
 found in that locality. They certainly are disgust- 
 ing creatures to look at, but highly esteemed as an 
 article of food by the Dominican, and for my own 
 part I must say that they make a very savory dish. 
 
 Our return was somewhat quicker than our jour- 
 ney up the mountain, but not as agreeable, for the 
 descent in many places was very steep, giving 
 one a constant feeling of insecurity in the saddle. 
 On again fording the river I very narrowly escaped 
 a ducking. My horse went a little too far down 
 the stream, with the result of rapidly deepening 
 the water. By means of various acrobatic at- 
 tempts, I managed to keep myself dry above the 
 
 35 
 
In Old Koseau. 
 
 knees, and prided myself that under the circum- 
 stances I had done remarkably well. 
 
 There are times during the rainy season when 
 a storm comes on so suddenly and lasts so long 
 that it is impossible to ford the streams. Mr. 
 Gillion told us that once during the previous 
 spring he was caught in this manner between two 
 rivers, aod was unable to cross either, having to re- 
 main so situated some ten or twelve hours until 
 the swollen waters subsided. 
 
 CHAPTEK IV. 
 
 A TWILIGHT PICTUKE. 
 
 It was one of those beautiful twilights, such as 
 one can only find in the tropics. An evening 
 when all nature was resplendent in her glory, and 
 the very atmosphere itself seemed to partake of 
 the life-giving spirit. 
 
 Tom and I had started out for a stroll. We 
 stood for a while upon the old sea wall, gazing out 
 upon the tranquil waters of the Carribean. Not 
 a sail was in sight, and not a sound was to be 
 heard, save the gentle ripple of the quiet sea 
 against the massive wall. 
 
 Some writer has said that the twilight hour 
 is the one for better angels. There certainly is 
 
 36 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 something in the influence of such an hour that 
 exercises an unobserved but peculiar effect on the 
 feelings. 
 
 We stood for awhile in silence, each absorbed in 
 his own thoughts, and drinking in the silent and 
 soul-inspiring picture before us. We followed the 
 sea wall along until we came to the banks of the 
 Eoseau Eiver, where its waters gently mingled with 
 those of the mighty ocean. Following the river 
 bank for some distance, we turned into a path that 
 I never remembered having seen before in my 
 rambles. By this time the deepening shadows 
 gave warning that the Prince of Darkness was 
 making his approach. Twilight had deepened. 
 We were about to retrace our steps when my eye 
 caught the twinkling of a light in the valley ahead 
 of us. The green valley wound down from the 
 mountain just beyond, which stood like a frowning 
 tower in broken and strong relief against the sky, 
 and from the mass of shadow below peered out like 
 a star the steady blaze of a lamp. 
 
 "Hello, Tom," I said; "I wonder for what pur- 
 pose a lamp is burning in this deserted spot?" 
 
 "I cannot answer that question," said my friend. 
 "We are some distance from Eoseau, and I was 
 not aware that there were any houses in this di- 
 rection. But let us see." 
 
 We scrambled along with some difficulty in the 
 
 37 ' 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 darkness, now rolling into an unseen hollow, or 
 stumbling over some mound of earth, until finally 
 my companion, who was a little distance ahead of 
 me, stopped, and, as I came up with him, laid his 
 hand on my arm and drew me down to the ground 
 beside him. In a little hollow a few feet below 
 us stood three native huts, enclosed in an area of 
 bright, dewy grass. In the largest of the huts, 
 which faced down the valley directly to our front, 
 hung a small iron lamp, which gave the light we 
 had seen. Beneath the lamp swung a hammock 
 suspended from the wall on either side, and kept in 
 motion by a woman of apparently thirty, whose 
 beauty, but for another more attractive object, 
 would alone have rewarded us for our toil. 
 
 The other huts seemed dark and apparently un- 
 occupied, but the door and window shutters of 
 the one in which we were gazing so intently were 
 thrown wide open to give admission to the cool 
 night air, and in and out between the light of the 
 lamp and the full moon, which had now arisen, 
 walked, in bare feet, a young girl of some sixteen 
 years, whose exquisite symmetry and unconscious 
 but divine grace of movement filled my sense of 
 beauty as it never had been filled before. A large 
 shawl, common in the Far East, was attached to 
 her girdle, and in more guarded hours concealed a 
 large part of her person. It hung in loose folds 
 
 38 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 from her waist, leaving her bust and smoothly- 
 rounded shoulders entirely bare; the raven-black 
 hair floating over her back showing up in strong 
 relief on her clear, brown skin. A short petticoat 
 of some striped stuff stretched to her knees, while 
 below the limbs were bare. A profusion of rings 
 on her fingers, and what looked in the moonlight 
 like anklets of silver on each daintily turned limb, 
 completed her dress. She was at that divinest mo- 
 ment of female life when it would seem that her 
 womanhood was but just completed. 
 
 She was employed in filling a large jar with 
 water from a spring back of the house. She would 
 come out with her empty pitcher, and return with 
 it filled, her two hands pressing closely the sides 
 of the vessel, and treading lightly lest she should 
 disturb the slumbers of the little one in the ham- 
 mock. 
 
 We watched her for some time in silence, hardly 
 daring to stir for fear of being observed. Finally, 
 a silent nod from the woman announced to the 
 lovely water-carrier that her labors might cease. 
 
 She stopped for a moment in the full glare of 
 the light, and with a gesture expressive of heat 
 she drew out the shawl from her girdle, untied 
 the short petticoat, and threw them aside. Then, 
 taking from a hook near at hand a loose garment 
 of some light stuff, she leisurely proceeded to don 
 
 39, 
 
In Old Eoseau. 
 
 it, after which she sat down in the open doorway, 
 dropped her head on her knees, and was as mo- 
 tionless as marble. 
 
 "What a picture/' I whispered to Tom. "Look 
 at the glare of the moonlight on that glittering 
 jet-black hair veiling about her in such masses." 
 
 "And the air of melancholy repose in that atti- 
 tude/' said Tom; "she must be an Asiatic or East 
 India Coolie girl." 
 
 Noiselessly we crawled back along the path 
 that we had come, until at such a distance as to 
 render further precaution unnecessary, when we 
 proceeded leisurely to the inn. 
 
 We had seen a picture that night in Old Roseau 
 such as the brush of no artist could paint, and no 
 poet find language for expression. 
 
 My friend was right in his conjecture, as we 
 afterwards learned; the family was a Coolie one. 
 
 Plantation work in Dominica is done largely by 
 Coolies brought over from India, by the Govern- 
 ment. They bind themselves to stay for a period 
 of ten years. The first five they are to remain in 
 the employ of the man they are hired to. The next 
 five they can work where they choose. They re- 
 ceive a shilling a day, and pay their masters two 
 shillings a week for rations, which leaves them 
 four shillings a week. At one time the Govern- 
 ment allowed them to purchase their own rations; 
 
 40 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 "but this method worked poorly, as they did not 
 properly feed themselves, so anxious were they to 
 save. The consequence was that the hospitals 
 were soon filled with them. Now the proprietor of 
 an estate is compelled to furnish rations approved 
 by the Government. At the expiration of two 
 years the Government obligates itself to return the 
 Coolie to his native land, or, if he prefers remain- 
 ing on the island, to give him the price of his pas- 
 sage money. It does not seem possible that out of 
 such small wages they would be able to accumu- 
 late at all; but it is said that many of them return 
 home with a snug little sum, and some purchase 
 land and remain on the island. There are several 
 that are very well-to-do, and own large tracts of 
 land. 
 
 It is no uncommon sight to see a Coolie woman, 
 bare-footed, with a dress on that perhaps cost a 
 dollar, but with jewelry on her person in the shape 
 of rings, anklets or bracelets valued at several 
 hundred dollars. In that way many of them carry 
 their savings, amounting to a small fortune, about 
 with them. And we were told that robbery is 
 almost unknown, for a thief would know full well 
 if he obtained possession of the jewels he could 
 nev^r get away from the island. 
 
 41 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE OBEAH PRACTISE. 
 
 A Form of Fetichism Which Had Existed for Ages, 
 and Still Exists to Perfection, in the West 
 Indian Islands. 
 
 The superstition which existed in ancient times 
 in the power of talismans, amulets and charms of 
 all kinds, it would seem, finds a parallel in our 
 own amongst the negroes of the West Indian Isl- 
 ands, where it exists in perfection under the name 
 of Obeah or Obi, a form of fetichism which most 
 likely originated in Egypt and certain portions of 
 Africa, where tradition states there existed at one 
 time a demon by the name of Ob or Obeahy and 
 from whom Moses commanded the Israelites to 
 abstain from making any inquiries. It would 
 seem, therefore, that this form of fetichism must 
 have been carried to the West Indies by captured 
 negroes in slavery times, and there developed into 
 an oracle and the patron of all kinds of super- 
 stitious delusions. 
 
 Those who practice fetichism of this kind are 
 called Obeah men or women, for both sexes are 
 supposed to become adept in this mysterious sci- 
 ence. Those that attract the most devotion and 
 confidence are such as are old and crafty, and 
 whose hoary heads give them at least an appear- 
 
 42 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 ance of antiquity. In the town of Roseau one was 
 pointed out to me who was said to he an Oheah 
 man, and whose age was known to he at least 
 ninety-three. He had a peculiarly harsh and for- 
 hidding aspect, and not at all calculated to inspire 
 one with awe, hut rather fear. He was hent nearly 
 douhle, and one eye was concealed from view hy 
 means of a huge hlack patch. This man's name 
 was Drondeleau, and he was much sought after hy 
 the natives of Roseau and the adjoining country, 
 and his talismanic powers were supposed to he un- 
 surpassed. 
 
 Most of these creatures, I think, have some 
 knowledge of the native plants of a medical and 
 poisonous species and have qualified themselves 
 sufficiently for successful imposition upon the ig- 
 norant and credulous. A professor at Hamilton Col- 
 lege, Barhadoes, informed me that it was surprising 
 to find how large a numher of natives revere and 
 consult these Obeah men, and what implicit faith 
 they repose in them, whether for the cure of dis- 
 ease, the obtaining of revenge for insult and in- 
 jury, conciliating the favor or love of the opposite 
 sex, or the prediction of future events. The busi- 
 ness of these impostors is said to be quite lucra- 
 tive, and they sell their Obeis adapted to the vari- 
 ous cases at different prices, corresponding to the 
 wants of the individuals. The most of their work 
 
 43 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 is done during the midnight hour, purposely to 
 conceal and keep from discovery by the white peo- 
 ple, and also to add a veil of mystery to their ac- 
 tions. The deluded negroes so thoroughly believe 
 in their supernatural power that they become will- 
 ing accomplices to this concealment. The most 
 courageous native will tremble at sight of the 
 ragged bundle or the little bunch of bird's claws 
 and feathers that may be hung over the door of 
 the hut to deter marauders. Most of the cases of 
 sudden death that occur in the islands are by the 
 ignorant natives ascribed wholly to the workings 
 of an Obei. Then they will not reveal even a sus- 
 picion through a dread of incurring the terrible 
 vengeance of the Obeah man should they betray 
 him. For this reason it is extremely difficult to 
 detect one of these miscreants from any other 
 negro. 
 
 When a native has been robbed of any article, 
 he immediately applies to the Obeah man of the 
 neighborhood, and the fact is made known that 
 an Obei is set for the thief, who becomes so terri- 
 fied that, as an only resource, he applies to the 
 superior skill of some more prominent Obeah man 
 to counteract the workings or spell of the first. If 
 he does not succeed in finding such a one, or his 
 imagination leads him to feel himself still afflicted, 
 the chances are that he soon falls into a condition 
 
 44 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 of complete melancholy, sleep and appetite leave 
 him, his strength rapidly fails, and he is a com- 
 plete wreck, both bodily and mentally, gradually 
 sinking into the grave. 
 
 The Obei is usually composed of a great variety 
 of materials, such as blood, feathers, bird's claws, 
 pieces of bone, hair, teeth of different animals, etc. 
 Dr. Barnham, who practised medicine in Dominica 
 in the last century, spoke of numerous cases of 
 poisoning by Obeah men that came to the notice of 
 the colonists at that time. In such a secret and in- 
 sidious manner was the poisoning done, that detec- 
 tion was rendered almost impossible. The murder- 
 ers were occasionally brought to justice, but it is 
 reasonable to believe that by far the greater num- 
 ber escaped. A singular case occurred in Trinidad 
 a few months ago, which will serve to illustrate to 
 what extent this awful practise is sometimes car- 
 ried. A man by the name of La Fave, with his 
 family, lived near another negro called Umbredo. 
 The latter had for some years made his living as 
 an Obeah man, and so great was the terror inspired 
 by him that the natives obeyed him implicity. 
 La Fave alone declined to believe in Umbredo, 
 saying that he could do no more than any other 
 man, and called him a fraud and impostor. This so 
 enraged Umbredo that he declared that all the food 
 the La Fave family ate would henceforth act as 
 
 45' 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 poison, and that before the month was out not a 
 member of the family would be living. Two days 
 later the La Fave family, consisting of the father, 
 mother and eight children, grew suddenly ill after 
 dinner. By two o'clock one of the children was 
 dead. By six a second victim was added to the list, 
 and at nine o'clock a third. Instead of going to 
 the authorities in regard to the matter, the La 
 Fave family were now firmly convinced that Um- 
 bredo was really possessed of supernatural power 
 and could visit his wrath upon those who offended 
 him; so they determined to keep the whole matter 
 secret, fearing that further vengeance might be 
 wrought upon them. Before the funeral of the 
 three children took place a fourth died, while the 
 six other members of the family were dangerously 
 ill; that forenoon the mother died, and during the 
 evening still another child. The father, who had 
 eaten less heartily than the rest of the family, re- 
 covered sufficiently to be about; but his mind was 
 gone, and he would not touch a mouthful of food 
 for fear of being poisoned. Two days later he died 
 in convulsions. In less than a week's time the re- 
 maining members of the family were dead, and 
 the Obeah man's prophecy was fulfilled. As soon 
 as the white residents learned the facts, Umbredo 
 was hidden or spirited away by the colored people, 
 and, at last accounts, had never been found. 
 
 46 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 The following is a narrative respecting Obei in 
 Jamaica during the days of slavery, many years 
 ago: 
 
 Upon returning to Jamaica, after a short resi- 
 dence in England, a planter found that a great 
 many of his negroes had died during his absence, 
 and that of such as remained alive at least one- 
 half were debilitated, bloated and in a deplorable 
 condition. The mortality continued upon his re- 
 turn, and frequently two or three were buried in 
 one day, while others were taken ill and began to 
 decline under the same symptoms. All was done 
 by medicine and the most careful nursing that 
 could be done to preserve the lives of the feeblest; 
 but, in spite of all his endeavors, this depopulation 
 went on for a twelve-month longer, with more or 
 less intermission, and without his being able to as- 
 certain the real cause, though the Obeah practise 
 was strongly suspected as well by himself as by the 
 doctor and other white persons on the plantation. 
 Still, he was unable to verify his suspicions, be- 
 cause the patients constantly denied having any- 
 thing to do with persons of that order, or any 
 knowledge of them. At length, a negress, who had 
 been ill for some time, came one day and informed 
 him that, feeling it was impossible for her to live 
 much longer, she felt herself bound in duty before 
 she died to impart a very great secret and acquaint 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 him with, the true cause of the disorder, hoping 
 that the disclosure might prove the means of 
 stopping the mischief which had already swept 
 away such a number of her fellow-slaves. She 
 proceeded to say that her stepmother, a woman 
 more than eighty years of age, but still hale and 
 active, had put Obei upon her, as she had also 
 done upon those that had lately died, and that the 
 old woman had practised Obei for as many years as 
 she could remember. The other negroes of the 
 plantation no sooner heard of this impeachment 
 than they ran in a body to their master and con- 
 firmed the truth of it, adding that she had carried 
 on this business ever since her arrival from Africa, 
 and was the terror of the whole neighborhood. 
 Upon this he repaired directly with six white ser- 
 vants to the old woman's home, and forcing the 
 door open, observed the whole inside of the roof, 
 which was of thatch, and every crevice of the walls 
 stuck with the implements of her trade, consisting 
 of rags, feathers, bones of cats, and a thousand 
 and other articles. Examining further, a large 
 earthen pot or jar, closely covered, was concealed 
 under the bed. It contained a prodigious quantity 
 of round bulk of earth or clay of various dimen- 
 sions, whitened on the outside, and variously com- 
 pounded — some with hair and rags, or feathers of 
 •all sorts, and strongly bound with twine; others 
 
 48 
 
In Old Roseau- 
 blended with the upper section of the skulls of 
 cats, or stuck around with cat's teeth and claws, 
 or with human or dog's teeth and glass beads of 
 different colors. There were also a great many 
 egg shells filled with a viscous or gummy sub- 
 stance, the properties of which he neglected to ex- 
 amine, and many little bags stuffed with a variety 
 of articles, the particulars of which cannot now 
 be recollected. The house was immediately pulled 
 down, and the whole of its contents committed to 
 the flames, amid the general acclamation of all the 
 negroes. In regard to the old woman, he declined 
 bringing her to trial under the law of the island, 
 which would have punished her with death, but 
 from a principle of humanity delivered her into 
 the hands of a party of Spaniards, who, as she was 
 capable of doing some trifling kinds of work, were 
 willing to carry her with them to Cuba. From 
 the moment of her departure all his negroes 
 seemed to be animated with new life, and the mal- 
 ady spread no further among them. The total loss 
 of life, in the course of about fifteen years previous 
 to the discovery of the Obeah practise, and imput- 
 able solely to that, he estimated as at least one 
 hundred negroes. 
 
 49 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 WE VISIT THE GOVERNMENT HOSPITAL, 
 AND SEE SOME CASES OF LEPROSY. 
 
 One morning early we visited the Government 
 Hospital, situated on the top of a mountain back 
 of the town. It is a large, commodious building, 
 with every facility for taking care of the island 
 poor. It was a long walk all the way up hill, so 
 it necessarily required a great deal of sweating 
 and puffing before we arrived there. It was well 
 worth the effort, though, for the magnificent view 
 afforded, if for nothing more. We were met at 
 the gate by a young colored man, assistant to the 
 physician in charge, who kindly offered to show 
 us through the wards. 
 
 There were a great many patients in the build- 
 ing at the time, most of them being the poorest 
 class of the natives and plantation Coolies. The 
 prevailing disease was fever of a malarial type, 
 brought on by hardship and exposure. We saw a 
 few cases of consumption, but that is a rare dis- 
 ease, and among the better classes almost un- 
 known. 
 
 There was one ward which particularly inter- 
 ested us, that containing the lepers. There were 
 only a few patients suffering from the loathsome 
 
 50 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 disease, but they were well-marked eases. One poor 
 fellow had lost all the toes from both feet, his fin- 
 gers were drawn out of shape, some of the joints, 
 like the toes, having dropped off, and his face was 
 beginning to show signs of the affliction, a large 
 nicer having appeared upon his nose. This dis- 
 ease is quite prevalent in the West Indian Islands, 
 and is no doubt identical with the ancient leprosy, 
 or Elephantiasis graecorum, of Bible times. In 
 spite of all the means that art and human fore- 
 sight can suggest in regard to cleanliness of person 
 and property, the use of manifold methods of treat- 
 ment for the cure of the disease, and the preserva- 
 tion of health, this singular ailment has kept its 
 foothold. Neither medical knowledge nor the 
 power of drugs seem to have any effect; whether 
 because the disease is of its own nature mortal, or 
 that its cause and treatment are not properly un- 
 derstood, I will not venture an assertion. 
 
 This peculiar disease may be divided into three 
 stages: In the first the skin assumes an unnatural 
 whiteness, a morbid or death-like appearance. In 
 the second stage this changes to a yellowish color, 
 which, in turn, changes in the third stage to a 
 deep violet, or even in some cases to a greenish 
 hue. Of course, these changes of color are not so 
 apparent in the black race. As an accompaniment 
 to the first stage, the patient experiences more or 
 
 51 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 less fever with chills, the joints become stiff and 
 very weak, there is a feeling of heaviness about the 
 chest, and the blood rushes to the head, giving the 
 eyes a peculiar, blood-shot appearance, which, con- 
 trasted to the whiteness of the skin, gives the vic- 
 tim such an unearthly appearance that, once being 
 seen, it is never forgotten. The general condition 
 of malaise, which constitutes the first stage, may 
 be of greater or less severity, and may continue for 
 months, or even years— or the disease may pursue 
 a very rapid course. Oftentimes the first hint a 
 patient receives of his condition is from his com- 
 panions, who notice a peculiar color of the skin, as 
 above described. 
 
 One of the most marked features of this fright- 
 ful malady is the condition of anasthesia, or in- 
 sensibility to pain, the sufferer not feeling the 
 prick of a pin or cut of a knife. This condition is 
 not always found, particularly in the early stages, 
 as the patient is then sometimes possessed with 
 acute sensibility and suffers at the least touch; 
 but in the latter stages it is very marked, and in- 
 stances are related of lepers having fallen into 
 the fire without knowing it, and were only rescued 
 by some one whose attention was attracted by the 
 odor of charred flesh. After a time the whole ap- 
 pearance of the skin becomes altered, giving place 
 to dark, greenish spots, resembling the eccymosis 
 
 52 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 or black and blue spot of a bruise, with which 
 every one is familiar. These spots vary in size, 
 and are at first separated from each other; but 
 gradually they extend until they touch and cover 
 the entire body, forming a mantle of rottenness. 
 The limbs then begin to swell, followed by a bloat- 
 ing of the body, until after a time the skin, dis- 
 tended to its utmost limits, bursts, and ulcers of 
 the foulest kind are formed. The extremities of 
 the hand^ and feet begin to wither, the flesh 
 shrinks away from the bones, and, in many cases, 
 fingers and toes drop from their articulations, as 
 was the case with one of the patients we saw. The 
 face is usually much bloated and disfigured, being 
 covered with hard red tubercles, varying in size 
 from a pea to a hen's egg. The eyes seem almost 
 bursting from their sockets, and are often the seat 
 of sores, resulting in total blindness. This is the 
 last stage, and the skin now presents a dark red- 
 dish hue, the internal organs are seen to be the 
 seat of tubercles, and sooner or later the lungs be- 
 come so filled up that breathing is obstructed, and 
 the patient is in momentary danger of suffocation. 
 The death struggle is said to be something terrible 
 to behold, the sufferer writhing and twisting in 
 agony, and tearing the clothing from the throat 
 and body in vain efforts for breath, until at last 
 he falls back completely exhausted and uncon- 
 
 53 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 scions, and death comes to his release. This disease 
 is neither epidemic nor contagious in these islands, 
 but seems to confine itself almost entirely to the 
 descendents of those first afflicted. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE STORY OF OLD BUTTMAN'S JTTLE.— A 
 DOMINICA TRAGEDY. 
 
 "Do you see that Creole just passing?" said Cap- 
 tain James, the Inspector of Police, as we sat one 
 day in the pretty little garden back of the old fort 
 on the hill. 
 
 "Yes!" I replied; "she is a beauty, too." 
 
 "A few years ago," continued the Inspector, 
 lighting his cigar, she was considered the hand- 
 somest woman in Roseau, which you will allow is 
 saying a good deal, for the old town contains some 
 as handsome dark-skinned beauties as it has ever 
 been my fortune to meet. But there is a strange 
 story connected with her life, which you, as a visi- 
 tor to the island, might be interested in, and which 
 shows to what extent this class of the mixed type 
 are governed by the passions of love and hate." 
 
 "I would be delighted to' hear it," I replied, 
 knowing Captain James' reputation as a story- 
 teller. 
 
 54 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 "Her right name is Jule Kivera. Five years ago 
 she lived with her old father at Prince Kupert's 
 Bay, a small town on the north side of the island. 
 The place itself is of little import, being princi- 
 pally a port where American whalemen and other 
 vessels put in for water, fruit and fresh provisions. 
 Her father had resided there for years, and eked 
 out an existence for himself and family by supply- 
 ing the vessels, and also trading a little native rum 
 and other articles when opportunity offered. 
 
 "When Jule was about seventeen years of age, the 
 mate of a New Bedford whaling vessel, that was 
 cruising in these waters, became enamoured with 
 the girl, and, finally, gave up his job, settled down 
 on shore and married her. He had some little 
 means of his own, for he had an outfit come from 
 the States, fitted up a whaling station with a fine 
 large boat, and all the appurtenances necessary to 
 pursue that vocation from the shore. He was 
 fairly successful in his venture, and for a time all 
 went well. He was three times the age of Jule, 
 and people wondered when she married him; but 
 for all that, they seemed to be a devoted couple, 
 and she made him a good wife. 
 
 "Not long after his marriage, old Buttman, 
 that was her husband's name, sent for his nephew, 
 a young fellow of about twenty, to come out and 
 help him in his business, as few here understood 
 
 55 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 that kind of work. Well, he came out, and made 
 his home with them. He was a handsome, ener- 
 getic boy, whom everybody liked. It was a rather 
 •risky experiment, that, bringing a chap like him 
 to live under the same roof with a young woman 
 of Jule's temperament and disposition, particularly 
 when her husband was as old as her father. The 
 result can be imagined. They grew to like each 
 other, and when a young woman of her kind likes, 
 it is something more than platonic. She loves, 
 and that, too, with her whole heart and soul. 
 There is no half-way business about it, and so it 
 proved in this case. The young man, whose name 
 was Jim Band, despite his affection for her, had 
 enough respect for his uncle to control his feelings 
 and not commit any act that would bring disgrace 
 upon the old man or break up his family relations. 
 
 "Jule took in the situation fully, but with her 
 passionate disposition love knew no bounds. To 
 hope was to have. No obstacle could present itself 
 in her path but that might be surmounted, if not 
 by fair means, by foul. 
 
 "Well, one morning old Buttman was found 
 dead in bed. There was not so much as a scratch 
 upon him anywhere, and death was pronounced 
 due to heart disease, or some other natural cause. 
 The week following Jule came over to Eoseau, 
 and took up her abode, for a time, with her fa- 
 
 56 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 ther's sister. A few months later she returned to 
 Prince Kupert's, when she and young Jim were 
 married. 
 
 "It is said that the course of true love never 
 runs smooth, and it seems that the case of the fair 
 Jule was to be no exception. 
 
 "Pierre Eivera had another daughter besides 
 Jule, named Lila, something over a year younger. 
 She, likewise, set her eyes in a loving way upon 
 Jim, and her heart went out to him. Jim liked 
 her well enough for a companion to while away an 
 idle hour, but when it came to a question of love 
 his heart failed to respond in that ardent and af- 
 fectionate manner that one of Lila's temperament 
 would demand. Still, he was attentive to her. 
 She knew he could not marry her sister, for she 
 already had a husband, and she hoped in time he 
 would prove susceptible to her charms. 
 
 "After Buttman's death there was a change in 
 her demeanor towards her sister. Previous to that 
 she knew that Jule was no impediment in the way 
 of her marrying Jim, and she loved her; but now 
 things were so different, that love was turned to 
 bitter hatred. 
 
 Things went along quietly, though, until her 
 sister and Jim were married. From that moment 
 she seemed like a caged tigress. For some reason, 
 her sister seemed to hate her with an equal in- 
 
 57 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 tensity. One day there was a disturbance in the 
 Rand household. High words were heard, and 
 shortly afterwards young Jim was seen to leave the 
 house, take his boat, and row off to one of the 
 whalemen lying at anchor in the cove. The vessel 
 sailed that night, and from that time Jim Rand 
 was never again seen on the island of Dominica. 
 After his departure terrible screams were heard in 
 the house. The neighbors rushed in. There in 
 the middle of the room stood the two sisters, each 
 armed with a knife. Their eyes depicted the 
 hatred of their hearts. They grasped each other 
 by their long hair, which had become disengaged 
 from its fastenings, and hung in rich profusion 
 around their faces and shoulders, and showered 
 blow after blow upon each other with their knives. 
 Shriek after shriek rent the air. Jule accused 
 Lila of trying to steal her husband's affections. 
 Lila called her sister a murderess, and said she 
 killed old Buttman, her former husband. 
 
 "Finally, they were separated, but Lila had been 
 wounded unto the death, and her sister nearly so. 
 The port doctor was called, but his services were 
 of no avail, so far as Lila was concerned, for she 
 died two hours later from the terrible knife cut 
 in her throat. Before she passed away, however, 
 she told her story, and what led up to the cause 
 of the last tragedy. It seemed the night that 
 
 58 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 Buttman died she had been out for a stroll with 
 Jim. It was quite late when he left her at her 
 father's door, which was but a few steps from her 
 sister's house. Being somewhat jealous of her 
 sister, she waited until Jim had reached home 
 and entered the house, when she stole softly across 
 that she might look into the window and satisfy 
 her curiosity as to what might transpire. The 
 shutters were wide open, to let in the cool night 
 air, and there was nothing to obstruct her view. 
 
 Jim, for some reason, went directly to his room, 
 which was in another part of the house. Jule, 
 who had evidently been awaiting his return, was 
 enraged at his apparent indifference. Her sister 
 had but to get one glance of her face, almost livid 
 with rage, to see this. Something must happen. 
 She knew Jule too well to know that the turmoil 
 within her breast would subside without some out- 
 burst. It came in a manner that she least ex- 
 pected. She saw her wring her hands in apparent 
 agony of mind. Then she shook her clinched fist 
 at the sleeping form of her husband in the ad- 
 joining room. She stopped for a moment, as 
 though in thought. Her eyes flashed, and her lips 
 parted in a smile. She went to the little work- 
 table opposite and opened a drawer. Lila watched 
 her, almost breathless in her excitement. She took 
 out a long, heavy steel pin with a small brass head 
 
 59 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 of some fancy design. It had been given her years 
 before by some whaleman admirer. It conld be 
 used for a variety of purposes. It was intended for 
 an ornamental hat-pin in the country where it 
 came from; but it could be used now as a weapon, 
 and a formidable one it would be, too, in the hands 
 of a dangerous woman. She grasped it firmly in 
 her hand, and stole softly towards the sleeping 
 figure. Buttman's shirt was open, exposing his 
 throat and chest. She pressed it against his left 
 breast and bore upon it with her full weight. Lila 
 saw it sink in its full length. He gave a sudden 
 start, as though trying to raise himself in bed, 
 then, without a moan, sank back upon his pillow, 
 dead. Jule removed the pin, carefully wiped it 
 upon her skirt, and replaced it in the drawer. 
 After this she threw herself down in a chair, where 
 she remained until morning. 
 
 "Lila kept her secret, and bided her time. She 
 saw through it all. The passion of her sister's love 
 for Jim was beyond control. She would lose Jim 
 now, she knew that; but so should her sister. You 
 do not know the power of love and hate in these 
 people. Revenge is sweet. She would wait. They 
 would be married. She would afterward appear 
 upon the scene. She secretly gloated in her heart 
 upon the trouble her denouncement would make. 
 She cared nothing about the case from its legal as- 
 
 60 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 pect. The matter of her personal spite, and hu- 
 miliating her sister in her husband's affections, 
 and causing a separation, was all that she could 
 desire or hope for; was not that revenge of the 
 sweetest kind? 
 
 "Well, to make a long story short, she waited 
 until three weeks after the marriage. It was diffi- 
 cult to do so. Love may be kept within bounds, 
 but it is hard to control the passion of hatred, 
 when once it arises with all its power within us. 
 
 "Her sister and Jim seemed particularly happy 
 on the day in question. He, poor fellow, was in- 
 nocent enough; but why should she spare him? 
 She walked quietly into the house and denounced 
 her sister as a murderess before her husband. Jule 
 turned pale, and tried to deny the whole; but Lila 
 continued, and told her story to the end, and 
 wound up by going to the table drawer, and taking 
 from it the brass-headed pin and holding it up to 
 the bewildered gaze of Jule's husband, she said: 
 
 " 'Jim, this is what she did it with/ 
 
 "In vain Jule denied her guilt. She plead and 
 raved. Jim saw through it all. With a curse on 
 his lips he left the house, never to return. Then 
 came the terrible struggle between the sisters, with 
 the result as described. 
 
 "After Lila's death, Jule was arrested and com- 
 mitted to prison. The trial was an exciting one. 
 
 61 
 
In Old Koseau. 
 
 There were no witnesses to appear against her. 
 She swore it was all jealousy on the part of her 
 sister that caused her to tell the story she did con- 
 cerning the death of her former husband, to 
 prejudice Jim against her, and there was no truth 
 in it. So far as Lila's death was concerned, she 
 only defended herself, and was cut up nearly as 
 badly as was her sister. 
 
 "Jule was a beautiful woman. The jury sympa- 
 thized with her, as is usually the case, and, after 
 a long trial, she was acquitted. 
 
 "To-day she is living quietly with her aunt, here 
 in Roseau. A proud-spirited, beautiful woman, 
 but on her brow is a mark that can never be ef- 
 faced — the mark of Cain." 
 
PART II. 
 
 AMONG THE CARIBS. 
 
 A Continuation of My Experiences in 
 
 Dominica, 
 
 and 
 
 Reminiscences of a Sojourn Among the 
 
 Remnants of a Once Powerful People. 
 
 "To-morrow I sail for those cinnamon groves 
 Where nightly the ghost of the Carribee roves." 
 
CHAPTER I. 
 
 AMONG THE CARIBS. 
 
 Reminiscences and a Determination to See the Ma- 
 hoe Country and its Carib Inhabitants. 
 
 I had spent several weeks in that old and truly 
 delightful town of Roseau, musing among those 
 interesting remains that are the witnesses of its 
 former prosperity and the proofs of its present 
 decay, and when I had sipped my coffee this last 
 morning, and had looked for awhile from the win- 
 dow of my apartments into the little courtyard 
 below, where nothing was to be seen but two or 
 three idle black fellows, sitting with their backs 
 to the wall, apparently too lazy to even shift their 
 position and get into the shade, I felt somewhat 
 at a loss what to do with myself. One-half hour 
 I spent in chatting with a dark-eyed Creole maid, 
 who was doing service at the inn; this being by no 
 means a new diversion, I soon tired of it, and, 
 finally, taking my hat, I walked into the street and 
 strolled for at least the twentieth time through 
 the pretty little park, and wondered for the twenti- 
 eth time how it was possible to keep that public 
 garden in such a neat condition and such a myriad 
 of flowers in constant bloom with so little labor. 
 I next found myself standing in the old Cathedral, 
 
 65 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 where ever and anon a dusky face would pass me 
 and, crossing herself, kneel at the altar and repeat 
 the prayer that constant service had so indelibly 
 impressed upon the mind as to render its saying 
 almost mechanical. I came out of the Cathedral 
 and strolled down the street. I stopped for a mo- 
 ment to watch a group of women bearing baskets 
 of fruit upon their heads to the Roseau market, 
 and I wondered again at the mathematical exact- 
 ness required to so evenly balance a heavy weight 
 upon the head with no help whatever from the 
 hands. With body erect, arms hanging gracefully 
 by the side, the half-uncovered bosom, fully de- 
 veloped by this manner of life, rising and falling 
 as theytripped lightly along. The picture was one 
 for an artist. I continued my walk, and turned so 
 as to take me away from the streets of the town 
 and down to an old bridge over the Roseau River. 
 Loitering upon a bridge, one generally leans for 
 awhile over the parapet on one side, and then 
 crosses to the opposite parapet, next bending for 
 awhile over it; and so I did on this bridge at Ro- 
 seau. I watched a long time a half score of Domin- 
 ican damsels washing clothes in the river, every 
 one conspicuous by her bright-colored petticoat, 
 very short, coming some three inches above the 
 knees, showing in most of them an exquisite con- 
 tour of dusky limbs below, while the outer skirt, 
 
 GO 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 which covers all when on the street, was thrown 
 over the head, as a shelter from the sun. I was 
 much amused, while watching them, at the pre- 
 cocious gallantry of two very young English boys 
 from the town, who endeavored co attract the at- 
 tention of these water nymphs by throwing pebbles 
 into the stream, and who were sometimes rewarded 
 by the upward glance of several pairs of dark eyes; 
 and having seen all that was to be seen from one 
 parapet, I crossed to the other, from which nothing 
 was to be seen at all, excepting the river in its 
 deep, rocky bed, and, beyond it, the high, broad 
 range of the Dominican Mountains, a scene not 
 without its charm, however, to the lover of the 
 wild, the desolate and the picturesque. 
 
 When one looks upon a lofty mountain range, 
 fancy generally travels beyond it, and the eye 
 wanders in imagination over those countries from 
 which it separates us. 
 
 "Those are the Dominican Mountains/' I said 
 to myself, "and what lies beyond? Is it not the 
 Mahoe country, inhabited by the remnant of that 
 once powerful tribe, the Carib Indians, so memor- 
 able in the early Columbian history?'' What a host 
 of vivid and delightful recollections instantly 
 started into being! In a few moments I had lived 
 over again the many happy hours of childhood 
 spent in the perusal of that imperishable monu- 
 
 67 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 ment of the genius of Irving, "The "Voyages of 
 Columbus," and when I again looked towards the 
 mountains that separated me from the land of 
 Mahoe, I saw the tall, spare figure of the courteous 
 voyager, standing erect, his grave countenance ex- 
 pressing a consciousness of his high destiny, and 
 around him clustered in a group, with a look of 
 wonderment and timidity depicted on their faces, 
 were the Caribs, as he saw them on his second 
 voyage of discovery. 
 
 At the present time but two islands in the Car- 
 ribean Sea, Gaudaloupe and Dominica, contain a 
 remnant of these once powerful people. A people 
 with a most wonderful history; an unwritten and 
 forgotten history, running back unnumbered ages, 
 farther than we can trace it, but first beginning to 
 be known to man when the existence of the new 
 continent dawned upon his awakened senses. 
 
 "Columbus found the Caribs a powerful and 
 warlike people, entirely different from the peace- 
 ful, mild-mannered natives that he first encoun- 
 tered. They were trained to war from their in- 
 fancy; their distant roamings by sea made them ob- 
 servant and intelligent. They went, on predatory 
 enterprises, in canoes • made from the hollowed 
 trunks of trees, to the distance of one hundred and 
 fifty leagues. Their arms were bows and arrows, 
 pointed with the bones of fishes, or shells of tor- 
 
 68 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 toise, and poisoned with the juice of a certain 
 herb. They made descents upon the various isl- 
 ands, ravaged the villages, carried off the youngest 
 and handsomest of the women, and made prisoners 
 of the men, to be killed and eaten. When the men 
 went forth on these expeditions, the women re- 
 mained to defend their shores from invasion. The 
 natives of the other islands only knew how to 
 divide time by day and night by the sun and 
 moon; whereas, these had acquired some knowl- 
 edge of the stars, by which to calculate the times 
 and seasons.' 9 
 
 Little thought I in those early days that I 
 would ever have it in my power to visit this far-off 
 sunny isle of the Carribean, but now that wish had 
 been gratified, I had seen all that was quaint or 
 curious in old Roseau and the eastern part of Do- 
 minica. I had no wish to return to the States. It 
 was yet too early to escape the cold winter there, 
 and why not, therefore, change my dream to a 
 reality? "I'll cross the mountains to-morrow, or 
 as soon as it is possible to make the arrangements/' 
 I said to myself, and two days later at the most I 
 will be in the Mahoe country among the Caribs; 
 and so strong a hold had this idea taken of my 
 mind, that neither the picturesque outline of the 
 old town itself, nor the half-robed charms of the 
 Dominican damsels. had any attraction for me now. 
 
 G9 
 
In Old Eoseau. 
 
 I fixed my eyes once more on the distant mountain 
 range, and, turning hastily away, made all speed 
 back to the inn that I might make my arrange- 
 ments for the prospective journey, such as provid- 
 ing myself with a sure-footed beast and a suitable 
 guide; the latter, if possible, to be a native Carib, 
 several of which I had seen that day in the market- 
 place with their baskets for sale. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE START.— JEAN BAPTISTE PIERRE.— I 
 REACH THE MAHOE COUNTRY. 
 
 A more beautiful morning never dawned upon 
 the mountain tops than that which broke upon the 
 Dominican Mountains two days later, when, as 
 the early convent bells were chiming, we crossed 
 the bridge where it seemed but yesterday I was 
 an idle dreamer, and following the well-beaten 
 foot-path that leads from the old town, we turned 
 our horses' heads towards that El Dorado of which 
 we were in search. 
 
 The sun had arisen in a cloudless sky, and look- 
 ing back from the winding mountain path upon 
 the town, seemed like a city floating in the air, for 
 a sea of light vapor hung over the Roseau River, 
 and like a veil shut out all but the taller buildings 
 
In Old Koseau. 
 
 and the towers of the Cathedral, which lifted them- 
 selves above the mists, bathed in the golden light 
 of morning. I had never started out on a journey 
 with half the buoyancy I felt that morning. 
 Everything had been favorable for me. I had se- 
 cured two ponies, which would transport us at 
 least a part, if not the whole, of our journey, and 
 the guide, Jean Baptiste Pierre, a mixture of the 
 blood of some wandering Frenchman with that of 
 the native Carib, was a most valuable acquisition, 
 for his linguistic attainments alone, if for nothing 
 more. He spoke a patois, or dialect of his own, 
 derived from the French, Carib and English, and 
 a more abominable mix-up of language it would be 
 impossible to find. 
 
 While ascending the mountain I had leisure, 
 for the first time, to think of making acquaintance 
 with my guide, and was ready with the offer of an 
 American cigar, which, by the way, is much better 
 than the native article, to secure his good-will. 
 He was a young man of about twenty-four, and it 
 was evident from his dress that he considered 
 himself something a little above the ordinary Ca- 
 rib. It consisted of cotton pants, calico shirt, 
 broad straw hat, braided from some native grass; 
 shoes upon the feet, and, what was most conspicu- 
 ous, a red sash of some cotton stuff, taking the 
 place of a belt around his waist. 
 
 71 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 Taking the proffered cigar, lie tlianked me, and, 
 in answer to my question as to his antecedent his- 
 tory, and how his father, a Frenchman, came to 
 stray to this far-off Carib settlement, he replied: 
 
 "My father, monsieur, he was ze French sailor, 
 and as there was reason for most things, there was 
 also reason why he should leave his native land. 
 My father," he explained, "he was in what you 
 call ze cafe. An English sailor he come in, zay 
 drink ze wine too much. Presently zay quarrel 
 about ze cards zay play. My father he give him 
 his knife." 
 
 "How," said I, "did giving him his knife help 
 out the quarrel?" 
 
 "You no understand, monsieur; he stick ze knife 
 in his ribs." 
 
 "Murdered him, then?" I said. 
 
 "As you plaise to call him, monsieur." 
 
 "How did your worthy father escape the laws of 
 his country, Jean Baptist e," I asked; "surely one 
 man cannot kill another in France, and not be 
 made to suffer therefor?" 
 
 "Oh, zar was ze prosession, of what you call ze 
 political, going by at ze time, and ze people was 
 too much busy watching them to notice ze little 
 accident right away; and my father stepped out 
 unperceived, and concealed himself for two days, 
 when he stow himself away on English vessel for 
 
 72 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 ze West Indies. When ze vessel out at sea lie come 
 on deck. He good sailor man, and ze captain he 
 no hear of ze murder, as you call him. He work 
 his way to Barbadoes, then he leave ze vessel. He 
 come here on small fishing boat. He work in 
 Eoseau some time. He see my mother one day in 
 market-place, where she go to sell ze basket. She 
 nice-looking gal then. He come out to Mahoe 
 country same as we go to-day. She like him. He 
 like her. He live here till two year ago when he 
 die." 
 
 By the time Jean Baptiste Pierre had finished 
 his story, which was quite amusing to me, and af- 
 forded a fair insight into his easy-going character, 
 we had reached the highest part of the first range, 
 and begun to descend into a valley in the heart of 
 the mountains. 
 
 The mountains of Dominica, I think, are wilder 
 than those of any of the other West Indian islands, 
 and the path we were pursuing, since leaving the 
 main road, was very little traveled; the Caribs, 
 in their occasional visits to Eoseau to dispose of 
 their handiwork, in the shape of the wonderful 
 baskets, made of grass, and so closely woven as to 
 be water-tight, being almost the only ones that 
 used the path, and they generally went on foot. 
 
 For two hours in the middle of the day the heat 
 was excessive, and we rested in the shade beside 
 
 73 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 a mountain stream. There we partook of the food 
 we had brought with us, washed down by a glass of 
 cool, sparkling water. The glare of broad day had 
 withdrawn from the valleys, and a sombre light 
 had descended on the mountain tops when we 
 reached the little hamlet of Laudet. It comprised 
 but three houses, two of which were occupied by 
 native families, the third being vacant. An aged 
 man and woman came out of the nearest house at 
 our approach and made us welcome. Hospitality 
 is born in these people, and to be discourteous to 
 a stranger is an unpardonable sin. A hammock 
 was hung for me in the vacant house, and Jean 
 Baptiste Pierre made up for himself a bed of grass 
 upon the floor. Before retiring, however, the old 
 couple set for us a supper of boiled eggs, cassava 
 cakes and coffee, and never meal tasted sweeter 
 than did that simple repast in the heart of the 
 Dominican Mountains. In the other house lived 
 the son of the old couple and his family. Here in 
 the native wildness, miles away from anywhere, 
 these few people lived in complete obscurity and 
 perfect happiness. 
 
 A little garden patch, some goats, a few beans, 
 yams, bananas, and other tropical fruits for the 
 picking, their every want was supplied. I realized 
 that there was more truth than poetry in the old 
 adage: "Blessed be nothing/' 
 
 74 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 I will not detail my journey from Laudet, next 
 morning. After partaking of coffee and cakes we 
 were off before sunrise. Leaving the path that we 
 had been following, we struck off to the right, and 
 towards noon we reached the further side of the 
 mountain, and descended to the plain beyond. 
 Here, stopping on a small elevation above the 
 stream that crossed our path, my guide pointed to 
 the beautiful country that lay spread out before 
 us, and said: "Monsieur, that is the Mahoe land." 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 MY ADVENT INTO THE CAEIB SETTLE- 
 MENT. — I BECAME ACQUAINTED 
 WITH THE FAMILY OF JEAN BAP- 
 TISTE PIERRE.— ATTEND DIVINE 
 WORSHIP AND MEET WITH A SUR- 
 PRISE. 
 
 It was noon that day when we entered the Carib 
 reservation and found ourselves at last in the El 
 Dorado I had so fondly pictured in my imagina- 
 tion. 
 
 This reservation, set apart by the Government, 
 extends from the Mahoe River to the Crayfish 
 River, a distance of about four miles along the 
 Atlantic coast; and from thence back into the 
 
 75 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 mountains as far as they pleased to cultivate. 
 There were some forty dwellings, each with a lit- 
 tle garden adjacent to the same. Back in the 
 mountains were other gardens, where grew the 
 various island fruits, as bananas, cocoanuts and 
 limes, of which there were great abundance. 
 
 The houses were low and thatched with grass, 
 tied into bundles and lashed firmly upon frame- 
 works of poles, with wooden doors and shutters. 
 
 As we rode along, from every doorway and win- 
 dow gazed a group of curious faces, for the advent 
 of a stranger in their midst was of rare occurrence, 
 and enough to excite in their minds a feeling of 
 wonderment. Without a word, Jean Baptiste 
 Pierre rode majestically along, as though fully 
 alive to the importance of his mission. He finally 
 stopped before a neat little house near the centre 
 of the settlement. Here we dismounted, and, 
 beckoning me to follow, he entered the dwelling. 
 
 I was first introduced to his mother, a yellow- 
 skinned old lady of fifty, who hobbled about with 
 a cane. Her fat face beamed all over with good- 
 nature, and I saw at once that ze gentleman of 
 America, as he pleased to style me, would be a wel- 
 come guest. His two sisters, Louise and Marcella, 
 aged, respectively, fifteen and seventeen, were 
 light-hearted, sunny maidens, in whose veins, like 
 his own, flowed the blood of two races. The blood 
 
In Old Koseau. 
 
 of the Carib showed in the wavy hair, full lips, 
 and rich olive complexion, while that of the jovial 
 French sailor, who had strayed to these wilds so 
 many years ago, gave the delicate contour and 
 suppleness of limb, the sparkling, merry black eyes 
 and the small hands and feet; clothed at the time 
 in a simple garment, gathered about the hips and 
 reaching below the knees, they were models that 
 would have delighted the eyes of an artist. 
 
 "Bon jour, monsieur," exclaimed the elder of the 
 two, as she came forward and extended her hand, 
 "we with plaisure welcome ze gentleman." A 
 flush stole over the olive cheeks, and the rich red 
 lips parted in a smile, showing a set of pearly teeth 
 that would have created envy in the heart of a 
 society belle. 
 
 The house of Jean Baptiste Pierre was more 
 pretentious than most of those in the little settle- 
 ment, which consisted of but two rooms. This, 
 however, could boast of four, and one of these, 
 with a window looking out upon a pretty little 
 garden of flowers, in which I fancied I could detect 
 the handiwork of Louise and Marcella, was placed 
 at my disposal. My portmanteau was brought in, 
 which I unpacked, and I soon had the satisfaction 
 of feeling that I was at home during my stay in 
 the Carib settlement. 
 
 During my visit of several weeks I realized more 
 
 77 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 than once how fortunate I was in having secured 
 the services of Jean Baptiste. He hunted with me, 
 found some one to do any work that I required, 
 smoked my cigars, drank my rum, and slept. He 
 would do anything for me but work. He was as 
 good and trusty a servant as I had ever found. 
 Anything that I wanted he would get, or, if he 
 thought it too much trouble, induce one of his 
 pretty sisters to get it for me, and they, winsome 
 creatures, were always willing to wait upon me, 
 and I fancy rather inclined to shirk their house- 
 hold duties, whatever they might be, for the privi- 
 lege of doing so. 
 
 The majority of the Carib people are very poorly 
 clothed, shoes and stockings are possessed by but 
 few, and then worn only on special occasions. The 
 ordinary dress of the male consists of a pair of cot- 
 ton pants and a shirt. That of the women, of a 
 loose calico wrapper, girded at the waist; their 
 hair, done up in a bright-colored kerchief or 
 hanging down their backs in luxurious tresses. 
 
 The complexion of the Caribs is a light olive 
 tint. The features are much more regular and deli- 
 cate than those of the native type, though, often 
 by intermarriage, there is a mixture of the two 
 races; but when this occurs that of the Indian pre- 
 dominates, and the thick lips and the kinky hair of 
 the African are wanting. 
 
 78 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 Among the sexes work is quite equally divided. 
 The women do all the work in the house; but out- 
 of-doors they work together, the women doing 
 fully as much labor as the men. A feeling of 
 perfect harmony seems to exist, and no dissatisfac- 
 tion arises as to the division of labor, as might be 
 the case in a less favored clime. The women are 
 treated with love and respect, and during my stay 
 in their midst I never heard of a case of wife-beat- 
 ing or cruelty, as has often been attributed to them. 
 
 On a little eminence back of the village stands 
 a square building, built after the same pattern 
 as the native houses, although somewhat larger. 
 On the top of the building is a cross, indicating 
 that it is a church, and the religion of the people 
 Eoman Catholic. Once a month a priest comes 
 from over the mountain and holds services. There 
 is not a hamlet of any size throughout the island 
 where representatives of this church do not go at 
 least several times during the course of a year. 
 
 The Sunday following my arrival was fortu- 
 nately the one set apart for the visitation of the 
 parish priest. The inhabitants of Mahoe, attired 
 in all the finery at their command, attend worship 
 on these occasions. Louise and Marcella, arrayed 
 in bright-colored calico wrappers, white stockings 
 and with shoes upon their feet, presented them- 
 selves to me early that morning. 
 
 79 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 "Would monsieur like to attend ze church ?" 
 
 "Most assuredly/' I replied, and donning my 
 best duck suit, I prepared to accompany them. 
 
 The building, being a small one, would hold but 
 a part of the church-going inhabitants, so that dur- 
 ing the day there were three services, that none 
 might be deprived of the important privilege. 
 Jean Baptiste Pierre, for reasons best known to 
 himself, preferred to wait until later in the day, 
 and, together with his pretty sisters, I wended my 
 way to the little chapel on the hilltop. 
 
 Father Gangres, a fat, little Frenchman, went 
 through the . services much after the manner of 
 one who felt that he had an unpleasant duty to 
 perform. A duty that should be done as expe- 
 ditiously as possible, and be consistent with the 
 solemnities of the occasion. 
 
 There was no music of any kind, and, although 
 the congregation was an attentive and devout one, 
 the services lacked that solemnity which is usually 
 so characteristic of the Catholic church. 
 
 After mass was over we started on our return, 
 taking, at the suggestion of Louise, a circuitous 
 route through the woods to avoid the heat of the 
 sun. We had gone but a short distance when one 
 of those sudden showers, coming without a mo- 
 ment's warning from an apparently cloudless sky, 
 burst upon us. We sought refuge under an over- 
 
 80 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 hanging rock that jutted several feet from the 
 mountain side, and afforded us almost complete 
 protection. In a brief hour the storm was past, 
 and the sun shone as brightly as ever. But an un- 
 foreseen obstacle presented itself. The little moun- 
 tain stream that separated us from the village was 
 swollen to thrice its former proportions. Where 
 before we could have stepped from stone to stone 
 and passed in safety dry shod, it was now a de- 
 cidedly damp undertaking, and would necessitate 
 wading nearly to the waist in troubled waters. 
 
 Louise and Marcella were dressed in their Sun- 
 day-best. They looked at each other for a moment, 
 and then at me, as though in hesitation about 
 something; then Louise said: 
 
 "Monsieur will plaise excuse for ze moment," 
 and the two dodged behind a rock. 
 
 In a short time they appeared with their shoes 
 and stockings in their hands and, holding up their 
 skirts, they entered the stream. It was deeper than 
 they anticipated, and they retreated to the shore. 
 Begging once more to be excused, they again 
 sought refuge behind the rock. I fancied I heard 
 the rustle of female apparel. I was beginning to 
 be interested in the proceedings. "Good heavens, 
 thought I, what will those girls do next?" I had 
 not long to wait, for they appeared a few mo- 
 ments later clad in their single undergarment, 
 
 81 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 with their clothes tied up in a bundle under their 
 arm. I fairly held my breath. 
 
 "Louise! Marcella!" I exclaimed. 
 
 "Yes, monsieur." 
 
 "Don't do that again." 
 
 "What monsieur?" 
 
 "Take off any more clothes." 
 
 "Why zat is impossible, monsieur," and, laugh- 
 ing merrily, they forded the stream. 
 
 Taking off my shoes and stockings, I followed 
 them, wetting my white duck trousers to the waist. 
 Standing in the sun for a few moments, my pretty 
 guides allowed themselves to dry, after which, 
 donning their apparel, we proceeded homeward, 
 arriving without further misadventure. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 KING GEOKGE.— MY INTKODUCTION.— 
 
 JEAN BAPTISTE PIEKRE AND I 
 
 HUNT THE WILD HOG. 
 
 At the time of my sojourn in the land of Mahoe, 
 King George was the recognized head or ruler of 
 the Carib nation. His father and grandfather be- 
 fore him had filled the same honorable position, 
 and since the death of the latter, some twenty years 
 before, he had administered the affairs of state in 
 
 82 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 an apparently satisfactory manner to all con- 
 cerned. He was a very old man, and the infirmities 
 of age, together with the free use of the native 
 rum, had converted the aged ruler into little more 
 than an automaton. He seldom ventured outside 
 of his own dooryard, and the greater part of his 
 time was spent in reclining on a wooden settee 
 that had been arranged for his convenience in the 
 shade of a large tamarind tree. His Majesty spoke 
 no English, and very little French, so that conver- 
 sation was somewhat difficult, even with an inter- 
 preter. I went through the formality of an intro- 
 duction hy Jean Baptiste Pierre, who informed me 
 that almost the first question he asked was, if I 
 knew of anything that would cure him of the gout, 
 as he had "become very infirm of late. The old 
 man had the opinion that all English-speaking 
 people had to a greater or lesser extent some 
 knowledge of the science of medicine. 
 
 I realized that nothing could help him, for what 
 he designated as gout was a dropsical affection, 
 causing his feet and limbs to swell to an enormous 
 size. To please him, however, I promised to send 
 him a bottle of medicine when I returned to Ro- 
 seau. 
 
 I never saw King George again, except in pass- 
 ing the house at a distance. In the administration 
 of affairs, the word of the old Carib was absolute, 
 
 83 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 from whose decision there was no appeal. The 
 culprit, male or female, that was brought before 
 him never thought of rebelling at the punishment 
 accorded. This was generally a fine of some small 
 amount, if the person was the fortunate possessor 
 of any money, otherwise so many hours or days 
 were to be spent in making baskets that could be 
 sold in the market of Eoseau, or working for a 
 certain length of time in tilling the soil of the 
 royal garden. Any capital offense was looked up 
 and tried by the Colonial Government, but these 
 were very rare. There had been but one murder 
 committed on the reservation during the past 
 twenty years. 
 
 One morning early I started out with Jean 
 Baptiste Pierre for the mountain forests way back 
 of Mahoe, in pursuit of that rare sport, hunting 
 the wild hog. It was to be my first experience, but 
 my guide was an old hand at the business. The 
 hogs of Dominica are not as fierce as those of some 
 of the other West Indian Islands, but are by far the 
 largest, and with tusks on them that would make 
 interesting work for the one who brought them 
 to bay. We were to go a certain distance on horse- 
 back, rest awhile, and go the remainder of the way 
 on foot, accompanied by another Carib and two 
 good dogs. We were each armed with a rifle, re- 
 volver, and a hunting knife about two feet in 
 
 84 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 length, which could he used as a weapon, but is 
 more generally used to cut away the undergrowth 
 or canebrake, which obstructs one's way through 
 the forest. 
 
 After a ride of about two hours, we came to a 
 little hut on the border of the forest. There we 
 tied our horses, and found in waiting with his dogs 
 our Carib guide, a tall, raw-boned fellow not far 
 from sixty, clad in a shirt and linen breeches that 
 one time might have been white. On his head he 
 wore the remains of a straw hat, on his feet noth- 
 ing. Despite his looks, however, we succeeded in 
 getting an excellent cup of coffee, some nice cakes 
 and fried plantain at his cabin. After thus re- 
 freshing ourselves and taking a short rest, we pro- 
 ceeded on our journey, pushing into the interior 
 of the forest on the northeastern part of the reser- 
 vation. The walking was difficult, as the un- 
 dergrowth was very hard to penetrate, and the 
 progress was necessarily slow. After an hour and 
 a half of such traveling our guide informed us that 
 we were approaching the ground and, with ordi- 
 nary luck, ought soon to see our game. I was be- 
 ginning to feel a little discouraged, for after such 
 hard walking I was very much fatigued and, see- 
 ing no game, was not in the best of spirits. We 
 were soon, however, to be rewarded for our pa- 
 tience. Having gone a short distance further, we 
 
 85 
 
In Old Koseau. 
 
 came upon an open space in the forest, and there, 
 right before us, not more than twenty rods dis- 
 tant, were two immense wild hogs, a boar and sow. 
 The dogs immediately rushed forward, and a mo- 
 ment later the startled hogs were running as fast 
 as their legs could carry them. "We will lose 
 them," I cried, and in the excitement involun- 
 tarily raised my rifle, intending to fire. "Hold!'' 
 shouted Jean Baptiste; "don't waste your shot. 
 Come on!" 
 
 We hastened forward after the dogs, and then I 
 found to my surprise that the hogs, as soon as they 
 reached the further end of the clearing, turned at 
 bay, with their backs against a large gum tree. I 
 had fully expected chat they would rush out of 
 sight in the undergrowth, and that we would lose 
 our game. But it looked very favorable for us to 
 have all the game we wanted before we were 
 through with them, for they stood gnashing their 
 teeth and tearing up the ground with their tusks, 
 plainly showing their rage at being disturbed. 
 When within about thirty feet, Jean Baptiste 
 raised his gun and fired. The bullet struck his 
 victim between the eyes, and he rolled over dead. 
 The other, desperate w T ith rage, made a dart at 
 one of the dogs, and with a blow of his tusks laid 
 the poor cur bleeding on the ground. I raised my 
 gun and fired, but in the excitement missed my 
 
 8G 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 aim. The infuriated beast, taking me for his 
 would-be destroyer, rushed toward me with savage 
 violence. Dropping my gun, I ran as fast as I 
 could across the clearing, having no desire to be 
 ripped open by those horrible tusks. I had only 
 succeeded in reaching the lower branch of a lime 
 tree and hauling myself up out of reach, when the 
 animal was on the ground below me. There was a 
 cold perspiration all over me, and my heart beat 
 faster than was its wont; but I was out of reach 
 and safe, at all events. The remaining cur seemed 
 afraid to approach the enraged beast since the 
 death of his companion; but Jean Baptiste Pierre 
 and the guide, who, by the way, had no gun, were 
 making their way toward me, keeping as close to 
 the lime trees as possible, that they might find 
 protection if it was necessary. In this way they 
 succeeded in approaching quite near, and Jean 
 Baptiste was fortunate enough to drop the beast 
 at the first shot. ' I came down from my perch, 
 feeling much more comfortable than a few minutes 
 before. 
 
 The hogs were large, weighing, I should think, 
 from three hundred and fifty to four hundred 
 pounds each; I was told that they w T ere often 
 larger, sometimes weighing five and six hundred 
 pounds. The sport is certainly very exciting, al- 
 thought not devoid of danger. Sometimes a herd 
 
 87 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 of twenty or thirty will travel together, but they 
 are oftener found in small numbers, from two to 
 four, perhaps, being the average. I have since 
 heard of several instances where an intrepid hunter 
 went alone into the bush, and was kept up a tree 
 all night by an enraged animal. Our guide told us 
 a story, that had a very fishy savor, of a herd of 
 these beasts cutting down a tree with their tusks 
 and killing the unfortunate hunter. The flesh of 
 the wild hog is very good eating, although quite 
 coarse, and not as tender as that of the domestic 
 animal. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE CARIB 
 INDIANS.— A FEW INCIDENTS. 
 
 The Carib Indians have not that stoical indif- 
 ference, so peculiar to the North American In- 
 dians, but rather partake of that jovial disposition 
 common to the African. They are fond of singing 
 and dancing, and play upon an odd-looking instru- 
 ment, somewhat resembling the French guitar, 
 except the body of the instrument is much larger, 
 and the neck very short. It has, in all, ten gut 
 strings, and is tuned by means of wooden screws. 
 
 88 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 Theirs is a weird kind of music, but I found a 
 fascination about it much the same as one finds in 
 some of the wild airs of the Hungarians. 
 
 Their dances were a mixture between the Portu- 
 guese chamareta and our own waltz. They would 
 begin by gracefully swaying the body to and fro, 
 swinging the arms in midair and snapping the 
 fingers, taking a few steps forward and back, then 
 swinging their partners, making three or four 
 turns, the step being in waltz time. 
 
 Almost every evening, when it was moonlight, 
 in some part of the village, I would see these peo- 
 ple enjoying themselves with all the freedom and 
 innocence of children, and without the slightest 
 semblance of vulgarity. 
 
 At Marcella's earnest opportuning I tried the 
 dance one night with herself for a partner. I 
 knew that my efforts were anything but graceful, 
 but no attempt at ridicule did these people make. 
 They seemed pleased that I entered into their fes- 
 tivities and sought to encourage me by exclama- 
 tions of approval. Another form of amusement 
 was singing with the guitar accompaniment. Many 
 of them possessed good voices, but their singing 
 was rendered in such a monotonous kind of a way 
 that it really seemed more like a recitation than 
 a song. Oftentimes their pieces were impromptu, 
 and a take-off on some one in the village. When 
 
 89 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 this was the case, it was always taken in good part 
 by the individual referred to. 
 
 I remember one, it was on Jean Baptiste Pierre, 
 and translated went something in this manner: 
 
 Jean Baptiste Pierre thinks he is a very fine fellow, 
 
 With his red sash, hat, shoes and shirt — 
 
 But there are others here that are as good as he 
 
 thinks he is. 
 La, La, La, La, La, La — La. 
 
 All the cooking among the Caribs is done by 
 means of charcoal, which they manufacture them- 
 selves. A small stove is built up of stones, ce- 
 mented together by mud. In this the charcoal 
 fire is started, and on top of the whole is placed 
 an iron kettle or piece of flat stone, depending on 
 what is to be prepared in the way of food. 
 
 Despite such rude methods, the food was ex- 
 ceptionally good. They had a way of preparing 
 fish that gives it a most delicious flavor, and would 
 suit the taste of an epicure. It was first carefully 
 cleaned, then soaked for an hour in fresh lime 
 juice, containing a small quantity of salt, after 
 which it was wrapped in the leaf of the cocoanut, 
 and baked until it was thoroughly done. 
 
 One day I sat down to dinner and found on the 
 table before me a most peculiar-looking object, 
 which from its shape and general appearance I was 
 
 90 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 at a loss to name. I accepted my portion, however, 
 without asking any questions, and on tasting 
 found it to be of a most delicate flavor. It proved 
 to be the flesh of the porcupine, or hedgehog; Jean 
 Baptiste had been so fortunate as to capture one 
 the night previous, the animal, at the time, being 
 in the act of killing some of his fowls. 
 
 Notwithstanding stories to the contrary, the 
 Caribs eat with a knife and fork, and use table 
 furnishings of rough stone pottery, which, for the 
 most part, is purchased in Roseau. 
 
 The people as a class are very cleanly. Scarcely 
 a morning but that Marcella and her pretty sister 
 repaired to the little stream we had found it so 
 difficult to cross on our way from church, and 
 there, in a deep pool, disport themselves. 
 One morning Marcella said to me: 
 "Would monsieur like to go in ze bath?" 
 "Perhaps so, Marcella," I replied; "why?" 
 "Why! Monsieur, we are going for ze purpose, 
 and it would give us vary much plaisure to have 
 monsieur accompany us." 
 
 Eemembering my experience of the Sunday 
 previous, and not knowing to what extreme their 
 maidenly innocence might influence their con- 
 duct, I deferred the invitation under a pretext, 
 which I have now forgotten, until some future 
 time. 
 
 91 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 I found some of the Caribs to be fine boatmen. 
 They used canoes made by digging out the trunk 
 of a large tree, and sharp at both ends. Instead of 
 paddles, they used oars, and in these frail vessels 
 they would sometimes venture out miles at sea, 
 going around the island to Eoseau, and even had 
 been known to go as far as the neighboring islands 
 of Gaudaloupe and St. Vincent. They are good 
 fishermen, but, strange to say, indulge in this occu- 
 pation only to the extent of supplying their own 
 people with food. 
 
 When a Carib is suffering from toothache he 
 adopts a most singular method for its relief. It is 
 simply snuffing up the nostrils, from the palm of 
 the hand, a little of the clear native rum. Strange 
 to say, this will oftentimes afford immediate re- 
 lief. If it does not, and the offending member 
 is sufficiently troublesome, it is extracted in the 
 following manner, which, if not thoroughly sci- 
 entific, is certainly original. Another native takes 
 two small flat sticks, of very hard wood, on whose 
 inner surface are two sets of horizontal grooves. 
 One stick grasps the tooth behind, the other in 
 front, being pressed firmly in place by the thumb 
 and forefinger. A slight rotary movement is 
 made, a quick pull, and lo ! the tooth is out and the 
 sufferer goes on his way rejoicing. 
 
 The women, aside from their skill in weaving 
 
 92 
 
In Old Koseau. 
 
 baskets, mats and hats from the Mahoe grass, are 
 very deft with the needle, and do some most ex- 
 quisite embroidery. I have in my possession to-day 
 two beautiful handkerchiefs, the handiwork of 
 Marcella and Louise, that I prize most highly, not 
 alone as a memento of my pleasant sojourn in 
 their midst, but also on account of the peculiar 
 and highly wrought character of the workman- 
 ship. 
 
 One night I lay in my bed in a half-dreamy con- 
 dition. I had been tramping around a good deal 
 during the day, and had gotten most thoroughly 
 fatigued, which brought on an attack of nervous 
 headache. I had taken a light supper of cassava 
 cakes and tea, smoked a cigar and retired early. 
 I had found, from experience in those attacks, that 
 my best remedy was rest. In the morning I would 
 be myself again. 
 
 During the early part of the night a severe rain- 
 storm set in. I had left my shutters open for 
 ventilation, and when the storm came it beat more 
 or less into the room. Why I did not get up and 
 close the shutters I do not know, possibly because 
 I was in that condition of utter indolence that one 
 occasionally assumes, particularly in the tropics. 
 At all events the fact of a little rain disporting 
 itself about my chamber was something to which I 
 was completely indifferent, and I remained per- 
 fectly quiet in bed. 
 
 93 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 Suddenly T heard a sound as of some one mov- 
 ing stealthily. A dip had been left burning in 
 the outer room, whose soft, mellow blaze gave out 
 vSufficient light for me to dimly discern objects in 
 my own room. I half opened my eyes, but did not 
 move. I heard a light foot-fall approaching, it 
 came nearer; I could distinguish a form; it was a 
 female in some light attire. She stopped by my 
 bedside. It was Marcella. I held my breath. 
 What could the girl be doing in my room at that 
 hour of the night? I knew that she was looking 
 at me. She stood still for a moment, and then 
 passed softly to the window. I saw her reach out, 
 draw the shutters together, and fasten them. Poor 
 girl, thought I, she was fearful lest I get wet. 
 She nad the care for me that I had not for myself. 
 Silently she stole back to my bedside. She stopped 
 again, and I saw her bend over the bed. I did my 
 best to feign sleep. I would see what the girl 
 would do. She touched my forehead with her lit- 
 tle, soft hand. I read her thoughts — was I fever- 
 ish? She held it there for a few moments, then, 
 apparently satisfied, removed it. She did not 
 leave at once; she started to go, then hesitated. 
 She bent over my bed, her face drew closer to my 
 own, again she hesitated, but only for an instant; 
 fhe next moment I felt the light touch of her lips 
 upon my forehead, once, twice, thrice. I could 
 
 94 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 stand it no longer. I gave a sudden start. She 
 sprang back, and stood erect in the middle of the 
 room. 
 
 "Marcella, is that 7011?" 
 
 "Yes, monsieur/' 
 
 "Did you — did you kiss me just now, little one?" 
 
 "1 closed ze shutters, monsieur; it was raining in 
 ze room, and monsieur would get cold, and have 
 ze fever, which would be had, vary had, you know, 
 eh!" 
 
 "Was that all, Marcella? I must have been 
 dreaming." 
 
 "Zat was very possible, monsieur. You feel bet- 
 ter of ze head, eh?" 
 
 "Yes, Marcella, thank you; but would you 
 mind—?" 
 
 "Good night, monsieur, may ze dream be pla~ 
 sant.'" 
 
 What a little witch Marcella was. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 A BROKEN REVERIE— MARCELLA'S LOVE- 
 MAKING.— MY DEPARTURE FROM 
 THE LAND OF MAHOE. 
 
 The day before my departure from Mahoe I 
 was reclining in the hammock, which I had sus- 
 pended between two palmetto trees in a little grove 
 
 95 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 some distance from the house of Jean Baptiste 
 Pierre. It was a lovely spot, cool and comfortable. 
 Many an hour I spent there, enjoying the quiet 
 beauty of nature and the rest that the spot af- 
 forded. 
 
 I had thrown down the book that I was reading, 
 and was in a dreamy state of delightful bliss, re- 
 volving in my mind the many happy incidents that 
 had transpired since I had first entered into that 
 charming half-vagabond existence that I had led 
 since landing from the steamer in old Koseau, 
 some weeks before. I was nearly asleep, when I 
 was aroused from my reverie by a light foot-fall, 
 and, looking up, I saw standing before me, with 
 smiling face, that pretty little nymph, Marcella. 
 
 Seating herself on the ground by my side, with 
 a bundle of the native grass, she commenced work 
 on a hat that she was braiding from the same, and 
 which she had informed me some days before was 
 intended for myself. Neither of us spoke a word. 
 I was again entering upon the land of slumber, 
 when I was aroused by the sound of a voice. 
 
 "Monsieur?" 
 
 "Yes, Marcella!" 
 
 "Zar are many fine ladies in your country?" 
 
 "Yes; a good many/' 
 
 "Zay wear ze fine clothes, live in ze great houses 
 you tell me about, and have many servants?" 
 
 96 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 ''Some of them live in great houses, wear fine 
 clothes, and have servants; but many, by far the 
 larger part, are poor, and have to work hard to 
 get enough to eat." 
 
 "I thought all ze people were rich in America!" 
 "But a small part are so." 
 "Have you a lady in your house, monsieur?" 
 "No! Marcella, I am an old bachelor." 
 "A what, monsieur? I no understand zat word." 
 "A man of my age that never has married is 
 called a bachelor," I replied, 
 "Oh!" 
 
 Marcella seemed lost in thought for a moment, 
 then, looking up, she said: 
 
 "You no love any girl, monsieur?" 
 "No, Marcella!" 
 
 Again there was silence; my fair inquisitor was 
 evidently at a loss how to proceed. 
 "I wish, monsieur!" 
 "You wish what, Marcella?" 
 "I wish I could go to your country." 
 "What would you do there, Marcella?" 
 "Why — " there was a slight hesitation in her 
 voice, and a deeper tinge of color overspread her 
 cheeks— "I would live with you, monsieur." 
 
 "That could hardly be, my child; I have no 
 home of my own, .besides it would not be con- 
 sidered the proper thing in my country." 
 
 97 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 "Not considered ze proper thing, monsieur! 
 Ave ze men all so very good in ze land of America 
 zat zay care nothing for ze women unless zay 
 marry, monsieur?" She shrugged her shoulders 
 and gave her head a toss that loosened her mag- 
 nificent hair from the kerchief that held it lightly, 
 and it fell luxuriously around her dainty neck and 
 shoulders. 
 
 "I no believe zat," she continued. "It is not ze 
 nature, as you call it. Ze man in your country 
 and ze man here all ze same, monsieur. It must 
 be so. Ze man here he sometimes marry; maybe 
 not. He love some woman all ze same: she love 
 him. Maybe zay live together all ze time: may- 
 be not. Ze married man he loves young girl. too. 
 Nobody here say not proper, as you call it. What 
 ze harm, monsieur?" 
 
 "Things are looked upon differently here than 
 in my country, Marcella." 
 
 "You like me, monsieur." 
 
 "To be sure I do, Mareella; what a question to 
 ask. I think you and Louise are two tine girls." 
 
 "I did not say Louise, monsieur: I said me, Mar- 
 eella; and could you" — she hesitated a moment, 
 and gazed at me intently from out those great, dark 
 eyes, as though seeking to read my inner thoughts, 
 while a rich crimson color suffused her face and 
 neck — "could you love me a little bit?" 
 
 98 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 I must say that I was taken back at the earnest 
 questioning of Marcella and the turn that affairs 
 had taken. She and her sister had been with me 
 more or less during my stay in the settlement, and 
 of late Marcella had seemed to be more attentive 
 to my wants than ever, but I had looked upon her 
 as hardly more than a child, and did not dream of 
 her real affection for me. 
 
 "Oh! monsieur," she continued; "you leave Ma- 
 hoe to-morrow — do pity poor Marcella. Take me 
 with you. I do not ask to be your wife, zat would 
 be impossible. You no marry poor Carib girl. 
 I will be your slave. Anything you wish, mon- 
 sieur; only take me with you. You do not love 
 me, but you can like me one little bit. I love 
 you, monsieur, so much." 
 
 Her bosom heaved with emotion, and throwing 
 her arms around my neck, she pressed her warm 
 cheek against my own, her raven tresses hanging 
 in reckless profusion around us both. I will not 
 attempt to describe what transpired during the 
 next few moments. How I tried in vain to reason 
 with her, telling how different from her own were 
 the ways and customs of the American people. 
 How the climate was bleak and cold. How she 
 would soon wither and pine like a tropical flower 
 transplanted from the warmth and sunshine of its 
 own heather. It was of no avail and, finally, when 
 
 D9 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 I disengaged her arms from about my neck, she 
 flung her quivering form upon the ground and 
 wept as if her heart would break. I thought it best 
 to let her feelings have sway, and walked away 
 and left her. 
 
 I saw no more of her that day. Early the fol- 
 lowing morning Jean Baptiste Pierre had our 
 horses already saddled and waiting for us to start 
 on our journey back over the mountains to Roseau. 
 I had said good-by to the rest of the family, and 
 we were about to mount, when Marcella appeared. 
 Her lip curled for an instant, but the grief in her 
 heart was stronger than the scorn for an imaginary 
 wrong, and as she grasped my hand she bowed her 
 head and burst into tears. I wished from the bot- 
 tom of my heart at that moment that I had never 
 seen the family of Jean Baptiste Pierre. 
 
 We mounted our horses and started on our 
 homeward journey. At noon that day we stopped 
 for refreshments on the bluff above the river, 
 where I had gotten my first view of the Mahoe 
 land. A half-hour later, as we entered the moun- 
 tain path and shut out from view the plain we had 
 but lately crossed, I turned my head to get one last 
 glimpse, in the splendor of the noonday sun, of 
 the land of the Caribs. 
 
 100 
 
jp^v'^- : ^:r : '; : ~:v 
 
 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE CARRIBEAN ISLANDS AS A HEALTH 
 RESORT. 
 
 The Carribean Islands belong to the English, 
 French and Dutch, and are located in the Car- 
 ribean Sea, within latitude 10° to 19° north, and 
 longitude west from Greenwich 60° to 63°. They 
 extend from the northeastern coast of South 
 America, about as far north as the Island of San 
 Domingo. The climate for the whole year will 
 average no warmer than New York State during 
 the summer months. 
 
 There is never any frost, and though the 
 weather during the summer months is quite warm, 
 one does not feel the heat nearly so much as in 
 New York city during the same time. During the 
 greater part of the year the thermometer will not 
 rise above 88° or 90°, and the heat is then tem- 
 pered by the cool trade winds which prevail at all 
 seasons. To avoid the discomforts of the hottest 
 weather, most of the well-to-do inhabitants have 
 country seats in the mountains, where, ascending 
 to an elevation, almost any climate can be ob- 
 tained. The principal islands desirable for the 
 invalid to visit are St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, An- 
 tigua, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia and Trini- 
 
 101 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 dad. A place may be easily selected to meet the 
 requirements of the individual, whether it is for 
 quietness and seclusion alone, or for the conven- 
 ience of our Northern cities. Both Barbadoes and 
 Trinidad have steam railways, and in the latter 
 island the city, Port-of-Spain, is lighted by electric 
 lights. The soil of all the islands is rich, and with 
 little cultivation will produce three or four crops a 
 year. They are nearly all of volcanic formation, 
 and one of the mountains of Dominica rises to a 
 height of about 7,000 feet above the sea level. 
 Nearly every foot of the Island of Barbadoes is 
 under cultivation, while in Dominica probably 
 less than one-third is cultivated. The streets in all 
 the towns are kept very neat, much more so than 
 in our own country, and well lighted. The police 
 force in the various islands is well organized, and 
 excellent order prevails. The roads in most of the 
 islands are good, and it is a pleasure to ride over 
 them, good horses being always obtainable. 
 
 In St. Eustatius and Dominica the roads outside 
 of the towns are but poorly adapted to carriage 
 riding, and one must either go on horseback or 
 afoot. 
 
 There is very little sickness in any of the islands. 
 Fever or epidemic of any kind seldom prevails. 
 Dr. Nichols, a prominent physician of Dominica, 
 stated that during a residence of fourteen years 
 
 102 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 "he had never met with a case of diphtheria, yellow 
 fever, or typhoid. Lung diseases are very rare, 
 and are in most cases confined to the poorer class 
 of blacks, who bring them on, as they do other dis- 
 ease, by exposure and neglect. In no other cli- 
 mate could they enjoy, with such impunity, the life 
 they lead in these islands. In most cases they 
 are poorly clad, sleep on the bare earth, for their 
 huts rarely contain a board floor, and are given to 
 the excessive use of alcoholic drinks. 
 
 The annual death rate of Dominica will average 
 only about one and six-tenths per cent, of the 
 population, which is less than that of any State 
 in the Union. It would seem that the immunity 
 from disease is almost remarkable. The quaran- 
 tine regulations of these islands are very thorough, 
 and small-pox and kindred diseases seldom occur. 
 Excellent physicians are to be found in most of 
 the islands, men who have received their degrees 
 abroad, and are well qualified in the various 
 branches of their profession. So far as medical 
 treatment is concerned, the invalid need feel no 
 care. The inhabitants are very hospitable, and 
 good society may be found among a cultured class 
 of people. Fruit is abundant, and of such variety 
 and quality as would tempt an epicure. Excellent 
 facilities are offered for fresh and salt water bath- 
 ing. The various sulphur springs may be utilized 
 
 103 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 for bathing purposes. Those fond of boating can 
 find ample opportunity to gratify their taste. Sail 
 and rowboats can be hired for a nominal price. 
 
 The waters abound with a large variety of fish, 
 and the mountain forests with game, so that those 
 who wish to may indulge in these sports to their 
 heart's content. 
 
 The winter climate of the Carribean Islands, 
 taken as a whole, has been found beneficial to per- 
 sons who have a predisposition to pulmonary com- 
 plaints, and to those in the early stage of con- 
 sumption, and almost any form of chronic inflam- 
 mation of the respiratory mucus membrane, such 
 as the different forms of catarrh, bronchitis and 
 some cases of asthma. Much benefit may also be 
 derived in chronic rheumatism, gout, general de- 
 bility and enfeeblement of the general system 
 from overwork, worry, etc. In these latter cases, 
 much may be expected, for in this climate a person 
 need not expend his vital energies in trying to 
 keep warm. Nature will reassert herself and work 
 the cure. The very atmosphere seems to diffuse a 
 feeling of contentment, and the invalid has only 
 to lie back and enjoy the tranquility which every- 
 where surrounds him. "Throw physic to the dogs!" 
 A sojourn among these islands is better by far 
 than medicine. 
 
 The distance from New York to St. Christo- 
 
 104 
 
In Old Roseau. 
 
 pher's is only six days by steamer, so that no 
 one need be deterred from making the trip. Forty- 
 eight hours out, the air is warm and balmy. No 
 outside wraps are necessary. One already begins 
 to feel the change. By the time the islands are 
 reached the patient is generally, both mentally and 
 physically, in a condition to enjoy every hour of 
 his sojourn in the tropics. 
 
 The facilities for reaching Dominica, and the 
 other islands belonging to the Windward group, 
 and of proceeding as far south as Port-of-Spain, 
 Trinidad and Demerara are exceptionally good. 
 
 The Quebec Steamship Company's elegant pas- 
 senger steamers make the trip an ideal one. 
 
 Every comfort is supplied the passengers, mak- 
 ing the service one of the most complete in every 
 respect that the ocean voyager can find in any part 
 of the world. 
 
 The two new steamers, Madiana and Pretoria, 
 that the company have lately added to their fleet, 
 are by far the finest ships ever engaged in the West 
 India trade. 
 
 The same company's steamers also ply between 
 New York and Bermuda, making the trip in about 
 forty-eight hours. 
 
 105 
 
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