Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1879-03-07
A Romance of Martinique.

You have often told me that you knew
the island of Martinique. Then you
have heard them speak of the Caravelle.
1t is a wild isthmus, 30 called by the
sailors from Spanish wreck. The sea
is always raging wildly enough there.
All, you should see the waves as they
leap madly on the rocks. Then they
break into dazzling white form-sheets
furlong broad-and then fall back in
vsip. And it is always goh & on; it
never ceases. There my fathers house
was situated.
But further down, the country
changes entirely; it becomes perfectly
fascinating. The two sides of the 18TH
mus resembling two fairy lakes. 1t was
for this reason that its proprietor, the
Count de Saint Croix, called it Beau
Seiour-the beautiful home.
The Saint Oroix family and ours
formed, so to speak, only one, we were
so intimate. Francis, the counts only
SOD, was like q brother with my sister
aud me.
Ahy OnC WIZ udu bSOu ubS buISS-lu'
hand, running like deer over the sand,
our hair lifted by the breeze, mingling
our laughter with the murmur of the
waves, would have believed that there
are some happy beings here on earth.
Our greatest pleasure was to run ont
on the cages, or sand bars, and hunt for
shells. We left at sunrise, a little
basket on our arms. The songs of the
negroes, fishing in their log canoes,
came to us over the water.
One winter day we returned from run
ming on the sands. It was an evening
foreboding storm. Distant lightnings
darted across the sky. Julie was de-
layed by endeavoring to tear up from a
seafan shell. The tide rose until the
sandbank on which she stood became an
island. The poor girl became alarmed,
and lifting her arms, cried loud for as
sistance. Her long black braids tapped
in the storm-wind, and coiled like SER
pents around her neck.
The negroes, hearing the cry, came in
their canoes. Before they arrived,
Francis had swan across, and stood by
my sister, supporting her.
They carried her beneath the palm
trees which bordered the shore. With
her arms entwined around her brother,
she cast on him glances of love but
from time to time look regretfully to-
ward the island.
"Who will bring me my shellp" she
cried at last.
And, as if she had power to command
the elementary spirits, there suddenly
arose a deep strange voice, which ex-
claimed, "Il"
A man of copper hue, gray eyes,
brows, long hair dripping with salt
water, came forth from the waves, bear
ing the wished-for shell.
"Father Sassa "cried all the negroes.
Father Sassa was neither white, mu
latto. nor black. He was of the indigo
nous Carib race. His family, last
remnant of the original tribes found by
the Spaniards, had escaped the massa
cres of civilization, and taken refuge
among the rocks of our wild peninsula
But the family had been sadly reduced
and Sassa alone survived. He bore the
title of cacique. though without subjects
to rule. His name was Sassagari, but
the blacks following their custom o.
giving diminutives, always called hin
Father Sassa.
He had brought the longed-for shell
to Julie. When ne first heard her CRY
he plunged into the waves.
"Ah what horrible shell T. I cried
perceiving dark mass in the hand O
the Carip. "Why, 'tien't worth thu
pain it has cost. Throw it back intC
the sea. Father Sassa."
"To the sea to the sea |" cried al
the negroes.
But the Carib, deaf to these murmurs
advanced with us under the shade O
the cocoa trees.
"Little whites" said he, "you Low,
what shines, and for that reason do no
throw away this shell. 1t is colorles
on the surface, but it CLEANS within
The stars of night have marked it
heart"
"What, Father Sassa," we cried
"do you mean to say you can Sc
through the shell2"
The cacique stretched out han,
GOHdlu bu0 lhbb IOCh vi buC SdIdN6ll6
where his little hut cleaned out an
vanished every moment in the frequen
Lightning.
"Oome there" said he, "and yo
will learn more"
And entering his canoe, he disar
peared.
The lightning grew more brilliant
large drops, quickly falling, announce
q coming tropical hurricane. We hast
ened homeward, bearing the shell.
The next morning the banana tree
beaten down in the fields, the uproote
trees borne afar by torrents, were tn
only indications of the storm of tt
previous night. The heaven and I'll
sea rested, calm and beautiful, aft
their wild passions had been grati6eC
We started for the cabin of Fath'
Eassa.
We found the Carib seated on q larG
stone before his dwelling, prepariI
nets for fishing. Seeing us he rails,
his heavy eyebrows, his strange ey