The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1879-09-09
Last Of the Caribs.

You have often told nc that you know
the island of Martinique. Then you have
heard them speak of tho CaraveIe 1t is a
wild isthmus. so called by the sailors from
Spanish wreck. The sea is always rag
ing wild enough there. All, you should
see the waves as they leap madly on the
rocks Then they break into drizzlhg
white foam--shccts furlong broad--and
then fall back in vain. And il is always
going on it never ceases. There my
fathers house was situated.
But farther down, the country changes
entirely; it becomes perfectly fascinating.
The two sides of the ishmus resemble two
fairy lakes. 1t was for this reason that its
proprietor, the Count dc Saint CrOix, called
1t Beau Scjour-thc beautiful home.
The Saint Croix family and ours formed,
SO to speak, only one, we were so intimate.
Francis, the Counts only son, was like a
brother with my sister and me-
Any who had seen us, three finland,
running, like deer, over the sand, our hair
lifted by the breeze, mingling our merry
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 out on
the caves, or sand-bars, and hunt of
shells. We left at sunrise, n 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 rum
ming on the sands 1t was an evening fore
hoding storm. Distant lightnngs darted
across the sky. Julia was delayed by en-
dcavoring TO tear up from a scafan a she'll
The tide rose until the sand bank on
which she stood became an island. The
poor girl became alarmed, and lifting her
arms, cried aloud for assistance. Her long,
black braids tapped in the the storm-wind,
and coilcd, like serpcnts, around her neck.
The negroes, hearing the cries, came III
their canoes Before they arrived, Francis
had swan across, and stood by his sister,
supporting her.
They carried her beneath the palm trees
which bordcrcd the shore. With her arms
entwincd around her brother, she cast on
him glances of love; but from time to time
looked rcgretfully toward the island.
"Wko will bring me my shells2" she
cried, at last.
And, as If she had power to command the
elementary spirits, there suddenly arose a
deep, strange voice, which exclaimed Il. "
A man of copper hue, grey eyes, bushy
browns, long hair, dripping with salt water,
came forth from the waves, bearing the
wished-for shells. .r
"Fathcr Sassa!" cried all the negroes.
Father Sassa was neither white, mulatto,
nor black. He was of the INDIGENOUS Carib
race. His family, last rcn nant of the
original tribes found by the Spaniards, had
escaped the massacre of civilization and
taken refuge among the rocks Of our wild
peninsula. But the family had been sadly
reduced under the English rule of the is
land, and Sassa survived. lie bore the title
of caciqlc, though without subject to rule.
His name was Sassaggari, but the blacks,
following their custom of giving diminu-
tivcs, always called him Father Sassa.
lie had brought the longed-for shells to
Julia. When he first heard her cry, he had
plunged into the waves.
"Ah what horrible shclll" + cried,
percciving dark mass in the hand of the
Carib. "Why, 'tsnt worth the pain it has
cost. Throw it back into the sea, Father
Sassa."
''To the sea- to the scalp cried all the
negroes. -
But the Carib. deaf to these murmurs,
advanced with us under the shade Of the
cocoa trees. SD
'Iittlc whites" said he, styou love what
shines and for that reason do not throw
away this shell. 1t is colorless on the sur
face, but it CLEANS within. The stars of
night have marked it's heart"
'What, Father Sassa," we cried, edo
you mean to say that you can sec through
the shcll2"
The caciquc stretched out hand toward
the last rock of the Caravellc, where his
little hut cleaned out and vanished every
moment in the frequent lightning.
"Comc there" said lie, "and you will
learn more.
And entering his canoe he disappeared.
The lightning grew more brilliant; large
drops quickly falling announced coming
tropical hurricane. We fastened home
: ward, bearing the shell.
The next morning the banana trees beaten
down In the fields, the nprootcd trees horne
afar by torrents, were the only Indications
of the storm of the previous night. The
heaven and the sea rested, calm and bcauti-
ful, after their wild passions had been
gratihed..
We started for the cabin of Father Sassa.
We found tho Carib seated on a large
stone before his dwelling, preparing nets
for fishing. Seeing us he raised his heavy
{, eyebrows; his strange eyes cleaned, as
with q gratiflcd feeling that we had remcm-
bcred him and what he had told us the eve
ming before ,s,
"Who gave me this twine to mend my
nets. WITH" said he. ,,. S.. .
~, Father Sassa, replied Julia, "
ttWho gave me this good knife to cut the
twinc, make the wooden needles, cover my
cabin with reeds, curve my canoe" ,,58
81, Father, SassA /" replied Francis. I,
And for that, y continued the caciquc,
q tSassaggari follows you wherever you so.
Sassaggali would let the sharks cat him
before a hair Of your head should be In.
iGrod Seena opari caxv tha liftle ,,,nater and