Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-12-30

endless torment to sailors The shores are with
little exception rugged broken. made up of
overhanging cliffs and peculiar terrace-like lay
ers of rock. In places the ceaseless action of
the waves has made deep caverns, bored holes.
carved fantastic shapes and made decorations
that resemble stucco work. Sea-inosS carpets.
many OF these weird-iooking structures, and
hangs in long wreaths from escarpment and
cornice. where mermaids and mernen can go to
housekeeping and find all sorts Of beautiful and
esthetic articles to embeish their interiors.
Hermit-cIabs scramble awkwardly along the
sharp lodges near the water. looking like crimi-
nails trying to hide. scadding for an untenanted
periwinkle or vacant ,coucll-shell when pressed
for time. while here and there i'm natural aqua
RUNS. little tanks and bowls of water in the
rocks you can see pretty small fry that seem to
have concluded to drop in there and rest till the
tide comes up again and enables them to rejoin
their cOngeners in the deep green sea.
In near and distant view the water has very
pretty notified appearance, nearly black on the
shoals, dark green where it is deep, and pale
green where it is shallow. or from two to four
fathGms On the horizon. when the day is
bright the waves make a saw-like edge, each of
the rising and falling teeth tipped with the sill
very white of the spray. making plain the line
OF denarcatiOn between water and sky. The
whole bottom of the sea around and among the
Islands is cavernous, and the dappied water
tells where the roofs are near the surface. and
where the floors, grooved and inlaid by corals
and shells, are many fathoms below.
DOWN IN THE DEEP.
''There's hills and mountains down there,
sir, said an old sailor to me one day as we were
scuddng in toward the sound; 80 and fields and
forests, all made of coral. Of a clear day eight
or ten miles outside, sir, with my water-glass,
Eye seen things as you could hardly believe if
told you. Mighty big trees. and places like
grass piats and onion fields bigger'n any in Ber-
muda: groves like palmettos, and budin's and
churches cathedrals l believe you call EN-
like they have in London, with heaps of steepies
and big fish going to meetin'!'
No fairy tale. now. Captain"
NO, sir all fact except bout the meettn'.
Fish haint got much feelin'. specially sherls.
and marays. and gray-snappers you know"
The old man hadn't talked much during our
little vO5a but now he Clipped in lively. and
was volumnous and interesting. regretted to
learn atterWard that he was regarded as very
able romancer; could talk the hinges Off IA cellar
door: though il was admitted that he was well
posted as to the scenery of the sea below the
waves.
THE GREAT SOUND,
as the entrance to Port Royal bay and the port
OF Hamilton is called. is one of the prettest
pieces of half marine view that can be found
the world over. The islands. all showing the
peculiarities of the ocean shore heretofore men
merry of land and water Some Of them have an
air OF romance hanging about them. and some
are disturbed by ghosts. which the native col
Ored sailors give a wide berth at night, going
through the narrow channels with main-sail and
jib spread to the wind to make all possible speed
The cayernous shores in which the waves rumble
and gurgle throw out startlingy human-like
tones, and the superstitious Bermudian. he of
sable hue. is solemnly certain that spooks are
on the islands. spirits OF sipwrecked sailors.
and victims of malice and revenge in the olden
time One of these coral upheavals Is called
Pearl Island" and has story which might be
worked up under the title of 1.-The Mysterious
Maid of the Moonlight Isle.' or the Peerless
Peal Of the Perwinkles." Three hundred years
of colonial occupation. of arstocratic govern
ment, and slavery and piracy. develop much ma
terial for romance writer's. and here it is as COM
mon as coral. ready for the writer.
Speaking of the
OLDEN TINE,
1t has been my pleasure to dine with gem
tleman who owns plantation and a house
thereon. two hundred years old. or Whereabouts.
The house is a solid structure, Queen Elizabeth
and Queen Anne styles combined, cOmmodious.
well-arranged, and white as snow--a cOnspicu-
Gus object on the hilltop, and easily seen from
almost any direction. One of the chimney
places has perfectly preserved tile-pictures, re-
presenting scenes from Ksop's fables; show
ing wonderful degree of taste and Gull
tnre for this isolated nook in days long gone
An old cannon with which salutes We're fired.
and authority asserted. is still lying on the
ground in front of the house. One of the former
owners was q large planter and slaye-Owner:
his word was law. and violation of the law was
punished by hanging. The present owner is a
gentleman. whose highest aim. after caring for
those of his household. is to make Others happy
In fact the people of these islands are as genial
as their skies. affable quiet. hospitable. | am
indebted to native Bermudians for kind atten-
ton, that has made my visit sunlt recollec-
ton.
PEOPLE AND PECULIARITIES.
The white people on the islands are largely
her majesty, Queen VictOria's, servants. in the
way of officers and soldiers, though there are
several thousand tOwnspeople and farmers.
The colored people Outnumber the whites nearly
two to one They are polite, generally self
supporting, quiet and sober
There are no beggars that have seem Join
this to the fact that seventeen days have elapsed
since we have had news from the rest of the
world, or heard the shrek of locomotive, or
piercing mill whistle, or maddening huckster
or the loud rattle Of a milk cart or bread wagon,
Or any clamOr but thunder storm and you
have evidence of luxurious quiet. Tack on the
fact that there are no daily papers. no newsbOys,
no bootblacks. no telegraph wires, with one
short exception. no telephones, no cable. no
influence, no rumOrs of diSmissals, no fatigue
no hurry, and YOU may feel drowsy. Consider
further, that the weather is warm and pleasant:
that 1t is in fact, like balmy spring. with all that
spring implies, and that the days are like sue
cession OF Sundays, and you have-Bermuda.
JEROME BURNETT.
YOUNG GEBHARDT'S FLIGHT.