Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-03-14
wooded recesses the sound Of firing

would cause him TO desist.
lie then climbed tall tree, from
which, as il was glorious mooniit
highland no one who has not seen
the beauty of tropical full moon can
have any idea Of its soft yet clear
brilliance--he could sec great DIS
tsnce, while fearfully pecred about
among the low bushes, keeping all the
while in the close vicinity Of my SIX
foot companion, who, though pooh
pooling the whole affair, did not, ]
could sec, like it at all. ] confess that
| surreptitiously picked up the stone !
had found in the kitchen and smelled 1t
to sec If could find any trace ofbrim-
stone.
An hour or two elapsed and still the
stones fell, doing more or less damage,
Sometimes one or two would come
bang bang after each other, then a
quarter of an hour would elapse, and we
would think ii was all over when the
noise and battery would recommence.
1t was getting beyond our usual hour
Of retiring for the night, but somehow
we forgot to propose breaking up our
little party. 1t was useless to settle to
any occupation my sister, the two
young men, and / talked with bated
breath, and / did not at all enjoy the
prospect Of the night before me, as |
occupied one Of three pavilions-small
wooden rooms built outside Of the
large house with connecting yeranda
between and whether the thrower Of
the missiles was or was not supernatu-
raj parsonage, did not relish his Vi
cinity. About / o'clock the servant
came to say that the noise and damage
still continued, when G.. once more re-
paired to the kitchen and announced
his intention Of sending for the police
to find out and punish the offender.
Accordingly his cousin went off in his
little caleche to the nearest police sta
ton and returned with three men-one
a French creole, one an Irishman, and
the third English. When we explained
the circumstances to them they smiled
in a superior manner and said:
You'll never find it out, whatever it is;
it has been practiced in several parts
Of the island before, and quite lately,
too. Some weeks ago We were sent for
to Savannah for the same cause. The
inhabitants left the house and we staid
there alone Oh the alert for three days,
and though we watched steadily night
and day, the very glass globes Of the
lamps were broken in the room where
we were sitting; we saw the stones fall
and heard the sound as they struck the
outside roof, but never once saw any
appearance Of even a crack in the cell.
ing, and left the place without having
found out anything"
This was not satisfactory, but it was
little reassuring, in the long hours be-
fore | fell asleep, to hear the police
pacing up and down the veranda, or
when they ceased, to know by the tell
tale scent of their cigarettes through
the open window that they were not
slumbeIing. had meant to keep the
stone picked up as a mementO OF the
incident, and had put it in my room;
but fearing that such an uncanny OBJ
iect might take to capering about my
premises at the witching hour Of mid
night opened my window and deposit
ed it outside.
The police left next morning, as they
said it was quite useless 10 remain. q.
and his cousins had to be in Port
Louis daily from 10 in the morning till
O'Clock, so my sister and ] were left
to face the terrOrs, which, however,
did not look half so great by day as by
night. My sister would not ask ques-
ton, nor listen when the servants VOL
unteered details; but my curiosity,
which is considerable, overcame my
terror, and kept going backward and
forward to the servants quarters to
mark the progress Of affairs so as to
report them faithfully to G. in the eve
ming.
discovered that the principal victims
.Of the missiles were the cooks two
sons, bright little fellows eight and
ten years Of age. Wherever they were
the stones fell thickeSt-in the avenue,
among the trees, in their own hut, or in
the detached kitchen. On mentioning
this circumstance to my brother he i'm
mediately sent for Manuel, told him to
punish his children at once, and make
them understand that he would have
no more of this tomfoOlery going on,
and ordered them to be shut into
room alone all night, and a guardian
placed at the door to watch. | was
quite sghast at this summary and, as |
thought, cruel behavior, but | only at
tempted faint remonstrance, and made
up my mind to reserve the rest of my
exciting adventures for a more sympa-
thetic ear.
Next morning the guardian declined
to watch the children any longer, as a
stone had left large bump On his own
forehead.
81 shall stop this" said the now
angry master Of the household.
Accordingly Manue's boys were dis
patched to the school at Rosehill, some
two miles OIL, with a note to the school
master, asking him to receive them as
boarders for few weeks. We heard
nothing further for twenty-four hours,
when the boys and polite note were
simultaneously handed back to say
that the schoolmaster declined having
them any longer, as since the
arrival Of his young visitors his
own head had been nearly broken
by mysterious stone coming
through the roof, which, however, re-
manned intact. Next day, after my
brother had gone to town, | was in my
bedroom when | heard the patter OF
naked feet on the veranda outside my
open window, and piteous cry for
" grande Ma'amselle," as they always
called me, from my height. ran to
the window TO find ten or eleven ciamo-
rous creatures crying, wringing their
hands, Manuel in their midst, sobblne
child in either hand, telling me in &C
cents of despair that whenever the
children seated themselves to eat dish
of rice an invisible hand seized and
| flung the dish some three feet