Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-07-11
A JAMAICA MORNING.
SCENES NOTED BY A TRAVELLER
WHILE IN KINGSTON.

ger Of Night Air.
Early every morning there were curious
scenes around Park lodge. In Jamaica the
negroes have to some extent the unpleasant
habit, common to the colcred inhabitants Of
all the West India Islands, OF standing I'M
movable by the quarter hour staring at any
thing that attracts their attention. When
alone they stand erect and silent as statues
till they seem about to take root When they
have company they are more likely to jabber
as fast as their tongues can move. When the
object Of their curiosity happens to b
q stranger who is not used to this
sort of admiration. he Is pretty sure
to be embarrassed, and very like to
become indignant But it is only to some Elk
tent, as have said, that the negroes in jana
lea do this. and when 1t is done at all it is
nearly always done by those who walk in
long distances from the country to sell their
produce Those who live in Kingston are
used to seeing strangers and pay no attention
to them. In Jamaica eyes Park lodge is q
marvel Of everything stylish and elegant,
and the darkies coming in from the hills to
sell their bananas and akees and mice fresh
eggs boss" can rarely pass the open gates
without stopping to gaze at the wonderful
sights within.
DARKIES SEEING THE SIGHTS
It was no uncommon thing to see four or
five colored ladies and gentlemen, with
loaded trays balanced on their heads, stand
ing in front Of the Park lodge gates at once
fairly drinking in the Oriental magnifcence
The great sight consisted principally of the
fountain in the middle of the yard and few
strangers sitting under the archway leading
to the hotel Office: but this was enough to in
terest the sable tramps, who had already
trudged over miles Of dusty roads to bring
their goods to market, and still bad a
long walk before them. It is only fair
to the colored people of Jamaica to
say that they do less Of this sort
of thing than their brethren ON any other
English island in the West Indies In
Montserrat, for instance, they regard q
strange white man as a colossal aggregated
circus come to town, and follow him wherever
he goes In Nassau, though they are used to
seeing strangers, they surround a new arrival
In droves, and make great efforts to secure q
sixpenoe or even "a big copper, boss" In
Barbados, where the Improvements of the
negro race under British rule Is seen to the
best advantage; they set after q newly ar
rived stranger like crew Of Malay pirates
till he is driven to take refuge in the nearest
shelter But in Jamaica they are quiet, in
offensive, and generally well behaved and
polite OF course those who make infrequent
trips from their country homes to the capital
feel bound to see the sights when they are In
town l thought at first that these lads and
lasses with trays on their heads who stopped
to stare in the gate were waiting for a chance
to sell their wares; but they had no such idea.
Two or three special ones came in every
morning to sell eggs and fresh fruit, but they
were all One morning girl came in with a
dozen fine alligator pears, which bought for
few pennies; but / found soon efterwRrd
that had captured the hotels supply for the
day, and had to surrender them
One of the earliest arrivals every morning
was the man who sold Photographic This
title | give him, 1.-The man who sold photo
graphs" partly out Of courtesy and partly
because do not know what else to call him
He was hardly man, although he had the
outward appearance Of one, for be had no
more intelligence than one of the goldfish Ia
the fountain, and he did not sell photographs,
for nobody ever bought any; the pictures he
offered were hardly worthy the name of pho
tographs, being the worst snudges the sun
was ever made accountable for
THE VICTORIA MARKET.
Park lodge is perhaps trif1e over a mile
from the end of the street car line, and the
market is one short block from the terminus
This is the Victoria market, the principal
one in Kingston. There is another, called
the Jubilee market In another part Of tho
city. The Victoria market 1 consider the
finest in the West Indies In the early morn
"a IA i
goods, and by early morning 1 mean from 8
TO O'Clock 1t is a wonder Of market for
any West Indian city, built entirely Of iron,
500 feet long, and 100 feet wide. The ends
and sides are open. there being no side walls,
es none are needed, but the whole place il
surrounded by tall iron railing mounted on
a brick wall Everything about IL il as
clean and sweet as possible, and even when
the fish and meat stalls are full one smells
nothing but the sweet odors that float over
from the flower places. 1t cost about Sl20,
go, and is well worth the money
The beef, it is all raised on the island. and
is originally very good beef before it goes
into the hands of the butchers But they
kill IL and sell it the same morning, appar-
entity cutting the whole animal into slices or
chunks, without regard 10 choice parts or
poor parts | know the beef is good when
properly handled, because whenever | dined
In q private house the roasts were excellent,
having no doubt been kept for some time on
Ice but In the hotel where 1t was used within
few hours of its coming from market it
was utterly unfit TO put on the table Tho
mutton, too. was good when properly iced:
but the best Soutbdown lamb, If killed sc
daylight, would not be ft to Use for hreek-
fast that morning. This is ths pIsc.ice
throughout the West Indiee-to kill an ami
NAL at and eat him at 10. and il accounts
very largely for the wretched meat com
monty served in that part OF the world
Goat meat is not TO be laughed at, provided
ft comes out OF tender kid | ate my first
plate of roast kid in Bermuda, and like it
quite as well as turkey Strawberries are
scarce, and egg plants are not as cheap as
they look at two cents each for they are
very small The native way Of keeping
house f. to send servant to market in the
morning to buy provisions for the day. and
for one day only, and these will perhaps in
Guide pound Of onions, two cents worth of
small vegetables, q pineapple, and every
thing on the same moderate scale. There il
reason for this, for scarcely ANYTHING viii
keep without ice. and ice is dear even when
cheap, because in q hot climate il melrs 50
fast
These eariy morning hours for sight seeing
and noticing The habits OF the people we're
far better than the evening. | have always
made it a rule to be under O roof il possible
after dark in tropical countrtes and TO this
attribute in great part my escape from a
single days illness in all my years Of resi-
derce and visiting in che West Indies But
there are many aishts in the worst climates,