Mountain Home bulletin. (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1888-1889, 1888-09-22
A JAMAICA MORNING.
SCENES NOTED ev TRAVELLER
WHILE IN KINGSTON.
Some Odd Characters About the Botel
Victoria Market i'rtces Of EatMbies.
Beet. Mutton aud Vegctabies-Ths Osa-
ger OF Night AR.

ger OF Night AR.
Early every morning there were curious
Genes around Park nstga In jamaica tho
negroes have 10 some extent the unpleasant
habit, common To the cucred Inhabitants OF
all the West India Islands, OF standing inn
movable by the quarter hour staring at any
thing that a'trsrts their attention When
alone they stand erect and silent as statues
TIL they seem about to take root When they
have company they are more likely to jabt,er
as fast rs their Tongues can move, When the
object OF their curiosity happens TO bs
u stranger who Is not used to this
sort Of admiration. he Is pretty sure
to he embarrassed, and very like TO
tesDme Indignant But 1t is only to some ex-
tent, as have said. that the negroes in Jama-
Yea to this, and When It Is done at all il -
nearly always done by those who walk In
long distances from the country to sell their
proeiuca Those who live in Kingston are
used TO seeing strangers and pay no attention
TO them In Janinica eyes Park iodge Is u
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 oIen gates
without stopping TO gaze ut the wonderful
sights within.
DARKIEs SEEING THE sioHrx
II was no uncommon thing TO see four or
ive colored ladies ana gentlemen, with
ioadied trays balanced on their heads. stand
ing in front OF the Park loigs gates at once
fairly drinking in the Oriental mAgnitcencs
The great sight consisted principally OF tho
fountain IN the middle OF the yard and few
strangers sitting under the archway leading
10 the hotel Office. hut this was enough to IN
terest the sable tramps, who had already
trudged over miles Of dusty roads to brlng
theii goods to market, and still had a
long walk hefor them. 1t II 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 lndieA In
Montserrat, for instance, they regard q
strange white man As 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 a
sixpence or even "a big copper boss" IL
RariAdoes. where the improvement Of the
negro race under British rule Is seen to the
t'est advantage, they set after a 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 ard
polite. or courst those who make infreQuent
trips from their country homes to the capital
feel bound to see the sights when they are in
town thought at first that these lads ami
lasses with trays on their heads who stopped
to stare in the gate were waiting for 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. hut they
were all Ont morning glrl came In with q
dozen fine alligator pears. which bought for
a few pennies, but | found soon afterward
that had captured the hotels supply for the
day, and Lai to surrender them
One OF the earliest arrivals every morning
WAS the man who sold photographs This
title give him. ''The man who sold photo
graphs" partly out OF courtesy and partly
because do not know what else to call him.
He was hardly a mon. although he had the
outward appearance OF one. for he had NO
more intelligence than one OF the goldfish In
the fountain, and he did not sell photographs,
for nobody ever bought any. the pictures hs
offered were hardly worthy the name OF pho
tographs, heing the worst smudges the sur
was ever made accountable for.
THE VICTORIA MARKET.
Park lodge il perhaps trife over 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 principa
one in Kingston. There is another, cailet
the Jubilee market. in another part OF tn.
city The Victoria market | consider th.
finest in the West Indies In the early morn
ing it Is crowded with buyers. sellers ant
goods. and by early morning mean from
-
any West Indian city, built entirely Of iron
40 feet long, and !6O feet wide The end
and sides are open there being no side walls
as none are needed but the whole place /
surrounded by tall iron railing mounted OF
brick wall Everything about it is a
clean and sweet possible. and even whe'
the fish and meat stalls are full one smell
nothing but the sweet odors that float owe
from the flower places 1t cost about $40,
$50, and is well worth the money.
"The beef, it is all raised on the island. ant
Is originally very good beef before it goe
into the hands Of the butchers But the,
kill it and sell it the same morning. appar
emily cutting the whole animal into slices O
chunks without regard to choice parts o
poor parts. know the beef is good whe
properly handled. because whenever | dine
IN a private house the roasts we're excellent
having no doubt beer Kept for some time o.
, ice tut in the hotel. where il was used withi
few hours Of its coming from market,
was utterly unfit to put on the table Th
mutton too. was good when properly iced
hut the hest Southdown lamb II killed q
daylight. would not be fit to use for break
fast that morning. This u the practic
throughout the West lndies-to kill an an
NAL at 5 and en-, him at ~, and It account
, very largely for the wretched meat con
monty served in that part of the worlc
Goat meat is ,.ot to he laughed at, provide
it comes out Of a tender kid ate my frs
, plate Of roast kid in Bermuda. and like
quite as well as turkey. Straw herries ar
, scarce and egg plants are not as cheap q
, they look at two cents each, for they Al
! very small The native way OF keepin
, house is to send a servant to market in tn
{ morning to buy provisions for the day. an
, tor one day only. and these will perhaps IL
ciude a pound Of onions. two cents worth {
small vegetables, pineapple, and ever.
thing on the same moderate scale There
reason for this. for scarcely anything wi
Keep without ice. and ice is dear even whe
, cheap because In a hot climate 1t nelts
fast
I These early morning hours for sight seein
and noticing the habits OF the people WEI
( far better than the evening. ! have alwal
made il a rule TO be under a roof II puSsih
! after dark 10 tropical countries. and TO this
h attribute in great part my escape from
6 single days illness in all my years OF res
dence and visiting in the West lnties Bl
there are many nights in the worst climate
evan when one can be out with perfo