Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-04-04
THE NASSAU NEGRO.
he Is of the KOngO Variety and a
Very Enterprising Person.
EVER ON TIE ALERT FOR MONEY.
Peculiar Decisions of a.Silver Oracle on
American Coin,
CULTIVATION OF TIE SISAL PLANT

rsrEcIAL CORRESPONDENCE OF THE DISPATCH
NASSAU, n. P, March 25.-Approach-
ing the roadstead of Nassau-there is no
harbor proper-one sees in the bright sun
light collection of small houses without
chimneys, the latter only being built to the
smaller and detached kitchens, which are
low and do not appear in the scene. 1t is
essentially tropical in the distance, and
through the marine glasses we see the palm
and coeoauut with their bare and umbel-
liferous tops, and we are assured that on q
nearer inspection we will find plenty OF
cocoanuts on thetrees, and are recommended
to try the milk, which is not milky in the
fresh green nut from the tree, but clear and
delicious.
The passengers and baggage are trans
ferred to a tugboat in the roadstead, and, as
the latter vessel approaches the wharf, we
see hundreds of the inhabitants of all colors,
but mostly dark, standing in expectant anx-
iety. As this is the fortnightly steamer day,
the only Communication between this insu-
lar and the continental world, the English
denizen is anxious to receive his letters, all,
or most OF which, come via New York.
Negroes On the Alert.
The negro inhabitant, always on the alert
for amusement and novelty, also awaits
with breathless anxiety the vessel from New
York, which latter he vaguely regards as
the entire United States, and Tor that matter
the entire world, other than Nassau. On
nearer approach the scene is more foreign
and tropical in the extreme Literally, the
entire population is gathered under the cot
ton palms and pear treesi not our pear, but
q variety which is not to US pear at all,
but something else. All the people are in
light wearing apparel, many of the men
with the white, cool Indian helmet on their
heads; many under sun umbrellas of bright
colors, and the negroes all, male and female,
large and small, clean, and their faces in q
broad grin, showing beautiful teeth and
chatiering like so many monkeys.
Many of the smaller snd halfgrown
negro boys, guiItleSs of any other apparel
than an apology for pants, but all clothing
clean as possible. As we slow up alongside
the door there is perfect babel Of voices,
among which the most vociferous are the
greetings OF the little negroes who recognize
former visitors from whom they have re-
ceived gratuities, and one little fellow with
not more than fig leaf costume, and so
black and shining that his face reflected the
bright suns ravs shouted from among a
crowd of similarly clad comrades, "0h,
good Lo'd, sees my fren', Massa Cracker,
on de ship" Then a chorus from the same
gang, with accessions from the general mul-
titude, shout, How is va, Mas Cracker?"
and wrangle and hustle one another, among
all of which is heard: 81 seed i'm irstr'
He's my fren'I' "Mine!' "Ise his boy!''
you niger, Massa Cracker won't have
you, you bOdder him; he tell me so
las year!' "Heah, Use you boy, Massa
Cracker, Use waitin' for you; t'row shillin'
in de wata, Massa Cracker; L dive for him."
and shillings, nickels, pennies are one after
the other cast into the clearest of deep blue
sea water, and dozens of young black ras-
Gals dart from the crowd and dive after
them, and away down in the water they can
be seen hustling one another, pulling one
another's wool and showing one another
about and swimming and kicking like so
many frogs.
All Polite and Nociferous.
After an amazing long time, considering
they are not altogether amphIbious, they re-
appear on the surface; the triumphant one
holds up the coin as he gasps for breath.
Mr.. Cracker" was Mr.. Stinson, from
Hamilton, Ontario, a jolly fellow, who
gained this sobriquet from the darkies be-
cause he cracked jokes with them. The
gangplank is now out, and we make our
way through the crowds of negroes, all
polite, but voci ferrous in their desire TO serve
you, and scolding one another for attempt
ing to do the same service. We pass
through a long shed, or custom house. and
emerge into a pretty shaded plaza, where
snug little ponies are harnessed to pretty
little light two-seated vehicles and their
drivers, handsome and neatly clad young
darkeys, again swarm around you iour
or I've deep, and, as We enjoyed the novelty,
we let them go on with their supplications
ior chance TO carry you, 'sa."
There is terrible din of wranglinp, but
none Of them seem to get mad and when a
selection is finally made the lucky one and
the stranger are made more or less the SUBJ
ject of light Semark as to the transparent
lack of good taste and judgment they have
shown, and at some apparent wItticism on
the part of one of the disappointed they all
laugh heartily, but are still polite and jolly
and ever ready to do you a service. We
stopped at the market and an old Kongo
woman comes forward, with soup herbs to
sell me. There are many of the original
Africans here, as in the other British
islands. These are recognized by their i'm
possible attempts to talk the English Ian
guage and their deep transverse facial sears
A Committee on Finance.
The old Kongo lady had chiefly "pot
YARDS" and various tropical fruits, some of
which l bought and tasted. l paid her in
5-cent nickels, which, after appointing a
committee on finance from the other old
market ladies, and great deal of to ME unin-
telligible chattering. and several of them
putting the coins in their mouths, tasting
and biting them and turning them over two
of them having some doubtful assurance in
their own minds that they were English
shillings, they were finally returned to me
with, 'Massa, please glib de old lady good
money"
Later as l was about TO return the money
to my pocket and the fruit and ''pot varbs''
to the old lady merchant, the oracle of the
market came up, and an old Scared faced
Guinea negro, vino called for stay of pro-
ceedings and a knowledge of what was going
on and asked for the privilege CT handling
the money. This he did before the
admiring gaze OF old and young,
biting at each piece and carefully
carefully turning it over close to his only
remaining eye, after which he coolly put the
money in his own pocket and ordered, with
q wave of his weaIher-beaten hand, that the
goods should be put into the carriage He
was obeyed, and the old Kongo lady made
most Obedient salaam. With both hands
extended, she "prayed the good Lawd
to bless sweet massa, and he would do it if
the dear massa would only now give her a
good shillin' TO buy new hat" A COM
promise was effected with the bestowal of
a couple more nickels, which were quickly
relegated to the financial oracle for opinion,
who pocketed them also in the midst of his
abstraction in a business conversation which
he was then carrying on with two other de-
crept darkies. The old woman turned to
trifh q f1aI !