Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-11-03
4 Day o. shers, No. -.

rev miles OH SnOIt, lOIS lHe u Ugly
looking breakers pound the coral reef
that has but one narrow channel
through which small boats and canoes
may enter, and then with all due eau
ton. for the swerving of point to
right or left means a capsize, an in
Simultaneous ducking and O fight for
life with the powerful undertow that
often proves too much for the unlucky
or careless boatman. Beyond the
seething foam the waters are smooth
er to the broad sandy beach that rises
gradually to where matched huts are
surrounded by unnamable shrubbery
and we'll beaten paths lead to more
pretentions dwellings of stone, where
reside the wealth and mobility" the
mansion of the governor: paths that
wind in and out among grand cocoanut
and bread fruit trees, paths all Of sand.
into which the foot half buries itself
as you walk. while upon the hillside
the grim old fort frowns down upon
the people, the hogs, the goats, the
chickens and the dogs, silent as death.
except at sunrise and sunset when the
flag of Spain goes up or down, then the
cannon booms and tells the people that
Il
thing, l doubt if they would otherwise
know. Six miles down the coast is the
harbor. With jagged coral reefs to the
port and starboard. with coral reefs
ahead and astern, with great beds of
it beneath our keel shining up through
four or five fathoms of water, yet APP
pearing but half that distance below
the surface, we wind in and out among
the dangerously projecting points and
anchor safely at last in the broad
basin that accommodating nature has
specially designed for that purpose,
swing head to the trade wind that, in
terrupted by the low lying points and
the luXuriant tropical growth that
covers the land everywhere. comes to
us in refreshing, spice laden puffs that
soothes the sailed system and makes
it seem that life is almost worth the
living
A mile away, across the broad Hat
are scattered the dwellings, of the peo-
pie, half hidden among the banana
and plantain leaves that droop over
almost every door. breaking the force
of the suns intense heat and furnish
ing grateful shade to each humble
hciiS' w & puitd Ill SHORE anu RAM
bled for an hour among the corn fields.
the sweet potatoes and the squash
vines with their crooked and ungainll
fruit. The rice that grew under water
looked like flooded oat field. Oranges.
lines, guavas, bananas and plantainS
were growing in all directions and
towering above them all the great CO.
coanut trees. some nearly one hundred
feet in height. spreading out their
tufted tops as protection to THEM
lesser neighbors. We loaded our boat
With bananas at twenty-five cents
bunch. oranges, seventy-five cents
bag of perhaps three hundred. green
cocoanuts, four rails, $50 cents,) for all
you wanted, but wood was four dollars
cord taken from the pile just above
high water mark. We stretched our
selves upon the white sand of the
beach, we swung in the hammoclls.
every house had two or three: we
drank the refreshing milk of the green
cocoanut and we also drank 'toddy."
| am aware that the word sounds bit
booty. but toddy is an excellent bever-
age just the same. A few words abou.
'toddy" might be Interesting.
The young cocoanut tree when per-
hapS ten or twelve years old. and
grown to height of fifteen to twenty
FIVE feet blossoms. This blossom is
tapped or clipped off near the point
and q dry cocoanut shell fashioned into
a bowl is suspended by bail twisted
from the dry husk of the nut under
the wound, catching the juice or sap.
st the mornings gathering. this sap is
sweet and if boiled down makes an
excellent molasSeS or sugar. If al |
lowed to stand several hours it becomes |
tart and is a delicious acid drink, |
furnishing the sweet and the sour III
the right proportions, a great thirst |
quencher with which circus lemonade |
should not be mentioned in the same
breath as it cannot compare-that is
today" Now if the toddy be emptied |
into a barrel and left for few days, |
it foments, froths, foams and becomes
sour and rotten. This mess goes to
the distillery and "aguadent" is the |
result Every 'stil'' | saw was owned |
and run by Chnaman. John was in
squatted on his heels feeding |
the fire with dry sticks and splints |
from the cocoanut tree, continually polk
ing and working to bring the blaze un-
der vessel in which dubbed the raw
for numerous DRINKS, and |
from which a lead pipe ran into a bar |
rel filled with water where it was coled |
away to the bottom and out through a
hole. From the end of the pipe the |
liquor came drop by drop into a junk |
bottle, which when full could be pur-
chased. all hot. for one rial U2lac) |