The Republican journal., 1896-12-03

the ground near his head, and fantastic
fellow with an old musket discharged
three or four rounds over the spot, to
scare away any duppies, or evil spirits,
that might be prowling near Then the
crowd surged back to the village as hastily
as they came, where the painted pail
bearers seized some heavy machates and
without an instant S loss of time cut down
all the palm trees that surrounded the
hut their dead comrade had occupied.
This was done as silently and quickly as
possible, and when finished, the men ran
down to the river and plunged out of
sight in the water, kind of Illustration,
or purifying process, deemed of the ut
most Importance after such service has
been rendered. Why the palm trees are
cut down is one of the mysteries of ''re-
igion"
The natives do not know why it must
be done, except that it was practiced by
ed a cocoanut tree upon the birth of every
child; but the rest of the ceremony is
easily explained. The Sambos believe
that death results from the influence of
demon called Wulasha, who, ogre like,
feeds upon corpses. To secure their dead
friends from this horrible fate, it is
necessary to lull the demon to sleep and
them steal away the body and bury it,
after which it will be safe. That accounts
for the drowsy drum and the droning pipe
and the slow, soothing dance OF the
women, for Wulasha is very fond of music
and susceptible to female charms, hence
the Gorgon tresses. Meanwhile, in the
darkened recesses of some hut, the pail
bearers bedaub themselves with paint and
clay, so that the demon may not after
wards recognize and torment them; and
when the latter is supposed to have been
lulled into a sound slumber they seize
the opportune moment to bury the dead.
Subsequently, if the water which they
leave in the vessel on the grave disap-
pears, las it is sure to do, the ware being
porous), the friends believe that the dead
man drank it, which is proof conclusive
that he escaped the NAV OF Wulasha.
Then great rejoicing ensues, in the form
of general ''Seekrow' or Feast of the
Dead an orgie which continues for days
and is appropriately characterized as "a
big drunk" Mungo Park and Clapper-
ton have described similar scenes in Cen
trail Africa, which certainly seem more
African than American.
Among other things which this coast
owes to the old time pirates and bucca-
neers is the name of its capital and that
of the adjacent bay and river-derived
from the noted Dutch privateer, Blee-
veldt. who had his rendezvous here cou-
pie of centuries ago. The Spanish dis
coverers, finding no precious metal here
abouts, departed for richer fields, leaving
the Moscos in peace among their lagoons
and mahogany forests. A hundred and
fifty years later, near the middle of the
18th century, the buccaneers appeared
upon the Scene-thOse sad sea dogs
from all nations, but mostly from Eng
land, who were on intimate acquaintance
with the successive governors of Jamaica
and shared with them the spols of the
Spanish main. When the war with Spain
was brought to a close, so that it was no
longer possible to connive at freebooting,
these enterprising sons of Britain deter
mined to obtain possession of Mosquitia,
and incidentally everything else they
could seize, in behalf of the Crown. The
methods by which these English agents
many OF them ex-buccaneers, but act
rights to this region are too well Temem-
bered to need recapitulatiou. Under the
British protectorate one negro after an
other was crowned ''king,' and upheld
in>his Office until the farce ended by the
death of His Majesty by
over indulgence in the cup that cheers
and likewise nebriates-good old Jamai-
ca rum Sir Hans Sloan relates how one
of these dusky monarchs was taken to
Jamaica to be educated, but regularly es-
capped his lessons by shining up tree,
in whose topmost branches he perched
all day among his brother monkeys A
fair sample of these half savage monarchs
(but never for a moment rulers, selected
by the Englishmen as suitable tools,
either because Of the degree of their in
fuence or ignorance-was that miserable
creature, Robert Charles Frederick l.,
who was invested simultaneously with
the title of King and his first pair of trous-
ers. Soon after DOMINIC the ''purple."
Tor rather blue jeans), he proceeded to
make over the whole coast of Nicaragua.
Belize and Honduras to a company of
New York Notwithstanding for pay
for this princely grant six barrels of rum
and bundle of cotton pantaloons. For
tunately, ''such wealth of spirits"
proved too much for the delicate consti-
tuition of His Majesty, and he quickly
gave up the ghost, to be succeeded by his
son, George William Clarence, who was
duly proclaimed king by the British !;
while the distressed people of Nicaragua