The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1897-03-27

tricks, partially for my own
and others amusement and also to see how
far such beliefs went with the present genera
tion. L have several Fetichs that l found in
and about Nassau. One in particular, fine
specimen, pronounced so by Mr.. Maynard. to
whom presented it, and which will no doubt
soma day adorn the pages of some one of his
books. Almost every sponger before embark
ing on voyage will invoke the services of
the Obeah man and pay him well for some
fetich that Will make the voyage a prosper
Gus one. We are stopping while in Andres
at the plantation of Mr.. A. Keith of Edin-
burSh, Scotland. Mr.. Keith has been here
eight years He came out about the time the
sisal boom was blooming and got grant
from the Crown Of 1000 acres He is yery
nicely situated and has u nice home here.
Next to him is the largest sisal plantation in
the West Indies. 1t belongs to company
with the Right Honorable Sir Joseph Cham
berlain. NJ. P, at its head. This plantation
comprises 1000 acres. The land is not nota-
bic Tor sisal. hence this company has, after
sinking S35O,O00, given it up, and are now
dismantling the plantation. They had seven
miles of railroad laid large engines and boil
ers, the finest kind of fiber machinery, and
some of the largest buildings in the Bahamas
erected, all of which are now being taken
down, and are being shipped to Nassau to be
sold at auction.
As before said Androsi is a very wild country
No one was ever known to have crossed it.
In 1SD3 n n mn IL
natives as guides, but they became scared
ard fled, and the American followed suit.
They will tell you strange tales here about
the lahoos, sort of wild peple who are sup
posed to inhabt the Interior and only come
to the coasts when in need of fish. The
natives will, in all sincerity, tell you of these
wonderful Iahoos, but the wonderful part of
their stories is, that anyone you talk to about
them or tells you of them have never seen
them, but tell you that someone told them SO.
they are supposed to be forty feet high and
use an ordinary pine tree for walking stick
With ease they can pull the nuts from the top
of a sixty-foot cocoanut tree, to throw at
anyone who gets too near them. This sounds
lshy. don't it? Well, guess it is. SO much
so that it matters not how anxious | am to
see all the wonders of this wonderful country
am compelled to decline the kind invitation
from Mr.. Maynard to accompany him on his
expedition across the island, and will be salts
lied with his description, and perhaps a photo
of the Ito me) impossible Yahoo should he
get near enough to one of them so that he
might press the button of his kodac.
1t is bedtime now, II p. m. The last Yahoo
story has been told and digcsted. Long be-
fore | am out of bed in the morning the Pro-
fessor will have started on his tramp across
Andros, and after have paid the Chamber
lain estate another visit, | will board tho
schooner 'Irene" which will spread her white
wings and head for the Island of Eleuthera
and Harbor Island.
The trip to Eleuthera is delightful. Keys
are always in sight and lee can be made at
any time Harbor Island is about two miles
square, and is one of the oldest settled
islands, The harbor is large and SO protected
by reefs and bars that it is pronounced tho
safest in the world for vessels that draw
or 10 feet of water. 1t is formed by q
low island that stretches across the light at
the northeastern end Of Eleuthera On tho
inner slope of this isle is Dunmore town,
named for the Earl of Dunmore, who while
Governor of the Bahamas spent his summers
at Harbor Island. The town contains two
thousand people, and next to Nassau is the
largest settlement in the Bahamas. 1t is
beautiful little place, surrounded by cocoa
coat groves. On the ocean side of the island
is one of the best beaches in the world COM
posed of very fine pinkish coral sand hard as
floor. The inhabitants cultivate pineapples
on the island of Eleuthera on the land granted
their ancestors, the Buccaneers. for helping
Col. DevereauX recapture Nassau from the
Spaniards. Some of the people have large
pine fields. orange and cocoanut groves and
corn, potatoes, tomatoes, yams and melons
are raised here. A fleet of $50 boats is owned
in the settlement, and every morning at sun
rise they spread their wings to the winds and
watt Il thousand men and boys to the lovely
beach and orange and cocoanut groves of
Eleuthera, two miles across the harbor, re-
turning again in the evening. The glass
windows, n wonderful freak of nature, is one
in by the visitor 1t is limestone or coraIine
arch eightyiive feet above the sea. 1t is
great resort for picnic and pleasure parties.
Some years ago, about 1875 or &c, a high
tidal wave arose without moments warning
at the glass windows, rushed under the arch
and over the island drowning several people
who We're having picnic there.
Eleuthera is on the edge of the great Ba-
hama banks, and for seyenty-nve miles acts
as IL breakwater for the rest of the group
against the vast serges of the Atlantic, which
here rises very suddenly and without any
wind.
As you walk from Bottom Cove to the arch
you will be pleased and delighted by the
beauty of the land forms. The whole effect
being heightened by the peculiar stalks of the
agave rising everywhere like bronze columns
supporting mass of golden flowers against
the sky, while on the other side, owing to the
of Eleuthera at this spot. the
green waters of coral reef is at hand, whilst
on the other side is actually blue water, it
being over two thousand fathoms deep di-n
rectly off shore.
Continued on Page 5.