The Republican journal., 1898-11-24

weight of corp 'icnt people.
witches and ''cawnts.' ct cetera, but
never was the Kings English so atrocious-
ly murdered as by the Jamaica Negroes
All their sentences appear to be construct
ed on the baby talk plan, and words
wholly Ineligible to the new conner roll
out of their thick lips in an oily stream.
You will get a fair sample of it the
minute you set foot on shore. Among the
crowd of darkies clamoring to carry your
things | singled out coal black fellow
in clean white suit because he looked
the most intelligent; and in reply to my
question what he would charge to convey
a trunk, two hand bags and camera to
the Custom House, he said ''marm, Lady.
an tanner fe tunk.' What on earth he
meant | had no idea, until after several
repettions, each yelled louder than before
as if by that means to arouse my dull
understanding, an obliging bystander,
familiar with what is known as "Quashie
English, " translated the porter words to
signify that he would do the job very
quickly for ''qlattie,' or one quarter of
an English six pence three cents in our
money! for carrying each of the small
pieces, and tanner siX-pence, for the
trunk
The poorest of these negroes are ex-
tremely polite to one another. as well as
TO strangers. 1t is amusing to hear half
naked fellow, hatless and shoeless, bowling
low to anothel in tle same condition and
saying with the air of a Chesterfield; How
do dis morn, saI9 Hope um to be well,
sar" The response invariably is, ''Quitie
well, UNI, dis morn, sar; tank um, sar
The word ''um'' is not understood, but
its use is constant in every sentence and
'sar' OF 'marm-lady' are never omitted.
Seeing women breaking stone on the
road side, coaling ships in the harbor,
working in the fields and doing all the
business of marketing, you wonder what
the men do for living. 1t is not true
that the men are altogether idle, though
the women perform most of the labor
which calls for strength and endurance.
The coiored Chords of creation in this
part of the world are willing to be dress
ed up in the becoming uniform of soldiers
and glory in the gorgeous tunc, scarlet
! Jacket and blue zouave breeches of bar
barrie splendor.
They will even perform the light func-
tons of the police force-although it is
said to be generally necessary to thump
a Jamaican policeman on the head to
wake him up when a murder is being
committed under his nose. One finds ma
tive men on the railroads, too, apparent
| ly ENJOYING the free rides as conductors
and engineers; also as telegraph operators,
glass diamond bedecked clerks in shops
| and hotels, and overseers of the so-called
''weaker SEX who are breaking stone
and digging bitches. To tell the truth,
the Amazonians look better able to do
/ hard work than the lanky, understood
men. The blacklist and brawnest of
|
the road, huge burdens balanced on their
heads, loose garments tucked high around
the hips, arms swinging, striding along
with the graceful motion which freedom
of body and limb alone can give. With
vigorous arms they belabor the poor lit
tie donkeys laden from ear to tail with
Guinia grass for its own dinner and
variety of articles, animate and inanimate,
either of purchase or sale. The splen-
did roads, which are the pride and boast
of the island, were originally built by con-
victs, and the work of keeping them in
| repair is not difficult You soon cease to
feel pity for the females who are doing it
when you observe how contented, even
hilarious, they are. Here and there
along the roadside they set up four poles
and thatch them with palm leaves, to af-
ford shelter from the sun; and under
these primitive huts they set, happy as
any Queen on her throne, making frolic
of pounding up the easily crumbled vol
canic rock, laughing and gossipipg all day
long. On uneSe rural fO2dS you meet a
great many more pedestrians than We
hicles. Most of the latter are queer, three
wheeled carts, drawn by three bnllocks
abreast; OF by three mules, or three horses,
or may be it is badly mixed team CT horse,
OK and mule harnessed side by side.
Now days every Jamaica negro prides
himself Oh descent or connection with
and defed the English, in 1851, claim
ing the famous old Cadjoe as one of
his progenitors and ignoring every
other color in his blood but black or
brown. Yet the truth is that the blood