The times., 1898-09-05
THE CAPE VERDE ISLANDS.
An Important, Hut Not Inviting,
Group on Africa
(From dc Chicago Inter Oeesn.)

tfrOm Ine Juic9BO inter Oceen.)
One hears a good deal of st. Vincent,
Cape Verde Islands, these days, but few
people have anything but a very vague
idea as to what manner of place il may
be. To speak the truth. the island GER
tainly has few attractions; on the other
hand. II has peculiarities which at times
make it seem a part of Dante'S Inferno.
Long before one reaches the Cape Verde
Islands, in fact. from half a day steam
distant, the high mountain peaks away
off on the horizon appear misty and
vague and announce the near approach
to land and the proximity OF the Portu-
guese settlements. In the meantime all
around is sweltering heat, dazzling sun.
and unchanged blue. the air clear to the
point of a vacuum, and this intensity of
light has most peculiar effect as one
gets near the island-they seem to stand
out witout any relief in the way of lights
and shadows. a fat, duSky yellow picture
n blue canvas. Dusty brown rocks and
peaks. hard and without any relief. stand
ing up against bright blue background,
with perfectly clear and deep blue sea
in front a sea so clear that as the
steamers rest at anchor in the bay the
half-breed boys swim from the shore and
dive for silver coins in and out under the
keels of the largest ocean vessels. and
one can see them down to the sandy
bottom of the ocean catching the coin
and laughing up to the surface ON the
other side of the ship.
As to the isfand, in this case surely dis
tance lends enchantment to the view. for
though at long range and before landing
1t is not half bad by way OF study In
bizarre effects-once on shore II is awful
Dust and rocks. rocks aud dust. here and
there a small patch OF tropical shrub or
half-grown tree, but all dust-coVered.
The steamers and warshps lie out IN
the harbor, which is excellent, and Is the
reason of this veritable hells mouth be-
coming one of the mouthpieces to civili-
zation's speaking tubes, for the Eastern
Cable Company has a station here. ana
from St Vincent are the movements OF
ocean steamers duly chronicled as they
ceaselessly come and go to take on coal
But to return to the harbor-it IS very
large and in shape like a hroseshoe. with
another and comparatively fertile island,
by the name of San Antonio. lying across
the open front and protecting It from the
Atlantic storms-the ships coming and
going through the opposite corners. One
goes ashore in the inevitable small boat.
which bumps alongside low c0aling
wharf where the first person met with
will probably be the also Inevitable En-
lishman, and most likely one of the Miller
family the millionaire owners of the
COdtlnS SldtiOI IOT iiit ShtSi ~ iSC Va d p II
vate firm is responsible for the coal sup
plies of ST Vincent. which are brought
over from England in Golfers and then
stored on the island in very large quanti-
ties.
The head of the Miller family controll-
ing this trade is also the resident British
consul; he is married to a Portuguese
lady and has lots of brothers and sisters
at the old home in Somersetshire, a splen-
did country seat not far from Bath
About the only other white men on the
island are a few diminutive Portuguese
officials, brave in uniforms and gold lace.
and the employees of the cable company.
the latter of whom possess, besides their
maddenng clicking instruments,
rickety billiard table, few sorry horses
which they race up and down the sandy
stretches along the shore, and large
stock of good whisky. Particular mem
ton is made of the spirits. because there
is no water in this accursed isle-it has to
be brought across In boats from neigh
boring San Antonio--and because some
times no rain falls there for as long as
two years at a stretch, then it pours
and dries up for another two years. The
Eastern Cable Company's young men
just manage to survive the nine months
they live there; fortunately for three
months they are allowed'a furlough In