The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1902-06-07

7--;5.. - -.TE 7-''
on, tho narrow littla shop awtndows-
making their dim interiors, gloomy be-
You'd description. s:Sl ~ y
M unus,asi sound Is, Id ii d rootstep.
broughtateac oh. m tchh mint: 5x1g4Fiy to the
door, onlst,t1 ga4eSg loonniiystatusur re-
treating backs, AIR crowd. gof-. eager
darky. boyex tlockeds around; ns, begging
shriliy, for q .pen 1l, But 1addest sixht
Of all was the old market place, the
heart. and center Of every West Indian
town, where, be it. only to talk gloom
lily Of ruin, gathers what life the place
Possesses. But in st. Vincent only a
fewawithereds crones sat muhbling to
themselves tor lack of. .cornpany-a
handful of charcoal, few vans. a
shrfveled bite of sickly fruit, such were
the contents of their baskets. OF Gus.
toners, at least while we were there.
no sign! Saddened beyond expression
by these signs Of ruin that filled the
little town of pleasant memories, we
set out for the journey up soufriere.
Starting up the road back Of the town.
we passed the fine botanical gardens, a
green oasis in a barren land; higher up
the road led to the backbone of the
central ridge. Here, for the first time;
we could see the eastern side, wind:
ward.
Beautiful beyond words is this path
up soufriere-a jungle Of marvellous;
green foliage studded with gorgeous
flowers. passing through the prime
val tropic forest, where the huge trees
so knit themselves together as to re-,
sist successfully the fury Of the hur-:
ricane.
And Then-La Soufriere.
Gradually the trees grow more stunt
ed, the tender tree ferns lie behind. the
harder ferns take the place Of the ex-:
otto underground, and at last-the cra-
ter of Soufriere. 1t Is two craters in
reality, for In that great eruption OF
lSl2, when he shook half the world
with the fury Of his wrath, a new vent
opened beside the old outlet, separated
by narrow ledge of jagged rock.
Quite impossible of description is this
twin crater of Soufriere The old mouth
a mile across and seven hundred feet
deep, lined with hardy ferns that dared
to creep down to- the edge of the un-
canny lake of milk-white water that,
when we saw it, was commencing al
ready to bubble uneasily with sulphur
Gus gases, bleaching the foliage ali
around the edge.
The new outlet was far less imposing
"a tiny, black, unfathomed pool at the
bottom, like some devils inkstand. The
crests of both craters were jagged and
scanned with old scars; the rocks and
bare places were colored to uncanny
hues by rising gases; while most impress
sive OF all, the cloud mists whir1s and
tossed and floated out to vanish in the
sunshine.
Baking Cassava Cakes.
The cave in the crater's rim where he
spent a week was pointed out. With
much reluctance we descended a still
sleeper path to the northern coast. Here
most of the Carib half some 200
in number, lived, 1t seemed general
baking day, for all were busy making
cassava cakes. Most interesting was
the process. The cassava root, not un-
like our own potato, contains juice
which is deadly poison. so first the
tubers are gated fine, and then a cum
ningly woven tube Of elastic .basketwork
made on the principle of the little fin
ger traps familiar to bur childhood, is
filled. One end is suspended, while from
the other weights are hung. As the
basket stretches out the juice is forced
from the cavassa through the open
meshes. In the old days this juice was
saved to poison arrow tips. Now it is
carefully thrown where it can do no
harm.
The still moist pulp next is dried
thoroughly and then rolled into pan
cakes some two feet wide and thin as
paper, which are baked on heated stones,
or, if the family is well to d., on iron
plates. One old woman, hideous beyond
belief, her straight black hair hanging
in tangled masses round her, complained
bitterly because, forsooth, the cakes were
sSlled and there were no hot stones.
All! Had she but known! Soon hot
stones were to rain, az If from heaven,
on her, crushing her poor old body into
even more hideous form. Soon the soft
white ashes were to fall like winding
sheet on everything, burying forever be-
meath it the last hopes of brighter
day for the island cursed with the VOC
doc spell.