The Savannah morning news., 1903-05-10
HOW CUDJ0E MUNGIN
Fortified PelOt Island Against an
Expected Attack by the Spanish
Flat.
Rv Charles &. Foy.

Fleet.
BY Charles &. Foy.
PeIo4 Island is situated upon the
coast OF South Carolina, and may be
termed an inland island, If such a
phrase can be used to distinguish it
from what are commonly known and
recognized as the sea islands.
Pelot Island, lying as it does near
the head waters of Broad river, is
formed by two small unna~tgable
creeks known locally as Bees ana
Rpsaland. Bees creek runs out 10
shallow drain about mile beyond the
island. and Rosaland creek loses itself
in a bed Of slime and ooze near the
island it helps to form.
on a good spring tide a small coast
ing vessel might. by knowing the
channel, reach the island, but woe be-
ride her IL she dallies with time and
tide, for she Will soon become struc~
xure on terra hrma- Broad river runs
about 20 miles to the south Of Pelot
Island.
When the ruH1or of war with Spain
found it's way down in this section Of
Ssolntry the actual fighting was in full
swing Manila had fallen an easy prize
10 the Incompatible Dewey and Ad-
--y1airaI Sehley had swept the Spanish
squadron 5rem the face OF the waters
rAaaa washed the shores OF that queen
.~pf isles, Cuba. These facts were, how
ever unknown TO Cudj0e Mung1n. All
that he knew was that war was de-
clared, and that 1t was incumbent
upon him as the leader OF his people
and guardian of Pelot Island TO make
>xood his chances of repelling invasion
description of our worthy Cudjoe
will not be amiss. AS his patronmynic
will show at a glance, CudJoe is not
white. In fact Cudjoe is black. Just
aboA1t as black as anything human
ever gets to be. In stature he is about
five feet three inches high, with short
handy legs ending in a pair Of long
black thick feet with an epidermts
covering them that would make a
stump hide its head through fear of
being trod upon. His arms are of an
unusual length and carried generally
He has way of carrying
his head on one side, peering
around out of his small coal black
eyes, and when anyone asks him what
he is thinking about he will answer
that he is "studerin."
The talk of war gave Cudjoe much
food for thought, and he was contin-
ually dwelling upon the unprotected
condition Of his idol, Pelot Island,
with all of its numerous families.
about three or four in number, and
feeling quite certain that in the event
of the coming of the Spanish feet his
island would be the objective point of
their attack.
After long thought upon this one en-
crossing subject. he arrived at the
stage where he could no longer remain
inactive. So he went among his peo-
pie and said: MY brudders, sisters
an all hunnA chilluns l want you
all to come ober to my house tonight
an hit pom some plan for keep dem
Spanyuns way frum we islam. l got
q idea in my head an all who agree
to dat says T. all repose, No.
The ayes had it. Work. while not
actually suspended, for the rest of the
day. might have been. The children
hoeing the cotton left the hoes stand
ing in the ground, and would run down
10 the edge of the creek and look fear
FULLY towards Broad river. The older
heads would chide them and tell them
For go on wild dem wurk," but all to
no purpose. The grown people would
as often cut the cotton down as they
did the grass. They, too, were working
with one eye down the river, looking
for the "Spanyuns."
Twilight had hardly fallen when all
the souls upon the island repaired to
Cudjoe's cabin, where the consultation
of war was to be held, and ways and
means provided for the successful
withstanding of the expected attack.
AS a matter of course, Cudjoe was
chairman, speaker and committee of
the whole. The freight played upon
the dusky faces of the gathered crowd,
showing them off to great advantage,
lighting up the strong, hard, determin-
ed features of the men, with the no
less ruggedness of the faces of the
women. The children squatted around
IN the semi-Shade, with their eyes roll
ing, divided between curiosity and
fear.
After all were seated, Cudjoe rose
and said: "Brudders, sisters an all
hunna chilluns: Frum wat l kin yed-
dy desc Uunited States of Souse Amer
Ica is gwine to war. 1 been to de pos
Office an l see Lawyer Gaskin. Him
btnner read a newspaper, an he say:
'Cudjoe, / hope you is got yo' islam
fortify, cause de Spanyuns is a-grab-
bin UP all he islan's dey kin. Da done
grab Cuby, an eff you amt sharp dey
will git yone.' He say a fleet of ships
is comm across de Lantic ocean, an
we can spec for see dem any mint
I ain wait for yeddy no mo-, but 1 jes
put out for home. Now, de idea had
in my head dat we all VISITED on dis
evenin' is dis: Wen we wants to ketch
fish in Rosaland and Bees creek, wat
we does do?"
Bush en-, came in a chorus.
We'll" said Cudjoe, "if bush will
keep a ting in de creek, can't bush KEEP
UNI out?"
"Sho."
We'll, my brudders, sisters an all
hunna chilluns, l rise to a pint of or
der. an say, we will bush all two de
creek. All who in fabur says, t. all
who repose, No De ayes nab it, an
now to work. All de mans wat got ak,
go to cuttin' all de DOMAINS wat ain
got no ak, go to haulin'. All de chill
luns wat ain got muffin else to do an
ain got no sense no how, go to bed"
They separated to meet at the scrub
oak grove, and such cutting, hacking
and hauling never took place on the
Island Of Pelot before nor since.
The modus Operandi Of stopping a
creek for the purpose of holding the
nsh that come up with the hood tide
has long been known and practiced
upon the coast. A number of stout