The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-10-02
AN OLD WEST INDIAN FORTRESS.

yAN OLD WEST INDIAN FORTRESS
The news that Great Britain 10 going q
| fortify Trinidad an Offset 20 the pro
jected fertilization Of the Panama Cana
By the United Stste~ and the intimAfiou
| that other islands might he furnished with
defences and the British feet increased
| m thee waters. bring 10 mind the time
when England REGARDED the West Indies
a. her most important outpost. when great
fleets of men-o'war crui-ed and fought
there under her rag. and when she spent
millions Of pounds sterling erecting works
and ArminE them With cannon and hllinx
their magazines With ineNhAustible supplies
Of powder and ball That va 'he time
when Rodney and Keppel fought the French
With VARYING fortune. when Horatio Nelson.
the smart young captain % the smart frisate
BoreAs. married the widow Nsbet IA the
old FiEtr~s Church In Nevis II uss the
time when the same Nelson chased the
French feet under VuleneuVe from Toulcn
70 barbados and back again 90 Cadiz and
TraiAlEGr
This MAS the time when England built
that great fortress on birthstone Hin In
the beautiful and historic island Of - kItts,
which WAS spoken % about a hundred years
ago a. the Gibraltar Of the Wet Indies .
II 10 ruin TO-DAY Doukeys are stabbed
in It, cAsemAtes. and the little cows Of the
island Rrsse IN - ample enclosures The
goats and chickens run about ~ almost Wild
u - worth while going to 81 Kits just
70 visit the ruins on Brimstone Hill. not
20 speak % the hundred other charms OF
The place Prom the crest OF the old works
there 10 view - lovely that you can
hardly believe u - real The dark old
chambers. deep IN the massive masonry.
the shadouy covered ways the heated
stone courts snow white in the glare
Of the tropic sun. are peopled with the
ghosts OF a byEone day. Dead men. dead
vars. dead ambitions. personal and na-
uonAl, dead policies jOs,le each other in
your memory while your feet tAnRle them.
selves IN the weeds that have overErown the
ssplAnades where men once marched Aad
drilled
You pay sIIpencs 20 se, into the fort but
hrst lee us locate It definitely. II 10 distant
some eight miles north west from Basss
lerre. locally pronounced BAs-etser IN
three syllahles. which is the slow. decAyed
little capital Of the island You drive from
BASE Ierre 20 the hill over the Government
road which runs all around the island. that
wonderful road thirty miles IN length which
cuts OF the knees Of hills and reaches across
raVtnes, a wide. hard. smooth. splendid
highway Ike a Roman road. with reve,-
men's 81 solid masonry In ons place holding
back the hill that threatens 20 overvhelm
". IN another keeping the road itself from
clipping down into the s-a
All the many curious incidents 81 thoae
eight miles % road must b omitted here
Every road Offers . bid to the stranger -
linRer and explore We mus, Jus, shut
our eyes and le, the sturdy pony jog along
ct that marvellous swift pace which he
change neither on the ~ or down slope
nor yet on the level OF course IL 10 still
forenoon yoI have started after O'Clock
breakfast The Caribbean Sea in its inev-
pressble blue stretches away to your left.
md there are white boat sale like ~eabirds. |
dotted over u hers and there Cocoanut
palms. -inElv. in single fle IN clusters give
he -'sne that airy grace peculiar 20 The !
Nest Indian Islands The sun simply Satu-
-ases the atmosphere with golden light |
= hIch throws M the color q every visible !
'biect IN iis deepest siEnifCance a. doe- the |
rild~d background % an old picture the
tGhi gr~~ns and yellows of Tho csnsfelds IN 7
he foreground. the luNuriAnt olive hles - I
he forests clothing the shoulders ~ Mount /
Misery. the volcanic pinnacle - The ISLAND B
lowering gloomy and mystic INTO ~ per- 4
,e;ual neecy veil OF rain~ioud. the white /
II the houses. The gray % the Old wind
Mills. the ri roofs % the negroes huts
ne black - the tall iron chimneys tina,
over above the sugar factories
sinuosi'y Of The road brings Birthstone
+ill INTO view Lone. by comparison low
- elevation 10 80 feet or 20. vhile that %
he mountain spire fust behind ~ IL not far
rom S.'no-r froNns upon ne peaceful
elds about and upon the shin.ng 80 For
he mos tart - - 81 dirty yellow hue =
OFT Of oChre. tho color that chalky lifn~sfon-i
'iher- from IRON stain but here and there
here the -lops 10 not too steep a bunch Of
Md vegetation has found a hold on the rock
nd mottles u with a whole samut Of yer
ure J.,
The hints IN siEht for = couple u miles Of
oad before ~ reached TheApproAch brings
~ one Nv one the detail. % IT, grim coun.
snAnre Long lines ~ oreue,s'ad uasonry
econe grofs~gueiy sugRe-'INe - rows Of
10th. ] Nc rIinous aspect which they as
IH~ on nearer Inspection s,il! more gro
rslusly SlEgests the impotsn~y 81 great
&c and utter neglect. which - the crude
ruth TO-DAY ~ the one time strong place
here . plenty ~ opportunity To study the
reAt natural fortress and the improvements
.rough' upon ~ by the host martial talent
I Britain. for YOU drive well pas % before
~ wing az the private way. u n Ch branches
rom the main road and carries YOU an TO !
he outer bas'ion- . binding white wAv ~
ard packed chalk from which q dust a.
'nuous A. smoke ris-- through the air and
hen -e'tles down over everything IN = thin
ray rim
his white road so~s NJ hA,uAen fields
Ito a deep rayins. then turns sharply on
-@f to = shelf on the hillside wndin x up I
nd 10 from level 10 level through a grove
reduoch AMI mountain palms in abrupt .
nuo-ties like a dead snake IN the Sras- Z
stops az a good sized wooden house IN >
10 midst ~ = primitive farmyard Amini-
lure COS or two and goat are tether~d in
- shade. duck wAddies m a yAETan,
u the cocks and hens and guinea fowl r
nut or lumber among the weeds :
II - here you pay your -iNpence and then
you are fortunate vourz Mr. Andrea o
odrigue-. Who With hi- rather manages c
- Government lime kiln that /. eating IN
n mstone Hili and may have ~ ali devoured Y
81 year, or 30, Will stroll with you through )
= old fortthCAtions After some more
imbInE Of steep roads. shaded however
i'h tree ferns. mountain palms and Wild
4 nd ~ L. ]