Los Angeles herald., 1910-03-12
THE WEST INDIES
BY Frederic j. Haskin

Guadalupe and Martinique each has
coinage, but Martinique silver does not
pass in Guadalupe, or vice versa.
The small shopkeepers pass off this To-
cal coinage as frequently as possible
and travellers who have made purchases
seldom leave without taking more or
less of it from every island, some as
souvenirs and some through careless
ness, 1t would be interesting to know
how much of the local coinage dlsap-
pears forever in this manner. Demer-
ara presents still another pecullarlty
in that while it's medium is Engllsh
money, prices are all computed IN dol
lars and cents.
To the ordinary man the thought OF
shooting monkey would be abhorrent'
but the natives of st. kltts nave no
such scruples. The island has long
been famous for its wild simians, the
hill behind Basse Terre, the capital
being called Monkey hill. When the
rains are on and water plentlIu,'
monkeys are scarce and nara TO hhu,
but i'm the dry season they nave To
frequent water holes known TO ine M nu,
ter. and here they are easily snot'
The natives eat them with rellsh,
but strangers can seldom stomach the
idca nr the meat The proVerDlal preu-
atorv habits and mischieVoushess ol
monkeys cause them to be NUS NUS
ance to the white planters, ana III .nvir
wrath over damaged crops they sinoth-
or any compunctions they might haVe
about killing them. When the monk-
evs become unaccountably scarce, tine
natives revive a tradition lnat tn1y
have passed to the island OF NEVIS
only n few miles away by submarine
tunnel.
Every island in the West Indies Is
the abode of tradition, amplihed ms
tory and historical facts stranger liiisn
6ction. For hundreds of years lile
Caribbean sea was the haunt OF puc
cancers, pirates, wreckers, pedcn
combers, free soldiers ana auNen.u ne
from the four parts of the earth' anu
nowhere did they leave their impress
more strongly than on st. Thomas. the
first call for ships trading from new
York down through the LeeWard anu
Windward islands to the DemeraTa
river in British Guiana. AS the snip
sails into the magnificent harpor at
Charlotte Amalia in st. Thomas-the
harbor so greatly coveted py the
United States before the war with
Spain-on the farthest right OF the
three hills ON which the city is bullt, Is
seen a round tower, resembling n
truncated cone. on the central hill IS
another tower very similar in appear
ance. The first is called Bluebeard's
tower, They are ideally situated TO
command the town and harbor, and
tradition has it that they were built
by the bewhiskered pirates whose
names they bear.
Bluebeard's tower still has its old
cannon and masonry defenses The
view from both Is magnificent. A local
historian has dispelled the illusion by
showing that Bluebeards tower was
originally a Danish fort. Blackbeard's
supposed structure is not so dlsillu-
sioning when its history Is examined.
The records show that it was built in
troublous times by citizen with large
ideas of protecting himself when things
happened. In fact, he erected such a
formidable structure that the governor
of the island feared he might become
the political and military boss of the
town. and ordered him to vacate.
There is great confusion of terms in
the popular mind in regard to British
Guiana. The tourists and sailors call
it Demerara, and the reader or hearer
whose knowledge of geography is not
detailed has little idea where IL Is. Also
the sailors do not mean Demarara it.
self, but a city, which again confuses
strangers The truth is, Demerara Is
the central, smallest and most impor-
tant of the three counties INTO Whlch
vided, and the port to which the sailors
refer is Georgetown. capital of the
province, situated at the mouth of the
Demerara river.
one of the pleasant features of trav-
cling in the West Indies is that the
visitor who makes himself agreeable
and remains any length of time is al
most sure to be put up" at the local
club. This is a courtesy not to be de-
spised, for the club Is usually the cool
est and most attractive place in town.
1t is to be regretted that at least one
cluh down there does not welcome
tourists with any great enthusiasm.
Some months ago when large ship
arrived and the courtesies of the club
were offered to all the passengers the
strangers showed their appreciation by
carrying off many of the clubs odds
and ends as souvenirs"
which all will share equally, regard