Omaha daily bee., 1910-03-12

fui, the monkeys are scarce and hard "a
find, but In the dry season they have to
frequent water holes known to the hunter,
and here they are easily shot. The natives
eat them with relish. but strangers can
seldom stomach the idea or the meat. The
proverbial predatory habits and mischiev-
business Of monkeys cause them to be a
nuisance to the white planters, and in their
wrath over damaged crops they smother
any conjunction they might have about
killing them. When the monkeys become
u~naccountably scarce, the natives revive
a tradition that they nave passed to the
Island Of Nevis, only a few miles away, by
submarine tunnel.
Every island in the West Indies is the
abode Of tradition, amplified history and
historical facts stranger than fiction. For
hundreds Of years the Caribbean Sea was
the haunt Of buccaneers, pirates, wreckers,
beach combers. free soldiers n adven-
turers from the four parts of the earth.
and 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 and Windward
Islands to the Demerara river in British
Guiana. As the ship sails into the magnifi-
cent harbor of Charlotte Amalia in st.
~Thomas-the harbor so greatly coveted by
the United States before the war with Spain
on the farthest right of the three hills
on which the city is built, Is seen a round
tower, resembling a truncated cone. On the
central hill is another tower very similar
in appearance. The first is called Blue
boards tower and the second Blackbeard's
tower. They are ideally situated to COM
mand the town and harbor, and tradition
has 1t that they were built by the be-
whiskered 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 dis
PEELED the Illusion by showing that Blue
boards Tower was originally a Danish
fort. Blackbeard's supposed structure IS
not so disillusioning when its history is
examined. The records show that it was
built in troublous times by a 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.
Barbados is the only island in the West
Indies which has remained English from
It's first settlement, which was in 1925. to
the present time, 1t contains 1866 square
miles and supports 100000 persons, making
IT one of the most densely populated
countries on the globe. This overcrowdod
cltlzenry is one of the most intensely pat
riotlc in the world, and in all the British
empire there is no people more proud of
the fact that they live under the British
flag. II am a British subject, sah," is
almost the first statement a Barbadian
utters when he meets a stranger in a
strange land and II you look at him GROSSLY
or crook you finger at him he hastens
at once to the British consul to tell his
troubles. 1t is said that If a Barbadian.
while in swimming, sees a shark about TO
attack him, he sternly utters those tails
manic words; II am a. British subject,
sah," and the shark flees' at once.
Although not one of the West Indies.
but a part of the mainland Of South
America, British Guiana is generally spoken
of as if 1t belonged to the island chain.
This is because 1t is the natural terminus
of a swing through the islands and be-
cause of it's intimate relations with them
The Guianas are of interest to Americans
for several reasons. The most important
is because when the peace treaty of 1867
was concluded between England and the
Netherlands, the Dutch traded New York
for the settlements which the governor of
Barbados had founded on the Surinam
river in what is now Dutch Guiana. This
turned out to be the worst swap" in the
history of the world.
There is great confusion of terms in the
popular mind in regard to British Guiana.
The tourists and sailors call 1t Demerara.
and the reader or hearer whose KNOWLEDGE
of geography is not detailed has little idea
where 1t is. Also the sailors do not mean
Demerara itself, but a city, which again
confuses strangers. The truth is, Demerara
is the central, smallest and most important
of the three countries into which the prov
ince of British Guiana is divided, and the
port to which the sailors refer is George
town, capital of the province, situated
at the mouth of the Demerara river.
One of the most pleasant features OF
travelling in the West Indies is that tbe
visitor who makes himself agreeable and
remains any length Of time, is almost sure
to be put up at the local club. This is
a courtesy not to be despised, for the club
is usually the coolest and most attractive
place in town. 1t is to be regretted that
at least one club down here does not
welcome tourists with any great enthusi.
asm. Some months ago when a large shIr
arrived and the courtesies of the club were
offered to all the passengers, the stranger
showed their appreciation by carrying of
many Of the clubs odd and ends as
souvenirs"
BY FRIEDRICH J. HAsRrN,
Tomorrow-rhe Culture Of Flowers.