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something familiar. The brown people have a great liking for lengthy words, even though they may not be appropriate. It suits the average native better to use a word like "incomprehensibility" rather than one of a few letters. Correctness is apparently a non-essential. One fails to understand that when a laborer says the "cartridge" is too high, he means the cartage. Nor would tourists suppose when one woman says to another, "Me no get justification," that she means satisfaction. A very common expression is, "Massa, dis money don't right!" meaning, the change referred to is wrong.

Here are to be seen natives of all shades of color. Often members of the same family are so unlike in appearance that it is hard to realize that an old woman, standing with a group of four girls, is the mother of them all, so varied are their complexions. One is almost white; another, yellow; another, according to an American miss, is "smoked," while the last of the group is almost black.

Here also are seen the maimed, the halt, and the blind. There are several who are without arms, victims to the crushing rolls of the cane mills. While the unfortunates neglected to keep a proper lookout when feeding cane to the rollers, their fingers and hands were caught, and mutilation ensued.

Washing day is every day but Sunday. No modern tubs are used, but the women stand ankle deep in the river. The clothes are soaped and wrung by hand. Then they are beaten with paddles and rubbed on stones. Again they are dipped and wrung out before being exposed to the sun, and dried on the

Where the Caribbean Breaks

stones or grass. soon worn out.

seen.

489

Linen subjected to this treatment is
That is why so few white shirts are

Once in a while a leper is to be met. This is not at all uncommon, nor do the residents have that fear of leprosy which Americans possess.

There is a hospital for lepers at Spanish Town, but, outside of its walls far more lepers are to be found than it can accommodate. This fact is not published abroad, but medical statistics show the number of cases of leprosy in each parish.

Market begins at 7 A. M. and lasts until six in the evening. There are very few stalls. Sellers remain seated on the ground, or flagging, with their wares exposed. They do not solicit people to buy. They appear very happy, and their jolly cries of "Hi, hi!" are heard everywhere. These markets are the headquarters for gossipers. Gossip is, in fact, the order of the day, and in some quarters this proverb is often quoted, "Much talk. Little work." It is as appropriate as another laconic Jamaican proverb, "Greedy choke puppy." The peasants of Jamaica are not the only ones who indulge in this form of speech.

White ladies are seldom seen. The colored cook does the buying. It is customary for the mistress to give her so many shillings per day, and these she is supposed to invest in supplies. Often, however, this "investing" is a pleasing fiction.

Under one roof are displayed several kinds of meat; also what is called "goat mutton," which is the flesh of goats; green turtle, bread fruit, yams of all kinds, cocos, cabbage, beans, cucumbers, pumpkins, squash,

plantain, bananas, cassava, radishes, and other vegetables. Lately some merchants distributed American seeds to the natives, and they are raising fine canteloupes and watermelons therefrom.

Meat cannot be kept long on account of the intense heat. The oxen are slaughtered at night, and unless meat is removed early next morning, it becomes tainted. A factory in the island supplies ice to the northside once a week, but the waste is great and cost is so dear that poor people cannot buy. As high as three pence (six cents) per pound has been demanded for it. The lowest price is one and one-half pence (three cents) per pound, to which figure, however, it seldom declines.

When drought has prevailed for some months there is much discomfort, but no actual suffering; cases of actual starvation are not known. Nature is kind. Another proverb says you have only to "tickle the soil wid a hoe and him laugh."

As sellers dispose of their wares, one after the other starts on the homestretch. They like if possible to reach home before dark, and will never travel alone after sundown. Two adults will travel together, but neither of them can be tempted to venture out alone. Gross superstition prevails, and the bare suggestion of "duppies" or "rolling calves" (ghosts) is sufficient to deter the most courageous from going out. The natives shut the few windows and doors of their houses to prevent the supposed "ghosts" from gaining access.

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The concluding part of the History of the World

goes with this number as a free Supplement to THE
GREAT ROUND WORLD. The illustrations cover pre-
historic and other structures, and give an excellent

Copyright, 1899, by Universe Publishing Company.

idea of implements used in the dawn of history. Subscribers should have the three supplements in which this history is described. Missing copies will be supplied gratis.

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