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AN ISLAND OF THE’ SEA.



DESCRIPTIVE OF THE



PAST AND PRESENT OF ST. THOMAS,

DANISH WEST INDIES.



WITH



A FEW SHORT STORIES ABOUT BLUEBEARDS AND

BLACKBEARD’S CASTLES.



BY



CHAS. EDWIN TAYLOR, M.D., F.R.GS.,



Member of the Colonial Council of St. Thomas and St. John, of the Board

of Health and Hospital Commission ; Fellow and Honorary Member

of various Scientific and Literary Societies in Europe, Asia,

and America. Author of “ Leaflets from the Danish

West Indies,” “ Jumby Hall,” &., fc.



ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.



PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR, AT TAYLOR'S BOOK-STORE,

ST. THOMAS, D. W.I.

LONDON:

EYRE AND SPOTTISWOODE,

Her Majesty's Printers,

DOWNS PARK ROAD, HACKNEY, N.E.

PREFACE.



OF late years tourists are beginning to find their way

to the West Indies. Their mild and equable climate,

beautiful scenery, the hospitable character of their in-

habitants, are thus becoming known; and as time rolls

on, these islands will become as frequented as other

routes of travel, recommended as interesting and de-

lightful to invalids and pleasure seekers. Most of the

steamship lines bringing them call at St. Thomas. It

is generally the first glimpse they get of West Indian

life, its picturesque town and romantic old towers

always exciting their curiosity. For such as these this

book has been written, for in it will be found almost

everything that is known about them. Should any-

thing be omitted, it is to be hoped that some excuse

will be found; one cannot always particularize, especi-

ally where the exact items are wanting. The illustra-

tions will, no doubt, recommend themselves. They

are reproduced from photographs by our local artists,

to whom the thanks of the writer are due for their

kind permission to use them.



To those who have encouraged him to bring out

** An Island of the Sea,” he begs to express his grati-

tude and sincere appreciation.



And now, having got through the most difficult part

of his book, he begs to subscribe himself most faithfully,



THE AUTHOR.

August 31st, 1895.



$ 3112, a2

o

PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.



HE favourable reception which the first edition of

this work has met with at the hands of an appre-

ciative public has induced me to issue a second, with

the addition of a few words about St. Croix, ‘“‘ The

Garden of the West Indies.” This, I trust, will be

acceptable to those who desire to know more about

these beautiful “Isles of the Sea.” There is so much

to be said of their attractions, bright spots, and romantic

history, that whole volumes might be written about

them. If I have not been able to say more of them

in this, it must be attributed to the expense which

such a work would entail, rather than to any design

of mine to leave anything unsaid to their advantage.

Some day, perhaps, I may bring out a third and

improved edition. This, however, depends upon the

approval of my readers. Till then, with thanks for

past favours, I have the honour to subscribe myself,



THE AUTHOR.

St. Thomas, June 1896.



CONTENTS.



PART I.

PAGE

Tue Past - - - - - - - - - 7

PART II.

Tur Presext - - - - - - - - - 28

PART IIL.

STORIES OF BLUEBEARD’S AND BLACKBEARD’S CASTLES.

“ Bluebeard’s Casket” - - - - - - - - 45

“A Remarkable Coincidence” - - - - - - - 69

“ Black Ivory ” - - - - - - - - - 74

“ James Teach’s Doubloons” - - - - - - - 91

« An Old Colonial Governor” - - - - - - 102







AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



PART I.



THE PAST.



I am going to tell you about “An Island of the Sea,” one of

those islands that Columbus discovered on his second voyage to

the West Indies, in the year 1493. There are many others

more populous, more extensive, more richly endowed by Nature,

perhaps, but few of them can boast of such a career of pros-

perity, the latter part of which is yet within the memory of

some of us.



And what memories does a voyage on the waters of the Blue

Caribbean recall to you. Not an island that you touch at, but

reminds you of some deed of valour done by brave seamen, some

wild story of the days-when “El Draque,”* as the Spaniards

called him, was the terror of this azure-tinted sea.



You read of Jamaica, now prosperous and successful as a

great fruit-growing country, sending its luscious products

weekly to America; of Trinidad’s activity, its wondrous pitch

lake, botanical gardens, its yearly exports of millions of pounds

of “cocoa”; of Grenada’s fertile valleys, its productions of

cotton, spices, and coffee; of St. Vincent, with its Souffriére,

and as the “island of arrowroot”; of St. Lucia’s future pros-

pects; of Dominica’s luxuriant vegetation, virgin forests, deep

ravines and lofty wooded mountains, its timber and countless

natural products; of Montserrat, with its lime trees and export

trade of lime juice; of Antigua, the puzzle of geologists and the

home of important public institutions; of St. Kitt’s and Nevis,

with their sugar cultivation, and of the Virgin Islands. And if

you are not tired you may read of that ancient colony, Barbados,

with its enormous population, busy as bees from morn till

night, among its lovely plantations or in its bustling city; of



* Sir Francis Drake.

''g AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



St. Domingo and Hayti, still struggling in the throes of a

despotism perhaps necessary to their progress, or of Cuba, where

its natives emulous of their neighbours’ independence are arrayed

in arms against the Spaniards, battling for their liberty. —



Yes! you may read of all these lovely fertile, smiling islands,

where God’s precious sunlight kisses their mountain tops nearly

every morning of their existence, but in few volumes will you

find anything about the “Island of the Sea,” of which I have

promised to tell you, and which, if smaller than most of them,

has none the less left its mark upon the pages of West Indian

history. And it is to a little Danish colony I am going to

devote a few chapters of this book, colonized by Danes from

the beginning, the white-crossed, blood-red banner of the Danne-

brog yet floats over it, and seems likely to, if America or

Germany, which, more than once have cast longing eyes towards

it, do not some day exchange it for their own.



And now you may have guessed that my “ Island of the Sea,”

is St. Thomas, once named “The Emporium of the Antilles.”



In a former work * I have endeavoured to sketch its history.

Here it is only possible, briefly to recapitulate and in bringing

it up to date, to notice its past and present position, and some

of the causes which may have led to its decadence as a com-

mercial centre.



That this island must have existed far back in the mists of

ages, its formation plainly shows. Of the cataclysm, which

caused it to spring into existence, we have no information.

Amidst volcanic fires, geology tells us, it must have been evolved,

and it is quite possible that, some day, it may disappear beneath

the ocean under the same conditions.



We are pretty sure that the Caribs inhabited it at one time.

Numerous stone chisels have been found in different parts of

the island, and there are yet some curious carvings on some

rocks in the neighbouring island of St. John, which strongly

confirm the assertion.



What we do know is, that Erik Smidt, the Dane, arrived at

St. Thomas on the morning of the 30th of March 1666, in a

ship called “De Endracht,” took possession of it for Denmark,

landed a small colony, which suffered great privations, and died

shortly after his arrival.



* “Leaflets: from the Danish West Indies.”

AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. i)



Then a Dutch Governor, named Huntum, when the settlement,

was in sore straits for provisions, landed in force and broke

it up.



So that the actual history of St. Thomas cannot be said to

have commenced before the time that Jérgen Iwersen became

its Governor on the 23rd of May 1672, when he came there as

chief of an expedition sent out from Copenhagen by the Danish

West India and Guinea Company. An idea of his iron-handed

rule may be formed from the story of “An Old Colonial

Governor,” which is to be found within these pages. With

“Christian’s Fort,” completed some time after his arrival, and

some 50 estates under cultivation, it may be said that its

population of 331 souls, black and white, was fairly prospering,

and it was unfortunate, perhaps, that Jérgen Iwersen’s rule

came shortly to an end, he being superseded at his own

request by one “Nic Esmit,’ only to be thrown overboard

by a mutinous crew on his re-appointment as Governor and

return to the island of St. Thomas.



Slavery appears already to have existed in the colony, both

white and black ; but, encouraged by King Christian V., a great

number of negroes were brought from Africa, and the cultiva-

tion of sugar was introduced.



Four Governors had already ruled St. Thomas, when a violent

earthquake took place on a Sunday, the 9th of April, in the

year 1690. It cracked the walls of many buildings, and the



- sea receded so that the fish could be picked up from the bottom,

nine or ten fathoms out.



It is about this time that we first hear of Bluebeard’s Castle,

which was then known as Frederik’s Fort, built upon Smith’s

Hill in 1689, by Government.



It seems sad to sweep away the halo of romance with which

imagination has invested it, but the fact is there, though the

pen of fiction has told a score of stories about it and its sister

tower, named after Blackbeard.



Very shortly afterwards the King of Denmark farmed out

the island to one George Thormohlen, a little before the

Brandenburgh Company had established itself with certain

rights and privileges.



On the 31st of March 1692 the first regular troops were

garrisoned in the island. In those days the colonists objected

to taxation, and when.asked for the support of the soldiers,

10 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



they steadily refused. Nor do we find that it was ever

enforced.



In 1694 Thormohlen was replaced by De La Vigne, who, in

his turn, was superseded by Governor Lorentz, under whose rule

we find the tirst severe hurricane recorded. This was in 1697.



In 1701 Pere Labat visited the island. In his interesting

book on the West Indies * he gives a fair picture of St. Thomas.

Of its commerce he makes these remarks :—



“Denmark being almost neutral in the wars of Europe, the

port of St. Thomas is open to all nations. During peace it

serves as an entrepét for the commerce which the French,

English, Spaniards and Dutch do not dare to pursue openly on

their own islands; and in time of war, it is the refuge of

merchant ships when pursued by privateers. On the other

hand, the privateers send their prizes here to be sold when they

are not disposed to send them to a greater distance. Many small

vessels proceed from St. Thomas to the coast of South America,

whence they bring back much riches in the form of specie or in

bars and valuable merchandize. In a word, St. Thomas is a

market of consequence.”



Thus we see, even at this early period, that prosperity was

dawning for this “Island of the Sea.” Its geographical position,

and its magnificent harbour, though as yet destitute of wharves

and those great facilities which, in later years, have made it

almost unique in the West Indies, were already giving it a com-

mercial importance which belonged to no other island.



It is pleasant to look through the pages of the good father,

and read his lifelike description of the little town now known

as Charlotte Amalia. .



Consisting of one street only, it followed the contour of the

bay, which terminated in the factory or offices of the Company.

This was a large and handsome edifice, with many apartments

and magazines for the storage of merchandize. Here they

secured the slaves, in which a large trade was done with the

Spaniards. The houses, which were formerly nothing but huts,

were built of bricks. He speaks of two small streets to the

right of the factory, which were filled with French refugees.

He does not tell us where they came from, nor have I been

able to find out. Most all the houses were of one storey and



* “Voyage aux Iles de.l’Amérique,” Vol. II., page 285.

AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. 11



very well arranged, their pavement being of tiles and the

interiors whitewashed.



He also speaks favorably of its agriculture. The estates

though small were well kept. The soil, if light, was good, pro-

ducing an abundance of manioc, millet, sweet potatoes, and all

kinds of fruits and herbs. The sugar eane grew well. They.

had few cows and horses, for lack of pasturage ; but the inhabi- -

tants did not want for meat, the Spaniards furnishing them

with it in abundance. Young kids and fowls were raised in

quantities.- Provisions were always dear, but money was

plentiful, strangers arriving in affluence.



A brilliant picture for so short an existence the colony had

passed through; and as our “Island of the Sea” went on

progressing through the years that followed, under several

Governors, during which the cultivation of indigo was com-

menced, another frightful hurricane devastated it. This was

in 1713.



In 1716, the import duties were changed from six to eight

per cent., congregations were permitted to elect their own

pastors, and the Secret Council was now separated from the

courts in which they formerly sat as judges. About this time

a deputation was sent home to Copenhagen, the first Govern-

ment House was purchased, and the privileges of the Branden-

burgh Company ceased. Then a land tax was imposed and a

tax of two and a half rix dollars for each man, woman, and

slave.



Then a Royal Council administered the affairs of the colony.

It consisted of five persons besides the Governor, as President, -

two merchants, the bookkeeper, treasurer, and secretary.

Planters had no more the power of life and death over their

slaves, and were bound to treat them well. Clerks serving six

years were then permitted to return home; but young un-

married women were not to enjoy the privilege at all, without

special permission, a state of- things our young ladies of to-day

will surely smile at.



A Reconciling Court, with the Governor as judge, was now

established, and the duties on imports and exports were lowered

to five or six per cent.. St. Thomas was in a flourishing con-

dition. Untold wealth flowed to its shores, and it was not until

the year 1756 that its very existence was threatened by the

very means that had contributed to its greatness.

12 .AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



Up to this time the Dutch had carried on a great trade in

St. Thomas. The Company, jealous of their success, united with

the merchants, and with their help proceeded to exclude the

Dutch from all commerce with the colonies.



It had now become a gigantic monopoly, which from the

oppressive restrictions it put upon the island for its own special

benefit, soon promised its extinction.



It was then that His Majesty, King Frederik V., stepped in

and acquired all its privileges by purchase. It was an enormous

price they obtained for them, but no price was too great to pay

to get rid of what, at the time, was a curse instead of a benefit.

Unfortunately for the colony, such a sweeping change brought

misery, and it is recorded that emigration was of daily occur-

rence, money became scarce, & paper currency was issued, and

of the few inhabitants left to sustain its fallen fortunes the

majority were slaves. oo,



Only on the 9th of April 1764, when it was declared a free

port for vessels of all nations, did its star become once more in

the ascendant. Ships came in, and with them the money so

much needed.



The history of St. Thomas, from that date, is a long record of

triumphant progress in commerce and industry. Its harbour

was full of ships, its town grew rapidly, great houses were

established, wealthy merchants came there to remain, and from

morn till eve its stores were alive with busy purchasers. ’



The first rude shock came with the English, who blockaded it

in the year 1800. Denmark was at war with Great Britain. So,

on the Ist of April 1801, our “Island of the Sea” surrendered to

a military and naval force under Colonel Cowell. For ten

months they held it, when it was restored to Denmark, on the

22nd of Feb. 1802. During this time its commerce was at a

standstill.



Destructive fires took place in 1804 and 1806, which de-

stroyed over 16,000,000 dollars worth of property, and in

1807, the island was again surrendered to the English, who

occupied it till the 9th of April 1815, when they restored it to

Denmark, and its trade again revived.



On the 4th of July 1848 the freedom of the slaves was

proclaimed at the drum-head. From that day agriculture

became a dead letter in St. Thomas, and of the 90 estates,

which 100 years ago were under cultivation, none remain except

_AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. 13



in name. From this time, however, our “Island of the Sea”

prospered greatly, gold flowed into the coffers of its merchants,

and plenty reigned in every household.



On Nov. 15th, 1863, King Frederik VII, so beloved by all

his subjects, passed to a higher life. His Majesty, the present

King, succeeded him. Shortly after his accession to the throne,

the Colonial Law came into force, April 1864, the harbour was

dredged out, a fine marine repairing slip was in operation,

1600 shares in an iron Floating Dock were subscribed for,

Gas Works were planned, and a new Government House, a

Custom House, Public Wharf, new Lighthouse, and a Fish

Market were to be erected.



The war between the Northern and Southern States of

America brought blockade runners to the port, and, as a

consequence, more wealth. Another war, in which the hearts

of the people were deeply concerned, was being fought at home

between Denmark and Germany.



The “Clara Rothe,” a steamer of 366 tons, now ran between

St. Thomas and St. Croix.* On the 8th of April 1865, the

corner-stone of the new Government House was laid. On

the 9th of Jan. 1866, the Hon. W. H. Seward, Secretary of State

for the United States of America, visited the island. Rumours

were then circulated that America was desirous of acquiring

St. Thomas as a coaling station.



At this time, the town was in a very unhealthy condition.

Small-pox and yellow fever had existed for some months;

-, and on the 18th of Nov. the cholera broke out. It caused



“860 deaths.



On the 20th of July 1867 the Floating Dock was inaugurated

by being lowered, and the steamship “Wye” was taken in,

but the Dock would not come up, and it was not successfully

raised and completed till some years afterwards.



To complete the troubles which were now falling thickly

round our “Island of the Sea,” a terrific hurricane passed

over it on the 29th of Oct. More than 300 lives were

lost, and 77 vessels were stranded or wrecked. Following

this, came the earthquake and tidal wave on the 18th of

Nov. These awful calamities were but ‘the beginning of



*“ This service is now done by the “ Vigilant,” a fast sailing schooner, whose

history dates back a hundred years. The “ Clara Rothe” ceased plying between the

islands, as it did not pay.

14 “AN ISLAND OF THE SBA,



the end which awaited St. Thomas, and following each other

so rapidly, spread dismay into the stoutest heart. Shortly

after these events, and when the outlook seemed most gloomy,

the hopes of the people were raised by the prospect of annexa-

tion to the United States of America.



The situation is best expressed in the words of Mr. F. A.

Ober, an American author, whose’ books:on the West Indies

and the Spanish Main* are the delight « of - everyone: who

reads them:— =~



“Unfortunately, our Government once treated with’ Deriniark

for this very possession (St. Thomas), the treaty was not only

ready for ratification, but the King of Denmark had taken

farewell of his loyal subjects and virtually given up the

island, when occurred one of those humiliating episodes:.that

more than once have made America a byword in > diplomatic

circles.”



“The treaty intention was ignored; the King of Denmark

had the humiliation of recalling his loyal but disappointed

subjects, and the attitude of the Home Government towards

us cannot be but that of deep resentment. As it stands now,

Denmark, though anxious. to dispose of her West India posses-

sions, cannot take the initiative, having once been insulted,

and has every reason to view with distrust any proposition

emanating from the Government. of the United States, even

should our legislators have the wisdom to move for their

acquisition.”



More can scarcely be said on a subject reflecting so little

credit upon American diplomacy. That the people who had

voted for and expected so much from the change, were down-

cast and dispirited at such a disappointment, cannot be doubted.

But the necessity of taking up their burden, and facing the

troubles which now awaited them, was. manifest, and so we

see them once more breasting the waves of adversity which

were now setting so strongly against them.



On the 11th of Feb. 1871. the seat of Government was

removed from St. Croix to St. Thomas. On the 26th of that

month, His Excellency Governor W. L. Birch, Commander of

Dannebrog and Dannebrogsmand, died suddenly. On the 30th,

His Excellency Chamberlain Franz Ernest Bille, K.D., arrived



‘* “Camps in the Caribbees.”. “In the Wake of Columbus.”





AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. ° 15



in St. Thomas, as Commissioner Extraordinary and Governor

of the Danish West Indies. He was to reside at St. Thomas,

On the 3rd of August a.change in the Police system was

inaugurated by the acting Policemaster, Mr. Fischer. On the

23rd of Oct. a frightful hurricane took place. Many lives

were lost, and many persons were wounded. Much property

was destroyed. On the 16th of Feb. 1872 telegraphic communi-

cation was established throughout the line to Havana, and

thence to the United States, and thence to Europe.



A new Lighthouse was erected on Muhlensfeldt Point on the

10th of June, and on the 1st of July a dinner was given to His

Excellency Governor Bille, by the Colonial Council, on the

eve of his departure. His Excellency Governor Stakemann

succeeded him ad interim.



His Excellency Governor Garde arrived on the 24th of Sept.



1872. Many events of minor importance took place in the

years which followed. H.B.M.S. “Challenger” paid a visit

to the island, the official paper St. Thome Tidende changed

hands, a rival paper, the St. Thomas Times, appeared, the

“Apollo Theatre” was opened, and for the first time in its

existence the Colonial Council was dissolved. This took place

on Jan. 9th, 1875. Many improvements were made under the

administration of Governor Garde. On the morning of the

_ 2nd of Dec, 1875 the Floating Dock was tested, and was pro-

‘nounced a success) A Central Factory was projected for

St. Croix, and His Excellency left on the 5th of Jan. 1876

for Denmark, in order to carry it to a successful comple-

tion.



Only a few days before his return another frightful hurri-

cane took place, this time including St. Croix, where the

damage was very great. Nothing daunted, in face of so many

misfortunes, the people took heart of grace, improved their

town, established compulsory education, free schools, a fine

College, an efficient Quarantine, a thorough system of sani-

tation, and entering the Postal Union, placed St. Thomas as

much ahead of its neighbours as the cleanest and best regulated

town in the West Indies, as it had formerly been the most

commercial. Then came the visit of H.R.H. Prince Valdemar,

the youngest child of King Christian IX., who arrived here

as lieutenant on board H.M. corvette “Dagmar,” Commander

Braem, on the 27th of Sept.

16 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



’ He was the first Danish Prince who had trod West Indian

soil, and as such, was received with such demonstrations of

loyalty and affection as had never been tendered to anyone

before. .



' In the year 1880 a census was taken of the Danish West

Indies, showing the population of St. Thomas to be 14,387.

On the 18th of March 1881 His Excellency Governor Garde

announced to the Colonial Council of St. Thomas and St. John

his resignation of the Governorship, and the appointment of

his successor, Colonel C. H. Arendrup, K.D., R.E.



His Excellency Governor Garde left St. Thomas with his

family on the 9th of April 1881. Our “Island of the Sea” has

had few Governors like him. Alive always to its best interests,

earnestly desirous of its prosperity, his memory too is ever green

in the hearts of its inhabitants.



Now came His Excellency Colonel C. H. Arendrup, K.D., R.E.,

on the 15th of April. One of his first acts, shortly after his arrival,

was to lay the corner-stone of the Moravian Memorial Church.

On Dec. 6th the Transit of Venus was successfully observed

by the Brazilian Expedition sent to the island for the purpose.

The 31st of March 1883 saw the closing of the College. As

nothing to equal it has been put in its place, parents who cannot

afford to send their children to Europe for a higher education

are obliged to be content with that which the private schools

can afford to give them.



In this year an attempt was made to revive the sugar

industry, but ended in failure, after several thousands of dollars

had been expended. Barbados now threatened to become a

formidable rival to St. Thomas. With an empty port, and

stores fast closing up, the prospects did not look cheering for

our “Island of the Sea.” Mexican silver, worth at most 75 to

80 cents, was passing current at the fictitious value of one

hundred.



A change was now made in the administration. His Excel-

lency the Governor was to reside six months in St. Thomas and

six months in St. Croix. On the 21st of Feb. 1885 a petition was

addressed to His Majesty, representing the fallen fortunes of

the island, asking the mother country to assume the military

expenses and the pensions. On the Ist of July the Royal Mail

Steam Packet Company removed its headquarters to Barbados.

On the Ist of Dec. the new Harbour and Customs Law came into





AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. 17



force. It offered exceptional advantages to vessels seeking the

port. For this concession the merchants, through their repre-

sentatives in Council, allowed the duties to: be raised to two per

cent. ad two per cent. ad valorem.



On the 31st of March 1886 a public dinner was given to His

Honour Policemaster Fischer on the occasion of his jubilee. No

such compliment had been paid before to any official. Dec. 20th

of the same year brought a visit from the son of the Crown

Prince, who arrived here on board H.M.S. “Jylland.” This gave

occasion for another display of the people’s affection and loyalty

towards the Royal House of Denmark. His departure, which

took place on the 21st of Feb. 1887, found business pretty brisk.

This, however, did not last very long. ‘The hurricane months,

with their accustomed dulness, set in, and the end of the year

saw our “Island of the Sea” with a depreciated currency and

its harbour almost empty.



This brings us to the year 1888, when trade suddenly revived.

The harbour was crowded with shipping, and something like

activity in business circles prevailed. St. Thomas could now for

the first time boast of a Humane Society, founded by a few men

who saw the necessity of such an Institution for the prevention

of cruelty to animals. This was followed by the inauguration

of a Home for Destitute Children. On the 14th of April, His

Excellency Governor Arendrup and Mrs. Arendrup celebrated

their Silver Wedding; the occasion was commemorated by a

superb gift of pure silver from their numerous friends, with

a suitable inscription. On the 15th of Nov., the 25th anni-

versary of the accession to the throne of Their Majesties the

King and Queen of Denmark, was celebrated in St. Thomas.

Two days were set apart to do honour to the occasion, and it

must be said that never in the islarid’s history had anything

been seen like the preparations which were made for it. There

was booming of cannon in the early morn; services were held in

churches. There were chiming of bells and a procession such as

the island had never seen before. Everyone had been asked to

participate, and every body, corporate and otherwise, were asked

to attend. His Excellency the Vice-Governor and Mrs. Andersen

assisted, His Excellency Governor Arendrup and Mrs. Arendrup

then being abroad in Europe. Orations were made, odes were

sung, children were feasted, the poor were dined, boat-races

were run. A levée was held, free dances were given, the town



$ 3112. B

18 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



was illuminated, and there was such a torchlight procession to

conclude with, as will live in the memory of everyone who took

part in it, and not a solitary case of disorder was reported ; not

even a brawl, such was the desire to celebrate, in a becoming

manner, the Jubilee of Their Majesties.



On the 27th of Nov. another Jubilee was kept, this time by

the Colonial Council, in commemoration of the 25th anniversary

of the promulgation of the Colonial Law given by His Majesty

King Christian IX.



Shortly after these events, came the news that His Excellency

had been decorated in Copenhagen with the Order of Com-

mander of Dannebrog of the first class, and that His Excellency

Acting Vice-Governor Andersen had been decorated with the

silver cross of Dannebrog. This year closed with the royal

thanks to the Jubilee Committee and the royal appreciation of

the people’s loyalty.



On the 26th of Jan. 1889 His Excellency Governor C. H.

Arendrup returned from Europe. About this time the diffi-

culties arising out of the circulation of Mexican silver, and its

constant depreciation in value, called for the serious attention of

the merchants, and several petitions were got up and presented

to the Colonial Council on the subject. On the 4th of Sept. the

island was visited by a hurricane, which, though not so disas-

trous as those of former years, caused a great deal of appre-

hension and serious damage. As customary, this was taken

advantage of by some of its neighbours to injure the place,

forgetting that St. Thomas, as a rule, is comparatively free

from such visitors, as a glance at the record of any other island

in the West Indies will show.



On the 18th of Oct. an alteration in the Colonial Law for

the Danish West India Islands, dated 27th of Nov. 1863, was

introduced by Government. From what was stated at the

time, it appeared that as the island could no longer defray

its expenses, and the Budgets showed large deficits, and

St. Thomas had become a heavy debtor to the State, the

Draft was brought forward with the object of ameliorating the

condition of affairs. As a majority of the Members did not view

it in the same light as the Government it was strongly opposed

in the discussions which followed, and finally rejected.



On the 2nd of July 1890 His Honour Judge P. M. Andersen,

K.D. and D.M., ex-Chief Justice of the Royal West India Court,

AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. 19



accompanied by his wife, arrived from St. Croix, on his way

home for good. His Honour had on more than one occasion

filled the post of Vice-Governor during the Governor’s absence,

and by his tact and courtesy, had earned the good will and

esteem of a large circle of friends and the public. On the

13th of Oct., 20 privates and non-commissioned officers, under

Acting Captain Paludan, proceeded to Road Town, Tortola, its

President having requested the assistance of our local Govern-

ment to keep the peace among its inhabitants, who had made

a hostile demonstration, owing to the prohibitory dues levied

on that island. A British sloop-of-war arriving a few days

after relieved the Danish soldiers, who returned to St. Thomas

in H.B.MS. “ Tourmaline.”



On the 19th of Nov. a Draft of Ordinance was introduced

into the Colonial Council by one of its members for the

alteration of Ordinance, 23rd of Oct. 1885, concerning Custom

House duties and Ships’ dues. It asked that the Lighthouse

dues be abolished altogether, rendering the harbour virtually

free to all vessels, seeking, neither discharging cargo nor

loading, or only to buy coal or provisions. This move in the

right direction, which was loudly called for, in face of the

inducements now being held out by other islands, was referred

to a committee. On the 26th of Dec. an Agricultural Show was

held at Nisky, the country Moravian Station, under the auspices

of the Humane Society. .



It was the first ever held in the island, and proved a

great success. Prizes were awarded to the exhibitors by His

Excellency Governor Arendrup, who appeared to take a great

interest in the proceedings.



On the 10th of Feb. 1891 His Excellency Governor Arendrup

left for Europe for an absence of six months, and His

Excellency Acting Vice-Governor Jiirs, with family, arrived

from St. Croix, and took up his abode in St. Thomas on

16th Feb. On the same evening there was a meeting of the

Agricultural and Industrial Societies of St. Thomas, for the

purpose of advancing the proposed Agricultural Show, which

was to come off during the year.



On the 18th of August this Exhibition took place. It was

held in town, and lasted two days, thé first day being observed

as a holiday. The Industrial exhibits were displayed in the



Theatre, and the Agricultural in the Park adjoining. The

B2

20 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



ceremony of opening the Exhibition was entrusted to His

Honour the Policemaster, H. M. W. Fischer, whose arrival was

announced by the band playing the National Anthem.



He was received by the members of the committee, and

introduced by the Rev. E. Foster, of Nisky, in a few appro-

priate words. His Honour then made a speech full of the

interest he had for the island, and the hopes he had, that

he might live to see the day when St. Thomas would be in

cultivation from East to West, from North to South. He then

declared the Exhibition opened.



An enormous crowd assisted and appreciated to their utmost

both exhibits, which called for the highest praise from everyone

on account of their variety. Almost every tropical production

was represented, as well as specimens of Creole handicraft and

Ladies’ needlework. The display in the Theatre on the evening

of the second day was extremely beautiful, and His Excellency

Governor Arendrup and Mrs. Arendrup, arriving from Europe

by the steamer at 9 p.m., and almost immediately after landing

proceeding to the Exhibition, was such a graceful act, that they

received an enthusiastic reception. The proceedings terminated

with a street procession, marching to the music of a brass

band, which ended what may be justly termed a red-letter

day in the annals of St. Thomas, a day that showed in a

striking manner what its inhabitants were capable of pro-

ducing, and if the right stimulus were given, this “Island of

the Sea” could be rendered as productive as when, 100 years

ago, it was covered with flourishing estates.



It is unfortunate to chronicle, that with this energetic effort

on the part of the Society its endeavours in this direction

ceased. Acquiring the Estate “Crown,” and parcelling out ‘its

land on favourable terms to the poorer class of agriculturists,

it got involved in a law suit with its neighbours, which yet

continues. Let us hope, with the settlement of this and the

vexed question at issue, it may once more resume its labours

and receive that encouragement which it truly deserves.



Reports were now being pretty extensively circulated of the

probable transfer of St. Thomas to America. Nearly every

mail from the United States brought newspapers containing

articles, more or less, in favour of the project, notably the

New York Herald and the Sun, which caused people to believe

that sooner or later something would be done in the matter.





AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. 21



But, like many a former rumour, it ended in nothing, though

it was pretty generally felt, in the now rapidly increasing

fortunes of the island, that a change of some sort would be

beneficial. Prominent Americans believed that the acquisition

of St. Thomas was desirable. Its harbour had been over and

over again quoted by the best naval authorities as the finest

in the West Indies. The American Government had coquetted

with Haiti for the possession of Mole St. Nicolas, and with

San Domingo, for the Bay of Samana, and had not succeeded

in obtaining either of them. Here was a port ready made,

as it were, with a harbour almost landlocked, capable of holding

nearly 200 vessels, with « fine floating dock, wharves, large

warehouses, a clean and well-kept town, substantial buildings,

an intelligent and industrious people, in fact, everything most

desirable for a Naval and Coaling Station. It was most

natural that St. Thomas should receive attention in this

respect. It is true, that America was just then on the verge

of war with Chili, and felt the necessity of such a place,

but with a peaceful settlement of the difficulty, the desire

faded away, and Uncle Sam yet remains without a Naval

Station in West Indian waters. Some fine day he will be

caught napping, and then there will be some unpleasant hours

at Washington.



On the 3rd of Nov. a telegram from St. Croix brought the

news of the demise of Johan August Stakemann, K.D. and

D.M., who retired from office in 1881. He was born in St.

Thomas on the 14th of Dec. 1805. He was an accomplished

scholar and jurist, a rare musician, and was one of the few

natives who, by his abilities, had held on more than one occasion

the reins of Government in both the islands.



In the month of December the Hon. Frederick A. Ober,

Special Commissioner to the West Indies from the World’s

Columbian Exposition, arrived in St Thomas, to use his own

words, “to obtain the co-operation of the Government in the

Exposition.” To this end he called upon His Excellency the

Governor, Colonel Arendrup, who, unfortunately, was not at

that time able to further his views. Appealing to the residents

of the town, and being aware of the people’s desire to make

known their island as a winter resort, and its desirability as a

Coaling Station, he recommended that, “a model or relief-map

be prepared, showing the glorious harbour, the surrounding

22 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA,



hills, the town, the tropical vegetation—in other wofds, a small

exposition of the island, visible at a glance, that would convey

to the world at large an adequate picture of its beauty and

advantages.” The idea was applauded by the Committee ap-

pointed to carry it into effect, and on Mr. Ober’s second visit to

St. Thomas, six weeks after, one of their number volunteered

to reproduce the harbour, drawn to scale, and in such a shape as

to be attractive to the general observer as well as valuable to

the scientist.



On the 12th of Feb. 1892 a committee of gentlemen, presided

over by His Excellency the Governor, was organized for the

purpose of raising subscriptions towards Their Majesties’, King

Christian IX. and Queen Louise’s, Golden Wedding Fund. On

the 30th of March the 200th anniversary of the arrival of the

military was observed by a display of flags from public as well

as private places. On the 30th of April the Memorial to Their

Majesties, the King and Queen of Denmark, on the occasion of

their approaching Golden Wedding, from the Colonial Council,

which had been entrusted to one of the members for execution,

was forwarded, vid St. Croix, to its destination. The papers of

the day speak of it as an artistic production, creditable to all who

took part in it. On the 28th of May the Golden Wedding of

Their Majesties was observed by a large display of flags in town

and harbour. At daylight a royal salute was fired, the various

church bells ringing simultaneously. On the 20th of August a

Draft of Ordinance prohibiting the circulation of money tokens

was introduced into the Colonial Council. This was the first

direct blow aimed at Mexican silver, which had now been in

circulation for some years, causing serious loss and inconvenience

to the people of St. Thomas. After the usual discussion the

Draft was adopted, to be put in force about the middle of

September.



On the 14th of Sept. the reign of Mexican silver came to an

end. As the circulation of “tokens” was suppressed, the coal

carriers struck work, and a mob of them invaded the town, carry-

ing sticks and shouting to be paid in Danish money. After they

had made loud demonstrations at the three steamship agencies,

the crowd increasing at every moment and becoming more dis-

orderly, a detachment of soldiers was ordered out to keep them

in check. In the meanwhile, His Honour Policemaster Fischer

and Police-Assistant Kjar strove to restore order. During the

AN: ISLAND OF THE SEA. 23



tumult most of the stores were closed; but when it became

known. that the Companies had agreed to pay their hands in

Danish silver, it ceased almost as quickly as it had begun. It

is the first time in the history of St. Thomas that the working

class had been so neat coming into conflict with the authority—

for, as a rule, no more peaceable population exists in any com-

munity. It is more than probably due to the influence which

Policemaster Fischer had over the more unruly of its members

that nothing serious occurred.



The year 1893 opened with the demise of Secretary Héther

Hanschell, who for 18 years had faithfully served the Govern-

ment, during which period he had earned the esteem of the

public and all with whom he had been brought in contact

officially or socially.



United States cruisers now began to drop into the harbour,

‘and, with the French and German men-of-war, it presented an

animated appearance. Splendid entertainments were given at

Government House to’ the commanders and officers, who were

likewise the recipients of much of that hospitality for which

St. Thomas is famous.



On the 19th of Feb. the Pope’s Golden Jubilee was celebrated

by the members of the Catholic Congregation, who illuminated

their houses and made a liberal display of bunting in honour of

the occasion.



About this time a proposition was brought forward in the

Colonial Council to establish a Mont de Pieté, or a Government

pawnbroker’s shop, where small loans on jewellery could be

obtained at a moderate rate of interest. Unfortunately it was

not in order, though, from what transpired, it appeared that an

Ordinance to that effect had once been brought in and dropped,

so that our “Island of the Sea” is yet a paradise for money-

lenders, as much as five per cent. to ten per cent. per month

being asked and given.



Since the opening of the year no less than 17 warships had

anchored in the harbour, a strong proof of the appreciation by

their Government of its advantages. England, Italy, Germany,

and Russia were represented, and now several others were

expected on their way to the Naval Review in New York, to

celebrate the 300th anniversary of the discovery of America by

Columbus. On the 11th of March six powerful men-of-war lay

in the harbour, each representing a different nation. On the 12th

24 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



the U.S. cruiser “Newark” arrived in port from Las Palmas,

Canary Islands, with the caravel “ Nina” in tow, and with her

the U.S. cruiser “Bennington,” towing the caravel “Pinta,” en

voute for the World’s Columbian Exposition. Boats filled with

sightseers pulled off to see these facsimiles of the caravels in

which Columbus sailed on his immortal voyage of discovery.

Had it been possible to strip the scene of its modern accessories,

one might have imagined the great navigator and his caravels

once more in the harbour of St. Thomas, as he very likely was

400 years ago. Who knows if the Caribs who lived there then,

did not look at these strange vessels with the same curiosity

animating them, perhaps, that filled nearly every one in St.

Thomas on the 12th of March 1893 at the sight of their coun-

terparts ?



It was an interesting event—and a day ever memorable in

the annals of our “ Island of the Sea.” On the Ist of April the

Port of St. Thomas was declared free, and the import dues raised

three per cent. By this time the model of the island of

St. Thomas was completed, and submitted to the Committee

and the public of St. Thomas, who were so satisfied with its

execution, that they determined to raise a subscription and

send it to the World’s Columbian Exposition, with Dr. C. E.

Taylor, its constructor, and his son Clarence, who had assisted

him. This was carried into effect, Dr. Taylor proceeding on

the 23rd of April to America, and to the World’s Fair, where

he was officially recognized as Commissioner representing the

island, and successfully installed it. Of its merits as a model,

it was pronounced to be “worthy to stand alongside the best.”

It attracted general attention among the naval men connected

with the Exposition, who remembered St. Thomas for the

hospitality of its people, and as the finest harbour in the

West Indies in which they had ever cast anchor. There was

but one voice among all of them as to the desirability of

our “Island of the Sea,” as a Coaling Station for the United

States of Americas. The model itself received many favourable

notices from the Chicago Press, notably the Tribune. It was

a miniature St. Thomas, the town, with over 1600 houses, and

harbour with its ships, being faithfully pourtrayed. It even

contained the American warships and the caravels. The country

was also depicted with its ponds, watercourses, houses, roads,

and estates.





AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. 25



It is gratifying to note that. it gave great satisfaction to.

the Royal Danish Commission, and that Dr. Taylor was awarded

the Medal and Diploma, his son Clarence receiving a handsome

Certificate from the World’s Fair Authorities, for having

assisted him. ;



The commencement of this year was a busy one, no less

than 48 steam vessels having called at St. Thomas during the

month of March.



On the 2nd of May came the news of the death of Chamber-

lain Garde, formerly Governor of the Danish West Indies. The

news was received with profound regret by many of his friends

and the publi.



“Under date of 15th May, the Governor of the Danish

West Indies, Colonel C. H. Arendrup, C.D. and D.M., was,

in virtue of his petition, granted his resignation from said

office from 30th of June, account to reckon, with the notifica-

tion of His Majesty the King’s most high satisfaction with his

work in that capacity.”



On the 21st of June, at an Extraordinary Meeting of the

Colonial Council, His Excellency rose to bid farewell to the

Council on his retirement from the post of Governor. He

referred gratefully to the services given by the officials; to

the co-operation of the Honourable Council; to his relations

with the Consular Body, as well as the clergymen of the

different congregations. He spoke regretfully of the decline

of trade, but hoped that the future of St. Thomas would be

brighter, and wished every prosperity to the island and its

inhabitants.



The Chairman called upon the Council to wish His Excellency

a safe passage and success in his new sphere of labour, which

was unanimously done, the members rising. His Excellency

then shook hands with the Chairman, bowed to the members,

and retired.



Thus passed from the public life of St. Thomas His Excel-

lency Colonel Arendrup, who, during a trying time in its

fortunes, had sustained the responsible post of Governor of

these islands. It is too early yet to judge of his administra-

tion, which in times of adversity is always trying to men in

high positions. But we are sure, that on all occasions His

Excellency sought the welfare of these islands. Even in

matters which related to individuals he acted conscientiously,

26 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



always with kindness, but with unmistakeable firmness, He

was a staunch friend—a lover of industrial and agricultural

progress, and with an ever-decreasing Budget before him,

always ready to effect what improvements it would allow.

In private or official life he was always accessible, the poorest

could gain admittance to him at any time and be patiently

listened to; as host, everyone in St. Thomas, and those who

have visited our “Island of the Sea,” will remember the

splendid entertainments given at Government House, where,

with Madame Arendrup, he dispensed a hospitality which will

be ever remembered. .



His Excellency left the island on the 27th of June 1893,

amidst cheering and a salute of 17 guns from the battery.



A heavy gale swept over the island on the 19th of August,

doing considerable damage to the wharves; some roofing and

spouting torn away, fences blown down, and ‘trees torn up, were

among the minor incidents.



On the 8th of Nov. His Excellency the Acting Vice-Governor

Jiirs took up his residence in St. Thomas.



His Excellency Colonel Carl Emil Hedemann, K.D., RE,

arrived on the 22nd of Dec., and, as Governor-General of the

Danish West Indies, held an official reception at Government

House, which was attended by the officials, members of Colonial

Council, and many merchants and leading inhabitants of the

island, who, after a sumptuous luncheon, departed most favour-

ably impressed with the new Governor's courtesy and affability.



With the advent of the new Governor there is but little

to chronicle of the year 1894.



On the 19th and 20th of July 1895 a picked eleven of

cricketers from the island of St. Kitt’s played against a picked

eleven of St. Thomas. The former were victors. It was the

first time that such a visit from a neighbouring island had

taken place, and gave full scope for that hospitality and good

feeling for which St. Thomas is famous.



The Silver Wedding of Their Royal Highnesses the Crown

Prince Frederick and the Princess Louise was celebrated on

the 28th of July with becoming loyalty. A subscription of

1087 dollars was collected, and an Address of Congratulation,

elegantly illuminated, was forwarded.



“The year 1895 saw the retirement of Policemaster H. M. W.

Fischer, after 47 years’ service in the Danish West Indies.

AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. 27



Born in the city of Flensburg in the year 1831, he volunteered.

for the war in 1848, and volunteered for the West Indies in the

latter part of that year, when a force of 400 men was dis-

patched from the army in order to quell the insurrection of

the slaves in St. Croix in that year. Arriving in that island,

and finding it quelled, they requested to be sent home again to

take part in the war, sending a petition to the Home Govern-

ment to that effect. Being detained, Mr. Fischer served in his

regiment until employed in Government office as writer, with

the rank of sergeant. In 1857 he was constituted as royal

clerk, and as such removed to St. Thomas, in the then office of

the Presidency, in the month of February 1859. On the Ist

of April 1861 he was nominated Assistant-Policemaster in

St. Thomas, and on the 12th of June 1871 Acting Policemaster

until the 20th of April 1873, when he received royal appoint-

ment as such. On the 7th of Oct. 1881 he was made a Knight

of Dannebrog.



We have seen, in the course of this history, how on all occa-

sions the services of Policemaster Fischer were appreciated by

the people of these islands. It may be said of him that, with

the exception of His Excellency the Governor, few officials, and

these islands can boast of many good ones, ever had the

interests and welfare of the people more at heart than him-

self. A long acquaintance with their manners and customs -

‘fully qualified him for the post which he so faithfully filled

for so many years in St. Thomas. To say that he were fault-

less, would be to make him more than human. This, I am sure,

he never pretended to be; but that he did his duty conscien-

tiously and fearlessly is written on the pages of his life from

the beginning of his career in the West Indies to the end of it.

For this, on his retirement, the inhabitants of St. Thomas, .

through a Committee of prominent citizens, presented him with

a gold medal, an illuminated address, in a box of native manu-

facture, and a piece of silver, which was handed to him some

time after his arrival in Copenhagen, for which city he left

St. Thomas, with his estimable wife, vid the United States of

America, on the 13th of August. Such a tribute from the Danish’

West Indian people had never before been given to a Danish official.



With this episode I conclude my historical sketch, referring

my readers to the following pages for a review of the present

condition of our “ Island of the Sea.”

28 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



PART II.



THE PRESENT.



AND now that we have gone through the pages of its history,

let us take a look as it is to-day.



We have traced it from the time when the first naked Caribs

trod its shores, living in rude huts and earning a precarious

livelihood by hunting and fishing. We have seen it, from a

mere handful of adventurers, become the centre of a commerce

almost unparalleled in the West Indies. We have seen it the

resort of pirates and buccaneers, and a rendezvous for convoys

of merchant vessels, and for individuals of every nationality

under the sun. We have seen it passing from the iron-handed

rule of a Jérgen Iwersen to that of successive Governors, all

vested with more or less extraordinary powers; with its har-

bour crowded with sailing vessels, and its streets crowded with

purchasers ; its hills cultivated almost to their summits, and its

fertile valleys full of tropical products; with disease and pesti-

lence at its doors, or rendered a desolate waste from the hurri-

cane and earthquake. We have seen it in such good fortune

as has fallen to the lot of few islands in these seas. We are

now to behold it with its magnificent harbour and improvements,

its great coaling facilities, its wharves and Floating Dock, capable

of receiving steamers and large vessels of over 3000 tons, its

Marine slip and railway for the repairing of smaller craft, its

immense cisterns for the storage of water for the supply of

vessels, its Factory, where nearly every conceivable kind of iron-

work for the repair of steamships can be turned out, where a

shaft or boiler can be made, or a propeller repaired or iron

launches built, its stevedores’ service for the loading and dis-

charging of vessels, its telegraph station, its hospitals, its

medical staff, its Ice-house, its contractors for ships’ supplies,

its ship carpenters and caulkers, its well-built city, its polite

Officials, its mild and good Government, its civilized and

industrious inhabitants ; and though shorn of its ancient pros-

perity, yet worthy indeed of the name I have given it, “An

Island of the Sea.”





AN ISLAND OF THE SEA, 29



And I am not the only one who grows enthusiastic over it.

Scarcely anybody who visits its shores, but what goes away

pleased with the place and the people. Hear what Mr. F. Ober

says of it *:—



“As daylight comes, it is seen what a beautiful harbour is

this of St. Thomas, worthy of all the adjectives one can heap

upon it, magnificent, gem-like, glorious. Hills on all sides

surround it, save towards the southern sea, where the entrance

lies between two high promontories, guarded by ancient forts.

Hills behind it, sunburnt and bare, look down upon a charming

town, itself built upon three elevations, and one of the most

_picturesque places in the Caribbean Sea. One rarely hears the

name of this town, the port of St. Thomas, but it is called

Charlotte Amalia, and is a good old-fashioned settlement, clean

and pretty, with straight streets, good wharves, street and

harbour lights, a fine police force, a stable Government and

most delightful situation. There is not another like it any-

where for comfort and convenience, and it fitly supplements the

advantages of its royal harbour as a place of call, and even

detention, for the naval vessels cruising in those seas.”



I quote thus extensively from one of America’s best-informed

writers on West Indian topics, to show what an impression this

“Island of the Sea” made upon him, and were I not afraid of

wearying my readers, I could fill these pages with quotations

from the New York Herald, the Sun, and Detroit Free Press,

all containing articles in a similar strain; so different to those

of prejudiced writers, who may have never seen the place, or

who had their own petty interest to serve. There is no need to

add to the description of Mr. Ober, which, for picturesqueness

and accuracy, stands unrivalled ; but there are so many points of

vantage from which to view our “Island of the Sea,” that

I may well be pardoned if I sketch a few of them. Are you

a stranger and desirous of seeing it under different aspects ?

Take a walk up any one of the hills which lead to Bluebeard’s

or Blackbeard’s Castle ; if their owners kindly permit you to

inspect them, mount to the top of either of these ancient

buildings.



What a sight lies below you! The bay is crowded with

vessels, The red-roofed houses lie snugly at the foot of the



* “In the Wake of Columbus.”

30 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



hill, little clumps of bananas and cocoa palms standing out

in- relief. Far away to the south is St. Croix, to the west

Porto Rico, their dim and hazy outlines scarcely visible on the

dark blue sea. Buck Island is not far off, and Frenchman’s Cap,

a rugged rock, whose base, white with the foam of the turbulent

element surrounding it, stands solitary amidst the waste of

waters. Estate Thomas, Havensigt, and the Lazaretto are to

the left. All dainty spots to look at, full of flowers and

tropical foliage. To right and left are islets with sandy bays,

fringed with the seaside grape or wild mangrove. Within

are the coal wharves of the different companies. Between what

is called the Haul-over, you may get a glimpse of Water Island,

and to the right of the passage which has been cut through

it, and which has done so much for the sanitation of the

harbour, you will see “Villa Olga,” a tastefully appointed

residence, whose interior is a perfect cabinet of bric-a-brac

and art treasures, situated on one of the most lovely spots

on the island; and what a garden adjoins it, what a wealth

of rose trees and flowers! Bananas and pine apples, mangoes,

and fruit trees of every description. Cosy nooks with seats

in them, pleasant walks and shady places, and a serpentine

road leading you to the top of a mountain, which when reached

will give you, from its pavilion, a view of such surpassing

grandeur and beauty, that you will wonder that you had never

heard of it before. ;



It is a sight one does not easily forget, in years afterwards,

is this town of St. Thomas, as seen through the windows of

the charming dwelling I have mentioned, extending to the

left of you, with cocoa-nut palms waving in the foreground,

the busy harbour with its shipping, and Bluebeard’s Castle

melting away, as it were, in the haze of the distance.



Then, if you care to climb the hills again, till you reach

Louisenhoi, and, standing on the summit, you look down on

the town, as we have described it, below, and on the other

side of the island, Magen’s Bay, where its translucent waters,

of an emerald green, plash eternally upon a sandy shore of snowy

whiteness. A scene such as few pens can describe—certainly not

mine. Now descend we from the picturesque to the prosaic, if

it were possible to be so, in describing Charlotte Amalia.



- The town itself is essentially a business place, as its merchants

are thoroughgoing business men. Its great commercial houses





. AN. ISLAND OF THE SEA, 81



Fd

of yore may have departed, but those that remain are fully

alive to the exigencies of the situation. They know that

St. Thomas is no longer the Emporium of the Antilles, but

they have very sensibly gone to work and improved their

town and harbour—theéé harbour especially.



In the first place, they have made it free—free to come in

and free to go out—for vessels sepking, and this, at a cost

to themselves of one per cent. extra, paid on their duties,

making three per cent. instead of two per cent., as formerly.

Then, again, they have managed to cheapen everything, as it

never was before.



You can coal cheaper, telegraph cheaper, repair vessels

cheaper, and water vessels cheaper, and with better water

than elsewhere in the West Indies. These are facts which

can be proved by reference to important papers on the subject.

Then, again, they have provided a Lazaretto, where those who

are quarantined in it, pass a happy and. pleasant time with

- an educated and intelligent Imspector and his family, amidst

such agreeable surroundings, that we have it actually on record

that some persons have regretted to leave it. Then, again, the

sanitary condition of the town has been so vastly improved,

that, according to the testimony of our able and esteemed

King’s Physican, Dr. Mortensen, our death rate will compare

favourably with most places in the civilized world. A more

cleanly town to-day than Charlotte Amalia scarcely exists.

From the trimly-kept Fort, used as a Prison and Police Station,

and the handsomely-built Barracks, down to the smallest

building, you will be struck with the air of cleanliness which

prevails. All the streets are macadamized, with gutters at

each side of them paved with stone. The three principal

water courses, or “Guts,” as they are called, are paved in the

same manner, and carry down the water from the mountains

to the sea.



The stores are massive, brick built, extend to the water’s

edge some 400 feet, have iron tracks running alongside of

them for the carriage of goods, and are solidity itself. There

are probably 100 such, built, many of them, at a cost of

50,006 dollars to 60,000 dollars apiece. Each has its wharf for

the landing of goods, and some of them powerful cranes to hoist

them up. It is sad to compare their present inactivity with

the life of former days, when work in them commenced at

32 _ AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



5 am., heads of the firm and their clerks. being at their posts

together, especially in the busy season. If it be different

to-day, it is because the maddening rush for wealth is over,

and men no longer. expect to make a fortune in a few years

to go to Europe and spend it. Thus you will see that mer-

chants take things easier and come down, between 7 and 9 a.m.,

some of them ‘in cabs, so perfect a picture of contentment, that

a Wall Street millionaire might justly envy them. Do not

suppose by this, that any of them sit with their hands folded

when they get to work. There is yet business enough left

in our “Island of the Sea” to keep nearly everyone occupied

until 5 or 6 p.m., when the stores close, and they all go home

for dinner. And this, as those who have partaken of West

Indian hospitality, is almost always an enjoyable affair. People

live well in St. Thomas as a rule, and to these fresh from the

rough fare of ship board, or a tour in the interior of San

Domingo, Hayti, or Porto Rico, the clean, snowy tablecloth,

the polished silver, and the neat appointments of a St. Thomas

breakfast or dinner table, are. something.to be remembered.



This brings me to our accommodations for passengers. True,

there are no hotels on the European ‘nor American plan. There

is, indeed, nothing imposing in that direction; but there is the

Hotel du Commerce, a place that has existed for many years.

It fronts the harbour, close to the landing-place and the Eman-

.cipation Garden, and, if not too fastidious, one can be very

happy and comfortable for the days he may have to spend

there. Then there are private boarding-houses of different

grades. One or two of them elegantly furnished, where the

scent of countless roses greets you in the early morn. through

your window, and where you may enjoy everything of the best

that can be found in a West Indian home. And society will

not be found wanting, for in the months of December, January,

February, and March, when the harbour is crowded with vessels,

and ships of war come in, to wake you in the morn with the

boom of cannon saluting the old brick Fort, you may participate

in a round of gaiety almost bewildering to the lover of repose.

His Excellency the Governor then resides in St. Thomas, and

the doors of Government House, a splendid building, handsomely

decorated and well appointed, are thrown open, dancing and dinner

parties succeeding each other, until one wonders how human

nature can stand so much, with the thermometer sometimes at 80.





- AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. 33



That the ladies—and there are many of them young and

beautiful—do so, seemingly as fresh as ever at each entertain-

ment, is positive; and so the ball rolls merrily on until the

busy season becomes dull again, and the hurricane months set

in, a period that extends from 25th July to 25th Oct.; the béte

noir of every one, and a time when the harbour is empty,

‘streets are empty, and, as a consequence, pockets are empty.

Yet the people bear it manfully, thankful if they pull through

without one of those storms for which the West Indies are

famous, and which, once experienced, leave a nameless dread

behind them.



But soon the Christmas season comes along; the stores are

gay with merchandize, toys and presents are liberally displayed,

Christmas cards and gifts are bought in wild profusion, for with

business once again revived and money floating freely, past cares

are all forgotten.



And in the harbour a like activity prevails; the boatman

finds a harvest among the tourists, who, to escape the chilly

blasts of northern winters, come to these climes for health and

recreation. The naked urchins who go alongside the steamers

which bring these friendly visitors pick up many a sixpence by

diving after them in the water. Vendors of curios, sea-shells,

branches of coral white as snow, and tropical fruits, are also

there for the purpose of selling them to the passengers. Boats

pass to and from the men-of-war and King’s wharf, sometimes

conveying officers dressed in uniform to pay visits to their

entertainers of the night before, or perhaps a party of ladies

and gentlemen to breakfast or dine with some foreign admiral,

if in port. Truly, the interchange of civilities is never-ending,

and long remembered afterwards by the recipients. I have

talked with naval officers at the World’s Fair, Chicago, who

have remembered with delight the hospitality of St. Thomas.

And when a large party of tourists are leaving the island, the

landing-place is a sight to look at, so encumbered is it with their

purchases. Piles of boxes of bay rum, for the production of

which the island is famous, Florida water,* which is made here

of surpassing excellence, and wines, liqueurs, preserves, and

pickles, all of which are to be obtained cheap and of very good



* Mr. H. Michelsen makes a superior quality of bay rum and Florida water, so

does our esteemed apothecary, Mr. A. H. Riise. Both these gentlemen were awarded

the Medal and Diploma at the World’s Columbian Exposition,



8 3112, co}

34 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



quality, lay strewn upon the wharf, with here and there a

package or two of genuine Hayana cigars. This bustle and life

extends to all parts of the water’s edge in this season of the

island’s activity; from the fishwomen who sell the fish that

the men have caught in their fish-pots overnight, to the women

who coal the steamers at Messrs. Bréndsted and Company’s

great coal wharves, all are constantly employed. Busy as bees

are the coal-women when at this exhausting labour; hundreds

of them, each with a basket of coal on her head, run along the

gangway leading to the steamer, empty it, and run back to have

it once again refilled. Most striking is this scene at midnight,

when they sing songs in a quaint minor key, never ceasing their

labour until the huge steamer is properly coaled; then the

flambeaux which have lighted up coals, women, overseers, and

officers of the ship go out, and all is quiet once more.



All this movement may seem incredible to those who have

been accustomed to associate life in the tropics with laziness and

a disinclination to exertion, especially where the negroes are

concerned ; give them work, and pay them properly for it, and

they will do it quite as promptly, and far more good-naturedly,

than their white brother in a like station of life, who, the slave

perhaps of some trade union, is far worse off to-day than the

negro ever was at the time of slavery.



A number of large steamers coal at Messrs. Bréndsted and

Company’s wharf every month; from eight to ten thousand

tons of coal may be found piled up in a stack at a time. I

have heard it said by steamship captains that this firm can coal

a steamer faster and cheaper than any other in the West Indies.



There is a natural dry dock, just between the German Com-

pany’s wharf and that of Messrs. Bréndsted and Company; as

if Nature had predestined St. Thomas to be the future Naval

Station of such a power as America, there is a cove, oblong in

shape, only requiring a pair of gates to make it the most per-

fect and commodious dry dock in the West Indies. If we add

to this, that an arsenal and store-houses could be built alongside

its shores, properly sheltered from an enemy’s shot or shell in

case of an attack—I think, I have shown pretty conclusively

the immense natural advantages which the harbour of St.

Thomas possesses above all others in the West Indies—it

could be made impregnable. In this I am supported by more

than one authority in such matters.

AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. 35



Now let me get back to town again. I have had, in the

course of the island’s history, to tell of disease and pestilence,

hurricane and earthquake. The éormer, owing to greatly im-

proved sanitation, no longer exists, and the latter so rarely visits

our “Island of the Sea,” that people hardly take them into

account unless very severe, which is but rarely.



Hurricanes are certainly unpleasant visitors, as, indeed, are all

such natural phenomena; but with a fall in the barometer,

indicating its approach, people make ready for it, and as the

houses are built pretty strongly, few of them are blown away

bodily, as in the great tornadoes which are common in America,

unless the “blow ” be an unusually severe one.



To feel the ground trembling under you is also an unpleasant

visitation ; but as such earthquakes as that of 1867 only occur

once in 300 years, it will be seen that St. Thomas is singularly

free from them—at least those of a really destructive character.

With regard to the frequency of hurricanes, St. Thomas has

only been visited by them ten times in a period covering 397

years, out of nearly 140 hurricanes and severe gales which have

committed more or less injury in the West Indies They

undoubtedly do a great deal of damage to fences, crops, and

the smaller wooden tenements, unroofing houses, and wrecking

vessels in the harbour, should its violence be sufficient to cause

them to break away from their anchorage; but, as if in com-

pensation, the seasons become more regular, rains fall with

greater frequency, and the climate becomes more equable. And

it is wonderful how soon the people begin to clear away the

wreckage and recover from the disaster; ‘so quickly, that it

would seem as if no such thing had happened. Who would

believe, looking at St. Thomas to-day, that a hurricane or tidal

wave had ever devastated it? To my mind, and I have in the

course of my early travels witnessed both, a blizzard or a

tornado such as can sweep away half a city in a few minutes in

America, are far more formidable visitants. Change their

names to hurricane or cyclone, and I think Uncle Sam can

beat the West Indies hollow in such matters.



English is the language generally spoken; it might be said

to be the language of the country if Danish were not the

official Spanish, French, and German are also spoken by many

of the inhabitants; but as the commerce with the Spanish

Colonies has decreased, the young men no longer seek to acquire



c 2

36 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



the Spanish language. With a liberality not usual among Con-

tinental nations, Denmark never extended compulsory military

service to the Colonies. There were volunteer corps once on a

time, which turned out now and then with all the “pomp and

circumstance of war,” but none of them remain except the

Brand Corps, which is actually the Fire Brigade, under a

brand-major and officers; this is very effective and does its

duty well, and when assisted by the coal and other women,

who, when the cry of fire is raised, rush to the scene with their

buckets full of water, will stay a conflagration quicker than

those with better appliances.



Nor did Denmark ever offer to enforce the compulsory

acquirement of Danish. It may be said our “Island of the

Sea” has actually as liberal a Government as any under the

sun. There is one newspaper, the St. Thome Tidende; the

Bulletin and Mail Notes are dailies; they have a fair circu-

lation, and are filled with many items of local interest to their

subscribers.



There is a Colonial Council, elected by the people; a Recon-

ciling Court, which, bringing plaintiff and defendant together

before two citizen judges, and reconciling them, when possible,

saves endless suits at law; a Town Court tries criminal cases.

There is no trial by jury, but the judges are men of probity,

and it is quite sure that a man stands just as good a chance of

a fair trial before the one man as he would before “ twelve men,

good and true.” There is a Special Court, which may be held

any day, and a Dealing Court; this investigates the circum-

stances of all deceased persons, sees that wills are properly

executed, administers to the affairs of all who die intestate, and

takes charge of all assets in cases of bankruptcy on behalf of

creditors. Imprisonment for debt is yet in vogue; but as the

unfortunate creditor has to feed his debtor, it seems rather hard,

especially as, should the creditor fail to send the money for his

debtor's maintenance, he walks out a free man, and he cannot

imprison him again for the debt. There are many other institu-

tions, charitable and otherwise—a Humane Society, a Home for

Destitute Children—all testifying to the advanced condition of

the people.



Compulsory vaccination exists, but many parents pay the fine

in preference to running the ghastly risk of arm-to-arm vacci-

nation, whereby leprosy has, on more than one occasion, been





AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. 37



transmitted. It must be said, however, that the law is very

severe on any careless physician, and that the utmost care is

observed: There is ‘also compulsory education; the private

schools are good, but a College is sadly needed for the higher



- education of both sexes, who are eager to learn and are not



. defieient in natural ability.



There are several churches; the Lutheran, which is the State

Church, the Roman Catholic, Moravian, Episcopalian, Dutch

Reformed, and Methodists. The Israelites have a pretty syna-

gogue, which in past days was always filled with a large and

influential congregation. One can pass a pleasant Sunday in

St. Thomas; the Danes are far from straight-laced, and can

tolerate a little music and honest pleasure after church hours.

A man may open his store before 9 a.m. and open it again

at 4 p.m.; few do this, though the thirsty traveller has no

need to slink through the back door to get a drink, as is

the case in some other cities, and a good cigar is as obtainable

on the Lord’s day as any other. The population of St. Thomas

is not so large as in former days—about 12,000 in town or

country ; it is mixed, all shades of complexion being the rule.

A better dressed or more orderly cannot be found anywhere ;

a glance at its streets on Sundays especially will prove this.

The Madras head kerchief is fast disappearing ; gaudy jewellery.

and loud colours are the exceptions. Hats of all shapes and

fashion are worn by the women and neat prints and delainettes.

Nearly everyone can read and write, and with but few excep-

tions sobriety is prevalent. Music and dancing are much in

vogue, and pleasant parties are given by all classes.



Much has been written of the immorality prevalent in the

West Indies; but with an experience of 30 years in them, I can

safely say that they are virtue personified by the sides of

London, Chicago, Paris, and New York.



The West Indian of any colour is the best-hearted and most

hospitable soul alive ; he is eminently charitable, even when he

has to share his meal with a starving fellow-creature; he is

cleanly too; he takes his “tub” in the morning regularly, and

his wife, if he be a poor man, takes good care to keep him in a

clean shirt and clothes; the women make the best of wives.

Unfortunately, the young men are obliged to leave the island in

search of remunerative employment ; this leaves the colony with

many young ladies yet waiting for husbands; they excel

38 -AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



as housekeepers; and some of them have stores on the main

street, which they manage successfully—at any rate, never



cad become bankrupt. A good deal of private selling is done by

respectable people; who pay a license for a “seller,” one dollar

per month, and importing small indents of goods, do a business

this way which is often remunerative, as they have no taxes to

pay. There are few places of amusement; a travelling com-

pany may visit the island now and again, when the Apollo

Theatre is a scene of gaiety and amusement. Amateur thea-

tricals and cantatas are got up for benevolent purposes.



Life is only dull in the hurricane season, and then it is some-

times too warm to do anything with actual pleasure; though, |

from the situation of the island, cool and invigorating “breezes

sweep over it at night.



There are two Banks, the St. Thomas and the Colonial. There

is also a Savings Bank, a Public Library (the Athenzum), cafés,

and refreshment saloons. Living is not too expensive; but one

can live well or economically as his means will allow him.

St. Thomas imports many nice things to tempt the epicure, and

dinner parties are given at times of which Lucullus himself

might be envious.



There are several lines of steamers which call at St. Thomas

regularly, in fact, more steamers call at this island than there

ever did before in its palmiest days, and it is to this facility of

intercourse by direct communication that St. Thomas owes the

loss of much of its commercial importance. Every island in the

West Indies, every spot on the Spanish Main, which used to

send its purchasers and its produce to our “ Island of the Sea”

now does so direct, steamers calling almost at their doors for

them. On the other hand, this influx of vessels of large ton-

nage brings money to the port in various ways, besides giving

employment to a number of people. The Hamburg Steamship

Company alone has 15 steamers calling monthly, the Com-

pagnie Générale Transatlantique four, the Royal Mail Steamship

Company two, besides cargo boats; then there are the Quebec

Line and others of considerable importance.



It is reasonable to believe that were there not such a depres-

sion existing all over the West Indies on account of the low

prices of sugar, a striking improvement would take place in

the shipping business of St. Thomas. It is well known that

old abuses have been swept away, that its port is free,





AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. 39



and that no more desirable harbour can be found anywhere

in these waters. One can but hope that a change may

come shortly, a better state of affairs for the whole of the West

Indies, for with it myst come an improved condition of things

for St. Thomas. ‘



' And now I would like to say a few words about the country,

and what its soil is capable of producing. The island itself

is situated in lat. 18° 20’ 42” N. and long. 64° 48’ 9” W.;

its length is about 13 miles east and west, with an average

breadth of three miles; its appearance is that of a range of

high dome-shaped hills, running from west to east. These

reach an elevation of 1515 English feet towards the western

part, and make a striking picture when looked at by a

stranger arriving for the first time from Europe or America.



The country roads are few, and as might be expected from

the nature of the island, which is mountainous; but pleasant

drives in any of the numerous cabs may be had to Smith’s

Bay or John Bruce’s Bay. As I have already written, no more

fertile or romantic spots can be found in the West Indies than

among its hills and valleys. If the estates are not cultivated,

it must not be forgotten that slavery, with its usual train

of evils, is the cause; for no sooner was freedom proclaimed

in the year 1848, than the slaves flocked into town, sought

more lucrative employment among the shipping, and places

which had heretofore yielded handsome revenues to their

owners fell to rack and ruin in consequence. The very name

of agriculture was hateful to the slave, and the spade and

the hoe but badges of a detestable servitude, which always

recalled it to his memory when he looked at them.



It has required years to eradicate this feeling, but now that

compulsory education is beginning to exert its sway—and you

cannot find more apt scholars than many of the coloured children

at the public schools—their eyes are being opened; they are

beginning to understand that in that same soil there is a

mine of wealth, or at least enough to secure them an honest

independence; and our black brothers in St. Thomas to-day

are once more turning to the cultivation of small hold-

ings which, by easy payments, become in a short time their

own.



An Agricultural Society formed of influential gentlemen,

merchants, and planters, looks after the important scheme,

40 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



and from the success which has attended its efforts hitherto,

by-and-by we shall find St. Thomas once again in cultivation. -

Fruits and vegetables of all kinds are grown here. ~Coffee

of an excellent quality ; also tobacco can be raised. They were

so, in large quantities, by the early settlers, why can it not

be done again? One has only to look at the island as it

was 100 years ago to answer that question. As far back

as 1775 there were 69 plantations, 27.of which were of sugar

cane, the rest being devoted to the raising of stock cotton,

tobacco, and other produce. In 1792 there were 74 plan-

tations, 40 in cane, and 34 in cotton; hence, we may infer

that St. Thomas was not only commercially prosperous in

former days, but remarkably so as an agricultural community.

And now come up with me in the mountains, and I will

show you bits of colour and places clothed with such beautiful

verdure, and such a variety of ferns, creepers, and shrubs,

that you have rarely seen before outside of these islands.

On all sides will you see wonders of Nature’s own providing.

Here a broad gut or gully, down which a tiny stream of

water is trickling musically among the rocks; it is overhung

with trees of several kinds. There, the morning glory and ~

acacia bend low with last night’s showers; birds, few in

species, but many in number, burst out into song; tamarinds,

palms, and soursops (Anona muricata), grow here with others,

as the sugar apple (Anonu squamosa); and in wild profusion

trees and vines are hidden beneath thousands of air plants

and parasites, which are the most conspicuous vegetation.

A lizard runs out and looks curiously at you, as you step

upon a twig which crackles under your feet. You look below

upon the little town whose busy hum no longer greets your

ears; the sea looks like glass, and is dotted here and there

with many a sail which seem as specks upon the water; hill

and valley, luxuriant in tropical foliage, roll beneath you; the

shore lines are broken, huge rocks stand out grey and bare,

alternated by lovely bays; fleecy clouds float airily along,

casting their shadows upon the land, changing its aspect at

every moment; but the noontide sun now warns you to

descend, You do so lingeringly, and resolving that future walks

like these, to other spots as beautiful, shall not be left untried

while you are a sojourner at St. Thomas. This is the pic-

turesque side, now let us contemplate it from one more practical.





AN ISLAND OF THE SEA, 41



Baron Eggers, author of a valuable work on the flora of

these islands, published under the auspices of the Smithsonian

Institute, Washington, says, in 1883, “that a new era of

industry would open up in St. Thomas, if it were made to

bear products which would have not only a local value but

also could be exported and disposed of in the world’s markets.

The palatable guinea corn (Sorghum), which grows here with

astonishing luxuriance, could to a great extent replace the now

generally used corn meal.”



“ Coffee can also be produced, as well as an endless variety

of vegetables and tropical fruits. The large areas, which at

present give no return could, however, so far as they can-

not be used for the cultivation of vegetables or as pastures,

be made at least as profitable as the more fertile areas which

are now used for other purposes, and that without requiring

so much capital to do so.”



“On these worthless stretches of land the valuable product

known as divi-divi (Lebidibia coriaria), which is found growing

“ wild in all the islands, mostly in St. Thomas, can be grown in

large quantities, and as this article is worth from 60 dollars to

70 dollars per ton, and the cost of cultivation is small, it would

pay owners of such tracts of land to raise it, and if the tannin

could be extracted from it on the spot, the cost of freight being

saved, there would, in a short time, be a valuable article of

export available.”



“Of the fibre-producing plants there is the agave, which

grows wild in great numbers everywhere in the island, often

upon the naked rocks. The plant attains an immense size—the

individual leaves often being over eight feet long by one foot

broad, and weighing over 50 pounds; these leaves contain a

countless number of fine, strong fibres, which make up eight

to ten per cent. of the total weight, and in strength and appear-

_ ance are equal to the best Manilla hemp, which they surpass

in durability under water; the value of its fibre in England

is £30 to £40 per ton.”



It is not within the limits of this work to speak of all the

valuable plants which this eminent botanist enumerates as

growing upon the island of St. Thomas, and which by proper

cultivation and the employment of capital, could be made the

source of large and profitable incomes. It is sufficient to men-

tion the bark of the seaside grape (Coccoloba), the bark of the

42 .AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



mangrove (Rhizophora), as other tannin-producing trees grow-

ing here; and of the fibre-producing varieties, a plant of the

pine apple (Pitcairnia), the wild growing pinguin (Bromelia

Pinguin), several species of Corchorus, from which jute is

manufactured, the guanatail (Sanseviera guineensis), the com-

mercial value of which is about 250 dollars per ton; the cocoa

palm, the wild horseradish (Moringa), the seeds of which con-

tain a fine oil which never become rancid, the castor oil plant,

the well-known aloe, which grows wild and could easily be

planted on a large scale, not to speak of a variety of plants

and spices of great commercial value, and into the detail of

which space precludes our going.



Thus far we have sketched the present of St. Thomas, of its

future it were as hazardous to speak as it would be of the

most prosperous of the West Indies as they are to-day. It

seems difficult to believe that their race is run, any more than

it is to conceive of such a port as St. Thomas being deserted.

There is no knowing what the whirligig of time may produce.

More than 200 years ago Charlotte Amalia was ruined and

almost abandoned, and yet it became prosperous to an extent

never known before.



Let us hope, then, with greater advantages, an intelligent

population, and every facility for the vessels which call there,

no port in these waters will be more popular than that of

St. Thomas, no people more prosperous than those who live in

“ An Island of the Sea.”

PART IIL



—_+e—



SHORT STORIES



ABOUT



BLUEBEARD’S



AND



BLACKBEARD’S CASTLES.







a “BLUEBEARD'S CASKET.”



A. LEGEND OF ST. THOMAS, DANISH WEST INDIES.



CHAPTER I.



THERE are few. of us who have not heard the story of Blue-

beard, that grim old Oriental tyrant who, after consigning so

many wives to a violent death for their fatal curiosity, was at

last slain himself by the brothers of Fatima.



But there are very few, indeed, who have read the story of



his West Indian prototype, who, some years ago paid periodical

visits to St. Thomas, in the Danish West Indies, leaving behind

him at the end of his career a record beside which the original

Bluebeard might pose as a saint and a martyr.

: Commanding a schooner, whose beautiful lines and rakish look

betokened her unlawful calling, and whose small draft of water

enabled her to sail in such shallow depths that no sloop-of-war

of those days could follow her, Bluebeard had made himself

famous. Ostensibly a trader between the islands, he in reality

trafficked in slaves, and not a few deeds of piracy might have

been laid at his door.



But it is in the island of St. Thomas where he was best

known, and this, too, among that portion of the population—the

feminine—which then, as it is now, was in the majority. Whether

it was.on account of his handsome face, agreeable conversation,

or lavish expenditure I am not able to tell you; certain it is that

after a few moments spent in his company you were left with

the impression that a more charming personage had never”

addressed you, and that all the stories you had ever heard to

his disparagement, and these were legion among a certain portion

of the community, could only be the offspring of envy. Thus it

was, that whenever this redoubtable pirate came in contact with

those who were not of the clique which claimed to know him so

thoroughly, they never believed the horrible stories afloat con-

cerning the atrocities he had committed, and he was a welcome

guest at most of their houses,

46 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



It must, however, be remembered that in those days society in

the West Indies was not quite so respectable as it is at present

and in a place like St. Thomas, whose harbour contained,

year in and year out, from one to 200 vessels of all nation-

alities, it could hardly be expected to be otherwise, more espe-

cially as from the hospitable nature of its people as well as from

motives of business, they invited the captains freely to their

homes, and hob-nobbed and dined with the veriest strangers,

often, I am sorry to state, to their own disadvantage—as the

history of many a broken heart of many a fair lady might

tell you—for the gentle sex then was just as susceptible toa

pair of epaulettes, a cocked hat and sword, as they are to-day ;

and as Bluebeard wore all of them, besides a pair of pistols stuck

in his waistband, he was the recipient of many favours from the

public, not to speak of the ladies of St. Thomas.



But the principal element in the liking which most of them

had for Bluebeard was, undoubtedly, curiosity. Just as Fatima

risked her life to gain a knowledge of the secret chamber, so

these ladies would willingly have risked theirs to have gained a

knowledge of the inner life of the handsome pirate who had

enslaved them with his killing glances and his costly presents of

silken gear and jewellery; for his was a generous hand, and he

was lavish in his gifts to anyone who caught his fancy.



“ As well he might be,” often remarked his detractors, “ seeing

how easily he has come by them,” though of this they had not

an atom of proof beyond hearsay, for no witness had as yet

turned up to tell the story of Bluebeard’s piracy, “ because,” as

these envious people would again remark, “neither vessel nor

passengers have been spared to do so”; Bluebeard, according to

their account, sinking the former, and making the latter walk

the plank to get rid of them, such sailors who refused to join his

bloodthirsty crew, sharing the same miserable fate.



And yet this self-same crew compared favourably with that

of any other vessel in the harbour. If some of them did have a

villainous look, and others were not quite so refined as they

might have been when they got on a long shore cruise, they

always dressed neatly and spoke civilly to everyone with whom

they came in contact; besides, they had plenty of money, which

they spent freely, and this goes a long way with some people,

especially in a seaport like St. Thomas, where it is natural that

everyone living more or less by the flotsam and jetsam of the

AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. . 47



sea that comes to it, must naturally respect the hand which

doles out cheerfully the wherewithal to pay its footing.



What if dark stories were told about Bluebeard and his crew

and his rakish-looking schooner, was not St. Thomas a free

port toall nations? If the Captain of H.MS. of war “ Bulldog,”

who on more than one occasion had been detailed to watch Blue-

beard, had not been able to catch him in any flagrant act of

piracy on the high seas, why should those who were the re-

cipients of his bounty be overscrupulous ?



Thus it was that Bluebeard, at the time our story opens,

was a welcome guest at St. Thomas, a favourite with both

sexes, especially the ladies—I might add as great an enigma to

their husbands as he was an object of curiosity to themselves.

I have never been able to learn very positively how it was

that Bluebeard became the possessor of the tower to the east

of Charlotte Amalia, the one pretty little town of which St.

Thomas can boast. From some letters which came into my

possession a few years ago I have every reason to believe that

he purchased it, with the town adjoining, for.a very large sum

of money. These letters also speak of a most lovely young

woman, a Creole of the island, so superior in all that constituted

beauty and excellence, that Bluebeard fell madly in love with

‘her at first sight, and swore within himself that she should

shortly belong to him. Perhaps this was the reason why he

became the purchaser of the old tower, which is now named

after him, and was so willing to pay so much more than its

value. Don Geronimo Cordoban, the proprietor of it, and the

father of the beautiful girl we have mentioned, being in great

pecuniary difficulties at the time, Bluebeard, no doubt, may

have thought it a stroke of policy to place him under some

obligation by paying so liberally for it in order to secure the

entrance to Don Geronimo’s mansion, which was situated on the

road below the tower, or Castle, as it was more generally termed,

and was not many minutes walk from it.



Whether or no, Bluebeard became a frequent visitor at Don

Geronimo’s, and it was not very long before Mercedita began

to love the oily-tongued pirate, who knew so well how to

mask his wickedness under a smooth exterior, aided by his

handsome presence and affable manners. This, as a matter of

course, was eminently satisfactory to Bluebeard, who shortly

afterwards married her, and installed her as mistress of a house

48 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



he had built near to the Castle. There he left her, after a short

honeymoon, and supplying her plentifully with money he pro-

mised shortly to return.



Before leaving, he placed a locked Casket in her possession,

along with the key, with the injunction to open it should he not

come back again to her in the space of six months, but to

beware how she did so till then.



All this, as in duty bound, Mercedita faithfully promised

to observe, and for many days afterwards she shut herself up in

her room from sheer grief at the loss of her pirate, just as

the sweet Creole women of that island do to-day when their

husbands leave them, for they are quite as soft-hearted and

loving now as they were in the days of Bluebeard, aye, even

as those were who lived in the days of Columbus. Not that

Mercedita neglected at any time her household duties because of

her love. There were the slaves to look after—and there were

four of them—Simon Peter, Maria, Anita, and Jack, all of them

of the true Mandingo type—black as sloes, and lazy as they

always were, and are likely to be, while the tropical sun shines

so brightly on those beautiful islands, and life is so easy to

most of them. Then there was the stock to attend to, for

Mercedita’s kindness of heart extended to the whole of the

animal kingdom ; a dog, and a cat, and a goat from St. John,

with a poor little motherless chicken she had picked up some-

where or the other, were her constant companions in-doors ;

while out-doors, a milch cow, a fine horse, and a litter of pigs

completed the rest. And now that Bluebeard had gone she

began to feel life lonely; her father rarely came to see her,

and her female acquaintances were always too busy—maybe

it was from a jealous feeling—for many of them had angled

for the place that Mercedita now held in the pirate’s affec-

tions.



So, amidst all the loneliness, what should Mercedita do but

go up to the top of the Castle every day, and casting her eyes

on the sea, look earnestly and searchingly all over the broad

expanse of water for her husband’s piratical schooner; this

she did faithfully for over two months, when one evening, after

remaining on the top of the Castle much later than usual, she

went into her drawing-room where, on a table, she had placed

the Casket that Bluebeard had left her; then the demon of

curiosity possessed her and she took up the Casket.

AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. 49



“ What is in it,’ she asked herself, as she turned it over and

looked at it; “perhaps the secret of his life, the one thing that

he keeps hidden away from me.” Here she inserted the key.

Then she began to tremble all over, partly from the strong

desires which came over her, and the longing she felt to know

the great secret she supposed it contained ; then she gave the

key a half-turn around, and from fear turned it back again,

until, curiosity overmastering prudence, she gave it a complete

turn and the Casket flew open, revealing nothing more than a

bundle of letters tied up with a ribbon.



CHAPTER II.



WHEN the Casket flew open, Mercedita uttered a faint little

ery; but when she saw the small package, with just a faint

odour of perfume escaping from them, a feeling of jealousy

. came over her, which changed into that of rage and despair

when she untied it, and saw that it contained seven different

letters, each addressed to her husband in the hand of seven

different ladies of her own social standing, and whom she had

always looked upon rather as bosom friends than acquaintances.



How she found courage to read them I know not; but after

conquering her scruples at thus playing the spy upon her hus-

band’s actions, she managed, amidst many sobs and feminine

screeches, to get through them, gaining thereby an amount of

information she did not formerly possess, and laying the

foundation of a tragedy to which there had been nothing to

compare in the annals of the island—not that she would

have cared much if these letters had been merely the out-

pouring of affection from lovelorn women, admirers of Blue-

beard. She, who loved him so much, always wondered why

those who also loved him had not been as successful as herself

in obtaining him; but these letters revealed such a depth of

deceit on the part of her husband, and such a determination on

the part of each of these women to take him from her, that,

blind with rage and fury, she determined to be revenged on the

whole lot of them—in other words, to make an example of them

for the benefit of society.



8 S112, D

50 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



At first she thought of making the letters public, but, on

second thoughts, she came to the conclusion that everyone

would merely laugh at her for doing so. Dismissing the idea,

she went into a room where her husband had hung up against

the wall a few old rapiers from Toledo, a sword and a dagger

from Damascus.



This last she took down from the wall, and passed her finger

along the keen edge of the blade with a feeling of grim satisfac-

tion. Whether this was because she thought of killing her

seven rivals, or her husband, or herself, I am not so certain, for,

after a few moments’ reflection, she put it back in its place on

the wall again. Then she thought of all that Bluebeard would

say when he came back to her—his rage at her fatal curiosity,

her disobedience to his express commands so soon after he had

left her; then she got frightened, and then, woman-like, she

sat down on an ottoman and had a good cry.



A few moments spent thus and she got up again, returning

to the drawing-room with the intention of replacing the letters

in the Casket. This was not an easy task, for though she

managed to tie up the letters in nearly the same form as they

were before, she found she could not replace them in the Casket,

which, by some peculiar arrangement of its mechanism, had

become so distorted in shape, that it could neither be shut nor

returned to its former appearance. Now whether it was that

the contact of the letters, or this untoward behaviour on the

part of the Casket, once again excited her anger, is difficult to

say, but half an hour afterwards she found herself closeted with

Mimmy Lafourche, the notorious Obeah woman from Martinique,

who was driving quite a roaring trade with the credulous, of

which there were many at that time, in St. Thomas. From this

ugly old hag’s hut she shortly after emerged with a small bottle

of an infernal concoction which, the Obeah woman assured her,

given to her friends, would entirely cure them of their passion

for Bluebeard, and if given to him would make him her slave-

till death came to part them. As this was all the poor soul

cared for to satisfy her peace of mind, is it to be wondered at

that she invited her seven lady friends to take tea with her the

following afternoon, which was Sunday ?



A more lovely coterie of women never met in the island

of St. Thomas, and Mercedita, who presided dressed in the

purest white, looked more like an angel of innocence than the

AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. 51



revengeful woman about to administer, to her unsuspecting

guests, a native plant the real properties of which were un-

known to her.



It is not told how she gave it to them, but it is quite sure

that, shortly after partaking of a cup of tea, they all declared

themselves dreadfully sleepy, and expressed an earnest desire

to depart. As there were no cabs in those days these ladies

were obliged to walk, and scarcely had they got to their homes,

when they, each of them, went to bed and expired forthwith.



As it is natural to imagine, a great outcry went up against

Mercedita at this-untoward accident; seven husbands deprived

of their wives, a host of children deprived of their mothers, and

ever so many more deprived of seven staunch and dearly

beloved friends.



Next morning the news reached Mercedita, who, half stupe-

fied with grief at such a frightful calamity, was for giving

herself up immediately to the strict arm of the law, to escape,

if possible, the rage of the mob which would be surely excited

against her upon hearing the whole truth of the story. So she

sent for the Policemaster, and after frankly acknowledging to

this official the sum total of her offence, she found herself about

a half an hour afterwards an inmate of the place which, in

those days, did duty as a prison for the more depraved of the

townsfolk.



CHAPTER IIL



CONSTERNATION reigned in the little town of Charlotte Amalia.

Many an old burgher shook his head when he heard the story,

magnified, of course, by being passed on from one to the

_other.



“ All this comes from taking up with a pirate,” said one.



“I always said she would never come to any good,” said

another.



And so on to the end of the chapter, each masculine or

feminine fling being cast at Bluebeard or Mercedita—as the

speaker was masculine or feminine—a noticeable fact being,

that the men sympathized with Mercedita, and the women put

in a saving clause for Bluebeard.



D 2

52 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



But the all-absorbing topic was, what would be done with

her? The police investigation, then, was quite as strict as it

is now, with this difference, that the thumbscrew and divers

other little instruments of torture were employed when an

offender refused to acknowledge his misdeeds. Of course, these

‘were unnecessary with Mercedita, who, having made a clean

breast of the matter, was duly held for trial, at the Town

Court, on no less a charge than the doing to death of seven

of her townswomen by sundry arts and practices called Obeah.

The old sorceress had fled, whether put on her guard by one

of her familiars or scenting danger as soon as Mercedita was

arrested, is'a question; but as I have before observed, the one

thing which now occupied everyone’s mind, was what would be

done with her. And as the true story of what she had done

had, somehow or the other, leaked out from the sacred

precincts of the Court House, there seemed to be scarcely

a doubt in the minds of the most charitably disposed, that

she would be burnt as a witch, in spite of her youth and

beauty, and the fact that she was the wife of so impor-

tant a man as Bluebeard—for even such characters were

considered so in those days, through their relations with the

merchants, whom, it is said, often shared with them the pro-

ceeds of their plunder.



“What a lesson!” exclaimed an ancient spinster to a couple

of friends—she had sinned in every way herself, until no

longer capable of sinning, and now felt herself fit, as many

another after a like experience, to pass judgment on such a

poor unfortunate creature ; “of course she will be burnt as a

witch, eh! who would have thought it, so mild looking; but

it is always the way with your mild looking hussies; they

are generally the worst you know. What a disgrace to her

family!” Now the truth is, Mercedita had no family—her

mother died when she was a baby—only her father remained ;

and he, poor man, had been so thunderstruck at the news of

his daughter's arrest, that he was almost bereft of his senses,

and when after a long interview with her, which was kindly

permitted him, and he heard the story of the Casket, he bitterly

cursed the fatal euriosity which had induced Mercedita to open

it, and Bluebeard himself, whom he half suspected as having

devised this as a way for getting rid of his daughter, knowing

full well that no woman could possibly resist the temptation

AN ISLAND OF THE SEA, 53



of opening a Casket left with her under such conditions—as

having the key to open it in her possession.



But the poor old man could do nothing but weep and bewail

the hard lot which would condemn his child to a felon’s fate,

and bring down his grey hairs with sorrow to the grave. It

was very affecting to see such grief on both sides, and even

the hard-hearted jaolor who had, perforce, to be a witness of

the sad interview, turned away his head and wiped away a tear,

the only one he had shed for many a long day.



But there was no help for it, and it was not very long before

Mercedita was brought up for trial and condemned to be burnt

as a witch for having practiced sorcery. Of course, she was

defended by the ablest lawyer who lived there; but vain was

his plea. Had she only by some mischance, in some other

fashion, without intention, done to death half the population,

there might have been some excuse for her; but to have con-

sulted an old Obeah woman—a thing which nearly everyone in

the island had done—was not to be tolerated, especially, as she

had confessed such iniquity. So nothing remained but for the

judge to pass sentence of death, which was as follows :—That

she be conducted to the sands of the sea, near to a place which

is known as the King’s wharf, and there, with a pile of faggots

around her, she was to be burnt to death as an example to

those, who, like her, dared to dabble in witcheraft. The

sentence being approved of she was led away half fainting

to prison, and not long after preparations were made for her

execution.



CHAPTER IV.



Now, what was Bluebeard doing all this time that his wife

was in such imminent peril? History nor the oldest inhabitant

sayeth not; rumour credited him with having sunk and de-

stroyed half-a-dozen merchant ships, laden with cargo and

treasure; it also said that he would not come back again.

Nevertheless, he was on his return to St. Thomas, where, by

a singular coincidence, he turned up on the morning which

was to see poor Mercedita burnt to death at the stake as a

witch.

54 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



Little dreamt he that such a fate was in store for her as his

gallant craft sailed into the fine harbour of St. Thomas. If he

had been a general lover before he saw Mercedita, it must be

said, to do him justice, that he loved her far more than anyone

else, and as he cast his eyes upon the heights where he fondly

supposed his beloved was looking out for him, his heart thrilled

with delight at the thought of once more embracing her. But

she, poor little woman, had made her peace with this world, —

had said adieu to her father and the few friends who had

remained faithful to her to the last—she had even shaken

hands with Simon Peter, Maria, Anita, and Jack—and could she

have had one kiss, only one, from her own darling Bluebeard,

she would willingly have gone to her death, so miserable had

she been, so tried by the events of the past few days.



Was it by intuition or that subtle magnetism which betrays

the proximity of a loved one, that she felt that Bluebeard was

not far away from her? We confess our ignorance ; but when

the last of her visitors had gone, she moved a high stool close

to the grating of the window which looked on to the harbour,

and mounting it, it was not so long before she saw swiftly com-

ing in what appeared to her to be her husband’s vessel. Oh!

how her heart beat when she caught sight of it, those beautiful

lines, that sharp prow and, lastly, if her eyes did not deceive

her, that gallant form standing on the poop giving orders.



“Thank God, I have seen him!” she exclaimed, as the vessel

disappeared from the point of view from which she was gazing.

“T have seen the man I love best on earth, I am now ready to

die.”



She never remembered, so great was her joy, that it was her

husband’s perfidy, and his leaving her with the Casket, that

had caused her present misfortunes—such is the love of woman,

her forgiving nature, her matchless constancy !



She had seen him; it was enough. More she did not dare

to hope for. She was to die that afternoon; and though she

could not doubt but what her husband would use every endea-

vour to see her, or to gain a last interview with her, she did

not feel so sure that he would be successful—the authorities

were strict to severity, and witchcraft was more severely

punished than any other crime; so she sat down on the edge

of the little pallet, which for so many days had been her couch,

and let the tears course down her cheeks as they listed, only

AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. 55



wishing that the whole thing was over and she at rest, where

neither jealousy nor curiosity would any more torment her.



And here we will leave her for a little while, and take a look

at Bluebeard who, impatient to reach his home again, had

jumped into a cutter which lay alongside his schooner, and

was being pulled, as fast as four oars could carry him along,

towards the Castle.



A few minutes sufficed to bring him to the little landing-

place fronting the pathway which led up to it, and a few minutes

to the threshold of his home, where with almost a lover’s im-

patience, he thought his wife would surely meet him.



But only the grief-stricken face of Anita encountered his as

he stepped into the house—Jake, Simon Peter, and Maria had

all gone in town to see the last of their dear mistress.



“ Where’s my wife ?” inquired Bluebeard, a cold chill running.



‘through him at the thought that she was dead.



“Ay me massa, oh Gawd!’ and here the girl burst into a

flood of tears, sinking down on the ground as she did so, rock-

ing herself backwards and forward in a wild lament.



“ Speak woman, speak, where’s my wife?” roared Bluebeard

—now thoroughly anxious.



“Dey rest um.”



“ Rest um; what the devil do you mean?”



“She in prison sah, and dey go fo’ burn her, dis afternoon,

for one Obeah woman sah.”



“Qbeah woman, my wife an Obeah woman!” and Bluebeard

almost: laughed at the idea of his gentle Mercedita practising

such arts as these. Then his eyes fell upon the Casket, which

on taking up he found empty, and a dull suspicion crossed his

mind that here was the cause of whatsoever trouble had befallen

her; so, questioning the servant further, he gradually elicited

from her as much as she knew of the story.



When she had done this, amidst many sobs and lamentations,

he saw that not a moment was to be lost if he was to save

Mercedita ; so, hastily retracing his steps, he got into his boat

again, and was pulled back to the schooner. Ten minutes after

his arrival 50 of his men were armed to the teeth, and every

boat the little vessel possessed—and she had a few more than the

regulation number—was got ready for them.



Then Bluebeard went ashore, first arranging with his lieu-

tenant to send after him 25 sailors as quickly as possible

56 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



and to be ready to reinforce him with the rest if necessary.

When Bluebeard reached the town, he went*at once to His

Excellency the Governor ; but that high functionary would not

see him. He then went to the judge; but he, acting in concert,

perhaps, would not see him either. Nothing daunted, Bluebeard

went to the Policemaster, but that high official was busy

with the prisoner. This exasperated Blueboard, so he got some-

one to show him the place of execution. This being near the

sea-shore, he dispatched a messenger to his lieutenant bidding



him to send the men, and to be ready to sail out of the harbour :



at a moment’s notice.



Shortly after they began to arrive, a few at a time, and ming-

ling with the crowd, gradually got close to the pile of faggots

near which stood the executioner.



Bluebeard had also placed himself not far away. Many

of the crowd who knew him wondered how he could have

had the bad taste to be present at his own wife’s execu-

tion; but he heeded them not, only tightening the belt to

which his hanger was attached, and feeling that his pistols

were securely fastened beneath the jacket he had put on for the

occasion.



Then the Fort bell began to toll in slow and solemn tones; a

dozen soldiers with muskets marched upon the ground ; by-and-

by a procession, consisting of the judge, policemaster, and the

officers of the law, made its appearance, bringing in their midst

the prisoner, who, clad in a gown of white, a lighted taper in

her hand, and her hair falling dishevelled all around her, pre-

sented a sorry spectacle to every one who looked at her.

Bluebeard bit his nether lip till the blood came again when

he saw the woman whom he best loved on earth in such a

plight, and looked around, instinctively, at his crew, who, having

got nearer to the pile of faggots, only awaited the word of com-

mand to come to her rescue.



Still the bell tolled on, its lugubrious sound helping to make

the scene more doleful. Mercedita now, for the first time, saw

her husband, and a thrill of joy ran through her frame at the

sight of him; she had no fear of death then, its bitterness was

past; he should see that she could die as bravely as the best of

them. And now the old judge, putting on his spectacles, began

to read out aloud how Mercedita, having murdered seven of her

fellow-townswomen by sundry and divers arts magical, had



“~

Oe at espe °



AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. 57



been condemed to die by fire, as would be anyone who con-

sulted wizards, witches, or such like enchanters.



This being done, Mercedita was brought before the execu-

tioner, who, without further ado, was about to tie her lily-white

hands, when a blow from a handspike from one of Bluebeard’s

men knocked him senseless on the pile of faggots. °



At the same time, Bluebeard’s arm closed around the waist of

Mercedita, and his men, gathering around him and his wife,

began steadily to fight their way towards the sea, attacked at

first by the soldiers, who, seeing the determined attitude of

these daring sea-devils, soon desisted, finding themselves too

few in numbers to cope with them; only the howling multi-

tude pursued them to the water’s edge, where, as soon as

Bluebeard and Mercedita were safely embarked, and on their

way to the schooner, many of them bit the dust at the hands of

the infuriated pirates, who also had been sorely hit with the

stones that they had flung at them. Not till they, too, were in

their boats did the luckless crowd cease to get fired at, for, once

roused, the pirates had no mercy. It was not long, however,

before Mercedita and her husband, and the rest of his lawless

associates, were on board, the lieutenant hoisting sail as soon as

they were safe; but they were not to get out without an

attempt on the part of the authorities to stop them, for just as

the schooner was nearing the battery which, in those days, de-

fended the entrance to the harbour, there was a perfect storm of

round shot directed at the vessel.



At this Bluebeard’s brow grew black as night, and, as one of

them passed quite near to him, he shouted :—



“Show your teeth, my hearties”; and he ran up the black



‘flag with his own hands, let fly a broadside at both batteries.



and, with his long gun, dismantled a couple of cannon and killed

half-a-dozen men who stood near to them.



“Give them another,” he exclaimed as, under cover of the

smoke, he forged ahead, with only a couple of rents in his can-

vas; this done, and the wind being favourable, they passed the

point rapidly, and it was not very long before Bluebeard’s

schooner was hull-down on the horizon.



Here the legend ends so far. What became of Bluebeard and

his wife, after he had rescued her, is not told. Report said that

he took her to the Havana, where she afterwards died of a

broken heart, the attractions of the Cuban ladies proving too

58 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



much for him, in spite of the love he professed for her, and her

jealousy preventing her from tolerating his flirtations with that

Spartan-like equanimity which distinguishes some women.

Another report said that she died peacefully in his arms at

Tortuga, and he, broken-hearted at her death, went on pursuing

his piratical courses until cut short by a British cruiser, which,

after a desperate engagement, took him and the remnant of his

crew to Jamaica, where they were hanged as pirates, as a warning

to others.



Which of these reports is the true one I am not certain—the

reader is welcome to believe either of them, just as he is the

facts of the story I have written—whichever way it may be,

I shall be pleased ; but still more so, if I have enabled him to

wile away a pleasant half-hour in its perusal.

“A REMARKABLE COINCIDENCE.”



A STORY OF



BLUEBEARD’S CASTLE, ST. THOMAS,

DANISH WEST INDIES.



CHAPTER I.



Mr. THEOPHILUS WIGGES was a shining light in Chicago.



This was.in the year of the World’s Columbian Exposition,

that vast collection of buildings, that harmony in white, that

reunion of all nationalities, which has done more to make the

Windy City famous, than all the pork, beef, or mutton, that has

ever been shipped out of it.



How Mr. Wigges came to occupy the important position that

he held at the time that our story commences, might be told

in a few words. It is the history of the greater part of

America’s millionaires. From the humblest beginnings to afflu-

ence. Battling at all times with overwhelming difficulties,

triumphing always by sheer energy, pluck, and perseverance.

Let no one suppose that those who now count their millions,

where they once counted pence, have acquired them by sitting

down with their hands folded. Read their histories, and see

upon what small beginnings the Vanderbilts, Astors, and

Rockefellers, founded their fortunes. Thus it was with Mr.

Wigges. In the early days of Chicago, when its sidewalks

were of wood, and the highest building was a three-storey

dwelling, he sold “pop corn” on one of the streets leading

into what is now known as Wabash Avenue; it is yet in the

memory of many, what a trade he did in that delicious com-

estible, especially on the cold winter nights, when a handful of

it, “ smoking hot,” was a good thing to keep the cold out.



Mr. Wigges was a young man then, full of what the

Americans call “go,” and there was no limit to his ambition—

60 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



as there were no limits to the “possibilities” of the Great

West in those days.



Of course, such a character could not remain always a vendor

of “pop corn,” so, very soon, Mr. Wigges became the purchaser

of an interest in a “Candy Factory,” and not long after the

sole proprietor thereof—for he was of a saving disposition and

inventive withal; so much so, that with improved machinery

and an ingenious method of advertising, he drove every com-

petitor from the field. -



For many years he worked at the business, early and late,

perfecting it, and enlarging its sphere of operations to such an

extent, that “ Wigges’ Candy ” became a household word all over

America.



At the same time he invested his profits in real estate, and its

value increasing with the growth of the city, he rose higher and

higher in the estimation of his fellow-citizens, and it was not

very long before he became a partaker with them of the many

good things which always offer themselves in such prosperous

communities. And now finding life somewhat lonesome, he

married, adding the “e” to his name, which makes it Wigges,

becoming thereby the social equal of Mr. Figges, his father-in-

law, the great pork butcher of Chicago.



Of course, his wife brought him money, all of which he

cheerfully accepted, just as he had done everything else that

Dame Fortune had hitherto showered upon him.



In the meanwhile Chicago had also prospered, and real estate

advancing in value, some people turned a loving eye towards

Mr. Wigges’ investments, with the result that by-and-by he got

an enormous sum for the lot where the Court House stands

to-day. All this was very much approved of by his friends,

who, as is usual in such cases, as soon as the tide of prosperity

set in so strongly that no one could help seeing it, did their best

to help him up a little further on the ladder of fortune—but

not even these successful investments could turn him from his

legitimate business; he already supplied nearly every western

city with gum drops, and every lozenge conceivable that was

ever made out of glucose or sugar—and not a young woman

in Chicago commenced the day without masticating a few of

them.



But it was not until he conceived the idea of combining

pepsin with chewing gum—and decorated the whole city with

AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. 61



gigantic posters setting forth its claims—that he achieved the

crowning glory of his life, and became the shining light that we

have stated at the beginning of this chapter.



As was natural in a place like Chicago, where minutes are

golden, few business men at meal times ever stopped to chew

their food rationally, and a chop or steak sometimes disappeared

from their plates before they realized that it had been set

before them ; the consequence was, that dyspeptics were plen-

tiful. To such as these, “ Wigges’ Chewing Gum” appealed

strongly—it was so handy. Enough for a day’s consumption

could be carried in one’s vest pocket, and as every second

individual chewed it from morning until night, it was not long

before Mr. Wigges was counted among the many millionaires

of America. It was a bright idea, with the merit of giving

satisfaction to those who used it, for once let the habit of

chewing get the best of you, whether of tobacco, the end of

your pencil, gum, or brown paper, it is very hard to leave off,

and if ever a man deserved well of his fellow-creatures it was

Wigges, who combined with innocent gum the virtues of pepsin

for the benefit of dyspeptics. “There is nothing like it in the

world,” he would say enthusiastically to his friends. “It has

made me rich, my home a happy one, and my workpeople

contented. I have some specially prepared for Mrs. Wigges,

whose curtain lectures I cut short by asking her to try it.

As she cannot chew and scold at the same time, the result is

peace, heavenly peace, which every one of you can attain by

following my example.” Not that Mrs. Wigges was a scold—

far from it; she was really a good-tempered little woman,

and perfectly worshipped her husband, with whom she had led

a very happy life for nearly 20 years, devoting herself to his

comfort and to the education of their only daughter Angelina,

a charming young girl, who combined with beauty, vivacity,

and intelligence, every feminine virtue.



Mr. Wigges doted on both of them; all that love and wealth

could do, he bestowed upon them; their home was a sump-

tuous one—one of those palaces of Michigan Avenue which are

the cynosure of all eyes and the wonder of the traveller. Mr.

Wigges had but one trouble, and that was to keep away intrud-

ing fortune-hunters. There was a time when he had wished for

a son, but now that woman was taking her proper place in the

sphere of this world’s usefulness, especially in Chicago, he did

62 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



not mind it so much. With the hope of a good son-in-law, he

’ lived perfectly content; and, having lately become a collector

of coins—he had one of the finest collections in the world, got

together at a vast expense—it might be said, that with this hobby

indulged in to its fullest extent, with such an amiable wife,

and such a charming daughter, Mr. Theophilus Wigges was not

only a shining light, but the happiest man in the great city of

Chicago.



CHAPTER II.



But as perfect happiness can scarcely be said to exist in this

world, so was that of Mr. Wigges marred by the fact that if

his collection of coins was the most perfect in Chicago, it yet

laeked one coin to make it the most perfect in existence. There

had never been more than two made, and that was somewhere

in the first century ; he had one of them, the other was—Heaven

knows where. All that the most experienced numismatists

could say about it was, that it was known to be in existence

about two hundred years back, and that the man who could

place that coin beside the one in Mr. Wigges’ collection would

be a made man for life, if he desired to part with it for a con-

sideration, for it was an open secret that Mr. Wigges had offered

a fabulous sum to anyone who would make him the fortunate

possessor of it. Many an imitation had been offered him by

unprincipled sharpers, who thought of trading upon his ignor-

ance ; but just as shrewd as Mr. Wigges was in the matter of

trade in chewing gum or candy, he was equally so in numis-

matics, and many a kindred branch of science, which does not

usually belong to the laity. ;



For let no one imagine that the prosperous American does not

seek to improve his mind with his financial position. The term

“ shoddy ” is wrongly applied to the American who has been the

architect of his own fortune.



This brings us to the opening of the World’s Columbian

Exposition. As a matter of course, a man of Mr. Wigges’ posi-

tion and influence could not be left out in the bestowal of the

“sugar plums” of office, which, somehow or the other, always

accompanies such enterprises.

AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. 63



Mr. Wigges had modestly declined the post of Director-General

of the Exposition in favour of the man “ whose abilities to fill

it,” he said at a banquet not very long afterwards, “were so

transcendently superior to his own, that he felt that he was

doing Chicago a greater service by refusing, than if he

accepted it.”



So he was constituted an Honorary Director, which, as it did

not involve much more than being present at the different

“functions” in connection with the World’s Fair, suited him

admirably. It was in this character I first had the pleasure of

meeting him, when, as Commissioner for the island of St. Thomas,

Danish West Indies, to the World’s Columbian Exposition, we

placed on exhibition a model of that island in the Transportation

Building, and so interested him in its attractive scenery and

people, and the legends of its famous Towers, named after Blue-

beard and Blackbeard, that he made up his mind to visit it as

soon as the Exposition was over.



To be invited to Mr. Wigges’ receptions was to be in the

“swim” of Chicago society; here, the “magnates of pork’

and the “hustlers of wheat” and the “cornerers” of every

known eatable out of which a dollar might be made by specu-

lators met together; here, their lovely wives and daughters

were the admired of all observers, and these were many, of the

best talent and birth, gathered from the four corners of the

earth—the Englishman, the Frenchman, the Russian, and the

Turk—there was scarcely a nationality unrepresented; and

the sweet women waltzed, chatted and laughed, flashing their

bright eyes on everyone of them, and charming all of them with

those sallies of brilliant wit and repartee which have made the

American women famous throughout the civilized world. A dis-

tinguished gathering, presided over by a distinguished man, one

who did honour to everything he put his hand to; one who, by

doing his best on all occasions, had drawn the best around him,

and got the best out of a life whieh some are inclined to say is

scarcely worth living; but these are the lazy, discontented

ones, and of such was not my honoured friend Theophilus

Wigges.



It was at one of these receptions that I met my fellow-towns-

man, Mr. Algernon Divi-Divi, who had just come into his

father’s estates in St. Croix, the sister island of St. Thomas, in

the Danish West Indies, I was very glad to meet him; and, as

64 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



he was one of the few from these islands at that time in Chicago,

it did me good to see the face of an old acquaintance,



He had been but a few weeks in America, he said, and had

come recommended to Mr. Wigges, who had received him with

unbounded hospitality. Of Miss Wigges he spoke somewhat

reservedly ; but, from the looks of admiration that he cast upon

her as she passed us leaning on the arm of the Turkish Commis-

sioner, I could see that he was deeply smitten, and that more

might come out of this visit of my young West Indian friend

than Mr. Wigges expected. And here the reader might ask,

“ What right have you to tell tales out of school, and for which,

having occurred so recently, you might possibly be called to

account?” All Ican plead is, that I have the permission of

those most intimately concerned. If I have not, let them

come forward and say so. This history of Mr. Theophilus

Wigges, in connection with Bluebeard’s Castle, is quite as true

as any other legend which has been told of that edifice or

island.



To make a long story short, Mr. Algernon Divi-Divi became

a constant visitor at Mr. Wigges’, was the devoted attendant of

his daughter, won the favour of both parents, and before long

the society papers had published the news of their engagement.

Had these confined themselves to this it would not have mattered

so much ; but where they got their stories from, about Algernon

Divi-Divi, I know not. One of the leading journals spoke of

him as descended from an old West Indian family, the Cassadas,

that his great grandfather had taken his name from a tree

called “divi-divi,” which grew in great profusion on his estate,

and which had laid the foundation of his fortune. With a lack

of geographical knowledge, peculiarly western, the editor had

confounded St. Croix with St. Thomas, and planted Bluebeard’s

and Blackbeard’s Castles on Mr. Divi-Divi’s estate, thus constitu-

ting him their owner. The article in question darkly hinted at

one of his ancestors having been Bluebeard himself, which so

exasperated Mr. Algernon Divi-Divi, that he vowed he would

take vengeance on the author wherever he might find him; but

when he was informed that such stories were concocted to make

the paper sell, and that his future father-in-law’s career, quite

as distorted, had been served up in one of the great dailies

under the head of “Chicago’s greatest benefactor, Wigges, the

Chewing Gum Man,” and was thought a huge joke, and was

AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. 65



laughed at as a good advertisement, he became somewhat recon-

ciled ; more especially as it was decided that next winter Mr.

and Mrs. Wigges and their daughter would pay a visit to the

island of St. Thomas, Danish West Indies.



CHAPTER III.



AND so it came about, that when the World’s Columbian

Exposition was a thing of the past, and Chicago was nearly

snowed up, Mr. and Mrs. Wigges and daughter determined,

now that the thermometer was at zero, to leave for the West

Indies.



Messrs. Thomas Cook and Sons had by this time found out

that these “Islands of the Sea” were beginning to have

a special attraction for wealthy Americans; so, with their

usual enterprise, promptly organised a- party of tourists, and

obligingly furnishing them with through tickets, pledged them-

selves, for a consideration, to see the visitors safely there and

’ back again, barring accidents. To this very pleasant party

Mr. and Mrs. Wigges and daughter belonged. |



And now let us take a look at them approaching the harbour

of St. Thomas, Danish West Indies, after five days’ steaming

from the city of New York.



Mr. Wigges had never been much of a traveller in foreign

countries. He had taken a trip once to the Bahamas, and

on another occasion had paid a visit to Florida; but as he

stood on the deck of the “ Orinoco,’ which then, about a mile

from the port, was slowly nearing it, and gazed upon the scene

before him, he felt that he had never looked upon anything so

beautiful before in his life. Rising almost straight out of the

water were heights, varying from 800 to 1500 feet, which, owing

to rains having fallen plentifully a few days before, were covered

with luxuriant vegetation in all shades of green—from the

lightest to the darkest. In striking contrast to this mass of

verdure, the town, with hundreds of red-roofed houses, rose to

the summits of three hills, as a justly celebrated author once

said of them, “looking for all the world like a box of toys

shaken down its slopes.” And it was not long before he made



8 3112. E

66 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



out Bluebeard’s and Blackbeard’s Towers—the first to the east

of the town, and the latter to the north of it, facing the

entrance, and overlooking the little red Fort below. ,Just

then there was quite a number of ships in the harbour, at

least half a dozen men-of-war of different nationalities ; among

them the stars and stripes floated from one of Uncle Sam’s

smart looking cruisers. Mr. Wigges made a note of this par-

ticularly ; indeed, the sight of that dear old flag made his eyes

grow dim for the moment, and I am not quite sure whether a

tear did not fall on his note-book as he did so. Practical even

when overcome by emotion, Mr. Wigges did not fail also to

place on record his opinion as to the value of St. Thomas as a

Naval and Coaling Station to that country of which he was so

distinguished an ornament.



His wife and daughter were equally interested; they com-

pared the balmy weather of the West Indies with the fearful

cold they had left behind them; the happy looks of the dusky

boatmen, which were now crowding about the vessel, with the

half-frozen appearance of the longshoremen upon whom they

had last looked when leaving New York; and novel and

strange as it all appeared to them, yet they could not help”

agreeing that their voyage, thus far, had not been in vain.



I am certain Miss Wigges felt so; and when Mr. Algernon

Divi-Divi stepped on board, after the “Orinoco” had been

given pratique, she was the happiest young girl on the steamer

that morning; and her dear old pater, Mr. Wigges, thought

so too, as he witnessed their meeting, and, no doubt, felt corre-

spondingly happy, for she was his only child, his darling, the

apple of his eye.



And now let us follow them to one of the best boarding-

houses in Charlotte Amalia, where they were to stop for a few

weeks, prior to leaving for the island of St. Croix, the home of

her intended. They preferred this quiet retreat to the bustle

of the hotel, and, as the place was delightfully situated, and had

a lovely garden adjoining, our young lovers pictured to them-

selves several days of happiness before them. I have said that

Mr. Algernon Divi-Divi owned sugar estates in the island of

St. Croix. In reality, he was one of the largest proprietors,

was looked upon as a wealthy man—at least, for that island,

where millionaires are only known by repute, or when, like Mr.

Wigges, it is their good pleasure to visit it.

AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. 67



Now if there is a thing in this world that affords greater

pleasure than being the owner of a sugar estate, it is that of

not being one, especially when the weather is dry, prices are

low, and the expenses running on—and run on they must, for

a sugar estate cannot be brought so easily to a full stop, or

turned into a coffee or a tobacco plantation all at once.



Unfortunately for Mr. Algernon Divi-Divi, he had inherited

more than one sugar estate, which, while producing good crops

and realizing fair values during his father’s lifetime, were far

from being profitable investments to him.



For many years America had been the best market for West

Indian sugars, just as the West Indies are for American pro-

visions, which have enjoyed all the privileges accorded to the

most favoured nation, in the same way that West Indian sugars

did certain privileges from America; but of late, what with

the accession of a party of slippery politicians into power at

Washington, and, in consequence, a Government from whom

no nation could expect reciprocity, or any treaty to be binding,

the outlook had become so gloomy for these islands, that nothing

‘ hut bankruptcy stared them in the face. Of all this Mr. Wigges

was perfectly ignorant. Like most of his well-to-do country-

men, he thought America the best country, its people the greatest

on earth; he, too, had been a politician, but, whether from use

or second nature, he looked upon their wiles as part of the great

game of life in which all men ought to play. He did not, of

course, endorse right down chicanery; but all was fair to him

in matters political. It always seemed to him the correct thing

to undo all the Democrats did when they were in power, just as,

no doubt, the Democrats have felt it their bounden duty to do

by the Republicans when they came out of office. That all this

should have any far-reaching consequences outside America, or

that American politics should be looked upon with mistrust and

suspicion by every other nation never once occurred to him, as,

very likely, it is the case with thousands of America’s best men

and citizens who have allowed their truly great country to

become the prey of an unscrupulous oligarchy.



The fact was there nevertheless, and Mr. Wigges was soon

brought to understand it when Algernon Divi-Divi, in a frank

and open manner, laid his position before him. As may be

imagined, this was a great shock to him. Mr. Wigges was not



really an avaricious man.- He would have cheerfully sur-

E2

68 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



rendered his daughter to the man she loved if he were not

worth a dollar; but it jarred upon his sense of the fitness —

of things that his daughter should marry a ruined sugar

planter.



It is true, his own wealth was amply sufficient to sustain

his son-in-law through any possible commercial crisis; but he

had been so happy when he saw his name coupled in the great

dailies of Chicago with that of Algernon Divi-Divi, the Sprec-

kels of St. Croix, the sugar of whose estates would go to swell

his own importations, that he felt almost as miserable as

Algernon himself when he told him of his reverses. He had

planned more than one scheme in connection with his future

son-in-law ; had even contemplated bringing out a special West

Indian Chewing Gum, in which the delicious aroma of the Bay-

berry and St. Croix muscovado would be so skilfully blended

as to delight the American public, if not the civilized world,

and now all these bright dreams would be dashed to the

ground.



“ All through those accursed Democrats,” he muttered, as he

walked up and down the piazza, after a somewhat unsatisfactory

interview with Algernon Divi-Divi.



Then he thought of his daughter. What would she think of

it? He had anticipated so much pleasure from this trip, and

now how was it toend? He almost wished Algernon had kept

him in the dark, at least, for the present, In this frame of

mind he kept on walking about, his only solace being a piece of

chewing gum, and if it had not been for a young man presenting

himself at that moment, with a rare old Danish five-stiver piece

for his inspection, which at once absorbed his attention, there is

no knowing how I should have got to the end of this chapter.



CHAPTER IV.



THE only one who did not seem very much put out by the

turn things had taken was Miss Wigges. Accustomed all her

life to live in luxury, to have all she wanted, and to consider

herself the heiress to her father’s many millions, she looked

upon what had happened to her lover, when he told her of his



reverses, as a mere bagatelle, which her father would remedy in

“no time,” as she tersely expressed it.

AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. 69



Imagine her surprise, when her father, in a somewhat matter-

of-fact way, informed her of his intention of shortly leaving St.

Thomas for a tour of inspection of the rest of the West Indies,

and that, for the present at least, she must look upon her

engagement with Mr. Divi-Divi—he no longer called him Alger-

non—at an end.



But she did not cry, not a bit of it, nor did she speak dis-

respectfully ; she simply asked to be fully informed of her

father’s reasons, to which, when given her, she replied, with

fine scorn and a flush of indignation spreading over her fair

features : :



“So, it is a question of money, after all! Now, my dear

father, I thought you admired principle beyond anything; but

—and forgive me for saying so—you are acting as badly now

as those Democrats have been doing to these islands. You will

remember there was no talk of his wealth in Chicago; it was

merely a question whether he loved me, and I loved him. I

‘banked’ on Algernon’s love, he ‘banked’ on mine, just as the

West Indies ‘banked’ on America keeping its pledges. Now,

. you find it suits you to back out, and you become just as—well, ©

I do not wish to speak disrespectfully to you, I love you too

much, but I must say it in one way—just like those Democrats ;

but there is one thing you have not counted on, I do not

intend to back out, come what will And, now, allow me to

wish you a very good morning”; and before Mr. Wigges could

recover from his astonishment—she had never spoken to him

like that before—she had kissed him, and run out of the room,

going straight to her mother.



But there her spirit failed her, and five minutes afterwards

she was sobbing out her disappointment and sorrow in the

arms of that good lady, who, much as she loved her husband,

was deeply pained at his sudden determination, not under-.

standing herself how Algernon Divi-Divi’s misfortunes, in no

way the result of his own imprudence, could have so influenced

him with regard to their daughter, whom she knew he loved

beyond anything—even his money—aye, even herself whom he

had loved for so many years so faithfully and so well.



And now night stole over all these troubled minds—a lovely

tropical night—in which everything under the light of the

moon shows so brightly, in which the palm trees softly rustle

their leaves, the flowering cacti and jessamine give out their

70 . AN ISLAND OF ‘THE SEA.



perfume, and everything is so peaceful and still. Mr. Wigges

-had long ago sunk to rest; Mrs. Wigges slumbered on at his

side. Miss Wigges had cried herself to sleep in the adjoining

apartment; only Algernon Divi-Divi remained awake, tossing

restlessly on his bed, wishing for daylight as he thought over

the cruel fate which so soon was to separate him from his

sweetheart. By-and-bye he, too, fell asleep; not even such

sorrow as his was proof against Nature’s balmy restorer, man’s

best friend in all his troubles.



How long he slept he could not tell, but somewhere about

midnight he awoke and, to his astonishment, sitting by his

bedside was the quaintest figure he ever saw in his life.

Dressed in a blue coat with gilt buttons, knee-breeches, and

buckles to his shoes, with a cocked hat on his head, lace ruffles

to his sleeves, with a pair of pistols stuck in his belt, and a

hanger by his side, he sat calmly surveying our hero as if it

were the most natural thing in the world for him to do.



“Don’t be alarmed,” he said, taking a pinch of snuff from a

box all covered with diamonds, and which glittered brightly in

the moonbeams which played through the jalousies of the room.



_“I’m Bluebeard, or his ghost if you like, for I daresay that it

seems impossible to you for such a resuscitation to take place

after so many years have passed; at any rate I’m your friend,

as, in the old days, I was always of every one in these islands

when in trouble or difficulties. I daresay you have heard of me

before, and of my good friend Blackbeard who used to own the

other place on the hill yonder.”



Here our hero thought he was telling fibs, but did not dare to

Say SO.



“Don’t doubt me!” exclaimed Bluebeard ferociously. “For

all they have said and done, they have never been able to take

away our names from the two old Towers, and as long as they

last they will be called after us. But I have said I am your

friend, and so I am sure you will eventually find out if you

follow my advice, which is this. You have heard, of course,

that we once buried a lot of treasure up there. Well, so we

did, and in a great many other places, all of which have been

pretty nearly ransacked by now. Anyhow, what I want you to

do, is to go up to my Tower and look carefully round the old

building, where, in a crevice to the east, which no one has ever

remarked before, and no one will ever again after you, you will

AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. 71



.



find something which, if rightly used, will bring Mr. Wigges to

his senses and secure you the hand of his daughter.”



“But the Tower is not my property, and if I should find

anything there it will not belong to me,” replied Algernon.



“Never you mind, do as I tell you; the Tower belongs to me,

and so does everything you may find in it; besides, what you

will find is given to you by me. No one else, not even the

present owner, can give it to you. Anyway, do as you are told,

if you wish to be happy. Farewell”; and in a flash he was

gone, leaving our hero fast asleep again.



Of course, when Algernon awoke he felt inclined to laugh at

his dream, but it was one which continued to haunt him from

the time that he got out of bed; so much so, that impelled by a

power that he could not withstand, he took the road to the

Tower.



He found no difficulty in getting there, and no one to inter-

fere with his inspection of it. The owner had gone with his

family on a trip to St. Lucia, and the only watchman had gone

into town on his own business.



Twice he walked round the Tower, and more than once looked

up at its frowning walls as he did so, but on his third round

sure enough there was a chink in the wall lying invitingly open.

He had not noticed it before, in fact, he could have sworn that

no such chink existed, but there it was, and lying snugly

ensconced at the bottom of it was a package; this he carefully

pulled out and opened, discovering an old coin of beautiful

design.



He was no numismatist or he might have been able to appre-

ciate its freshness and beauty; as it was, he only sighed from

disappointment; for when he first took out the package he

thought that, after all, his dream might come true, and perhaps

a diamond of great value might be concealed in it, the remnant

may-be of Bluebeard’s treasures. Indeed, so great was his

chagrin, that he felt almost inclined to throw it away, but

remembering, after all, that it was a remarkable coincidence—

no pun is intended—he deseended the hill, and wended his way

slowly homewards.



It was a lovely morning, and he might have felt the happiest

man alive if it had not been for the ill-fortune which had

overtaken him. Sitting down for a moment upon a little bench

near at hand, he drew out the coin and looked at it.

72 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



“ Singular, isn’t it!” he said softly to himself. “It looks very

old and quaint, looks as if it had seen some good times in its

day. Money of the olden time, did you ever cause such mis-

fortune to mankind as your prototype of to-day? Were you as

much the golden calf then as you are now? What a lot you

could say if you could speak! What——”



“ Yes, Algernon dear,” said a sweet voice behind him. “What

a lot that old coin is going to do; you'll find out presently when

we take it to my father. We may safely trust its past history

with him, in face of the good it will bring to us.” And here,

Miss Wigges, who was also out for a morning walk, sat down

beside her lover and looked at the coin.



“Why, it’s the very one my father has been looking for for

the last ten years. He has offered an enormous sum for it; has

notified collectors all over the world his desire to obtain it at

any price. Why, he won't hesitate to part with me for it.”



“But my dear—you in exchange for such an old coin as this ?

A billion such would not suffice to buy you from me.”



“Certainly not. If there were a billion of them—but this is

the only one besides the one now in the possession of my father.

And then you know, Algernon, you are not a numismatist, and

therefore not supposed to know its value, but really, how did

you come to find it?”



Then he told her of his dream about the pirate Bluebeard, and

his scruples about appropriating it.



“Nonsense!” my dear Algernon, “didn’t Bluebeard come

himself to give it to you? Come, let’s get home at once, and

let papa see if it is really the right one or not.”



And as her word was law just then with Algernon they did

so, placing the coin in the hands of her father, to his unbounded

astonishment and delight. In all his life he had not experienced

such a surprise. He, certainly, never expected to complete his

magnificent collection of coins in St. Thomas. It was marvel-

lous !—and in the manner in which it had occurred. Why, it

would fill six columns of the Chicago Tribune, and create such a

sensation among the numismatists as would crown him with

glory for the rest of his days. Consent to their marriage ?

Why, of course he would!



The truth of it is, that he had made up his mind to do so

before they came in; his was a kindly nature, and the gentle

reproaches of his wife had softened him considerably.

AN ISLAND OF THE SEA, 73



_ At that moment Mrs. Wigges entered the room, and when she

heard the whole story, the tender-hearted creature broke down

completely for joy.



“Bless the old Pirate,” she said, as she affectionately kissed

her husband, and threw her arms round his neck; whether she

meant Mr. Wigges or Bluebeard has never been told, but I do

know that they solemnly blessed the young couple, who were

married and lived happily ever afterwards,

“BLACK IVORY.”



CHAPTER IL.



It is a moot question whether Mr. James Teach really did care

to reside on the hill where Blackbeard’s Tower had stood for

over a century.



The Tower itself was out of repair; and when Mr. James

Teach leased it, with the adjoining buildings, the upper floor was

only accessible by means of a ladder from below, the first and

second floors having crumbled away before the inroads of time

and the wood-worm, which spares scarcely anything in the shape

of woodwork in the West Indies.



The two small houses which, at that time, stood near to it,

were in a little better condition ; and when Mr. Teach had ex-

pended a few dollars in necessary repairs, they were quite

habitable.



Yet it was a wonder to the busy town’s folk, who passed their

lives money grubbing at the foot of the hill and along the shore

of the beautiful bay which makes St. Thomas the possessor of

the finest harbour in the West Indies, why Mr. Teach had chosen

to leave the spacious house he occupied on the Main Street for

such uncomfortable quarters.



Various were the comments, and more than one hinted that it

was only another of the mysterious ways of Mr. Teach that had

made his life so unaccountable to the rest of the community.

Others said, that perhaps he was going to dig for treasure; but

as several persons had dug up half the place already, with the

same object, the idea was scouted.



They were a busy people in those days. Anyone—a white

man with the least ability—could make money; and they were,

as a rule, so occupied, that they soon forgot the circumstance of

Mr. Teach occupying the Tower; though some busybodies, who

had nothing else to do, did not fail to notice that he mounted to

the top of it every morning early, remaining there more than an

hour scanning the horizon with his telescope.

AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. 75



Not that there was anything extraordinary in that, for he

owned several vessels ; among them, two or three rakish-looking

schooners which traded between St. Thomas and the island of

Porto Rico. And here again was another mystery; each of

these schooners carried a long swivel-gun at the stern, for their

protection against pirates, so Mr. Teach said; though his friends

and the public asserted, between themselves as a matter of

course, that these guns were for piratical purposes.



Now all this may have been very true; but so cautious were

the dealings of Mr. Teach, that he never gave any one just cause

to be certain that he had any connection with that kind of

gentry ; though it is a notorious fact, that more than one rich

and prosperous trader in St. Thomas gave assistance to the

pirates which infested West Indian waters; but Mr. Teach had

never but once, during his residence of ten years on the island,

given cause for the slightest suspicion, and then he had so

promptly placed his books at the Government’s disposal, and

offered his house and office so readily for its inspection, that the

officials apologized for even suspecting him.



But this did not satisfy those malicious persons who are never

‘ satisfied that a man can get along in the world without being a

rogue or a rascal, so they even went so far as to insinuate that

Mr. Teach had bribed them to overlook the most glaring facts

against him ; which horrible calumny, when it came to their ears,

made them more blind than ever to anything that Mr. Teach did

in the prosecution of his honourable calling.



Now what was the honourable calling that Mr. James Teach

followed in the town of Charlotte Amalia ?



Let us go back a little into Mr. James Teach’s history.



Some years before this story opens he began life in Anegada.

Who were his parents, where he was born, and in what condition

of life, does not concern us at this moment; we only know him

at that period of his existence as a stalwart young man, named

John Block, living in a small cabin by the sea-shore, eking out a

precarious livelihood by fishing. The island at that time was

peopled by more whites than at present; in fact, only a few

escaped slaves from the neighbouring islands helping the whites,

who were to all intents as poor as themselves.



We might have said equally as ignorant, for amongst all of

them John Block was the only one who could read, write, and

cipher. How he came by these accomplishments was best known

76 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



to himself ; though rumour pointed to his having been taught

by his mother, who claimed to be of respectable parentage, but

why she ever came to such a barren place as Anegada was a

matter of surprise to the islanders.



John Block was of a moody disposition, and cared but little

for the companionship of his fellows. When not fishing he

plaited fishpots, in the same manner as the “Cha Cha” does to-

day ; or he built boats, at which he was very skilful. For these

he got a good price; and as his expenses were next to nothing,

by-and-bye he became talked about as well-to-do in the world—

the little world of Anegada—and more than one girl, of the few

in the island, cast “sheep’s eyes” at him; all of which was

entirely lost upon John Block, who had not a particle of love in

his composition for any other human being in this world than

himself—a more selfish vagabond, probably, never existed.



How long John Block might have vegetated in this manner it

is difficult to say ; but one day the sky grew dark, great clouds

gathered overhead, the sea rose in its might, the wind blew a

hurricane, and every living soul on that island crept into his hut

with fear and trembling in his heart that he might never live to

.8ee another morning. It was one of those fearful gales, for °

which the West Indies is famous, sweeping all before it, and

carrying destruction to the homes of thousands.



For John Block such convulsions of Nature had no special

terrors. He had no beliefs to worry him; no fears of hell ; no

hopes of a heaven; he believed in himself. His cabin was a

strong one, made to withstand the greatest storm; and all that

fearful night, after he had crept into it and fastened himself

. securely in, he slept as soundly as if the gentlest wind were

lulling him to sleep.



And when morning brought Nature smilingly contemplating

all the havoc and desolation she had made, in just such a mood

came forth John Block to look how things had gone with his

fellow islanders. Not that he loved them enough to help them ;

but, if his assistance were paid for, he would have been ready

enough to give it.



But most of them lived at a distance, and in order to reach

them he would have to pass along a considerable stretch of sea-

shore. Selecting a stout stick from among several that stood in

the corner of his cabin, he started, making his way with con-

siderable difficulty, as a great deal of sea-wreck and débris had

AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. 77



been washed up by the waves, which yet were angrily lashing

the beach.



He had not gone far before he came across the body of a man.



It was not the first time, by any means, that he had seen a

body cast up by the sea; but this was not an ordinary

person. Ignorant as he was of what life really was outside of

Anegada, he had read enough, in the few books he had managed

to procure, of how people looked and lived in other countries.

One thing was sure, this man was a very much superior person

to any one he had ever seen before, dead or alive. He hada

dim remembrance, when fe was a child, of a visit to that island

by the Governor of Tortola, and how he had shrunk close to his -

mother when that high and mighty personage looked at him ;

but here was some one whose appearance betokened a higher

station than the Governor.



His first thought was to see if he was alive, and if so, to help

him or to seek assistance to carry out this charitable impulse ;

his second, and that came more naturally to him, was to make

sure he was dead, by hitting him over the head with his stick,

and then to rob him.



A fine diamond ring, an elegant watch and seals, and, enclosed

in a waterproof cover, a pocket-book heavily lined with English

bank notes for £100 each, rewarded him for his pains.



Having secured these, and made sure that there was nothing

more to appropriate, he returned back to his hut, and seating.

himself on a log, which served him for a stool, he began to

think.



And the upshot of his thoughts was to leave Anegada as soon

as possible, get to Tortola, and thence to St. Thomas; then the

Emporium of the Antilles, where fortunes were made, where the

scum of the West Indies met and hobnobbed, and where no one

would ask him whence he got those £100 bank notes.



CHAPTER II.



WE shall pass over the years that James Teach, formerly

known as John Block, took to become, first, a burgher, and then

a man of consequence, in the island of St. Thomas.



He may be said to have started fairly in the world with the

capital which he had acquired so infamously from the body that

78 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



the sea had washed on shore at Anegada, and as there was

plenty to do in the town of Charlotte Amalia for a man with

money at his command, it was not long before he found out the

right way to employ it. At that time St. Thomas was a ren-

dezvous for almost every craft that sailed in West Indian

waters—as many as 100 to 175 vessels might have been counted

at once in its harbour. All the produce of the Spanish Main

passed through it on its way to Europe. Vast cargoes of mer-

chandise came out in return, which were sold to the countless

purchasers that constantly visited it. It was also the head-

quarters for an enormous traffic in’ slaves, and though the

Danish Government had declared it unlawful, it was not

entirely suppressed when James Teach landed, and many men

were said to have made large fortunes by shipping them to

Porto Rico and the other islands.



It was a quick and easy way to wealth when properly

managed, and James Teach was not slow to perceive that this

was as good a way as any to invest his money, if he desired to

reap @ quick return for it.



Not but what there were many risks to encounter ; first and

foremost, the Government officials, who were very strict and

attentive to their duties when a cargo of “black ivory,” as a

shipload of Africans was called in those days, was expected to

be smuggled into port; but James Teach went systematically

to work. Finding his capital too small to carry out his plans

of importing them direct, he bought one of the fastest schooners

afloat, and, engaging a picked crew from among the desperadoes

who were such frequent visitors to St. Thomas he made himself

her captain, and, after a year’s cruising, he had realized enough

to dispense with commanding her himself, and to purchase

several other vessels, all engaged ostensibly in commerce with

the islands.



His method possessed, at least, the merit of originality—

a good slave was worth any day from 300 to 500 dollars

in Porto Rico. To send to Africa for a cargo demanded special

vessels, considerable outlay, and involved not only the risk of

meeting British cruisers on the way, but the liability of

loss by the death of half the cargo before reaching its desti-

nation.



All this James Teach avoided by the simple plan of waylay-

ing nearly every slave vessel bound to the West Indies, murder-

AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. 79



ing captain, officers, and crew, and appropriating every other

living soul on board that could be called an African.



As he took care to scuttle the ship afterwards, on the specious

plea that dead men tell no tales, there was nothing left to bear

witness against him but his own crew, who, being accomplices

and sharers in the spoil, were not likely to turn king’s evidence

against him.



His greatest difficulty, at first, was to stow them away before

a. favourable opportunity offered for shipping them to Porto

Rico, without exciting the suspicion of the Danish authorities ;

but, after he had more than doubled his capital by a successful

venture or two, he purchased one of the largest houses on the

Main Street, and, with the aid of his ship carpenters, con-

structed, unknown to anyone else, a hiding-place, capable of

concealing 100 slaves, between two of the loftiest rooms in

the dwelling. So skilfully did they manage it, and its secret

entrance, that for years, long after James Teach’s death, no one

suspected its existence; here, at midnight, when everything was

quiet in the town and harbour, he would bring the unfortunate

slaves, each one bound and gagged, and lay them, like trussed

fowls, close to each other, until he was ready to ship them

away. ,



As we have before remarked, in the introductory chapter,

though strongly suspected, he was never found out; only those

connected with his nefarious schemes knew of them, and they

were too well paid and deeply mixed up in them to betray him;

besides, men’s consciences were very elastic then on the subject

of “black ivory ”—a coloured man was hardly credited with

being a human, and as for his having any rights in particular,

they were only laughed at; only the Government, so often

accused of being the oppressor, seemed to have discovered that

this traffic in flesh and blood was unlawful; and it must be

said that its suspicions were strongly excited against Mr. James

Teach.



In the meantime many merchants of St. Thomas, who were

interésted in the direct importation of “black ivory” from

Africa, lost several valuable cargoes with their vessels; but as

nothing ever was heard of either, they were, rightly or not, put

down as lost at sea.



And now, having thrown a little light on the honourable

calling which Mr. Teach pursued so much to his satisfaction, and

80 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



that of his associates, we will pass to the only redeeming episode

in his remarkable career, and which, being based on pure selfish-

ness from the beginning, would be hardly worth mentioning, if

it were not necessary to our story, as illustrating the manner in

which the most secret crimes become known, and are punished

in the end.



From the earliest days of the colony the women of the island

had been noted for their beauty, especially the Creoles of two

or three generations; but though Mr. James Teach, in virtue of

his great wealth, and his having become a very important man

in the community, had been thrown in contact with some of the

handsomest, his heart, if he had any, remained untouched.



As we have once before observed, all the love he had was

for himself; nothing else up to then had shared it; not even

his dog could get a caress from him.



There was one girl, however, who had caught his fancy,

but she was a mere child, not yet 13 years of age when he

first saw her.



She lived with her aunt in a tumble-down cottage on the

confines of the town, where they earned their living by iron-

ing and starching fine things, and sewing for their neighbours.

Now James Teach had noticed Eva Wilson more than once

during his walks in the country; and strange enough to re-

late, conceived a violent passion for her, and had she been

older would have sought her in marriage at once; but in

view of the fact that she was so young, he interviewed her

aunt, and proposed to her to send them away to Copenhagen,

there to have her educated, and if she were willing, at the

end of five years he would make her his wife.



Only one thing he insisted on, and that was strict secrecy.

This the elder woman promised, and as she saw no reason to

doubt the word of so reputable a man as James Teach, she,

without even consulting her niece, accepted his offer, leaving

for Denmark a few weeks after. This occurred about four

years before our story opens, and may be said to be the only

good action ever done by Mr. James Teach in the whole of

his blood-stained career. How he was impelled to do it is an

insolvable riddle, unless that Nemesis, which almost always

follows crime, had selected this fair young girl as the means

to effect his destruction.

AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. 1



CHAPTER III.



Now let us follow Eva Wilson and her aunt to Copenhagen,

then, as now, one of the cleanest and best regulated cities in

Europe.



Voyages to and from the Danish West Indies and the

Mother Country, for so the colonists have ever loved to call

Denmark, were much more serious affairs than they are at

this time, very seldom being accomplished by the old mer-

chant vessels of the Eighteenth Century under three months.

They were stoutly built, and in many instances had elegant

passenger accommodations. It was in one of these that they

reached Denmark, after a pleasant voyage of one hundred days.

They bore excellent letters to Mr. James Teach’s agent, then

the head of one of the most substantial firms in Copenhagen,

and who, knowing him to be a man of great wealth in St.

Thomas, extended a cordial welcome to them, and, for the time

being, the hospitality of his home. This sudden transition

from the drudgery they had formerly passed through was not

without its effect on Eva’s aunt, who, from a careworn, anxious-

looking woman became almost young again in the atmosphere

of kindness which surrounded her. As for Eva, the best

masters were secured for her, and everything done to carry

out the wishes of Mr. Teach, with regard to her education.

And she responded nobly to their efforts to improve her. With

a natural aptitude for the acquirement of knowledge she

progressed rapidly, and as the years rolled over her head she

developed not only in the matter of every accomplishment

taught at that period, but actually excelled in others not

generally considered as belonging to her sex. !



She corresponded regularly with Mr. Teach, giving him,

according to. his wish, a minute account of her daily life, her

progress in her studies, and her impressions of everything

around her. She had learned by this time to consider him her

best friend and benefactor, and even to look upon him with con-

siderable affection for all that he had done for her.



Her aunt, who saw the end of the period of probation expir-

ing, took pains to place Mr. Teach in the most favourable light

before her, always taking care not to let her know the secret of

her ultimate destiny, fearing to alarm her, and perhaps to engen-

der hatred, where it was desirable she should feel nothing but love.



8 8112, F

82 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



In the meanwhile, Eva’s beauty had become the theme of

admiration of everyone. Moving among the wealthiest and

most fashionable people in Copenhagen, known as the adopted

daughter of the richest man in the Danish West Indies, she had

scores of admirers at her feet, and might, had she chosen, have

married with the best of them. But charming as she was in her

demeanour, gentle as she was in all her ways, and friendly as

she was in disposition, not one of them could boast of ever

having received a favour at her hands, nor one word of encou-

ragement from her lips. All this was duly repeated by the aunt

to Mr. James Teach, who, in a sort of madness which seemed to

have possessed him as far as this young girl was concerned,

thought that it was because of her love for him that she cared

for no one else. And so this went on, steadily gaining posses-

sion of him every day, the passion of love consuming him finally

to such an extent, that at times he would neglect his business

merely for the sole pleasure of thinking of her. ~



And when at last the five years expired that he had set aside

for the completion of her education, he could no longer contain

himself, and at once wrote letters for their return by one of the

first vessels leaving for the Danish West Indies, fully expecting

to marry her upon her arrival.



And now a strange thing happened as this letter was

crossing the ocean to its destination; a certain Danish noble-

man addressed her, and, what is stranger still, succeeded in

breaking down that barrier of icy reserve with which she had

treated everyone else. Of winning presence, and endowed

with rare mental gifts, His Excellency, Count Lauritz, would

have been called a very handsome man if it had not been for a

frightful scar just over the forehead, which he said he had

received when shipwrecked and cast ashore at a place called

Anegada, in the great hurricane which took place ten years

before in the West Indies.



Whether it was the fact of his having escaped such peril so

near to her own dear native land, or whether his stories of

adventure, for he had travelled much, impressed her so that like

another Desdemona, in listening to them, her love went out

towards him, we know not; but it is very certain that by the

time Mr. Teach’s letter reached them, she had pledged her troth

to him. This at first sight may appear extremely blameable on

her part; but as Mr. James Teach had never breathed a word of

AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. 83



love in any of his letters, and as the aunt had never mentioned

his ultimate designs, in return for having launched them into

good society and educated Eva, it seems most natural that things

should turn out in this manner; indeed it could not be other-

wise, for surely no one would have cared to see her married to

such a wretch as Mr. Teach had proved himself to be on all

occasions, excepting this.



Why the aunt did not inform her is the only thing to wonder

at, but living in a fool’s paradise all the time, she never thought

of it; perhaps she did not care to spoil her niece’s present hap-

piness. She really loved her, and had no particular desire to see

her wedded to Mr. James Teach. So when a scion of one of the

noblest houses in Denmark, presented himself, she never said a

word, but actually joined their hands and congratulated them

when he told her of their engagement. Then it was that

Mr. Teach’s letter stared them in the face.



This, however, was quietly got: over by Eva; who, with true

feminine intuition, having some misgivings as to his approval of

her choice without consulting him, said that they would get

married first and afterwards ask his blessing on the union. To

this Count Lauritz cordially consented ; and as he, just about

that time, received a royal appointment as Commissioner to the

Danish West Indies, for the purpose of investigating certain acts

of piracy and slave-dealing which had occurred in Danish waters,

it was decided that they should get married at once, and then

leave Copenhagen in the first vessel bound for the West Indies.



CHAPTER IV.



Tuus it is, that some three months afterwards we find them

in the tropics, not far from their journey’s end, and becalmed

about fifty miles off the coast of Anegada.



A very slight breeze had sprung up during the last twenty-

four hours, but scarcely sufficient to move .the huge, lumbering

vessel which had taken them thus far towards their destination.



The captain, an old and experienced mariner, looked anxiously

aloft at his sails flapping idly against the masts, and more than

once swept the horizon with his glass for the sign of any strange



craft.

F 2

84 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



With a precaution born of experience, he had seen that the

few muskets and cutlasses the ship possessed were in proper

order, and the two carronades well cleaned and loaded with a

full charge of grape. He kept a strict look out also, for he

knew that many a fine ship had met her doom in these waters,

at the hands of the blood-thirsty pirates that infested them.

How he whistled for a good wind, a spanking breeze to send him

bowling along at ten knots an hour into harbour, where, at any

rate for awhile, his anxiety would be over. But that breeze

would not come for the vessel he commanded ; there was only

just enough to fill the sails of one of Mr. James Teach’s schooners,

which had been on the look out for plunder for a fortnight.

First, her topmasts showed above the horizon, then her

mizen masts, and then her long black hull came creeping up

to them, slowly but surely, just as the tiger crawls upon its

prey.



Not even the dead calm which set in checked her progress, for

the pirate captain got out his sweeps, and when within a mile of

_of them ran up the black flag, and fired his swivel gun at the

rigging of the unlucky “ Dagmar.”



Down came some of the top gear with a crash, but doing

no further damage than smashing a hen-coop.



“Oh, for a gun like that!” exclaimed the Danish captain,

as another shot came crashing into his ship; “run up the

Dannebrog, my lads, and let them see when they do come on

board what a welcome we can give them. There will be no

quarter for any of us if they te take us, so we may as well fight

it out with them.”



By this time the deck was clear for action. The men were

armed and the guns moved aft, so that they would be able to

sweep the deck with grape-shot. The ladies had been put in

comparative safety below the water-line, and the captain would

have insisted that Count Lauritz remained along with them

had he not reminded him that he bore the King’s commission,

and it was his duty to fight along with him and his men.

So, kissing Eva fondly and begging the aunt, who was nearly

dead froin fright, to be of good cheer as they hoped to come

out victors, he went on deck and then occupied himself with

the sailors in strengthening their defences, for it was part of

the captain’s policy to iet the pirates come on board and

decimate them if possible at close quarters.

AN ISLAND OF THE SEA, 85



There were some thirty men or more besides the captain

and Count Lauritz, good Danish sailors, each of them more

than a match for half-a-dozen of the mongrel crew of despe-

radoes which formed the pirate’s crew; possibly the pirate

captain was aware of this, for he contented himself by firing

into the “Dagmar” at intervals, hoping, no doubt, to cripple

her in such a manner as to render her an easy prey when

defenceless. Already two of her men had been slightly

wounded by splinters, and much more damage might have

been done if the captain, who, from the manner in which he

handled his ship under such difficulties, seemed to be acquainted

with their ways, had not lined that portion. of his bulwarks,

where his men lay snugly hidden, with some bales of clothing

belonging to his cargo, and which effectually prevented

the shot from passing through that part of his vessel. By-

and-bye the pirate schooner came within hailing distance of

. him.



“What ship is that?” yelled the pirate captain through a

speaking trumpet.



No answer from the “Dagmar.”



. “Lay her alongside!” yelled the pirate again.



No sooner said than done; grappling irons were thrown

from the schooner to the ship, and, in less time than we have

taken to write this, the pirate crew climbed up on the deck

of the “ Dagmar.”



“Let them have it!” said the Danish captain. Bang, went

one of the carronades, and a charge of grape tore a lane

through the shrieking pirates, of whom those who were not

dead or wounded rushed, towards the quarter-deck.



“ Again, ‘Fire !’” shouted the Danish captain, and the second

carronade vomited forth its deadly contents with such effect

that scarcely a dozen were left of that crowd of howling

vagabonds, so full of the lust of slaughter but a few moments

before.



“Back to the schooner!” roared the pirate captain, seeing

that he had been led into a snare, and that to remain another

moment longer was to meet the same fate as his comrades,

who were lying dead or wounded around him.



“Let them have it again,” said the Danish captain, as all

begrimed with powder he sighted the carronade himself, taking

aim at the swivel-gun.

86 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



The pirates by this time had got on board their schooner,

and, casting off the grapnels, began to crowd on sail to get

away from the “ Dagmar.”



Bang, went the carronade again, and so true was the old

sea-captain’s aim that the shot knocked over the swivel that

had done his vessel so much mischief ere the pirates had

boarded them, and which might yet have proved their de-

struction, even though they had beaten them.



Probably the pirate captain understood this, as he shook his

fist‘-at him, and ordered the remnant of his crew to clap on

all sail and be off.



By this time a stiff breeze had sprung up, and after all

the dead pirates had been thrown overboard, the wounded

looked after, and the vessel put to rights, the captain laid

his course for Road Town, Tortola, where he hoped to find

an English man-of-war to take him and his ship in safety to

St. Thomas.



“His Majesty's High Commissioner is on board,” said he,

jokingly, to Eva, at dinner a few hours afterwards; “and it

may be as well to take extra precautions to get him to

St. Thomas to try the scoundrels who have so nearly taken

my vessel.”



He looked meaningly at Count Lauritz as he said so.



But neither they nor the mate told Eva that but a short

while before they had received the dying confession of one

of the pirates that Mr. James Teach was their head, and of

all the miscreants who lived in St. Thomas by plundering

vessels or exporting “Black Ivory,” he was the vilest and



most cruel. e



CHAPTER V.



In the good old times of which we are writing, Road Town,

Tortola, did a flourishing business.) There were many fine

estates upon the island, and quite a colony of well-to-do

planters.



A great deal of sugar was made and exported, and its streets

wore an air of business-like activity, that no one would believe

to-day when they look upon its departed prosperity. It rejoiced

AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. 87



in a Governor, and a numerous staff of officials, who lived

in houses substantially built, and who spent their money

in good living, like the gentlemen they were, until “Yellow

Jack” carried them off, or they had saved up sufficient from

their salaries to go home with a diseased liver, and end the

few days that were left them. ,



It was in this friendly port that the “Dagmar” soon found

herself, and when she had dropped anchor, her captain, accom-

panied by Count Lauritz, went on shore and paid his respects

to the Governor.



This functionary, who had been one of His Britannic

Majesty’s naval captains before his appointment as Governor,

welcomed them cordially, and his eyes twinkled with satisfac-

tion when he heard from Count Lauritz how bravely the

captain and crew had beaten off the pirates; but his counte-

nance looked grave when he heard how deeply James Teach



was implicated in the several acts of piracy which had been

committed for so many years in those waters.



“TI am sorry,” he said, “I cannot lend you a sloop of war

to accompany you over to St. Thomas, the two sloops of war

which are generally lying here are out with the hope of

catching a piratical schooner, which without doubt is the one

you have beaten off. Perhaps if you remain a day or two

and rest your men they may return. In the meanwhile, I am

at your service during your stay in this island.”



Returning thanks for his kindness they withdrew and went

on board again, but they had hardly done so when two

vessels hove in sight, one proving to be H.B.MS. “ Bulldog,”

and the other, one of Mr. James Teach’s rakish-looking

schooners, the one which had attacked them, with a prize

crew on board, and a couple of pirates as prisoners; the rest

had been slain along with their captain, who was cut down

just as he was about to blow up his ship.



Perhaps by this time the reader may have divined why

Mr. James Teach had leased Blackbeard’s Tower, and the

reason why he so punctually every morning spent an hour on

the top of it, sweeping the horizon with his spy-glass.



He had grown frightfully anxious of late. All his schooners

were away from the island, and as it was now about time for

the “Dagmar” to be in St. Thomas, fears began to assail him

that she might have been attacked by them, an eventuality

88 -AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



almost too horrible to contemplate, for as his piratical asso-

Ciates invariably massacred all hands, irrespective of age,

condition, or sex, it was quite as likely as not that. the

woman he loved was by this time at the bottom of the ocean,



For five long years her image had been before him. She

occupied his thoughts to the exclusion of almost everything

else. Curious anomaly; this man, who had never shed a tear

within his remembrance, whose conscience was so deadened

that he felt not the slightest remorse or compunction for all

the murders of which he had been the instigator, was in this

respect as tender-hearted as a baby, and he fairly trembled

and wept at the thought of what might have happened to

her. What is also very singular is the absolute surety that

he felt of becoming her husband, and living a life of happi-

ness hereafter. He actually believed it possible that such

crimes as he had committed might be atoned for by a correct

course of living in future. He never thought of being dis-

covered, so long had he pursued his iniquitous career with

impunity. He felt sure that his captains and crews were

true to him, although he very much regretted that he had

not disbanded them before sending for Eva.



It was when this agony of fear and apprehension was at

its height, that one fine morning he beheld the “Dagmar,”

in company with a British cruiser, entering the port. Utter-

ing an exclamation of joy as he caught sight of a beautiful

young woman on deck, and whom he presumed to be Eva,

he hastily descended the ladder which led to the top of

the tower, donned his best attire, and proceeding to what

is now known as the King’s Wharf, entered his boat, which,

pulled by four stout oarsmen, soon reached the ship.



“Arrest that man!” said the captain of the “Dagmar,” as

his foot touched the deck. Instantly he was seized, and

before he could make the slightest resistance his arms were

pinioned behind his back.



“What means this outrage?” he yelled, almost beside him-

self with rage and fury. “I came on board your vessel, sir,

a peaceful Danish burgher, and you bind me as you would

the meanest criminal.”



‘ “Just so,” said the old Danish skipper, very quietly.



“Where's my ward?” cried Mr. Teach, foaming with pas-

sion and struggling to get loose.

AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. 89



But he was destined never to see her again. The one glimpse

he had of her from the tower was all that he ever ob-

tained of her in this life.



Count Lauritz had just completed his sad tale of her

guardian’s wicked career, as related by the dying pirate, when

Mr. Teach was made prisoner.



Poor Eva, who though she had married without consulting

him, and had calculated upon a pleasant meeting with him,

was stunned at the news; and when the old aunt told her

that all he had done for her was with the selfish motive

of marrying her himself on her arrival, she wisely concluded,

with her husband, that it would be best for her not to see

him again.



All this time Mr. James Teach kept on insisting on an in-

terview; from threats he used entreaties, until at last he

almost humbly implored them to let him see her once more.



But the old captain was inflexible; it was only when he

became more and more persistent that he turned to one of

the sailors and told him to tell the lady’s husband to step

forward,



“Lady’s husband!” exclaimed Mr. Teach. “You are joking.

Eva married! Impossible ! Let me go! What on earth have

you bound me for? What——



At this moment Count Lauritz advanced towards him. The

sailors made way, those guarding Mr. Teach, slightly re-

laxing their hold. - Then it was that an awful change came

over his countenance. As he saw the Count he turned ghastly

pale, almost livid; great beads of perspiration rolled down his

cheeks, _



“His ghost!” he said in terrified accents, recoiling as the

Count came forward. “God in Heaven! Does the sea give up

its dead? Away,I say!” and with a fearful cry, and a strength

born of despair, he broke loose from his captors, rushed to the

side of the vessel, and, bound as he was, threw himself over-

board. His boat’s crew tried to save him, but as a few moments

afterwards the sea became reddened with blood, they concluded

that a shark had saved the law the trouble of hanging James

Teach.



Here endeth our story, We might have told a great deal

more, if it were not for fear of tiring the patience of our

readers. But with Eva married happily, and her aunt com-

90 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA



fortably provided for, we think everyone ought to be satisfied.

Nevertheless, some may like to know that they all lived to

a good old age, highly respected in the Danish West Indies.

The only thing worthy of note beside this is, that no clue

-could be obtained to the whereabouts of James Teach’s im-

mense fortune. It was always said that he had saved piles

upon piles of Spanish doubloons. Their not being encountered

after his death, led many to believe that he concealed them

somewhere near Blackbeard’s tower. Up to now, some people

will not believe they were ever found, Some day, perhaps

in a future story, we may tell how they were discovered.

“JAMES TEACH’S DOUBLOONS.”



In looking over some old papers lately forwarded to me from

St. Croix by my esteemed friend Algernon Divi-Divi, just

before his departure for Europe with his aimable wife, née

Miss Wigges, of Chicago, I came across the following history.



Written in a clerkly hand it bears the impress of that care

which distinguishes most of the MSS. of the beginning of last

century, and which, in this age of shorthand and typewriters,

is becoming almost as rare as correct spelling was in those

days.



Mr. Elias Divi-Divi, the grandfather of Algernon, appears to

have been the writer, and he opens his story as follows :—



How I came to lay my hands upon James Teach’s Spanish

doubloons, is what I have never told anyone. Not even

Rachel, the wife of my bosom, the companion of my life, the

one human being who has always understood me and loved

me, has ever known how I laid the foundation of my immense

fortune, for at this moment of writing I am the owner of more

than two thousand slaves and a third of the sugar estates of

St. Croix.



I hardly know what prompts me to tell the secret—a secret

which I have kept for so many years, even upon this paper—

but a force impels me which I cannot resist. Perhaps it is

the spirit of James Teach, who will not let me depart this

life without letting the world know what became of his

doubloons, the gold that he heaped up by his crimes.



As may be supposed by the reader of these lines, I was not

always the wealthy man Iam now. Most of those who came

out to the West Indies when I did, were poor. As a rule

they were white men. No coloured men came to us except

those brought from Africa in slave ships, which traffic, though

not permitted actually by the Danish Government, was more

or less carried on as a profitable business by the merchants of

St. Thomas, at which island I arrived when quite a young

man. This was not very long after the death of James

92 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



Teach. The inhabitants had not yet forgotten the circum-

stances which attended it, and, often I have listened open-

mouthed, and with a sense of terror stealing over me, to the

awful stories they used to tell about him, and how disappointed

the authorities were when they came to look for the huge

fortune which his books showed'that he must have accumulated

during his residence in the Danish West Indies.



As a matter of course, the two old towers, Bluebeard’s and

Blackbeard’s, came in for their share in these histories. They

were in a sad state of dilapidation at that time, and such tales

were told of lights having been seen flitting from one em-

brasure to another on stormy nights when no living being

could have possibly climbed up to them, and of phantom

processions, walking up the sides of the hill with huge sacks

of money on the shoulder of each gibbering ghost, that young

as I was, and fresh from the old country, and with the slightest

experience of the world in which I lived, I would shiver again,

and my teeth would chatter with aftright as I thought of

what might possibly happen to me at some time or other if

I ever indulged-in the morbid curiosity, which I had already

begun to feel, to take a turn up to these relics of a century

ago and look at them; perphaps obtain a clue to the treasure,

which nearly everyone so confidently asserted was somewhere

hidden. near to them.



Not but what there were sceptics who laughed at those who

believed in such idle stories, and who considered it a mere

waste of time to indulge in such vagaries. Industrious and

hard working men, most of them, they preferred busily to toil

from morning till night in the great commercial houses which

then controlled all the trade of the West Indies and Spanish

Main, to digging for a treasure which might never be found,

and of which, if even they discovered it, they would have to

surrender the greater part to the authorities. I do not think

it necessary that I should set down in these pages all that

I passed through before I obtained sufficient means to establish

myself as a money lender, not far from where the house of

James Teach stands at this day; nor how I acquired my

present knowledge of commercial affairs and the management

of sugar estates. It is sufficient, I think, to state that I have

been diligent, always so; no sooner have I got: through one

piece of work, than I immediately set myself about doing

AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. 93



another, and if another were not at hand, to do something—

read, write, or learn. .



After I got over the fit of idleness which took possession

of me when I first came to these countries, my common sense

taught me that among a people whose sole aim was wealth,

knowledge was power. I had no money, they had; my aim

in life, therefore, was to learn how to get theirs in the easiest

way possible.



And it was not so very difficult, then, for St. Thomas, besides

being a busy hive of industrious merchants, was also the resort

of countless visitors, natives of all countries.



Wealthy merchants from South America, returning to Europe

to rest after long years of labour; officials from other islands,

to retire upon their pensions, or to seek a change of climate

for the benefit of their health ; or, perhaps, a few young Cubans,

with their pockets full of money, come up to St. Thomas to

throw it away in the gambling hells, which held high carnival

at that time, in one or two of its streets; or, perchance, a

few pirates, slavers, or such like desperadoes, to spend their

ill-gotten gains among the scores of lovely women that from

more than one island came to join the birds of prey who lived

upon such flotsam and jetsam as they were,



.I cannot say that 1 made much head way with my fellow-

townsmen; indeed, barring the one incident which I shall

shortly relate, I do not really think I can remember anything

of a very pleasant nature that occurred to me among them.

Whether it was the profession I had chosen to adopt; I am

not prepared to say. I always welcomed the needy, and I

always lent money to them on good security, when I could

get it; sometimes on bad, for a reasonable interest usually,

more often an unreasonable one, according to circumstances.



I remember often taking myself to task frequently in those

days for having chosen this way of making a livelihood, but

I never could see myself+in any other light than a public

benefactor; putting it in this way: a man—whether through

imprudence, misfortune, or otherwise; loses his substance—his

first impulse like that of a man drowning, is to save himself.

To do this he has recourse to his friends, ill-luck pursuing

him, he tries them again, until they, dreading to be drawn

into the same vortex of misfortune, refuse him. He then

flies to the only door left open to him, that of the professional

94 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



money-lender, who, if he exact good security and what the

world terms an exorbitant rate of interest from the ill-starred

individual, is scarcely to be blamed, when even those the most

near to him have denied him.



I know there were some instances in which I did not figure

so brightly before my sometimes awakened conscience, but

there was no help for it, and I went on every day, not with-

out a hope that the future would bring a change; for during

the hours which this business spared to me, and I had little

else to do but sit in my office and wait on customers, I kept

on acquiring a knowledge of the many things which have

proved so useful to me in latter days. It was about this time

that dear Harry Thompson died. He was, as may be remem-

bered, one of the most inveterate gamblers who ever played

roulette or faro on the Main Street. A jollier nor more

rollicking devil-may-care fellow never lived. To day rolling

in wealth, to morrow cleaned out, after a night of it that would

have killed a weaker constitution. On these occasions he would

step into my office, and ask me for the loan of a hundred

doubloons, which I am glad to say I was always ready to lend

him.



Well, he was about the only mortal I cared for at that time,

and one of the most honourable. I thought more of his word,

than I did of all the papers and securities I had lying at

the bottom of the old iron chest, I had 86 well filled in the

corner of my office. In the same manner as the great houses

of commerce lent thousands to each other whenever asked

for, without a strip of paper or obligation, so did I lend Harry

Thompson. ,



Only on one occasion did I loan him money on security, and

that at his own particular request. It was for a very large

amount, and whether it was that he had a presentiment of his

approaching end or not, I cannot say, but he insisted on my

taking the only house which was left to him as an indemnity

should anything happen to him.



Of course I never expected anything would; he looked so

hearty and cheerful when he took away the little keg of dou-

bloons from my office; we did not use local banknotes in the

West Indies; this piece of civilization had not yet reached us,

but never in my life was I so horrified when I learnt the next

morning that he had been stabbed to. the heart by a vile

AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. 95



Portuguese, who, after cheating him out of every piece that he

possessed, had adopted this dreadful means of ridding himself

of his accuser when discovered.



As may be. supposed there was a frightful uproar, out of

which, the Portuguese escaped, only to be cut to pieces by the

knives of Harry’s friends, but as that did not bring him back

to them, it seemed a poor consolation to have saved the hang-

man his labour.



At this piece of news I was inconsolable for some days.

I liked Harry Thompson as I have liked but few men. So

deep was my grief that I never thought of the large sum that

I had lent him; and when the memory of our little transaction

first flashed across me I had just finished my dinner, having

done business for the day.



It was then I remembered the paper he had handed to me,

and which, candidly, I had scarcely taken the trouble to look at.



I had put it away in my escritoire, not even in my strong

box, of so little consequence had it appeared to me. But with

my curiosity awakened to see its contents, I got up from my.

chair and walking into the next room where the escritoire

leaned snugly against the wall, I pulled out one of the drawers,

and possessing myself of the document, opened it.



As I did so a piece of paper fluttered out and fell on the

floor.



Picking it up I read the following, written in the hand of my

ill-fated friend :—



“ Dear OLD Divi-Div1,



“TI feel as if something is about to occur to me that will

put an end to our friendship for many a long day.



“Now you have always behaved very well to me. Yes, me,

probably the most graceless dog ever born in these islands—

and yet my dear D.D.,I had a good mother who loved me,

perhaps as yours did, and who when I was a little chap, with-

out the knowledge of what a wicked world I had come into,

taught me my prayers. Yes, as I have said before, for your

kindness, in case anything should happen to me, I have trans-

ferred to you the title deeds of my house, the house which

used to belong to James Teach, don’t start—it really was his

house, and if you have a mind to look for what there is to

be found in it, you may possibly be able to solve the riddle of

96 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



what he did with the doubloons. Of course, if nothing happens

to me, the bargain is off—but none the less shall I be,



“Your faithful and obliged friend,

“Harry THOMPSON.”



“« P.S.—As an aid to your search I recommend you to look at

the piece of stuff which I have pinned to the letter.—H. T.”



Attached to it by a pin was a small strip of parchment, on

which were some singular characters.



It was not, however, till several weeks had elapsed that I

installed myself in my new property.



It had not been inhabited for many years, and was sadly

dilapidated. But after I had put in the plasterers, carpenters,

and painters, and expended a few hundred pieces of eight*,

upon it, I found myself the possessor of one of .the largest and

best built houses in the town of St. Thomas. This was before

the frightful fire which took place a few years afterwards,

when nearly the whole of the houses and stores in the Main

’ Street, were burnt down. Of course, such a place was much

too large for me, but the idea of inhabiting so big a dwelling

all alone was, on the whole, pleasing to me.



Perhaps I was influenced somewhat by the thought of the

treasure which Harry Thompson had vaguely hinted was hidden

within its walls.) And I did notice that every now and again

thoughts of it would intrude themselves upon me. This was at

night, when I looked over the transactions I had made during

the day. For with the acquisition of the house I had removed

my office into the lower storey, where I found my business

much improved, owing, no doubt, to its. greater air of respect-

ability. It ‘was one evening in October, when I first made a

careful examination of the strip of parchment to which I have

already alluded. There was nothing very mystifying about

it; a few zig-zags around the edge, a figure like a coffin in

the right-hand corner, and some Arabic characters in the centre ~

of an outline drawing of a house, very like the one in which

I lived.



I had studied Arabic, and with little difficulty made out their

meaning. This, however, was unimportant, and merely pointed



* A piece of eight was worth about 64 cents.

AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. 97



out that there existed a secret place in which James Teach’s

doubloons were securely stowed away. As I was already aware

of this, I did not pay much attention to it, conceiving that, for

some wise purpose best known to James Teach himself, he, for

aught I know, might have got someone who knew Arabic to

put those characters there merely as a blind to prevent anyone

finding the money.



For a long time I pored over the strip of parchment, now and

again approaching it to the lamp, which burnt brightly near

to me, to see if its heat would not bring out other characters.

But all in vain; not even the application of an acid affected it.

So I gave it up in despair, throwing myself, somewhat fatigued,

into my armchair, and trying to bring all my most serious

attention to bear upon the paper before me.



_It is possible that I may have remained reclining for some

minutes, revolving every story I had read over and over again

concerning the discovery of lost treasure.



At that moment there came a knock at the outer door.

I looked at the clock. It was nearly midnight. Who could

want me at that hour, I thought, as I took up the lamp from

the table and prepared to answer the summons in person, my

old housekeeper having gone to bed some time before.



But scarcely had I made a movement to do so, when the door

leading to my office opened, and an African, nearly six feet high,

and black as ebony, entered, closing it softly behind him. For

a moment, I stood aghast. Whence had come this man, and at

such an hour? And for what purpose? I am not naturally

devoid of courage, but certainly the aspect of the fellow, who

was armed with a heavy club, was so forbidding, that I felt

my heart fail me—and, mind you, for the first and last time in

my life before a negro.



There could be but one motive, I thought—Robbery! But how

in Heaven’s name had he got in? I had fastened up the house

securely myself. Anyway, the cruel fact was there before me,

in its most menacing aspect. It was well known that I had

large sums in my possession, and no doubt the negro had been

deputed by someone to rob and murder me.



Such were my impressions, as my visitor advanced a step or

two nearer to me, all the time so gently and stealthily, you

could not hear his footsteps. I fell back in my chair, overcome

with such a fear as I had never felt before in my life.



8 8112. G

98 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



Then it was he said, in the African tongue I knew so well,

and upon the acquisition of which I somewhat prided myself—



“Be seated; I am not here to do you harm, but rather to

explain to you the riddle which lies unsolved before you. Now,

sir, if you can so far condescend as to listen to the words of

your very humble servant—slave I have never been,” here he

drew himself up proudly, “no, not even when your cruel

countrymen dragged me from my home in Africa—I will point

out to you the use of that slip of parchment.”



I rubbed my eyes; the tones of his voice sounded so far off and

ghostly. Just then, the bell at the old clock tower tolled twelve,

and had I been a shade more superstitious I might have thought

that the flame of my lamp burned blue, and that the African

was none other than Old Nick, in a duskier disguise than usual.



But he behaved very methodically for a ghost, and taking a

seat opposite to me, with the table between us, he took hold of

the slip of parchment. “There,” said he, and he doubled the

paper in a peculiar manner, “if you look at this, you will

perceive the way in which James Teach built a portion of his

house so that he might have a hiding place that no one might

suspect. You see, he could not very well have used a cellar for



the awful purpose for which he required it.



“This house is too close to the sea, and only a few feet down

he would have found water. So he conceived the bright idea

of building a place between two chambers, its flooring forming

the roof of one, and its roof the flooring of the other. How to

hide it was his masterpiece. This he accomplished by carrying

along his staircase from one visible floor to another without



. taking into account the hidden portion of his dwelling. The



entrance to it is not far from where you are seated. Maybe

you would like to see it, but I warn you it is full of horrors;

for when James Teach came to his untimely end, he left over

a dozen of us, bound hand and foot and gagged, lying on the

floor to die.”



“To die!” I exclaimed. “But you are alive.”



“Perhaps so,” said my visitor, bitterly. “But it is only for

the moment. I have a mission to fulfil. When that is done,

I shall go back to the place that I come from.”



TL looked at him in amazement.



“TI do not think you can conceive a more awful fate than

ours,” he continued. “We had already gone through weeks of

AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. 99



_ torture and indescribable suffering in the ships which bore us

to St. Thomas, but this was nothing to being left bound and

helpless, without food or drink, in utter darkness, and not a



‘soul to help us—for it was night when we were brought to

this house. You can conceive our terror when we found no

one came to our assistance, and what we must have felt as

the hours dragged wearily along, we being bound hand and

foot and gagged, and left miserably to perish. Oh! the selfish-

ness of the villain who brought us here, taking his own life,

without a thought of us poor wretches dying by inches up

above.”



I shuddered as I mentally reviewed the picture he had

painted.



“Well, white man, some days must have passed, for by-and-

bye the moans of my unfortunate comrades grew less) My

wife and child were among them. The child had long since

died, she told me, ere she, too, left us. Then I grew frantic and

I struggled—aye, struggled until I broke the bonds which held

my hands. At last I was free; but of what avail? I was in

a room, ill-ventilated, surrounded by thick impervious walls,

muffled so as to hide the loudest cry. I was almost as

securely bound and gagged as before.



“ Added to my misery, my companions who were yet alive

besought me to end their sufferings. Mad with rage and

despair, I seized the club which lay near by, and beat out

their brains,ending my own miserable existence with a knife

I found lying on the floor not far from where they died.”



I was horror-struck. If this man or ghost’s story were

true, James Teach was one of the wickedest men that had

ever existed. His gold could bring nought but misfortune.

Again the negro, or his ghost, seemed to read what was passing

in my mind.



“Nay, not so. The gold you seek has not sinned, though for

its sake much sin has been committed. If it could harm you in

itself, every piece that passes through your hands, and those of

every man and woman living, would cause you harm ; for every

one of them is stained with more or less crime or virtue. As it

is used, so will it cause good or evil. But I have said, Ihave a

mission, and that is to take you te where we met our fearful

end. There you will find our bones, as well as the iron chests



in which James Teach placed his ill-earned doubloons. Gather up

G 2

100 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



the relics of our poor mortality ; bury them ; and, if you can, say

a prayer for us, as well as for the wilfully misguided wretch who

made us suffer so. This done, you will be honestly entitled to all

that you can find, and for this one good act to even the bones of

a poor African you will deserve it, and no harm will come to you

if you use this enormous sum of money charitably and well.”

Saying which, he rose, and walking to a round pillar which

formed a support to an archway let into the wall; he touched

a small projecting piece of iron, a portion of the pillar turned

round, a staircase revealed itself, and motioning me to follow,

I took up the lamp and did so. When I reached the top, my

guide had vanished, and I stood alone, passing into a long, dark

room.



There, just as the ghost of the African had told me, lay over a

dozen human skeletons on their sides, not far from one another,

crouching with their knees almost touching their chins. It was

a gruesome spectacle, and for an instant my heart quaked

within me, especially as close to me what must have been

once the bony tenement of the African was lying stretched on

the floor, the club not far from its fleshless fingers. And as he

had said, there were the iron chests, four in number, chained

strongly to the floor. My brain was in a whirl. There beyond

a doubt were the doubloons of James Teach. I had but to open

these chests to tind them. But at that moment I was unequal

to the task. I was alone, and, surrounded as I was by moulder-

ing skeletons, and in a musty atmosphere, I felt sick and faint.

The very air seemed alive with the spirits of the dead, muttering

their sad plaints to me. How I got down from that chamber of

horrors I can scarcely remember. I know I felt inexpressibly

relieved to find myself next morning in bed, after a good sound

sleep, alive, and in my senses.



Then the whole of what I have related came back to me, just

like a fearful dream, which then I thought it was; but when on

rising and examining the pillar and pressing on the small iron

projection I found it turn, revealing the door of entrance and

the flight of stairs leading to the room, I had to acknowledge to

myself, if it were so, it was one of the most extraordinary that

had been vouchsafed to mortal man.



It took me some days to remove the skeletons, which I did

secretly, placing them in boxes and burying them at night.

Needless to add, when I had successfully accomplished this, and

AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. 101



prayed as I had never done before over them, I turned my atten-

tion to the four iron chests, which I found no difficulty in

opening, as one of them contained a key which fitted each of

them.



I shall not tell the amount of gold they contained, besides

some lovely jewels, which I afterwards exchanged for the

diamonds which my grand-daughter wears to-day. The gold

was chiefly in doubloons and Spanish Joes, carefully rolled up

in paper.



All these I carefully removed to my own strong-room below,

and I can assure you they made a goodly appearance stacked

upon its shelves, causing me many an anxious moment when I

thought what the Government would do if they knew that I

had got hold of James Teach’s money.



But my secret was safe, and as I did not care to live any

longer in St. Thomas, having met my darling Rachel when on a

trip to Santa Cruz, I concluded to remove thither with my

wealth, become a proprietor, and a useful member of the com-

munity. All thisI did after my marriage, and with the help of

my wife, who has been my constant companion through the

cares attendant on such a stewardship, I think I may say with a

clear conscience that I have given a good account of James

Teach’s doubloons.

“AN OLD COLONIAL GOVERNOR.”



CHAPTER I.



ABOUT 200 years ago, when Jérgen Iwersen ruled the island of

St. Thomas, Danish West Indies, with an iron hand, as befitted

the first and one of the best Governors that it ever possessed,



there resided among its scanty population of a few hundred

souls, a man named Jan Weg.



He was one of the early colonists, and at the time our story

opens, was owner of a large tobacco plantation and several

houses on the one street, which at that time ran along the

bay shore; he was also reputed to have saved a good many

Spanish doubloons, acquired, so some of his envious neighbours

asserted, by other ways than planting tobacco.



Before His Excellency, Jorgen Iwersen, arrived to take over

his post as the superior authority in the island, Jan Weg

occupied the first place in that little colony. This was partly

due to his wealth, as compared to that of his fellow colonists,

and his natural capacity to rule.



True, on more than one occasion, he had been referred to



‘ by the Home Government, when the islanders could scarcely



be said to have had a head, so that may have had something

to do with his assumption of the position. It had even

been said that he looked forward to his appointment as

Governor.



Be that as it may, it was a sore disappointment to him

when he heard of Jérgen Iwersen’s promotion to the office,

and it was a bitter day in his household when it first came

to his ears; for Jan Weg was one of those men who, for every

slight inflicted upon them out of doors, always wreak a half an

hour’s misery upon their defenceless wives and children when

they get home, even when they love them most dearly.

AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. 103



And Jan Weg was the lucky. possessor of as good a wife

and daughter as any man in that community. It must also

be said in justice to him that they were first and foremost

in his affection, and if he aspired to power and place it was

that they should share it with bim. Mrs. Weg had toiled

early and late in helping him build up his present position,

and their daughter, when she became old enough, had been

a worthy helper. And women had to work in those days;

talk of your jin de siécle women, as compared to our great

great grandmothers, it is enough to make one’s sides split

with laughter to think of it. .



They had to bake and brew, to wash and spin, to cook

and sew, to keep accounts, to look after the slaves—both

old and young, to make the pickles, darn and mend, to nurse

their husbands and brothers when sick with the deadly fever,

that only too often seized them on their first arrival at the

colony, or when wounded by the Spanish buccaneers, to dress

their wounds, and care for them. There were no doctors

then, and thus it was that to them was given the task of

learning the properties of the simples which grew around

them, and of making and administering medicines to the

sick.



And who is to estimate all that they passed through and

silently suffered in the early days of these colonies, when so

much had to be done to make their homes comfortable and

life possible in the midst of that which was only too often

hardship and privation? Noone! Surely, not Jan Weg, who,

a hard worker himself, let no one idle under his roof. Not

even the dogs were suffered to pass their days in idleness.

He actually trained a team to draw in and out of town the

daily provisions for the plantation on which they lived;

small blame to him for that, for are they not the greatest

idlers in creation ?



Thus it was that every soul under the roof which sheltered

him and his family, worked from morning till night; each

one adding by his labour to the goodly store which increased

day by day around them.



It was a substantial dwelling that he lived in Built on

a hill; of solid masonry below and hard wood planks and

mahogany rafters above; mahogany was plentiful in those

days, and as it resisted the attack of the wood worm, it was

104 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



frequently used for the purpose by those who could afford

the time and labour to cut it.



A solid door studded with iron nails guarded the entrance.

The lower story was occupied by a sitting room, and what

would now be termed a pantry; smaller rooms were used

as store and work rooms, and the upstairs as bed rooms.



The furniture was plain, home made but comfortable, more

so, perhaps, than that of other colonists. An old fashioned

clock, such as one may meet now and again in a Danish

farmhouse, stood in one corner, a huge bible lay upon a

shelf, a few old portraits hung upon the wall—his ancestors, so

said Jan Weg—a half a dozen muskets were in one corner,

and crossed in another were two broad-bladed swords, which

rumour credited him with having used with deadly effect upon

more than one buccanger, when they made a foray upon the

island in the days before he had gone hand in glove with them.



Tobacco and indigo were the produce of his plantation—

tobacco principally, and of excellent quality. How it has

died out in the island is a puzzle to those who read of the

quantities they grew in those days.



Jan Weg himself was a sturdy Dane of fifty years of age.

His wife had once been beautiful, but toil had somewhat

marred her features, which, though seldom lightened by a

smile, were comely still.



Their daughter Lisa was very fair to look upon. She was

their only child, their darling. Stern and unbending to most

men and women, Jan Weg was as plastic clay in the hands

of his child. Did he frown, her lively sallies chased the frown

away; were he wrathful, her pleading look soon made him

peaceful; no matter what his mood were, she could change

it as the harper does his melody, by a touch, the music of

her voice, the magic of her smile.



And now Jorgen Iwersen had arrived from Copenhagen, and,

as befitted the occasion, had been received with what ceremony

the island could afford. Jan Weg had been the first to greet

him; and those who saw them side by side could not help

noticing how like in many ways they were to each other.



But while both men were grave and dignified as became their

years and experience, to Jorgen Iwersen belonged that air of

conscious superiority that comes only to those who are to the

manner born.

AN ISLAND OF THE SEA, 10%



Jan Weg seemed ill at ease. He had never basked in the

sunshine of Court favour, and the many years he'had led of toil

and adventure in the colony made him feel instinctively that

he was ill-fitted to cope with one, who with just as much

experience gained in other climes, was a master of the arts of

polity and government, such as they were then in Denmark.

And this the little band of colonists soon found out a few days

after his arrival.



Religious almost to fanaticism, arbitrary to a degree, edicts

were soon promulgated, which while they excited much com-

ment, were speedily obeyed. There was no shirking church

under his rule, for every person who spoke Danish, and every

one who did not, were bound to attend service every Sunday in

Christiansfort when the drum beat, under a penalty of twenty-

five pounds of tobacco. No longer was it permitted to a

planter or a householder to keep his servants at work on

Sunday. It had to be done on Saturday, under a fine of fifty

pounds of tobacco. Every man had to hold himself in readiness

to defend his owner or the colony at the first alarm given by a

neighbour, or at the fort. Nor could any one leave the colony

without His Excellency’s permission. Women were especially

prohibited under very heavy penalties. White servants were

not allowed to sell or barter, and innumerable fines were levied

upon those who purchased from them or harboured them if they

ran away from their employer, The few negroes that had been

already imported into the colony fared far worse, and were often

cruelly punished for the slightest offence.



Withal, Jérgen Iwersen was just, just to a degree, if he

ruled with an iron hand ; if he sometimes exercised his authority

almost to the verge of oppression, he took good care no one else

should do so.



Armed with full powers from His Majesty the King, he used

them well, and to those who conformed to the laws he issued

he showed favour, and at times could so unbend as to be a right

pleasant companion, full of information and knowledge of the

great world he had lived in, and of which so few of the colonists

had ever heard, much less seen. Christiansfort was now under

a fair way to be completed. Here Governor Iwersen resided,

here was kept the Lutheran Church, then as now the State

Church, and it was here mainly that the events I am about to

relate took place.

106 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



CHAPTER II.



From the very first period of their meeting there was no love

lost between His Excellency Jérgen Iwersen and Jan Weg.

Both felt instinctively that one of two such men as themselves

was one too many in the island.



Jan Weg had been so accustomed to have his own way in

all that he ever undertook, that when he found himself thwarted

in more than one instance by the application with unbending

severity of one of Governor Iwersen’s edicts, he fumed and -

stormed at home in such a manner that not even the influence

of his daughter could appease him.



Mrs. Weg would sit spinning in the corner of the large

sitting-room listening to his angry tones. She never thought

of saying anything. She was a prudent woman, and knew

that such angry moments as these, like her kitchen fire,

would soon go out if fuel were wanting. Still it was with no

small concern that she watched the breach become wider and

wider between Jan and the Governor. She loved her husband

dearly, and felt instinctively that not all his wealth nor in-

fluence would avail him should he ever come in open conflict

with the superior authority. No one in these days can conceive

the power that such a man as Jérgen Iwersen wielded. It was

a power of life and death. His Excellency was responsible to

no one but his King, and, let us add, his conscience, which un-

doubtedly was his chief point of excellence. To do right was

his motto, and he acted up to it with a force of character

which is so admirable in any man, but when coupled with

the stern integrity of the hardy Norseman almost verges on

the sublime.



But Mrs. Weg, for all this, never interfered. She never

broached the subject. She thoroughly respected her husband,

and shared his feelings to the utmost. His ideas were her ideas

when it came to the test. And she would have willingly died

with him for them, wrong or not, so much was she identified

with him as the companion of his life. She was none the less

happy, though, when she found out the power which Lisa had

over him, and still happier when she brought back the good

humour to that honest, rugged face, peace to that really noble

heart that had loved her so faithfully and well.

AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. 107



Unfortunately Jan Weg’s ideas on the subject of property,

whether in white or black men, land or animais, differed widely

from those of Governor Iwersen.



Jan Weg held that what was his, what he had worked for,

what he had seen grow up after he had planted it, was indis-

putably under his control, and that he had a perfect right to

do with it as he pleased. While he cheerfully observed the

Lord’s Day before the advent of the Governor, he had never

been so straitlaced as to deprive himself of a good dinner

for want of a cook to prepare it. Thus it was when he found

himself without his hot steaming joint on a Sunday, because _no

one dare light a fire to heat it, his rage was almost ungovern-

able, and he repeatedly defied the law which compelled him to

such obedience.



Governor Iwersen never failed to fine him when he could

prove that he had done so, and when on one occasion he went

80 far as to assist a friend of his away from the island without

first obtaining permission, he summoned Jan Weg tetore him,

and after roundly rating him, put such a heavy fine in tobacco

upon him that he departed almost speechless with rage and

mortification, and had it not been for the two stout halberdiers

present with their weapons, it is more than likely he would

have slain the Governor on the spot.



From that day a change came over him. From being open,

frank and above board in his dealings, he became crafty and

cunning, and used every means by which he could thwart the

aims of his Excellency Jérgen Iwersen. ‘He knew from his

inmost heart that the Governor was working for the good of the

colony, that martinet as he was in some points, he was an

honourable man, quite as honourable as himself, but his im-

perious disposition could not brook a superior, and as the island

had not got along so badly under his own management, he

fancied that these innovations were superfluous. He forgot how

necessary it was for discipline and obedience among so few,

exposed as they were to the inroads of the buccaneers, towards

whom the sturdy Governor had shown an implacable front,

hanging, drawing and quartering everyone that fell into his

hands, whether bent on peace or war. And here was a great

difference between himself and Jan Weg.



The latter when he ruled had temporized, and on more than

one occasion when he should have chastised them for making

108 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



off with some of his neighbours’ stock, had let them go when

caught with the payment of a small fine.



Rumour had it that he supplied them largely with cattle and

food, and that at certain periods of the year his plantation was

@ rendezvous for them, and as from the hills close to his

dwelling they could see passing ships with ease, they used it as

a vantage ground whence to swoop down upon them when night

set in.



Maybe this had reached the ears of Jorgen Iwersen, hence the

coolness with which he regarded Jan Weg shortly after his

arrival, and now that his Excellency had found occasion more

than once to punish him for violating some of his recently

issued edicts, the feud had grown so bitter that those who knew

them best dreaded some day an outbreak such as never had

been in the island of St. Thomas.



The Governor himself would have wished it otherwise, for he

saw in Jan Weg a strong soul, who might have been of greater

use to him in friendship than in hatred; but having once set

his hand to the plough, his was not the one to draw it back

again. So he redoubled his vigilance, established patrols along

the country roads, watched carefully the incoming of strange

vessels, their passing and repassing, and that so strictly, that

it seemed next to impossible for any buccaneer to set foot upon

the island.



For all his watchfulness they did contrive to elude him.

Guided by Jan Weg through pathways only known to himself,

from little bays aroind the coast that scarce any of his fellow

colonists dreamt of, they held their meetings, bought his cattle

and dealt with him just as if no such man as Governor Jérgen

Iwersen had ever existed.



Now all this was innocent enough, until the captain of these

lawless freebooters conceived the design of sacking the town

and murdering all its inhabitants with the connivance of Jan

Weg. He had already sounded him on the subject, when in

one of his darkest moods against the Governor, and receiving

no reply, had almost persuaded himself that he consented.

Finding him as he thought a willing listener, one evening he

fully unfolded his plot, expecting him then and there to enter

into it.



Then it was the scales were lifted from the eyes of Jan Weg.

He saw immediately the false position in which he stood

AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. 109



towards these unscrupulous men, and what a frightful mistake

he had committed by harbouring them. To hasten to Jérgen

Iwersen and put him on his guard were his first thoughts, to

alarm his fellow colonists the second.



Had the buccaneer only known the man he had to deal with,

it is quite possible that he would never have unfolded his

projects to him so openly, and had he dreamt for one moment

of the intentions then flashing through his brains, with one

swift stroke of his hanger he might have put him out of

existence.



But Jan Weg was cautious. Recent events had made him so.

Besides, these men had entirely misunderstood his quarrel with

the Governor. If he passionately desired to revenge himself for

the many slights he had suffered, he had not the least wish to

bring destruction upon the colony. He was loyal to the back-

bone, and much as he hated the superior authority, would have

been the first to lend a hand to repel a common invader. _



So he courteously refused the robber captain, and bidding him

good night, turned upon his heel towards his house. But he

‘was not to escape so easily. The buccaneer had let him into

a secret, a secret which once in the possession of any other

would let loose the whole colony upon him before he could

escape to his boats.



Where they stood just then was a wild and thickly-wooded

portion of the country, not easy to traverse, and the way out of

which he only knew imperfectly. What if Jan Weg were to

betray them? To let him go thus were madness; so, making a

sign to some of his men, who stood not far away from them,

they precipitated themselves upon the colonists, and before he



had a chance to defend himself had securely bound and gagged

him.



CHAPTER III.



THERE was grief and dismay in Jan Weg’s household at his

non-appearance that evening. Mrs. Weg alone was aware of

his having gone to meet the buccaneers, but never before had

he remained out so late from home. In all things he was the

most methodical of men, and insisting upon every one else under

his roof tree keeping early hours, he always set the example.

110 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



The Fort gun* had long since fired, and it was already verg-

ihg upon 10 o’clock before Mrs. Weg sent out messengers in

search of him. She was well acquainted with the place of

rendezvous, so there was no difficulty, if he were still there, of

their encountering him.



Her anxiety, as well as that of Lisa, may easily be con-

ceived, when they returned, declaring that he could not be

found. One of them, however, had picked up a button, to

which was attached a piece of cloth. This she recognised as

having belonged to her husband’s jacket. And when they told

her that they had followed the footsteps of the buccaneers

down to the sea-shore without finding any traces of him, her

distress was redoubled. It was then that Lisa proposed to go

to Jérgen Iwersen. In her heart of hearts she strongly sus-

pected foul play, and that His Excellency was at the bottom of it.



Her mother thought differently. Her feelings toward the

Governor were, that in such a crisis as this, he was the only

one to help them. At the same time, she could not divert her

mind of the idea that her husband had been spirited away by

the buccaneers, either to hold until ransom were offered for

him, as they had done before with other rich men of other

islands, or that he had in some way or other become possessed

of one of their secrets, and, fearing its betrayal, they had made

away with him.



In either case, she was of opinion that nothing could be done

before morning. Then they would institute another search,

and, if they did not ‘find him, they would seek the aid of the

Governor.



She scouted anything like the idea of Jérgen Iwersen’s

behaving treacherously towards her husband. On more than

one occasion she had met him, and with true feminine intuition

she saw that he was far more inclined to be friendly than un-

kindly towards them. She bitterly regretted that she had not

tried to bring about a reconciliation, for now sbe plainly saw

that if her husband had really fallen into the hands of the

buccaneers, he required such help as only that which a strong

hand like Jérgen Iwersen’s could extend to him.



So, dismissing her servants, she retired to rest with her

daughter, but worried to a degree. They both loved him so



* To this day a gun is fired at 5 a.m. and 8 p.m., from the Fort. ,

AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. 111



that they imagined all things had befallen him. With all his

faults, he had been a strong and helpful protector to both Of

them. Hard and exacting in some respects, but full of love

and tenderness when the fit was over. Lisa wept freely as she

pictured him, perhaps bound and shackled, in the midst of the

savage buccaneers. She had heard awful stories about them,

How cruelly they treated their captives, sometimes hanging

them feet downwards over a slow fire, or applying thumbscrews

to make them disclose where they had hidden their money; for

in those days, as there were no banks, men and women buried

their savings for fear of thieves, who, like the buccaneers,

would not have scrupled to take them, could they have laid

their hands upon them. And then when she had exhausted all

that her imagination could conjure up of such pictures, she

turned to console her mother.



She, poor thing, was sleeping a calm and sweet sleep,

such as those without the slightest trouble or care en-

joy. Lisa was astounded; had it been her husband, she

never could have closed her eyes. She forgot how on one

occasion in the early days of the colony her father’s life had

been in greater peril, and yet he came out scathless) Who

knows if her mother did not anticipate the same good fortune

for him once again, and with this hope had trustfully fallen

asleep.



And so reassuring was the sight of her mother’s calmness,

that she, too, by-and-bye lay down beside her, and, like her, soon

was in the land of dreams. °



Mrs. Weg was up betimes, and, not caring to disturb her

daughter, who still slept, accompanied by two of the overseers

and a maid-servant, she proceeded to the spot where she knew

her husband was accustomed to meet the buccaneers. It was

a lovely morning. The wind blew steadily from the east,

making the air delightfully fresh and cool. As yet the sun

was only just peeping over the tops of the mountains, but the

sky was sufficiently clear for them easily to see their way. A

little rain had fallen during the night, just sufficiently to

freshen up the landscape. But Mrs. Weg had no eye for the

beautiful scenery which greeted them at every turn they took.

Her thoughts were with her husband, and when, after a long

and persistent search for him, extending down to the shores of

the bay whence they were accustomed to embark, without

112 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



finding any traces of him, she returned home more sorrowful

than she had ever been since her marriage.



Her heart was heavy with its disappointment, and when she

got back again and told how fruitless had been her errand, she

burst into a flood of tears.. In this she was joined by Lisa, and

not a few of the household. When this outburst of grief was

over, they decided to proceed at once to the Governor. Such

an occurrence could not remain a secret very long, and it was

policy, if nothing else, to be the first to acquaint His Excellency.



So, hastily swallowing their morning meal, they set out on

foot for town, the roads being good and the distance not so very

great.



Half an hour’s walking brought them to it, or what the colo-

nists were pleased to style such at that time.



A row of houses to the right of them, with patches of bananas

and other fruits extending down to the sea shore, occupied the

place where large warehouses are built to-day. At the end of

the street was the Fort, then, as now, coloured red, and flying

the Dannebrog from the tower.* Commanding the harbour and

the town with heavy guns, visible from the ramparts, it looked

formidable enough to Liza and her mother as they approached

it. Scarcely any houses had been built upon the hills, perhaps

from the fact that one Carl Baggert, who had begun to con-

struct one, being ordered to remove it as it commanded the Fort.



Giving their names to the stout halberdier who guarded the

entrance, and stating their desire to see the Governor, they

were speedily ushered into his presence.



At that time the interior of one of the bastions had been

fitted up for his use. The tower was not yet quite finished, or

it was his intention to have occupied it in preference. He was

an early riser, and nothing pleased him better than to get on

top of it, unfinished as it was, to sweep the horizon with his

spyglass, a new-fangled invention he had brought out with him

from Denmark, and which had aroused no end of comment

among his retainers, who were as much surprised as they were

alarmed at its peculiar properties of bringing distant people

close to them.



His Excellency had finished breakfast, and was in excellent

humour. His nephew, a gallant seaman and captuin of the



* This tower was pulled down some years ago.

AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. 113



one Danish armed vessel which then lay in the harbour, was

standing near to him. ,



The Governor raised! his eyebrows when the two ladies

entered. He remembered Mrs. Weg and her daughter, who

as a rare picture of loveliness no one really could forget, much

less & connoisseur of beauty as His Excellency was known

to be. Politely rising, he bowed. Curtseying to the ground,

Mrs. Weg asked if she could have the privilege of a few

moments’ conversation with His Excellency. Motioning them

to be seated, and bidding his nephew to remain with him,

he graciously signified his assent.



Then Mrs. Weg told her story. How her husband had left

her for an evening stroll, and how for once in his life he had

not come home at his usual hour, and finally not at all. And

then with fear and trembling,’knowing that to conceal anything,

even though it told against one so loved as her husband, would

imperil any chances she might have of obtaining assistance from

the Governor, she told him of her fears and suspicions, whilst

stoutly maintaining her faith in her husband's honour and inte-

grity. She felt sure, she said, that her husband had been carried

away because of his opposition to their vile plots and plans, he

had never gone with them willingly, she would swear to it.



Governor Iwersen’s face during this recital was a study. At

times he frowned, at others he had difficulty to restrain him-

self from betraying emotion at the sight of Mrs. Weg’s genuine

sorrow and her intense devotion to her husband. He scarcely

looked at Lisa, who up to now had never spoken a word.

The fact is, once or twice she found the gaze of the Governor’s

nephew fixed so ardently upon her that, colouring deeply, she

held her eyes fixed to the ground for fear of meeting them.

None the less did her heart beat quickly as she looked at

him furtively from beneath her long eyelashes. She had

never seen so handsome a man before, and, tricked out as

he was in all the finery of a King’s officer of that time, he

was such a picture of a man as she had only seen in dreams.



At that moment, as if in confirmation of all that Mrs. Weg

had said, the Governor's servant brought in a letter. Opening

it, His Excellency read :—



“To Jorgen IwerseN. Greeting.



“Failing to get your head man, Jan Weg, to join us in

sacking your Colony and hanging you at your own fort gate,

S$ 31:9. n

114 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



we have determined to hang him, unless a ransom of 500,000

pieces of eight be not dispatched to us-in exchange for him

by to-morrow’s sunset.



“JouNn Moracan, Buccaneer.”



The Governor had been so taken by surprise at this super-

scription that he had unconsciously read aloud the contents

of this precious epistle, and he had scarcely done so when,

with a heart-rending scream, Mrs. Weg had fainted.



Fortunately, Lisa bore it with more equanimity. It was

nothing more than what she had expected, so she flew quickly

to her mother’s aid, and after a minutes application of restora-

tives had the happiness of seeing her come to herself again.

In this she was aided by the nephew, much to the Governor's

amusement, who, knowing him for one of the most diffident

of men where women were concerned, had never seen him so

assiduous before.



And would the reader believe it! This Old Colonial Go-

vernor was actually happy, rubbing his hands with joy, while

those two poor women were shedding tears at’the prospect of

losing one so dear to them; yes, rubbing his hands for joy

at the thought of the trouble Jan Weg was in, and how he,

Jérgen Iwersen, the man he had so abused and hated, was

going to be revenged on him.



“Ha! ha! Ludvig,” he exclaimed, “get the ship ready at

once, and be sure to take enough powder and shot to ransom

our good friend Jan Weg from the hands of those rascally

scoundrels who dare to hold such an honest man a prisoner.

Happy ! yes, I am happy as a king, to think I am going to

bring you back your husband, and maybe,” here he chuckled

as he thought of his nephew, “a sweetheart for Miss Lisa. And

now farewell, my sweet dames, to your home, and ere to-mor-

row’s sun sets Jan Weg will know how well a Colonial Governor

can love or hate.



CHAPTER IV.



Tat same afternoon Ludvig Iwersen set sail for the island,

now known as Culebra. For some years it had been frequented

by a band of buccaneers, who finding it the haunt of a number

of wild-fowl and turtle had built huts upon one side of it and

AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. 115



resided there, committing at times unheard of depredations

upon passing ships and the neighbouring islands.



Hitherto no attempt had been made to dislodge them. Had

‘Jérgen Iwersen felt himself strong enough, he would have

attempted it long before. But, like a wise Governor, he had

been busy strengthening his own defences and building his

Fort, so as to be prepared at any moment against them.



But the arrival of his nephew in command of a fine ship

of war, and the abduction of Jan Weg taking place almost

simultaneously, offered him not only the means but the oppor-

tunity of wiping out this nest of depredators. Though scarcely

warranted in doing so, owing to his position as Governor, he

accompanied the expedition, feeling it was of too much import-

ance to let his nephew, a new hand to the Colony, bear all the

brunt of it. Besides, he was thoroughly conversant with the

ways of the buccaneers, which were not always as fair and

above-board as those of Denmark’s sailors.



There was something so noble in the stand the Old Governor

had taken towards Jan Weg, that it was with a feeling akin

to admiration that Ludvig watched his uncle as he stood upon

the high poop of his vessel. He had heard of the opposition,

little short of rebellion, which his uncle had encountered at the

hands of the chief colonist, and it was a matter of no small

wonder to him that he had shown himself so willing to go

to his aid. Then a vision of Lisa’s lovely face came across

him, and he asked himself if that had anything to do with it.

And as he did so a pang of jealousy shot through him. But

he- had never heard of his uncle falling in love with anyone

in Denmark for all the years of his long life; it would be

passing strange if he had been caught by a girl born in the

Colonies. Yet, stranger things had happened, and so his

thoughts were beginning to run riot when his uncle called him.



“Ludvig” said the Governor, you are the captain of this

vessel, and I am for the present your very humble servant,”

Ludvig bowed; “but it seems*to me that with the gang of

rascals that we are shortly to encounter it would be far better

to try stratagem than force, so if you will allow me I will

give you the result of my thoughts upon the expedition we

have undertaken. There are two plans we might pursue;

listen to them, and choose the one you like best. The first is

to land a force from one side of the island, cross over, the

116 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



distance is not great, atid attack them in their huts. The other

is to disguise our vessel as a merchant ship, pass boldly in

front of them in the early morning and let them attack us; for

as soon as they see us they will man their boats and do so,

never expecting what a reception they will receive when once

they board us. Now,I have carefully considered both of thcse

plans. The first is not a bad one, but has its defects; they might,

as soon as we attack them, kill their prisoner, whose life, after

all, is what we principally wish to save. Then again, they will

be fighting on their own ground, always a disadvantage to an

attacking force, especially to men like yours, not used to

tropical bush fighting. To my mind the second plan seems

the best, for they will fall into a trap they least expect, and

if we sink their boats by dropping a few heavy shot into

them, and finish them off with grape as they board us, we

shall kill or secure every one of them.



They will never think of killing their prisoner before they

leave, not suspecting who we are.



To this Ludvig perfectly agreed, and as this method of fight-

ing the buccaneers seemed most likely to be successful, steps

were taken at once to make H.MS. “ King Christian,” as much

like a merchantman as possible. And so disguised, they sailed

till evening closed around them, and the early dawn found

them passing within easy distance of the buccaneers’ ren-

dezvous.



The buccaneers were on the look out, and no sooner did they

see a strange sail passing, than they immediately prepared their

boats for action. They took no account of the size of the

vessel they were about to board; a braver and more desperate

set of men never existed. A perfect lust for slaughter for ever

possessed them, and it is recorded that when business was slack

and there was no opportunity for appeasing it, they would

fight duels, d Voutyance, among themselves for the booty they

had won in their adventures.



Strangely enough, they had treated Jan Weg’ kindly during

his forced stay with them; their usual custom, whenever

prisoners fell into their hands, was to put them to unutterable

tortures, in some cases for diversion, in others to make them

tell where they had hidden their money. .To stretch their

limbs with cords, and beat them to death, to place lighted

matches between their fingers, or to twist cords around their

AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. 117



heads in such a manner that their eyes would burst out, were

common practices. But in Jan Weg’s case they had behaved

towards him as if he were one of them. He shared their rude

fare, their hard pallets, and living. In every respect he was well

used as far as circumstances would permit.



Even the buccaneer captain had ventured upon a rude sort

of apology for the rough treatment they had meeted cut to

him at first ; even letting him into the secret of a treasure they

had concealed on his estate, and promising him a share in it,

if he would only join them.



To all this Jan Weg listened in silence, and knowing the

character of the men with whom he had to deal, behaved

towards them as if no breach in their former peaceful relations

had occurred.



This conduct, with the prospect of a ransom for him, and

possibly, the memory of many former acts of kindness may have

had its influence; one thing is certain, when they departed in

their boats to attack the seeming merchant vessel, many of

them shook his hand in good fellowship, and the captain left

him in charge of the camp.



Jan Weg watched them with straining eyes as they neared

the object of their desires and boarded her like so many cats.



Then a singular thing happened. The strange vessel appeared

suddenly alive with men, the buccaneers’ boats disappeared

beneath the waves, discharges of grapeshot, musketry, and

small arms were repeated one after the other, then came

terrific yells on the part of the buccaneers, who appeared to be

fighting for their lives, then body after body was tumbled

overboard; and finally, after what seemed to him a deadly

combat, the smoke cleared away and all on board the good

ship was quiet again.



Then, shortly afterwards, a boat descended from her sides,

and was pulled towards the shore. In it were His Excellency

Jérgen Iwersen and his nephew Ludvig, yet with the traces

of hard fighting upon them.



When Jan Weg recognised the Governor, his heart fell within

him. Not aware of his plans, nor of the pirates having sent

him a letter, he could only suppose that he had determined to

destroy this nest of pirates, and having done so, was coming

to take possession of the plunder, and himself prisoner for

joining them. His first impulse was to fly, but Jan Weg was

118 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA.



a brave man. Then the memory of his dear wife and darling

daughter came over him. Those thoughts almost unmanned

him. At any rate, this tyrant of a Governor should see that

to the last he defied him.



By this time Jérgen Iwersen had landed. To his intense

satisfaction he had seen Jan Weg on the seashore, and had

noted his first involuntary movement to leave the place where

he stood.



“ Who have we here!” he exclaimed, as he leaped out of his

boat and advanced towards Jan Weg, who stood grimly re-

garding him, with arms folded across his chest, stern and

implacable as ever.



“Jan Weg, at your Excellency’s service,” he replied.



“So! here Ludvig,” said the Governor, an ominous frown

appearing on his countenance. “Take this man prisoner. We

have had enough of his contumacy, and by the saints he shall

live to repent it.”



“ Live to repent it,” thought Jan Weg, as he was quickly hurried

on board the ship of war, “I expected death, but he said, ‘I shall

live to repent it.’ Well, if he only knew the actual condition

of my mind just now, I think he would know that my repen-

tance was beginning already. I expected nothing less than a

short, swift and speedy death. If he would only let me see my

Katrine and kiss my Lisa once more, I think I could almost

meet death with equanimity and feel better towards him, tyrant

and despot as he has shown himself to be on more than one

occasion.”



But his reflections were soon cut short by the first officer

informing him that the Governor had requested him to give his

parole that he would not try to escape, in which case he would -

be left comparatively free until their arrival in port.



“ My parole,” answered Jan Weg somewhat bitterly, “ whither

could I go, should | try to escape? certainly not overboard to

feed the sharks, who are yet, meseems, enjoying high carnival

among the bodies of the buccaneers you have cast overboard.”



The lieutenant smiled, and having obtained from Jan Weg

the desired promise they became quite friendly, the officer invit-

ing him on the quarter-deck or high poop, which did duty as

such in those days.



From him Jan Weg learnt some of the details of the conflict—

it had been sharp and decisive. The buccaneers had attacked

AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. 119



them, quite unsuspecting the nature of the ship they were

‘boarding ’$ all hands had’ remained concealed until they showed

themselves on the top of the bulwarks, when, in the twinkling

of an eye, their boats were sunk by heavy shot dropped into

them and their ranks decimated by a heavy fire of grape, the

few escaping, being speedily despatched by small arms or tumbled

overboard by sheer weight of numbers, as food for the sharks.

The trap laid for them had been so successful that they had

scarcely time to realize it, much less defend themselves, which

they no doubt would have done had the surprise been less com-

plete. The loss on the side of the King’s men was comparatively

small ; indeed, they seemed rather disappointed that the skirmish

had been so easily won, by which, it would appear that a Danish

seaman in those days was as used to take hard knocks with

equanimity as he is at present.

- Not long afterwards the Governor and his nephew returned

on board, Jan Weg was sitting somewhat disconsolately aft; he

rose and saluted His Excellency as he came towards him.



“T am glad to hear, Jan Weg,” said the Governor, “that you

have promised not to escape from us, and, perhaps, as you may

be hungry you will accompany us to breakfast, and, if so inclined,

you may tell us how you came to join those rascals whom we

have sent to their long account.”



Jan Weg could scarcely believe his ears. The Governor had

invited him to breakfast. Could this be the tyrant he had

pictured in his mind for the past six months? And when, a

few moments after, Ludvig informed him in the privacy of his

own cabin that the Governor had actually planned this expedi-

tion at the request of his wife and daughter, on purpose to

rescue him, his shame was too great for words, and big tears

stood in his eyes as he faltered out his gratitude to His Excel-

lency when they met at table, and how deeply he repented ever

having given him cause for trouble or anxiet



“Tut! tut! man,” said this noble Old Colonial Governor,

extending his hand to the now thoroughly conscience-stricken

Jan Weg, “I only did my duty. You see there were

other lives at stake besides your own. Your good wife—a peer-

less woman, your daughter—a charming girl, and, well I think I

am not wrong in saying so, that of my nephew, who somehow

or the other has not been heart whole since he has seen her,

and whom, if the young lady be willing, I shall be proud to see

120 AN ISLAND OF THE SEA. ,



her husband, with your consent, as soon as they can make up

their minds to it.”



Ludvig blushed a rosy red at the soft impeachment, being a

seaman he was bashful.



Jan Weg swore that nothing in this world would please him

better, and pledging His Excellency in a cup of the strong waters

they manufactured in those days, vowed he would dower the

young girl with the finest plantation in the colony, not to speak

of a treasure which lay hidden on the shores of one of the

bays attached to his own estate, and to which, now that the

buccaneers were all dead, he considered justly his.



“You forget the State,” said the Governor, “though as my

nephew is entitled to something for the gallant part he has

played to-day, I think the State may surely forego its claims ;

so we will endow them together. Your hand upon it, Jan Weg.”



A few hours’ sailing soon brought them to St. Thomas, where

the news of their complete victory over the buccaneers was re-

ceived with great joy, and Mrs. Weg and Lisa were awaiting

their loved ones impatiently. Needless to say that it was a joy-

ous meeting and that Ludvig and Lisa soon came to an under-

standing, for very shortly afterwards he asked her hand of her

parents, and, if I am not mistaken, was married to her by Parson

Slagelse in the Lutheran Church, then kept inside the Fort.



It was a joyous day in the colony. Everyone was glad to see

Jan Weg and His Excellency on such good terms, especially

Mrs. ‘Weg, from whom a deep load of anxiety was removed.



That they were to live peacefully ever afterwards, would have

been too much to wish for, as things went in those days. Let us

hope they had a fair share of happiness. If they did not, it

surely was not the fault of that iron-handed, good-hearted,

Old Colonial Governor, His Excellency Jérgen Iwersen.



THE END.

A FEW WORDS ABOUT ST. CROIX.



(THE GARDEN OF THE WEST INDIES.)







A FEW WORDS ABOUT ST. CROIX.

(THE GARDEN OF THE WEST INDIES)



.-



PART I,



THE PAST...



AxsouT forty miles distant from the island of St. Thomas lies

the island of St. Croix, another Danish possession, and one

which has been known for many years as “The Garden of the

West Indies.”



It is easily reached from “Our Island of the Sea” either by

one of the steamers of the Quebec Line, which touch fortnightly

at St. Thomas, or by one of the schooners which ply twice a

week between the two islands. A favourite is the “Vigilant,”

a trim craft with quite a history of its own, dating as far back

as 100 years ago. She has been by turns a pirate, slaver,

and a man-of-war; not a plank exists probably of the old

“Vigilant” that was built in Baltimore about the year 1800, but

_the same beautiful lines and the same speed which made her

famous as a slaver yet remain, and, to this day, she retains her

reputation for these excellent qualities, though now engaged as

a Government dispatch vessel and in carrying passengers.



Before leaving St. Thomas you are obliged to buy a passport.

This costs 32 cents and permits you to pass freely to the

island of St. Croix.



This beautiful island was discovered by Columbus on his

second western voyage on the 14th of Nov. 1493. The

Caribs, its inhabitants, called it Ay Ay; Columbus anchored

there to obtain water, and while his boat was returning from

the shore a skirmish took place with some of the natives, in’

6 A FEW WORDS ABOUT ST. CROIX,



which several of them were captured. These captives were

carried to Spain. In 1625 the English and Dutch conjointly

took possession of the island, which, at the time, was uninhabited.

In 1649 the Dutch were compelled to leave the island, being

driven from it by the superior force of the English. But the

triumph of the conquerors was short. In 1650 twelve hundred

Spaniards from Porto Rico made a descent upon them in the

night, burned their habitations, massacred all whom they found

under arms, and transported the remainder with their wives

and baggage to the island of Bermuda. In,1651 the French,

under De Vaugalan, obtained. possession by the surrender of the

Spaniards to his force. The island was then rich in forests, but

these were set on fire by the new conquerors, and the conflagra-

tion, it is said, lasted several months. But the grounds thus

cleared were at once entirely cultivated, and are said to have

been “incredibly fertile.”



In 1653 Louis XIV. transferred St. Croix with St. Kitts, St.

Bartholomew, and St. Martins to the Knights of Malta. In 1665

a newly-formed West Indian Company purchased the island

from the Order of Malta; and in 1674, this company having

been dissolved by Royal Edict, the island was again annexed to

the French Crown. In 1696 the population is said to have been

147 whites, exclusive of women and children, and 623 blacks,

but, notwithstanding the extraordinary fertility of the land

when the rains were sufficient, yet so frequent and destructive

were the droughts at the time, that the French settlers, having

demolished their forts, abandoned the island and removed. to

St. Domingo. In 1720 the island was uninhabited. About this

time a project for its settlement was formed in England which

was not carried into effect. It was visited by vessels of all

nations till, in 1727, the French captured seven English merchant

vessels which were lying there and took possession of the island.

It continued to be the property of France till 1733, when it was

sold to a company of merchants in Copenhagen, called the Guinea

Company, for £30,750. The rights of thisCompany were after-

wards purchased by the King of Denmark. In 1754 the island

was carefully surveyed and divided into plantations. In 1801

it was taken by the British, but was restored to Denmark after





. A FEW WORDS ABOUT ST. CROIX, 7



its possession for a few months only, Again in 1807 it was

taken by the English, and was held by them until 1815, when

it was again returned to Denmark.



-, During all these years slavery existed, though as early as

1792 the Danish Government declared the slave trade unlawful,.

and abolished it in 1803. But actual slavery remained in force

until the year 1848, when the slaves, on July 2nd, rose in a

body and obtained their freedom, which was proclaimed to them

from the Fort at Frederiksted* by the Governor-General

Von Shélten.



On Feb. 5th, 1866, a disastrous fire took place in Chris-

tiansted.| A great many fine buildings were destroyed and

several families were rendered homeless. Then followed a

long series of. droughts covering a period of five years. The

earthquake of Nov. 18th, 1867, was the next calamity which

visited the island. It occurred about 10 minutes after 3 in



the afternoon. There were two severe shocks, the sea receded,

leaving its bed quite bare, and gathering itself in one mighty:

wave, came toppling over in immense rollers, carrying all before



it. Schooners, brigs, and boats were washed ashore at both.

towns, and at Frederiksted a large American man-of-war, the

“Monongahela,” was landed high and dry on the Bay Street.

Many lives were lost and: much damage was done to

property.



The next misfortune was a hurricane, which took place on the

13th of Sept. 1876; this destroyed a great many houses in

town and country, besides injuring the crop. The next event of

note was the so-called labour riot. For some years the negroes

had worked under a law known as the Labour Act, a kind of

contract between the negro and the estate owners, maintaining

labour at a fixed price. Becoming tired of this an uprising

took place on the 2nd of Oct. 1879, which resulted in a con-

siderable loss of life and property. Estates were totally wrecked

and nearly the whole of the town of Frederiksted was destroyed

by fire.



* Also called West End. It is the port of call for steamers, about 15 miles from

Christiansted, and is situated at the west of the island.



+ The capital ; sometimes called Bassin. Its situation is easterly.

8. A FEW WORDS ABOUT ST. CROIX..



There is not much left to chronicle after this event, except to'

note how rapidly the inhabitants of St. Croix set to work to:

repair their losses. :



To look upon its smiling fields to-day, its prosperous towns

and people, no one would believe that, earthquake, fire, drought,

and hurricane had ever visited it. - :



PART IL



THE PRESENT.



I po not think that many people now-a-days know much

about the inner life of the picturesque island of which I am

writing. Tourists come and go, making a stay perhaps of

twenty-four hours. A stray reporter or author writes a chapter

or two about it, sometimes favourably, sometimes not, but rarely

is sufficiently said to place its actual merits before those who

seek health and pleasure in the West Indies. As the island of

St. Thomas is justly famous for its magnificent harbour and

unexceptionable coaling facilities, so is St. Croix for its climate,

scenery, excellent roads, and the boundless hospitality of its people.

It used to be visited annually by ‘@ number of Americans who

came there for a change of air, its climate being well adapted to

consumptives. How they came to exchange it for Bermuda can

only be attributed to the proximity of the latter to America,

which enabled them to reach it quickly. But now this is all

changed, for one of the Quebec Line of steamers will bring you

to St. Croix in five days, or should you be inclined only to touch

at Frederiksted, the port of call, will carry you to every one of

those “ Islands of the Sea,” that history has made memorable, or

the pen of the traveller interesting.. But should you remain,

you will carry away with you recollections that will haunt your

memory for years.



And you will not find yourself in astrange country. Though

a Danish island, everyone speaks English; and you will be

astonished, if you be an American, to find how the products of.

your own native land have invaded its houses and plantations.





A FEW WORDS ABOUT ST. CROIX. 9



American furniture, toys, novels, magazines, dry goods, provi-

sions, and machinery are largely imported. All over the country

you will see the Cochrane windmill, or others ‘similar, at work,

and quite a number of America’s best agricultural implements

in use upon the estates. It would be an interesting task indeed

to trace the cultivation of the sugar cane from the early days of

the old cattle mill, and the very imperfect methods of making

sugar among the ancient colonists, who, as Du Tertre, in his

Histoire des Antilles, tells us, lived with their lives in their

hands for fear of the buccaneers. I can, myself, remember many

estates in the island dependent on the old windmill, with its

cumbersome rollers standing on end and fed by hand by some

poor negro at the risk of losing a limb. It was a red-letter day

when the first steam mill was erected. It marked an area of

improvement which has been kept up by planters ever since.

Up to that time they had been content to follow the track laid

down by their predecessors. But they were a sturdy race of

men for all that, Irishmen most of them; honest and hard

working to a degree; frugal in their habits, they worked un-

remittingly to amass a fortune, sometimes returning to their

native land to enjoy jt, but in most cases passing the rest of

their lives honoured and respected in the land of their

adoption.



It is said that money was easier to make in those days;

prices were high, and even a small crop left a fair margin of

profit, but from all I can gather, only those who were prudent

and exercised self-denial were numbered among the successful.

Dry weather would set in, or a hurricane, once ina while, would

devastate their crops, bringing ruin and dismay to those who

had not laid by for a rainy day. Few of these old pioneers are

left. One of them, P. McDermott, Esquire, wealthy and re-

spected, at the ripe age of eighty-eight, is yet living in the full

possession of his faculties, hale and hearty, a fit representative

of his hard-working countrymen, and a bright example of how

long a man may live in the healthful climate of St. Croix.

There are others that I wot of, as I pen these lines, Danish,

Irish, and Scotch, whose lives would serve as a lesson to the

rising generation. Those who know them, speak of them with

10 A FEW WORDS ABOUT ST. CROIX.



respect and admiration for all that they did in the days gone by

when steam and vacuum pans were unknown factors in sugar-

making.



Life is a struggle under any circumstances, and even with the:

most approved appliances it is not always that the planter can

make both ends meet. The beetroot sugar manufacture, bounty-

fed and supported by the Governments of Europe, is a formid- :

able rival to the sugar cane. Prices have gone so low, that in:

some instances it did not pay to make sugar, and. the question

has been so serious of late years as to threaten the entire in-

dustry all over the West Indies. It is gratifying to note that:

most of the planters have risen superior to the occasion, and,

adopting the latest methods of cultivation and first-class

machinery to take off their crops, are stemming the tide of

adversity which of late years has set in against them. It

cannot be too earnestly insisted upon that when a man is suc-

cessfully opposed in business by another, he can only expect to

maintain himself by adopting the methods of his opponent..

Thus it is with. sugar-making in the West Indies to-day.

Those in Europe who have made the beetroot sugar a paying:

industry, have only done so by bringing every resource of

science and art in its production. It is but natural to suppose

if the West Indian planter would compete, he must go and.

do likewise.



This idea seems to be gradually taking root in St. Croix,

where several of the large estate owners, by close personal

supervision and attention to every detail, with improved

machinery and methods, are turning out sugar at a minimum

cost, and at a speed that would surprise the planter of a former.



- generation,



One of the most notable examples is A. J. Blackwood,

Esquire, who, as agent for Messrs. Bartram Bros., of New

York, came to this island some twelve years ago and took

over their business, which then consisted of two mercantile

houses and several estates scattered over the country.



Up to that time, Captain Blackwood, as he is usually called

by the community where he is known and so deservedly

respected, had followed the sea as a profession, and from,

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A FEW WORDS ABOUT ST. CROIX. hi



literally, before the mast, worked himself up to be a success-

ful captain of one of the smartest vessels that ever plied be-

tween New York and St. Croix, enjoying to the full the

confidence of his owners. He has said that it was with diffi-

dence he undertook such a charge as was entrusted to him,

but entering upon it with a strict determination to make it a

success, and bringing to bear a natural aptitude for adminis-

tration, which is all the more surprising from the fact that

he had no previous commercial training nor any knowledge

of sugar planting whatever, he has to-day the proud satisfaction

not only of being a successful merchant, but of having erected

one of the largest factories for the manufacture of sugar ever

put up by private enterprise in St. Croix. This is at Lower

Love, and is surrounded by eleven of the finest estates in the

island. These supply it with cane, and, as seen from the fine

residence of Captain Blackwood at Golden Grove, also planned

and erected under his supervision, form a beautiful prospect.

Far away is the ocean, of which you get a glimpse between

the hills, many of which are cultivated to their summits. The

fields are alive with busy workers cutting and carting cane to the

mill. Little negro cabins peep out here and there from among

the trees which grow near to them. Owner's or manager's

dwellings and windmills, here and there, dot the landscape.

Countless hues of green and brown greet the eye whichever way

you may turn, from the sombre bistre to the dazzling emerald.

Roads of a snowy whiteness intersect the island, completing a

picture in which art combined with Nature has almost made

perfect.



“So freshly fair are everywhere the features of the scene,

That earth appears a resting-place where angels might alight,



As if sorrow ne’er a visitant the human breast had been,

And the verdure of the summer months had suffered blight.”



And now let us take a look at the works of Lower Love,

whose great white chimney, standing out in the clear atmos-

phere, is seen for miles around.



Here, all is activity and life. Cart after cart comes in

laden with the sweet-smelling canes. These are carefully

weighed upon a great Fairbank’s scale. Thence they are

12 ‘A FEW WORDS ABOUT ST. CROIX.



taken and placed upon the cane carrier, by which they are

conducted to a first series of rollerg which cut and crush

them preparatory to their being crushed by the mill. Thou-

"sands of gallons of juice spout into the troughs, whence it

finds its way into clarifiers, coolers, vacuum pans, and triple

effects, going through a variety of processes before it becomes

sugar, which, when made, is placed in canvas bags of 300 lbs.

each, and marked to be shipped for refining.

The molasses is run off into tanks and barrelled, but not

until a first, second, and third quality sugar is obtained from

the cane juice. The “bagasse,” or refuse from the cane, is

burnt wet as it comes from the crushers and rollers. This is

effected by a new process, and if it be considered that $10,000

every crop is saved by it in the manner of fuel, it speaks

volumes for the new methods of manufacture so ably advocated

by Captain Blackwood, and so thoroughly carried out at the

‘works of Lower Love, a few words about the construction of

which may be interesting. The plant of machinery was built

by the Pioneer Iron Works, of Brooklyn, New York, and was

erected on the Estate Lower Love, in the year 1893 by Chief

Engineer L. H. Hansen, from plans drawn by Mr. Peter

Penthony, who was then draughtsman in the Pioneer Iron

Works. In order to erect this new plant it was necessary to

re-construct the old building, which was done by Mason

Wm. Peebles, under the supervision of Captain Blackwood.

The main building, which was 100 feet long and 30 feet

wide, is now 120 by 55. The old walls were raised 11 feet.

In order to save the enormous expense for coal, by the

introduction of green “bagasse” burning, it was found

necessary to‘re-lay the boilers and build new furnaces or

combustion chambers with hot-air flues; a large chimney

of great draft-producing power had also to be built. This

was effected by Mason Peebles, and, to-day, stands the finest

example of such work in the island, its dimensions being

112 feet high by 7 feet diameter, inside measurement. This

structure stands on a foundation of solid masonry 11 feet

deep by 24 feet square. Its walls at the base are 6 feet

thick and 18 inches at top.

yi



A FEW WORDS ABOUT ST. CROIX. 13



‘This plant of machinery is supplied with steam by a battery

of five tubular rollers ranging in size from 16 by- 5 feet in.

diameter with 54 four-inch tubes, to 18 by 74 feet in diameter

with 100 four-inch tubes, the furnaces being fed with green

“bagasse” direct from the mill, which gives all the steam

required with the consumption of about } “bagasse” made,

the balance being used up for manure. The grinding plant is

. composed of a set of three powerful rollers. These are

28 inches in diameter. This mill is fed by a Krajewski’s cane

crusher, which breaks, cuts, and crushes the cane, extracting

about 40°/, of the juice, increasing the capacity of the mill

from 50 to 100°/,, obtaining a juice extraction of about 70°;

The crusher is driven by an engine 3 feet stroke by 16 inchea

in diameter, which also drives the cane carrier, the “ bagasse ”

carrier being driven by the main engine. The evaporating

plant is composed of an 84 feet vacuum pan, with a 6 feet

triple effect of the Relux type, driven by a pumping engine

3 feet stroke by 16 inches in diameter, and running ten

pumps, which do the work of the entire plant. The cooling

tower appears a8 an enormous fountain, and is run by a

portion of the above-mentioned pumps. It draws the cold

water from the bottom of the dam, passing it through the

condensers which take the vapour from the vacuum pan and

triple effect, returning the hot water to the top of the towers,

where it falls from step to step, the air passing through it and

cooling it in its descent, thus enabling the same water to be

used over and over again for the same purpose.



The capacity of this plant is about 40,000 gallons of juice

in 14 hours, which makes about 25 hogsheads of sugar of

1500 lIbs., Danish weight, each. The molasses is separated

from the sugar by a battery of four of Weston’s centrifugals.

This molasses is then boiled over and made into a second

grade sugar, the molasses resulting from this is re-boiled and

made into a third grade of sugar, which three grades of sugar

give about 9 lbs. of sugar to 100 lbs. of cane. The washings

of the house are then made into rum. It will thus be seen

that nothing is lost, and every means employed to utilize the

product of the cane.

14 A FEW WORDS ABOUT ST. CROIX.



‘Attached to this fine plant are machine shops, manager's

and overseer’s dwellings, negro cabins, &c, &. There is a-

weighing house where every piece of cane is weighed before.

being carried to the mill, and every bag of sugar after it

is made; every gallon of juice is measured, and the whole

. manufacture is conducted on scientific principles, being under

chemical control; the laboratory being in the main building

under the supervision of Captain Blackwood’s brother, Mr. J. W. .

Blackwood, graduate from the Audubon Sugar School, Louisiana.



' It is satisfactory to note how similar factories are beginning

to be planned, one being about to be put up at Estate La

Grange. This must be satisfactory indeed to Captain

Blackwood, who, with their success, must feel his own assured.

Let us wish it to him always, as we should do to every

pioneer of progress, every investor of a great capital in

manufactures, everyone who gives employment to the multi-

tude, every man who overcomes obstacles and prejudices by

sheer force of character, honesty of purpose, and a determina-

tion to do right on every occasion.



There are two towns in St. Croix, Christiansted and

Frederiksted, also called Bassin and West End; that of

Christiansted is somewhat old-fashioned, but has some fine

buildings, the Government House being a massive pile that

would do credit to a much larger city. The entrance to its

harbour is very intricate, it is good and completely land-

locked. As in “Our Island of the Sea,” there is an old Fort,

coloured red. A few guns peep over its ramparts, more for

ornament than use, I suppose.



There is also a barracks for the soldiers, with a fine garden

attached. There are several churches, a Lutheran, Episcopalian,

Roman Catholic, and Moravian. There are no places of

amusement, but with such splendid drives that the country

affords over smooth level roads in the most comfortable of

phaetons one passes the time most agreeably. There are

comfortable boarding houses, that of Mrs. Pentheny being a

favourite one for the officials and Americans. The house

itself is finely built, three storeys high. The rooms are

commodious, airy, and well furnished, and the table excellent.





A FEW WORDS ABOUT ST. CROIX. 15



Mrs. Pentheny is hospitality itself. Speaking of hospitality,

this is a quality for which the West Indies and St. Croix

in particular, are famous.



There are not many large commercial houses here. Captain

Blackwood, as agent for Messrs. Bartram Bros. has a branch

in this town. It is a large building, and a great deal of

business is done there. There are several retail stores. An

Ice Company has been lately established for the manufacture

of that useful article. It owes its inception to Captain

Pentheny and Mr. Canegata, the latter gentleman an enter-

prising merchant and proprietor. A great deal of aérated

water is made and drank in the island, Mr. M. Pretto, another

energetic storekeeper, turning out thousands of bottles weekly,

besides owning and superintending a successful mercantile

business. His residence is one of the finest on King Street,

all the doors and bannisters being of solid mahogany. Messrs.

Pretto and Canegata are natives of the Danish West Indies,

and this reminds me that most of them are very intelligent,

have a fair English education, and have filled and do fill

many important places under Government. The Schools are

very good, compulsory education being in force.



There is one newspaper, The St. Croix Avis, edited by

John T. Quin, Esquire, F.R.G.S. An Englishman by birth,

he has filled the important post of Inspector of Schools for

many years. He is also Chairman of the Colonial Council.



There are an agency of the Bank of St. Thomas, a Club,

and an Apothecary’s Hall.



The Sheriff's Court, Dealing Court, and Police Court are

conducted much on the same lines as those in St. Thomas.



The Central Factory stands just outside the town of

Christiansted, not far from the Jail. It is carried on under

Government inspection, and turns out a large quantity of

sugar every year. We have alluded lengthily to it in a

former work, “Leaflets from the Danish West Indies.” It

is satisfactory to note that it is now a successful if not a

paying institution, being ably managed, employing a great

many hands, and another illustration of how capital properly

employed may benefit a community.

23 © AW Vers agent? 4 MROck



Tae ' Paeen' cr acanina. #& ~manuealy simsd om the

we ofa warning ae ww «6G oe eepe mm a hgh

tate of owheenes wy 1 Saud Daanire. the Soperimendeng,

WA YOR & sews Vaienme w w7une lesirous of imspect-

mag ot



(A swe ccacntanta Wemerts. 2b Wie wale might be

wester, Ae fo taie met ia crc Latemt id aie Sea” they

Tees: is ac ait of eomfort



ROD NIE a PDEA



ia wEprRer fh Sa Tieriaad<s cf lite wiich sssail ome im more

faeiiens water Lacsar ia in oratant di:mani and those

wher are Min We work can always ind something to do.

More rid te tary desired. exeept that wealth which does

wit, often Lang happiness



Now for a “Anive through the country to Frederiksted.

Honyly seated in a phaston you bowl along at a rapid rate.

Paesny the splendid residence of Bulowsminde, now the

resudence: Of Robert, Armstrong, Esquire, and once belonging



His Fzeeleney, Governor-General Von Schélten, you leave

cebate after estate behind you, new views of infinite beauty

opening up at every turn of the road. There are sugar

eanes on both sides of you, long avenues shaded by stately

prin with here and there trees, such as the flamboyant, all

aflame with searlet. flowers, or the silk cotton with enormous

misthapen roots, and long horizontal branches on which grow

nomultitude of parasites and air plants; flowers of all kinds

carpet the rondsides, Now and then you meet a labourer,

who reapeetfully salutes you. Then a great sugar cart wend-

ine its way, slowly along, drawn by six oxen and laden with

twe oor three hogsheads of sugar, or may be a light and strong

wagon, heaped up with sugar in’ bags, drawn much more

rapidly by Gwe mules: types of the new and the old way of

doing things. And as yeu near Frederiksted. just outside

the awn, yeu come across a loc of women busily washing

iv the Gut. named facetiously by a friend of mine, * The publie

wash teh oof Foederthsted Then vou drive into the town.

and away frm the glare ef the san yeu may dud yourself



seated ino the splendid: rocmi of the Cisb lwatad on the Ray



16 A FEW WORDS ABOUT ST. CROIX.



‘The “Farm” or hospital is romantically situated, on the

top of a hill overlooking the town. It is kept in a high

state of efficiency by V. C. Haid, Esquire, the Superintendent,

who gives a hearty welcome to anyone desirous of inspect-



Of the inhabitants themselves, a whole volume might be

written. As I have said in “Our Island of the Sea,” they

are orderly and respectable. There is an air of comfort

prevailing quite striking. The climate is equable, and ‘no one

is exposed to the vicissitudes of life which assail one in more

populous centres. Labour is in constant demand, and those

who are willing to work can always find something to do.

More could be scarcely desired, except that wealth which does

not often bring. happiness.



Now for a drive through the country to Frederiksted.

Snugly seated in a phaeton you bowl along at a rapid rate.

Passing the splendid residence of Bulowsminde, now the

residence of Robert, Armstrong, Esquire, and once belonging

to His Excellency, Governor-General Von Schélten, you leave

estate after estate behind you, new views of infinite beauty

opening up at every turn of the road. There are sugar

canes on both sides of you, long avenues shaded by stately

palms with here and there trees, such as the flamboyant, all

aflame with scarlet flowers, or the silk cotton with enormous

misshapen roots, and long horizontal branches on which grow

a multitude of parasites and air plants; flowers of all kinds

carpet the roadsides. Now and then you meet a labourer,

who respectfully salutes you. Then a great sugar cart wend-

ing its way, slowly along, drawn by six oxen and laden with

two or three hogsheads of sugar, or may be a light and strong

wagon, heaped up with sugar in bags, drawn much more

rapidly by two mules; types of the new and the old way of

doing things. And as you near Frederiksted, just outside

the town, you come across a lot of women busily washing

in the Gut, named facetiously by a friend of mine, “The public

wash tub,” of Frederiksted. Then you drive into the town,

and away from the glare of the sun you may find yourself

seated in the splendid room of the Club located on the Bay



e





A FEW WORDS ABOUT ST. CROIX. 17



Street fronting the roadstead. This is another outcome of

the restless energy of Captain Blackwood, and is built over

his large stores, forming a handsome addition to the many

other fine buildings which adorn Frederiksted and the Bay

. Street in particular.



There are several commercial houses represented in this

town, besides the large interests of Messrs. Bartram Bros.

‘Messrs. R. L. Merwin & Co. occupy a fine store on the Bay

Street, in which they do a fair share of the island’s business.

Mr. R. L. Merwin, their senior, is an .American; young,

energetic, and enterprising, he enjoys the respect and confi-

dence of the community. A branch of Messrs. McDougal & Co.,

of St. Thomas, who have another in Christiansted, and the

house of Melchior & Sons, Copenhagen, whose courteous repre-

sentatives, Messrs. Dessau & Ford, are well known throughout

these islands, are also on this street. Messrs. Pearson & Co.,

of St. Thomas, have also considerable. capital invested in

enterprises both here and in Christiansted, and the retail

stores are quite numerous and evidently prosperous. What

will strike a close observer will be to see how many of

them are superintended by females. They are, all of them,

of native birth, and some of them remarkable for their in-

dustry and capacity. Though this may be said of all Dano-

West Indian women, who are a credit to their sex as house-

wives and for their intelligence.



Counsellor Faber, K.D., owns the Apothecary’s Hall. It is

_ well supplied, and has realised for its owner a handsome

competence, which it is to be hoped he may live many years

yet to enjoy. As in Christiansted there are churches of

various denominations, all of which are attended on Sundays

and holy days. The Crucians are a religious people, and

think much of their parsons, who do excellent work among

them, being their friends and advisers on all occasions.



There are a hospital and other charitable institutions. The

hospital has been superintended for many years by H. N.

Mallgrav, Esquire, and is a model of good management. An

old red Fort fronts the roadstead to the east of the town.

It has a history, more than one notable occurrence having



b

18 A FEW WORDS ABOUT ST. CROIX.



taken place within or around its walls. From its ramparts

was read by Governor Von Schélten the proclamation which

made the slaves free in 1848. It was stormed by. the rioters

in 1879 at the time of the riots. At its gates, John C.du

Bois, an English clergyman and British vice-consul, breasted

the angry mob and tried to stay them in their mad work.

Just outside, a planter, Mr. Fontaine, met his death at the

hands of the rioters. And inside, when authority once more

asserted itself, many of these poor misguided beings were

shot to death, tied to trees, which yet remain to remind those

who live in these days of what is the eventual result of re-

bellion against law and order backed up by the bayonet and

rifle.



No one looking at the fine street running along the side

of the sea would believe that only a few years ago it was

laid in ashes with the greater portion of the town. -It seemed

impossible to me at the time when I first witnessed it, in

1879, after the awful scenes of riot, arson, and pillage which

took place on the night of the 2nd of Oct., that it ever

would be built again, and yet here it is better than before,

with handsome buildings and a prosperous people inhabiting

them ; proving what great resources are in the island if only

properly directed. ,



The port of Frederiksted is a very busy one during crop

time. The Quebec Line is represented by Major Moore, who

occupies a spacious dwelling on the Bay Street, where he

has his offices underneath. The steamers of this Company

call there twice a month; also those of Messrs. Pickford and

Black, for whom Messrs. R. L. Merwin are the agents. . ;



Schooners and other vessels ply between Frederiksted,

St. Thomas, and the adjacent islands, and the town is very.



lively when a party of tourists arrive from the United «= ..



States; then every tropical product is in demand. Bay rum,

fruit, and curios, with the famous conch pearl, find a ready

‘market, and the owners of phaetons, horses, and buggies do _

a flourishing business with the new comers. American flags

fly, and, if one might judge from the conversation, everyone

has become an American for the time being. And this brings





A FEW WORDS ABOUT ST, CROIX, 19



me to a subject which has been on the tapis for the past

few years, a subject interesting to the writer and perhaps

many more, and that is, the cession of these islands to the

United States. I have already spoken about the possibility

of St. Thomas becoming the naval and coaling station of

America, and of the mutual advantages which might accrue

therefrom.



Equally so would it be if St. Croix were included in the

bargain. Its inhabitants are looking for it, especially those

who have a considerable stake in the country. They feel

that the mere fact of belonging to so great and commer-

cial a nation means the infusion of new ideas, wealth, and

prosperity. Not that they have aught to complain of the

good government under which they have lived so happily,

socially, and politically, for so many years. But there is a

general impression all through the West Indies that the

American flag will float over them some day; and it is be-

lieved that the Danish West Indies will lead the van. That

America will not be a loser, as far as St. Croix is concerned,

anyone who knows the industry of its people, its resources,

the large amount of capital, American capital especially, in-

vested in it, can testify. And then its enchanting scenery

will more than ever make it a resort for the American, weary

of old watering-places which outside of their fine hotels have

grown flat, stale, and unprofitable. Here, amid the lovely

green of its cultivated estates, its palm groves, or on its

sea shore with its white rolling surf, will he find such de-

light, such variety and novelty as can be found no where in

the world but in “The Garden of the West Indies.”



b 2

ROBERT L, MERWIN.



W. HARCOURT WOODS.



ROBT. L. MERWIN & Co.



EXPORT & IMPORT



Commission and General Merchants,



FREDERIKSTED, ST. CROIX, W. I.



Cable Address:



Merwrin,



St.



Croix.



Codes Used:



Merchants, Watkins



& Appendix, A.B.C.



AGENTS



FOR



Corporation of Lloyd’s, London, E.C.



Pickford & Black’s West India Steamship Line,



‘St. John, Halifax and Demerara Route.



Oakdale Manufacturing Co., Providence, R.I.,



Manufacturers of Superior High Grade Oleomargarine.



The Aérmotor Co., Chicago, Illinois,



Manufacturers of Galwanised Steel Windmills and Towers.



CONSIGNMENTS RECEIVED AND ACCOUNT SALES WITH



REMITTANCES PROMPTLY RENDERED.



SHIP BROKERS, SHIP STORES, AND ESTATE SUPPLIES.



MANUFACTURE & SHIPMENT OF BAY RUM A SPECIALITY.



—- —___—



ae



—_—_



—



Branches:



CHRISTIANSTED, ST. CROIX.



73, WALL STREET, NEW YORK.

J. C. CANECATA,

Commission Merchant,

CHRISTIANSTED, ST. CROIX, D.W.L.



(ESTABLISHED 1884.)



Dealer in Provisions, Wholesale and Retail, Liquors,

and Fancy Articles.

SOLE IMPORTER OF PILSEN BEER, ROYAL BREWERY.

Preserves, Biscuits, Confectionery, &c. &c. &c.



Hennessy’s and other Brandies, assorted Liqueurs, Whiskies, Wine, Red and White,



Port, Sherry, Madeiras, Angelica, &c., &c., &c. Syrups, Almond, Raspberry, &c.,



&c. Mattoni Geishubler, Malt Beer and Malt Extract, Fruit Essences, Jams and



Jellies, Chocolate, Cocoas, Coffee, Teas, black, green, of. different quality, Angostura

and other Bitters, Cordials, and Oils.



BORER ECE CLOACACLOACIATOAL ASIII ICIOES



ONLY DIRECT IMPORTEIR OF



L. E. BROUN'S CHOICEST COPENHAGEN BUTTER.



Louis Roderer and Cliquot Champagnes.



Florida and Kananga Water, Cologne, Colgate’s, and other

Perfumes, Hair Vigor, Allen’s Restorer, Vaseline,

and Pomade.



GLASS WARE LAMPS & STATIONERY.



Havana, Porto Rico, and other Cigars, Havana and American Cigarettes,



Smoking Tobaccos, Johnson’s Mixture, W. D. & H. O. Wills, Capstan, Allen



and Ginter’s Richmond Mixture, &c. Plated Ware, Cutlery, Coach Paints,

Varnishes.



Direct Importer of



ENGLISH, GERMAN, & FRENCH STAPLE & FANCY GOODS,



CONSISTING OF



Cottons, Woollens, Linens, Hosiery, Embroidery, and Laces, d&c. dc. &e.

Boots and Shoes, Felt and Straw Hats.



MANUFACTURER OF



Ice, Soda Water, Lemonade, Ginger Ale, Orange Tonic, Kola Champagne, Bay Rum, &c,



An extensive Stock of



FINE OLD ST. CROIX RUM.

COMMISSIONS SOLICITED.





EL BENJAMIN,



DEALER IN



Staple and Fancy Goods



EAST INDIA HANDKERCHIEFS.



ae



Birthday, Wedding, and other Cards, &c.



- FREDERIKSTED,



ST.



CROIX,



W .I.



JACOB A. WENG,



PHOTOGRAPHIC ARTIST,



ST. CROIX, D.W.I.



PORTRAITURE, INTERIOR, LANDSCAPE



- AND GENERAL PHOTOGRAPHY. ©



CHILDREN’S PICTURES A SPECIALITY.



ALL WORK DONE BY THE INSTANTANEOUS PROCESS



SATISFACTION GUARANTEED.

BACHE & CO.,



Ship Brokers and Commission

Merchants,



ST. THOMAS,



D. W. I.



a So oe ee oe oe oe oe oe oe oN



PARTICULAR ATTENTION GIVEN TO CHARTERING OF

VESSELS.



KLINGBERG, KREBS, & Co.,



Commission Merchants,

PROVISIONS,



Wine and Liquor Dealers,

WHOLESALE EXPORTERS OF BAY RUM.



AN EXTENSIVE STOCK OF



FINE OLD ST. CROIX RUM



ALWAYS ON HAND.



Hennessy’s Brandies, American and Scotch Whiskies, &c., d&c.



VU WUE VU



ST. THOMAS, D.W.1

COMMERCIAL HOTEL,



ST. THOMAS,



KEPT BY



MRS. BARENTZEN.



vanan ARR RRR RR ARR RAR RRA ARA AA



English and french Cookery,



Covers laid at all hours of the day and night.

FRENCE AND FOREIGN WINES,

Liqueurs and Drinks of all sorts.



PRIVATE ROOMS.



This Establishment, from its privileged central situation, nearest to the King’s

Wharf, reduced prices, and prompt service, is most recommendable,



COOL and COMMODIOUS ROOMS, HOT and COLD BATHS.



E. SCHRODER’S



MANUFACTORY OF

Soda-water, Lemonade, Ginger-ale, Orange

Tonic, Kola Champagne, &c.,



AS SUPPLIED TO AMERICAN, ARGENTINE, DANISH, ENGLISH, FRENCH, GERMAN,

‘ITALIAN, RUSSIAN, SWEDISH, AND BRAZILIAN WARSHIPS.



QUALITY GUARANTEED. PRICES MODERATE.

EMPTY BOTTLES RECEIVED FOR REFILLING.



E. SCHRODER’S

Bay Spirit and Bay Spirit Soap



ARE MADE FROM BEST MATERIALS.



ALWAYS IN STOCK:



CANNED AND OTHER PROVISIONS, BISCUITS, CONFECTIONERY,



Wines, Gin, Brandy, Liqueurs, Oils, Syrups, Sugars, Angostura Bitters, Pilsener Beer,

Kananga Water, Eau de Cologne, Florida Water, Bay Oil, &c., &c.

J. H. FECHTENBURG & CO.,



Commission Merchants.



Provisions,



Liquors,



Wines, &c. ©



——— — __ * ss Ss ss



ST. THOMAS, D.W.1.



Prompt Attention given to Orders.



D. G. FONSECA,



General Provision +=



AND



-= Commission Merchant,



PAPO ADL

ee ee ee ee



A choice and varied assortment of Can and Bottle

Preserves and Family Groceries always on hand.



FRESH SUPPLIES BY EVERY ARRIVAL.



CHAIRS, ROCKERS, ROPE, NAILS, LEATHER, &c., &c.



‘S3LVY LSSMOT LV GsalIddNS SAYOLS .SdIHs



SATISFACTION GUARANTEED.

BAZAR DE NOVEDADES.



NIRA READ RDS SIS RADDA RPA RADIA



G. LEewrrt,



Agent for *



‘LA FIDUCIA LIGURE,”’



ST. THOMAS



Importer of French, English, German, American, and



Italian Merchandise



FRESH SUPPLIES BY FREQUENT ARRIVALS



PRICES DEFYING COMPETITION



Dealer both by Wholesale and Retail



HENRY 0. CREQUE



General Commission Merchant



AND



SHIP CHANDLER.



ee ee ee



we



ers



DEALER IN



PLAIN and JAPANNED TINWARE and



Tinmen’s Supplies,



PAINTERS’ AND OILMEN’S SUPPLIES, GLASSWARE AND



GLASS ORNAMENTS



LAMPWARE, EARTHENWARE, PORCELAIN



AND



General House Furnishing Hardware.



.



SSS



No. 29, Main St., ST. THOMAS.







THE



ST. THOMAS COAL DEPOT.



BRONDSTED & CO.,



Wavy Contractors,



Ss‘.



TELOMAS.



——



Agents of



CORY BROTHERS & CO.



LONDON AND CARDIFF.



ee



a — _



—— ee



A Large Supply of Best



CARDIFF, CUMBERLAND, NEWCASTLE,



ANTHRACITE, AND SCOTCH



ALWAYS KEPT IN STOCK.



a ee ee eee



— aoe



Steamers drawing up to 27 feet can be coaled from their



safe and commodious jetties at the rate of 50 to 100 tons



per hour, Day or Night.



ne



a a ee ee ee



me SHIPPING SUPPLIED WITH FRESH WATER.



See



a



a





~H. MICHELSEN, -

Bay Rum, Bay Salts, and Florida Water,



NEW YORK, ST. THOMAS, WEST INDIES,



36, BROADWAY. 28, MAIN STREET.



MEDALS AWARDED:



Boston, MASS. ... see ..» 1883 BERLIN ... fae wee we =: 1885

AMSTERDAM)... coe .» 18839 New ORLEANS, La. ... s+» 1885-6

New ORLEANS, LA. ... .. 1884-5) LIVERPOOL, G. B, wee ve =—:1886

ANTWERP tee wee .. 1885 BERLIN ... wee ae «. 1887

LovIsvILLE, Ky. tee .» 1885 Paris... tee tee ve 1889



HIGHEST AWARD at World’s Columbian Exposition Chicago, 1893.



The use of the clear Bay Rum, of the colour of Rhenish Wine, has been recom-

mended by eminent physicians in the following manner :--



AS A HEALING MEDIUM.



1. For tender feet, by rubbing with a few tablespoonfuls on going to bed.



2. For the hair, when thin and inclined to fall, by rubbing the scalp in the

morning with a tablespoonful, whereby the roots will be stimulated and strengthened.



3. After long and fatiguing rides or walks, by rubbing the entire body with

the article mixed with water (principally the feet after walking), whereby after a

half-hour’s time, not only will the apptication refreshen, but also produce renewed

strength generally. :



AS A COSMETIC AND TOILET ARTICLE.



For wathing the face, a few tablespoonfuls added to water will suflice,

and by a continued use the skin of the face obtains a more brilliant and animated

appearance,



For the bath, quarter of a bottle in an ordinary bathing pan.



For headaches and other pains, caused by cold or over-exertion, Bay Rum is

often applied by rubbing, as stated above, and in case of headache by bandages

saturated with the article.



Bay Kum, the product of the leaves and berries of the Bay Tree (Pimento acris),

and pure Rum invigorates and strengthens the nerves, and possesses a refreshing

odour.



Great care must be observed in the manufacture of Bay Rum, and, I may here



state, that as certified by eminent physicians and chemists, my article, above all

others, is highly recommendable for the qualities mentioned above.



H. MICHELSEN.