The seasons at Antigua--Heavy rains--Long droughts--The
water-merchant--A fortunate shower--Drought in 1837--Desolate
appearance of the country--Famishing cattle--Definition of
"_fine rains_"--Anecdote--Heavy shower--Joy--Earthquakes--1835
--Meteors--Dressing for the ball--The alarm--The ball-room--
Hurricanes--Devastations.
The seasons at Antigua may be divided into the _wet_ and _dry_.
The wet season generally commences in July, and continues, with
intermissions, until October; and in February we look for it
again. The rains in England are but summer dews, comparatively
speaking, to the torrents which the overcharged clouds pour down
upon these "Isles of the West." No one but an actual observer can
form any idea of the violence of these storms. In a moment the
streets are inundated, and the falling of the large drops upon
the shingled roofs of the houses is quite deafening.
But at the same time these rains constitute the Antiguan's
greatest blessing, for not only do they revive the parched and
thirsty earth, cool the atmosphere, promote the growth of the
sugar cane, and dress nature in her loveliest garb; but from
having (as before mentioned) only two or three fresh-water
springs in the island, and those far inland, their chief supplies
of that necessary fluid are derived from these showers. Large
cisterns are dug and carefully lined with some kind of plaster,
either terrace, brought from Monserrat or St. Christopher's, or
Roman cement, to contain it; and as rain water has the property
of purifying itself, it is generally translucent and wholesome.
Antigua has, however, at various times, suffered long and
dreadfully from drought. In 1779, the long want of rain was
painfully felt; and in 1789 it occurred again, but with redoubled
severity. Famine, it was supposed, would be the result. As many
as five thousand head of horned cattle are said to have died; and
men and women fell down in the streets from exhaustion. I have
felt what it is to suffer from this cause in a small degree; the
water we have been obliged to drink when the cisterns were dried
up was nauseous in the extreme--only stern necessity would have
induced persons to partake of it.
Sometimes, when nearly all the ponds in the island are dry, (as
was the case in 1833,) it becomes necessary to despatch vessels
to the nearest islands for a supply of water. This season of
general distress proves, at times, a rich harvest to those
adventurers who possess, or can hire, a small vessel, and load it
with water, for which they charge very high.
A circumstance occurred in the above-mentioned year, in relation
to this practice, which it may be worth while to relate. During a
long succession of dry weather, and when there was but very
little water to be found in Antigua, one of these
_water-merchants_, if I may be allowed to use that expression,
went to Monserrat (a small island a few hours' sail from Antigua)
for a cargo of this useful beverage. Upon his return he asked an
extravagant price for it; the poor people murmured; but what was
to be done? Water must be had; and in the end the hard-earned
wages of many a one found their way into the pockets of this
"Aquarius."
Finding his profits so great this time, and the dry weather
continuing, he determined to make another trip, and if possible,
add a little more of the "Honey of Hybla" to his stock. He
arrived at Antigua with his elementary cargo in the evening, and
immediately commenced his traffic. But in this instance he
outwitted himself; for raising his demands as the necessity of
water appeared the greater, the people were unable to comply, and
determined to wait until morning, in hopes of procuring some at a
cheaper rate.
In the meantime the clouds began to darken, and appeared to rest
upon the top of the mountains. The wind whistled mournfully among
the trees--the air became chill--the mercury fell, and in a few
moments the windows of heaven were opened, and the long-looked
and wished-for rain descended, not in measured drops, "soft and
slow," but in torrents. Now was the season of exultation; every
vessel capable of containing fluids was put in requisition, and
the mortified _water-merchant_ was obliged to get rid of his
cargo the best way he could. Near to our residence is a kennel,
which in dry weather is totally devoid of moisture, but during
these heavy rains it becomes a small rivulet. To this stream then
rushed a motley group; men, women, and children, dogs and poultry
--all participating in the general joy; even the swinish
multitude grunted forth their approbation, and ran to lave their
snouts in its cool waters.
It was laughable to see the little black children as they
scampered about, shaking their hands, and screaming with delight
as they enjoyed their natural "shower bath," which proved a more
effective one than even Mrs. O'Flinn's. Talking of "shower baths"
brings to my recollection an anecdote related of a late merchant
of St. John's.
Mr. B------, the merchant in question, had been for some time
suffering from indisposition, and his medical attendant advised
him to try the renovating influence of a shower-bath.
Accordingly, such a machine was duly procured, and the next
morning put into requisition. In the course of the day the
physician called to ascertain the state of his patient after his
ablution, and with winning voice, inquired how he liked his
"shower-bath." "Oh, doctor!" replied the sick man, with rueful
look and lengthened visage, "I verily thought I should have
fainted, the shock was so great." "Indeed," said Dr. M------, in
his usual bland manner, "I am sorry it had such an effect; why
did you not follow the Irishman's plan, and take your umbrella?"
The next forenoon brought with it the customary medical visitor,
who again inquired into the merits of the bath. "Why," quoth the
invalid, "I cannot say the shock was so great, but I do not think
I shall derive any benefit from it; in fact, only my feet
received a wetting this time, for I followed your advice _and
carried my umbrella!_"
But to return to the subject of droughts. Severe as the drought
was in 1833, it was nothing compared to what we suffered in 1837,
from the same cause; and, indeed, for the greater part of the
preceding year. The old people remarked that they never
remembered its being so dry since 1789, (which was particularly
distinguished as "the year of the drought.") What miseries the
Antiguans then suffered, I am of course from experience unable to
say; but if they exceeded those endured in that eventful year,
1837, they must have been terrible indeed.
Almost every pond and cistern in the island was dried up,
scarcely a blade of grass was to be seen; and when walking over
pasture land, it crackled beneath the feet as if it had been
baked. The poor cattle presented a most deplorable appearance,
wandering about as they did in search of food and water, and
expressing their urgent wants, by faint, melancholy lowings.
The poorer class of inhabitants, also, felt it very much, obliged
as they were to drink the spring water, which is but very little
better than salt. The little fresh water they were able to
procure occasioned them great labour, for after toiling hard all
the day, they were obliged to devote the greater part of the
night to fetching it from distant parts of the islands, carrying
it in tubs upon their heads.
It was a pitiful sight to see the country, it presented such a
scene of barrenness. The cane-pieces looked burnt up; nothing was
to be seen but dry and withered leaves, in place of their
accustomed rich green; the provision grounds became mere wastes,
and all agricultural employments were at a stand.
Days and weeks thus rolled on, and still the same blue cloudless
sky--the same burning sun. Or if a cloud did arise, and skim the
vast concave, and the hopes of men grew strong, it passed away
without giving the long-looked-for blessing. Again, and the scene
changed. Huge dense clouds might be seen, piled one upon another,
and slowly extending themselves over the sky until they reached
the zenith; the upper ones looking as if crowned with snowflakes,
while those nearer the earth were black and heavy like a
"funereal pall," and appeared as if about to discharge their
burdens. "Now we shall have it!" was the cry; "at last, we shall
have rain!" Delusive hopes! doomed to be overthrown; these again
passed away, and left no boon.
Every day presented appearances more and more alarming, the
little supply of water was rapidly diminishing, and men and
brutes were becoming exhausted by thirst. Days were set apart by
the legislature for public prayers and fasts, and a sum of money
granted for the purpose of hiring vessels to go to Monserrat for
water. This water was sold by the pail, but from being brought
over in molasses' casks, it tasted extremely disagreeable.
The late Sir Evan Murray McGregor, then governor of Barbados,
hearing of the necessities of the Antiguans, (over whom he had
formerly held sway in the character of commander-in-chief of the
Leeward Islands,) sent a man-of-war with a cargo of this precious
element from that island; but under some pretence or the other,
it was refused by the legislature. The cause of this
extraordinary line of conduct was said to be this. Sir Evan was
not generally a favourite governor with the aristocratic party:
he was a man of strict principles, and one who poised the scales
of justice with an impartial hand between rich and poor, white
and coloured. He would not herd with the _great people_--go to
their houses, eat their corn-fed mutton and turtle, drink their
_Château Margeau_ and Champagne, and then wink at their
proceedings, and gloss over their errors, like some of his
predecessors. Upon this account he was not liked, and when in the
kindness of his heart he sent the present of water, it was
refused in a very cold manner. Some of the members of the
assembly were against this arrangement, and said, for the honour
of Antigua, that they would rather have lost double the amount
than it should have been returned.
But to return more particularly to the drought. Not only did the
inhabitants suffer from want of water to drink, and for general
use, but the country provisions, such as yams, potatoes, &c.,
upon which the negroes principally depend, unavoidably failed;
and as all importations were raised so much in price, the lower
classes were almost starved.
The planters endured great inconvenience, not only from the
dryness of the soil, which ruined the sugar-canes, but also from
having to pay the same number of labourers their regular wages,
without having anything for them to do, yet at the same time
being obliged to retain them, lest when the wet season did come,
and their assistance was really required, they might not be
procurable.
I heard a circumstance related which occasioned a smile, even in
this time of distress. A certain good lady of St. John's sent one
of her domestics to the sea side for a pail of salt water. It
happened to be ebb-tide,[66] and upon the servant returning, she
exclaimed to her mistress, the greatest astonishment being
depicted upon her countenance, "Why missis, war you tink? It dry
so till sea himself dry now. War eber we go do, me no no."
Oh! how anxiously did we watch the barometer day after day, in
hopes of its indicating rain. The inhabitants of the different
parts of the island meeting one another, the first question asked
was, "What weather have you had? do you think we are likely to
get any rain?"
A proprietor of a large estate in a distant part of the island,
but who resided in the capital, met one morning a labourer of his
coming from the country, and of course asked what news there was,
and how they were coming on. "So, so, massa," returned the negro
--"we hab fine rain last night." "Say you so, my fine fellow?"
quoth his master, his heart enlarged at the prospect of his canes
flourishing, "well, here's a quarter-dollar for you, as a reward
for your good news."
In the course of the same day, the manager of the estate arrived
in town, and upon seeing the proprietor, was congratulated by him
upon the "fine rains" he had so fortunately experienced in the
country. "_Fine rains!_" said the manager, in surprise, "do I
hear you aright, or are you joking? (although I think you'll find
it no joke in the end;) we have had no rain at all, and I came
into town this morning to consult with you upon the subject; for
from the excessive drought, the canes are all burnt up, the
cattle dying in all directions, and the labourers themselves are
dropping down exhausted from want of water."
The proprietor stormed and raved--that fellow Cato told me you
had had fine rains last night; and I was so pleased to hear it,
that--that--I actually gave the black rascal a quarter-dollar for
his information. "Here, John! go and call that fellow back,"
turning to a domestic, "and tell him to make haste--do you hear?"
In the course of a short time Cato returned, rolling up his eyes
until only the whites (or rather yellows) were visible, holding
his little flannel cap in one hand, and in the other, what was
once designated as a _pipe_, and uttering a mysterious noise,
which was intended as half interrogative, half conciliatory,
waited until his master, who was puffing and blowing, and looking
"unutterable things," should speak.
At length the storm burst--the torrent descended. "How dare you
tell me such a story this morning, sirrah? How dare you, sir?
answer me!" "War 'tory, massa," inquired the self-convicted, but
waggish negro, the left foot at the same time performing
countless evolutions, and the flannel cap twirled round the thumb
with increased velocity. "What story? you arrant rogue! why, the
story you told me this morning about having fine rains in the
country." "Me no tell no 'tory, massa," retorted the negro,
determined to stand his master's ire undaunted, and, like many
other guilty ones, striving to have the last word. "Me no tell no
'tory; war for me go tell 'tory? me no 'peak de trute." "You
speak the truth, indeed! Here's the manager, who tells me there
has been no rain at all, but, on the contrary, that my stock are
all dying from want of water; and yet you dared to tell me you
had fine rains last night." "Yes, massa, and so we _hab fine
rain_; me tell de trute. An more den dat, de rain _fine so_ till
--t-i-ll (prolonging the word) me hardly able to see him, he so
fine!" Both owner and manager found it difficult to maintain
their gravity at this definition of _fine rains_; while Cato,
with a grin of self-congratulation at having so adroitly got
himself out of a bad scrape; and grasping more firmly his
quarter-dollar, which he imagined to be in some danger, set off
for his own residence.
"Hope deferred, maketh the heart sick;" and so indeed it was with
us, when day after day passed, and still no appearance of rain.
But One, who does not "willingly grieve the children of men,"
remembered us in our great affliction, and when we least thought
of it, sent us the needful blessing. I never saw such a fall of
rain before; and many of the oldest inhabitants said the same
thing. In about an hour from the time it first commenced, the
streets were streaming with water; indeed, the one in which we
reside looked more like a small river than anything else, for not
a vestige of dry ground appeared.
Report said two or three children were carried into the sea by
the violence of the stream which rushed through the streets; but
upon further inquiry, I found, as is generally the case, report
did not speak truth. It originated from an old woman, seeing some
chickens (which had been brought to market for sail, with their
legs tied together) floating down the stream, when she exclaimed,
"Eh! eh! look de fowl pic'nee;[67] he sure he go get drowned!"
This travelled, and lost nothing by its peregrinations, until at
length it became magnified into the loss of several children.
In a very short time, all the ponds and cisterns in the island,
which for so long a time had been perfectly dry, were filled to
overflowing, and care and distress gave way to joy and
thankfulness.
About June, July, and August, Antigua is liable to be visited by
storms of thunder, and lightning, and earthquakes. The lightning
in this part of the globe is very vivid; and the thunder bellows
through the air in terrific peals, every hill and mountain
reverberating the sound. Often have I seen the lightning playing
down the spiral branches of the cocoa-nut trees, presenting a
sublime but awful appearance.
But although these storms are so violent, and consequently so
harrowing to the feelings, they are nothing in comparison to the
earthquakes with which we are sometimes visited. Every nerve is
shaken by these terrible convulsions of nature; the very brute
creation seem to feel their influence.
In April, 1690, Antigua suffered very severely from this cause.
Nearly the whole town of St. John's was destroyed; and the
sugar-works upon the various plantations in the country almost
all overthrown. In many parts of the island, the solid earth was
rent open; rocks were hurled from their places, and the very
mountains defaced. The line of hills which skirts the harbour
suffered from the concussion in a remarkable manner: one of them
was rent completely in twain; and now, after the lapse of so many
years, presents the appearance of two heights, with a deep dingle
running between them. Soon after this awful occurrence, two
comets made their appearance.
The first time I felt an earthquake, I took it to be the approach
of a heavy carriage; but by the increased, rumbling and tremour
of the earth, was quickly undeceived. It was but a slight shock,
however, and I began to think an earthquake was not so dreadful
as my fancy had depicted it to be.
It was reserved for the year 1833 to prove to me what an
earthquake really was, and make me fully aware of its terrifying
powers; and although nearly nine years have rolled by since that
period, and consequently the remembrance of it has lost some part
of its vividness, yet the occurrences of that night has left so
deep an impression upon my mind, that it will never be wholly
obliterated.
Between eight and nine in the evening, a shock of an earthquake
was felt; but as it did not continue long, no particular
attention was paid to it. We had retired to-bed, and were in our
first sleep, when we were suddenly awakened by that peculiar
hollow noise which is always the forerunner of one of these
convulsions. The noise became louder and louder; the earth heaved
to and fro; the house shook from its very foundation; and books,
glasses, and other light articles fell from their resting-places.
This lasted with undiminished force: but a few minutes elapsed
before another violent shock was felt. In the midst of this, the
church-bell commenced ringing, and drums beating an alarm, while
the whole face of the heavens, glowing with a fiery red, soon
informed us that a conflagration augmented the horrors of the
night.
There were twenty-one distinct shocks felt between twelve at
night and five in the morning, but the earth continued in a
tremour for twenty-four hours afterwards. Thus it was we passed
through that wearisome night; but when morning broke in the east,
and the bright sun arose, and chased away the clouds of darkness,
how many hearts swelled with gratitude towards Him who had so
mercifully protected us through its dangers.
The fire broke out at an estate called Otto's, situated in the
suburbs of St. John's. It was supposed by many to have been
occasioned by a meteor striking a wooden building, which
supposition acquires more credence from the following fact. An
elderly female, of the name of Moore, who had acquired some
notoriety from her preaching, both in England (particularly in
Cateaton street, London) and the West Indies, was sitting up
late, on the night in question, employed in writing her
"Memoirs." She mentions having seen a particular appearance in
the heavens, which she described as looking like a bright scarf
of fire gradually gliding down the sky in the direction of the
estate, until, upon apparently gaining the earth, it vanished.
The attorney of the above-mentioned estate also witnessed a
similar phenomenon a few weeks afterwards. In this instance, the
meteor descended upon the branch of a cocoa-nut tree, which grew
near his house, and set it on fire; and had it not been for the
courage and activity of a negro who was present, and who
succeeded in felling the tree, great danger might have resulted
from it.
Most of the Leeward Islands suffered from earthquakes the same
night; but at St. Kitts, (about sixty miles to the west of
Antigua,) they appear to have felt them more severely than in the
other islands. A ball was held that evening at the Court House,
and the company were dressing for the occasion when the first
shock was felt.
Two young ladies, the daughters of a respectable merchant of
Bassterre, (the capital of St. Kitts,) met with so great a
fright, that they were obliged to forego paying their court to
the "dancing muse." The duties of the toilet were scarcely
finished, when, as before observed, the earthquake commenced. In
a moment the ceiling of the apartment was rent, and, as they
supposed, a heavy fall of rain penetrated through the aperture,
and extinguished the lights.
The youngest of the ladies, terrified at the concussion, and not
knowing the extent of their danger, threw herself upon the
ground, calling loudly for help. The trembling domestics quickly
came with a lamp, when, horror of horrors! they found the
delicate white satin in which their young mistress was enrobed,
completely saturated with _blood_! The other members of the
family, alarmed by the screams of the servants, assembled in the
room, and with eagerness inquired where the wound was. This was
not to be discovered; and, accordingly, another elucidation of
the mystery was sought for, and no long period elapsed before it
was found. Their father, as before observed, was a merchant, and
the attic over the room the young ladies occupied had been
converted into a temporary wine-store. From the severe shock of
the earthquake, a cask of port wine got staved; and what had the
appearance of _blood_, was nothing less than its contents which
so liberally bedewed the ball-dress of the fair sufferer.
But the first shock did not intimidate many, however, and
consequently the ball-room was crowded with visitants. "Nods and
becks, and wreathed smiles," flew around; innumerable lamps
illumined the room, but their blaze was eclipsed by the radiance
emitted from the dark brilliant eyes of the Houris, who, on the
"light fantastic toe," glided through the mazes of a quadrille.
All was joy fulness, and every heart responded to the genial
influence of the scene, when another shock more violent, and of
longer continuance, converted this feeling of pleasure into the
opposite one of woe. Instead of the lively scene described, all
was now tumult and distress. Some of the ladies fainted, others
threw themselves upon their knees, while the greater number
rushed out of the apartment, which now looked hateful to them,
and hastened to the beach.
Shock followed shock in rapid succession, and the poor
"Kittefonians" thought their little island was doomed to
destruction. Nor was it from the quaking of the earth that all
their terror proceeded; the sea rose so high, and the waves
rolled in such a tumultuous manner, that an inundation was
feared. In such a situation the inhabitants were almost paralyzed
with fear; some went on board the different ships in the harbour,
while others remained all night upon the beach, exposed to the
"pitiless pelting" of the storm.
I chanced to visit St. Kitts a short time after this awful
occurrence. The inhabitants were still trembling from
apprehension; and upon the slightest motion of the floor, the
colour fled from the lips of many of the fair sex, and left them
of a pallid white. I was present, upon one occasion, when a
gentleman requested a young lady to favour him with a song. "Oh,
no, sir! you must excuse me," said she, lengthening her very
pretty face, and throwing an air of gravity into her countenance;
"we never sing since the earthquake." If no other good was
effected, it had the power of alienating her mind (for a season
at least) from some of the vanities of the world, if a simple
song can be called one.
Another dreadful visitation of elementary strife, to which
Antigua, as well as the other West Indian islands, is liable in
the months of August, September, and October, are the hurricanes,
or _tornadoes_. When they come, they are armed with every terror
--rain, thunder, lightning, and sometimes earthquakes, attend
their progress. The sea feels their influence, and, by its
swelling and roaring, expresses it--
"The waves behind impel the waves before,
Wide-rolling, foaming high, they tumble to the shore."
The years 1670, 1681, 1707, 1740, 1772, 1780, and 1792, are those
in which the severest hurricanes have occurred at Antigua. The
hurricane of 1670 was most memorable. It raged with intense
severity for four hours, and in that short space of time
destroyed the new town of St. John's, which had been rebuilt
since the French invasion, and levelled almost every house with
the ground. The ships lost in the harbour were the "Robert," of
Ireland, William Cocks, master; the "Merchants' Adventure," of
the same place; the "Margaret Pink," from Tangiers, and another
large ship called the "Five Islands," besides several smaller
vessels which had come there for shelter. A wreck was also driven
ashore, in which was found the corpse of a boy, some palm oil,
and elephants' teeth, supposed to be from Guinea. That of 1707
was also very severe, being considered one of the most violent
ever experienced in the Leeward West India Islands, although
Antigua suffered more than any of the neighbouring colonies. It
blew down houses and entire sugar-works, tore up the largest
trees by the roots, and devastated whole fields of sugar-canes;
indeed, so tremendous was the hurricane, that it caused an almost
general destruction. The oldest inhabitants of the present day
unite, however, in saying that they never experienced one so
awful as that of 1835.
About four in the afternoon it commenced to look very wild,
although the wind was moderate; the sky was of a deep saffron
colour, and the sun shone with a fiery red. Between five and six
in the evening the wind rose, and continued increasing until
about seven, when the havoc began.
Houses were levelled in an instant with the ground; many of the
small dwellings were completely lifted from off their slight
foundations, and carried by the wind to some distance. One old
woman in particular had a narrow escape of her life. The house in
which she resided was raised about five feet from the ground by
the violence of the wind, hurried along with the greatest
velocity for about the space of twenty feet across the road, and
then placed in what was once a pond. Luckily, however, for the
good old dame, the pond had been filled up, or, in all
probability, her aerial flight would have finished her course of
existence in this transitory sphere.
The hurricane raged with unabated force until a little before
nine, tearing up large trees by the roots, and snapping asunder
others as if they had been twigs; when, suddenly, in a moment,
the wind dropped. Not a sound was to be heard--not a single
breeze was abroad: A deep, solemn silence reigned around--a
silence which harrowed up every feeling of the soul, for it spoke
of dire mishaps.
This continued for some time, when again the wind returned with
redoubled fury, as if its strength was recruited by the short
respite it had gained, and shook the very earth. The hurricane
raged until the sun got up, and then slowly and sullenly it sank
to rest; until towards evening, nothing was to be heard but its
sobs and sighs.
A great many small vessels belonging to Antigua were sunk during
the gale, and many poor mortals that night found--
"Their death in the rushing blast,
Their grave in the yawning sea."
------
[66] Although in Antigua the tide does not ebb and flow more than
from six to twelve inches in ordinary instances.
[67] "Pic'nee" is the negro term for children.