Return to Monrovia--Sail for Porto Praya--The Union Hotel--Reminiscences
of famine at the Cape de Verds--Frolics of Whalemen--Visit to the island
of St. Antonio--A dance--Fertility of the island--A Yankee clock-maker--A
mountain ride--City of Poverson--Point de Sol--Kindness of the women--The
handsome commandant--A Portuguese dinner.
_August_ 14.--Passed near Sinoe, a colonial settlement, but did not show
our colors. An English merchant brig was at anchor. Our pilot observed,
that this settlement was not in a flourishing condition, because it
received no great "_resistance_" from the Colonization Society. Of
course, he meant to say, "_assistance_;" but there was an unintentional
philosophy in the remark. Many plants thrive best in adversity.
Anchored at the river Sesters, and sent a boat ashore. Two canoes paddled
alongside, and their head-men came on board. One was a beautifully formed
man, and walked the deck with a picturesque dignity of aspect and motion.
He had more the movement of an Indian, than any negro I ever saw. Two men
were left in each boat, to keep her alongside, and wait the movements of
their master. They kneel in the boat, and sit on their heels. When a
biscuit is thrown to them, they put it on their thighs, and thence eat it
at their leisure.
16.--Ashore at Monrovia. The buildings look dilapidated, and the wooden
walls are in a state of decay. Houses of stone are coming into vogue.
There is a large stone court-house, intended likewise for a Legislative
Hall. What most interested me, was an African pony, a beautiful animal,
snow white, with a head as black as ebony. I also saw five men chained
together, by the neck; three colonists and two natives, with an overseer
superintending them. They had been splitting stone for Government.
A gun from the ship gave the signal for our return. Going on board, we got
under way, and sailed for Porto Praya.
20.--For four days, we have had much rain; and I have seldom visited the
deck, except when duty called me. Fortunately, Governor Roberts had lent
me the report of the Committee of Parliament, on the Western Coast of
Africa, the perusal of which has afforded me both pleasant and profitable
occupation. It is an excellent work, full of facts, from men who have
spent years on the coast.
21.--Wind still favorable. The day is sunny, and all are on deck to enjoy
the air. Damp clothes hang in the rigging to-day, and mouldy boots and
shoes fill the boats.
24.--We find ourselves again off the harbor of Porto Praya. I landed in
quest of news, and heard of the death of Mr. Legare, and the loss of the
store-ship, at this port. All hands were saved, but with the sacrifice of
several thousand dollars' worth of property, besides the vessel.
On approaching the shore, three flags are observed to be flying in the
town. One is the consular flag of our own nation; another is the banner of
Portugal; and the third, being blue, white, and blue, is apt to puzzle a
stranger, until he reads UNION HOTEL, in letters a foot long. When last at
Porto Praya, a few friends and myself took some slight refreshment at the
hotel, and were charged so exorbitantly, that we forswore all visits to
the house in future. To-day, the keeper stopt me in the street, and begged
the favor of our patronage. On my representing the enormity of his former
conduct, he declared that it was all a mistake; that he was the master of
the hotel, and was unfortunately absent at the time. I was pleased with
this effrontery, having paid the exorbitant charge into his own hands, not
a month before. It is delightful, in these remote, desolate, and
semi-barbarous regions, to meet with characteristics that remind us of a
more polished and civilized land.
The streets are hot and deserted, and the town more than ordinarily dull,
as most of the inhabitants are out planting. The court has gone to
Buonavista, on account of the unhealthiness of Porta Praya, at this season
of the year. A few dozen scrubby trees have been planted in the large
square, but, though protected by palings and barrels, have not reached the
height of two feet. In the centre stands a marble monument, possibly
intended for a fountain, but wholly destitute of water.
25.--The boat went ashore again, and brought off the consul, and some
stores. We then made sail, passing to the windward of all the islands, and
reached our former anchorage at Porto Grande.
28.--There are one barque and three brigs, all American whalers, in the
harbor of Porto Grande. They have been out from three to six months, and
are here for water, bad though it be, and fresh provisions. Their
inducements to visit this port, are the goodness of the harbor, and the
smallness of the port charges. No consular fee has been paid until now,
when, an agent being appointed, each vessel pays him a perquisite of four
dollars.
This group of islands is chiefly interesting to Americans, as being the
resort of our whale-ships, to refit and obtain supplies, and of other
vessels trading to the coast of Africa. Little was generally known of
them, however, in America, until 1832, when a long-continued drought
parched up the fields, destroyed the crops, and reduced the whole
population to the verge of death, by famine. Not less than ten thousand
did actually perish of hunger; and the remainder were saved only by the
timely, prompt and bountiful supplies, sent out from every part of the
United States. I well remember the thrill of compassion that pervaded the
community at home, on hearing that multitudes were starving in the Cape de
Verd islands. Without pausing to inquire who they were, or whether
entitled to our assistance, by any other than the all-powerful claim of
wretchedness, the Americans sent vessel after vessel, laden with food,
which was gratuitously distributed to the poor. The supplies were liberal
and unremitted, until the rains returned, and gave the usual crops to the
cultivators.
Twelve years have passed since that dismal famine; but the memory of the
aid extended by Americans has not yet faded, nor seems likely to fade,
from the minds of those who were succored in their need. I have heard men,
who were then saved from starvation, speak strongly and feelingly on the
subject, with quivering lip and faltering voice. Women, likewise, with
streaming eyes, to this day, invoke blessings on the foreign land that fed
their children, when there was no other earthly help. England, though
nearer, and in more intimate connection with these islands, sent not a
mouthful of food; and Portugal, the mother country, shipped only one or
two small cargoes to be sold; while America fed the starving thousands,
gratuitously, for months. Our consul at Porto Praya, Mr. Gardner, after
making a strong and successful appeal to the sympathies of his own
countrymen, distributed his own stores to the inhabitants, until he was
well-nigh beggared. He enjoys the only reward he sought, in the approval
of his conscience, as well as the gratitude of the community; and America,
too, may claim more true glory from this instance of general benevolence,
pervading the country from one end to the other, than from any victory in
our annals.
29.--Ashore again. An ox for our ship was driven in from the mountains by
three or four horsemen and as many dogs, who chased him till he took
refuge in the water. A boat now put off, and soon overtaking the tired
animal, he was tied securely. When towed ashore, one rope was fastened
round his horns, and another to his fore-foot, each held by a negro, while
a third took a strong gripe of his tail. In this manner, they led and
drove him along, the fellow behind occasionally biting the beast's tail,
to quicken his motions; until at length the poor creature was made fast to
an anchor on the beach, there to await the butcher.
There is here a miserable church, but no priest. Passing the edifice
to-day, I saw seven or eight women at their devotions. Instead of
kneeling, they were seated, with their chins resting on their knees, on
the shady side of the church.
30.--The crews of the whale-ships, when ashore, occasionally give no
little trouble to the colonial police. This evening, one of their sailors
came up to us, quite intoxicated, and bleeding from a hurt in his head. He
was bent upon vengeance for his wound, but puzzled how to get it; inasmuch
as a female hand had done the mischief, by cutting his head open with a
bottle. His chivalry would not allow him to strike a woman; nor could he
find any man who would acknowledge himself her relative. In this dilemma,
he was raving through the little village, accompanied by several of his
brother whale-men, mostly drunk, and ready for a row. The Portuguese
officer on duty called out the guard, consisting of two negroes with fixed
bayonets, and caused them to march back and forth in the street. Fifty
paces in the village would bring them to the country; when the detachment
came to the right about, and retraced its steps. These two negroes formed
precisely two-fifths of the regular military force at Porto Grande; but,
besides this formidable host, there are some thirty officers and soldiers
of the National Guard, comprising all the negro population able to bear
clubs.
The women here have a peculiar mode of carrying children, when two or
three years old. The child sits astride of the mother's left hip, clinging
with hands and feet, and partially supported by her left arm. The little
personage being in a state of total nudity, and of course very slippery,
this is doubtless the most convenient method that could be adopted.
The gait of the women is remarkably free and unembarrassed. With no
constraint of stays or corsets, and often innocent of any covering, the
shoulders have full play, and the arms swing more than I have ever seen
those of men, in our own country. Their robes are neither too abundant,
nor too tight, to prevent the exhibition of a very martial stride. The
scanty clothing worn here is owing partly, but not entirely, to the warmth
of the climate. Another cogent reason is the poverty of the inhabitants;
so, at least, I infer from the continual petitions for clothes, and from
remarks like the following, made to me by a mulatto woman:--"You very good
man, you got plenty clothes, plenty shirt."
_September_ 3.--The Cornelia, of New Bedford, came in and anchored. She
has been out fifteen months, and has only 400 barrels of oil.
4.--Left the ship in the launch on an expedition to the neighboring island
of St. Antonio; being despatched by the Commodore to procure information
as to the facilities for anchoring ships, and obtaining water and
refreshments. Our boat was sloop-rigged, and carried three officers, a
passenger, and ten men. At 11 A.M. we "sheeted home," and stood out of the
harbor with a fair breeze, and all canvass spread: but, within an hour,
the wind freshened to a gale, and compelled us to take in everything but a
close reefed mainsail. The sea being rough, and the weather squally, our
boat took in more water than was either agreeable or safe, until we
somewhat improved matters by constructing a temporary forecastle of
tarpaulins. Finding it impossible, however, to contend against wind and
current, we bore up for an anchorage called Santa Cruz. This was formerly
a notorious haunt for pirates; but no vestige of a settlement remains,
save the ruins of an old stone house, which may probably have been the
theatre of wild and bloody incidents, in by-gone years. The serrated hills
are grey and barren, and the surrounding country shows no verdure.
Anchoring here, we waited several hours for the wind to moderate, and
tried to get such sleep as might perchance be caught in an unsteady boat.
By great diligence in working against wind and current, we succeeded in
reaching Genella at 9 o'clock in the evening of the second day. Our
mulatto pilot, Manuel Quatrine, whistled shrilly through his fingers; and,
after a brief delay, the response of a similar whistle reached our ears
from shore. A conversation was sustained for some moments, by means of
shouts to-and-fro in Portuguese; a man then swam off to reconnoitre; and,
on his return, the people launched a canoe and carried us ashore, weary
enough of thirty-six hours' confinement in an open boat. We took up our
quarters in the house of a decent negro, who seemed to be the head man of
the village, and, after eating such a supper as the place could supply,
sallied out to give the women an opportunity of preparing our beds.
Meanwhile, the pilot had not been idle. Though a married man, and the
father of six children, he was a gay Lothario, and a great favorite with
the sex; he could sing, dance, and touch the guitar with infinite spirit,
and tolerable skill. Being well known in the village, it is not surprising
that the arrival of so accomplished a personage should have disturbed the
slumbers of the inhabitants. At ten o'clock, a dance was arranged before
the door of one of the huts. The dark-skinned maidens, requiring but
little time to put on their ball-costume, came dropping in, until, before
midnight, there were thirty or forty dancers on foot. The figures were
compounded of the contra-dance and reel, with some remarkable touches of
the Mandingo balance. The music proceeded from one or two guitars, which,
however, were drowned a great part of the time, by the singing of the
girls and the clapping of each individual pair of hands in the whole
party. A calabash of sour wine, munificently bestowed by a spectator,
increased the fun, and it continued to wax higher and more furious, as the
night wore away. Our little pilot was, throughout, the leader of the
frolic, and acquitted himself admirably. His nether garments having
received serious detriment in the voyage, he borrowed a large heavy
pea-jacket, to conceal the rents, and in this garb danced for hours with
the best, in a sultry night. Long before the festivity was over, my
companions and myself stretched ourselves on a wide bag of straw, and fell
asleep, lulled by the screaming of the dancers.
The next morning we were early on foot, and looked around us with no small
interest. The village is situated at the point where a valley opens upon
the shore. The sides of this vale are steep, and, in many places, high,
perpendicular, and rocky. Every foot of earth is cultivated; and where the
natural inclination of the hill is too great to admit of tillage, stone
walls are built to sustain terraces, which rise one over another like
giant steps to the mountain-tops. It was the beginning of harvest, and the
little valley presented an appearance of great fertility. Corn, bananas,
figs, guavas, grapes, oranges, sugar-cane, cocoa-nuts, and many other
fruits and vegetables, are raised in abundance. The annual vintage in this
and a neighboring valley, appertaining to the same parish, amounts to
about seventy-five pipes of wine. It is sour and unpalatable, not unlike
hard-cider and water. When a cultivator first tries his wine, it is a
custom of the island for him to send notice to all his acquaintances, who
invariably come in great force, each bringing a piece of salt-fish to keep
his thirst alive. Not unfrequently, the whole produce of the season is
exhausted by a single carouse.
The people are all negroes and mulattoes. Male and female, they are very
expert swimmers, and are often in the habit of swimming out to sea, with a
basket or notched stick to hold their fish; and thus they angle for hours,
resting motionless on the waves, unless attacked by a shark. In this
latter predicament, they turn upon their backs, and kick and splash until
the sea-monster be frightened away. They appear to be a genial and
pleasant-tempered race. As we walked through the village, they saluted us
with "Blessed be the name of the Lord!" Whether this expression (a
customary courtesy of the islanders) were mere breath, or proceeded out of
the depths of the heart, is not for us to judge; but, at all events, heard
in so wild and romantic a place, it made a forcible impression on my mind.
When we were ready to depart, all the villagers came to the beach, with
whatever commodities they were disposed to offer for sale; a man carrying
a squealing pig upon his shoulders; women with fruits and fowls; girls
with heavy bunches of bananas or bundles of cassada on their heads; and
boys, with perhaps a single egg. Each had something, and all lingered on
the shore until our boat was fairly off.
Five or six miles further, we landed at Paolo, where reside several
families who regard themselves as the aristocracy of St. Antonio, on the
score of being connected with Señor Martinez, the great man of these
islands. Their houses are neatly built, and the fields and gardens well
cultivated. They received us hospitably, principally because one of our
party was a connection of the family. I was delighted with an exhibition
of feeling on the part of an old negro servant-woman. She came into the
parlor, sat down at the feet of our companion, embraced his knees, and
looked up in his face with a countenance full of joy, mingled with respect
and confidence. We saw but two ladies at this settlement. One was a matron
with nine children; the other a dark brunette, very graceful and pleasing,
with the blackest eyes and whitest teeth in the world. She wore a shawl
over the right shoulder and under the left arm, arranged in a truly
fascinating manner.
The poorer classes in the vicinity are nearly all colored, and mostly
free. They work for eight or ten cents a day, living principally on fruit
and vegetables, and are generally independent, because their few wants are
limited to the supply. The richest persons live principally within
themselves, and derive their meats, vegetables, fruits, wine, brandy,
sugar, coffee, oil, and most other necessaries and luxuries, from their
own plantations. One piece of furniture, however, to be seen in several of
the houses, was evidently not the manufacture of the island, but an export
of Yankee-land. It was the wooden clock, in its shining mahogany case,
adorned with bright red and yellow pictures of Saints and the Virgin, to
suit the taste of good Catholics. It might have been fancied that the
renowned Sam Slick, having glutted all other markets with his wares, had
made a voyage to St. Antonio. Nor did they lack a proper artist to keep
the machine in order. We met here a person whom we at first mistook for a
native, so identical were his manners and appearance with those of the
inhabitants; until, in conversation, we found him to be a Yankee, who had
run away from a whale-ship, and established himself as a clock and
watch-maker.
After a good night's rest, another officer and myself left Paolo, early,
for a mountain ride. The little pilot led the way on a donkey; my friend
followed on a mule, and I brought up the rear on horseback. We began to
ascend, winding along the rocky path, one by one, there being no room to
ride two abreast. The road had been cut with much labor, and, in some
places, was hollowed out of the side of the cliff, thus forming a gallery
of barely such height and width as to admit the passage of a single
horseman, and with a low wall of loose stones between the path and the
precipice. At other points, causeways of small stones and earth had been
built up, perhaps twenty feet high, along the top of which ran the path.
On looking at these places from some projecting point, it made us shudder
to think that we had just passed, where the loosening of a single one of
those small stones might have carried us down hundreds of feet, to certain
destruction. The whole of the way was rude and barren. Here and there a
few shrubs grew in the crevices of the rocks, or wild flowers, of an
aspect strange to our eyes, wasted their beauty in solitude; and the small
orchilla weed spread itself moss-like over the face of the cliff. At one
remarkable point, the path ran along the side of the precipice, about
midway of its height. Above, the rock rose frowningly, at least five
hundred feet over our heads. Below, it fell perpendicularly down to the
beach. The roar of the sea did not reach us, at our dizzy height, and the
heavy surf-waves, in which no boat could live, seemed to kiss the shore as
gently as the ripple of a summer-lake. This was the most elevated point of
the road, which thence began to descend; but the downward track was as
steep and far more dangerous. At times, the animals actually slid down
upon their haunches. In other places, they stept from stone to stone, down
steep descents, where the riders were obliged to lie backwards flat upon
the cruppers.
Over all these difficulties, our guide urged his donkey gaily and
unconcernedly. As for myself, though I have seen plenty of rough riding,
and am as ready as most men to follow, if not to lead, I thought it no
shame to dismount more than once. The rolling of a stone, or the parting
of stirrup, girth, or crupper, would have involved the safety of one's
neck. Nor did the very common sight of wooden crosses along the path,
indicating sudden death by accident or crime, tend to lessen the sense of
insecurity. The frequent casualties among these precipitous paths,
together with the healthfulness of the climate, have made it a proverb,
that it is a natural death, at St. Antonio, to be dashed to pieces on the
rocks. But such was not our fate. We at length reached the sea-shore, and
rode for a mile along the beach to the city of Poverson, before entering
which metropolis, it was necessary to cross a space of level, sandy
ground, about two hundred yards in extent. Here the little pilot suddenly
stuck his heels into the sides of his donkey, and dashed onward at a
killing pace; while mule and horse followed hard upon his track, to the
great admiration of ragamuffins, who had assembled to witness the entrée
of the distinguished party.
Poverson is the capital of the island, and contains about two thousand
inhabitants, who, with few exceptions, are people of color. The streets
are crooked and narrow, and the houses mean. We called upon the military
and civil Governors, and, after accepting an invitation to dine with the
former, left the place for a further expedition. Passing over a shallow
river, in which a number of women and girls were washing clothes, we
ascended a hill so steep as to oblige us to dismount, and from the summit
of which we had a fine view of the rich valley beneath. It is by far the
most extensive tract of cultivated land that we have seen in the island,
and is improved to its utmost capacity. We thence rode three miles over a
path of the same description as before, and arrived at the village and
port of Point-de-Sol. The land about this little town is utterly barren,
and the inhabitants are dependent on Poverson for food, with the exception
of fish. A custom-house, a single store, a church, and some twenty houses
of fishermen, comprise all the notable characteristics of the principal
seaport of the island.
It was a part of our duty to make an examination of the harbor, for which
purpose we needed a boat. Two were hauled up on the beach; but the
smallest would have required the power of a dozen men to launch
her;--whereas, the fishermen being absent in their vocation, our party of
three, and a big boy at the store, comprised our whole available masculine
strength. The aid of woman, however, is seldom sought in vain; nor did it
fail us now. Old and young, matron and maid, they all sallied forth to
lend a hand, and, with such laughing and screaming as is apt to attend
feminine efforts, enabled us to launch the boat. In spite of their patois
of bad Portuguese, we contrived to establish a mutual understanding. A
fine, tall girl, with a complexion of deep olive, clear, large eyes, and
teeth beautifully white and even, stood by my side; and, like the Ancient
Mariner and his sister's son, we pulled together. She was strong, and, as
Byron says, "lovely in her strength." This difficulty surmounted, we rowed
round the harbor, made our examination, and returned to the beach, where
we again received the voluntary assistance of the women, in dragging the
boat beyond the reach of the waves. We now adjourned to the store, in
order to requite their kindness by a pecuniary offering. Each of our fair
friends received two large copper coins, together equal to nine cents, and
were perfectly satisfied, as well they might be--for it was the price of a
day's work. Two or three individuals, moreover, "turned double corners,"
and were paid twice; and it is my private belief that the tall beauty
received her two coppers three times over.
After a lunch of fried plantains and eggs, we rode back to Poverson. On
the way, we met several persons of both sexes with burdens on their heads,
and noticed that our guide frequently accosted them with a request for a
pinch of snuff. With few exceptions, a horn or piece of bone was produced,
containing a fine yellow snuff of home-manufacture, which, instead of
being taken between the thumb and finger, was poured into the palm of the
hand, and thence conveyed to the nose. Arriving at the city, we proceeded
at once to the house of the Commandant, and in a little time were seated
at dinner.
Our host was fitted by nature to adorn a far more brilliant position than
that which he occupied, as the petty commander of a few colored soldiers,
in a little island of the torrid zone. He was slightly made, but perfectly
proportioned, with a face of rare beauty, and an expression at once noble
and pleasing. His eyes were large, and full of a dark light; his black
hair and moustache were trimmed with a care that showed him not insensible
of his personal advantages; as did likewise his braided jacket, fitting so
closely as to set off his fine figure to the best effect. His manners were
in a high degree polished and graceful. One of the guests, whom he had
invited to meet us, understood English; and the conversation was sustained
in that language, and in Spanish. The dinner was cooked and served in the
Portuguese style; it went off very pleasantly, and was quite as good as
could be expected at the house of a bachelor, in a place so seldom visited
by strangers. Each of the Portuguese gentlemen gave a sentiment, prefaced
by a short complimentary speech; and our party, of course, reciprocated in
little speeches of the same nature. The Commandant did not fail to express
the gratitude due from the people of the Cape de Verd islands to America,
for assistance in the hour of need. Time did not permit us to remain long
at table, and we took leave, highly delighted with our entertainment.
Mounting again, we rode out of town more quietly than we had entered it. A
sergeant was drilling some twenty negro soldiers in marching and wheeling.
His orders were given in a quick, loud tone, and enforced by the
occasional application of smart blows of a rattan to the shoulders of his
men. Suspecting that the blows fell thicker because we were witnesses of
his discipline, it seemed a point of humanity to hasten forward;
especially as the approach of night threatened to make our journey still
more perilous than before. After riding about three miles, we met two
well-dressed mulatto women on donkeys, accompanied by their cavaliers. Of
course, we allowed the ladies to pass between us and the rock; a matter of
no slight courtesy in such a position, where there was a very
uncomfortable hazard of being jostled headlong down the precipice. We
escaped, however, and spurring onward through the gloom of night, passed
unconsciously over several rough spots where we had dismounted in the
morning. The last mile of our mountain-ride was lighted by the moon; and,
as we descended the last hill, the guide gave a shrill whistle, to which
the boat's crew responded with three cheers for our return.
A good night's rest relieved us of our fatigue. The following morning,
with a fair breeze and a six hours' sail, we reached our floating-home,
and have ever since entertained the mess-table with the "yarn" of our
adventures; until now the subject is beginning to be worn thread-bare.
But, as the interior of the island of St. Antonio is one of the few
regions of the earth as yet uncelebrated by voyagers and tourists, I
cannot find in my heart to spare the reader a single sentence of the
foregoing narrative.