"Buckra" land : two weeks in Jamaica : details of a voyage to the West Indies, day by day, and a tour of Jamaica, step by step / by Allan Eric.

  • Eric, Allan, 1864-
Date:
1896
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: "Buckra" land : two weeks in Jamaica : details of a voyage to the West Indies, day by day, and a tour of Jamaica, step by step / by Allan Eric. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    mine when here before. It leads in a southerly direction, and is the road to lied Hassel and Golden Yale plantations, crossing a tiny stream which flows across the road, and is spanned by a narrow foot bridge. Along the roadside are crowded in the most luxuriant profusion a veri- table tangle of tropical trees, plants and flowers. Above us are tall aekee trees, the rich, narrow, dark green leaves besprinkled with fhe bright scarlet fruits, something the shape of red peppers, and containing large black seeds. Properly prepared by experienced hands, this is a most delicious fruit—while if wrongly prepared, it is poisonous. Native men, women and children were scattered along the road, bound for the village, some with loads of yams, bananas, plantains, water- cocoanuts, bread-fruit, and tanniers or “coceo” as it is called here, great loads in baskets and trays upon their heads—and some with diminutive donkeys with panniers or “hampers” slung across their backs, filled with produce until the load was larger than the donkey—while now and then a donkey would carry an immense load of guinea grass, the patient little beast himself almost wholly concealed—onlv his hind legs and tail being visible from behind, his long head with its serious-look- ing face and long ears in sight when coming toward us. Frequently the load would be topped by a native woman sitting astride the donkey’s Shoulders, her big black feet, each twice the size of the donkey’s ears, sticking out on either side. Many men, women and children carried, balanced upon their heads, long sugar canes, while they were meander- ing along chewing a joint of it for the sweet juice, and swinging in the other hand the ever present machete.