La Vêrette.
20.5
remuneration : she is a sort of Mother of the poor in
her immediate vicinity. She helps everybody, listens to
everybody's troubles, gives everybody some sort of con-
solation, trusts everybody, and sees a great deal of the
thankless side of human nature without seeming to feel
any the worse for it. Poor as she must really be she
appears to have everything that everybody wants ; and
will lend anything to her neighbors except a scissors or a
broom, which it is thought bad-luck to lend. And, finally,
if anybody is afraid of being bewitched (quimboisé) Manm-
Robert can furnish him or her with something that will
keep the bewitchment away. . . .
*¦'¦                          February 15th.
. . . Ash-Wednesday. The last masquerade will ap-
pear this afternoon, notwithstanding; for the Carnival
lasts in Martinique a day longer than elsewhere.
All through the country districts since the first week
of January there have been wild festivities every Sunday
—dancing on the public highways to the pattering of
tamtams,— African dancing, too, such as is never seen
in St. Pierre. In the city, however, there has been less
merriment than in previous years ;—the natural gaiety
of the population has been visibly affected by the advent
of a terrible and unfamiliar visitor to the island,—La
Vêrette: she came by steamer from Colon.
... It was in September. Only two cases had been
reported when every neighboring British colony quaran-
tined against Martinique. Then other West Indian col-
onies did likewise. Only two cases of small-pox. " But
there may be two thousand in another month," answered
the governors and the consuls to many indignant pro-
tests. Among West Indian populations the malady has
a signification unknown in Europe or the United States :
it means an exterminating plague.