File:The merchant vessel - a sailor boy's voyages around the world (1884) (14593298740).jpg

Identifier: merchantvesselsa1884nord (find matches)
Title: The merchant vessel : a sailor boy's voyages around the world
Year: 1884 (1880s)
Authors: Nordhoff, Charles, 1830-1901 LaPlante, Charles. egr Wyllie, W. L. (William Lionel), 1851-1931. ill Dodd, Mead & Company. pbl
Subjects: Boys Conduct of life Voyages and travels Voyages around the world Merchant ships Seafaring life Sailing Slavery
Publisher: New York : Dodd, Mead & Co.
Contributing Library: Boston Public Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Boston Public Library

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re but little used in their own country. If their own tales may be believed, they are none too welltreated. The lash and cowhide are not unknown, and they aredriven about more like cattle than human beings. Certain it isthat not a few of them, unable to support their misery, commitsuicide, and many run away into the wild woods, where theyprobably perish of hunger and exposure. From inquiries made among some of the most intelligentthat I met with, I learned that they considered the chances ofever getting back to their homes as being very small. Theirwages are from two to five dollars per month, and out ofthis they have to furnish themselves clothing. Thus compara-tively few of them are ever able to get together a sufficientsum to carry them back — although they set out from homewith glowing hopes of returning, at the expiration of theirapprenticeship, in better circumstances. But few of the Hindoos are found in the town. Herethe Portuguese perform most of the manual labor. They are a
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THE MIRITA PALM. DISCHARGING CARGO 335 turbulent set, and hard to manage. They form a separate-body, and have regulations among themselves, to which eachone is forced to submit. They enjoy a much larger share ofliberty than the poor Hindoos, being not apprentices, butemigrants. I was told by some of them, that they frequentlyamass a considerable sum of money — five or six hundreddollars being thought quite a fortune — and return to theirnative isles, where, on this amount, they can live in comfortthe balance of their days. On the whole, I should consider Demarara a very undesira-ble place for a permanent residence. Its marshy situation makesit very sickly. The yellow fever prevails all the year round, andin summer sometimes with great violence. Centipedes, scorpions,lizards, and snakes exist in tropical abundance ; and mosquitoesdarken the air with their swarms, and nearly hide the light ofthe sun. It is almost impossible for a European to exist with-out mosquito-bars, after night

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