AN ISLAND EXISTENCE 87 



he had to steer a devious course between bitter jealousies, 

 around the rancid hates of mulatto and black, and beneath the 

 disdain of the whites and near whites. In self defense he had 

 raised up a barrier, a frigid smile through which few could 

 break. In a larger place this would not have been necessary but 

 there are no jealousies more bitter nor ugly than those pro- 

 voked by the frustrations of insularity. It would have been 

 easy to have made fun of him, for he was so utterly precise in 

 word and manner— too easy. It is simple to jest at scars when 

 we have never felt a wound. 



As soon as the news of the release reached the ears of Rich- 

 ardson, who proved to be but an empty braggart, he flew into 

 a rage of disappointment and chagrin. In retaliation he sent us a 

 huge bill for the dinner to which we had been invited. We re- 

 fused to pay but when we saw that our refusal was going to 

 result in a great deal of embarrassment for the Commissioner, 

 we settled without further argument for the sake of peace 

 though it took the remainder of our scanty cash. Richardson, 

 it appeared, was the island's bad boy and was the source of 

 trouble for everyone. Much to our rehef and the general de- 

 light of most of the island's population he died suddenly some 

 weeks after our arrival of acute alcohoHsm, heart disease and 

 a series of complications too numerous to mention. We 

 breathed easier after he was gone. The island seemed freer 

 without him. But I suppose he had his excuse, he was a man 

 with overweening ambition and no place to go with it. Inagua 

 ivas a queer little island and it touched the lives of all who 

 made it their home. Richardson it had affected adversely by 

 bringing all his uglier characteristics to the fore. His overbear- 

 ing attitude at the dinner had its inception in some injury, some 

 cutting remark or disdainful attitude of a white man years 

 before. Ever since that day he had been thirsting to return the 

 insult, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. To make two white 



