WHOLE VOL. THE WEST INDIES VAZQUEZ DE ESPINOSA 57 



a bean field or vineyard ; and as it keeps growing, they clean out and 

 weed the rows, until it is about a vara high, which point it reaches in 

 about 50 days; thereupon they cap it, i.e., they cut off the crown or 

 topmost shoot, so that it will grow to leaves, and they keep pulling 

 off the branchlets or shoots which it puts out along with them, so 

 that the leaves will grow and get thick, until it is ripe, which takes 

 another 50 days, and they weed it continually and pick off the cater- 

 pillars which usually do some harm to it. In this way the tobacco 

 leaves grow 4 or 5 palms long, and more, and 2 or 3 across, accord- 

 ing to the richness of the soil. After they ripen, they gather and 

 string them and hang them up inside a house, so that there in the 

 shade they may sweat and dry off, which takes 8 or 10 days ; then 

 they pull out the central vein and twist them up into ropes or rolls ; 

 there are men so expert in this operation that in one day they twist 

 300 pounds of tobacco and even more. That is the way they work 

 tobacco in this region, while in others they treat it in different fashion. 



147. This island is 50 leagues in length, and 20 across at its broad- 

 est point ; it is mountainous and heavily forested with valuable and 

 highly prized timber. There will be over 4,000 pagan Indians on the 

 island, owing to the lack of any prelate to favor their conversion ; 

 and so they live remote from the Spaniards, a fact which has induced 

 the Camajuya Caribs of the Windward Islands to fall upon them 

 frequently with cannibal intent ; as many as 300 of the Indians of 

 the island have come for protection to the Spaniards, who are ready 

 to help them out ; but as there is no shepherd to care for the flock 

 of the Lord, they are mostly heathen, for there is no one to teach 

 them Christian doctrine and our Holy Faith. 



148. On its hills the island produces cacao trees which bear abun- 

 dantly, and if they would transplant and cultivate them, cacao would 

 make them wealthy. The island's harbors are Port of Spain, which 

 is the main port for the city, and is on the S. coast of the island; on 

 the N. it has the harbor of Maracas, which is the shape of a horse- 

 shoe and excellent ; nearby is another called Ayire, sheltered by a 

 high ridge or mountain ; and 4 leagues to windward lies that of 

 Tunapo, deep and safe ; and 3 leagues farther is that of Point Galera, 

 the entrance to which is about the width of a harquebus shot; within, 

 it is ample and deep. 



149. Near the island of Trinidad, on a N. and S. line with it, lies 

 the island of Tobago, which is 4 leagues in circumference, to the SE. ; 

 it possesses pearl beds, which are not exploited, for lack of workers. 

 This island is called Urupaina in the Indian language, meaning big 

 snail ; it is inhabited by Carib Indians, who used to ravage the island 



