Narrative of Bahama Expedition. 189 



harbor, and presents an unusually picturesque view. Some 

 of the finest cocoanut palms that we saw in the West Indies 

 are found here. The quaint old houses, white like the coral 

 rock streets over which wheeled vehicles or horses seldom 

 pass, seem plunged in a perpetual sleep. At one time this 

 was one of the most important West Indian ports, but now the 

 pine-apple trade has largely departed to the east coast of 

 Eleuthera. and with it has gone the main industrv of Harbor 

 Island. At the time of my former visit, a canning factory for 

 putting up pine-apples was in full blast, but the '-pine"' season 

 was over now, and the inhabitants did not seem to be verv 

 actively engaged in anything in particular, except in showing 

 a friendly interest in ihe crowd of young Americans that had 

 so suddenly and unexpectedly dropped down among them. 



The town of Harbor Island is considered one of the most 

 healthful spots in the West Indies The drainage is excellent, 

 and the people look as if they lived better than most of the 

 Bahamans. A path leads from the tow^n over the hills to the 

 beach on the east side, where there are a number of •• wells," 

 that is, holes dug in the sand at the bottom of which is water 

 rising and falling with the tides. The native women do most 

 of their washing here, beating the clothes with a sort of pad- 

 dle, and managing to get them beautifullv clean in the process. 

 A great deal of water for household purposes is carried over 

 the hill in buckets and small tubs on the heads of the women. 

 Even the poorest houses are scrupulouslv clean, the floors 

 being white with frequent scouring. I was told that the floors, 

 are often scrubbed with the skin of a species of Balistes or file- 

 fish, which is covered with closely set spines, giving it the feel 

 of sand-paper. 



The people seem to be almost universallv polite, greeting- 

 the stranger with a smile and pleasant word, and offering him 

 their best if he enters the door. Not only the houses, but their 

 clothes and persons are clean. Their garments mav be scant 

 and tattered, but the meanest negro of them all would feel 

 disgraced if he or his clothes were anvthing but clean. 



The magistrate who dispenses justice to this and neighbor- 



