lEWKESJ CULTITRE AREAS IN THE WEST INDIES 127 



miserable condition, an old man among them, extremely weary of 

 that brutish kind of life, wept most bitterly, and, orewhelm'd with 

 despair, deplor'd his wretched condition; whereupon a Man all in 

 white appeared to him descending from Heaven, and coming neer, he 

 comforted the disconsolate old man, telling him. That he was come 

 to assist him and his Countrymen, and to shew them the way to 

 lead a more pleasant life for the future; That if any of them had 

 sooner made his complaints to Heaven they had been sooner relieved ; 

 That on the Seashore there was abundance of sharp Stones, where- 

 with they might fell down Trees to make Houses for themselves; 

 And, That the Palm and Plantine Trees bore Leaves fit to cover the 

 Roofs of them, and to secure them against the injuries of the Weather ; 

 That to assure them of the particular care he had of them, and the 

 great affection he bore their species, beyond those of other Creatures, 

 he had brought them an excellent Root, wherewith they might make 

 Bread, and that no Beast should dare to touch it when it was once 

 planted ; and that he would have them thenceforward make that their 

 ordinary sustenance : The Caribbians add fui'ther. That thereupon 

 the charitable unknown person broke a stick he had in his hand into 

 three or four pieces, and that giving to the old man, he commanded 

 him to put them into the ground, assuring him that when he should 

 come a while after to dig there, he should find a great Root ; and that 

 any part of what grew above-ground should have the virtue of pro- 

 ducing the same Plant; he afterwards taught him how it was to 

 be used, telling him the Root was to be scraped with a rough and 

 spotted Stone, which was to be had at the Seaside; That the juice 

 issuing by means of that scraping was to be laid aside as a most dan- 

 gerous poison ; and then with the help of fire a kind of savory Bread 

 might be made of it, on which they might live pleasantly enough. 

 The old man did what had been enjoin'd him, and at the end of 

 nine Moons (as they say) being extreamly desirous to know the suc- 

 cess of the Revelation, he went to see the pieces he had planted in 

 the ground, and he found that each of them had produced many fair 

 and great roots, wliich he disposed of as he had been commanded: 

 Those of Diminico, who tell this story, say further, . . . But in 

 regard he went not to look what became of them, till after the expira- 

 tion of so long a time, the Manioc continues to this present all that 

 time in the ground, before it be fit to make Cassava of." 

 The following quotation is likewise from Davies : ''^ 

 " This Island [Dominica] is inhabited by the Caribbians, who are 

 very numerous in it. They have a long time entertain'd those who 

 came to visit them with a story of a vast and monstrous Serpent, 

 which had its aboad in that bottom. [Borlin's Lake?] They af- 



" Ibid., p. 15. 



