The Hurricane in St. Vincent. 75 
what another had just effected. The manager, Mr. Car- 
MICHAEL, who had called upon me in the morning and 
informed me that his residence had sustained no injury 
by thehurricane, and congratulated himself on not having 
suffered any personal loss whatever, was now (so soon 
and so sudden a change may a few hours make in our 
affairs) the very person whose property was most in 
danger. The fire originated in a thatched stable and 
sheep pen within a few yards from his house, through the 
obstinacy of an old woman of 80 who had been forbid- 
den to smoke her pipe when so many dangerous mate- 
rials were strewed around. She had gone slyly into this 
outbuilding to indulge in the luxury of a whiff once 
more ; a spark fell and all was in a blaze in an instant. 
On one side were many outbuildings, on the other the 
manager's house, and close to it an extensive range of 
sugar works. Time passed — the fire was spreading — all 
seemed alarmed — but 'few exerted themselves. The 
most judicious plan I could think of was to form lines 
of demarcation round the fire and to enclose the blazing; 
materials within a square, so as to cut off its communi- 
cation with any other building. I seized a hoe, then a 
spade and shewed the negroes that I wanted a trench 
cut all round, into which every relic of the fire was 
to be thrown, and the square gradually lessened, by some 
honing inwards whilst others brought buckets of water, 
and baskets of sand to throw on the parts which threa- 
tened most. They began at length amidst the din of 
voices, shouts and contrary orders, to comprehend my 
plan, and as they not only heard my voice, but saw my 
own exertions — for I knew better how to handle a spade 
than any one there, and a hoe as well as most — they 
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