England,' as the Barbadians proudly style their
happy island, which is of the same size and shape nearly as the Isle of
Wight and is the gem of the Antilles!

Here we had a rare time of it for a week, it being Christmastide, and
the inhabitants, who are English to the backbone, black, mongrel, and
copper-coloured, as well as white, keeping up that festival with like
enthusiasm to what we do at home.

As at Madeira, the ship's company were allowed leave to go on shore,
watch and watch in turn: so, belonging as we both did to the starboard
division, Mick and I were amongst those who had the first go-off.

I recollect, as if it were but yesterday, our landing alongside the
jetty on the carenage, right in front of one of Da Costa's big
warehouses, whose green jalousies relieved the effect of the staring
white building under the hot West Indian sun; the glare of which, cast
back by the rippling translucent water that laved the stone jetty,
through which one could see the little fishes gliding about as clearly
as in the Brighton Aquarium, almost blinded us with its intensity.

There were a lot of negro women hanging round the wharf in front of Da
Costa's place, all of whom had big baskets, either balanced on their
heads or put down on the ground by their side, which were filled with
huge melons and pine-apples and bananas, besides many other tropical
fruits the names of which are unknown to me.

Of course, we made for these at once; and there was a lot of chaffering
and bargaining between our fellows and the negresses, who were all
laughing and showing their white teeth, trying their best to wheedle the
`man-o'-war buckras' to buy their luscious wares at double the price,
probably, such would fetch in open market from regular customers in
Bridgetown.

Presently, we all got skylarking and pitching the fruit about; when a
big mulatto, who was along with one of the fruit-sellers--her husband
most likely and doing nothing just as likely, like most of his colour,
for the household of which he was the head, save to collect the money
his better half in every respect earned--seemed very much aggrieved at
some damage Mick did to a bunch of ripe bananas, claiming a `bit' or
fourpence as compensation.

Mick, who, you must know, had grown a strapping fellow by now, took the
tawny-complexioned gentleman's demand very good-humouredly.

"All roight, ould Patchwork," he called out, with a laugh. "Thare's a
shellin' fur ye, which i