Page:Haiti- Her History and Her Detractors.djvu/322

 286 on which she sometimes wears a broad-brimmed straw hat to protect her from the sun.

The hard work the peasants have to accomplish does not prevent them from enjoying their simple amusements. At the beating of the drum or at the sound of the violin the hard tillers of the soil are transformed into women of lithe and graceful form, who give themselves up wholly to enjoyment. The Haitian country woman is far from having the sad, disheartened, and disillusioned look of the female peasants of some other countries. On the contrary, the sound of frank and hearty laughter is always to be heard issuing from her lips; the spotless whiteness of her teeth is always disclosed by her merry smile. Always in good spirits, she excels in extemporizing the cheerful songs which help so materially to enliven the dances of the country people.

The Haitian laborer, whether from the country or from the towns, is frugal, sober, and cleanly in his habits. His food is as simple as his way of living, the country people especially being mostly vegetarians. The manioc supplies them not only with starch but also with cassava and couscousou, which advantageously takes the place of bread; the sweet potato, plantain, rice, red beans, yam, all kinds of vegetables and many edible roots form the principal part of their diet; they occasionally eat some meat, salted and smoked fish, such as cod-fish or red-herring. On the sea shore, where fish is plentiful, the people live mostly on fish.

Alcoholism is unknown among the country people, who will, however, readily quench their thirst with a drink of tafia or rum; but this is never carried to excess. Even in the towns, where the heat invites to drink, drunkards are not commonly found.