Page:The Homes of the New World- Vol. III.djvu/136

Rh tropical, luxuriant laughter. It cheers the very soul to see negroes chattering and laughing.

This little homestead, which seemed to be about two acres, was enclosed with a fence, in part paling, in part a stone-wall, and in part a quick hedge. After I had seen all there was to see, had laughed and shaken hands with the negroes, I returned to the sugar plantation to breakfast.

I learned from Mr. C. that the tall palm-like trees, which were hung with bunches of fruit resembling small cocoa-nuts, are called papaya, and those which bear white fruits, caimetos; that the old negro whom I visited is named Pedro, that he was born of a free mother, and has always been known as a remarkably good and honest man. He himself built his house and planted the trees on the little plot of ground, which he rented from the church for five pesos yearly. The village of Limonar was, as I imagined, principally built and inhabited by negro slaves who have purchased their own freedom and who rent land in the village; many, however, he said, were not as creditable as old Pedro; many were lazy, and maintained themselves rather by stealing sugar-cane fruit, &c, than by producing it.

At my request Mrs. C. accompanied me one afternoon on another visit to the negroes at Limonar, to act as interpreter in my conversation with them. This lady is as quiet and gentle in her demeanour as her husband is active and vivacious; she is musical, and has a voice which is real music to hear, in particular when she speaks the beautiful Spanish tongue. We visited various negro houses; most of which were inferior in all respects to that of Pedro. The negroes hold their plots of ground by the tenure of a small yearly payment, or by yielding up a portion of the produce to some Spanish Creole. I asked them if they wished to return to Africa. To which they replied, laughing, “No; they were very well