The town presented a singular appearance, being built in such a manner upon the declivity of the hill, that from the vessel you saw a good part of one house over the roof of the one in front, while steeper hills behind seemed to overhang the houses.
The roofs of their houses were covered with tiles, which excited Walter's curiosity to see how they were made, as he was always interested in everything of a mechanical nature. So he clambered up on to the roofs, and found the tiles were of two kinds: some were shaped like a gouge, or half of an earthen pot. A row of these were laid, hollow side up, the length of the roof, and two or three inches apart, to economize stock; then others laid hollow side down to cover the space between the others, and direct the water into the hollow of those first laid; and so on, till the roof was covered.
Multitudes of bats find a lodgment under the tiles covering the joints, and come out as twilight comes on.
Other tiles were made the shape of the letter S, the extremity of one lapping the hollow of the other. These tiles were made of strong, coarse pottery, of different colors, red predominating, and were laid in mortar.
The houses of the negroes and the poorer class of whites were merely four bamboo posts, stuck in the earth, the walls formed of wicker-work, and plastered with mud, and the roofs thatched with cane leaves.
There had been a rain the day before, and the water was running in streams from the hills, in paved gutters, through the middle of the streets. The next morning presented a curious spectacle. It seemed as though the entire population had been seized with a desire to wash. Negro nurses were bringing children of all ages and colors down to the beach, and washing them; infants in arms, and those who could just go alone; while men were washing horses, asses, and mules. Hosts of boys, black, white, and mulatto, were swimming with a facility and grace quite wonderful. Whenever they could obtain permission, they would dive from the masts, and even top-gallant-yards, of the vessels, in some seventy feet in height, going down feet foremost, with their hands close to their sides.
Going to the market, the boys witnessed a singular sight. The market-men were not allowed to kill any animal before five o'clock in the afternoon, nor sell any fresh meat after ten in the morning. Whatever was left at that time they were obliged to rub with salt, and dry in the shade. Near to a butcher's stall a bullock was tied. The butcher, finding he was likely to fall short of meat that morning, runs out, and thrusts a sharp-pointed knife into the marrow of the bullock's neck, just back of the horns. The creature dropped in a moment.
The butcher and his assistants instantly began to skin him, cutting the flesh from the ribs, thighs, and brisket as fast as they skinned, and selling it hot from the bones, the skin and flesh being stripped from the bones before the entrails were removed. Then the bones were cut up in short pieces, tied in little bunches, and sold for a few sous, or a bit (twelve cents), to poor people, for soups. All sorts of coin were current there.
Walter went to the market to buy some fruit; there were twenty-five cents in change due him, and the negro gave him a triangular piece of silver.
"What is this?" asked Walter.