The Women are always employ’d to keep their Families in good order, to prepare Venison and Fish for the Mens Tables, to spin Cotton, Comb their Husbands, and paint them Red. The Men spend their time in the Wars, Hunting or Fishing. They have also learn’d of the Europeans to burn Train-Oyl in Lamps in the Night, when as before they burnt Twigs of a gummy Shrub before mention’d, which for that reason the Hollanders call’d Candle-Wood. Each hath a little Stool, and a Table call’d Mantoutou, on which he eats his Meat when he pleases, having no set-Meals. The broad Banana-Leaves serve them for Napkins and Table-clothes. Their chiefest Dainty is Crabs roasted in the Shell with the Juice of Lemmon and Pyman. At great Feasts they dress their Meat with the Fat of their Enemies, being the Arovages. Their usual Drink is Mabby, made of Potato’s, which refreshes, and is good against the Phlegm; also another Liquor call’d Oko made of steep’d Cassadar, and is like Beer in taste, strength, and colour. They also by making an incision into the Palm-Trees, tap a Liquor from the same in Calabashes, like White-wine. They use little of the Drink Couscou, because it swells the Body, notwithstanding it is pleasing to the Palate; But the Liquor which is most esteem’d amongst them, is the Wine made of the Sugar-Canes, which are squeez’d in Mills made for that purpose, and then boyl’d in great Kettles. During the dressing of their Meat (which being done leisurely, is sometimes half a day before it is ready), they Sing, and Dance to the Time, which one keeps with a Calabash fill’d full of little Stones, in which they believe the greatest happiness they shall enjoy in the other World consists: But the Caribbeeans never Dance more antique than when they meet in the Carbet, which is a publick House of Entertainment; whether the Women carry a Drink made of Cassave, which makes Drunk as soon as Wine: The Men bring Fish and Hedge-hogs; all of them painted with Roucou, and adorn’d with Plumes of Feathers, commit all manner of Debaucheries. At other times they also keep Feast-days, which is either when they are preferr’d to some Office, or Place of Honor, or when they have defeated their Enemies, or when they mourn for the Death of one of their nearest Relations.
Their Beasts.
Their Boats, which they call Periaquo’s, are made of single hollow Trees, full of Benches, and painted with several strange Shapes, and are able each to carry fifty or sixty Men.
Their Musical Instruments.
Their Musical Instruments in which they take most delight, are Drums, Strings of Silk-grass stretcht upon Calabashes, and Flutes made of the Bones of their Enemies.
Their watchfulness against Enemies.
Their Entertainment of Friends.
They keep Watches on high Hills, to descry the Ships off at Sea, and no sooner have they espy’d one, but they immediately give notice to one another; whereupon those that are most valiant put off to Sea in their Canoos and know by the Languages to distinguish between a Spaniard, French-man, English-man and Hollander. If they find that ’tis an Enemy who Lands on their Coasts, they guard all their Avenues, lie in Ambuscades, and gather together in by-ways, and where they see any advantage they shoot thousands of Arrows; which done, they fall in amongst them with great Clubs: but if they chance to be defeated, then they lurk behind Bramble-bushes, or climb up inaccessible Mountains, or else, if near the Sea, they save themselves by Diving and Swimming under Water above two hundred Paces before they appear again; and if a Party of them chance to meet together afterwards, they venture a second Engagement; But if those that come on their Coasts are Friends, they Swim, or go in their Boats to meet them, climb up their Ships, and carry the Sea-men on their Shoulders ashore, where the Casique in the Name of the whole Island bids them welcome, and conducts them to the Carbet, where an antient Man salutes the old Men, and a Youth the young Men; after which asking their Names, the Couban calls himself by that Name ever after; and desires the Strangers to accept of his Name; during which their changing of Names they use many Ceremonies of Friendship: this done, they proffer them Cotton Hammocks to rest themselves in, and pleasant Fruit to eat, till they have prepar’d other Meat; which is no sooner Ready, but a little Table is set before every one of them, and a Dish of Meat consisting of boyl’d Hedge-hogs, boyl’d Crabs, and Pot-herbs; which if the Guests do not eat heartily, or drink up all the Liquor which they give them, they take it as a great Affront; but if they eat and drink heartily, they take it kindly, and shew great sorrow at their departure.
Their Offices of Government have been usually three; the meanest belong’d to the Tiouboulihauthe, whose Place was to Govern over the Carbet, a House where Strangers were Entertain’d, Matters of War disputed of, and publick Feasts kept. Tiouboutonti Commanded the Canoos in the time of War, that is, under the Nahalene, who Commanded the whole Fleet: But the chiefest Officer of all was the Ouboutou; to which degree of Honor none attain’d, unless he had kill’d several Arovages, or at least a Governor.
When the Caribbeeans drew all their Forces out of the Islands to a Battel, then they chose one out of the Ouboutou, who during their March Commanded the Army as General, which his Office ended with the War, and extended no farther than his own Island.