23375: Lyall: the buccaneers of hispaniola (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: J.David Lyall <postmaster@lyalls.net>

Yesterday I went to the Colony Club Library and was shown an
interesting book by our librarian. "The Buccaneers of America" by
Esquemelin. It was published in the 1670's (or so) and is a first
hand travel account of living on Tortuga (current day la Tortue) and
Hispaniola with the french settlers. The destination of his voyage
(as an indentured servant) was Tortuga.

Reading about La Tortue/Far Tortuga being covered with trees which
live on the rocks is a wake up after the floods this month. I've seen
no pictures from Tortue but the radio said that it was covered with
water.

He speaks of Indians hunting hummingbirds with wax on the end of an
arrow. Indians still lived in the hills then? He tells of Geese
coming thru and getting so fat eating seeds that you walk up behind
them and kill them with a stick. No haytians today know what a goose
is. The wine palm was native, but I cannot find any knowledge of the
wine palm today.

Fascinating reading. I've just started it so haven't gotten into the
living as a buccaneer yet. It is a Penguin Classic paperback so  I'll
have to  be real careful with it.
-- 
J. David Lyall
http://www.lyalls.net/