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THE
ENGLISH
IN
THE
CHAPTER
WEST
INDIES
XIV.
Visit to Port Royal — Dockyard— Town— Church —Fort Augusta —The eyrie in the mountains — Ride to Newcastle — Society in Jamaica —Religious bodies —Liberty and authority.
A N E W F O R T was being built at the mouth of the harbour. New batteries were being armed on the sandbanks at Port Royal. Colonel J — had to inspect what was going on, and he allowed me to go with him. We were to lunch with the commodore of the station at the Port Royal dockyard. I could then see the town — or what was left of it, for the story went that half of it had been swallowed up by an earth quake. We ran out from Kingston, passing under the sterns of the Spanish frigates. I was told that there were always one or more Spanish ships of war stationed there, but no one knew anything about them except generally that they were on the look-out for Cuban conspirators. There was no exchange of courtesies between their officers and ours, nor even official communication beyond what was formally neces sary. I thought it strange, but it was no business of mine. My surprise, however, was admitted to be natural. As the launch drew little water, we had no occasion to follow the circuitous channel, but went straight over the shoals. We passed close by Gallows Point, where the Johnny crows used to pick the pirates' bones. In the mangrove swamp adjoining, it was said that there was an old Spanish ceme tery ; but the swamp was poisonous, and no one had ever seen it. At the dockyard pier the commodore was waiting for us. I found that he was an old acquaintance whom I