MOONLIGHT. CHAPTER XI. METHODISTS AND MILITIA. "If you will patiently dance in our round, "The city gates out-pour'd; light armed troops Milton. SCARCELY had I finished breakfast, when Mat came running to me in a great fright, saying the town was on fire! and attributing the accident to the black cloud he had seen in the morning. He told this news with a very arch expression of countenance; and, no doubt, thought I should pay more attention to his future predictions of good and evil. I immediately ran out, and saw that Mat's report was but too true and ordering my horse directly, set off for town. The fire had commenced in one of the houses in the Bay, in which there was a considerable quantity of oil and rum; and as fireengines are not procured in the West Indies quite so quickly as in England, the flames had made great progress, and had communicated to several of the adjoining houses. The sensation created by the event, and the immediate bustle that ensued, was greater than either my readers can fancy, or I describe. The Cries of fire were heard in every direction, and thousands of people came running from all quarters of the town, to the scene of conflagration. drums beat to arms, and the militia troops were immediately turned out this precaution was taken to prevent plunder, and in case of an insurrection of the slaves.-Military guards were sent to the public offices, and all papers and documents were removed with the greatest care to a place of safety. " The inhabitants in the immediate vicinity commenced moving their goods; and in the general confusion, many things of value were carried off by those officious vagabonds, who kindly came to offer their assistance, where their owners never heard of them more! People were seen in every street, carrying on their heads beds, bedsteads, sofas, tables, chairs, and furniture, of every description.-Soldiers parading, and officers galloping, through the town. Women crying and bewailing the loss of their property. Some carrying water, and others pulling down houses, to stop the progress of the flames: in fact, it was a busy scene, in which all the world were actively employed, and every one in Bridgetown appeared concerned and interested in the event. It was two o'clock before the fire was extinguished, which had burnt down upwards of twenty houses. They were, however, chiefly negro-houses, very small, and of no great value; which being built of wood, were consumed easily by the flames. The roads in Barbados are very good; and as the country is level, vehicles of every kind are kept, not only in the town, but by planters on the estates. Nearly all the inhabitants of Bridgetown keep their horse and gig; but there are not many four-wheel carriages. In these gigs, the ladies go shopping, or paying visits, driven generally by a black servant, who sits on the shaft: sometimes, however, they drive themselves, and the boy holds on behind; even as my readers have seen their own little countrymen do, when they are wont to take a ride, free of expense. It is a curious circumstance, that no one ever thinks of riding in the West Indies, even on horseback, without taking a boy with him, to hold his horse when he alights. The unfortunate mortal chosen for this service, is obliged to keep up with his master, however fast he may go; and when the latter quickens his pace, he generally holds on by the horse's tail.-The trio, on such occasions, that is to say, the master, the servant, and the horse, form a most ludicrous picture, and one that Cruikshank himself would not find unworthy of illustration. In West India towns there are no watchmen ; neither are the streets lit up: the stores, with the exception of a very few, are closed at four or five o'clock in the evening, and rows and riots are by no means of frequent occurrence. A stranger, however, on his arrival in Barbados, has his repose greatly disturbed by the negroes, who sit up during the greater part of the moonlight nights, chattering together, and telling "nancy stories," on the door-steps.-A nancy story is nothing more or less than a tale of ghosts and goblins, which pass with the negroes by the appellation of Jumbees. A Frenchman, when speaking of the moon in England, is said to have remarked, “Ah, mon Dieu! mais ce n'est pas comme notre lune de Paris!"-and notwithstanding he has been much laughed at for the expression, I am more than half tempted to make the same observation of the moon in the West Indies. The moon itself is doubtless the same every where; but the heaviness of the atmosphere, combined with the black smoke and fog of London, greatly obscures its brilliancy, and gives it an appearance, altogether different from that which it has in Paris, and still more in the West Indies.-There, nothing can be more beautiful than a moonlight night; and the black and colored inhabitants of the towns appear to delight in it; as they may always be observed walking till a late hour, enjoying the scene, and taking the evening air. They have, however, a superstitious idea, that it is both dangerous and unhealthy to walk by moonlight, without a covering for their heads: and on such excursions, they are generally seen carrying their umbrellas and parasols. I should say there were some reason in apprehending dangerous consequences from walking by night, under the fall of a damp and heavy dew: and I should commend their prudence in carrying parasols, to defend themselves from the wet; but as all their objections are laid against the chaste and clear light of a beautiful and brilliant moon, I rather think their precautions merit the imputation of superstition.In this respect, the blacks are even worse than the colored people; and invariably, on moonlight nights, bind their handkerchiefs tight round their heads. I suppose they imagine this a preservative from danger; for afterwards they do not scruple to remain out of doors talking to each other till a late hour. A Barbadian hates a methodist from his soul, and if perchance an unfortunate parson or two attempt a landing, their reception is none of the kindest. These indefatigable and zealous sectarians, however, succeeded in building a chapel; but their reign was of short duration, for the enraged Barbadians levelled it with the ground, and heaped some injurious epithets, and still more injurious blows, upon the head and shoulders of its founder. This was a mean and dirty act, and those engaged in the affair are deserving of any thing but credit, and certainly may not be commended, either for their moderation or their generosity. During my residence in the colony, two clergymen of this sect arrived from one of the other islands, and landed in disguise. They were, however, discovered, and as soon as their occupation was known, they were speedily forced to take refuge from the popular fury, in the house of a charitable individual, until they could succeed in re-embarking on |