William Strapps Diary Part 1

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who went for a day enjoyment of that sort got it no doubt. Nearly all the women were bare-foot & wore a tunic of blue checked or striped calico & most most of the children ran about naked. Most of the men were barefoot too with shirt & pair of light trousers with straw hat completed their costume. One little fellow had got an old soldier's coat without buttons and strutted about like a little bantam cock. We only saw two or three soldiers. They were dressed in white canvas trousers light black coats & straight peaked blackhats & armed armed with short swords and cabines. These acted as sentinels to what appeared either to be the Customs house or exchange it having over the entrance a carved crown & coat of arms. We saw plenty of dogs of a mongrel breed

Last edit about 4 years ago by AnniT56
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a few cats any amount of donkeys several ponies but no horses. We also saw one or two of those bullock carts we hear so much of thus two bullocks with a huge [sketch of bullock cart Title Man walking] log of wood laid across their shoulders attached to a shaft from the cart the whole weight is borne by the lower part of the neck & shoulders. There is no harness but a piece of rope round the horns. It looks to me tough work & seem rather cruel but perhaps it is not so bad as it looks. We saw several large birds with white bodies & black wings something similar to the American Condor but not quite as large. There are large deep wells in different parts of the town where the women come to draw water and carry it in pitcher or buckets on their heads. The women here seem

Last edit over 3 years ago by Jannyp
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to be the drudges but take it very easy & seem in no way put about The streets were lined with various kinds of tropical trees. Very few white women excepting those from various vessels were to be seen. Some of the Portugese gentry and officials were very fair but some were nearly as black as the negroes. After strolling about the streets till I was tired another young fellow and I climbed the hillside to a place which appeared to be a kind of fort We could see the flag staff in entering the bay with its rough wall stretching round it After climbing several roads for it could not be called walking we reached the citadel of St Vincent which did our eyes good Inside were two houses comprising two rooms in each and three out of the four had nothing in but heaps

Last edit about 4 years ago by AnniT56
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of rubbish & stones. The fourth contained about a dozen little shelves for holding flags. The guard comprising Captain officers & signalmen wre all resolved into one man in bare feet who formed the garrison. There were 4 pieces of cannon lying about & rusted. It was a good walk in but we got some of the ships bad smell blown off of as on the hill as the wind blew very strong each of us had a sugar cane & rare climbing poles they were when we got into the fort we sat down on the parapet & ate the poor things after doing us such good service " One good turn deserves another". After bidding adiew to the regiment (viz one niger) who requested us for some tobac we decended into the valley climbed up the other side and took a tour round the outskirts of the town. We were pretty well tired

Last edit about 4 years ago by AnniT56
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so we joined some of our party. The Maderia wine etc had taken effect for some of them were what they call "fresh" six sheets in the wind "quite jolly "tight". I should have expressed myself if required by them & said rather say Drunk. We had a lot of little black running for coppers. It was a comical sight some naked other little fellows with tiny shirts all scrambling for the first place. Our boatsmen were looking after us as was expected for they had got no pay for fetching us off this was one advantage we had no difficulty in getting back to the ship. We had 20 men in our little boat besides the rowers & it was not at all comfortable to see the water come up to within an inch of the boats edge. Every minute was a doubt as to whether we should be swamped or no & good reasons we should have had for being fearful.

Last edit over 3 years ago by Jannyp
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