Throughout the islands these cabins are small and
inexpensive, and often dilapidated and ruinous in
the extreme. The shanties which are built along the
lines of new railroads in the United States for work-
men, are nicer than the majority of these negro
houses. They are built of wood, and usually con-
sist of one or two rooms, in which a large family is
huddled at night. The people spend most of the
daytime out of doors, and meals are prepared in the
open air. There is no glass in the windows and
wooden shutters serve to keep out the wind and
rain. The foundations are rarely more than a few
posts or large stones. A tempest would easily over-
turn these cabins, and they are placed so near to-
gether in the towns that a iire would naturally burn
a great number before it could be put out. When,
therefore, we hear that a hurricane or a fire has de-
stroyed several hundred houses in a West India island,
it is not necessary to conclude that a vast amount
of property has been destroyed. The buildings serve
the purposes of a shelter and a rendezvous for the
family, and if destroyed, they can be easily replaced.
SANTA CBtrz 45

Santa Cruz is covered with sugar-cane plantations.
