When it cooled I tasted it, and found it good, but
with a slight taste of sulphur. . . . It is a pity
that these waters are not in the hands of people who
could make use of them, for it is certain that they
are excellent for many diseases. I was assured
that many hydropathics had been completely cured
after having sweated in this sand, and many others
with chills and nervous affections found relief."

Respecting one of the most famous birds of these
islands, he writes: "We were at Guadeloupe at
the season for hunting certain birds called ' devils.'
They were to be found in Guadeloupe and Domi-
nique, where they came at certain times of the year
to lay their eggs and hatch them. This bird is
about the size of a grown chicken, its plumage is
black, and its wings are long and strong; its legs
are short with feet like a duck's, but with long claws ;
its beak is long and hooked and very hard ; it has



106 CETJISING AMONG THE CARIBBBES

large eyes which serve it well in the night, but are
so useless in the day that it cannot stand the light
or distinguish objects, and if surprised by daylight
far from its nest, the poor bird dashes itself against
all obstacles in its path and finally falls to the
earth. The manner of hunting devils is to force
them out of their holes into the sunlight by means
of dogs, when they are easily caught and their
necks wrung." Again, speaking of the produc-
tion of ginger, one of the most profitable exports,
he says : " Ginger comes from the root of a plant
about two feet high. This plant needs good but
light earth to grow in, which is the reason it thrives
in the soil of the Grande Terre of Guadeloupe, which
is of this quality. They plant the ginger at the end
of the rainy season, that is, in October and Novem-
ber, and when it is ripe its leaves become yellow
and dry. The plant is then taken up, separated
from its roots, and dried by being exposed to the
air or wind, but never to the sun, which would
consume its delicate substance almost immediately.
