Lewis war diary, August 1917-March 1919 / James Ray Lewis - Page 43
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[Page 43]
a lake of pitch at La Brea. It was I think discovered by Columbus and owned by Spain for many years. The population is 300,000, a large portion being Hindoos and Negroes.
An interesting sight is to see the niggers fishing. There are two in a boat, one rows for all he is worth and the other holds the line and when he gets a bite he hauls, which don't seem quite often, he pulls in. Sometimes there are two rowers in a boat and often a man and his wife. How they make a living unless fish are worth 2/6 each I don't know.
The niggers are as a rule dressed in very torn clothes; lets the air in I suppose. They come round the boat selling fruit, which is reasonable enough in price. A peculiar feature of the oranges is that when they are they are ripe they are still quite green, if one is yellow you can bet it's bad.
On the 9th of December we steamed out of the Gulf of Paria past the old quadrangular spanish fort past the beautiful five islands and out through the Bocas, leaving the "Land of the Humming Bird", far behind.