IV.
AT a very early age—perhaps at five years—she learns to carry
small articles upon her head,—a bowl of rice,—a dobanne, or
red earthen decanter, full of water,—even an orange on a plate;
and before long she is able to balance these perfectly without
using her hands to steady them. (I have often seen children
actually run with cans of water upon their heads, and never spill
a drop.) At nine or ten she is able to carry thus a tolerably
heavy basket, or a trait (a wooden tray with deep outward sloping
sides) containing a weight of from twenty to thirty pounds; and
is able to accompany her mother, sister, or cousin on long
peddling journeys,—walking barefoot
twelve and fifteen miles a day.
At sixteen or seventeen she is a tall robust girl,—lithe, vigorous,
tough,—all of tendon and hard flesh;—she carries a tray or a basket
of the largest size, and a burden of one hundred and twenty to one
hundred and fifty pounds weight;—she can now earn about thirty
francs (about six dollars) a month,
by walking fifty miles a day,
as an itinerant seller. Among her class there are figures to make
you dream of Atalanta;—and all, whether ugly or attractive as to
feature, are finely shapen as to body and limb. Brought into existence
by extraordinary necessities of environment, the type is a
peculiarly local one,—a type of human thorough-bred representing
the true secret of grace: economy of force. There are no
corpulent porteuses for the long interior routes; all are built
lightly and firmly as those racers. There are no old porteuses;
—to do the work even at forty signifies a constitution of
astounding solidity. After the full force of youth and health is
spent, the poor carrier must seek lighter labor;—she can no
longer compete with the girls. For in this calling the young
body is taxed to its utmost capacity of strength, endurance, and
rapid motion.
As a general rule, the weight is such that no well-freighted
porteuse can, unassisted, either "load" or "unload" (châgé or
déchâgé, in creole phrase); the effort to do so would burst a
blood-vessel, wrench a nerve, rupture a muscle. She cannot even
sit down under her burden without risk of breaking her neck:
absolute perfection of the balance is necessary for self-preservation.
A case came under my own observation of a woman
rupturing a muscle in her arm through careless haste in the mere
act of aiding another to unload.
And no one not a brute will ever refuse to aid a woman to lift
or to relieve herself of her burden;—you may see the wealthiest
merchant, the proudest planter, gladly do it;—the meanness of
refusing, or of making any conditions
for the performance of this
little kindness has only been imagined in those strange Stories of
Devils wherewith the oral and uncollected literature of the creole
abounds.
*
[_]
* Extract
from the "Story of Marie," as written from dictation:
| … Manman-à té ni yon gouôs jà à caïe-li.
Jà-la té touôp lou'de pou Marie. Cé té li menm
manman là qui té kallé pouend dileau. Yon jou y pouend
jà-la pou y té allé pouend dileau. Lhè manman-à
rivé bó la fontaine, y pa trouvé
pésonne pou châgé y. Y rété; y ka crié,
"Toutt bon Chritien, vini châgé moin!" |
This mamma had a great jar in her house. The jar was too heavy
for Marie. It was this mamma herself who used to go for water.
One day she took that jar to go for water. When this mamma had
got to the fountain, she could not find anyone to load her. She
stood there, crying out, "Any good Christian, come load me!" |
| … Lhè manman rété y ouè pa té ni piess
bon Chritien pou chage y. Y rété; y crié: "Pouloss, si pa ni
bon Chritien, ni mauvais Chritien! toutt mauvais Chritien vini châgé moin!" |
As the mamma stood there she saw there was not a single good
Christian to help her load. She stood there, and cried out: "Well,
then, if there are no good Christians, there are bad Christians.
Any bad Christian, come and load me!" |
| … Lhè y fini di ça, y ouè yon diabe qui ka vini, ka di conm
çaa, "Pou moin châgé ou, ça ou ké baill moin?"
Manman-là di,—y réponne, "Moin pa ni arien!" Diabe-la
réponne y, "Y fau ba moin Marie pou moin pé châgé ou." |
The moment she said that, she saw a devil coming, who said to her,
"If I load you, what will you give me?" This mamma answered, and
said, I have nothing !" The devil answered her, "Must give me Marie
if you want me to load you." |
