Besides agricultural labourers, there are a great many artisans, fishermen, and sailors. With regard to these last, I cannot say whether they are very _firm_ in times of _danger_; but from ocular demonstration, I can assert, that when the sky and sea looks fair, they are very careless, although, from July to October, the West Indian seas are very liable to sudden squalls. These black sailors generally confine themselves to the navigation of the Caribbean Sea, making voyages in small vessels to the different islands. Very few of them know all the points of the compass, some of them not any—their manner of steering being more after the manner of the ancients. They see the sun when he rises, and they know that is the east; they observe him when he sets, and that, they are aware, is the west. Their mode of proceeding when upon these voyages is, to keep within sight of land as much as they can; and in most parts, the channels between the different islands are so narrow, that this is not difficult; but to make a bold stretch across, so as to lose all landmarks, they seldom or never think of. The greatest peculiarity among these black sailors is their extreme voracity—never were there greater eaters. In my frequent voyages in these small vessels to the other islands, I have had numberless opportunities of observing this; for from the confinement of the cabins, and the great heat of the climate, the deck is the only supportable part of the vessel, and there it is the sailors partake of their dinners. Such piggins of _fungy_, with accompaniments of rice or potatoes, salt fish, or beef, as I have then seen consumed, and in such a short period, is really marvellous! Even when at the helm, they are occupied in eating biscuit, of which they generally manage to have their pockets full. Upon one occasion, I was coming from St. Kitts to Antigua, on board one of these small craft. The second day from our leaving, the sailors caught a very large sucking-fish, (_remora_,) which was scarcely pulled upon the deck, before they commenced the operation of cooking it. The “captain,” as he termed himself, was that day unfortunately tormented by a violent headache; and after seeing their prize safely deposited in a huge kettle of water, laid himself down to sleep, in hopes of getting rid of his unwelcome visitant. “Soft slumber” sealed his eye for many an hour; but when at length he awoke, his first demand was for some of the tempting dish, whose early stage of cookery he had so ably inspected. “All eat,” was the consoling reply to a hungry man. It was certainly provoking, and so he seemed to think; for he put himself into a violent passion immediately. “War for you eat aw dat fish for, eh? fish big so to. War for you go do so? You aw too much greedy—you aw reg’lar nagers.” And with much growling and grumbling, he was obliged to solace his unappeasable appetite with a hard biscuit, instead of his favourite fare.