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THE WEST INDIES
ST. PIERRE, MARTINIQUE 1889 -1890


In 1889 Harper's sent Hearn to the West Indies as a correspondent, where he wrote "Two Years in the French West Indies" and "Youma, The Story of a West-Indian Slave" (both 1890) .



Martinique, St. Pierre and Mt. Peleé, 1890.


Hearn's novella "Two Years in the West Indies" is dedicated to
A mon cher ami,
LEOPOLD ARNOUX
Notaire a Saint Pierre, Martinique.
Souvenir de nos promenades, de nos voyages, de nos causeries, des sympathies echangees, de tout le charme d'une amitie inalterable et inoubliable, de tout ce qui parle a Tame au doux Pays des Revenants.
Written for his Harper's assignement, it is one of his lesser stories, giving way to "Youma, the Story of a West-Indian Slave"

For a complete text see: Lafcadio Hearn, "Two Years in the French West-Indies," 1922



YOUMA THE STORY OF A WEST-INDIAN SLAVE 1890

The end of Youma defending her beloved Mayotte in a black uprising, (p. 186)

... "Then Youma could not make herself heard : a fresh outburst of vociferation drowned her voice. But her reproaches had struck home in at least one direction: she had touched and stirred the smouldering contempt, the secret jealous hate of the black for the freedman of color; and the mulatto's discomfiture was hailed by yells of ironical laughter.
In the same moment there was a violent pushing and swaying ; - some one was forcing his way to the front through all the pressure, - rapidly, furiously, - smiting with his elbows, battering with his shoulders : a giant capre ....
He freed himself, and sprang into the clear space before the flaming building, - making his cutlass flicker about his head, - and shouted: -
"Nou pa ka brile negresse!...."
The mulatto put to scorn advanced and would have spoken ; - ere he could utter a word, the travailleur, with a sudden backward blow of his unarmed hand, struck him to the ground. -
"A moin! me/otie!" thundered the tall new-comer ; - "Stand by me, brothers ! - we do not burn negresses ! "
And Youma knew it was Gabriel who stood there alone, - colossal, menacing, magnificent, - daring the hell about him for her sake -
"Ni raison! ni raison!" responded numbers .... "Non ! nou pa ka brile negresse ! .... Chache lechelle"
Gabriel had forced sympathy, - wrung some sentiment of compassion from those wild-beast hearts "Pote lechelle vini! - if i yon lechelle!" was clamored through the crowd
a ladder! - a ladder!
Five minutes, - and a ladder touched the window. Gabriel himself ascended it, - reached the summit, - put out his iron hand. Even as he did so, Youma, stooping to the sill, lifted Mayotte from behind it.
The child was stupid with terror ; - she did not know him. -
"Can you save her?" asked Youma, — holding up the little fair-haired girl.
Gabriel could only shake his head; - the street sent up so frightful a cry -
"Non ! - non ! - non ! - non ! - -pa le yche-b'ek'e ! - janmain yche-b'eke!" -
"Then you cannot save me !" cried Youma, clasping the child to her bosom, - "Janmain ! janmain, mon ami!" -
"Youma, in the name of God " - "In the name of God you ask me to be a coward ! - Are you vile, Gabriel ? - are you base ? Save myself and leave the child to burn?.... Go!" -
"Leave the b'eke's yche ! - eave it ! - leave it, girl !" shouted a hundred voices. - "Moin!" cried Youma, retreating beyond the reach of Gabriel's hand, -
"moin ! Never shall I leave it, — never ! I shall go to God with it." -
"Burn with it, then !" howled the negroes, "down with that ladder ! down with it, down with it !"
Gabriel had barely time to save himself, when the ladder was dragged away. All the first fury of the riot seemed to have been rekindled by the sight of the child ...."

Excerpted from Lafcadio Hearn, "Yuma", 1922






Hearn's famous portrait, probably taken for Elizabeth in New York in 1889.

NEW YORK 1890

Upon Hearn's return from the West Indies in 1890 Japan was looming large on the oriental horizon. A book by Percival Lowell, entitled "The Soul of the Far East" had just appeared. It apparently made a profound impression upon Hearn. Harper's, the publishers, came to the conclusion that it would be expedient to send one of their staff to Tokyo as regular correspondent. Harper's had just published Hearn's stories "Chita" and "A Midsummer Trip," to enthusiastic public acclaim.
Needless to say, Hearn eagerly accepted the offer. It was arranged, that he was to leave for the Far East in the beginning of March 1890.

Little did Hearn realise that the strange land for which he was bound was to keep him forever, to make him one with its religion, its institutions, its nationality, and that, as he closed the door of the publisher's room that day, he was closing the door between himself and western civilisation forever.

Excerpted from "Lafcadio Hearn" by Nina Kennard, 1913.


NEXT: JAPAN-KAMAKURA