CHAPTER 9: THE BRITISH SOLDIERS
With our spirits uplifted Clarence my
aunt Yvonne and I began preparing for the big Easter Monday kite flying day. Only to receive a letter from my mother Gertis
stating that she wanted us to spend Easter with her in New Amsterdam. The next
couple days was now spent preparing for the long journey to New Amsterdam.
We boarded the train in Georgetown,
Lamaha Street in Cummingsburg to begin the trip New Amsterdam.
To our amazement and joy as boys we
were in the same compartment with two British soldiers.
Guyana the then “British Guiana” was
a sovereign colony of England. The
British army sent soldiers to help squash the unrest and riots and return to
country to a state of peace.
Between strained snips of
conversation we got to know the English soldiers. They proved to be a savior to
us after the train made one of its major stops at Mahaica. At this stop we are
allowed to leave the train to stretch our feet buy food and stuff.
What we did not know was Mahaica was
also World Head Quarters for Sand Flies and Mosquitoes. The moment the train
pulled out of the Mahaica station colonies of Sand Flies and Mosquitoes descended
on us with most vicious attack of insect on man ever. Sand Flies will attack
you in swarms on every exposed part of your body. They will find their way
through your hair down to your skull and the bite every exposed part that no
hair grows from and leave your head full of bumps, they are bad. The mosquitoes
there will bite and drink every drop of blood you own by the time you reach to
Rosignol, you will have no blood and pale. So there we were facing eminent
death when the two English soldiers produced the most complete defense in the form
of a bottle of Citronella oil. They offered to share some with us. We graciously accepted their offer. We rubbed
that oil on our body from head to toe. We literally took off our Yachting Boots
and rubbed the oil between our toes and of course on our head, under our shirt
and pants. “It just takes one sand fly to get under your shirt and pants to
have you scratching and itching. My brother
and I will always be great full to those two English soldiers.
Once upon an Easter.
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