Moruga Bouffe - The Trinidad and Tobago Field Naturalists' Club

Page 22 THE FIELD NATURALIST Issue No. 2/2011WE GO TO GRENADA 1975 Hans Boos(Continued from page 21)Julius and Terry when I joined them up on the bow.St John, too, looked much the worse for wear as Ienquired how he had spent the night, and even thepair of capuchin monkeys were subdued, sitting likelittle, hairy, pitiful dwarfs in their cages. They toomust have had a terrifying night in an alien surrounding,filled with strange sounds, smells and movement.We tied up at the dock not long after and the passengers,including us, swarmed ashore, and the bustlewe had seen in Trinidad was repeated in reverse,as the "Starlight V" was relieved of her burden. Wesought out the Immigration and Customs officers,and presenting our documents explained to themour mission. That we were bringing animals to bolsterthe badly depleted ones in the Grenada Zoo,bought us some more than usual assistance, and thenatural curiosity to see animals, especially monkeys,gave us the slight advantage of clearing through thedock-side red tape that would normally apply tosuch oddly out-of-place passengers on an interislandschooner.The zoo was within walking distance, and we shoulderedour packs and between us, we began to carrythe monkeys to their new home. From among thecrowd waiting on the dock-side, sorting out the baggagecoming ashore, and greeting returning relativesand envoys of the religious group, shouts of "Doondan,Doon-dan" rang out. St John broke away fromus and ran towards the two or three young menwho greeted him with elaborate hand shaking andback patting, and with repeated greetings all interspersedwith the ecstatic "Doon-dan."St John brought the three men over to us, saying, asintroductions were done, that I was his "Bossman,"and a jumbled, tumbling-out of details of what wehad come to do, poured from him. In the broadGrenadian accents of their animated exchange whichwe tried our best to understand and reply to, theonly concrete facts that we were able to glean werethat "Doon-dan" was St John's Grenadian "petname," that one of the other men's name was "Dr.Bones," and that they were eager to assist us in locatingany monkeys and catching any snakes thatmight exist on Grenada."Doon-dan", which St John had become as his feetmet his native soil, and by which name we referredto him during our brief contacts for the remainderof our expedition, suggested that he go off with hisfriends to make arrangements and contacts up in thenorth of the island. A two-pronged attack wouldbenefit the expedition much better than if we allstuck together to enquire and search in the sameareas.It seemed the best course of action, and in anyevent, Doon-dan had become a Grenadian the momenthe landed. We were strangers. He wouldassist us as a local of the island, and could do thatbetter in the company of his friends who were assuringus that everything had been arranged andprepared for our arrival and stay, up in the town ofSauteurs in the north of the island. Doon-dan hadobviously communicated with his friends prior to hiscoming, and they had greeted him like a returninghero. So we told him to get on with it, and I gavehim an advance in cash to cover any contingencieshe might meet. He jumped into the battered bluejitney with his friends and in a smoky, muffler-lessroar, they disappeared along the curving harbourroad.We looked after the departing jitney, glad in a wayto be rid of the man who had been transformedfrom the St John we knew into the Doon-dan wedid not. We trudged into the zoo, and finding thesuperintendent, we turned over our charges to him.The veterinarian would be in later, so, ensuring thatthe monkeys had access to water and some fruitand greens from a nearby hibiscus hedge, we set offto rent a car, and get something into our stomachs.At least Julius' and mine. Terry was fine, none theworse for wear from the voyage. We found coffeeand snacks at a nearby shop and never did warmcoffee taste better as it went down. I could feel thecolour come back to my face and the ringing in myears go away as it untangled itself from the incessantcreaking of the frogs that was now everywherearound us.(to be continued )