A tale told by the “Old Time” men of Blue Hills.

By Jim Brown

Before the days of cable television and YouTube videos, folks would swap stories as the evening’s entertainment. What follows is a “tall tale” about lost treasure that might have been whispered around the glow of an oil lamp in the Blue Hills of yesteryear.

In the years after the War of Independence in the United States (about 1780–90), many people who had supported the British left the country. Imagine in the southern regions, the cotton and tobacco plantations owned by rich British colonialists were most unwelcome. Many picked up their possessions and moved to more friendly countries. The British government aided in this migration and offered vast tracts of land in their colonies like The Bahamas and Jamaica. The Turks & Caicos was also dished out to some of these Loyalists. They came to these shores with whatever they could carry away, including their slaves.

Wild cotton plants can still be found across the Islands, a reminder of the days when cotton was “king.”

At the time, cotton was “king.” It was replacing wool, particularly in the New World where wool’s virtues were not necessary. The cotton grown in the Islands was as fine a cotton as could be found. Sisal was also grown for rope making, which was important then too.

The settlers assigned property in the Caicos Islands and their slaves found not a paradise but a rather barren prospect for agriculture. The early years, however, were productive and the plantation owners built stone homes and quarters for their slaves and livestock, some of which can still be seen today. Cheshire Hall on Providenciales is a good example.

Supply ships brought staples and protected the colonies as best they could from pirates and warring countries such as France and Spain. There was trading with Haiti for fruits and vegetables in return for dried conch and fish. In 1804 there was a slave revolt in Haiti freeing the country from the French. Trade continued to flow and stories of freedom were heard by the slaves here. They might try to steal away in a small sailing boat and hope to get to Haiti which was out there . . . somewhere! 

The various slave families were known by the name of their owner. Thus families with similar names may not be genetically related but came from the same plantation. Some plantations in the Caicos Islands thrived for about 20 years before hurricanes and infestations of insects caused them to be abandoned. The colonists left their slaves to fend for themselves! Although they were unlikely to have support from the British supply ships, they did have gardens and field crops, fish, lobster, conch, and some animals­—along with tremendous ingenuity and persistence—to survive as they had over the years. Seasonal forays were made to out islands to collect eggs from nesting seabirds.

These hearty people survived for 200 years off the sea and land and trading with neighbors before development of the tourist industry began. Many of the men went to work in the salt business in sister islands or The Bahamas or in seafaring with companies such as Bulk National Carriers to make money. Wives and children stayed home and revolving relationships kept the community together surviving sickness, storms, and accidents at sea.

Local bush medicine developed over time was all that was available to treat illness or injuries. There were no early warnings for hurricanes and on several occasions many fishermen were lost at sea. Travel between The Bahamas and Haiti for work or trade was treacherous, sometimes resulting in boats being lost or stranded. There was no electricity until the 1970s, no roads but walking paths connecting the villages, and little money. Water was what you could collect from rain and store or “tote” from hand-dug wells. There were no fans or window screens, no lights except oil lamps, and homes were small stone structures built to withstand the winds and termites. It was a tough life, and those who could often left for better conditions.

One could imagine that oral history and story telling were the evening’s entertainment. Such experiences returning people must have had—stories about an outside world that the local children and adults may have never seen. The following is a tale that may have been based on truth:

Was Captain Kidd’s treasure left behind on the beach at West Harbour Bluff?

THE LEGEND OF THE TREASURE OF THE PIRATE CAPTAIN KIDD:

There is a tale told by the old time men of Blue Hills about the missing treasure of the infamous pirate known as Captain Kidd. It is known that pirates were a feared and common visitor to many Caribbean islands including the Caicos. On Providenciales at West Harbour Bluff (or Split Rock as it is known today), there is a shallow spot where ships would stop to careen over, or tip, the boats to expose the underwater part of the hull for cleaning. Perhaps it was on one of these visits that the treasure was taken ashore and hidden just in case some other passing ships showed up and tried to steal the loot!

We know that ships did stop by, as there are dated rock carvings on the headland and a small cave now known as Pirates Cave. Sapodilla Bay is close by and has several more rock engravings dated from the right period. Both these bays were shown on Admiralty Charts as excellent anchorage areas protected from prevailing winds and as today, are very calm and much enjoyed by visitors. Supply ships would anchor here in the 1700 to 1800s when bringing persons or cargo to Providenciales and row smaller boats around to Five Cays Bay, which was too shallow for the ocean-going ships. If visiting Cheshire Hall, notice that the cannon placements are pointing south to the Bay Area—not out over the ocean protected by the reefs.

Back to our story about the treasure of Captain Kidd, as told by a well respected member of the Blue Hills community. Following are the instructions to find the treasure: 

First, pick some trusted friends and on the evening of the night after the full moon when the moon rises about 8:00, gather on the beach at West Harbour Bluff and send the boat away. It is important that no one can see you there. Hide amongst the small trees and rocks and wait very quietly. Soon darkness falls and the quiet night settles upon you. Rest quietly and stay very still. As the moon rises, the light is quite bright and soon you can see well out to sea and back along the bay to Sapodilla.

Wait, wait don’t move now! About midnight a cloud may pass over the moon and bring darkness for an instant and then look! A ship has appeared in the bay right in front of your hiding places. Not too big a sailing ship and the sails are lowered. Then a sound you know well—the running out of an anchor chain—”ra-tat-atat-atat-atat”! The moon glistening on the bay clearly lights the ship and sailors are now lowering a boat and rowing ashore. They have a dog—a large dog now running on the beach barking. Suddenly, a white horse appears on the hilltop, runs down to the beach and disappears into the night. The sailors have shovels and picks and are coming up the hillside near where you hide. Don’t move, don’t be frightened—they don’t see you—they just slowly walk inland for a few long minutes. Now, in the moonlight they start to dig and you hear the shovels and picks hitting the rocks. They dig and dig until suddenly a shovel hits a metal object—CLANG—you can tell by the sound! It must be the treasure box they found!

But what now? Will they take it away? Back to their boats? Your mates are seeing and thinking the same thing. With this strange happening who is to say? Best to grab it before they take off with it! 

“TIME MEN, LET’S TAKE ‘EM” someone shouts. Your mates all jump up and rush to the dig! But wait, what is happening? The whole scene is fading away. The moon has gone behind a cloud and you really can’t see anything! After what seems a very long minute it clears, and now, in the light, it is all gone! The sailors, the row boat, the dog, and the ship at anchor in the bay! All gone! They could not have sailed off in such a short time! Ahh . . . but as the legend says—do not make a sound or they will be chased away! But would they have left the treasure? No one will ever know!

James ‘“Jim” Brown was known by the handle “Sapodilla” in the days of VHF radios before phones! He’s been hearing tall tales in the Turks & Caicos since 1974 and telling a few of his own!