Port of Spain

Port of Spain is the setting for a brief but telling encounter in Joe Williams’s life at sea: after days of hard labor and a wet, uncomfortable arrival, he goes ashore without pay and meets a tourist who offers him a glimpse of leisure. The city’s rain, heat, crowded streets, and waterfront bars frame a sharp contrast between Joe’s restricted circumstances and the visitor’s freedom to spend and travel.

Port Arrival and Conditions

Joe’s ship, the Argyle, reaches Port of Spain after a voyage marked by rust-chipping, painting, poor food, and a heavy swell. Passing through the Boca in the rain, the crew sees the fern-covered islands turn grey beneath the downpour. By the time the vessel is warped to the wharf, everyone is soaked by rain and sweat; as the sun returns, the surroundings steam in the heat. The men are also uneasy about talk that they may be sent to the Pitch Lake to load asphaltum.

The next day brings no work ashore, but not much relief. The hides in the forward hold stink when the hatches are opened, and clothes and bedding hung out to dry are repeatedly drenched by showers. Water drips from the deck awning, leaving the men with nowhere to stay dry. When Joe’s watch is eventually let off, the crew still has no pay, so going ashore offers little purchasing power.

The Waterfront Encounter

Joe sits on a bench in a small park near the waterfront, staring at his feet, before taking shelter from the rain under a bar awning. Electric fans and the scent of lime, rum, and whiskey drift out from the cool interior. He wants a beer but has no money. The rain forms a curtain at the awning’s edge when a young man in a white suit and Panama hat notices him and asks whether he is American. The stranger introduces himself as Jones, says he is on a West India cruise, and complains that the war has prevented him from going to Europe.

The visitor proposes an island drive, saying he is bored with sightseeing alone. Joe hesitates because his clothes are unsuitable, but Jones dismisses the concern and summons a polished Ford driven by a young Chinese man in a dark blue suit and glasses. Jones also runs back into the bar to fetch a flask of Planter’s punch. The excursion offer gives Joe access to an experience otherwise beyond the reach of an unpaid sailor, though the passage does not describe a visit to the Blue Pool itself.

From Streets to Hotel

After the rain stops, Joe and Jones ride back toward town on roads brimmed with water. The sun comes out, and the streets are crowded with people in varied dress, including men in white and residents in turbans or smart suits. The city is presented not as a quiet port but as a busy, socially mixed place through which the two men pass in a car.

At the hotel, Joe feels conspicuous in wet dungarees and is conscious that he needs a shave. Jones puts an arm over his shoulders as they go upstairs to a large room with tall, narrow shuttered windows. He proposes gin fizzes and invites Joe to take off his clothes and relax in the heat. Joe refuses, explaining that his clothes stink, and instead asks for the sports page of a newspaper from home. The request returns the encounter to the limits of Joe’s immediate needs: even amid the hotel’s comforts and the promise of drinks, he is looking for news from home.