This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.
[[preprinted]] 14 [[/preprinted]] chicken which verily pleased Jack & me. After dinner we talked a while and at 9:30 heard Pres. Roosevelt's talk to the Young Democrats. We also heard that Mrs. R. took F.D. home some rum and it wasn't all the souvenir bottle which was presented to her I the Virgin Islands. About 10 we all set out in Mr. Barnes' car to try to find a bombasche (so I believe it is spelled in some books) it sounds more like [[ insertion]] bombache [[/insertion]]bombash to me tho'. Anyway, we weren't very successful, but we found something almost as interesting. Coming from a yard in back of a hut was a noise as if some celebration was taking place. We could hear the drums and a little singing. Mr. Barnes got out and inquired if we might enter, and permission was given. On a covered platform in the back yard some kind of a celebration was taking place, but it wasnt at all what I had imagined a bombash to be. Later on Mr. Aubry told me [[end page]] [[new page]] [[preprinted]] 15 [[/preprinted]] that we must have witnessed something rather unique, but that it wasn't a dance. From the description he said it might have been a wake or a semi religious meeting. In the center of the floor was grouped mounds of food and a few jars were placed here and there-what they contained I know not-and they were on small pedestals. Several women were squatting, or resting as they all do, with feet flat on the floors, knees bent, and buttocks just off the floor. These women seemed to be preparing the food. One of them had a dead pullet in her hand and she seemed to be doing little but swing it around as she worked-it still had all its feathers on. On the outside of this circle of food and women moved a rather solemn [[strikethrough]] group [[/strikethrough]] circle, single file, of men and women, mostly the latter, carrying candles. The women were [[end page]]