Like a long beckoning arm, the Isles of the Caribbees sweep north from the shoulder of South America. For the traveler who heeds their call, the rewards are magnificent: uninterrupted miles of deserted white beaches, sparkling seas, perpetual trade winds, a contentment arising from perfect climate and easy hospitality.
For centuries the silent, nameless islands slumbered beneath a benevolent sun. Shortly before the arrival of the first Europeans, out from the jungles of Brazil swept the Caribs, a fierce people who overran the less warlike Arawaks. One early spelling oh their name, Canida, gives us the dread word "cannibal." Another, the Caribbean.