It didn’t take me long to realize that Bequians looked upon those from the mainland with suspicion, from the way they talked you would think that the “Big Island People” came from an entirely different planet! Many Bequians had never been to the mainland, and the vast majority of mainlanders had never ventured to the Grenadines. The people on the other Grenadine Islands were O.K., but not those mainlanders!
Crime was not rampant on Bequia, but whenever something was stolen it was automatically assumed that a mainlander had been responsible. Sometimes that was the case, but often the perpetrator was from Bequia. Nolly was robbed once, and on that occasion the thief WAS from the mainland. Nolly woke up in the night to see a stick poking through the slats of his bedroom window, trying to grapple a pair of pants, or better yet a purse handle. Having no luck with the stick, the thief moved on to the open living room. When Nolly heard the intruder leaving the house he quietly followed him down the hill and into the Harbor. The robber, carrying his sack of stolen goods, hid under an overturned dinghy until it was time for the Friendship Rose to depart.
Nolly went to the police station to rouse an officer, and the thief was arrested before he could make his escape on the ferry. Nolly’s stereo was inside the sack of stolen goods along with several items taken from other houses. Evidently the thief had traveled to Bequia on the Rose, and had robbed houses that were empty during the day and others while the occupants were sleeping at night. This was quite brazen behavior on an Island the size of Bequia!
The man was marched down the street to the police station, and as word had gone out that a thief had been caught a large group had congregated to watch this “walk of shame”. It was only 6:30 A.M., but for Bequians it was not unusual to be up and about by that time.
It was unanimously agreed that “tiefs” from the mainland were not as smart as Bequia tiefs, a Bequia tief would have unplugged the stereo instead of clipping the wires. Everyone seemed upset that a thief would damage what he was stealing! Momma Simmons put in her two-cent’s worth by saying, “A Bequia ‘tief smart enough to know it stupidy to steal from Nolly, everyone know dat!”
It took several months before Nolly got his stereo back, he ended up dropping the case so that he could have music in his house again. The stereo had to be held as evidence of the crime, and each time the case was brought before the court the thief didn’t show up. Not so stupidy after all, case closed!