By Abdool A. Aziz

MY sister-in-law who hails from the Pomeroon River would fascinate me with stories of her native region. One that really energises my imagination is the sunken punts of gold coins (Dutch money) off the shore of Kabakaburi Mission. Now at age 12, I made a trip to the Pomeroon and went straight to the location of the treasure.

I met the captain of the village who told me the story is true. He took me down a raving to a huge Kumaka tree root. He pointed to a rusty iron chain. It was massive with links as large as your hand. It was attached to the tree root. I was a victim of my imagination. Was I seeing right? And if so, why was this ‘Goldmine’ left untouched? Surely it can be raided or salvaged. I wanted to follow this chain in the water but it was buried under the silt.
Attempts were made to retrieve this mystery gold but all failed. A gutsy move by the authorities was nearly disastrous.

Salvage Tug in Trouble, a powerful tugboat was sent to the location and the driver went down and secured chains on the serpent that slithered on the surface of the punts. Now the tugboat had its engine in full speed ahead. She strained and strained. The chains burst and new links were used. That broke too. Heavy-duty wire ropes were substituted. The steel hawser held and the tug inched forward. The spectators held their breaths. Some were scared, some skeptical. With her black stone engines tested to its limit, the water above the treasure began to bubble. There was movement down there and all were excited. The tugboat gave its all and the water burst open. The rusty and muddy punts emerged with a frightening splash. You can see the snakes on top of their lids. Fear gripped the crowd of onlookers.

The captain and the crew celebrated, but their joy was short-lived. The short punts decided to submerge and as they sunk. They began to pull the tugboat down. A quick response by the captain to dash her into reverse saved the day. The punts took away the tethers and since then treasure hunters developed a macabre fear of the sunken treasures. They concluded that Dutch spirits controlled their money. It was too risky to salvage.

WRITER’S NOTE:
This story was told to me. Some survivors of the time verify its authenticity. I can only vouch for the massive chain leading into the river. It is still there. The Dutch had occupied us for years. They were known to be rich and powerful. No doubt those gold coins are buried in those iron safes and well preserved. But the Kabakaburi? It was rumoured that Dutch spirits live in the Kumaka tree as they do in silk-cotton trees. According to legend, those punts came to the surface to tease us. They exhibited a force beyond human capacity. The Dutch left us remarkable legacies of stretch and wealth but buried some for eternity. I still marvel at the wealth beneath the Pomeroon River.