The soldiers slept in hammocks, four to a room, while stationed in the Fortress. The living conditions were rather primitive.

The name Brimstone is well suited as the fortress is built on an 800-foot volcanic dome which still emits a slight sulfurous odor. The fort tour cost $8 US each and an optional single cost of $5 US for an audio guide of the site which we highly recommend. Though recognized by the world as one of the best preserved 18th century military architectural accomplishments, we found the fort more interesting from the point of view that it was a military assignment designed to protect Britain's sugar interest on the island which was threatened by France. Around the fort in all directions lie the remains of sugar plantations including current sugarcane fields. The site is in excellent condition considering its age and rivals many European castles as a record of the past.

On the way up we stopped at a fascinating Lime Kiln which was apparently built back in the 1700s to manufacture lime for the mortar mix in building the fortress. This kiln is a large, stone cauldron with fire pits around the base and steps leading to the top for the loading of the cauldron. It was amazing to see the quality of the construction and to imagine labourers carting containers of limestone to dump into the cauldron. These are things we have never seen before in our travels as in most locations time has destroyed the evidence of the engineering tools of the past. This gave us even more excitement about what we would find at the top of the hill.

From the romantic Nevis to the metropolitan area of St. Kitts we found ourselves hurrying along to the bus depot by the harbour. From there we caught a local bus marked Sandy Point heading north along the coast road to Brimstone Hill Fortress. The bus ride was a shock as the bus drivers maneuver their vehicles as though they were in a Grand Prix race completely ignoring road speed limits and any measure of safety. We found ourselves tense, white knuckled and totally uncomfortable while the locals appeared relaxed. This gave us some sense of confidence that the buses actually reach their destination.

The climb to the fort is 1 1/4 miles up a paved, steep and narrow winding road. Taking our time we reached the fort in about 40 minutes.

On Day 4 we took one of the hourly ferries which run between Charlestown and Basseterre, the capital of St. Kitts. The one-way fare per person was $8 US for the ferry and $1 EC for the port tax. This took about one hour on the Sea Hustler, though the faster Carib Surf cat ferry takes only 35 minutes for the same price. We came back on it. We explored the downtown area which included a dressed up cruise ship dock facility and town square called Circus, fashioned after London's Piccadilly Circus.