There was a basset hound named Beauregard, who was famous for hitchhiking in the Caribbean. He’d sit by the side of a road, and eventually someone would come along and pick him up. When he wanted to get out, he’d bark. In this way, he hitchhiked all over St. Thomas.
One day, when Beauregard was down at the harbor, he got on board the ferry to St. Anne. He visited for a few days and caught the ferry back to St. Thomas. After that, he became a regular commuter.
A year later, Beauregard was down at the air boat dock, when one of the pilots invited him on board for the flight to Isabella. A week later, when he got bored, he caught the next plane back to St. Thomas, where he hung out at a restaurant called the Safari, run by a French couple. And periodically, he’d return to the air boat dock for another trip to Isabella or to Badian, a nearby island.
Over the years, Beauregard became famous for his travels. He was looked after and fed by everyone. He was treated like royalty. A popular song was written about him. Many people believed he was someone who’d died and come back as a dog.
He grew old and venerable, and finally he died. There was a funeral procession through Charlotte Amalie, the capital of St. Thomas, the streets lined with mourners. Beauregard’s body was carried in a small pine coffin, and he was buried in North Sydney, the most prestigious cemetery on the island.
A true story.