The Opelousas patriot. [volume] (Opelousas, Parish of St. Landry, La.) 1855-1863, 1855-03-03
days aud days the Iocusts

struggle for prp-emilenceo
ings, and the telmosts ovefio.
extraorfiinnry gravity They
loathsolnely on fruit and flows
into eggs and fish, which heess,en.
consequence. There is no help aqs
because Of their multitude. They eat
my bedding they get into my pocke
INTO my hhir and beard. The Grenk
are Obliged to tie their trousers On above
gowns as q protection against thenl.
tread upon them, they blow against YOU III
iiy against you, they dino of the same plate,
ana hop on piece Of food you are putting
into your moath. Their stencil is horrible,
and this lasts for weeks sa
They eat up the corn lands and the yine- n
yards, wheresoever they fall / counted nine
On one blade or wheat. When they left il, it
was as bare as a quill.
They have still left your apples untouched
| | said to a gardener
" Helas! replied the man They have
eaten tsif4sA Beside and what is the use of your
eyebrows il you have lost your eyes Il as
Three days alter they had eaten his apples
too.
lnoticetl;s however, that in the years the
locnsts appear there is no blight Or sinaller in
sects about. Perhaps, therefore, they are nler-
'Inlfully sent to destroy the smaller and more
oangerols'Nsests +. when t; be multiplied
Exceedingly under the prolific euus o. 4he Fast.
But, they are a dreadful visitation. ii'Sa,, i',,e
ate holes in nv clothes as | walked abpsull
They got amongst my Albanian servant's
arms. They choked IN the barrels of his
\ pistols, and fed upon his snsh of silk and pod
4 frhey nte AWAY the tassel Of his can and tIe
leathern sheath of his sword NV French he
bartleur dressinr-gown, one month rom Al
freas, might have been t,kon for d recent pur-
chase at Rag Fair, They ate The sole Of nv
slipper while / was asleep on a sofa. They ate
, my shirts in the wardrobe, and they ate my
stockings. The pasha. nv host, with d toucll-
+ ing faith in the goodness Of God, goes about
with long stick to save them from drowning
when they arc driven by the winds into his
reservoir of gold fish,
J. Perhaps the pasha is right; but can not
; be 50 good as he IS For Tie locllsts eat tha
! black hair of womens heads while washing at
! the fountain. and tile nonstaches off gardeners
! while they sleep in the noonday shadow. They
strip trees till thoy look as if strcl, by light
= = ming Or burnt by fire. / see the plants green
!, !, and gay in the moonlight. In The morning
I their freshness aud beauty have departed.
i Families sit wailinr in their fields over tho
ruin of their little all. There is a story TINT
Z the locusis have eaten a child while its mother
!. was away at work. There is a tradition that
, they once ate a drunken man who fell down in
= the kennel. Nethersevent is improbable I
= saw n locust draw blood from the lips Of an in
/ FAINT in itsroiherls arms.
n They viii ft1t die They seem to have ncith.
= er sirht nor hearing--yile things with nothing
i ! but mouths, If YOU catch one le will sprinr
II from, yourhold md leaving his legs behind him.
:. 90 on as well as ever. The Cadi had q little
= garden he had it watched div and NIGHT for il
IL was his pride, and full of far-way flowers He
, kept fires surrounding it night and day 10 pre-
r, vent the locasts crawling III. When thew had
i learned to tlv. he fired gns to turn aside their
. conrse. WHEN they cau,e in spite Of this. he
i, turned a garden ensrine upon them. Then he
buried them but every green thing and every
20 blossom was stripped from his garden for all
e that.
=. They viii not die. They can swim fol hours.
il Hot water, cold water, acids, spirits smoke are
"a "a useless. rlrnccd one III suit and water He
~ remained four minutes and sprung away ap.
W W parently unpjurel lre-caught him and snoit.
nt ell him for i've minutes Two minutes after.
ba wards he had revived, aud was hopping away
re-ca,1uht the same locust, and buried him ,,s
rn deeply in the ground as / could dig with a
,d rocket knife / marked the place. ind the next
., mornirp looked for nv friend. but Ne was gone
~ Nothing viii kill them hut snlashing them to
: lam with ablow. or boiling them. There is nc
protection against them. They despise aud eai
y; - through the tlckcst cloths, or sacking, or mat
'la ting and glass coverings for u large extent d
"S "t ground would be Of course TOO expensive. Til
ot Nav in which one OF my neitlIbors was enable.
u. to save part If his lurvcst vas BY gathering bill
~. ut fruits and cutting down his corn When thoilo
y. W. Gusts came and then buryipg his property il
NJ hole, dug in the ground and covered over witl
e,5 q heavy stone at the aperture, as had seen h
lh, pefasanfry do in some parts OF Western Africa
vs. This saved him u little. No barn Or room woult
ny les have done So
- y. Yet another three weeks, towards the end q