Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1875-06-13
A Fisherman's Funeral.
BY JAMES WIGHT.

Boulmer is small Northumberland
fishing village, situated on the northeast
coast of England, about dozen miles
south of Holy Island, the scene of
Grace Darling's heroic exploit. 1t
is long, struggling place, standing on
a low, flat beach, every house facing the
sea, and every house exactly alike. Half
a century since, Boomer" as it was then
called, enjoyed an extended notoriety as
a smuggling station for Holland gin and
tobacco, and many were the fights its an
Gent inhabitants witnessed between the
luggers in which they were interested and
the revenue cutters of the government.
Will Watch was one of its famous heroes
and the scene of his midnight burial on
the slinks," after his last engagement
with therevenue gun-sloop, is still pointed
out with considerable ostentation by the
present generation of fishermen; while at
almost every merry making his memory
is preserved green in the ballad-at once
his epthaamium and his dirge-with the
refrain;
lyon ash struck with lightning points out his
cold bed,
famed, daring fellow,
Once feared, now forgot, sleeps in peace with
the dead"
On the occasion of a recent visit to
England, found myself in Boulmer. |
stood among group of half hundred
wives and unkempt looking ur-
chins watching the coolies return from the
days fishing. There were about thirty
Of a,I ~ n slUht
to behold them, one after another, shoot
ing past Steel Rock, and as they darted
like things of life into the rock-bound
basin, suddenly haul down the great dark
brown sail that seemed so monstrously
out of proportion to the tiny craft
As the women stood there, hands folded
in their aprons, after the immemOrlal man
ner of fish-wives, one of the coolies hove
in sight with neither sale nor mast. AT
once sharp, shuddering scream, as of
instructive apprehension, ran through the
group. To their educated vision every
coble has a distinctive individuality, and
even at this long distance they recognized
the boat, and began to give utterance to
the alarm that inspired them.
cts Isaacs boat; its the Alnwick Cas-
tie" "What can ha' befaun the CastleI
"See! there's only two men, "There's
deeth in the CASTLE"
Bv this some of the coolies were hauled
up on shore, but no attention was paid to
the "catch." Men and women are super
stitious, and a terrible foreboding con
corning Isaac Gair's coble fell upon them.
As the boat crept almost doggedly toward
the shore, young woman OF Amazoniah
build and almost queenly features, bound
ed. rather than ran among the seward
gazing spectators. She put her hand
above her eve, gazed earnestly for half
minute, and, with wild, despairlng
shrek. she cried MY feyther! on, me
fevther Me poor darling feyther's deed!
The same conviction had settled into the
minds of several in the anxious group;
and in response to the young woman
lamentations, subdued remarks were heard
on all sides: ''Aye, aw doubt sac, poor
womanr' MARS the pity, poor crea-
ture!" Poor auld Isaac; there's over
few left like him!" ;.
Doubt and suspense were speedily DIS
sinated. The coble-keel grated on the
gravel: and all that was mortal OF Isaac
Gair Law for'ard, wrapped in the sail. HIS
two comnanions were blanched and damp
looking, and well nigh paraiy,zed WIN
fright. They had little to tell. isaac
was the captain and usually steereu' p9'
that day he preferred to be Tor ara; an9'
when the sale was set, he had crieo,
sPort'er, Bartie!" Then he had iSnIeo
his pipe and dropped quietly asleep. ny,
and-by the pipe had dropped rom ms
mouth; his head nodded few times anu
finally he had muttered, "Hard-a-port'
and gone up aloft. ~
The old man lived with his unmarried
daughter, Esther, whom the reader knows
and he had, besides, two sons ana three
daughters married in Boulmer, all OF
whom now came weeping and wailinS
round the corpse, and followed 1t M IL
was borne reverently home and iaid OH
the bed. u... oel
When the more violent ebullitions OF
Grief had subsidized, Esther, who clearly
reoarded herself as the sole directress,
said: s.The passing bell maun be toiid'
and the Joiner maun be fetched; and the
shrood maun be made; and he maun be
shaved and streeket"-after which voluDle
utterance she burst into passionate gusn
of convulsive sobbing. The parish-church
was at Longhoughton, two miles on and'
when | offered my horse to carry some
one to see the bell-ringer and the joiner,
spontaneous burst of gratitude e., was va
evoked. did not leave Boulmer till the
funeral was over, and, as carefully ac-
ouainted myself with every observance
and ceremony, the following particulars
nav be relied upon. 1t may be promised,
however, that the customs here described
differ in material particular from the