The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1881-08-19

Ss'seer Ways Of Livimg on the Hasscras
Hanks Blogs and Cntale.


tFrom the Ra'eiAh N. wa and Obseryerl
Inc people OF this region are of IN
amphibious nature, and live 40 much Oh
ana In the water that most of them, am
sure, are web-footed. They hive mainly
On fish, CLAIMS, oysters, crabs, terrapins
and wild fowl. When they leave home
they go in boat, and whether they go
10 court or go counting, or to trade, or to
the NIL, or to funeral, they always 90
by sail. Their corn-mills are rum by
sails, and some of them pump their
water with windmills. They don't go
mp stairs, but "go aloft," and when they
go to bed they "iurn in; when they
are I'LL they are "under the weather."
and when in robust health they say they
are "bung up and bilge free" They
speak of trim-built sweetheart as
clipper built" If she is little stout
they say she Is broad in the BEAM" or
she Ii "wide across the transom. Z"
Many OF them have ships cabin doors in
their houses, that slide on grooves. and
to their buildings they give coating of
tar instead of painting them. The old
woman" blows q conch shell when din
ner is ready, and they measure time by
IN cradles, but swung in hammocks.
They chew black pig-tail tobacco and
drink wild tea called "Yeopon." They
manure their land with sea- grass and
bury their yam potatoes in the sand
hills. When they want a doctor they
hang q red flag against hillside rs 2
signal OF distress. If he don't come, be-
cause the wind amt fair" they take o
dram OF whisky and copperas, soak their
feet In sea water, "turn in" and trust
to luck. If they die they will be buried
on the top of sapd ridge, and when
you see several sail boats on the water
IN procession, with a flag at half mast,
you are looking at funeral.
They ornament their houses with
whales ribs and jaws, sharks teeth,
sword6sh shouts, devilfsh arms, sawtish
swords (six feet long), miniature ships,
camphor-wood chests, Honduras gourds.
spy-glasses, South American lariats, war
clubs from the Mozambique islands,
Turkish pipes, West India shells, san
dal-wood boxes, Chinese chessmen,
Japanese faces, Madagascar idols, Aus
tralian boomerangs and other strange,
outlandish things. Their hogs are
raised on clans, mussels, offal of fish
and garbage, and their cattle wade out
on the shoals for miles, whore the water
covers their backs, to feed on sea grass,
and If they are carried up-country and
fed on corn and fodder they will not
live.
Every man is Captain Of some kind of
a boat, and "she is always better than
amy other boat in some way. "She is
hard TO beat in gale of wind" or "be-
fore the wind" or "boatipg to wind
ward. or with the wind on the beam"
or "she can sail closer to the wind" or
will carry sail longest" or "hard 10
beat in light wind" or "totes more
stock" or is stronger" or "dryer,"
or digger" or "she is big little
boat, or draws the least water" or
"needs less ballast" or "she is the
newest" or "bas the best timbers," or
SISTERS the best" or "she is lucky
boat, or stands mp better" or needs
less sail than any other boat, or "she is
best for fishing" etc. Perhaps "she
comes about better than any other
boat" She is bound to have something
about her better than anybody else's
boat