Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1881-08-10
A Peculiar People.

The people of Hatteras Banks are O.
an ambitious nature and live so much OF
and in the water that most of them,
am sure are web-footed. They iv,
mainly on fish, clans, oysters, crabs
terrapins and wild fowl. When they
leave home they go in a boat, ant
whether they go to court or go courting
or to trade, or to mill, or to funeral
they always go by sail. Their corr
mills are rnn by sails, and some of then
pump their water with windmills. They
don't go up stairs, but ego aloft ;" and
when they go to bed they ''turn in y
when they are i'll they ''are under the
weather." and wheu in robust health
they say they are ''bung up and bilge
free" They speak of trimbuilt sweet.
heart as "clipper built" If she is a
little stout they say she is ''broad in the
BEAM" or she is wide across the tran.
SON." Many of them have ships cabin
doors in their houses, that slide Oh
grooves, and to their buildings they give
coat of tar instead of painting them.
The old woman blows conch shell when
dinner is ready, and they measure time
by "bells." Their babies are not rocked
in cradles, but swung In hammock's S.
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 the doctor they
hang a red flag against a hill side as a
signal of distress. If he don't come,
because the wind amt fair, F" they take
a dram of whisky and copperas, soak
their feet in sea water, ''turn in, a" and
trust to luck. If they die they will be
buried on the top of sand ridge and
when you see several sail boats on the
water IN procession, with flag at half
mast, you are looking at funeral.
They ornament their houses with
whales ribs and jaws, sharks teeth,
swordfish snoots, devilfish arms, sawfish
swords (six feet long), miniature ships,
camphor-w chests. Honduras gourds,
glasses, South American lariats, war
clubs from the Mozambique Islands,
Turkish pipes, West India shells, sandal
wood boxes, Chinese chessmen, Japa-
nese faces, Madagascar idols, Australian
boomerangs, and other strange outland-
ish things. Their hogs are raised on
CLAIMS, mussels, offal Of fish and garbage,
and their cattle wade out on the shoals
for miles, where 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 line.
Every man Is captain of some kind of
boat, and "she" is always better than
any other boat in some way. "She is
hard to beat in gale of wind" or ssbe-
fore the wind or Cheating to wind
ward" or with the wind ON the beam, {"
or "she can sail closer to the wind" OF
will carry sail longest, or is hard to beat
in light wind" or ''totes more stock, -
or is stronger" or "dryer," or ''big-
ger" or ''she is big little boat" or
''draws the least water, or "needs less
ballast" or ''has the best timbers," OF
''stsers the best, or ''she is a lucky
boat, or islands up better" or ssneeds
less sail than any other boat, - or ssshe
is best for fishing" &c. Perhaps she
''comes about better than any other
boat" She is bound to have something
about her better than any body else's
boat.