Connecticut western news., 1881-07-20
A PECULIAR PEOPLE.
Queer Ways of Living on tho Hatteras Banks-Hogs and Cattle.


 The Raleigh Ne,Os and Observer says:-The people of this region are of an amphibious nature, and live so much on and in the water that most of them, I am sure, are web-footed. They live mainly on fish, clans, oysters, crabs, terrapins, and wild fowl. When they leave home they go in boat, and whether they go to court or go courting, or to trade, or to mill, or to funeral, they always go by sail. Their corn mills are run by sails, and some of them pump their water with windmills. They don't go up stairs, but "go aloft ;" and when they go to bed they "turn 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-b built sweet heart as "clipper built" If she is 8 little stout they say she is "broad in the beam," or she is "wide across the transom. 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 conch shell when dinner is ready, and they measure time by "bells." Their babies are not rocked 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 the doctor they hang red flag against the hill side as signal of dis tress. If he don't come, because the "wind ain't falr," they take dram of whiskey 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 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, devilfsh arms, sawfsh 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, sandal-wood boxes, Chinese chessmen, Japanese faces, Madagascar idols, Australian boomerangs, and other strange, outlandish things. Their hogs are raised on clans, mussels, ofal 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 live.
 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 a gale of wind," or "before the wind," or "beating to windward," or "with the wind on the beam," or "she can sail closer to the wind," or twill carry sail longest" or "hard to beat in a light wind," or "totes more stock" or is " stronger, :" or "dryer," or "bigger," or "she is a big little boat" or "draws the least water," or "needs less ballast" or "she is the newest," or "has the best timbers,' D steers the best" or "she is lucky boat" or stands up better" or "needs less sail than any other boat, :" or she is best for fishing" etc. Per haps s'she comes about hotter than any other boat" She is bound to have something about her better than any body else's boat.