The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1881-07-28
How the People Live and Raise Cattle
on the Hatteras Banks.

A letter in the Raleigh News and Oh
server gives an interesting description
of the sandy banks along the Hatteras
coast, Dare County, N. c., and their
nhabitants-sometime known to in
land people as ''sand-lappers:"
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 60 in boat, and
whether they 60 to court or go court
ing, or to trade, or to mill, or to flu
neral, they always 60 by sail. Their
corn mills are run by sails, and some of
them pump their water with wind mills.
They don't go up stairs, but Ego aloft, !"
and when they 60 to bed they "turn
in;'' when they are i'll they ''are under
the weather." and when in robust health
they are chung up and bilge free. They
speak of a trim-built sweetheart as
.sclipper built" 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 q
palnClng Cn0W. lue Olu WOulau
blows q 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 a wild tea called "Yeopon.
They manure their land with sea grass,
and bury their yam potatoes in the sand
hills. When they want q doctor they
hang a red flag against hillside as q
signal of distress. If he don't come,
because the sswind amt fair" they
take dram of whisky and copperaS,
soak their (web) feet in sea water,
"turn in" and trust to luck. Ii 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 a
funeral. They ornament their houses
with whales ribs and jaws, sharks
teeth, sword-fish shouts, devil-tish
arms, saw-fish swords (six feet long).
miniature ships, camphor-wood chests.
Honduras gourds, spy-glasses. South
American lariats, war-c[ubs from the
Mozambique Islands, Turkish pipes,
West India shells, sandal-wood boxes,
Chinese chessmen, Japanese faces, Mad
agascar idols, Australian boomerangs
and other strange, outrageous things.
Their hogs are raised on CLAIMS, mus
sells, 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 car.
ried 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 q gale of wind" or s'before the
wind" or ''beating to windward." OF
"with the wind on the BEAM" or ''she
can sail closer to the wind" or ''will
carry sail longest, or is ''hard to beat
in light wind" or ''totes more
Stock or is stronger" or ''dryer.' -
or ''bigger," or .'she is big little
boat, or .'draws the least WATER" OF
needs less ballast" or stshe is the
newest, I" or ssAas the best timbers," or
''steers the best" or ..she is lucky
boat" or islands up better" or
''needs less sail than any other boat, !"
or ''sho is best for fishing" etc. Per-