Nebraska advertiser., 1881-08-11
How the People Live and Raise Cattle
on the IIattcraS Banks.

A letter in the Raleigh Ne,oS and OBJ
SerCer gives An interesting description
of the sandy banks along the Ilatteras
coast, Dare County, n. c., and their
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. known to in
land people as Sand-lappers:"
The people of this re gion are of an
amphibious nature, and live so much
on and in the water, that most of them,
l am sure, are web-footed. They live
mainly on fish, CLANS, oysters, crabs,
tcrrapins and wild fowl. When they
leave home they 90 in Il boat, and
whether they go to court or 90 court
ing, or to trade, or to mill, or to fu-
neral, they always 90 by sail. Their
corn mills are run by sails, and some of
them pump their water with wind mills.
They don't coup 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 are "bung up and bilge free. They
speak of trim-built sweetheart as
"clipper 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
painting them. The "old woman"
blows a conch-shell when dinner is
ready, and they measure time by
"bclls." 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 doctor they
hang red flag against hillside as a
signal OF distress. If he don't come,
because the "wind amt fair" they
take dram of whisky and copperaS,
! soak their (web) 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
n flag at half-mast, you are looking at a
funeral. They ornament their houses
with whales ribs and Jaws, sharks
teeth, sword-fsh snouts, devil-fsh
arms, SaW-iiSh 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, Mad
agascar idols, Australian boomerangs
and other strange, outrageous things.
Their hogs are raised on CLANS, mus
sells, oilal 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 q boat, and
"she' is always better than any other
boat in some way. "She is hard to beat
in a gale of windn or before the
wind, or beating to windward.n or
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 bio little
boat or "drawS the least water or
needs less ballast or "She is the
newest or "has the best timbers," or
''steers the BEST or "she is a lucky
boat or islands up better" or
needs less sail than any other boat
or "she is best for fishing" etc. Per
hapS "she comes about better than any
other boat" She is bound to have
something about her better than any
body else's boat.
A few daring young ladies have APP