The weekly defiance., 1882-10-24
4 North Carolina Venice.

I suppose Morehead City Is the only
city in the world without wheel in It
The main export OF the town beside.
truck is fish, but the fish caught here
embrace everything from whale to q
shrimp. Last year two or three whales
were taken off this coast, and 9
whale Is worth from $1,000 to 1000
1t Is said that they get between the shore
and the gull stream, and in trying tc
boat out to sea are sickened by the warm
water. They turn TO shore again, and
soon strand themselves. Along the bays
and inlets mackerel are caught in large
quantities In nets. But this wholesale
fishing is neither picturesque nor inter-
csting. A pretty sport practiced along
the shore is spearing founders. A small
row boat is put adrift. A man with a
tiambeau walks alongside up to his knees
In water. In the bow of the boat sports
men stand with slender gigs. Along the
bottom, by the reelection of the light.
can be seen white founders buried in
the sand. They remain perfectly still
while the gig is poised above them, and
never move until they reeither speared
or missed. The only drawback to this
sport is that occasionally your torch
bearer is stung by stingaree. A stin-
garee is simply long buggy whip.
broken out with the smallpox and filed
with steel springs, aquafortis and nee
dies. When he hits you, lockjaw is the
mildest possible result. The little colored
contingent about Morehead makes its
living by grabbing. With little boat,
hardly bigger than a tub, they 90 out
in the surf, and Topping in and out like
amphibia, soon come in with bushel
or 50 OF the ugliest looking and sweetest
tasting things that swim the water.
One other very important industry of
this most interesting place is the raising
of smash tackles" The marsh tackeY
is shaggy pony, hardly larger than
the Shetland, light built and hardy. He
lives in the water, and will not eat corn
or hay. He is brought up on the marsh
grass, which he eats between tides.
They cost literally nothing, breeding in
droves as wild horses. Each drove has
its leader, who selects the eating grounds
and decides when the tides are going
out or coming in. Once every year the
owners have what is called s:pony
penning." All the ponies along the
coast, running into the thousands, are
driven in by boats and either branded
or sold. They bring from $15 to $50
apiece, and it is tribute to their utter
wildness that ''broke" pony, that is,
one that can be ridden or driven, is
called strained tackey," and brings
$40. They are in great demand in the
middle part of the State, eating little
and doing a heap Of work. They run
down to skin and bones before they
learn to eat corn or hay, but then fatten
rapidly and lose the ugly reddish color
the salt water gives them. There are
men who buy them in large numbers,
train them, and take them to the noun
tains and get fancy prices for them. AS
l write there is drove of tackles march
ing in slow and sedate procession against
the horizon. The leader, bearing his
responsibility with dignity, picks the
way carefully, and his company follow
with blind sense of confidence. The
water, as it splashes about their legs.
glistens like showered silver, and their
red sides shine against the sun like
bronze. On they 60, as birds beat home
ward in the twili yht, growing smaller
and more indistinct as they plod their
steady way. At last they are but specks
above the water, moving dumb and pa
llent to some well-desired goal. More
head Nty On. O.. Cor. atlanta Coxststx-
ton.