The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1891-01-16
SCOTTISH FISHERMEN.
tAEIR HARDsHlPS AND DoMES.
TIC HABITS.
In Intensely Interesting Account Of these Sin
pie Cotters by Edgar 1. Wakeman-HoW
they Live and What they Eat-A
Hardy and Unique Glass.


ters about foreign folk and their GUS
toms Edgar L. Wakeman tells of the
Scotch fishermen. He says these peo-
pie every year supply the world with
over a million barrels of cured her.
ring, alone. There are some 10000 of
these fishermen. with their families.
After these men and women return to
their western homes. in September,
the crops of their little crofts are to be
gathered. These comprise oats. a bit
Of sickly grass for the hay of the
''beasties'' in winter, potatoes and the
universal Scotch ''kail" or cabbage.
Then the women take to their knit
Ting and land-looms, and if there be
winter Distinguishing in the sea-lochs
near their homes, this is prosecuted
by the men in small open boats of
eighteen to twenty-five feet keel at
much bodily risk and under tortuous
seventies Of wind and weather. In
these boats all the fire they can have
for cooking and warmth is carried and
Kept in huge iron pots; and in leeping
they tumble down anywhere in their
sea-clothing and oil-skins and cover
themselves with rags or sails. If
likely to remain for a time on the
lochs, they build sod huts along shore.
matching them with "bracken,"
coarse fern also used in matching
their homes. If there be no fishing
the natives have little or nothing to
do from the harvest until March and
April. when the cutting of seaweed
for manure begins, and later, when
the annual cutting of peat for fuel is
done.
Among these primitive people the
rights of women to at least labor were
long since beyond gainsaying. Ihave
seen the husband lift half barrel,
seventy pounds, upon his wife's back
and calmly walk home beside her. In
peat cutting time, when the days
work is done, the husband will throw
the crooked wooden spade over his
shoulder and the wife, gathering her
skirts into an ample sack, will carry
sometimes for miles to the croft,
weight of peat for immediate use under
which highland shetlie would stag
ger. And a Fishery board officer, to
whom am indebted for much exact
information, tells me of an incident of
seaweed cutting where crofter's
wife, with rope tied about her waist
was lowered over crag to gather sea-
weed among the slippery, spume-cov-
cred rocks. while her plilosophic hus-
band. safely ensconed in a sunny cleft
above, was quietly enjoying his pipe.
But neither the highland nor island
crofter must be judged by our stand
ards. No human beings love their
wives and homes more Loyalty than
they. All lowly classes following the
sea or the lives of fishermen regard
the mans labor done when his vessel
is anchored in port, or his fshing-buss
is heached at the fishing hamlet shore;
80 that the fishing crofter aud his
spouse are contentedly additionally
correct in their adjustment of labor
and duty.
The home of the western highland
and island fisher-crofter is much in
ferior to that Of the east-coast fisher
man or even of the northern highland
crofter. Nearly all their cabins are
built on line with the slope of brae
or hillside, the rear roofslope forming
an obtuse angle. The walls are never
more than six feet high, oftener but
Eve; but they are frequently four feet
thick. They are built of round or
rubble stone. Some of the walls are
double, with layer of earth between
for additional warmth. The roof beams
rest on the middle of the walls and
are laid at the same angle on three
sides, with lesser angle on the hill
side incline. Some are neatly thatch-
ed with straw; but many are covered
with bracken or heather.
You can never effect an entrance to
one OF these structures through the
single door without pushing aside a
COW. a sheep. or some manner of
"beastie, sheltered in the capacious
doorway or occupying a part of the
hut itself, meagerly partitioned off for
byre. On entering you are nearly
suffocated with smoke. The place is
dark. There are two or three small
windows. Often there are none; small
apertures, closed at night admitting
such light and air as can penetrate.
The fire Is seldom allowed to 90 out,
and when not blazing brightly in use,
smokes and smudges from a slight
depression In the center of the floor,
precisely as in Sioux Indians teepe.
Some OF these fireplaces, if they may
be so called, are built in little stone