Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-05-26

at the outskirts of Newhaven, walks around
II ana passes on, as If with sigh of relief
at having escaped Il bootless struggle.
The houses Of the western highland and
island crofter-iishers are not bright places.
Nearly all their cabins are built on line
with the slope of the rocky brae OF hill
side. the rear roof-slope forming and obtuse
angle. The walls are often not more than
five feet high, but they are frequently four
feet thick. Some are neatly matched with
straw. Most are covered with bracken or
heather.
Some "beastic," COW, sheep or pig has
its partitioned byre within. The place Is
dark. damp, noisome. Little apertures,
closed at night, answer for windows. The
peat fire, which never goes out and fills the
place to suffocation with smoke, is built in
little stone trough in tho center of the
hut; half-barrel. set in the matching
above, answers for a chimney and an
iron chain hanging from the roof sup
ports the huge iron pot in which the por-
ridge, the potatoes and the "kail brose,"
are cooked,
The furniture is an odl tumble of an
cicnt oak, cloudy delphi, olden iron and
pewter with Gaelic .'methers +" There are
square hunks in which an entire family
might repose, hammocks from rotten nets,
and rnder beds of lines and barrel slaves.
Creels and tubs are many and various.
Chests black AMI huge arc ranged along
the walls. And there are stools and chairs
constructed of drift-wood and tree limbs,
and seats of square-hewn stone.
Most of the able bodied men engage in
the early summer in mackeral fishing off
the southwest coast Of Ireland. They are
no more than ut home from this, when
they depart for the northeast Scottish
coast herring fisheries. If there be winter
herring fishing III the sea lochs near their
western island homes, it is prosecuted in
small open boats of from Is to ~ feet keel,
at much bodily risk and under torturous
seventies of wind and weather. In these
boats all the fire they have for cooking
and warmth is kept in huge iron pots; and
in sleeping they tumble down anywhere
in their clothing and oil-skins and cover
themselves with rags and sails.
Tho wives and daughters of these croftcr-
fishers are. from the conditions of their
husbands toll less iishwives in fact, dress
and custom than those in any other fish
ing community of Scotland. Some of them
engage during the summer season in the
east-coast curing work. But all till the
little croft patch of ground spin and
"waulk" or "full'' the noted handmade
woolens OF Skye a. Harris; and in their
ceildihs or gossiping parties knit, knit,
knit, with the same rapidity and Us cease
lessly rs they wag their nimble Gaelic
tongues.
The lives of the east coast fisher folk are
far less hard and sunless. Their houses
are fairly good. They contain two and
sometimes three and four rooms. As is
also true of the Newhayen folk, at least
one room of the house is neatly furnished,
and is always u bright il humble picture
of tidy-handed housewifery. On the
Banffshire and Aberdeenshire coasts they
are intensely religious, and are extraor-
binary dispntants on knotty theological
questions. They love dearly TO harry and
worry their ministers, ''outside o. kirk"
with wise and serious arguments. Their
old drinking customs are dying out.
Thrift sobriety and excellent weekly
newspapers are working genuine revolu-
ton among them.
The herring fishing industry has within
a few years given both the 0rkneys and
Shetlands unusual prosperity, as their total
catch of all fish is now equalipg one-third
of the entire catch for all Scotland. Cod
and ling fishing is extensively prosecuted,
many of the shetland smacks going AS far
as the Farce islands and to Iceland. All
the fishers of these islands are crofters and
seem TO be prosperous and comfortable.
Croft holdings comprise from three to ten
acres of arabic land, with hill pasture,
called scattald, in common.
AT each croft home will be found few
sheep the iieeces Of which are never shorn,
but 'rued,p that is, pulled; great ilocks OF
geese; often u COW; and always the stunipy,
sure.footed little "Sheltie" or Shetland
pony. These with the Shetland women
are the beasts of burden. The latter will
step off nimbly with 20 or 50 pounds
weight of peat, kelp or fish in their
''kashes'' or creels. These fisher crofters
of the islands as a people are most frank,
engaging and courteous, though under
Ia
reserve far exceeding That Of the mainland
Scotch.
Next to Highland crofters all these fisher
folk are the most supersttious people OF
Scotland Their customs and folklore which
have been the natural outgrowth OF their
vocation have been practically changeless
for half thousand years; and their por-
tents and omens are countless.
In Skye If u woman crosses the water
where fishing is in progress, and among
the Newhayen men ii the name OF
''Brounger" Of an old Newhaven
reprobate who was the impersonation OF
bad luck and once lived among them-be
mentioned, fishing will be at once discon-
tinued. Skye and Harris fishermen have
been known to beat their wives dread
fully, not from any ill feeling but to
| propitiate and attract the fish.
All Scottish fishermen note carefully the
| first person upon whom their eyes alight
in the morning. Their "luck" for the
| day will depend on whether the person
was well or i'll favored. 1t is a curious
commentary upon the standing and intu-
ence of clergymen among them that a
| clergymen, q pig or cat are the most alb.
horred of all objects as fleets are sailing
out Of harbor. The sight of either, OF
the discovery of the footprint of flat
footed person in the sand, bodies all man.
ner of i'll luck and to utter the name of q
clergyman or any four-footcd beast on
board of Scotch iishing-boat would
render the offender subject to bodily peril
and ut least destroy all hopes of success
on that day.
All along the west coast, however, they
make better use Of the dreaded cat. They
secure favoring winds by burying il alive
in the sands Of the seashore with its head
opposite the desired course Of the wind
| Up in the Shetlands and Orkneys fisher.
men wear a lucky belt containing dried
oifal of three different herrings; and q
perfect child's caul, which wards off evil
| influences and brings good fortune, hang
ing in the cabin of fishing boat. is worth
from five to eight guineas III any pros
porous fishing village.
EDGAR L. WAKEMAN.