San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-09-27
THE SEA ISLANDS.

along the whole Atlantic coast |
than the little fringe OF is lands
that thickly embroider the line
from Charleston to Savannah.
Here the stately, picturesque pal
metto flourishes in all its glory.
Ferns OF wondrous varieties and
countless species thrive immen-
ssly in the alluvium Of hollow and
raviue. The sea islands cover
large territory. They lie very
near together, separated only by
narrow lagoons. Those lying be-
tween Savannah and Port Royal
are not so large or seemlng ly so
fertile as those between Port Royal
and Charleston. The land here re-
cuperates itself wonderfully from
wear to year, and produces the I'm
est cotton and the highest-prlced
in the world. The plant Is rich
and silken, being used only for the
finest kind of cotton goods, and
when carefully gathered brings 5O
cents to 60 cents per pound, and
when carelessly gathered never less
than % cents. These are very
high prices for cotton, and the
thrifty planter who owns from 10
to 80 acres of land is sometimes
very wel1-to-do, but thrift is not
one of the shining characteristics
of the islanders, and many OF them
are very poor indeed.
In by-gone times stately man.
sions, the homes of planters who
were in their small way feudal
lords, dotted on these islands.
But the families have almost dis.
appeared, and most OF the lordly
mansions stand dismantled and
ruined, wrecked and torn by the
frequent storms that sweep with
such pitiless fury at times over
this charming spot. And in con-
sequence, Negroes form the bulk
OF the population, and they are Ne
groes of a very peculiar kind-of
the true slave type Of African, the
unadult erated descendants of an
cestors brought from the dark con-
tinent years ago, but still retain
Ing their many forms of speech or
lingo used by their half-civilized
ancestors. -
They are also superstitious to an
absurd degree. The devilish art
of witchcraft is believed to be pos
sessed by old crones who have
fingered out their days to an in
credible length Of time. The holy
dance, too, is practiced in all it's
widest and most grotesque aban-
don. They are gentle, unobtru-
sive and friendly, patient and I'M
complaining when storms come
with little warning and turn the
smiling parsdisical fields and gar
dens into windswept, wavewashed
opens of desolation.
With the exception OF here and
there a dismantled mansion the
houses have small pretensions to
architectural dissimilarity. They
are the one-room, primitive log az
fairs common throughout the
South, overshadowed by luxurious
growths of trailing vines and
masses Of palmettos. Pigs, chill
dren and chickens swarm over the
puncheon floors alike unrebuked
the children as innocent of con
ventional clothing as the young o
the lower animals with whom
they squabble for possession o
stray bits Of corncake or othel
edibles.
1t is a common sight to see {
small pickauinny wallowing in thu
soft white sand beneath the scorch
ing rays Of tropical sun, totally
devoid of clothing Of any sort ex
cept a necklace of mole's feet
lizards claws and cats teeth, fol
the newborn babe may not hav,
cotton cloth enough to be swad
died in, but it will have in read
mess this most necessary necklac,
as a preventive against spells o
all sorts, including witchcraft, tn,
evil eye or a hoodoo Of any sort
Then, too, the mole claws are sup
posed to impart some beneficien
influence, which causes the teeth o
the infant to grow without pair
or danger to the babe. Frequentl
the ebony little Cupids are adorr
ed with necklace, bracelets an
anklets Of these repulsive articles
and were it not for such articles {
civilization as are always see
about a negro cabin one migt
well fancy ones self in the yer
heart Of the wilds of the dark col
tinent. One meets very few whit
faces among the Sea islander
and what Is rarer still, a yellow {
mulatto negro is not very con
mon sight, as in other places whe
the black race abounds. -Philade
phia Times.
FOR OVER FTErv sOrApa