The Opelousas courier., 1900-03-10
souNoLANp's FISHERS.
Features of Life ON the Shores of the
Island.

Features of Life ON the Shores of the
Island.
The life of the average Newfound-
land fisherman is not more toilsome,
perhaps, than that of the other labor
ing millions of the world, but it is
certainly more uncertain and perilous.
His life has been described as four
months hard work and eight months
play. This is all exaggeration of the
playtime, and If We say that half the
year he is fishing, and the other half
taking a ''spell," as he calls it, we
shall be nearer the mark.
During the season the industrious
coast fisherman is afoat in his boat
almost before it is daylight, and sails
or rows, according as the wind is, to
his fishing ground, writes a Bay of
Islsn correspondent of the New Yolk
Sun. Unless the cod are uncommonly
plentiful, the shore sees him no more
until nightfall. On his small craft
he possesses the means of making a
fire, and there he cooks himself one
of the fish he has caught, brews a cup
of tea, and eats his doughboy. His
consumption Of tea is enormous, and
that, with the leaden qualities of
the doughboy, which is nothing but q
round lump of cooked dough, no
doubt tends to produce the dyspepsia
which is SO common among the
population. Even during the season
there are a great many days when
gales prevent him from going to sea.
1t is fortunate if these are fair days,
for then he ear busy himself helping
the women to snake" the fish. II
wet, however, there is nothing
usually to be done but sit around in
ignoble inaction.
His fare is of the simplest kind. I
have more than once seer the prep
aration Of the evening meal of a man
who had been away since dawn, and
who might be expected to have a are
appetite against his return. The good
wife half filed a small pan with -four,
among which she poured sufficient
molasses to knead it into dough. After
rolling this into two cakes she placed
one on q plate and strewed a little of
the preserves Of the wild raspberry
ON it. The other ssbannock'' was
placed on top, and, after a iudicious
firing in the oven, behold, a pie. And,
oh, such a pie! Guiltless of yeast or
rising of any sort, it was truly un-
leavened bread. I had the oppor-
tunity of indulging in this satisfying
fare subsequently, and my respect
for the Newfoundland man rose as I
considered how many generations he
has endured this and yet refrained
from homicide. This, however, was
but a confection-the solid food con-
sisted of a generous share of turnips
and potatoes mashed up together.
Pots and pots of tea, sweetened with
molasses and milkless, and bread,
without butter. completed.the repast.
It cannot be said that the Newfound-
land fisherman keeps himself poor
with riotous living.
When he is in a situation TO earn
wages and boarGahimself. his expendi-
lures on housekeeping are of the most
parsimonious description. On Belle
island the wages is 10 cents nm Jour,
and as in the long summer ds1s the
hours are many, the Earnings bf the
men are considered handsome Eheir
families are not on the isTRaegslRd the
workmen erect little novels in the
neighborinx woods where as many Of
them sleep as can be packed under
its roof. The great concern is to send
as much money back to the good wife
and little one as possible, SO that
there may be a full larder all winter
when the work closes down. For this
purpose the poor fellowsliy on about
81 q month. Indeed 81 is considered
the maximum. There is no baker on
the island. and they have, according
ly, to enlist the services of the resi-
dent fsherwomen to bake bread for
them, the charge for this service being
40 cents . stone. On week days no
flesh passes the lips of the great
majority of them, but On Sunday it is
usual to have q feast--namely, pork
and cabbage. This is considered a
banquet that eyen ON American mil
lionaire might think himself lucky in
sharing.
s& # RNs - w-.,-