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Two Tales Of Southern Life

Two Tales Of Southern Life image
Parent Issue
Day
17
Month
November
Year
1897
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Speaking of going down south to avoid the cold and disagreeable weather of our Michigan winters, Hon. A. J. Sawyer was reminded of a couple of incidents that have served to amuse liiin whenever they are called to niind. A winter or two since he concluded to try the climate of Florida, and for a few weeks during our most severe weather, he whiled away the time at Jacksonville and on the St. Johns river. "One of the most amusing things that I witnessed there," said Mr. Sawyer, "had a darkie and some cat fish as actors. The cat fish down there grow to an enormous size, and they are regular river scavengers. They follow the boats, as much as sharks do at sea, and grab and fight for everything that is thrown overboard. "One day the darkie who assisted the cook, in doing what the cook did not like to do, was sitting at the reer end of the boat on which we were going up the river, dressing a turkey. The second that a piece of refuse, even a feather, was thrown overboard, it would disappear, and occasionally, when a piece of something too large for the fish to swallow at one gulp, was cast overbcard, you could see in the clear water those great fish fight for it, a dozen or more often contesting for the coveted morsel. "Finally, wlren the bird had been properly dressed, the sable individual thought that it would be the proper thing to "souse" it in the river, so that it might be more thoroughly purified. That was just the bait the cat fish were waiting for. The turkey had no more than struck the surface of the water than it was grabbed by the neck by a huge catfish. The negro yelled for dear life. The yell had not left his mouth before two other fish eame to the aid of the one who had made a tackle, each grabbing a wing. "The darkie yelled louder than ever, and with both hands clutched hold of that turkey's legs, he see-sawed with those fish several seconds for its possession. Finally one of the wiugs gave way, and some of the ship's crew carne to the aid of the gritty cook and belabored the other fish with pikes anï poles until they let go, which they did so suddenly that the darkie went sprawling on his back, with the turkey in his outstretched arrns dangling above him, a picture for a kodack fiend. "Our dinner was saved by a hairs breadth. Everybody enjoyed it but the principal actor, and the manner in which he rolled his eyes at the rest of us, only added to the extreme ludicrousness of the scène." 1IOW A BOY PI.AYED 'GATOR. "Another incident," continued Mr. Sawyer, "occurred in Jacksonville, at the docks. The negroes down there congrégate around the docks in great numbers, clothed in nature's garb and a few extras. They stretch themaelves out along the planks in rows, resembling huge sardines as packed in a box, and there they stay and lnze and sleep with the hot sun pouring down on them, evidently enjoying themselves as much as oysters in their native beds, and with about as much life and energy. "If there is any one thing more than another that the southern negro isafraid of, it is an alligator. He will run in terror at the sight of one, nor stop until he considers himself at a safe distance. "One day I was gazing upon a crowd of blacks, lazing their existence out on one of these docks. This dock was built out to the water's edge, but under it was the river bank where the darkie boys sonietiines played. "At this particular time there was one lone pickaninuy, about eight years old, sauntering nround under the doek, occasionally looking up through the cracks at the quiet, drowsy and crowd overhead, thinking up what he could do to amuse himself. Finally an idea struck him. He searched arouud until he found two pieces of boards that suited his purpose. These he took, one in each hand, and, slipping up to the outeredge of the doek where there were several pairs of bare black feet dangling, he clapped those two pieces of boards together so that they just scraped one of those daugling black féet, at the same time making a noise pxnotly like an alligator sliutting his jaws. The drowsy crowd was awake in a senond, and with a cry of " Vator ! 'gator! 'gator!" that dook was cleared of human beings in less time than it takes to teil it; while the whites of those black's eyes rolled in terror at the narrow escape. "Finally one venturesótne fellow took acareful peak under the docks, butthere was no sign of a 'gator, nor of the hoy either, for he knew tliat his black hide would be most gloriously taiined, should he be cauglit, and bad bid bimself before the scared darkies above could collect their senses. "But the scène was a funny one, very funny, and I never think of it without enjoying a good laugh."

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Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Courier