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published: Thursday | September 27, 2007
River in Salt River is the best way to spend a day, according to Jacob and his friends. - Norman Grindley/Deputy Chief
Sitting on a sun-browned patch of knee-high grass beside Salt River in Clarendon recently, I developed a new appreciation for fishermen and the work that they do. I was there with a talkative fellow called Jacob, who may not be the world's greatest fisherman, and may have questionable hair grooming habits, but he sure does have a lot of patience. As I sat with him on that sunny morning, he, in his own unique way, explained to me the virtues of being patient.
"Den wah choice you have? You haffi just siddung and wait til di fish tek di bait. It nuh mek nuh sense you git up lef it, for a you want di fish fi nyam. You a idiot?" said he.
Jacob wasn't wearing a shirt, or any for that matter and reminded me of Tom Sawyer as he sat lazily by the river with his in the water.
This is the way that many teenaged boys, who live near to Salt River, spend their days during the summer. There isn't much else to do, so, according to Jacob, they may as well get some and have themselves a feast in the evening.
"It mek sense fi we jus ketch some fish and run a boat inna di night part, for nothing else nah gwan round yah," he said.
Ace bird shooter
Now Jacob claims to be an ace bird shooter. But, as you can imagine, his weapon of choice isn't a gun, but a slingshot made of wood and elastic bands. "Is a youth show mi from mi did likkle. Di whole a we do it. When we ketch di bird dem we cook and eat dem or sometime we use it fi ketch crab. Crocodile inna di water too, so sometime when we want to see dem we just set di bird dem and you see di crocodile dem come out," said Jacob, with a chuckle.
It was about midday now and Jacob started to get a bit agitated. He had been sitting at that very spot for a few hours and still not a bite. "Sometime we deh yah and noting nuh gwaan fi we, but you know dat we nuh really have nuh choice, for a we want di fish," said he.
As if on cue, Jacob's fishing line moved. His eyes widened and he grabbed on to it in excitement. "Backside! A one good size fish dis man!" he shouted. Jacob tugged on the line for a few more seconds and then pulled up the fish. It was still struggling when he threw it on the grass beside him. "Well, at least mi can't dead fi hungry tonight," he said, with a big smile.
Once he got his first catch, Jacob was on fire. He must have caught close to a dozen more fish in only a few minutes. After that, there was no reason for him to stick around. "Bredda, I gone leave you," said he, and was off.
In just a few minutes, another young man walked up to the river with his fishing pole.
He was tall and slender and walked with a slight limp. 'What a gwaan?' He said to me as he sat down on the grass. He settled himself in that spot and put his line in the water and prepared himself for the wait ahead of him.
He gave his name as Marlon and said that he visited the Salt River every day of his summer holidays. "Like how we nuh haffi go school, we like fi just come out here and shoot bird and ketch some fish. Mi can't stay inna di house too long. Mi start feel haunted, so mi just come out. My mother always a cuss because mi nuh like stay inna di house," said Marlon, with a wry smile.
And so the hours went by. A lazy, sunny afternoon catching fish and maybe later, shooting a few birds. It's the easy going way of life that Jacob and his friends say, is the best way to go.
robert.lalah@gleanerjm.com
River in Salt River is the best way to spend a day, according to Jacob and his friends. - Norman Grindley/Deputy Chief
Sitting on a sun-browned patch of knee-high grass beside Salt River in Clarendon recently, I developed a new appreciation for fishermen and the work that they do. I was there with a talkative fellow called Jacob, who may not be the world's greatest fisherman, and may have questionable hair grooming habits, but he sure does have a lot of patience. As I sat with him on that sunny morning, he, in his own unique way, explained to me the virtues of being patient.
"Den wah choice you have? You haffi just siddung and wait til di fish tek di bait. It nuh mek nuh sense you git up lef it, for a you want di fish fi nyam. You a idiot?" said he.
Jacob wasn't wearing a shirt, or any for that matter and reminded me of Tom Sawyer as he sat lazily by the river with his in the water.
This is the way that many teenaged boys, who live near to Salt River, spend their days during the summer. There isn't much else to do, so, according to Jacob, they may as well get some and have themselves a feast in the evening.
"It mek sense fi we jus ketch some fish and run a boat inna di night part, for nothing else nah gwan round yah," he said.
Ace bird shooter
Now Jacob claims to be an ace bird shooter. But, as you can imagine, his weapon of choice isn't a gun, but a slingshot made of wood and elastic bands. "Is a youth show mi from mi did likkle. Di whole a we do it. When we ketch di bird dem we cook and eat dem or sometime we use it fi ketch crab. Crocodile inna di water too, so sometime when we want to see dem we just set di bird dem and you see di crocodile dem come out," said Jacob, with a chuckle.
It was about midday now and Jacob started to get a bit agitated. He had been sitting at that very spot for a few hours and still not a bite. "Sometime we deh yah and noting nuh gwaan fi we, but you know dat we nuh really have nuh choice, for a we want di fish," said he.
As if on cue, Jacob's fishing line moved. His eyes widened and he grabbed on to it in excitement. "Backside! A one good size fish dis man!" he shouted. Jacob tugged on the line for a few more seconds and then pulled up the fish. It was still struggling when he threw it on the grass beside him. "Well, at least mi can't dead fi hungry tonight," he said, with a big smile.
Once he got his first catch, Jacob was on fire. He must have caught close to a dozen more fish in only a few minutes. After that, there was no reason for him to stick around. "Bredda, I gone leave you," said he, and was off.
In just a few minutes, another young man walked up to the river with his fishing pole.
He was tall and slender and walked with a slight limp. 'What a gwaan?' He said to me as he sat down on the grass. He settled himself in that spot and put his line in the water and prepared himself for the wait ahead of him.
He gave his name as Marlon and said that he visited the Salt River every day of his summer holidays. "Like how we nuh haffi go school, we like fi just come out here and shoot bird and ketch some fish. Mi can't stay inna di house too long. Mi start feel haunted, so mi just come out. My mother always a cuss because mi nuh like stay inna di house," said Marlon, with a wry smile.
And so the hours went by. A lazy, sunny afternoon catching fish and maybe later, shooting a few birds. It's the easy going way of life that Jacob and his friends say, is the best way to go.
robert.lalah@gleanerjm.com
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