Description

Once it began it was like a fever —
mud fever. Day after day, at the first
breaking of morning light, the men from
the farms would begin congregating at
Wilmot, the South West River, Oyster
Bed Bridge, St. Peter's Bay, Hill River,
Boughton River, Vernon Bridge, Murray
River, Grand River, North River,
and at the many other locations across
the Island where the rich deposits of
"mussel-mud" lay deep on the floors of
rivers and bays. Clad in warm layers of
winter wool, their faces burned baconbrown
by the sun and the sweeping
March winds, they gathered from miles
around to line up at the great wooden
diggers for a load of the precious sea
manure.