In order to divide the island in two sections, the inhabitants were told to choose two walkers, one to represent the French and the other the Dutch. They were put back to back at one extreme end of the island, making them walk in opposite directions while sticking to the coast line, and No Running! The point where they met on the other extreme of the island would subsequently create a line to represent the frontier, dividing French, Saint Martin from Dutch, Sint Maarten. The French walker had walked more than his Dutch counterpart, 20.1 and 12.4 square miles, respectively. It is said that the Frenchman chose wine as his stimulant prior to the race, while the Dutchmen chose gin. The difference between such lovely beverages was said to be the cause of the territorial differences by French locals, while Dutch locals tended to blame the French "walker" for running and sending women to distract the Dutchman.
I do love wine and I can see how it would sustain a man longer than gin, but I’m not sure I want to be walking 30+miles around the island. I’d rather sail into the sunset distracted by the white sand beaches and the crisp salty air.
No comments:
Post a Comment