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Updated: June 13, 2025
Once in the south of France, when I was weary, hungry, and penniless, I observed one of these last patterans, and following the direction pointed out, arrived at the resting-place of 'certain Bohemians, by whom I was received with kindness and hospitality, on the faith of no other word of recommendation than patteran.
It was the message of a vagabond like himself, as definite a message as the gypsy patteran which shows the way from one camp to another. His patteran pointed to Vallcy, that lovely village by the Arth where he had first told Hermia that he loved her. Beyond Vallcy had come misunderstanding, bitterness, misfortune. She had chosen that spot as though by instinct.
There is also another kind of patteran, which is more particularly adapted for the night; it is a cleft stick stuck at the side of the road, close by the hedge, with a little arm in the cleft pointing down the road which the band have taken, in the manner of a signpost; any stragglers who may arrive at night where cross-roads occur search for this patteran on the left-hand side, and speedily rejoin their companions.
"Like enough, brother; but what does patteran mean?" "Why, the gypsy trail, formed as I told you before." "And you know nothing more about patteran, brother?" "Nothing at all, Ursula; do you?" "What's the name for the leaf of a tree, brother?"
But they must always be of different trees or shrubs. Thus, on the ranch here, a patteran could be made of manzanita and madrono, of oak and spruce, of buckeye and alder, of redwood and laurel, of huckleberry and lilac. It is a sign of Gypsy comrade to Gypsy comrade, of Gypsy lover to Gypsy lover."
Rommany matters have always had a peculiar interest for me; nothing, however, connected with Gypsy life ever more captivated my imagination than this patteran system: many thanks to the Gypsies for it; it has more than once been of service to me. 'Are you of the least use? Are you not spoken ill of by everybody? What's a gypsy? 'What's the bird noising yonder, brother?
Tell her she took mighty good care of him Ha! ha! the old tinker-woman had only one chance of teaching him anything but she taught him the patteran!"
"I don't know," said I; "it's odd enough that I have asked that question of a dozen Romany chals and chies, and they always told me that they did not know." "No more they did, brother; there's only one person in England that knows, and that's myself the name for a leaf is patteran. Now there are two that knows it the other is yourself." "Dear me, Ursula, how very strange! I am much obliged to you.
"It's the patteran," he replied, "and it points to the west road." And so to the westward they went. The walking was easier now. It was blither, too. Hermia's achievements in a musical way had given her confidence.
In fact there were perhaps twenty things which no English reader would have supposed were peculiar, yet which were something more than peculiar to me. The master of the house was an Anglo-Saxon a Gorgio and his wife, by some magic or other, the oracle before-mentioned. And I, answering said "So you all call it patteran?" "No; very few of us know that name. We do it without calling it anything."
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