At present he likens himself to the Indian. "They can never kill us off the way they have the Injuns," a hobo once said to me, "but they're doin' us dirt in ev'ry other way they can. They're stealin' our lingo, breakin' up our camps, timberin' us, 'n' generally hemmin' us in, 'n' that's what they're doin' to the Injuns. But they can never croak us all, anyhow. We're too strong for that, thank God!"
No, Hoboland can never be completely depopulated. It will change with the years, as all things change, but it is impossible to wipe it off the map. As long as there are lazy people, discouraged criminals, drunkards, and boys possessed of _Wanderlust_, Hoboland will have its place in our social geography, and a jargon more or less exclusively its own.
The following collection of tramp words and phrases is not intended to be at all exhaustive. I have merely explained the slang used in the text, and added certain other words which I thought might interest the reader.
BEEFEr: one who "squeals" on, or gives away, a tramp or criminal.
BLANKET-STIFF: a Western tramp; he generally carries a blanket with him on his travels.
BLIND-BAGGAGE: the front end of a baggage-car having no door.
BLOKE: a fellow; synonymous with "plug," "mug," and "stiff."
BLOWED-IN-THE-GLASS STIFF: a trustworthy "pal"; a professional.
COP: a policeman. To be "copped" is to get arrested. A "fly-cop" is a detective.
CRIB: a saloon or gambling-place; more or less synonymous with "joint" and "hang-out."
CROOK: a professional criminal. "Crooked work" means thieving.
DEAD: reformed. A "dead" criminal is either discouraged or reformed.
DITCH, or BE DITCHED: to get into trouble, or to fail at what one has undertaken. To be "ditched" when riding on trains means to be put off, or to get locked into a car.
DOPE, THE: the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.
DUMP: a lodging-house or restaurant; synonymous with "hang-out."
FINGER: } FLATTY: } a Policeman; synonymous with "bull."
FLAGGED: when a man is said by criminals or tramps to be "flagged," it means that he is permitted to go unmolested.
FLICKER: _noun_, a faint; _verb_, to faint or pretend to faint.
GAY-CAT: an amateur tramp who works when his begging courage fails him.
GHOST-STORY: any statement or report that is not true. When told to young boys it means a "faked" story of tramp life.