Green’s Dictionary of Slang

about east adv.

[? sailing use]

(US) properly, regularly, as it should be.

[US]Bartlett Dict. Americanisms.
[US]F.M. Whitcher Widow Bedott Papers (1883) 112: If ther’s any body that won’t knuckle tew her, I tell ye they have to take it about east.
[US]J.R. Lowell Biglow Papers 2nd Ser. (1880) (Intro) xvii: There was not a Yankee [...] whose problem had not always been to find out what was about east, and to shape his course accordingly. [Ibid.] 69: Folks oppersition views aginst the Ringtail Roarers; / They’ll take ’em out on him ’bout east.