Living our culture 1932

The fall I came out of the Country I thought I was a real brave. I went over to Uncle Steve Joes as I went into the house every body gathered around Uncle Steve Uncle Andrew Aunt Harriet aunt millie Joe Mike was there also they had been in trapping that fall as did everyone else in Conne. Uncle Steve uncle Andrew and Mick just got out also. the first Thing Uncle Steve Joe said was what's wrong you did not come over to see me this fall I was only just oveer the hill from where you fellows.I did not know what to say because I remembered Pop telling me Uncle steve Uncle Andsrew and mick is just over the opther side of true hill about coup[le hours walk. Anyway they were all quite happy to see me. all loving people they were. I remember Molly saying look how fat he got.Molly was two years or so older then I was. I remember Mick telling me that fall Uncle Andrew shot a big fat stag one moprning they just paunched it and went on at their gear. hge said thah evening they went to pick up their stag as they got near they saw a bear just throwing the stag on his back to carry off. he said Uncle Andrew shouted you put down our stag mick said the bear turned slowly looked at them the threw down the stag and took off for the woods. mick said they had a good laugh at that.

Living our culture 1932

The fall I came out of the Country I thought I was a real brave. I went over to Uncle Steve Joes as I went into the house every body gathered around Uncle Steve Uncle Andrew Aunt Harriet aunt millie Joe Mike was there also they had been in trapping that fall as did everyone else in Conne. Uncle Steve uncle Andrew and Mick just got out also. the first Thing Uncle Steve Joe said was what's wrong you did not come over to see me this fall I was only just oveer the hill from where you fellows.I did not know what to say because I remembered Pop telling me Uncle steve Uncle Andsrew and mick is just over the opther side of true hill about coup[le hours walk. Anyway they were all quite happy to see me. all loving people they were. I remember Molly saying look how fat he got.Molly was two years or so older then I was. I remember Mick telling me that fall Uncle Andrew shot a big fat stag one moprning they just paunched it and went on at their gear. hge said thah evening they went to pick up their stag as they got near they saw a bear just throwing the stag on his back to carry off. he said Uncle Andrew shouted you put down our stag mick said the bear turned slowly looked at them the threw down the stag and took off for the woods. mick said they had a good laugh at that.

winter of 1932

gettingready for christmas. it was this fall pop did fairly good with the fur.one day he came home and said getting wood will be a little easier this winter. because now we have a horse. mom asked where did you get a horse? he answered Uncle Denny and I bought a horse between us fron Father St Croix phil willcoptt and ambrose willcott will land it across tomarrow. Gilbert and I was right excited could not wait for the horse to arrive. we figures this woild be a nice gentle animal we thought we perhapps would lead it around. instead when it arrived it was saucy as the devil. kicking and snapping an anything and every one near it. this was just pops glory He did not care saucyer the better for him. I think that was the only reason they sold it yet.when they used to cue oxen they would tie all four legs together and trip it tie the legs to a tree not let it up before they had all four legs cued. I thought pop would have to do the same when he shoed the horse. bot not so pop grabbed the hind leg before the horse had time to lash out he had pulled th leg up so high that when the horse moved she thought she was going to topple over pop tacked on all the shoes in no time al all. hge was so good at it that other people woulg get him to shoe their horses and cue their oxen. his fee was fifty cents some time he got paid sometimes he didn't when he did get paid it was usually a stick of tobacco that was only twenty cents. but pop didn't mind that the respect he got for doing the job was good enough for him.That winter pop and uncle Denny went partners cutting logs. but that would be the only winter they cut logs together because uncle Denny was not one for cutting logs. he would much rather be with his brother uncle Joe making axe handles and Racks for schooner masts. wintering in a canvas tent somewhere deep in the forest. I could still picture them now my brother gilbert amd I used to go visit them sometimes . smoke would be curling from the stove pipe in their camp they would both be sitting inside sipping a cup of tea smoking their pipes. outside smoke would be rising from an open fire a big forty five gallon drum rigged above the fire filled with water boiling sending steam to their steam box which would be filled with long witchazel strips of wood which they would steam and turn into hoop like racks that was used to connect the sails to schooner masts. the camp would be boughed in all over making it nice and warm and cosy. but there was no table or chairs or bunks as was our culture we did everything from the ground lay on it sat on it used it for our table. wonderful life.Uncle denny told me once we are like two old dog beavers this is all we want freedom to do what we like doing.

the fall of 1931

After my furring trip life began again.pop got some firewood to put us through till he got bach from the country this would be around the last of november. he stuck the wood he got on end on the wood pile. I would have help mom saw it up as we needed it. I woild have to bring the wood in the house and pack it in the wood box myself mom clove most of it I clove some also. as was my job. I also had to bring water from the well. I would have to make many trips to the well because I could only carry half a bucket at a time.I used to make splits [kindling] out of the dry wood mom used to make the shavings. this is where we used to laugh and make fun of her because she had no sense to use the crooked knife. instead of drawing the right way she used to put the crooked knife on her knee blade facing outward and push the knife and pull the split towards her. real comical. but she always got the shavimgs made good enough to get the fire going. Mom always had time to help with the wood wash clothes and knit our socks and mittens. because most times there was no food to cook she would make bread when ever we had flour this was not all the time. or cook a rabbit the most of her cooking was wild meat eels trout salmon rabbits. our people seldom ever bothered with cod herring or any deep water fish. this was not our culture.
I think at the time we had four sheep and of course a Horse. in those times every body had a horse or oxe but there were more horse's. I never want to be around an oxe. I did not like these horns sticking out of their heads. other people Like Clem joe said he loved the oxe. I said to him the horse is better because they have no horns. No he saids but the bloody things bite they could take a piece out of your arm. I knew this but I was more afraid of their kick the their bite.so I had to feed the sheep feed the horse and water her. three times a day.days were shore the nights were long. Sister Alice played with her rag doll I whittled at stickd for pass time. I was an expert with the crooked knife at a very young age. never got any serious cuts. all this happened when gilbert my older brother was in the country with pop that is when I did most of the work myself. when he was home we worked together. him doing the most.we got into it once I dont know what he done but he made me max I went after him with a hand saw. he said Nick old buddy boy dont hit me with that I didn't mean anything too late then I was stubbern. I struck him with the saw I saw him coming half crying he grabbed my around the waist I waited for the crunch he was very strong but no he just took me around the waist sort of easy held me for a while then let go again.

end of first furring trip 1931

As we landed our dory in the landwash back home . My older brother Gilbert came down to meet us also my younger sister Alice.Edwin was just under five years old at the time so he chased them down also. I remember Gilbert having a big wad of tobacco in his mouth. I was acting kind ob big after being gone a month in the country I thought I was above everyone else. I said so you got a chew have you? he answered yes. I was the first on in the house Mom put her arms around me and started to ask questions about how I got on. I started to tell her what we got I got one muskrat uncle got three weasels and two muskrats pop got a bear a for and a I could not remember the other one but she cut in right away an otter. I said yes. Now for the bad news. on the next day after we left conne. mom went stark raving mad there was nothing they could do for her they had to lash her to the bed for fear she would drown herself. there was only Gilbert and Alice with her first. the both of them could just hold her because she used to go for the landwash. had she got away she would surely have drowned herself. at last some one saw them and got help. they took her in the house and tied her to the bed. Gilbert told us George benoit came up with a cure. he said tie a long rope on her and let her go if she wants to go over board let her go but pull her back before she drowns. if it wasn't so serious it would be laughable. that is what I meant when I mentioned on the second day after we left. had pop known what waht was taking place at home it would have ended our hunting trip that year. Nobody knew what was wrong with her there was no doctor around anywhere. Mom said a lot of people would come some right brazen would come and look right in her face and say you knows me dont you? but she said all she could see was their twisted faces like ugley monsters she said this would terrify her she had no place to go to get away from them this lasted over three weeks. but when we got home all was normal again you would never tell there had been anything wrong. this was the last time this ever happened to her for the rest of her long life. Now back to home life again we had no furs just the one otter and a red fox might be two dollars in all. Pop took these over to st albans a four mile rowe in a dory could not pay his bill at Bill Colliers store. Bill was good enough to let him have a little food for the next trip which would be as soon as he was ready. this was the early part of november Gilbert wanted to go with him this time.Gilbert was a person would never let be said that I did more then him. I think this was the only reason he went. Because I think but I'm not sure this was the first the only trip he ever did make. Giulbert hated staying any longer then one night no longer then two nights anyway. I did skip the next fall btu after pop left I wish I had went I made sure from then on I would be with him every fall. On that trip did a little better. this trip lasted only three weeks because all the gear was set up. I remember after he came out that fall he must have done pretty good with the furs . because he rowed to st albans but when he came back he hired a motor boat to bring him back Father St. Croix motor boat Reg Willcott was the boat operator pop called him up the house fed him a good meal and paid him. I dont know how much it cost. but not more then a dollar because gas was selling fot nine cent a gallon those days. pop had flour pork tea and sugar most important pound of of Beaver tobacco. this was four plugs as we used to say then.I remember as if today we were out playing around the house mom called us for supper when we sat at the table there was a plate for esch of us. it had sort of milky water ans a few flakes of something floating around it. boy did it ever tast good for years I wondered what the flakes was many years after we had some corn flakes as soon as I tasted it I knew what mom had for our supper many years before. It was the first time I found out what it as. so it ends so far.

continuing our furring trip 1931

We packed up our food that night for the trip for the trip home. which was one and a half cups of flour enough tea for about six boil ups no doubt some times we would have to boil leftover tea leaves. we arose early the next morning I cant remember the day but it was sometime mid week. it was adark cloudy morning. little did I know my dry meat horse head would come back to haunt me. we packed our bundles when it was light enough we went outside the wigwam. as we stood by the door we copild feel small fine mist of rain on our faces. pop not a man for impatence. but he must have wanted to get started because he looked me straight in the eye sand said. if we dont get away today it will be your fault. he meant it was because I cut the horse's head out of dry meat I felt awful. we went back in the wigwam for about half an hour it seemed like the clouds were breaking away. pop made up his mind right away and we leave now.It took us nearly two hours to reach the canoe pop made a small fire got some spruce gum and brimmed the canoe [red hot a flat file and melt spruce gum on the leaks] this only took a few minutes and we were on our way. as we paddled east in sitdown way up on a mountain was some rocks formed like a man sitting down. it was then he told me that was the reason they named it Indian sit doown pond. the reason they said Indian sit down pond was because no white man has ever set foot on this land before. not until many years after when the got helicopters and snow mobiles.then they took over.paddling east was the only way you could see the real form of a man on the mountain. he also told me uncle lawrence his brother shot a caribou up on that same mountin from the canoe in the pond. it must be close to a thousand yards.we went on partaged down to pipestone shot the rapids when we could portaged over goon-dow-negwan. [rock portage] we camped on shoal pond that night it was not a bad day after all. our lunches were small just enough to keep the hunger pains away. for supped we would put bear scrunchens in a pand add water and a bit of flour for thickening this and a cup of unsweeten tea was supper.that night it was bitterly cold it was in october I believe our first frost. pop kept fire going all night I dont think he got any sleep because there was not a dry stick anywhere near where camped and uncle charley would not move to help with the fire. we got through the night and left the next morning again when it got light enough. we shot the rapids when ever possible paddled down the ponds[lakes] we was making good time that evening as we shot out in souli-anns pond a flock of partridges took off from the barren ground on our left. pop said darn it we could do with a couple of these. bou he said I believe theres one left sitting on the barrens. pop went ashore I followed with the shell bag sure enough there was a partridge looking at us pop fired the bird too flight I said you missed he did not like this too well. he kept looking to where the bird went walked towards to where he thought it landed sure enough the partridge was flat on the ground. pop shouted I knew I did not miss it. as he wakled over to pick it up the partridge jumped up and scurried away pop backed up and called out give me another shell I did pop shot again this time he finished it off I ran to pick it up. pop said I et it's full of shot this time. there was only one pellet in it when I told him that he said what? he could not believe it. pop said the first time I fired I was trying to just knick it so as not to damage our supper but almost missed it clean. we were happy there would be a little meat with our soup this evening. so for supper we had the partridge with bear scruncheons and thickening a luxurous meal.we camped on souli-anns portage that night here again was a big camping ground our people had been camping here for hundreds of years. the next morning we left very early we had to hurry to get across lond pond[jeddore's lake] before wind came up other wise we would be stuck for another day here. we had to be very careful with this lake it was four miles wide we never did want to get caught in wind whils crossing this lake. it was only a short run from where we camped to the pond. the water was calm we put a rush on and crossed before the wind came. from now on we would have it alright.It was around eleven in the morning when we reached long pond landing a tradetional landing. where all the canoes were put up for the winter.this was our third day. we put up our canoe had lunch and left for salt water we reached salt water by five o'clock in the evening. pop said we hane a qiuck lunch and start roeing our dory for home it would take over three hours roeing before we reach home we woould be pretty hungery by the. next we reach home we would hear about some hardship taking place after we left unknown to us.