Cape Breton's Magazine

strays from a Conversation with Billy JaiTies MacNaiTiara Billy James MacNamara and I exchanged stories at his home in Evanston, Richmond County. I told him about Ben Shears, a fel? low who once lived in northern Cape Breton. Bob Fitzgerald had told me about Ben Shears. I told Billy James the story about how all the men went out fishing, each alone in their boat, and Ben Shears was one of those fishermen, and he would go out alone too. But they would see him away out there • and there would be two men working In the boat. And when Ben came back in to shore, he'd be alone. And he'd have more fish than anyone else. They said that Ben had made a deal with the devil, that it was the devil out there giving him a hand. Billv James MacNamara. Evanston: There was another fellow over here--talking about ghost stories, you were saying there. This fellow was talking about superstition, about people (changing) themselves--like the man out in the boat, where there was two, you were telling me. Well, the old fel? low here used to tell a story about a fellow by the name of (Johnny)--(he) was suspected by the neighbours of being a witch. This (other fellow), he had a lot of cattle. And he was living alongside of this other fellow. So he'd be finding his cattle giving no milk in the evenings. Not a bit of milk. Some of them were, and some of them were giving none. And he suspected this fellow was milking his cows. So he watched, with a gun. So, instead of a man coming to milk the cows, just about dark of the evening, out of the woods, across the pasture, sneaked a fox. The fox ran up to one of the cows and started to suck her. He went to an? other one and started to suck her again. And (it was af? ter) he left, a piece (away) from the cows, that he fired-- and he broke his leg. After he had fired at the fox, the fox ran to this Johnny's house and pawed on the door. They opened the door and let him in. About an hour after, the doctor came. By then he suspected there was something up, so he ran right over.... Here was the doc- Folkus Atlantic COMMUNICATIONS & RESEARCH JOAN WEEKS, PRODUCER At Folkus Atlantic we offer a wide range of services and products, including: • Videotape conferences and special events • Produce infomercials on your product or business • Produce television specials • Rent camera and editing sen/ices with experienced technicians • Produce multimedia products Talk to us first about your video or multimedia idea: ? Give the Maritime Experience This Christmas from Folkus Atlantic From the Heart This toe-tapping video features Cape Breton piano player Doug MacPhee, New Brun? swick fiddler Eddy Poirier and native chanter Sarah Denny. It looks at the role of music in their lives and cultures. $33.00 HISTORY COMES ALIVE Men of the Deeps: A Day Underground Hear the Men of the Deeps in concert and travel under? ground into Phalen Colliery. The men talk about their mu? sic and their work. (Available in November.) $33.00 EDUCATIONAL/ENTERTAINING The Fortress of Louishourg: Making History See one of the world's best recreated 18th century fortified settlements. Talk with the animators, archaeologists and historians and look behind the scenes to see how history is made. $33.00 Time Travel to the ISth Century: A CD ROM Using video, photographs, music and text, this CD ex? plores everything from food and fun to occupations and education. There's even a Pirate Game! Mac (recom? mended) 680040 processor, 8 mgs RAM. IBM MPC2, 386 processor 8 mgs RAM, Windows 3.1 Dos 6.2. $65.00 Respect the Land Set on the beautiful Bras d'Or Lakes, N.S., this award-winning documentary looks at how com? munities can develop their economy without de? stroying the environment. $33.00 MacFarlane Woods: A Special Place Take a journey into a Cape Breton forest that has never been cut, where towering hardwoods shelter bubbling brooks and rare plants. A wealth of information on forestry, botany and conservation. $33.00 902-539-3363 Prices include taxes and shipping. Send cheque or money order to: Folkus Atlantic, 89 Cottage Road, Sydney, N.S. B1P 2C9