Cape Breton's Magazine

But I can introduce you to fellows that that's all they knew since they were born, their fathers were big rooster fighters. And that's all they knew all their life. They grew up on it. It's a way of life for those people. Just like the fellow that grew up on a farm with a racehorse. You know, and his father raced horses all his life, and then he wanted to race them. And that's the way those guys are. Their fa? thers grew up on them. And I know a lot of young fellows there, their grandsons are f''''''a'M'SSO!*:'!!! Specialists in 341 Welton St.. Sydney SERVING ALL OF CAPE BRETON PRODUCTS LTD. Phone:539-4111 • No stnjctural changes • No more painting • Clean from inside FREE ESTIMATES STORA' Stora Forest Industries limited CARING FOR TOMORROW'S RESOURCES, TODAY! STORA FOREST INDUSTRIES LIMITED has planted more than 83 million seedlings in the seven eastern counties of Nova Scotia since beginning operations in Cape Breton in 1962. The Company has carried out forest improvement work with site preparation, planting, weeding and spacing of young stands of trees on more than 20,000 hectares. In Canada, we are recognized as a leader in forest management. A member of the STORA GROUP, Sweden, STORA FOREST INDUSTRIES UMITED is proud to be part of the oldest company in the world. 28 YEARS OF PROGRESS IN NOVA SCOTIA full of roosters.... Just in the family. Because it's very hush-hush over there now. I'm well-known over there. But now, I nevet know when there's going to be a fight. (Did you tell me why you got out of it?) Well, there was no money in it, and like I say, I don't like fighting them that much. I like to breed them. I'd stay in breeding them. If anybody wanted to fight them, I'd breed them. I'd love to breed the best fighting rooster that ever walked. But I hate all this fighting. I hated to lose one. I didn't lose many, but I hated even losing that many. But I love breeding them. I'd love to come up with the best breed.... But, you know, one day I went with 4 birds. And first bird I fought--I could have got any amount of money on it. I didn't have that much on me. Everybody betting against me--I'm fighting the best. I had no trouble getting a hundred dol? lars. A hundred dollars--(if) I'd had 500 in my pocket, I could have got it. So I figured up, a hundred on the first fight. And I won it. So the next fight, I got the hundred on it. But they weren't too fussy to give me it. They wanted to fight for 75, 50. I said, "No. I'm fighting for a hundred." Fought for a hundred, and I won that one. And I couldn't get a fight for over $50--they wouldn't put any more than $50 against me. I won that fight. And they wouldn't give me that (again)--I had to fight the last fellow for $10. I won that, too. They wouldn't bet against me. But that's the way they are. You know, they're not as good a gamblers as they think they The only way I could stay in business--even pay for my feed. You know, it costs money to feed these guys, and it costs money to handle them. And the only possible way I could stay in business was to make an agreement with them that I'd take 5 birds, and fight any 5 birds (there), that matched--you've got to match weights. That's an? other thing, when you're fighting birds--you