Cape Breton's Magazine

someone might take offence. Only ourselves would sing it. Well, the song wasn't sung so often, just now and then. Geordie MacAskill: Murdoch knew it (verse 8), but it's very seldom that he'd sing it, in case the minister was there. That would be the only reason that he wouldn't sing it. Nobody (cared) back then. They'd laugh their head off at it. (So you have the one about his carcass full of lead, then Norman telling how he did it, then the mother burying him in the swamp?) John: Yes. (It's Phillip Carmi? chael who's supposed to be singing it?) Singing it, yes, lamenting his dog's de? parture, that the dog was gone. He was such a good dog (laughing). So good to run after cattle. My father put that verse in because, I told you about he jumped on his back when he was trying to get him to chase the cows out of the place. So in the song he had, the dog was good to chase cattle off the place. (Was he an ugly dog?) He wasn't a pretty dog at all. He had a head about that long (holds his hands out, palms facing with about a foot: between them) , a right long snout. He was tall. He was about so high. (He put out a hand, palm down, with about two feet between it and the floor.) And--he was spoiled. He wouldn't eat bread. A piece of bread, no, turn up his nose at it. He wanted meat, and they used to feed him meat and gravy. Yes, a piece of pie. (Laughs.) (Was he a mean dog?) No. Well, he was mean to smaller dogs. You know most big dogs won't fight with a little dog. Well, he was the only big dog I ever saw that would pick on a small dog. I've seen big dogs that'd ignore little dogs that were look? ing for a fight themselves. But he wouldn't. He'd get after small dogs if they came around. (Did he ever cause any Breton Energy Ltd. FIREPLACE PRODUCTS 564-4949 94 Johnstone Street, SYDNEY other trou? ble?) Appro? priating the lounge for himself. There was a lounge in the kitchen, a cot, and that's where he'd lie down, and he was long enough to stretch al? most the full length of the cot when he laid on it. (He wouldn't let anybody near it?) No, he didn't want anybody disturbing him. This was in the Sweets' place. (It must have been tricky at mealtimes or when company was over.) Well, he was full of fleas for one thing. They had troruble trying to get rid of the fleas. They couldn't get them off the dog. He'd leave them on the cot where he'd be lying and.... (Did he have other bad habits?) Well, I know that he tore up my mother's garden. (John and Geordie's mother was Cassie Sa-