Page 30 - An Acadian Tale: "Le Chien Noir"

ISSUE : Issue 27

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1980/12/1

Ah! II a ete oblige de le faire. Quand il a arrive a la cote avec son jeval et son caborouat, deux officiers qui veniont d'a bord de la fregate avec une femme. Quand alle a venu pas b'en loin de lui, il a connu sa femme. Ah! la, i' s'avont embras- ses, p'is i's sont partis pour s'en aller, leu' chien a leu' cote. Mais quand il av? ont arrive sur le roi, z-eux esperiont que son garcon amenait une chienne, la mere du chien. II' avont connu la femme de leu' garcon. Ah! il' avont 'te a elle, ils 1'avont embrassee. P'is il' etiont done contents! II' etiont transportes! B'en, i' s'a bati une maison, lui; il a pris une maison avec sa femme. P'is son pere et sa mere restiont dans la vieille maison. Et p'is quand qu'y a eu a peu pres un an que le chien etait avec-z-eux, une soiree, le chien a dit au garcon--il ap- pelait jamais le garcon du roi, son pere; il I'appelait toujours le garcon du roi-- il a dit au garcon du roi: --De soir, on va aller veiller a une mai? son. I' y montrit la clarte. Faut que j'alliens veiller a c'te maison-la. P'is sa femme y faisait signe de pas dire non, de dire oui. Faulait jamais qu'i' dit non. --B'en! i' dit, j'allons y aller. P's partirent. Quand il' avont arrive un bon boute, ils avont entendu hucher une fille, une fille comme si alle avait 'te prise par que'que chose. Le chien a dit au garcon du roi (il I'appelait pas son pere): Allez la ou est la clarte de la maison; moi je m'en vas partir a couri' pour voir ce que y a la que c'te fille-la huche de meme. II arrivit la; deux voleurs qu'aviont une fille,'qu'aviont vole une fille. II a "scudde" (chasse) les voleurs. P'is il a dit a la fille: Je su's icitte pour te sauver la vie, moi. --B'en, alle a dit, je peux pas m'en aller tout seule; je sais pas ou c'que je su's. to him, he recognized his wife. Well, then they embraced each other. Then they started on their way, their dog at their side. But when they arrived at the king's, they expected that their son was bringing a bitch, the mother of the dog. They rec? ognized their son's wife. They went to her and embraced her; they were so happy, they were beyond themselves. Well, he built himself a house; he took a house with his wife. And his father and his mother lived in the old house. And when it had been almost a year that the dog had been with them, one evening the dog said to the son--he never called the king's son his father; he always called him the king's son--he said to the king's "Tonight, we are going to spend the eve? ning in a house." He showed him the light. "We have to spend the evening at that house." And his wife motioned to him not to say no, to say yes. There was no way he could say no. "Well," he said, "we'll go." And they left. When they got a fair dis? tance, they heard a girl screaming, a girl that sounded like she'd been caught by something. The dog said to the king's son (he didn't call him his father), "Go there, to where there's light from the house; I'll run to see what's there to make that girl scream like that." He got there; two robbers had the girl, they were robbing her. He chased away the robbers. Then he said to the girl, "I'm here to save your life." "Well," she said, "I can't leave by my? self, I don't know where I am." "Well," he said, "I'll take you." He took the girl. When they got to her place she said, "This is where I live." He said: SYDNEY SHIP SUPF??LY Sydney and Port Hawkesbury INTEGRITY Being true to yourself -- having Integrity means more than just not pretending to be someone else. It means being completely true to what is inside of you. To what you know is right. It means doing what you feel you must do, regardless of the immediate cost or sacrifice. It means making decisions for yourself and your family, and your entire life based on what is proper, not on what is exped? ient. It means at all time to be honourable and to behave decently and given a wery practical sense it pays, for without integrity no person is complete and without it no book, no play, nothing writ? ten, nothing done by man has any real value. (30)

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