Page 13 - Travels with Johnny "Butch" MacDonald

ISSUE : Issue 36

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1984/6/1

Hill; they had a field there. They were to deliver them there Monday morning. So, Sunday it started to snow. And I thought, by geez, I'd better take off for Margaree. It was rough going; I just made Hunter's Mountain. I got up there, then I got to Lake o' Law. And that was it, that was as far as she was going. She was in the snow. And it was dark, you know. So, there was a house--you could see a light up there. So I walked up to the house, told them my troubles. Truck in the road, and I was going to try to get to Margaree. "Well," they said, "there's a wake here to? night , and there's not much we can do for you. But," they said, "you go to such a place down here, you cross over here, and you go this way--there's two or three men there, they'd be only too glad to go down with you. They've got a horse." So I walked there, told them. Oh yes, yes, they'd go. So much apiece. Anyway, I slept on a little bench that night, about 6 inches wide. Waiting for the morning to come. And finally, we had to get going, up around 4 or 5 o'clock. So we got the horse hitched up and we got down to Margaree, down to the place. And there were some of the cattle there. Finally, they all came in. There was a young fellow there, very young. He said, "Mister, if I help you out with the cattle, will you pay my way on the boat?" I said, "Yes," So, we started off with the cattle. Well, everything was going all right. But it was taking quite awhile. There were the two hired fellows, and myself, and then this young fellow. (Did you have the cattle all tied together?) No, no, no--loose. Just a bunch of cattle, and you drove them. That's where the name "drover" came from. Same as out west, they herd them with horses. We were on foot. We drove them. They stayed together. It seems that's their nature, when you're driving them. It has to be that way, or nobody could drive them. Whoever set up the system set it up that way. Same with sheep, they stick. Just walk behind them. And then if you see one turning off the side, you'd run up the side and put it back on the road. Anyway, we got up around Lake o' Law there sometime in the afternoon. Drove them in the yard, and got the farmer to put some hay out, give them some feed. I think the old farmer gave us something, too. And we started off again. (Had you planned that stop in advance?) No, no. (Just picked a farm.) Well, yes. Asked him. You'd give him something. A dollar would go a long ways then. Anyway, we got to Middle River that night. And these two fellows, they were bellyach? ing and growling all day about how hard it was, and they weren't getting enough money, and all this kind of stuff. We put the cat? tle in the yard there and fed them, and I went in and went to bed. The young fellow, they put him up, too. I paid those two fel? lows and I told them that I'd get the cat? tle there myself. So the next morning, this young fellow and I, we borrowed a lantern from the fellow, and we started off driving to Nyanza. Pitch dark. So, the young fellow took his suitcase and the lantern. And he went a- head. And I was behind. With 24 cattle. We drove them down. We got them turned into the Yankee Line. Pretty near every gate was open. And they'd go in the gate. He'd sit down on the suitcase with the lantern. And I'd have to get over the fence, or MR. TIRE LTD. Specializing in 267 Prince Street Sydney nsma The Radial Tire People Fully EquippedMobil Unit 539-5670 IsleRoyale Beverages Ltd. It's the realfhing. Cote. m'& Your authorized COCA-COLA bottler 564-8130 526-4439 245 Wei ton Street Sydney, N. S. Stubberfs CDonvenience Stores Bras d'Or Main St., Sydney Mines Pierce St., North Sydney Florence The Challenger Restaurant Sydney Mines Open Dally; 9.30 a.m. to Midnight Fri. & Sat.: 9.30 a.m. to 2 a.m. Comfortable Dining, and Take Out Food (736-2033) Druker Insurance Charlotte St., Sydney . . . 562-5504 Mayflower Mall 564-1818 WILL INSURE VIRTUALLY ANY CAR. HOUSE OR BUSINESS COMPARE RATES. YOU COULD SAVE. Phone Toll Free 1-564-6000 BUDGET PLAN AVAILABLE IN EMERGENCY: Awie Druker, F.I.I.C. 564-6615 (13)

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