Page 21 - A Visit with Max Basque, Whycocomagh

ISSUE : Issue 51

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1989/2/1

Max's brother Richard with their mother Bridget Anne Sack Basque, Spring of 1921. horse down, our Cape Breton pony down. My father built a camp for one of the Moirs-- I think the Moirs sons--one of the big? shots, anyway. Up Lewis Lake--past Kearney Lake. That time there wasn't a soul, any other house or camp around that, by that lake. I knew we used to go up with my fa? ther, building the camp. And this Moirs lad, he took a canoe up there. And it was the first time my father was ever on a ca? noe. I remember this Moirs' surprise. He said, "My goodness, I thought I'd never see an Indian that couldn't handle a ca? noe." My father said, "Well, I'm an old seaman, and I handled rowboats and dories, but I was never on a canoe in my life." (What did your father do on the sea?) He went to sea in the squarerigger days, when he was only 15. See, he was born in St. Peters, that's where my Grandfather Benja? min. But they moved to Whycocomagh when he was just a bit of a boy. At that time they were cutting timber. And these ships used to come, he'd load this ton timber. And my father was on the boats most of the time. And my father used to talk about driving -i??t.. % ??'''ii oxen to Orangedale and bac... ...... :ie was 11 and 12 years of age. See, they didn't really live Indian ways. It was farming and cutting timber and fishing, all that. And he went to sea when he was 15. My grandmother lost him for awhile, he didn't have time. They went to Sydney. And he was near the waterfront, looking the boats over. And he got an offer to go with this boat, and he had no time to tell his moth? er. Didn't know till after he got on the boat and they sailed that they were head? ing, I think it was South America. Anyway, he got back, and then he stayed home. And then he got on a ferryboat run- Skye Motor Hotel and Licensed Restaurant 77 Comfortable Units * Free Colour Pay-TV (902)625-1300 P.O.Box 190 PORT HASTINGS n.s.boe2to ~ at the Canso Causeway ~ IF YOU COD A FISH, BUT LOBSTER IN THE SEA.... COME QUICK TO GEORGE'S FISH MARKET THAT'S WHERE SHE'LL BE. FRESH AND FROZEN FISH. LOBSTER TOO! 243 Commercial Street, North Sydney, N. S. B2A 3M3 (Next to the Shipyard) (902) 794-7634 ( Open: Monday - Saturday 9 - 5 * Thursday 9 - 8)

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