Page 26 - A Visit with Herman Murphy, Ingonish

ISSUE : Issue 62

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1993/1/1

er's." He said. "There's a horse down, and it looks like he's hurt." So anyway, it was pretty nearly dark in the night. So he went and got the lantern. And we went in. And Jim went in from his home up above. And went in and we found him. He was down and he couldn't get up. And they had everything eaten clean--even the ground was cleaned right off. He had been there so long-- 3 or 4 days, I guess, with noth? ing to eat. And tried to nibble a little bit grass and roots and the like of that. We made a pen and put him in. And I made 32--31 trips to the head of Warren Lake, when I was fishing. Get up at 4 or 5 o'clock in the morning and go fishing. And then I'd go to Warren Lake. Come back again and have breakfast. Go fishing for the day. I'd go back in the evening again and do the same thing all over for it. And when I would go in the pen where he was at--I had made a pen so the other cattle wouldn't bother him--he would wait for me to come. And if I was a hundred yards away from the fence, soon a he heard me coming, he'd be neighing. I Dave's Cycle Sales PHAZER: ) 455 GRAND LAKE RD., SYDNEY I The #1 selling snow- -'r Mr%An immobile in the world.J 562-4343 Yamaha YAMAHA is your #1 choice WemakethediffeniKe. for 4-wheel drive. Serving homes and businesses throughout Cape Breton Island _'''MiHB ''iBHI'' 't' '''' Maple Leaf Products of SYMOi' ENERGY FUELS 38 Lewis Drive Sydney River 539-6444 FURNACE OIL • STOVE OIL • DIESEL • GAS > LUBRICANTS used to take eggs in to him--hen's eggs. And put them in the can in the pen and he'd lick--he'd swill them down and he'd lick my hand off to get the eggs--he loved them. If he'd fall down, or he'd lay down, in the night, he couldn't get up the next morning till I'd get there. And when I'd get there--he'd always lay on the well side--he'd never lay on the sore side. And I'd get down there with my shoulder under his foreshoul- der and his neck. And I'd say to him, "Come up, boy--get up." And he'd ease himself, and he could get up on his feet. Every time that he went on his feet, I helped him up. And he could ease himself up, as long as I'd give him a little support. And in the last of it, I had to have him shot. After making 64 trips--3- mile walk there in the morning, and the same in the evening after fish? ing. And before fishing. (There were quite a few oxen used down there too, wasn't there?) Oh, yes, the olden days, a lot who didn't have horses had oxen. And they used to use them--they were just as knowl? edgeable about their work as what the horses were.... (But you'd rather use the horse than the oxen?) Oh, I never ever used an ox. No, never used an ox. No. No, I never used anything but the horse. Our thanks to Karia ingraham and to the family of Sam Murphy for help in obtaining photographs. And to Donna Murphy for first telling us about her father-in-law Herman.

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