I worked out in Battle Harbour one summer on the Mountie's detachment. I was out there for seven or eight months, working on that. I worked on the government wharf out there all one summer. That was about 43 or 44 years ago. We was getting $1.00 an hour. It wasn't very much. No one would work for that now, they'd hardly work for 9 or 10 dollars an hour. My brother, he went to work up to Trap Cove and he worked for $30.00 a month, $1.00 a day, that's all he was gettin. That's about 10 cents a hour. He would work about 10 or 15 hours a day and be workin' late until 12 o'clock in the night and again at 5 o'clock in the morning.

We didn't have very big houses, about 12 x 20, something like that. There'd be a couple of beds built up over, no bedrooms in those days. But it was warm. There was thousands of wood there right inside the door. Them Waterlou stoves used to warm up the water when we'd get it goin'. The old people wouldn't go to bed with fire in you know. They'd doubt the fire before they'd go to bed. Go outdoors, get some snow and heave it in. They'd be afraid the pipes might catch fire. In the mornings they'd have their shavins (13) drawed and everything ready to light the fire again. The first creak of light, they'd be up and have the fire goin' again.

I was at Cape Charles in 1968. This night we heard a noise out on the bridge. We only had an oil lamp then. Guy looked out the window. He said, "Maid, it's a black bear!" I couldn't believe it. He ran upstairs. That's where he had a breech loader gun. Guy then asked if I'd hold the flash light. I wasn't very brave but said, "OK." As I shone the light fair for the bear's eyes, it blinded him and he just stood there. Guy tried the gun three times but it didn't work, then shut the door. He opened it again but by that time Mr. Bear was going up the hill.

Guy then went to tell his father. I was expecting Sandra, my third oldest, at the time. They were afraid it might come back and frighten me. We took Sheila and Sharon, my two eldest girls, and went to his fathers' for the night. Sure enough the bear came back and broke in the pantry window. That was the first time Guy's father saw a bear out there in the Cape.

The next morning Guy and Stewart waited up for the bear. He came again so they shot it. You know a piece of salt pork and spice bag was in its stomach. I was after making Rhubarb Pickles. That was the first time that I had encountered a black bear.

Up in the Lodge, in the 1970's, we were coming home one night when we saw a bear down by the sewer box. Guy said, "You give me the light, I'll chase the bear." I was so frightened! I ran towards the house. Guy went after the bear with no light.

13 Shavins - kindling that has been shaved with a jackknife making it easier for lighting the fire.