Looking for Treasure

057.1

Male Informant
Age: 78
Born: June 6, 1894, in St. Alphonse
Education: Grade 8
Conducted on June 29, 1972, in South Bear Cove
Interview: Claudine Comeau
Transcription: Lise A. Robichaud and Caroline-Isabelle Caron

Original Acadian French

C.C. : Tchi c’était bonne çâ ?

Informateur : Mais i’ claimiont qu’c’était ain pirate qu’avait v’nu à terre là. Parce que les premiers qu’ont v’nu par icitte ont trouvé trois fousses qu’il’ aviont enterré tcheute-zins pis y avait , là encore, on ‘oyait là c’qu’il’ aviont fait une cabane pis il’ aviont trouvé des… des… coumme des affaires qu’il’ aviont pour naviguer, tu sais…

C.C. : Ah ouai !

Inf. : … et des balles, mais il’ aviont point trouvé d’fusil. C’est c’qu’i’ fait çâ qu’i’ croyiont qu’y a d’l’or d’enterrée icitte. Tu sais, i’ croyiont que c’est d’l’or qu’a ‘té enterré. Mais moi, j’ai jamais cru çâ. J’chai pas. J’chus dure à croire des affaires. Faut que j’oye pour le croire. But, oh, les vieux empremier, i’ croyiont la-d’dans, ça fait trembler.

C.C. : Coumment ça s’fait qu’il’ avont pas yinque été gratter ?

Inf. : Il’ ont gratté. Quand j’étais enfant, le jardin d’ma mère piquait à la côte. Tout’ les s’maines, j’allions ‘oir pis y avait ain trou d’creusé. Ah ouai, i’ creusiont 50 trous par été, i’ charchiont…

English

C.C.: So then who was it?

Inf.: Well they claimed it was a pirate who’d come ashore. Because the first people who came here [to settle] found three pits that someone had filled in and there was, you could still see where they’d made a cabin, and they’d found some… some… like things they used for navigating, you know…

C.C.: Really!

Inf.: … and bullets, but they hadn’t found a gun. That’s why they thought there was gold buried here. You know, they thought it was gold that had been buried. But me, I never believed that. I don’t know. It’s hard for me to believe things [like that]. I have to see it to believe it. But, oh, the old people in those days, they really believed all that stuff.

C.C.: Why didn’t they just go dig?

Inf.: They did dig. When I was a child, my mother’s garden was along the coast. Every week we’d go see and there’d be a hole dug. Oh yeah. They’d dig 50 holes a summer; they were searching…

Source: Centre Acadien, Université Sainte-Anne, Archives orales, 057.1, Informateur de 78 ans, "Looking for Treasure," Claudine Comeau, June 29, 1972.

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