The land surveyor

On that day, in the late 60’s, a gentleman from somewhere over yonder, came up the dirt road. He was well dressed, he looked smart and he spoke good french… and he introduced himself as « the land surveyor ». Uncle Guillaume Spirit got crossed one time.

Guy was born in 1914, the year when World War 1 begun. He didn’t go to high school because there was no high school on the Island and only a small chosen few could afford to go away to high school… But he was smart.
He learnt enough french to understand anything any french man could tell him.
Further more he always loved to learn. That is how he constantly developped new knowledge and new skills. For instance, because there was no public lighting, it was easy to observe the stars in the sky. In order for him to better understand he got his brother, Edgard, who was in america, to send him a book on astronomy… and soon he could recognise different constellations such as, Ursa major or Ursa Minor not forgetting the North Pole Star. He knew that the Orion Constellation would come up in the east earlier and earlier as we got closer to Christmas…
And then… up to his late 50’s he was an excellent cricket player
And then… once or twice a week he would go down to the bay, jump in his row boat and pull the one ot two fish pots that he had made with his own hands. The fish he caught was enough to feed himself and some good neighbors
And then… he knew how to lay a foundation and build a house from floor to roof.
And then… if you had land to separate between your children, he had rope and chain to measure and enough knowledge to calculate each one’s share… and no one contested his figures or design. That admeasurement served as an official document locally.

So when the well dressed land surveyor reached in front of the the ripe man, who was poorly dressed because he had just come back from his garden « in the hill », he could not imagine that he was meeting with someone who was considered by most as one of the best land surveyors you could think about.

Although he already had a negative prejudice he still wanted to hear what the gentleman had say. « Nous avons un projet pour réorganiser le Quartier » the man started…
and he unfolded the large sheet of paper with his plan.
A new road had to be built and the road was to pass « thru and thru » the family property.
He gave his full explanation then he lifted his head with the smile of he who feels satisfied with the quality of the job he had done. He was smiling from ear to ear. But as he looked at uncle Guillaume’s face in search of some kind of approval, he realised something was wrong and the smile disappeared from his face. He folded the blueprint and ventured an : alors ?

Guy said : « Attends ! Je vais à la chasse (I’m going hunting) ». Guy went in the house, picked up his old shot gun, the one on which he had built his reputation of being a very good hunter, and strapped it on his back. He came back out and told the gentleman, nicely but in a firm tone : please leave my property and don’t ever put you foot back here. The gentleman, looked at Guy’s face and realised the seriousness of the situation. He went back « dung » the dirt road and was never to be seen again, anywhere close.

There is where the « projet pour réorganiser le quartier » got killed indefinatly

This happened in July… it was kennip season again, and the lil’ children could come up just like their fathers did: can we have some kennips, please ?
And sometimes, Guy would question : buh who yo fuh ?