41

CHAPTER V

The Sea

By George A. Leard

The sea, from earliest times, has been both friend and foe to those who lived on the shores of Colville Bay. Then, as now, the wooden houses were built close to the sandstone cliffs. The roar in stormy weather was a con- stant reminder ofdanger to those at sea whose only help was a sturdy boat, a compass and a seaman’s knowledge of the weather.

Souris people have always looked to the sea. As children, the beach, the rocks and the wharves were their playground; as young boys, many went to

Courtesy Pictures of the Past by [gards Photo by Morley S Acorn

The shoreline of Souris as seen from Souris Beach.

sea, became master mariners and tra- velled far. In later years,the sight of Captain Taker’s sails coming into the- harbour was a sure forecast for a storm. The severity of that storm was judged by the height of the spray and foam as the waves crashed over the breakwater. And of course, as in any seaport, the women looked to the sea for the return of a husband or son.

The Inshore Fishery:

The first Souris settlers were mostly on farms but it is believed that some of them were fishermen. Peter Cheverie who came with three sons, Francis, Michael and Peter, from Little Pond and settled in the period 1805-1810 were all acquainted with the sea. Fidele Paquet had a farm bounded on the east by Chapel Street but his brother Cy- prian Paquet always followed the sea and never owned more real estate than the lot his house was on. Another of the early pioneers, Francis LaVie, who married a daughter of Francis Cheverie,