From the web site - http://frenchculture.about.com
Adapted from a popular Beauce legend
When the maple sap begins to run in spring, it must be
collected and boiled to be transformed into syrup and sugar. In the old days,
the farmer would go up to his maple wood some distance from the farm and would
often spend a few weeks alone in the sugar cabin to achieve this. And it is well
known that phantoms roam about, at night, in the sugar bush...
In Quebec, spring is the time for the sap run. From the beginning of March,
farmers begin their work in the sugar bushes. The cabane à sucre is opened, the
trees are tapped and the sap is collected. For five to eight weeks the farmer
forsakes his farm to work at making syrup and maple sugar.
The sugar shacks are often rather distant from the farms.
This is why, before the era of the car and the snowmobile, the sucrier (sugar
maker) left with his horse and cart for the higher ground. He stayed at the
sugar shack during the time that he boiled the sap. But boiling is hard work,
for it is necessary to feed the fire continuously and to supervise the cooking
constantly. To stop the process means that one must start all over again. The
sucriers often preferred to stay at the hut and not be disturbed so they could
finish as quickly as possible. But during the long nights spent in the hut, they
were sometimes victims of tricks played by neighboring sucriers or quite
astonishing frauds. One night, as Baptiste Riverin boiled, he heard a howl come
from the chimney: "Oo, Ooo, Oooo!" It must be the wind ",
Baptiste said to himself.
An hour later, he heard it again, but this time much louder and longer: "Oo,
oo, hou, ohoohoo, oooo... " Baptiste went to see outside, but did not see
any footprints in the snow around the hut. " Undoubtedly a trapped animal
", he said to himself, not wanting to succomb to the fear that was
beginning to invade him. He returned to his syrup. But then the moaning
became a scream which was accompanied by a scratching sound in the chimney...
Poor Baptiste felt his hair stiffen. Overcome by great panic,
he gave up the stove and the syrup and ran away as fast as his legs could carry
him. He fled to his house at the bottom of the hill, where he spent a night
filled with nightmares. When morning came, it was necessary to return to
the sugar hut. Baptiste went, restarted the fire and began to boil again. When
night fell, the sinister moan was again heard: " Oo, oo, oohooo... "
Baptiste Riverin, it should be said, had a guilty conscience. Deep down, he
thought: " It is the voice of the phantom of Philémon Gamache. I know it!
" Philémon Gamache was a neighbor to whom Baptiste owed quite a bit
of money. Philémon had died during the winter and Baptiste thought he was
released of his debt. But tonight, he understood that the ghost of Philémon
Gamache would never let him make his syrup in peace. Baptist tried to work in
spite of the noises; but the moaning and scratching became louder and more
persistent. The ghost of Philémon Gamache was going to come down the chimney
and to claim its due!
Unable to stand it any more, Baptiste ran away once again in
the cold night, towards the village where he would be safe. The following day,
before going up to the cabane à sucre, Baptiste Riverin went to visit the
Gamache widow to pay off his debt. The widow Gamache, delighted, accepted the
much-needed money with joy and a repentant Baptiste once again took the path to
the sugar bush. He relit the fire, continued collecting the sap and did not stop
boiling until the end of the sugar season.
The moaning and scratching in the chimney was not heard again. Then, when the
sap stopped running, Baptiste stored his buckets, taps and pots. He piled up the
syrup cans in the cart and checked the state of the wood pile. Then, finally,
once the fire was completely extinguished, he took down the chimney flue.
Do you know what he found in the pipe? A large dead owl!
This story was translated from Le fantôme de l'érablière, found at the Web
site Histoires, contes, et légendes de la Matawinie, a collection of legends
and stories about animals, native traditions, Christmas, witches, devils and
other strange creatures. Part of the SchoolNet Digital Collections.