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Acadians of Louisiana and their Dialect 



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AL( i:i: FOKIIIMJ 



•K' iI-KSSliK 1VK IHE I-HIIN(,11 l.AN(;i;A<.r AND I.IIKK ATl'Ki; IN rUI.ANK V N IV KKSMA (IF 

J.OCISIANA. 




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if)cpriurid frciii'. ihe /'it/>/tia/w/is o( th^: Mudp.kn Language AssoCiaTkin of Amkkk^a, 
Vol. vi, No. I, 1 891. 






Copyright, 1S91, !)y Ai.chk Koktiku. 



THE ACADIANS OF LOUISIANA AND THEIR DIALECT. 

E\'erythinL; concerning' French Louisiana seems at this time 
to possess an interest for the pubhc ; and it has been my purpose 
in some measure, to give an account of its language, its htera- 
ture, its dialects, its folklore and its inhabitants. My papers 
published in the Transactions of our Modern Language As- 
sociation have been so kindly received that I feel encouraged 
to continue my labors in a field vast and fertile but difficult to 
explore. The work to be done is, to a great extent, one of 
original research and of patient investigation, and it will require 
several years to present a tolerably complete tableau of pictur- 
esque P^rench Louisiana. I now desire to present another feature 
of the picture by giving a brief sketch of the Acadians and their 
dialect. It may not be amiss to begin this study by taking a 
bird's-eye view of the history of Acadia, from the settlement of 
the colony to the dispersion of the inhabitants. We shall then 
accompany Evangeline to the beautiful banks of the Teche and 
follow her canoe and that of Gabriel as they glide along its 
placid waters, leaving scarcely a ripple on the gentle stream 
which the names of the unhappy lovers have rendered immortal. 

L^ 

Even before the time of John Cabot the Normans, the Bretons 
and the Basques are said to have known Newfoundland, and 
the first description of the shores of our United States was made 
in 1524 to a French King, Francis the First, by the Florentine 
Verrazano. Ten years later we see the bold son of St. Malo 
sailing on the broad St. Lawrence, which was to be the scene of 
so many conflicts for the possession of its rugged shores. In 
1535 Jacques Cartier saw the future site of Quebec and Montreal 
and became acquainted with the Indian tribes, the future allies of 
the French in their contest with the English. New France was 

I For this sketch of the history of Acadia I have taken as my chief guide Parkman's ad- - 
mirable "Narratives,"' although I do not always share his opinions and arrive at the same 
conclusions. For a complete bibliography of the subject see ' Critical and Narrative History - 
of America,' edited by Justin Winsor. 



4 alci-:e Fok'rii-.k'. 

disxovered. hut who was to establish the tirst settlement in the 
name of the most Christian Kino? In \ain did Jean Francois 
de la Rociue, Sieur de Roberval, in 1542, brave the terrors of the 
Isle of Demons and attempt to plant a colonv in New France. 
Ot his ill-tated expedition nothing- remained but the name of He 
de la Demoiselle, where the stern Roberval abandoned to the 
demons his niece Marguerite to jiunish her for an imhallowed 
lo\e. The Marquis de la Roche with his ship load of convicts 
was not more successful in 1598 than Roberval half a century 
before, Champlain and de Monts were to be the fathers of Can- 
ada and Acadia. The former had been sent on an expedition to 
the new world by the Commander de Chastes, and on his return 
to France associated his ibrtunes with those of de Monts, who 
had just been made Lieutenant-Ceneral of Acadia. 

"The word Acadia," says Pakkman, "is said to be derived 
tVom the Indian Aqiioddianke, or Aquoddie, meaning the fish 
called a pollock. The Bay of Passamaquoddy ' great pollock 
water,' derives its name from the same origin." 

The region designated by this name comprised a large terri- 
tory, No\a Scotia, New Brunswick and Maine, but was later con- 
sidered to embrace the peninsula of Nova Scotia only. The 
climate was much milder than that of Canada, and all travellers 
describe the country as beautiful. The tide in the Bay of P\m- 
dy is grand, and there are excellent ports along- the coast. We 
need not then be astonished that Poutrincourt, one of de Monts' 
companions, was so pleased with the Port Royal that he ob- 
tained a grant from de Monts, and in 1605, established a colony 
which, after many vicissitudes, was destined to be celebrated in 
history aiid in romance. De Monts himself with Poutrincourt, 
Champlain and Pontgrave had, in 1604, founded a settlement at St. 
Croix, but the place wvas badly chosen and after a winter of mis- 
ery the colony was transferred to Port Royal. De Monts was a 
Cah'inist and he had taken with him to the New World both 
Catholic priests and Protestant ministers who, it can well be 
imagined, were not on very good terms. Such were their quar- 
rels that the sailors buried in the same grave a priest and a min- 
ister "to sei' if they would lie peaceably together." De Monts 
returned to h" ranee to protect his fur trade monopoly and left 
Pontgraxe in command at Port Royal. He was absent many 
months, and Pontgraxe had abandoned the colony, leaving only 



THE A CA PI A A'.V { )]■ L O L 'ISIANA. 5 

two men in charo;e, when Poutrincourt arrived vvitli supplies. 
Pontgrave returned, and another attempt was made to estabhsh 
Port Royal on a solid foundation. The poet Lescarbot gives an 
interesting account of the winter passed without very great sul- 
ferings, and already the colonists were beginning to hope, when 
in the summer of 1607, news was received that de Monts' char- 
ter had been rescinded and that the colony must be abandoned. 
The settlers departed with heavy hearts, leaxing the Indians full 
of sorrow. The F"rench had been humane and friendly to the 
savages. 

The settlement in Acadia had apparently failed, but Poutrin- 
court was not discouraged. He obtained from the Kim^- a 
confirmation of his grant, formed a partnershi]) with the sieur 
Robin, and in 16 10 returned to Port Royal with other settlers. 
Unhappily, however, the year 1610 was as fatal to Acadia as to 
France: the great King, Henry IV, was murdered, and soon 
afterward Madame la Marquise de Guercheville obtained from 
Marie de Medicis a grant of all Acadia. The pious Marquise 
was associated with the Jesuits and wished to convert the In- 
dians. Her agents and priests, especially the able and ener- 
getic Father Biard, did not agree with Poutrincourt and his son 
Biencourt, and discord was supreme in the colony, when iii 1613. 
a heavy blow fell on the rising settlement. Samuel Argall, 
already noted for having abducted Pocahontas, heard of French 
Port Royal, captured a part of the inhabitants and dispersed the 
others. Father Biard and Madame de Guercheville's com- 
mander, Saussaye, finally reached France, and the good lady's 
plans for saving the souls of the Indians were frustrated. 

Biencourt had escaped during the destruction of Port Royal 
and was roaming in the woods with a few followers, when Pou- 
trincourt arrived with supplies. At the sight of his son's misery, 
the Baron lost all hope for his colony and returned to France, 
where, in 1615, he died a soldier's death. Biencourt, however, 
rebuilt Port Royal and kept the colony alive. Litde progress 
was made, as in 1686 the whole population of Acadia was only 
915. There had been troublous times in the colony from 161 3 
to 1686, and several masters had ruled the country. In 1621, 
Sir William Alexander obtained from James I. a grant of New- 
Scotland and tried to establish baronetcies in Acadia. His plans 
were but short-lived, as the English surrendered the province to 



. AL CEE FOR TIER 

the French in 1632 by the treaty of St. Germain. Louis XIII 
appointed M. de Razilly Governor of Acadia, and the latter 
named as his lieutenants, Charles de la Tour and the Sieur 
d'Aulnay. Here comes a romantic episode : the two lieutenants, 
as in duty bound, quarrelled and made war upon each other. 
La Tour went to Boston to obtain aid against his rival, and in 
his absence d'Auljiay attacked his fort. The place was most 
bravely defended by Madame de la Tour, but she was defeated 
and died of mortification. Her husband struggled for some time 
with little success against d'Aulnay, but the latter died, and la 
Tour settled all difficulties by marrying his rival's widow, a 
queer but not unwise proceeding. 

Acadia had become once more peaceful in 1653 by la Tour's 
marriage, when one year later the English took possession of the 
colony. Cromwell was ruling England at that time, and he 
understood how important it was for the English settlements on 
the Atlantic that Acadia should not belong to the French. By 
his orders Major Robert Sedgwick, of Charlestown, and Captain 
John Leverett, of Boston, subjugated Acadia, which was kept by 
the English until 1668, when by the treaty of Breda, it was 
restored to the F"rench. 

For twenty-two years the colony enjoyed peace under French 
rule, and the inhabitants led comparatively quiet lives, enlivened 
by some adventures with the Indians and the English. A very 
romantic character is the Baron de St. Castin, the son-in-law of 
Matakando, the most powerful Indian chief of that region. In 
the company of his Indian relatives the bold Baron waged 
incessant war against the English. 

In 1690, Frontenac was for a second time governor of New 
France, and by his energy and courage he saved the colony 
from ruin. He repulsed the attacks of Phips against Quebec 
and of Schuyler against Montreal, carried war into the English 
possessions and nearly broke the power of the Iroquois. He 
was not, however, able to save Acadia from the enemy. This 
settlement was too remote from Quebec to be effectually pro- 
tected and fell again into the hands of the English. In 1690 
William Phips sailed from Boston with a small fleet and reduced 
the principal Acadian settlements. He obtained great booty 
and was well received on his return to Massachusetts, although his 
expedition seems to us more like a piratical raid than legitimate 
warfare. 



THE ACAniANS OF LOriSIAXA. 7 

Acadia was ayain restored to the French in 1697 by the treaty 
of Ryswick, and when Frontenac died in 1698 Lonis XIV was 
still master of all New France. F>ontenac is a most intcrestino- 
and heroic character ; he was proud and stern, but at the same 
time most brave, skillful and shrewd. His name and that of 
Montcalm are the greatest in the h'story of New France. 

Nearly one hundred years had passed since de Monts had 
landed in Acadia, and the unfortunate colony had been thrown 
about like a shuttlecock from the French to the English and 
from the English to the French. In the beginning of the 
eighteenth century three expeditions sailed from Boston to con- 
quer Acadia. The first two were not successful, but the third 
conmianded by Governor Nicholson and composed of thirty-six 
vessels, took Port Royal and subdued the country. The whole 
number of inhabitants in 17 10 was twenty-five hundred. Three 
years later, by the treaty of Utrecht, Acadia was formally ceded 
to England, and F'rance, in order to compensate for the loss of 
Port Royal, called by the English Annapolis, had to build on 
Cape Breton the celebrated fortress of Louisbourg. The Aca- 
dians had fought bra\'ely for their independence, and it was only 
after a gallant resistance that Subercase had surrendered Port 
Royal. The English imposed their domination upon Acadia by 
force, and it is not surprising that the inhabitants refused to be- 
come Englishmen and did all in their power to remain faithful to 
their king, their religion and their language ! 

L'abbe Casgrain in his charming book, ' Un Pelerinage au 
Pays d'Evangeline,' has given a beautiful description of Acadia 
and calls attention to the poetical and expressive names of some 
parts of the country : Beaubassin, Beausejour, le Port Royal, la 
Grand-Pree, names characteristic of the simple and peaceful 
disposition of a people who, if left to themselves, would have 
been satisfied with praying to their God and attending to their 
numerous children. In 1885 l'abbe Casgrain \-isited all Acadia 
and manifests his delight on seeing a land of quiet and happi 
ness, a land of which a great part has again become French. 
What a contrast between the Acadia of our days and that of 
1755! The descendants of the exiles have prospered once more 
in the land of their ancestors, but their present state of content- 
ment does not make us forget the misery of the past. The field 
that was once the scene of a bloody batde may now be covered 



8 AL CEE FOR TIER 

with green turf and variegated flowers, but still there will rise 
before us the faces of the dying and we shall hear the thunder 
of the cannon. La Grand-Pree and Beaubassin may present 
an attractive sight, but the names recall to our minds the scene 
of a dreadful tragedy. 

By the treaty of Utrecht it had been stipulated that the Aca- 
dians might withdraw to the French possessions if they chose. 
There is no doubt that the English governors did all in their 
power to prevent the emigration to Cape Breton or to Canada, 
and, as they were not harsh, as a rule, to the inhabitants, the 
latter preferred to remain in the country of their ancestors. 
They refused, howe\er, for a long time to take the oath of alle- 
giance to the English sovereign, and when a part of the men 
took the oath, it was with the tacit if not expressed understand- 
ing that they would ne\'er be compelled to bear arms against 
the Erench. That the priests in Acadia and e\en the Governor 
of Canada tried to keep the inhabitants faithful to the French 
King, in spite of their being English subjects, there is no reason- 
able doubt. We can hardly blame this feeling, if we consider 
what great rivalry there was at the time between the English 
and the French in America, and also the spirit of intolerance 
then everywhere prevalent. The priests must have considered 
it a diity on their part to try to harm the English heretics, and 
although we may not approve the act of some of them nor the 
duplicity of some of the French agents, we do not find in their 
conduct any excuse for the cruelty of the English. 

Seeing how disaffected the Acadians were with their new mas- 
ters, the Marquis of Cornwallis, in 1749, laid the foundations of 
Halifax as a protection against Louisbourg. A number of the 
inhabitants had escaped from the colony at the instigation of 
I'abbe LeLoutre, says Park MAN, and had gone to the adjoining 
French settlements. Their lot was a sad one, as the PVench 
were not able to provide for them and the English would onlv 
receive them as English subjects. It is not astonishing that 
they should make a kind of guerilla war with their Indian allies 
against the English and that they should attempt to excite their 
countrymen against the conquerors. It must be admitted that 
the English were in great peril in the midst of men openly or 
secretly hostile to them, but no necessity of war can justify the 
measures taken to rid English Nova Scotia of her French Aca- 
dians. Let us now relate briefly the terrible event which has 
made the word Acadia sadly celebrated. 



THE ACADIAXS OF LOUISIANA. o 

In 1755 the ("/0\ernor of Acadia was Charles Lawrence, a 
name destined to obtaui an unenvial)h;' notoriety. He resolved 
to expel the French from the posts which the}- still held in the 
colony. A force of eighteen hundred men commanded by C(j1- 
■onel Monkton st irted from New England and captured fort 
•Beausejour, which the cowardly and \'ile commandant, Vergor, 
surrendered at the first attack. On the plains of Abraham he 
was also to be the first to yield to Wolfe and to cause the defeat 
and death of the bra\e Montcalm, the fall of Quebec, and the 
loss of Canada. 

After the capture of Beausejour, fort Caspereau surrendered 
also, and there was no longer any obstacle to pre\'ent Lawrence 
from accomplishing a design which he must have been cherish- 
ing for some time. The Governor determined to remo\'e from 
the pro\-ince all the French Acadians. He required from the - 
inhabitants an oath of unqualified allegiance, and on their refusal 
he resolved to proceed to extreme measures. P\\.rkmax says 
that 

" The Acadians, though calling ihemselves peutrals, were an 
enemy encamped in the heart of the province," and adds : 
" These are the reasons which explain and palliate a measure too 
harsh and indiscriminate to be wholly justified." 

It is impossible to justify the measure in any way ; fear of an 
enemy does not justify his murder, and the expulsion of the 
Acaciians was the cause of untold misery both physical and 
moral and of the death of a nmiiber of men, women and chil- 
dren. If the harsh removal of the Acadians is justifiable so is 
Bonaparte's massacre of the prisoners of fafifa. He could not 
provide for them as prisoners, and if he released them they 
would immediately attack him again. 

Governor Lawrence was so much the more inexcusable, be- 
cause the only Acadians that gave him any cause of anxiet)' were 
those of Beausejour, and they had been defeated. The inhabi- 
tants of the Basin of Mines and of Annapolis were peaceful, 
prosperous and contented, and although they might have sided 
with the French in an invasion of the pro\ince, they ne\er would 
have thought of revolting against the English. They were an 
ignorant and simple people, but laborious, chaste and religious. 
Their chief defect seems to have been an inordinate lo\e for liti- 
gation, a trait which thev inherited from their Norman ancestors. 



lO ALCEE FORTIER. 

Lawrence took away the guns of many of the inhabitants by 
an unworthy strategem, and then he ordered the ruthless work 
to be done. Monkton seized the men of Beausejour, and Win- 
slow, Handfield and Murray did the same at la Grand-Pree, at 
Annapolis and at Fort Edward. Let us picture the scene at la 
Grand-Pree. 

Winslow issued a proclamation calling- upon all the men to 
meet him at the village church on Sunday. There he was at 
the appointed hour with his two hundred and ninety men fully 
armed to meet the intended victims. Four hundred and eighteen 
men answered the call and assembled in the church. What was 
their consternation on hearing that they were prisoners, that all 
their property was 'confiscated, and that they were to be torn 
from their homes with their families. No resistance was possi- 
ble as the men v/ere unarmed. They were put for safe keeping 
on board four ships, and on the 8th of October the men, women 
and children were embarked. This was le grand dcrangemhit 
of which their descendants, says I'abbe Casgrain, speak to this 
day. Winslow completed his work in December and shipped 
2510 persons. Murray, Monckton and Handheld were equally 
successful and more than 6000 persons were violently expelled 
from the colony. A few managed to escape, although they were 
tracked like wild beasts. In order to compel them to surrender, 
the dwellings and even the churches were burnt and the crops 
were destroyed. The fugitives suffered frightfully and many 
women and children died of misery. In this scene of persecu- 
tion we are glad to see the brave officer Boishebert defeat a 
party of English who were burning a church at Peticodiac. 
Unhappily, as already stated, no resistance could be made, and 
the unfortunates were huddled together like sheep on board the 
transports, to be scattered about all along the Atlantic coast 
among a hostile people speaking a language unknown to them 
and having a creed different from their own. 

Who can imagine the feelings of these men and women when 
the ships started on the fatal journey and they threw a last 
glance at their once beautiful country, now made " desolate and 
bare!" How many ties of kindred and of love were rudely 
torn asunder ! The families were not always on the same ship, 
and the father and mother were separated from their children, 
and many E\angelines never met their Gabriels. The order of 
expulsion was harsh and cruel, and it was executed with little 
regard for the most sacred feelings of the human heart. 



THE ACADIASS OF LOUISTAXA. n 

We shall not follow the Acadians in their wanderings. Lotus 
only state that their lot in the English colonies was generally a 
hard one. Very few remained where they had been transported. 
Many returned to their country after incredible sufferings, to be 
again expelled in 1762; some went to France, where they formed 
a settlement at Belle Isle ; some went to the Antilles, and some at 
last found a true home in hospitable Louisiana. At the peace 
of 1763 a number of Acadians returned to Nova Scotia, and their 
descendants together with those of the inhabitants who had 
escaped from the persecution number now, according to I'abbe 
Casgrain, more than 130,000 souls. This fecundity is won- 
derful, and if we consider the tenacity of those people, their 
attachment to their families, to their country, to their religion, 
we may indeed say with the warm-hearted Canadian abbe : 
" The Acadians are as astonishing for their virtues as for their 
misfortunes." We now close this brief sketch of the ancestors, 
and proceed to a study of their descendants living in Louisiana. 

IL 
Mr. Gayarre in his ' History of Louisiana,' says: 

" Between the ist of January and the 13th of May, 1765, about 
650 Acadians had arrived at N^w Orleans, and from that town 
had been sent to form settlements in Attakapas and Opelousas 
under the command of Anciry." 

Many others of the unfortunate exiles came to Louisiana, 
some from the Antilles, but the greater part, in rude boats built 
by themselves, floated down the streams flowing into the Miss- 
issippi and reached New Orleans, where they expected to find 
the white banner of France. Two years before, however, the 
infamous treaty of Paris had been signed, and Louisiana now- 
belonged to Spain. The Spaniards had not yet taken possession 
of the colony, and the French officials received most kindly the 
unhappy strangers. There they were on the levee of New- 
Orleans witff their wives and children, helpless, destitute, pos- 
sessing only a few articles of wearing apparel, they who a few- 
years before were prosperous farmers with comfortable homes 
and fertile fields. But at last their journey was ended and they 
were again to find a home and lands much more fertile than 
those which they had left. About fifty miles above New Orleans 
the Acadians gave their name to one of the parishes of Louisi- 



12 AL CEE FO R T/ER 

— ana, and the Acadian coast, now called St. James, was one o<~ the 
tirst settlements made by the exiles. Later they spread all along 
the Mississippi River and the adjoining bayous, and their de- 
scendants are to be found in every parish of lower Louisiana. 
They form an important and useful jjart of our population, 
although many ot them are as simple and ignorant as their an- 
cestors of 1755. They are, however, generally honest and 
laborious, deeply religious and very much attached to the idiom 
of their fithers. Many rose to the highest position in the State 
and we ha\ e an'^ong us to-day elegant ladies and cultivated gen- 
tlemen belonging to the Acadian race. They are proud of their 
ancestors, and justly so, because if the latter were peasants, they 
were, at the same time, martyrs to their religious and patriotic 
feelings. If there ever was any prejudice against the Acadians 
among the descendants of the early colonists, it existed only 
among narrow-minded people and was not manifest. 

Having thought of the Acadians and their dialect as an inter- 
'esting subject to study, I determined to pay a visit to the 
Attakapas country made classic by the genius of Longfellow. 
In the beginning of last September I left New Orleans at 7.30 
a. m. by the Southern Pacific Railroad and arrived at St. Mary's 
Parish after a journey of five hours. Along the route the train 
passed through fields of tall sugar cane, yellow corn and golden, 
rice. Every now and then we crossed a bayou, or a marsh or a 
forest. Shortly after leaving the city we reached " Bayou des 
Allemands " named for the German settlers who had been sent to 
America by the famous John Law\ In the middle of the bayou 
is an island covered with trees and briers, on which is a hut 
which serves as a hunting lodge for the sportsmen, w^hose canoes 
for duck -shooting are to be seen everywhere. Trees grow to 
the edge of the water of all our bayous and render the smallest 
stream picturesque. 

After passing another beautiful stream, Bayou Boeuf, we see a 
few of the Indian mounds which arc so interesting to the archae- 
ologist and the ethnologist, and at Morgan City; we cross the 
wide and turbid Atchafalaya, the rival of the Mississippi, and 
which threatens, if not curbed by artificial means, to divert the 
waters of the great river from its present channel. 

A few^ miles after passing Morgan City I leave the train and 
am soon on a plantation situated on both sides of the Teche. 



THE A CA D I A NS OF LO UISIA NA . 



13 



After dinner I take my little nephews with me and we go to the 
Bayon. There is in front of the house a drawbridge which is 
opened every time a boat or raft passes. We sit on the bridge 
and I look on the waters flowing beneath and I can hardly see 
the direction of the current. A few months before the Bayou 
had been a torrent o\-erflovving its left bank. St. Mary's Parish 
is one of the most prosperous in Louisiana and everywhere there 
are central sugar fictories with the most modern appliances, the 
powerful mills, or the diffusion process, and through this busy 
scene of progress flow the tranquil waters of the Teche, its banks 
covered with moss grown live oaks. Here is the same spectacle 
which the poet has so admirably described. It is civilization 
now, but side by side with the primeval forest. Under the 
stately oaks the children run and play while I lie upon the grass 
and meditate. My thoughts return to the past and I imagine 
what must have been the feelings of the Acadians when they saw 
for the first time in 1765 the beautiful Attakapas country. 

Not far from the plantation where I visited, is a village called 
Charenton. It isj^fit a hamlet, but it possesses a chrtrch and a 
con\ent of nuns. The good sisters of St. Joseph have estab- 
lished- a school for girls which does great good to the neigbor- 
hood. The mother superior, a very agreeable and intelligent 
lady, is a descendant of the Acadians. Very near the village is 
a settlement of Indians. I observed them with curiosity, as they 
are the sole remnant of the Attakapas tribe, the fierce man- 
eaters. Some of the squaws are handsome, and the men have 
the real Indian type, although I am told that the tribe is rapidly 
disappearing and mingling with the negroes. The women make 
very pretty reed cane baskets, quite difterent.in design from 
those which the Choctaws sell at the French market in New Or- 
leans ; the men cultivate a little patch of ground and sell fish and 
game. One hundred years ago the Indians were numerous on 
the Teche ; they seem to have melted away without being 
molested. The mere contact of civilization was sufficient to 
cause them to vanish. It seems to have been an inevitable des- 
tiny and we may say in the words of Victor Hugo : 

" La chose siiuplement d'elle-meme arriva 
Coinme la nuit se fait iorsque le jour s'en va." 

Two miles from Charenton is the Grand Lac which I desired 
very much to see, so one morning at day break I started in a 



/ 4 -^l' CEE FO A' 7 IFR 

light bugoy '^vith the oldest of my nephews, a St)phomore of 
Tulane I'nixerslty. There is in reality no route leading to 
the lake ; we had to pass for several miles through a forest on 
the bank of the Teche and it gave me great pleasure to see the 
bayou where it appeared most wild. After a ride of two hours 
we lelt the shore of the Teche and turning toward the interior we 
soon arrived at the lake. 1 felt delighted at the sight: before us. 
stretched the blue waters, which a light breeze caused to undu- 
late gendy, and in the distance could be seen the sails of two 
schooners which seemed to be the wings of marine birds skim- 
ming the surface of the waves. All around the lake is a forest 
and on the trees we could see the cardinal bird with his scarlet 
robe, the jay bird with his silver and blue jacket, the black bird 
with his golden epaulets, and what pleased me most, numberless 
mocking- birds, those admirable songsters, which the impudent 
English sparrow is rapidly driving away from our Southern 
land. 

Being- so near the Atchafalaya, the Grand Lac is liable to 
overflows and, last spring, its waters inundated a large extent of 
country. A levee made in great part with shells has been 
erected by the owner of the plantation immediately adjoining- 
the lake, and as there are large oak trees on the bank, the place 
is a favorite resort in summer for pleasure seekers. While w'e 
were crossing a little bayou by means of a tree which the wind 
had thrown down and which served as a suspended bridge, we 
saw an old Indian on the other side. He appeared to us as the 
sj:)irit of the lake summoned to protect it from the pale face, and 
already our imagination was taking its flight toward fairy land 
when we were suddenly brought back to reality by the voice of 
the red man who was speaking to us in English. Never did our 
national idiom appear to me more prosaic than in the mouth of 
this descendant of the Attakapas. We hastened to leave him 
and turned our eyes again towards the lake. Here my mind 
re\erted t(j another scene and events long past presented them- 
selves to me. In the year 1862, after the fall of New Orleans, 
our plantation, being on the Mississippi, fifty-seven miles from 
the city, my father thought that it would be more prudent to put 
his fuiiily out of the reach of the invading arn-iy and he sent us 
t(j St. Mary's parish where there was a Confederate army to pro- 
tect the Attakapas country. After a few moiiths, howexer, the 



77//; .^r. / 7 >/.-/. v.v OF i.orisi.isA. ^^ 

Federals spread over the country and it was thought adxisable 
that we should return hoine. My brother, ayed seventeen, 
enlisted as a Confederate soldier in the Trans-Miss.'ssippi depart- 
ment, and my father started with the younoer children on the 
return journey. We embarked in two lari;e skiffs, with two 
Indians in each one as oarsmen, and we went down the Teche. 
The trip was most pleasant to me as we passed tliroui^h num- 
berless bayous, stopping at ni^ht at the houses of friends, and 
takinj4- our meals durini;- the day under the shade of some- 
laroe tree. I liaxc no recollection of the route, which ended onlv 
at the mouth of Bayou Plac];ucmines, in Iberxille Parish, where 
there were carriages to take us home, but although only sIn 
years old at the time, I shall never forget the anxiety of mv 
father, when on entering the (.rand Lac, the booming of a can- 
non was heard. It was thought to be a Federal gun-boat and 
our Indians were ordered to row most diligently. Twentv-eioht 
years had passed since I had crossed the Grand Lac as a fu<n- 
tive, but yet on that September morning of 1890 I thou^^ht I 
heard still the voice of our devoted father encouraging his litde 
children witli his tender words of love. 

While in St. Mary I had occasion to visit a number of planters 
who received me very kindly and who did all in their power to 
help me in my work. They introduced me to some Acadians 
and communicated to nie a few characteristic expressions of the 
Acadian language. I was, however, anxious to see St. Martins- 
ville, and after promising to return to St. Mary, I took the train 
and went to the oldest town on the Teche. It was with re;d 
pleasure that I started on my journey ; I had ne\'ergone to that 
part of Louisiana before and everything was new to me. I 
passed on my way Jeanerette and New Iberia in Iberia Parisli. 
They are both thriving towns, die latter especially, on accouiu 
of its proximity to the celebrated salt mines on A\ery's Island. 
It has a handsome Catholic church, an elegant pul)lic hi^h 
school and some beautiful j)ri\ate residences. The followin" 
extract from Judge Martin's 'History of Louisiana " gives a 
very good idea of the geograj)hy of the Teche country: 

" The Teche has its source in the prairies, in the upjjcr jjart of 
the setdements of Opelonsas, and during the season of high 
water, flows partially into the Courtableau. As it enters the- 
setdements of Attakapas, it receives from the right side bavou 
Fuselier, which bayou Bourbeux connects wath Vermilion river 



1 6 AL CEE FO R TIE R 

A little more than twenty miles farther, it passes before the town 
of St. Martinsville and reaches, fifteen miles after, the spot on 
which the Spaniards, soon after the cession, made a vain attempt 
to establish a city, to which the name of New Iberia was destined: 
twenty miles from the mouth of the Teche, is the town ot 
Franklin." 

I may add here that the Teche becomes a noble river shortly 
before mingling- its waters with those of the rapid Atchafalaya. 
From Jeanerette to New Iberia the fields presented the same 
beautiful crops of cane, rice and corn which I had seen along the 
route from New Orleans, but after passing New Iberia, cotton 
begins to be seen, and I noticed in one patch of ground the curi- 
ous fact of our four ' great staples growing side by side, cane, 
cotton, rice and corn. Such is the wonderful fertility of our 
soil. 

St. Martinsville does not lie on the Southern Pacific Railroad 
and it is only lately that it has been connected with the main 
line by a branch leading to the Teche. This may account for 
the stagnation of business in the town, which before the war was 
very prosperous. I had letters of introduction to several dis- 
tinguished gentlemen, but I saw on arriving in that Creole town 
that a Creole needed no credentials to be well-received. I tountl 
myself among friends, I may say, among relations, as all the per- 
sons I met knew my family and I knew theirs. French is essen- 
tially the language of the inhabitants and it is well spoken by the 
educated class. The latter speak English also, but the lower 
class speak the Acadian French mixed with the Creole patois 
and a little English. In the interior settlements [au large) little 
or no English at all is spoken, and at Breaux Bridge, in St. Mar- 
tin Parish, and in the adjoining parish of Lafayette, French is 
taught together with English in the public schools. Although 
we desire to see every child in Louisiana speak English we wish 
every one to speak French also, and I was very glad to see how 
the people of St. Martin are attached to their French. Among 
those who have done the most to encourage the study of French 
in his parish is Mr. Felix Voorhies, a descendant on his 
mother's side, of an old Acadian family. He has established a 
dramatic society for which he has written several charming 
comedies, and although he writes elegant French he is perfectly 
familiar with the Acadian dialect. I am deeply indebted to him 
for the interest he took in my work and the help he kindly gave 
me. 



777/f .■^Cin/.LVS OF LOfHSIAXA. 



17 



There is but one hotel in St. Martinsville: it is a large house 
with a wide g;illery and massive brick columns. Everything;' is 
as in ante-belhmi days; no register awaits the names ot the 
guests, and the owner seems to have implicit confidence in the 
honesty of his hoarders. As the criminal court was in session the 
members of the jury were takiny their dinner at the hotel when 
I arrix'ed. There being no place at the table for me I was given 
a comfortable rocking chair and I sat in the dining room during 
the dinner of the jurors. As se\-eral of them were Acadians 1 
listened very attenti\'el\- to their con\ersation and took notes 
while they were speaking. All of then spoke French, but the 
influence of English on their French was sometimes apparent. 
One of them speaking of an impr)rtant criminal case said to the 
others: vous serez tons lockes (locked up) ce soir. Another, to 
express his contempt of the argument of a lawyer, said : 9a, c"a 
n'a pas grand fion ave moue, that does not produce much effect 
on me, and h'.s friend replied : il auri un boa bout (prijnounced 
boute) encore avec cette affaire. Although I was very hungry 
I was sorry to see the jurors leave the table to go to the court 
house to be Jorkcs. 

After dinner I took a walk o\er the town and never ha\e I 
seen a more quiet and orderly place and one where there arc 
so few bar-rooms. The life in that old Creole town reminded 
me of autrefois, as depicted to me many tunes by my aged 
friends. There was not much aniniation in business, but order 
and decency prevailed e\'ery\\here and the people were uni- 
formly affable and polite. I spent the e\'ening \ery pleasantl)- 
with mv host, his wife and his grandmother, conxersing with 
the old lady about the past. 

I awoke very early the next morning, and on opening the 
window of my room I saw a pretty sight: the bayt)U was just 
beneath, its waters green with water plants and rushes and in 
the distance, a prairie aboxe which was rising resplendent a 
September sun. A knock was heard at the door, and answering 
it I found a little negro girl bringing me a cup ot real Creole 
coffee. 

At a short distance from the hotel is the church, on the green 
before which stands the statue of the last curate, Father Jan 
who died an octogenarian, beloved by his parishioners. The 
present priest, Father Langlois, is a l)otanist of great merit who 



1 8. AL CEE FOR TIER 

has made important discoveries in the flora of Louisiana. He is 
a corresponding member of I'Athenee Louisianais, and I deter- 
mined to pay him a visit. He received me very kindly and 
showed me his admirable botanical collections. I asked his 
permission to look over the church register, and on turning to 
the year 1765 I saw the record of the first child born of Acadian 
parents in St. Martin, probably the first born in Louisiana. I 
give here the exact copy, with the original spelling and punctua- 
tion as per certified copy kindly made for me by I'abbe Lang- 
lois : 

" Lan mille Sept cent soixante cinq le onze may je pire 

I capucin Missioiiaire apostoliqiie cure de hi nelle accadie 

soussigne, ay Baptise avec les les ceremonies ordiiiaires 

°^"'. de leglise marguerite anne nee la veille de legitime 

menii's "^'^ Mariagc d' olivi'er thibaudaut et de magdelaine Broussard 

f. jean ses pere et mere leparrain a est6 Rene trahan, et la Mar- 

frain,ois raine Marie tliibaudaiit qui ont d^clar6 ne savoir signer de 

I ce requis selon I'ordonnaiice aux attakapas les jours et 

an que dessus 

(signe) f. jean francois c. cure 
Masse 
Anoyu " 

Oli\ :er Thibaudaut, the father of the litde girl born in 1765, 
was a descendant of the celebrated meunier Thibaudaux, seig- 
neur de Chipody in Acadia in Poutrincourt's time. The family 
is exceedingly numerous in Louisiana and they have given their 
name to one of our towns on Bayou Lafourche. One of the 
Thibodaux w^as President of the Senate in 1824 and was acting 
Governor for a few weeks, after the resignation of Governor 
Robertson. The Broussards, the family of Olivier Thibodaut's 
wife, are also very numerous in the State. Thibodaux, Brous- 
sard, Landry, Leblanc and Bourgeois are the largest families in 
Louisiana of Acadian descent. 

* In the register of St. Martin church I saw also the name of a 
distinguished Louisianian, a professor in the Oratorian order in 
France and curate of St. Martin for many years. Etiennk 
ViEL translated in beautiful Latin- \-erse, the twenty-four books 
of Fenklon's ' Telemaque.' Louisiana may well be proud of a 
writer of whom B.vrthelemy, the author of the ' Nemesis,' has 

said : 

" \'iel, cpii de Fenelon virgilisa la prose." 

There being such vast prairies in the Attakapas the Acadian 
settlers compared them with the wide expanse of the Ocean and 



THE ACADIANS OF LOUISIASA. 19 

applied to them many nautical terms. They say allcr an large, 
or mettre a la voile when they start to cross the prairie, and an 
island is, in their language, a piece of wooded ground in the 
prairie. I was shown File des Cypres while in St. Martin. It is 
in a prairie which is not far from the Grand Bois, an immense 
forest which begins in the Attakapas country and extends as iar 
as the Arkansas line. In the Grand Bois, near St. Martinsville, 
are a number of lakes of which one, lake Catahoulou, is two and 
a-half miles long and three-fourths of a mile wide. It is one 
hundred and ten feet deep and is said to be beautiful. It is a 
great place for hunting and fishing but is full of alligators and 
gar fish. I was shown an Acadian who, being in a canoe on a 
fishing excursion, was followed by a gar fish about twelve feet 
long. He seized an opportunity and jumped on the Ijack of the 
fish which dived with him to the bottom of the lake. On arising 
from the water our hero said to his terrified companions : " now, 
he will not return." This individual was a real type and his 
conversation was very instructixe in its quaintness. 

St. Martinsville was the home of a true hero, Alcibiade De 
Blanc, ex-justice of our Supreme Court. It was he who started 
the White League mo\ement which was to save Louisiana from 
carpet-bag and negro rule. Not far from the town in Lafayette 
Parish lived another true and chixalric Louisianian, Alexandre 
Mouton, ex-Governor and United States Senator, who was the 
son of an Acadian exile. He died lately at a very advanced age, 
and Louisiana could but bless the English for sending her a race 
that could produce such men as the Governor and his son, the 
valiant general who fell a victor at Mansfield. 

The eminent men that have arisen among the Acadians in 
Louisiana show what good elements there are in that race, but 
unfojtunately, they are, as a rule, lacking in ambition. The]p - 
are laborious, but they appear to be satisfied, if by cultivating 
their patch pi-ground with their sons, they manage to^live with 
a little conifort. The mother and daughters attend to the house- 
hold duties andweaxe that excellent fabric called the colonnade. 

The greatest defect of the Acadians is the little interest they 

take in education ; a great many are completely illiterate. As 
the public school system progresses, education will spead grad- 
ually among them, and being an intelligent race they will pro- 
duce many men like Alexandre Mouton. Education will, of , 
course, destroy their dialect, so that the work of studying their 
t-,o,>ni;nr rnstoms aud lansruape must not be lony delaved. 



20 ALCkl': FORTIER 

On Sunday, September 2ist, I went to church where I saw the 
whole population of the town and after bidcHng adieu to my 
newly-made friends, I le*t St. Martinsxille where I had met kind 
gentlemen and fiir ladies, taking with me a good stock ot Aca- 
dian expressions. A few hours later I was again in St. Mary's 
Parish. I wished this time to live in the prairie where I thought 
there would be a better chance of obser\'ing the Acadians. The 
prairie is now entirely cultivateci around Jeanerette and is dotted 
everywhere with the cottages of the sniall farmers and with the 
comfortable houses of the large planters. For a week I roamed 
all over the country with some friends who were kind enough 
to take me to the places of interest and to the persons who 
might help me in my work. 

Having heard that every Saturday evening there was a ball in 
the prairie, I requested one of my friends to take me to see one. 
We arrived at eight o'clock, but already the ball had begun. 
In the yard were vehicles of all sorts, but three-mule carts were 
most iiumerous. The ball room was a large hall with galleries 
all around it. When we entered it was crowded with persons 
dancing to the music of three fiddles. I was astonished to see 
that nothing was asked for entrance, but I was told that any white 
person decently dressed could come in. The man giving the 
entertainment derived his profits from the sale of refreshments. 
My friend, a wealthy young planter, born in the neighborhood, 
introduced me to many persons and I had a good chance to 
hear the Acadian dialect, as exerybody there belonged to the 
Acadian race. I asked a pleasant looking man : " Votre fille 
est-elle ici ?" He corrected me by replying: " Oui, ma deuwi- 
se/le est la." Howe\'er, he did not say nics messieurs: for his 
s^is but spoke of them as vies gar (ons, although he showed me 
me his dame. We went together to the refreshment room 
where were beer and lemonade, but I obserx'ed that the favorite 
drink was black coffee, which indeed was excellent. At midnight 
supper was served ; it was chicken gombo with rice, the na- 
tional Creole dish. 

Most of the men appeared uncouth and awkward, Ijut the 
young girls were really charming. They were elegant, well- 
dressed and exceedingly handsome. They had large and soft 
black eyes and beautiful black hair. Seeing how well they 
looked 1 was astonished and grieved to hear that probably very 



THE ACAPIANS OF LOriSI. I.VA. 21 

few of them could read or write. On listening- to tlie conversa- 
tion I could easily see that they had no education. I-'rench was 
spoken by all, but occasionally Enolish was heard. 

After supper my friend asked me if I wanted to see /<? pa^r 
aux petiis. I followed him without knowing what he meant and 
he took me to a room adjoining the dancing hall, where I saw 
a number of little children thrown on a bed and sleeping. The 
mothers who accompanied their daughters had left the little ones 
in \\\&parc aux petits before passing to the dancing room, where 
I saw them the whole evening assembled together in one corner 
of the hall and watching over their daughters. Le pare aux 
petits interested me very much, but I found the gambhng 
room stranger still. There were about a dozen men at a table 
playing cards. One lamp suspended from the ceiling threw a 
dim light upon the players who appeared at first sight very wild, 
with their broad brimmed felt hats on their heads and their long 
untrimmed sun burnt faces. There was, however, a kindly 
expression on every lace, and exerything was so quiet that I saw 
that the men were not professional gamblers. I saw the latter a 
little later, in a barn near by where they had taken refuge. 
About half a dt)zen men, playing on a rough board by the light 
of two candles. I understood that these were the black sheep 
of the crowd and we merely cast a glance at them. 

I was desirous to see the end of the ball, but having been told 
that the break-up would only take place at four or five o'clock 
in the morning, we went away at one o'clock. I was well-pleased 
with my evening and I admired the perfect order that reigned, 
considering that it was a public affair and open to all who wished 
to come, without any entrance fee. My friend told methatwhen 
the dance was over the musicians would rise, and going out in 
the yard would fire several pistol shots in the air, crying out at 
the same time : le bal est Jini. 

' The names of the children in Acadian families are quite as 
strange as the old biblical names among the early puritans, but 
much more harmonious. P'or instance, in one iamily the boy 
was called Duradon, and his five sisters answered to the names 
of Elfige, Enyone, Meridie, Ozeina and Fronie. A father who 
had a musical ear called his sons, Valmir, Valmore, Valsin, Val- 
cour and Valerien, while another, with a tincture of the classics, 
called his boy Deus, and his daughter Deussa. 



22 • ALCEf: /''()A'T//:ff 

All tlie Acadians are ^reat riders and they and their little- 
ponies never seem to be fired. They often ha\'e exciting- races, 
Li\ing; is \ery cheap in the |>rairie and the small farmers pro- 
duce on their farms almost everything they use. At the stores 
they exchange eggs and hens for city goods. 

Several farmers in the prairie still have sugar houses with the 
old-fashioned mill, three perpendicular rollers turned by mules 
or horses. They have some means, but are so much attached 
to the old ways that they will not change. It will not be long, 
however, before the younger generation replaces the antiquated 
mill with the wonderful modern inventions. The Acad!ans are 
an intelligent, peaceful and honest population ; they are begin- 
ning to improve, indeed many of them, as already stated, ha\e 
been distinguished, but as yet too many are without education. 
Let all Louisianians take to heart the cause of education and 
make a crusade against ignorance in our country parishes! 

Before leaving the prairie I took advantage of my proximity 
to the Cnilf to pay a visit to Cote Blanche. The coast of Louis- 
iana is fiat, but in the Attakapas country five islands or eleva- 
tions break the monotony. These are rugged and abrupt and 
present some beautiful scenes. A few miles from the prairie is 
a forest called Cypremort ; it is being cleared, and the land is 
admirably adapted to sugar cane. The road leading to Cote 
Blanche passes for three miles through the forest and along Cy- 
premort Bayou, which is so shallow that large trees grow in it 
and the water merely trickles around them. On lea\ ing the 
wood we enter on a trembling prairie over which a road has 
l)een built, and we soon reach Cote Blanche. It is called an 
island, because on one side is the g'ulf and on the others is the 
trembling- prairie. We ascended a bluff about one hundred feet 
high and beheld an enchanting- scene. In the rear was the wood 
which we had just left, stretching like a curtain around the prai- 
rie, to the right and to the left were a number of hills, one of 
which ^vas one hundred and fifty-se\en feet high, covered with 
tall cane waving- its green lances in the air, while in front of us 
stood the sugar house with large brick chimneys, the white 
house of the owner of the place, the small cottages of the 
negroes on both sides of a wide road, and a little farther the 
blue waters of the (iulf I ap]>roached the edge of the bluff, and 
as I looked at the vva\es dashing against the shore and at the 



THE A CADI ASS OF LOUISIAXA. 2-, 

sun slowly setting- in a cloudless sky, I exclaimed : " Lawrence, 
■destroyer of the Acadian homes, your cruelty has failed. This 
beautiful country was awaiting- your victims. We ha\e here no 
Hay of Fundy with its immense tides, no rocks, nt) snow, but 
we have a land picturesque and wonderfully fertile, a land where 
men are free, our Louisiana is better tiian vonr Acadia 1 "' 

IIL 

I am indel)ted in part lor the list of pro\-erbs and curious say- 
ing's I shall offer to the Hon. Felix Voorhiks, of St. Martins- 
ville, who made the following interesting remarks to me about 
the Acadian dialect: 

"Each locality has its peculiar patois, thus at the upper limit of 
our parish, one uses expressions which are never heard at the 
lower limit. The dialect in Lafourche diflers essentially from 
that which is in use in St. Martin, at Avoyelles or on the Vermil- 
lion Bayou."' 

The remarks of Mr. Voorhjes are correct as I ha\e myself 
observed, and they may apply with equal truth to the patois in 
France, where differences are lound in the speech of the peas- 
ants living- within the same dialect boundaries. Local influences 
have always modified the language of uneducated people, even 
when they belonged to the same race; political influences have 
also been very powerful, for instance, the more or less complete 
subjugation of the concjuered by the conquerors. The dif- 
ference of races, however, is the greatest cause of the difterent 
•dialects. 

Just as the Latin ga\e rise to the eight Romance tongues, the 
langue d 'oil was divided into diflerent dialects, due in great part 
to the difference of races in the provinces of the north of France. 
In the same way we may account for some of the \ariations in 
the Acadian dialect of Louisiana. Canada and Acadia were set- 
tled mainly by emigrants from Normandy, Poitou, Aunis, Brit- 
tany and Picardy, with a iaw from Paris. The dialectical 
peculiarities of the ancestors may still be found, to a certain 
extent, among the descendants, although they must ha\e been 
■\'ery much weakened by long residence in America. The con- 
stant intermarriage of people whose fathers v\'ere from difterent 
provinces tended certainly to erase the peculiarities of speech, 
and at the time of the dispersion of the Acadians in 1755, their 



24 



ALCEE EORTIER 



language must have been nearly uniform. I should, therefore, 
arrive at the conclusion that the differences in the Acadian dia- 
lect in Louisiana are due more to local influences than to the 
provincial peculiarities of speech of the Norman or West France 
ancestors. The English language has naturally exerted a great 
influence on the Louisiana Acadian patois, and so have the 
Spanish and Creole patois, producing thus a very interesting 
speech mixture. The dialect by contact with foreign languages 
has lost somewhat of its simplicity, observes Mr. Voorhies, but 
it has gained in originality. The following expressions, of 
which some are very quaint and picturesque, bear out the truth 
of the above assertion. As I intend to continue my studies of 
the Acadian dialect in the different localities, so as to be able, by 
a study of the peculiarities, to arrive at a better understanding 
of the whole sul^ject, I shall indicate from what parish the differ- 
ent specimens are taken. 

I. Eroin the Parish of St. Martin. 

Roupiller, sommt-iller, from roiipille, Spanish rupilla, diminutive of 
ropa. In connection with this word it is proper to state 
that the Acadians sometimes use expressions u hicli are in 
reality good French, but not in common use. 

Se galancer, corruption of se balancer. 

Planter, ronfler par saccades. Probably a corruption of pioneer in 
the argot. 

Un houiDie veiile, un homme faible. Venle like roiipiller is found in 
LiTTRE but is seldom used. 

Un cheuiin vieehant, un chemin boueu.x. A curious use of m^chaut, 
but which any one can understand who has seen the hard, 
sticky mud in the prairies. 

Dans les Eordoches, dans la misere, dans Tembarras. Les Fordo- 
ches, a remote settlement. 

Rifler la mort, to be in danger of death. Rijter, to pass very near 
something. 

Viretappe, a slap with the back of the hand. 

Bleniezir, corruption of blemir. 

Tripe epurt'e, a very lean person. Vulgar but expressive. 

Je te garde un p' tit de ma eliienne, tu me payeras cela, you will 
answer for that. 

l"n ptein de soiipe, a greedy man. 

Un carencro, a great meat eater. 

Poser la chique et faire te viort, demeurer coi. A man must be 
quite disconcerted to stop chewing and lay down his to- 
bacco without saying a word. 

Charrer, to converse. \'ery much used. See ' Mireio,' vi : 

"Et tout en fasent la charrado." 

Eendre son garganna, to beat some one. Garganna from .Spanish 

garganta. 
Un hengale, anian to be feared. From tigre dii Bengale. 



THE A CA /) I A .\'S OF L O ( 'ISIAXA . 25 

The Acadians use the following- c.\i)res.si()ns horrowed ironi 
the Creole patois : 

Afoii <rardei)iaiigrt\ the stomach. 
J foil tcHdi\ tlie ear. 
iMoii senti, the nose. 
^fou oi r/iu'r, the eye. 

J-'airc chiqucr potcaii, to pre\'eiU a youti.t;- man from dancin.ii" witli a 

youni^- girl, 
)' a pas passi' tan tut, there must be no delay, let the nuilter he setllec] 

immediate!}'. 
/ n caiidi, a man without energy, as soft as candy. 
I'/i giii>iu\ a young cock from th(- I'aig. ffaiiic. 
(•arioii, a stalHon. (See Eng, ,ind Scoth gai'ra/i ;uul gaii'a?/ a gelding, 

a work horse.) 
J>adjculci\ to s|)eak loud, from gnriite, ])ruiioun(ed djt'iitf. 
Man'oc/wr, to live in concubinage. 
Cheval dcs clicvu)!'^, a horse which ambles. 
Virer de Pirit, to die. The word virer, to turn, is \ery common. 

It is used in many compounds : I'irc-inoiic/ics, the tail, I'irc- 

r/utns, the horns of a cow. 
('n bean /tV^f^r, a fine fellow (ironicalh). I'clioc iJi'obably trom coq. 
Joiir pour clair, ZIierbt\ to flee. Used as an order. 
lt)ie roinaiiic, a fine dress. 

Flanqucr nn veux-tu couri, to give a good beatin;, to make him run. 
J)an.s tes poitx de bois, same as dans les Fordoclies, to be in distress. 
Tailler dans te ghigas, to lie. 

Caliper la pean cliafoni, to e.xaggerate. Cliatoui, the raccoon. 
Hcs racatc/ias, long spurs. (Fr. raca, Provencal rarra, a worthless 

horse. DiEZ, 'I'ltymologisches Wiirterbuch.') 
J^ecJiircr la convcrte 01 deu.x\ to fall out with some one, corresponding 

to roinpre la paille. 
t 'n i^ros das, a rich man. 

Faire la djcule douce, to play the iiypocrite. 
I 'n grajid tingnelingne, a tall, awkward fellow. 
f hie eatin, a doll ; as in the Creole patois. 
Met f re an pare or parqiier des aniniaiix, to take them trom the 

prairie and place them within enclosures. Met t re an corail^ 

is also frequent, from Si)anish eorral. 
Fne ehatine, a woman with light hair (cheveu.x chatain). 
f hie genuine, a first cousin. 
'J\jnner les uiontons, corruption oi tondre. 
Crier pour la pirogue, to call for help. Often used while i)la\ing 

cards, h'rom the language of hunters. 
/''end re son biseuif, (iraisser sa ealoquinte, to beat. 
Claion, a gate, jjrobablv frcm h'rench claie, "old frt-nch eloie, 

Provencal eleda. Middle I. at. clida and elia, diminutixe 

clelella. (M Celtic origin.'" (Dik/., 'laymologisches 

Wcirterbuch.') 
Ilncher, to call in a loud voice, from ''hucar, Proveuc,aI near and 

ncliar, Picard liuqner. piem. uche. From hueber come.s 

huehct, hunter's horn. Norman houter, English hoot." 

(DiHZ, 'P^tvmologisches Worterbuch.') 
Monte sur le claion et liuche-les^ is often heard. 
Une galline, a game cock, from .Spanish gallina. 
line bocotte, a small woman, fat and not elegant. 
Pitre sans riserve, to be ready for the fight. 
J. e passer au carUt, to beat him. 



26 AL CEE FOR TIER 

With regard to the fondness of the Acadians for nautical terms 
referred to above, the following lines sent me by Mr. Voorhies 
on the subject are very interesting : 

. "lis vous diront : En gag7iant Ic large, vous aurez a votre 
gauche une lie que vous cotoierez. Vous verrez un grand bois 
dans le lointain — quand vous aurez navigne une bonne partie de 
la journee, vous arriverez a ce bois dans Vanse x, y, ou z. II y 
a la une maison ; vous n'aurez qu'a heler, et un tel viendra vous 
recevoir. Si vous pouvez continuer, il vous pilotera dans ce 
l)ois, autrement vous n'aurez qu'a virer de bord et re\'enir ici." 

II. From the Parish of St. iVary. 

L'anse is the prairie advancinsj: in the wood like a small bay. 
// a plonge, he gave way (he 'dived') throus^h fear. 
Hater, topull. Kluch more common than tirer. 
Chapoter, to whittle a piece of wood ; corruption of Eng. chip. 
Jabtoroc, a lantern. 
Claion, not only in meaning of gate, as in St. Martin, but synonymou.s 

with pare explained above. 
Miater, to weeji, from niiauter. L'eu/aiit tniate. 
Man cacheiiibau, my pipe. f>om Proven(;al Cachimliau. {.See 

'Mireio,' xii.) 
Avoir le respire court et le discours egare, to be dying. 
Fortover, to swim. 

Coiiiporteuieitt d'lin ehevaf, the gait of a horse. 
Faire ehauditre eusemble, to marry. 
Patcharac ici, patcharac Ih to strike right and left, probably from 

patatras. 
Tchicadeuce, meche de fouet. 

Se piinper, to dress oneself well, from adj., pintpant. 
Ah! la giiitiche, Ah! the disagreeable woman, from griiicheiix . 
Du fard, for la farce. 

Pes agr^s, the harness. Another nautical term. 
fin fouyon, a finger sore, probably from fouitter, the sore being deep 

enough to be dug into. 
Greminer la terre, to pulverise the ground. 
Terliboucher, to laugh. 
I.es tcllzes, lightning. 
Cailler, to back out in a figiit, to shrink, as tiie milk on becoming 

clabber. 
line lionise, a lioness, from the English. 
Garoche, to whip, probably another nautical word, from garochoir, 

cordage. 
La routine, the road. The expression, Prends ta routine a ~eolontc, is 

to dismiss some one. 
l^ne balleuse, a dancer, from bat, but reminds us of old I'rench baler. 
Faire sa crevison, to die. 
Pesselle-toi que je temonte, Enlive ta soutadtre que je le iiionte, i)re- 

pare for a fight. 
Cela fait zir ! It makes one shiver, il is astonishing. A common 

exclamation. 

( Both words may perhaps be curious 
(■ne berce, a rocking chair. J examples of the shortening of words so 
Un morce, a piece. j common in a patrjis. Or are they from 

[o. Fr. bars and Lat. niors-usf 
Embancher. to sit together on a bench. 
{'a quine, it is progressing : from quine in a game. 



THE ACADIANS OF LOUISIANA. 



27 



yiacornc, marriage. An Acadian called Charles, .!i:oins; to llie 

marriasie of the daughter of another Charles, said : / ' vas a 

la maconie a la fillc a tocaille. 
C'liK, in common use for toinbe. The following expression was heard 

at the house of an Acadian : Qii' a qu'alle a qu\i trie f — A lie 

a q 11' a lie a chu. 
I'll braille, a cradle. A good word, as the cradle used to hang from 

the ceiling of the room. 
Conlre-cei'ilure, a ditch. 
Des i!<rales, corn shucks; a corruption from cigar.s, as the shucks 

have somewhat the shape of a cigar. 
lUxrritre enpeline, a fence with palings. 

Phonetics.* 

a — pronounced generally A and a as in French, but the tendency is to 

lay much stress upon tlie A and to make it a. The a is often 

changed into o, as in the Creole ^aio'is, popa, inonian. 
e — the 3 is generally lost ; the ¥. often becomes a : chare for chere, 

alle for ^//(f ; Noal for A^c^V ,• e remains ; a becomes lu : mesure, 

becomes miusure. 
/ — remains, or has the sound of iL mfiole, lion, pioit. 
o — the O hardly exists, chose and c6te, being both pronounced chose 

and C3te. 
u — pronounced a : nne becomes ane. 
V — has the sound of L mpays, mais. 
ai — has the long sound in vrai (vre). 

oi — has kept in many words the Norman WE in ^noi, Illijiois, toi, etc. 
l)ronounced also e: froid becomes yV^i/,- re/roidir becomes 
fredir. 

becomes sometimes UAN : nioi often pronounced mUAN. 
an — pronounced a, pavre. 

eu — becomes m : Engine, Europe become lugene mrope. 
oil — becomes sometimes o: oh est-ce/ pronounced o est-ce? 
un — the n of the nasal is heard and the un often becomes t&N. 
I — pronounced very often tch : cure (tchur^). 
d — becomes dj : Dieu (Djeu). At end of word sounds like /as in quand 

followed by a consonant : quand (quante le terez-vous ?). 
J — always pronounced at end of word iier/s, oeufs, etc. 
h — The h aspirate hardly exists: des zharicots, des zheros, etc. 
j — sometimes z, Zoze ior Joseph. 

I — often dropped : i va for ilva ; the L always pronounced like y. 
n — sometimes n: maniere. 
q — always pronounced in cinq. 
r — very often dropped : pou for pour, jou ior jour, etc.; by a curious 

transformation recette becomes arcette,/>r^w^2' becomes pernez. 
.V — pronounced at end of word : alors becomes alorse ; changed into 

r : taut pis becomes tant pire. 
/—often not pronounced : piasse {ox piastre. 
X — pronounced like .? at end of word : eusse, cense, deusse, sisse, disse 

for eux, ceux, deux, six, dix. 
~ — is sometimes replaced by j : J^non for Zenon. 



With regard to the parts of speech there is Httle to observe in 
the Acadian dialect ; there is, of course, a great deal of contrac- 



* The Phonetic signs are from Passy's ' Les Sons du Fransais.' 



28 ^4L CEE FO R TIE R 

tion, of abbreviation, as in the language of all uneducated people: 
fva, ffrois, etc fcmmc, etc. The liaison with the x and / is 
generally incorrect ; the / being pronounced like ,~, and the ,s\ 
though more rarely, like /: loi Q;rox-t-homiiie. On account ot 
the liaison which is nuich more frequent in the dialect than in 
the F>ench, the hiatus is almost unknown in the former. 

The peculiar part of the syntax of the Acadian is the use of 
the pronoun of the first perscm singular with a plural verb : 
J'liion, J\xvions and often that same form of the verb used with 
the pronouns of the third person: // ciions, i/s ctions. Instead 
oi J'avons the contracted formy'Vw.s' is frequent. The neuter 
\erbs such as aller, parli7% sortir, i^lc, ^.re usually conjugated 
with a^'oir. The reflexive \'erbs have generally dropped the 
auxiliary cire. 

The formation of nouns from verbs is common as in PVench. 
Mr. VooRHiES calls my attention to two interesting words : Unc 
pcse from peser, unc trompe {unc err cur) from sc iromper. I 
reler briefly here to the peculiarities of the dialect, as in the longer 
specimens given below the points of interest will be fully ex- 
plained. 

The two following letters are interesting not only as specimens 
of the dialect, but also with regard to folklore, as the customs 
and manners ol the Acadians are described. I am indebted 
principally for the subject matter to Mr. Zenon de Moruelle, 
formerly of Pointe Coupee Parish, whose valuable suggestions 
with regard to writing the dialect I also desire to acknow'ledge. 

rKKMlKKP; I.KTTRK. 

Bayou Choupique, Ic ^ Xovonbre iSgo. 
MoN CHER MussiKC Philologue, 

D'abord 1 'public s'a interesse a connaite iiutre liistoire, mouan ' j'v a 
dire tout (;a j'connais et pi^ les autres vont conter i,a ils savions. 3 Pou 
(;a je connais, j'ai toujours attendu4 dire que les premiers Cadiens 
qu'a venu icite Ciions arrives du Nord par le Missippi. lis venions des 
iilinoues et s'etioiis eparjiill^s t<nit le lonsi; du tleuve et ceuzes qu'a 
quitt(? la j^raiid ioande aviuns arrets cute nous autres. lis elions tous 
des ciiasseurs et des coureurs des bois. La beauts des chauvagesses 
les aviuns tenths; (;a fait y en a plein dans eux autres t]ui s'avions 
mari^ avec ces filles des bois. Mouan j'en connais plein des families 
icite qu'a du sang chauvage et nieme qu'ils etions bien tiers de 

I Moi. 2 Puis. 

•>, The first person plural of tlic verb used witli pronouns of first person sing, and third 
pcrs. pi. 

4 J'.nttniiu. 5 CenA\ 



THE A CA DIA NS OF L O UlSIA NA . 29 

dfscendre des premiers haliitants ; 16 s'disions les seals vrais Anieri- 
caiiis. l^Dur lors done einie fois etal)lis icite tons ces ;4aillards-la 
s'avions mis a travailler dur ; et pi i s'etions bati des caijanes el avioiis 
d(?rrechi 7 et nettey^ d'ia terre et cliacuii dans enx antres a eu eune 
deserts pou cnltiver dn mais, dn tatac, de I'indiij^o, et bouconp plus 
tard du coton et pi ensuite a venu la canne et ensnite le riz. 

Nos grands-popas avions en boiicoup des pitits. (^"a me fait jongler 
dans mon jeune temps, quand ma pauvre d^finte monian me foisait 
carder du coton pou faire la cotonnade ; les fils 6tions tindus 9 bleus ou 
rt)Uges. Alors on avail des bien jolies tchuloltes et des vereuses 1° pou 
aller vons promener I'dimanclie. On avail ele d'aui^aravant a la 
messe pou apprendre le cat^cliime avec le tchure et pi quand on elait 
pare" on faisaitsa premiere communion. Oh! niais c'^taiteune beau 
jour, on sentait qu'on ^tait l^gere comme une plume. A rien m'aurait 
pas tent6 pou faire eune p^che, a rien aurait pu me faire virer^^ de 
bord el jirendre eune mauvais chemin comme les mauvais garniments. 

Aussitot on ^tait assez grand pou travailler la terre, on soignait les 
betes. Notre popa nous donnait loujours eune lite laure ^3 pour 
commencer et an bout de cpieque temjis alle m avail un veau, ga fail 
que chacuu dans nous aulres avail un p'lil commencment pou nous 
marier. 

Nous autres dans la campagne on se mariait jeune. On courtisait 
les filles et eune fois un gar^xin avail choisi sa pr^tendue, la noce 
lardail pas boucoup. Oh ! mais du Djiab si on s'amusait pas bien 
mieux qu'a c't' heure. A eune noce ou eune bal on dansait des 
rigodons, et c'^tail si tenlant que les violoniers memes quitlaienl leur 
violon et se meltaient a corcobier comme les autres. Ah ! tu peux 
guetteris va, c'^tait pas comme a c'l'heure, non. Parlez-moi des 
autres fois, oui. A present a n'importe qui temps i dansions ; nous 
aulres on dansait jisque quand la saison commenyait a fr^dir, mais 
par exemple, quand le Mardi 16 Gras tombait un samedi, i avait pas 
de Catherine, 17 il fallait un bal. Dans les grand chaleurs on avait 
pas le temps, on travaillail Irop boucoup dur a la ch-arrue ; i fallait 
raboLU'er la terre, renchausser et dechausser I'mais el I'coton, et pi a 
la fin de I'ete faire des mulons de foin et de paille. J'vous garanlis 
on etait souvenl mal en i:>osilion avec le soleil qui vous grillail la 
caloquinte, 18 les chouboulures, les maringouins, les betes rouges el 
les poux de bois. On avail pas meme le temps de charreri9 un peu 
comme disait nainaine^o Soco. 

Silot le soleil 6lait couch^ fallait jongler a boire eune bonne tasse 
de lait el manger un peu de couche^icouche el pi aller s'fourrer en 
bas le here 22 pou dormir un peu el se lever a la barre du jour. Cr6 
mille miseres i avait des moments on fumait^s un vilain colon ; surtout 
(juand noire defint popa vivait. II ^tait loujours le premier deboute ; 
i fallait filer raide. Mais povre defint, le Bon Djeu I'a pris, et mouan 
meme je suis apres procher24 cot^ le cur6 pou garder ses poules. 
Hon Djeu merci, au jour d'aujourd'hui tons mes pitits sont grands. 
|e leurs y ai donne tout (;a j'avais, et comme i me reste plus arien, ?a 
c'est jusle que 9a j'ai fail pour eux autres ils le faisions pou mouan. 



6 lis. 7 Difriche. 

8 Champ: a curious expression. The word rf/icW must have designated the prairies. 

9 Teints. lo Vareiises. ii Pr t. 

12 Virer de bord, one of the nautical expressions so common among the Acadians. 

13 G'nisse. 14 Elle. 

15 Tti peux giietter va : You may say what you please. 

16 Quand h' Mardi Gras tombait un samedi : In carnival time. 

17 / avait pas de Catkeritze : It had to he done. i8 I^a t"te. 

ig Charrer, to converse. 20 Ularraine. 21 A dish made with corn meal. 

22 La moustiquaire. 

23 On/iimait un vilain coton, for onfilait : We were in an embarrassing situation. 

24 Procher cote le cure pou garder ses poules : I shall soon die ; I shall be in the cemetery 
to take care of the curate's chickens. 



30 



AL CUE FOR TIER 



J'ai pas fait avec eiix le partage a Moiit.tjomniery. C'est dansre lenii>i. 
a d'Arta lunette 25 que ce fanieiix lapin l.ivivait. C'etait iiii ti,aillai(l 
qu'etait plus coquin ()ue bete ; cjuaml il allait a la chasse avec ses. 
camaradrs coniuie il ^tait fort coninifc eune cheval il comineii(;ait 
touj(jurs par jjrcjj^ner faire sembiaiU t'etre en colore. I leur laisait 
eune bonne cache et cjuand il fallait partager le j^ibier il prenait tout 
et laissait la restant pou les autres. (^\a tait depi ce temps-la nous- 
aulres ons dit toujours le partage a IMontgommery. 

Ma plume connait galoper queqiiefois clans I'pass^, alle prend 
l'estampic,26 niais je connais F'arreter quand meme je dois li mettrt- 
eime brid"n. Commeje me seiitions lasse j\a tinir icite ma premiere 
lettre, et je vous promets, Mussieu, de vf>us ecrire encore aiivant le 
jc.ur de Ncjal, On doit faire eune grand r^veillon si vous voulez venir. 
On va se revoir plus tard. 

Je vous salue de loin. 

BaTJS ("jROSliOHrF. 
I)KII.X[EMK LkTTKK. 

Bayou Choiipiqui\ le 12 Noi'euihrc, /Sgo. 

-Ml'SSIKf l*Hll.<)L<)C;i'K, 

\'ons me disez comme (;a dans vot' r^ponse que nia lettre vous 
avions fait bien du plaisir et pou je continue a vous conter les affaires 
des premiers Cadiens qu' ^tions venus icite. C'est jus au fur et a 
musure j'^cris (]ue (;a m' revient. Four lors done je vas tout vous 
dire to it <;a je coimais. P'ti brin^z par p'ti brin (;a va finir par faire 
eune gros tas. Bien sur y en a deschoses qui allions vous interboli.ser,^^ 
))arce que c'est pas un p'ti morceau j 'avions i>ou conter. 

Les Acadiens avions ete ciiass^s v^ar les Anglais. C'est des fam- 
eux coquins qu'etions pou ainsi dire des pirates, ils avions profit^ de 
leu butin apres que ces malheureux avions parti de leu pays, et les 
coquins sa\ ions emiiare de leu maisons pou eusse rester et pi ils 
avions eu d-s tl^serts^^ tout bien cultives. Les Acadiens leurs y 
avions toujuars garde un jj'tit chien 3» de lenr chienne et a chaque 
fois qu'ils entendios dire (rod-dain, c'est comme si on leur jetait de 
la cendre chaude dans le dos. 

Nos a'e ix aimions la chasse. Le grand-popa de mon popa etions 
grand chasseur. i5on matin il etions tlebout et apres s'avoir rinc^S' 
la dalle, il fallait qu^que chose pou bousiller?^ I'estomac. II partait, 
mais bien sfir, aussi bien que le Bon Djeu a fait les ponimes, il 
reveiiait charge degibier: des canards, des chevreuils et des ours. 
Alors il 6vitait 33 des amis pou diner avec lui ; c'etait des vrais rame- 
(|uins,34 des vraies bamboches. F-a on d^cidions donner un bal pou 
amuser la junesse. Vn |)'tit gar(;on a cheval allions porte en porte 
e\ iter tout le monde. On etait pas tier, on ^tait tout tjgal nousautres. 
I )'abord on etait honn^te, on demandait jjas la restant. Le monde 
venions a pied, d'autres a cheval, boucoup en charrettes. On avail 
pas caliche ou barouche; on attelait Ti (jris et Ti Noir el ca vous 
trollions sur le chemin (-omme les grands cheval cpii venions du Ken- 
tucky. \"la la chanchon on chantait dans c'temps la, 6coutez-bien : 

2-, Very long ago: D' Anagiietic and Viiuennes were biirneil liy the Indians. 

■ifi Le ini'rs tiii.v dents : stampede. 

27 A curious rendering of" petit :'i petit I'oiseau fait son nid." 28 Siirprendre. 

29 A pretty expression: "des deserts bien riiltiv s." 

50 Carder un p'tit chien de leur chienne : avoir line dent contre quelqii'im, 

^\ Apr s avoir hu. -yiRemfilir. i,>, linutuit. -1,^ Grands diners. 



THE ACADIANS OF LOriSIL\\]. 



3^ 



PRKMIKK COUPLET. 35 



3)epi que j 'oils fait connaissaiUL- 
D'un certain teiKlrun, 
J 'cms courons a I'accointance, 
J'ons perds la laisoii. 
Je ne coiinais dans la nature 
Rien de plus flatteur 
(Jue Tainiable creature 
' Qui me tchient au tclioeur. his^ 

SE-COND COlPl.Kt. 

L'autre jour en cachette, 

A lie me tit present d'un becot.?^ 

Ah ! ma Iwuclie en devint muetle 

Et j'eu restai tout sot. 

Ce becot la au fond de nion anie 

Imprima le boubeur ; 

\\ redoubla la flamme 

Qui me tchient au tclioeur, bis- 

TKOISIEME COllM.KT, 

■11 n'y a rien de remarquable ; 

Partout un soleiL 

Dans le mcMide habitable 

On trouve tout pareil. 

Mais alle a ma douce anue 

Un pitit air flatteur 

•Une tidgire de fantaisie 

(Jui me tchient au tchoeur. bis^ 

(;)L'KTK.IHMK COITI-KT. 

I-a I)eaute la pkis tentante 

Pent me faire les yeux dou.\. 

Ah ! Je lui dirions; vous etes charniante 

Mais il n'y a rien pou vous. 

Ce n'est |)as que sa tidgire jeune et belle 

Ne soit pleine de fraicheur, 

Mais ce if est pas vous cju'etes la demoiselle 

Qui me tchient au tchoeur. bis. 

On ne s'embetait pas a faire dc la poliliciue conime xous autre-- 
uvec vos elections a tons les six mois. Nous, les autres fois, le (louv- 
-erneur nommait un commandant 37 dans notre part)isse. II etait 
xapitaine des armies du roi, et grand jige, et conime on a\ait pas de 
])r(H"es, il avait pas grand cho.se a faire; jus funier sa pipe, et pi se 
promeiier le matin et se reposer I'apres midi. Ouecjuefois le com- 
niantlanl reglait une succession et 11 gardait uiie bonne part pou lui 
aussite ; il disait il etait h^ritier noninie par le ( iouvernement. 

Ouand y avait un mariage tons nous autres on accoiiipagnait lej< 
niaries a TECglise et apresla (^ar^monieon revenait en chantant, et a la 
aioce on tirait des coups de fisil. C'etait eine habitude, ya preiive 
(jue nos ai'eu.x aimions la poudre et qu'ils nVn axioii.'^ pas peur. Leii- 
(iemaiii de la noce chacun reprenait son ouvrage pou travailler dans 
le desert. Mouan, comme j^^tais piti. je montions a califourchon sur 
le che\a! de charrue et mon grand frere tchonibonsait .^^ les guides; 
<,a allait pu \ite comme ya. 

35 The song is naive and graceful, alth()Ua;h the metre is nut always correct . 

36 Un baiser. 37 During the Spanish dorainatioii. 38 A verb furined from tenir bon. 



32 



AL CEE FOR TIER 



Quand y avait un enterrement nous autres on portait le mort en 
terre sur un boyard a bras. Tout le monde accompagnait le pauvre 
defint et conime c'etait fatigant, les porteurs elions changes de temps 
en temps, (,'a allait tout doucement, mais quand la (;aremonie etions 
finie on revenait raide reprendre I'ouvrage, parce qu'on fouinait pas 
dans ce temps-la. Oh ! non, on bouquait 39 pas su I'ouvrage. 

Aussite si on Etions pas tons riches du moinson avait. dequoi cjuand 
la guerre a venue. Dans les families le plus vieux garyon etait Icila 
qu 'allait a Tecole et par ensuite quand il 6tait assez savant il montrait 
a tons les autres de la faniille. Le second ^tait charpentier, le troi- 
sinie forgeron et le quatrieme cordonnier. Les filles faisiont la coton- 
nade et coudaient ; 4^ c'etait toutes des bonnes couturieuses,4i par 
ainsi tout se t'aisait su I'habitation. 

On avait pas ni Raide 42 Rode ni Estimbotte43 mais quand c'etait 
pou voyager on ^tait pas embarrasse. On allait aux Attakapas el 
aux Opelousas a cheval et les femmes venions tout de menie comnie 
les homnes. On campait dans le bois le soir, on allumait ein bon 
feu pou chasser les maringouins et les tigres, on faisait du cafe et on 
charrait jusqu'a m^nuit. Les hommes faisions la garde et an p'tit 
jour on se reniettait en route. Mais quand on arrivait chez des amis 
ou bien des parents dans la plairie, alors c'etions des rontentements, 
des plaisirs, des diners jusqu'a on etait tann^.44 On ^tait trop con- 
tents nous en tourner cot^ nous autres parce que on 6tait lasse 
s'amuser, i fallait penser a travailler. Mais tons les ans on faisions 
ces voyages, parce qu'on apprenait boucoup des qu^ques choses. 
L'homme qu'est bien instruit c'est cila qu'a boucoup roul6 sa bosse 
dans le monde. 

Faut je vous conte un charibari45 qu'on a donn^ a un vieux qui s'avait 
mari6 iMte cot^ nous autres. A ce charibari le monde Etions venu de 
tons c6t6, mais on afaittant du train 46 et du tapage, c'etait un tunnilte 
qu'avait bouleverse tout le voisinage. Alors le commandant avions 
donn^ I'ordre de finir tout ya, aussite ^a I'a arrete net. Mais les 
chicanes et les chamailles avions continue dans le jour; ga fait y en a 
eu plusieurs batailles et duels et plusieurs jeunes hommes s'avions 
massacr^ a coups de fisils ; y en a deux qu'avions ^t6 tu^s. Mouan je 
m'a trouve compromis comme t^moin. J 'ai-t-»^te oblige? de d(?camper. 

Je m'ai embarqu6 dans eune pirogue et j 'avions derive jusqu'a la 
ville cot^ mon parrain. Quand j'etions las flaner et naviguer47 a la 
Nouvelle-Orl^ans j'ai parti a pied pou tourner chez mouan coute qui 
cofite. J 'avions trouv6 du monde je connaissions tout partout, 9a fait 
j'etions pas oblig^ tchemander48 a manger ni pou coucher. (j'a c'est 
le plus joli voyage j 'avions jamais fait. J'ai pris deux ans pou m'en 
revinir. 11 faut je vous dis, je suis violonier de mon 6tat, pas un bal 
s'a jamais donne sans c'est mouan (|ui joue. J'avions arriv^ un samedi 
a St. Jacques, y avait un bal, mais le musicien s'a trouve malade. J'ai 
offri 49 mes services, ah! comme tout le monde Etions content. 
Lendemain j'etions ^vit^ dans tons les maisons. J'avions rehujue la 
veille au soir une belle Acadieime ; Maginton m'avait tap^ dans I'oeil. 
Alors, je I'y ai dit tout suite : "la belle, vous me plait, si vous disez 
oui on va se marier." Alle m'a r^pondu : "Tape, (;a me va." Je m'ai 
marid avec alle et on 5" a reste cote son pere jusqu'a plus de deux ans. 
Par apr^s j'avions appris la mort a ma pauvre moman. J'ai revenu 
au Ravou Choupi(|ue pour regier la succession. Ma foi, cjuand j'ai eu 
ma part j'ai dit comme (;a, tant ]iire pou les amis j'ai quitte derriere, 
mouan, je vas rester icite dans mon pays. Vous voyez, Mussieu 

y) On lie reculait pas. ^o Consilient. j^i Coiituri res. 42 Railroad. 

43 Steamboat 44 Fatigue. 45 Chariviiri. 46 Pu hruit. 47 Sr prontener. 

49 This incident is true, as well as the marriage that followed. 48 Demander . 

50 On for )tous, oxje, is very common. 



rilF. ACAni.WS Ol- LOUISIANA. 



33 



I'liiloioiiUf, t)u l'()iiil)iil 51 est eiiterre on vent toujours rester ; y a 
(lut'ciuf cliose coiniuf <nii dirail qui \ oiis amarre 52 1,^. 

On clit le Cadien connait pas a rien parce qu'il a |)as d'indiuation, 
niais il faut li donner eine chose, il aime son pays, sa faniille et ses 
amis, et si y en a qui rousjissent quand on les appelle Acadiens, 
niouan je vas vous dire, Mussieu Philoloi^ue, j'en suis bien fier. Pen- 
sez-vous pas (jue j'a\H)ns raison ? 

Je \(>us salue de loin, 

I^ATIS fjROSHOKl'K. 

I ho[)e that this brief sketch oi'tlie Acadians of Louisiana and 
of their dialect will be an introduction to a more complete study 
of the subject hereafter. 

Alckk Fortier. 

I'ui.ANli Univeksity of I.OnSIANA. 



SI Oil l^oti est ne. 52 Another nautical term for attache. 



^