The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-04-25
THE FEMALE DEMON.
A River Fiend Anciently Believed TO Hau"'
the st. Lawrence.

A River Fiend Anciently Believed TO Haun'
the st. Lawrence.
In a very entertaining article entl-
tied "Some Legends of the Old ST.
Lawrence" contained in the New En-
gland Magazine, j. Macdonald Oxley
writes as follows:
Retracing our course somewhat, ana
doubling the Gaspe promontory, we IND
ourselves in the Bale des Chaleurs.
whose entrance is guarded by the Island
of Miscou, than which no other spot, not
even Anticosti itself. has borne richer
harvest of legend. Tales of marvellous
monsters and traditions of war; famine
and shipwreck, and narrowing human
SUFFERING abound. Once it was very
prosperous fishing CENTER but that day
has long since passed, and now only a
handful of French Canadians exc out
miserable existence, aided by the har-
vest of wild hay which grows upon vast
meadows daily overlooked by the tide.
According to Governor Deny, the island
DO ssessed in his time-that is two hun
dred or more years agO-a notable
natural wonder which is thus described:
"a few hundred yards from the beach
there spurts from the briny sea gush
Of fresh water as big as your two lists.
which retains it's freshness for space
of twenty yards, without in any wise
blending with the surrounding SAIL
liquid, either at high or low tide. The
fishermen come there in boats to fill
their casks, and draw it up as if it were
from the reservoir of fountain" And
Mr.. Lemoine, who is still with us, ayers
that the truthfulness of the old Cover
or's narrative has been vouched for u
him by seafaring folk frequenting those
shores.
But the most famous and far-spread
legends of Miscou are those connected
with the Gougou, concerning which mys
terious monster we had better let its
first chronicler, Champlain, speak fol
himself. / translate the following from
his Voyages: '"There is" he says, ''a
wonderful thing here, we'll worthy OF
mention, which many of the natives
have assured me is fact, towit, that
near the Bale des Chaleurs lies al
island, upon which dwells monster
with the form of u woman, but of dread
full appearance, and of such stature
that the top of their masts would reach
only to her waist. They describe her
as being appalling. She has devoured
many of their number, and continues t.
do so, putting her victims when she has
seized them in huge pocket which
some, who Lave been so lucky as to es-
cape from her dreadful clutches, de-
scribe as being big enough to hold one
of their vessels. This monster is con-
stantly making horrible noises, and
bears the name of Gougou, and wher
the natives speak Of her it is always
with bated breath and trembling lips
Yea, the Sieur Prevent de Saint Malo
while on a search for mines, assures me
that he passed so close to the lair of
this dreadful creatu that he and all OF
board the vessel heard the strange hiss
ing noises she made, and that the ma
tives who were with him told him that
was indeed the Gougou and were so ter
rified that they hid themselves wher-
ever they could. dreading least she had
come to bear them off. / am of opin
ion" continues Champlain, by way OF
Judgment upon the evidence before him,
that the island is the residence of some
demon which takes delight in torment
ing the people in that way"