Black Man, The

• Format: Manuscript
• Language: English
• Subjects: English language > Dialects > Newfoundland and Labrador; Newfoundland
• Online Access: http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/ref/collection/elrcdne/id/8745

black a JW. Now,you never heard anyone threatened with _the Black Man_? M. Oh yes. _The Black Man_ . I.in Greenspond _the Black_ Man an' _the Boo-man_ ,I think these were synonymous terms. _Black-Man_ probably was _the Devil_ JW. Soo Boo-man presumably was the Devil,too? M. Mm.-mm. [ie yes]. JW. Now would you.would you have any.for instance would younger children be threatened with one,an' older children with another? Would there be any.? M. No,I think 'twas the same. There was a _Devil's Hole_ in Greenspond. This was a.two rocks on the side of the road goin' over to the back of the island - 'back o' th'islan' ! And 'twas a (RATHER?) _big hole_.An' we believed,oh up to seven or eight years of age,that the _Devil_ lurked there,if he didn't live there. Possibly we even believed that he lived there! JW. Anyone threaten you with sending you to the hole or .? M. Oh yes!People would.or if not threaten with you.we. used to go that way to cut xxxxxx the boughs for the bonfire,and well Mother or somebody would say,'You better be back before dark!Remember you got to pass the _Devil's Hole_! ' or something like that. Well that was enough! Yes 171 J. WIDDOSON _The Black Man_ _The Boo-man_ _The Devil's Hole_ [check] Used I and Sup Used I 6 Not used The Boo-man The Devil's Hole Phonetic transcriptions appear through card; they are not reproduced here.