Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 68.djvu/508

504 fellow, whose skin seemed even dirtier than the shirt forming his only garment, was promised some candy if he would wash his face. Going to the river, a few yards off, he marched in, clothes and all, coming back dripping from head to foot, but beaming with smiles. The candy he ate in a way that would do credit to any white child. Not alone the children, but the adults as well, are very fond of candy, which they call gāktlētl k'kōktsi, or 'variegated sugar (sweetness).'

On another occasion, and at a different place, the writer had a little Indian boy to breakfast with him. After the first shyness was over, the little fellow conducted himself with a grace and dignity quite unknown to many white children of his age. And through it all his beautiful dark-brown eyes shone in the most captivating fashion.

At the Mission of St. Eugene, on the St. Mary's river a few miles from Ft. Steele, B. C, a school of a more or less industrial character had been established, and, at the time of the writer's visit, was attended by about sixteen girls and ten boys, a number of whom were of mixed blood, children of white men who had married Kootenay women. The school was conducted by members of one of the Catholic sisterhoods, under the superintendence of Father Coccolo, the resident missionary, who exerts a great and abiding influence over these Indians, who thoroughly appreciate his absolute devotion and self-sacrifice. The children, who were from seven to fifteen years of age, showed gratifying progress in their attempts to acquire some of the learning of the whites. Although they had been in attendance only a few months, some of them could already read from 'Sadler's Dominion Catholic First Reader,' and sang also, not very badly, 'God Save the Queen,' and 'Great and Glorious St. Patrick,' which seemed to be their pièces de résistance. Some could write a very fair hand—it is curious with what facility the Indian can often master this art as compared with his white brothers under similar circumstances. It should be mentioned in this connection that many of the Kootenays, as their drawings made for the writer indicate, have a good graphic sense. They can likewise draw maps and recognize on the maps of their country made by white men the chief topographical features. No extensive carvings on rocks or pictographic records have been reported from their country, however, the 'Painted Rocks,' on Lower Arrow Lake, being quite within the territory of the Salish Indians, and not belonging to the Kootenays. While in the Lower Kootenay country, the writer received from the daughter of David McLaughlin, from whom he collected many native texts of myths and legends, the Kootenay equivalent for 'God save the Queen,' which is presented here as a literary curiosity:

 Gä́mnākōtlṓkōníqan May he save Yä́kasinkínawáskē He who made us