5o 4 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



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 

 gaktletl k'lcdktsi, 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 un- 

 known 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 gratify- 

 ing 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 Eeader,' and sang also, not very badly, ' God Save the Queen,' and 

 ' Great and Glorious St. Patrick,' which seemed to be their pieces de 

 resistance. 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 Eocks,' 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 : 



Gamnakotlokonfqan 



May he save 

 Yiikasinkmawaske 

 He who made us 



