.554 . BEPORT— 1892. 



of a clever lawyer, bis conviction was quashed on a technicality, and the 

 authorities were obliged to return him to Fort Steele, where he belonged. 

 The writer saw him the day after his arrival. He was dressed in all the 

 finery he could command, and took the greatest pleasure in parading 

 himself about and letting people see that he knew he had won a triumph 

 over the whites. He was in the very highest state of pleasurable excite- 

 ment, and continued in this frame of mind for a long time. 



The other case was that of an Indian of about sixty years of age whom 

 the writer was measuring. The Indian, however, after two or three 

 laeasurements had been taken, demanded a large sum of money, and, on 

 being refused, pushed the instrument away from him, and, angrily 

 muttering, went outside the store, where he had been standing, sat down 

 on the verandah in front, where he remained all the afternoon, glowering 

 and muttering, and doing his best to impede matters. He continued in 

 this morose mood for days, and even at the expiry of a month would not 

 have anything to do with the writer. 



There is also another case in point. While the writer was at Barnard, 

 B.C., he visited Mr. David McLaughlin's often, and one morning, while 

 seated parleying with the Indians, a middle-aged Indian suddenly entered 

 the house, threw his hat on the floor in a most excited manner, and for 

 twenty minutes poured a perfect flood of abuse and threatening on the 

 head of the writer, accompanied by most expressive gestures. After he 

 had unburdened himself of his wrath, he picked up his hat and departed. 

 Several similar, though not quite so animated, exhibitions of anger came 

 under the writer's notice during his stay in the Lower Kootenay, most of 

 them being traceable to the Indian trouble at Bonner's Ferry, Idaho, 

 which had aroused the resentment of the Kootenays. 



While in the territory of Chief San Piel, of the Lower Kootenays, one 

 day the chief and some dozen Indians came into the writer's tent and, 

 seating themselves around him in a circle, demanded a large tribute for 

 having intruded into their territory. A refusal to comply with the 

 outrageous demand led to a very interesting display of Indian resentment 

 and anger, as made known by speech and gesture, the faces of some of the 

 savages being given at times an almost demoniacal expression, and their 

 gestures just stopping short of actual assault. Still, in spite of these 

 disturbing outbreaks, which sometimes occur, the white man who behaves 

 himself is perfectly safe amongst the Indians, and need fear no treachery. 



The Indians have a keen sense of the ridiculous, and go so far as to 

 laugh at the misfortunes which befall their fellows. If an Indian is 

 thrown from his horse, misses the animal he shoots at, trips up and falls 

 down, his mishap is always greeted with laughter by the bystanders. A 

 few hours after the excited speech of the Indian at McLaughlin's, the 

 writer was engaged in measuring another of the same tribe, when the 

 Indian suddenly rose to his full height, drew his knife from his sheath, 

 and made a motion to strike the measurer, which somewhat disconcerted 

 the latter, who, however, was almost immediately reassured by the loud 

 laughter of the Indians who were present. The Indians take great 

 delight in tricks such as this. 



A favourite amusement of the Lower Kootenay Indians on Sundays is 

 furnished by horse-running. All the horses are assembled in a large open 

 space near the camp, and the Indians form a large circle round them, 

 and, provided with long whips, they drive the horses to and fro for an 

 liour or so, laughing and yelling to their hearts* content. Even the little 



