182 PEARLS AND PEBBLES. 



What a pity it is that the meanings of all the Indian 

 names remaining to our lakes, rivers or cities are not 

 understood and made familiar; and greater pity still, 

 that in ^ome cases they have been set aside to make 

 room for European names that have no significance to 

 Canadians. 



About four miles above Stony Lake there is a shallow 

 piece of water known to the settlers by the name of 

 Bow-shink. This lake (though it hardly deserves the 

 term) lies below the highest elevation of land in that 

 section, called "Jack's Mountain," famous for its deposits 

 of mica and other minerals. Seen through its embossing 

 mass of forest trees, the ' eye takes in little beyond the 

 silvery gleam of the water visible at intervals between 

 the trees. 



One of the settlers, who was curious about the origin 

 of the Indian nomenclature, asked what the words 

 Bow-shink signified. 



" Spilt water ; looks like it," replied the Indian, 

 Moses Muskrat, as he stalked away, laughing at the 

 conceit. 



The words of lamentation for the dead, " Wah-ha- 

 no-min," when uttered by them in a long drawn-out, 

 mournful cadence and minor key, have an indescribable 

 wailing sound of grief and woe. 



Ty^zah, spoken quickly with an upward inflection of 

 the voice, are excellent expressions of the combined 

 wonder, admiration and surprise the words are meant to 



