2 6o THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



The numerals, probably, are taken from the native tongues, and 

 some of them are as follows : 1, " ikt " ; 2, " mokst " ; 3, " klone " ; 

 4, "lakit"; 5, "kwinum"; 6, "taghum"; 7, " sinnamoket " ; 8, 

 " stotekin " ; 9, " kwaist " ; 10, " tahtlelum " ; 11, " tahtlelum pe 

 ikt " ; 20, " mokst tahtlelum " ; 100, " ikt tukamonuk." 



The missionaries who labor among the natives of the north- 

 west coast from necessity learn Chinook. I once attended a 

 church service in Washington Territory, where, the congregation 

 being made up of Indians, the praying and preaching were both 

 in Chinook. The Lord's prayer is rendered thus : 



" Nesika papa klaksta mitlite kopa saghalie, kloshe kopa 



" Our father who stayeth in the above, good in 



nesika tum-tum mika nem ; kloshe mika tyee kopa konaway 

 our heart (be) thy name ; good thou chief among all 



tillikum ; kloshe mika tum-tum kopa illahee, kahkwa kopa 

 people ; good thy will upon earth, as in 



saghalie. Potlatch konaway sun nesika muckamuck. Spose 

 the above. Give every day our food. If 



nesika mamook mesachie, wake mika hyas solleks; pe spose 

 we do ill, (be) not thou very angry ; and if 



klaksta mesachie kopa nesika, wake nesika solleks kopa 

 any one (do) evil toward us, (be) not we angry toward 



klaska. Mahsh siah kopa nesika konaway mesachie." 

 them. Send away far from us all evil." 



Any one can acquire Chinook whose memory is retentive 

 enough to enable him to learn a certain number of words ; and 

 then, with practice, he will speak it fluently. It is not uncommon 

 to hear young children in Washington Territory and Oregon talk 

 in Chinook as easily as in English. 



Many Chinook words have taken root in, and form part of, 

 the Pacific coast vernacular. Some of the most common of these 

 are " tillicum," friend ; " tyee," chief, or boss ; " kiutan," horse ; 

 " muckamuck," food ; " cultus," worthless ; and " si wash," which 

 is always used for Indian. The motto on the seal of Washington 

 Territory is a word used in Chinook, but native in origin, i. e., 

 " Alki," meaning by-and-by, or in the future. 



From what has been said, it will be seen that while Chinook 

 does not rise to the dignity of a language, it is an important factor 

 in every-day life as it exists on the northern Pacific coast. The 

 Indians of that region are peculiar. They get their food easily by 

 fishing, hunting, and gathering the wild roots and berries of the 

 woods. Nomadic bodies hang about the towns and settlements, 

 earning money from the whites in various ways. In a word, they 

 procure their living too readily to develop habits of industry and 

 thrift. The experiment of supporting them on Government reser- 

 vations, and educating them in useful pursuits, is but partially 

 successful. They become discontented, and long for the freedom 



