THE INDIAN SCHOOL EXAMINATIONS--THE PRIZES--NOBLE INDIAN BOYS--THE
SKATES TO KEPASTICK--THE VARIOUS SPORTS--FOOT RACES--THE SKATING RACE--
TRICKY CLERK OUTWITTED--FRANK AND KEPASTICK TIE AS WINNERS--FOOTBALL--
HOCKEY.
The day for the examinations and sports at the mission school arrived in
due time. Fortunately, it was a very beautiful day, although it was
many degrees below zero. But nobody now minded that. There were no
fogs, or mists, or damps, and the dry, steady cold is always much more
healthy and invigorating than changeable weather in any land. Everybody
invited was present, and so the day's full program was well carried out.
Mr McTavish, a chief factor in the Hudson Bay Company's service and the
chief officer at the Norway House trading post, presided at the school
examinations, which began promptly at nine o'clock. The schoolhouse was
packed with the children and their friends, except the large platform at
the upper end of the schoolroom, on which were seated the white visitors
from Sagasta-weekee and the trading posts and mission.
The children were first examined in their reading lessons in both
languages, Cree and English. In their own language they used the
syllabic characters, invented and perfected by the Reverend James Evans,
the founder of this mission. These syllabics, as their name indicates,
each represent a syllable. The result is there is no spelling, and just
as soon as a pupil, young or old, has once mastered these characters he
begins to read. Three weeks or a month is considered quite sufficient
time, in which to teach a person of ordinary intelligence to read
fluently.
Mr Evans was several years in perfecting this invention. He begged
from the traders the sheet lead that is found around the tea in tea
chests. Then, making little bars of this lead, he carved out his first
type. His first paper was made out of birch bark. His first press he
made himself. His first ink was made out of soot mixed with sturgeon
oil. Many were his difficulties and discouragements, but he triumphed
over them all, and now here were hundreds of Indians reading in their
own language the word of God.
The whole Bible, with some hundreds of hymns and a few volumes of good
books, "_Pilgrim's Progress_," "_The Path of Life_," and others, have
been translated and printed in these syllabic characters. The old
Indians prize them very much, but it is interesting to note that, just
as soon as the younger Indians understand English and get to be able to
read in it, they prefer it to their own language and books.
The examinations in arithmetic, grammar, and geography were rather
limited. It could not have been otherwise in such a place. All were,
however, delighted with the splendid examination each class passed
through in Bible history. The Indians have wonderful memories, and here
the children delighted all with their knowledge of events from the
creation down, and the accuracy with which they could quote long
portions of the sacred book. The writing also won a great many
complimentary remarks from all, and it is safe to assert that very few
schools among white people could have made a better showing. The
recitations were good, considering that they were uttered in a foreign
tongue. The singing was delightful. The children sang in the two
languages, and the soft, sweet, liquid Cree did not suffer in pathos and
beauty in comparison with the more vigorous English. Of course, a
number of prizes were given. A beautiful incident occurred when the
prizes for the best recitations of the fourteenth chapter of Saint
John's gospel were being distributed. Among the competitors was a poor
lad who, when a babe, had been so bitten in the hand and arm by a wolf
that the arm had to be cut off near the body. Competing with him were
several other bright boys. The chief prize was a splendid pair of new
skates, which Frank had generously given for this competition. So even
had been the boys, or rather so perfect were they in reciting, that the
judges hesitated about selecting the winner of the first prize. When
the boys who were well, and unmaimed, observed this there was a short,
quiet consultation between them, and then one rose up and, respectfully
addressing Mr Mctavish, said that the boys who had two hands, as well
as two feet, had more ways of having sport and fun than Kepastick, who
had only one hand, and so they asked him to have the judges decide that
Kepastick should have the skates. Noble fellows! but that is just like
young Christian Indian boys. The white people present were much moved
by this beautiful incident of quiet unselfishness, and soon arranged
that those kind-hearted lads should not go unrewarded.
By twelve o'clock the most successful examination of the school, up to
that time, was over. The prizes were distributed, and while all the
white people, as was customary, accepted the missionary's invitation and
dined at the parsonage, the Indians sped away home for a brief dinner,
and were then soon all back again, to compete in or to witness the
sports.
The first races were run by some little girls. The distance was only a
few hundred yards and back. These races caused a lot of fun and
enjoyment. The prizes were little handkerchiefs, strings of beads, and
other trifling things in which little Indian girls rejoice, and of
course every little competitor must have a prize. Then there were races
for little boys. It was great fun to see the sturdy little fellows so
gallantly strive for victory. Meanwhile arrangements were being made
for the more important races of the day. The courses had been marked
out previously with flags, and so every class knew its course and ran
accordingly. The fleetness and endurance of some of even the small boys
were wonderful, and great was the interest, and even intense at times
the excitement, when several well-matched competitors gamely struggled
on for victory. In the races open to all comers the larger Indian boys
were disappointed that none of the whites had entered, as they were
anxious to test their own speed against them. There were races worth
going across a continent to witness, and genuine and hearty was the
applause that greeted the winners, who came in at such a rate that the
white boys, while cheering as heartily as the others, saw how wise they
had been in declining to put themselves against such runners as White
Antelope or Spotted Deer, the winners.
When the skating matches were called, Frank promptly entered the lists.
His appearance was received with applause. Even the quiet Indian lads
tried to make a noise to show their pleasure in greeting the handsome,
manly fellow whose splendid gift had gone to Kepastick, the one-armed
lad. Two or three young clerks or fur traders also entered for the
race, one of them being the young man who had so abruptly left Alec the
night of his fearful race with the wolves. The route marked out for the
skaters covered in all about ten or twelve miles. It, however, so
twisted in and out among the islands on the frozen lake, that many of
the competitors would be in sight nearly all of the time. That the
intending skaters might thoroughly understand the route, it had been
marked out a week or ten days before the race, and it had been
thoroughly understood that any of the competitors were at perfect
liberty to skate over the grounds and get familiar with the different
turning places, marked by little red flags.
Frank, with Alec as a companion and trainer, accompanied by one of Mr
Ross's servants, who was also a splendid skater, had gone over the route
two or three times, and so was quite familiar with it. A little before
the race began he was quite surprised to have this Indian skater call
him aside and tell him to be careful and keep his eye on the correct
route, and also to guard himself against that young white man who had
deserted Alec. He then added:
"Watch the Indian with one arm; his heart is good toward you."
Then, putting his fingers to his lips as a sign of caution, the Indian
quickly slipped away among the crowd. This very much perplexed and
bothered Frank, especially when Mr Ross said to him:
"Keep your eyes on the lookout for the flags--the Indian lads are so
familiar with the route that they will not bother to notice them; and
look out for tricks from those whose faces, like your own, are white."
There were perhaps twenty competitors in the great race. As the
distance was so long it was not very essential that they should get off
at the same instant. There would doubtless be those who depended on
rapid bursts of speed to carry them to the front, and so a second or two
made but little difference at first. At the report of a gun away they
flew. They had all sorts of skates and all kinds of styles. With ten
or twelve miles' work before them, none, except some of the younger
lads, tried to do their very best at first. Frank naturally wished to
skate in company with his white companions, but they sullenly refused
the offered society. Insulted and annoyed at this conduct, and
remembering the warning words of Mr Ross, and also of his faithful
servant, he just made up his mind to be on the alert, and if it were
possible he would be in the first of the palefaces. On and on they
sped, until a couple of miles at least were covered. Then they had
reached a spot where the route lay between two rocky islands not a
hundred feet apart. The ice here was beautifully smooth, and being
well-sheltered was as clear as glass. With a wild whoop the Indians
dashed on across it, and at the same time, rather to Frank's surprise,
one of the clerks, putting on a rapid burst of speed, dashed directly in
front of him, in the centre of this narrow place. Frank, with his
suspicions all aroused, keenly watched him, and to his astonishment saw
him deliberately but cautiously let slowly trickle from his hands fine
streams of the white crystal quartz sand of that country. To have
skated over it would have so dulled his keen-edged skates that anything
like victory would have been impossible. There are times when the mind
works rapidly, and so it did here with Frank. The first thought was to
shout out and expose the villainy. The next was to evade the trap and
for the present say nothing about it, and see what trick would next he
tried. So, quickly veering to the windward side sufficiently to make it
sure that he would escape the sand, he rapidly sped along, humiliated
and indignant that a white man would try a trick that an Indian would
scorn to do.
On and on they flew. The route turned and twisted, and in several of
the windings it brought them in fair view of the excited group on the
mission hill who watched their progress, for now more than one half of
the route was covered. They were now entering a kind of a maze among
the islands, where persons not thoroughly acquainted with the route
required to keep a vigilant eye on the different flags. In the front
group was Frank, and closely edging beside him, he noticed with
pleasure, was Kepastick, the one-armed lad, with his beautiful new
skates, now serving him grandly and well.
"Chist!" said the Indian lad quickly, and Frank knew by the way that
this word, which means "look," was uttered that there was something
meant. Letting the boy glide just ahead of him, Frank caught the
meaning of his words, though uttered in broken English:
"Some bad hearts change flags to bother Frank. Frank keep near
Kepastick. He knows the trail."
These friendly words were uttered none too soon, for Frank saw at once
that even some of the Indians, trusting to the flags, were perplexed and
some had gone hopelessly astray. With a rush and a jeer of triumph a
white clerk made an attempt to fly by, for once out of that labyrinth of
crooked icy channels the home stretch was as straight as an arrow.
Frank was for responding to his spurt with an effort equally desperate,
when Kepastick checked him with:
"One Indian, good heart, meet clerk's bad heart; all right yet."
Frank, now completely bewildered, yielded himself implicitly to the
guidance of Kepastick, who moved on with all confidence and paid not the
slightest attention to the flags.
Look! Away beyond the islands, in the distance, shining in the
sunlight, is the steeple of the mission church. Just a few more
windings in these tortuous channels, and then the two miles' dash for
home. Most of the Indians--for their skates were poor--have fallen in
the rear. The one white man whom Frank despises is perhaps a hundred
yards ahead, and not far behind him are his companions. With intense
interest Kepastick is watching them.
"Chist!" he cries again, and his dark eyes flashed with excitement; "the
trail is ours!"
It seems that there ran out from that place two channels that looked
very much alike. The correct one had been flagged several days before,
but the previous evening the clerk had skated over and had flagged the
wrong channel. Sharp eyes had been on him and had discovered his trick,
and these misplaced flags had been replaced at their proper positions,
while the others had been left as the villain had placed them. Thus
thrown off his guard, he blindly dashed into the wrong channel. The
rocky shores were high and abrupt, and so Kepastick and Frank shot by
the trap and into the correct channel, and were hundreds of yards out on
the now open lake, with their faces toward home, ere the plotters
discovered, to their dismay, how they had been completely foiled. As
rapidly as possible they turned, but the distance could not be made up,
and so to their chagrin they not only found that Frank and Kepastick had
tied first, but that six or seven Indians, some with home-made skates,
had wholly beaten them.
As the miserable trickster passed Frank on the shore some time after, in
the presence of the chief factor, Mr Ross, and several others, Frank
sternly looked at him and uttered the one word "Sand". None but the two
then knew what was meant, but the guilty rascal paled, and so trembled
that it seemed as though he would fall to the ground. Very soon was he
out of that company. Next day he asked to be transferred to another
post, which request was cheerfully granted. It was a long time before
Frank told of his contemptible conduct. When Mr Ross at length heard
of it he communicated at once with the head officers of the Hudson Bay
Company in reference to conduct so dishonourable, and the result was
that the poor fellow, who had not improved over such actions in other
places, was ignominiously expelled from the service.
Meanwhile the other sports were progressing finely. The football teams
crowned themselves with many honours. The games were not fought on any
strict Rugby rules. The goals were set in the ice, about four or five
times as distant from each other as is the case in civilisation. Then
two captains were named, and they selected their men and boys
alternately, until all who wished to play were chosen. Then each side
was lined up at their own goal. The ball was placed away out in the
centre between them. At the firing of a gun there was a wild rush, and
the side that had the fleetest runners thus secured the first kick. The
ball was not to be thrown or carried. It was to be kicked, and could be
struck with the hand or head. The game was fast and furious while it
lasted. It was always in ground, and there was no hold up until it went
between the poles of one or the other side. The cries of "Foul" were
never heard, and umpires were only needed at the poles to shout out when
a goal was won. It was a jolly, lively, easily understood game of
football, enjoyed by all. Generally five wins in nine plays was the
rule.
The hockey games were like those played by men and boys in civilised
lands, only here everybody who wished to play was paired with somebody
else, so as to keep the sides even. Everybody not otherwise engaged
enthusiastically took a hand in it, and the fun was very great. Mr
Hurlburt, Mr Ross, Hudson Bay officers, as well as all down to the
smallest Indian lad who could handle a crooked stick, had a share in
this game. The day was so cold, and the smooth ice expanse so great,
that the vigorous exercise did everybody good.
The tobogganing games were given over entirely to the girls to compete
in, and skillfully and well did they acquit themselves. The other minor
games also gave great satisfaction, and afforded any amount of
amusement.
We reserve for the next chapter the story of the great race of the rival
dog-trains, which for long years after was talked about in many a wigwam
and at many a camp fire.