The story of the "Arab Marriage" reminds me of another legend about
rocks, but this one was a Red Indian story about a rock in British
Columbia, Canada.
The Arab story showed that the Arabs respect decent behaviour, and
this one, on the opposite side of the world, shows that the Red
Indians also give honour to manliness and purity.
[Illustration: TUNISIAN ARAB BOY WEARING A "CHEKIA" OR FEZ.]
[Illustration: TUNISIAN WOMAN OUT FOR A WALK--BLACK MASK AND ROOMY
"BAGS."]
Just at the entrance to the harbour of Vancouver stands a solitary
pinnacle of rock, straight and upright. It is called the Siwash Rock.
A young chief had made himself renowned for his wonderful courage in
war and for his sense of duty to his tribe and to his religion, and
for his courtesy to women.
He had married a wife, and when she was about to give birth to a child
they did as laid down in the laws of the tribe, that is, they both
bathed in the sea to be so clean that no wild animal should be able to
scent them. This would ensure their child being clean in thought and
deed.
The woman returned to their tent, but the young chief went on swimming
to make sure that he should be clean and pure for the birth of his
son.
While he swam a canoe came along with four giants in it. These shouted
to him to get out of their way, but he only laughed back at them that
he was swimming on important business.
But they shouted to him that he must cease swimming in the channel, as
they were messengers of the great God, and that if he did not they
would turn him into a fish, or a tree, or a stone.
[Illustration: A SPAHI (NATIVE CAVALRY SOLDIER) ADMIRED BY AN ABAB BOY
SCOUT OF THE FUTURE.]
But he only replied that he must be clean for the birth of his child,
and therefore he meant to go on swimming, no matter what the risk was
to him.
This quite nonplussed the giants.
They could not run him down, because if their canoe were to touch a
human being their power over men would be lost.
Just then, when they were pausing, wondering what to do, they heard
the cry of a baby come from the woods on the shore.
Then one of the giants stood up and chanted to the swimmer a message
from the great God that, because he had bravely held out against all
their threats in order that his child should be the son of a clean
father, he should never die, but should remain for ever as a reminder
to other warriors to do their duty, and to obey the law of the tribe.
And his wife and child, too, should be for ever near him.
So the moment he touched the shore he became the great upright rock,
now called the Siwash Rock. And a short distance from him, in the
woods, are two more rocks, a big one and a little one beside it--his
wife and child.
They are monuments to the Indian belief that those who do their duty
in spite of any difficulty or danger are the best men and the greatest
heroes.
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