Part 11 (1/2)

The missionary had the worthy idea in his mind that, as these native races have so little literature in their own language, the sooner they learned English the better for thees, with a decided preference for the English as their studies advanced

This was the first opportunity the boys had had of seeing the ht to the Indians

With a home-made blackboard, and a very white kind of clay as a substitute for chalk, these syllabic characters were put down upon the board like the alphabet, and there to be studied like the A, B, C's It was committed to memory The peculiarity about it, as the name ”syllabic” implies, is that each character is a syllable, and so there is really no spelling in the language

These are phonetic in character, and so, when the thirty-six characters are impressed upon the memory, all that remains to be done is to open the book, be it Bible, Testain to read; no long, tedious efforts at learning to spell first words of one syllable, then words of two syllables, and so on Each character is a syllable, and thus the ent boys and girls learn to read in their own language in a feeeks Even an life and becoet to understand these characters and learn to read

With theto read in the ordinary way, the work is very ress, and the visitors were all pleased with the intelligence and aptitude of the scholars, both boys and girls Mr Ross, who understood their language perfectly, at Mr Evans's request conducted the examinations, and Mrs Ross presented the prizes

After the hearty lunch, which was very lorious appetites--the sports and cohest prize, a good gun, presented by Mr Ross for archery, on by a son of Ma Tom,” and richly did he deserve it

At a hundred yards he sent every arrow of his well-filled quiver whizzing through a paper hoop not three feet in diameter For this prize there were several competitors, and some of the lads did well; but only the winner sent every arrow through, so this one was easily decided

The ”many arrow” prize was not so easily decided, as there were many competitors and they were evenlythereatest number of arrows into the air at the same time The method is this Only one competes at a time He fills his quiver with arrows and places it on his back as he would to carry it in hunting Then he steps out a few feet in front of the croho to escape accident fro arrows are all behind him

He is allowed to feather the first arrow in the bow string, and then at a given signal he instantly shoots The object is to see how many arrows he can shoot into the air before the first one fired reaches the ground It is a very interesting sight to watch a contest of this kind

The eye can hardly follow, not only the arrows, but the rapid movements of the archer, as he draws the arrows and shoots theht, ten, yes, sometimes even a dozen arrows are thus sent ondrous rapidity, so so closely that it see would catch up to the ones just on ahead The greater rapidity of the arrow just leaving the bow than that of those some hundreds of feet up adds to this delusion

This was ever with the Indians, ere the introduction of guns, a very favourite sport, not only in these forest regions, but a contests were numerous, and sometimes rivals from different tribes contended for the honours in this and other kinds of archery practice and feats of skill with the bow and arrow Catlin's brush has given us one of these exciting scenes

After the various kinds of archery coan

The first was the long race over a course that had been marked out for two miles of a shore and back It was not all an unbroken sandy beach

Out in some places there were rock obstructions, and in others dense underbrush It was a race over a course that could well be styled good, bad, and indifferent It was one not only to test the endurance of the lads, but to develop their judgment in the quickness of decision when in a part full of difficulties About a dozen competitors entered for this race, and there were three prizes that ell-earned

Then there were races for shorter distances, which ell run

When the half-mile race was about to be run, which was open to all coht to enter for this, as his practice in that famous escapade with the bear, where he ran with suchfor this occasion To the surprise of all, when Frank added his banter to the others, Sa up and asked permission from Mr Ross, as somewhat amused at this request, as he felt sure Saranted Sam's desire Surprises often come froar them

Over twenty co To the surprise and delight of the whites, Sa only beaten by E deer”

Old Kapastick, the chief, was so delighted with Sam's success that he presented to him a second prize, which was a pair of beautiful Indianmatches, and as Sam's success had fired the ardour of both Alec and Frank, and had raised him so much in the eyes of the Indians; they asked perth against the supple agility of these lithe Indians For good reasons Mr Ross only permitted one of them to enter into this co his chums at hoainst the dark-skinned Indians Eight competitors entered the lists, so there were four pairs of wrestlers, and the conquerors in each bout would have to wrestle with each other, until eventually the prize winner would have to throw three coreat interest in wrestling contests, but being objected to by so many they have about disappeared in these later years from the Indian mission schools

The corass, and warned not to get angry, but each to do the best he could to down his opponent It was ”catch as you can,” and get your opponent down until both of his shoulders at the saround

Face to face, and with their hands extended so that they just touched their opponent's, they waited the ”How” of the chief to begin the exciting struggle

Frank wasfellow, lithe and supple as an eel So quick was he that, as Frank afterward said, ”Before he had o,' the fellow seemed to wind himself around me and twist all over me” But Frank had what boys know as the ”power to hold his feet,” and so, in spite of the cyclonic attack, he stood firrip that suited him, and then with one quick, skillful twist he laid out his opponent so neatly on the grass that the crowd gave hi for an Indian crowd to do

The other three pairs of contestants being Indians, and up to all Indian wiles, struggled er ere the victors were announced Now the four conquerors in these struggles were again ainst two

When Frank tried his favourite trick, which had won him his first victory, he found that his second coh busy at the time with his first opponent, observed it, and was not to be so easily caught Then Frank, after they had each tried various scheood wrestlers, very suddenly seized him fair and square around the waist as they stood face to face, and, by what the boys know as the ”back-hold,” threw hi the two had thus won the right to contend in the final struggle for the prize with the victor who, like himself, had also throo opponents

Very excited yet very good-humoured were the people, whites and Indians