An hour later they were in the main valley of Swift Current and marching at a good gait down the trail.
Quite a long time before sunset they crossed Boulder Creek, and a little later came out on the wide flat below the lower lake. Over by the river were some white lodges and a bunch of horses feeding, and Hugh said, “I believe our friends, the Kootenays, are still camped here. Let’s go over and camp with them. I’d rather be right among them than at a little distance. The dogs and children won’t trouble us so much in the camp as they would if we were close to it.”
They found in the camp all their acquaintances of a week or two before. Evidently the hunting had been good, for there were scaffolds covered with drying meat, and many hides pegged upon the ground.
While the white men were making camp, some of their acquaintances came up and spoke to them, and a little later old Back In Sight, the chief, paid them a call, and on Hugh’s invitation sat down and ate with them.
The Indians said they were soon going north and west to their own country. The hunting had been good, and they had killed many beaver. Now the fur was no longer at its best and they did not wish to trap any more this season.
Just before dusk something occurred that immensely interested Jack. A man clad in a blanket and a battered felt hat walked through the camp haranguing the people, who gathered in the middle of the small space within the lodges. Standing in the middle of the group, this man repeated what were evidently prayers. Then to Jack’s intense astonishment he crossed himself; rang a little bell, offered up another prayer and crossed himself again, while all the people followed his example. This went on for some little time until, finally, at the end of one prayer, followed by the tinkle of the bell, the people dispersed.
“Say, Hugh,” said Jack, “I wish you’d ask that Indian that you can talk to what this means. It looks to me like some sort of a church service.”
“Well,” said Hugh, “I wouldn’t be surprised a mite. You know lots of these Indians, especially on the west side of the mountains and to the north, believe in the Catholic religion, and I wouldn’t be surprised if these people do, or think they do. As a matter of fact, I believe they worship the sun, but maybe they think they’re Christians. Wait until I talk a little bit with this man that speaks some Chinook and Piegan.”
Hugh had quite a long talk with the Kootenay, then turned to Jack and said, “Now, son, that’s a mighty queer thing that we’ve seen. This man says that what we saw them doing was worshiping, and that this worship was taught their fathers by a Black Robe a good many years ago. Their fathers taught them how to worship in this way, but they themselves don’t know exactly what it means; all they know is that they are praying to the Black Robe’s God. This Black Robe taught their fathers to say these prayers, to ring this bell and make these motions, touching themselves on four places on their bodies. They try to do this just as their fathers taught them.”
Jack clapped his hands in astonishment. “That is certainly a most extraordinary thing; a real case of survival. I guess if I tell people back East about this they will laugh at me, and say I’m crazy.”