Alimony on the
Frontier

By
SERGT. S. CLINE

oa

Another Fascinating Story of Northern Tribesmen by Sergt. Sperry Cline—
This Time the Chief Has a Vision and Changes His Spouse!—When Called
to Account, He Provides Alimony—and How He Does It Will Cause a Chuckle!

“But my Totem saw the shame; from his
ridge-pole shrine he came
And he told me in a vision of the nght—”"
RUDYARD KIPLING.

WHEN THE author of the lines quoted
above wrote his famous poem “Arithmetic
on the Frontier’ he said “The odds are on
the cheaper man.” Had he, like myself, ex-
perienced a case of alimony on the frontier,
he might have been able to have shown
where the odds should be placed in such
cases, but, as he has remained mute on this
subject, I presume that he lacked that ex-
perience so I will endeavour to place the
facts before you in a fair and unbiased man-
ner and leave to your judgement where the
odds should be placed.

Gitemdultz, before the coming of the
white man to the land of his tribe; follow-
ed the ways of his fathers and found them
good. As a child he learned the traditions
of the tribe from old Skaulsh the story teller:
as a youth the lore of the forest, the river,
and the mountains from the most experi-
enced elders of the tribe. When he arrived
at the age to take his seat in the council and
to go on the warpath with the other braves,
he, according to the customs of the tribe,
gave feasts, potlatches, erected a totem pole
and by these and other means established
himself as a chief. He also married, accord-
ing to the custom of the tribe, a lady of a
different clan who was many years. his
senior that there might be one wise head in
the family.

ARRIVAL OF MISSIONARIES

When the first missionary ascended the
River to the home of this young chief-
tain, Gitemdultz, although so securely en-
sconced in such an enviable position among
his people, was among the first to divorce
his heathen Gods and accept (with certain
mental reservations) the teachings of the
white man.

The transit from paganism to civilization
was found to be a long and arduous path
by many of the missionary’s converts. When
the words of the Great Spirit of their fathers
seemed to meet existing circumstances more
readily than the newly taught creed of the
missionary or when it seemed their moccasin-
ed feet would prefer the mossy trails of the
Happy Hunting Grounds of their own myth-
ology to the hard gold-paved highways of
the white man’s Heaven there were many

WINTER EDITION

lapses of conscience and many reversions to
the original type.

As the years passed Gitemdultz and his
people acquired much of the white man’s
knowledge, some of which I am sorry to
say, was not acquired from the missionary,
for the placer miners, trappers, packers,
steamboat hands, blindpiggers and other
itinerant whites all contributed their share
to poor Lo’s education.

These counter influences perplexed the
native mind in general but Gitemdultz
seemed to be the one Indian that they did
not effect and he was pointed to with pride,
by the Indian Agent and the missionary as
one who had stood firm in the face of all
temptation; a shining example of steadfast-
ness of purpose, a quality that a native is
rarely supposed to possess.

Though outwardly calm and apparently at
ease in mind Gitemdultz had mulled these
matters over from the time of the arrival
of the missionary until twenty years later
when I arrived on the scene to bring my
influence to bear on the cultural, economical
and administrative life of the country.

About this time there also arrived mission-
aries of another church and these new ar-
rivals added still more to the perplexing
ways of the white man when the rivalries
of creed began to be felt.

At this time travel on the. River
was very limited. During the winter months
I was practically the only regular traveller

and I supplied the only means of communi-
cation between the different villages. Being
obliged to look to the Indians for shelter
and whatever aid I required canoeing and
dogteaming I was gradually becoming ac-
quainted with the manners and ways of the
noble red man and after a few months was
familiar enough with life on the river to
sense that a change was taking place in the
general demeanor of the people of X—, the
villages of Gitemdultz.

As soon as I became certain that this

change was not imaginary, I mentioned the
matter to the Indian Agent who at once
conferred with the missionary and I was
soon assured that there could be nothing
amiss at X Possibly at other villages
but not at X—! That being the home of
Chief Gitemdultz who always kept his
people in hand nothing could be wrong at
X—-——. Being a cheechaka, I was no doubt
misinterpreting what I had seen and heard;
all must be well at X :

On my next visit to that. village it was
quite obvious that a great change had taken
place. Where I had formerly been met with
all signs of friendliness and goodwill and
regaled with the small town gossip I was
now met with a surliness that could almost
be felt. Short answers were grunted to my
enquiries; I was given to understand that
there was “Indian business’ astir and that
the white man was personna non gratia at
X——.

Making my way to the house of Gitem-
dultz, I was met at the door by that worthy,
who, with face an expressionless mask, in-
formed me that since my last visit great
events—too great to be discussed with as
humble a person as myself—had taken place
and that I was to take his letter, which
would explain all, to the Indian Agent. I
was then ceremoniously handed a letter,
closely sealed and marked for delivery to the
Indian Agent personally.

On reaching home J promptly delivered
the letter to the Indian Agent and went
about other duties but kept an eye on the
Indian Agency. During the next few days
I noticed considerable activity in that quart-
er; the Indian Agent, missionary, local In-
dian Chief and other prominent people of
that locality were often seen in conference.

A CHANGE OF WIVES

Before starting on my next patrol down
river the Indian Agent called me into his
office. He was worried and ill at ease. Sev-
eral times, while giving me the most minute
instructions about the most trivial routine
matters, he gave me opportunities to ask
if he had any instructions for X——. Re-
membering how my previous observations
had been received I remained silent and
prepared to leave the office. The Agent,
who was now pacing the floor, finally
broached the subject. “Er-r-r-rr! Oh yes!
Yes! When you are at X—! I say at X—!
See; you know; see Gitemdultz and Er-r-rr-.

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