54 FIFTY YEARS IN WESTERN CANADA

This was a sad blow to the priest, as well as a signi-
ficant warning to others; but, seeing in the very fact
of his return among the Babines a secret design of
Providence on the tribe, he announced that he was
forthwith to commence the series of preachings and
other exercises called a retreat. The faction of the
“Devil’s clan,” or those who were averse to listening
to religious instructions, took this for a signal to resume
their anti-Christian operations. They set upon beat-
ing their drums, and invited their fellow men to
gamble and dance, as a protest against the priest’s
intentions. The latter took great care not to mind the
provocation, but completely ignored it.

By dint of kind words and sermons which he
endeavoured to render as interesting as possible, he had
the happiness of seeing his audience increase every day,
until, at the end of the retreat, he had quite a good
majority, if not almost the totality of his flock in the
church again. Then came the usual routine of settling
the people’s social difficulties and of eradicating the
public disorders which had been obtaining since the
last retreat. This meant the separation of couples
unduly united and the returning to their husbands of
the women who had violated their marriage vows, as
well as the atoning for the same by a salutary penance.

By means of the organization obtaining in all of
Father Morice’s villages,® all went well enough until

® The chief orders, and in a vague way replaces the priest in his ab-
sence, giving, just out of the local church, short and sometimes eloquent
exhortations in confirmation of what the missionary may have said inside,
or taking his place, always at the door of the sacred edifice on the Sundays
when he is not there; the captains are the ministers of the whip, which
they administer to those who ask for it or are condemned to receive it by
the chief acting as lay magistrate, while the watchmen’s role is to conform
to the function expressed by their name, and the soldiers act as policemen
or constables, fetching the accused to the chief and council and keeping
watch over the condemned culprits, that is filling towards them the part
of jailers.