THE PILLAR OF HAPPINESS

HALF WAY between Kamloops and Falk-
land there lies a lake surrounded by heavily-
wooded hills that roll back from the clear
blue waters. Standing like a lone sentinel
at the edge of the lake is a tall pillar of
clay and fine gravel that is packed as hard
as granite. On the top of this giant shaft
is a large round boulder, nicely balanced
on its high pedestal.

Pillar Lake is a favourite spot for the
sportsmen of the district and is becoming
more and more popular as a summer resort.
Few of the hunters or fishermen pause to
consider the pillar other than a freak of
nature. Such columns of clay are not un-
common throughout the province. In the
Kootenays, the long fingers jutting into the
sky are referred as ‘hoodoos,’ so odd and
grotesque are their shapes. The geologist
will pass these oddities with scarcely a
glance, except in so far as the columns show
the strata of the clay. These men have a
simple explanation for the phenomena.
They simply state that erosion has wasted
away the surrounding area and this bit,
being harder than the rest has remained
standing. As conclusive proof of their
contention, they point to the stone cap.
That prevents the top layer from wearing
off and thus protects the whole shaft which
is held in place by the sheer weight of the
boulder. And of course they are right.
They know. But still - -

Seldom do these pillars reach the height
of this one. The Indians of the district
know nothing of the science of geology.
They know the story of their nation and
they call the tall shaft, The Pillar of Happi-
ness. [t has been there as long as their
cribal memory goes back, that doesn’t bother
them. They will tell you the true story of
the Pillar. It goes back to the time when
the shores of the little lake were lined with
Tepees and rough log shacks in littered con-
fusion.

A girl of the village, “To-no-ana,’ loved
the cool, pellucid waters of the lake. Often
she paddled in her canoe to the centre of
the lake and drifted gently over the sur-
face or peered intently into its crystal
depths. Gradually the spell of the Water
Spirit, Ton-ug-nik-nik, crept over her.
Stronger and stronger grew the call of the
Spirit who lived deep down in the lake.
One day, To-no-ana did not return trom
her usual canoe trip on the lake. She had
been seized by the Water Spirit and carried
off to his underwater world.

Deep was the lamentation of her parents
and of the tribe. The wails of grief and
the calls for her return reached even to
Ton-ug-nik-nik. It worried him to think
that his choice had brought sadness into
the lives of the Indians.

Creeping to the shores of the lake, the
Water Spirit constructed the giant pillar

and carefully placed the rock on its summit.
Dawn was breaking over the hills when
his work was finished. He summoned the
parents of the girl before him and said:

“Weep no more for ‘To-no-ana.’ She is
happy with me. The instant that she is
not happy or that I cause her the slightest
tremble of fear, that rock will fall. Then
I will send ‘To-no-ana’ back to you.”

The Spirit returned to the lake. The
aged parents returned to the camp solaced.
The pillar remained during their lifetime,
during the ages since. The word of the
Water Spirit has not been broken. The
rock is still balanced on the slender shaft.

We are indebted to W. W. Bride of Cran-
brook for this interesting sidelight on another
Indian legend, and we are always glad to
publish little known aspects of local lore. There
may be a legend of your community worth pub-
lishing—why not let us have it?—EDITor.

CALL WAS PROMPTLY
ANSWERED

A theatrical company was travelling from
Sydney to New Zealand when a male
passenger fell overboard. Several sailors
dived in and the man was saved. After he
had fully recovered he was profuse in his
thanks to the captain and said: “Your men
were simply wonderful; they must have
obeyed the call ‘Man overboard’ in record
time.”

“But I didn’t call ‘Man overboard,’ I
simply yelled ‘Chorus girl overboard,’ ”
explained the captain.

WHY THE

Nanaimo-Duncan Utilities Ltd.

BALMORAL

HOTEL

John Tonzetich, Proprietor

Comfortable Rooms

LICENSED PARLOUR

NANAIMO, B.C.

Page Twenty-four

Reasonable Rates

Nanaimo

SERVING

CENTRAL VANCOUVER ISLAND
LIGHT — POWER

Salt Spring Island

Duncan

GENERAL AUTO SALES

LIMITED

Distributors for

Chevrolet and Oldsmobile

Front Street

Nanaimo, B. C.
Phone 1200

THE SHOULDER STRAP