104 FIFTY YEARS IN WESTERN CANADA

believe, your chief is not guilty, he can lose nothing but
gain everything by going to show his innocence to the
judge, who, I give you my word for it, will try him
fairly and will not condemn him without very good
ground. One of our chiefs cannot stand indefinitely
in the category of the accused. He must vindicate
his honour, and not pass for being probably a thief
because he dares not face a judge. Therefore I, your
pastor, who love him as much as you do, say: by all
means, let him go and surrender himself as soon as he
can.”

At these words, uttered with that sense of authority
which, in the native eye, is inherent to the Catholic
priesthood, a dead silence fell upon the assembly, and
all eyes converged on the head chief, who had not as
yet opened his mouth. He finally did open it, and it
was to declare in no uncertain tone:

“There is not in the world a man able to make me
do that. But the priest is not a man: he is the repre-
sentative of God onearth. Therefore I will do what he
wants me to do.”

He did go and delivered himself up, was duly tried
and fairly examined. But the proofs against him were
overwhelming; he was found guilty and condemned to

a short period of mitigated seclusion at Hazelton—a ~

most mild sentence under the circumstances.

The priest had won his point and human law was
satisfied, but the chief lost his prestige. ‘In his next
visit Father Morice degraded him, and put somebody
in his place.

Not only did our friend thus intervene in quasi-
civil affairs, always in the interest of justice no less
than for the welfare of his people, but he encouraged
amongst them thriftiness and love of work when not
hunting or fishing. With this end in view, he allotted

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