Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1904-01-09
THE BLACK BOX.
BY Roger Pocock.
The Mission House, Tenas Moosum,
British Columbia,
In fhn onth ninhf OF the eth month

IN tne ZUth 4lGnJ on the tLp month
OF the Both year OF This Life.
/ To My Own Soul:
/ Dear Sir If ] pass my vigil without
1 sin, why should | not hold commune
with you. Q, my soul? am 50 lonely
/ and nobody need ever know, for shall
/ post my letter III the stove; and it is
well chat this bad hour, while / can
neither sleep nor pray, should send Its
! thoughts IN flame up to the heavens
But my thoughts must be neatly writ
ten, well expressed, and pure to be
worthy of going upward.
What can / write of? The moonlight
streams in upon my desk. and below my
window the channel is field OF dancing
silver. Beyond there are mountains.
their feet in darkness, but they lift their
immortal faces to the eternal sky. So
!, Patrick OBrien of the Society of
Jesus, with my body in the dark. lift up
mine eyes unto the Light. And yet | AM
L fool
Father Luis, who started this mission
brought here magic lantern to instruct
the sayages with sacred pictures. "A
black box with one eye" the sorcerers
called il, telling the tribe that the thing
contained devil. That was just a week
before the great cholera. Tor the devil in
a black box winked at the people A
few OF them died of cholera, many more
of fright, and the rest put stop to the
plague by killing the black devil hex.
They killed Luis, too. and | came here to
take his place. All me- lis many long
YEARS Stree then.
! used to write letters tie first year
to Uncle Ambrose at home III Ireland,
and for human company had his answers
al full Of funny spelling and sweet
brogue, which went to my heart "Shure.
how could be lonely" says he. when
l'n sending We me camera in Il nate box
for to play wid.' The camera came, Il
little profane toy, worldly. SINFUL thing.
the more dear to me as being forbidden.
| took small, round photographs and
gave them to my Pensioners, thinking
no ctil
1t was black. said The medicine men;
IL haal only one eye and like Luis magic
lantern, it had devil. My Christians
were uneasy, the heather ragged. the sor-
ccrers made medicine 20 exercise my
kodak while it was young, lest it grow
to the size of the other plague box and
have strength enough TO massacre the
tribe.
Then came the head chief pleading and
threatening by turns. He knew | was
good, but the box was bad for the people,
and how should he hold his young men
from shooting me, his old men from
eursing me 10 death when all the tribe
knew that | kept q devil / showed him
the inside of the box, and let him make
n picture ot me with it, that | might die
with the rest if it had devil. / even
served out castor oil as special treat
to ,oothe my people inside, so that their
fears were assuaged. Once they made fur
Their pretences OF terror 10y way of plot
TO act more castor OIL but gave them 81
taste of my blackthorn twig, and their
peace of mind returned.
That was III the fall of the year, and at
Christmas Il stray Indian put in with his
canoe at Fort Rupert, sick of a fever
caught in Oregon. The Quagutl emcerers
did their best for him with medicine, rat
ties. howls, and jumping on his chest
but they could not drive out his devil
and he died. The trader at Fort Rupert
reported smallpox
The sickness began 10 spread among
the tribes, all round Naneouver's Islami
| heard that the chief was dead at Neah
Bay, that many We're sick at Nootka
that the Hesguiat tribe had rum LEAVING
/ several dead men in their houses Canoes
came up the coast bearing news and i'll
lection, hut when | warned these away
from my village the people made them
welcome. They said that my devil box
had brought the plague, and [ was left
in my house alone. Daily | said mass in
the empty church, at night kept vigil Ia
wear ont my pam.
At last ettle Alice, the chiefs daugh.
! ter. crept into the Indian room. aihng.
Tor she knew that loved her dearly and
wouldn't let her die. Poor child! What
could | do. They hadn't sent me my
meilcme from Victoria, They haze kept
on promising and promising, but none
/ ever came-not one quill Of vaccine for
my people or for NE. How could make
any? ] knew that it was something ont
/ Of calf, and sat in the rain Tor hours
I pretending to FISH, but really watching
my cow where she browsed i'm the lone
sea grass, but | couldn't remember how
the stuff was got. Then | went into the
village imploriug the strong men to go
with me II Victoria for medicine. but
they only crouched down in Their houses,
I hanging their heads
went out alone in my canoe; but
what can one man do in three tom craft
with the sou'wester in ms teethl Poor
Alice, Poor child! | carried her 10 her
fathers house. sat up all night nursing
her-cTsed be the druggist who didn't
send me my medicines! May he die in
torment as did the child and 60 to his
own place.
] nursed her until she began to sink !;
then read the office for the dying. gave