216 OVER ON THE ISLAND

“The Indians lived very close to nature. Toads and reptiles spoke to them. When the chief wanted to know how many English there were or how far off, he asked these creatures—and they told him!

“When an Indian chief wanted tobacco he put his hand under the tent. He could ask only once a year, so he asked for enough to do each family during that time.”

“Why did the Indians become Christians?"

“When the first black-robed fathers came here the old chief called his followers about him to consult regarding the new religion. Each brave lighted his pipe, and soon they were visiting the gates of hell. There they heard nothing but wailing and groaning. So they moved on up to heaven. There they heard singing and laughing, and they saw the Shining Gates. So they decided that what the black-robed fathers had told them was true—for they had seen for them- selves. So they became Christians, and transferred the attributes of the Great Spirit to those of the newly discovered God. ”

“That was some pipe!” murmured Jean.

“An original pipe dream,” I pointed out.

“Why on earth did the Indians settle on Lennox Island?”

“First they settled on one island, then on another island, and finally on Lennox Island. Like the geese which fly overhead and keep together for protection, the Indians settled together in a district which had many protective features. If they had scattered over the mainland of Prince Edward Island they could have been wiped out by their enemies very quickly.

“One of the early chiefs, who lived to be very old, left instructions that after he had been buried twenty-