So 2 chiefs & a priest travel to Europe, part 8

Chilliheetza thought and thought about this, and he asked, “What is that ditch all about?”

(Previous installment: click here.)

     …swim kopa ukuk chok; wiht klaska makmak ukuk wam chok, iaka
   …swim in that water: they also drink that hot water, it’s 

kakwa igs pus puli. <x> Wiht kopa Banf mitlait ayu bḭrs, pi
like eggs when they’re rotten.  Also at Banff there are a lot of beavers, and 

ayu wail pus; mitlait wiht iht iht homp bak musmus,
lots of wildcats; there are also a few humpback cattle, 

tkop man mamuk nim byufalos, sawash wawa “kroiishp” ankati
the white people call them buffalos, Indians used to “qwisp” [in Salish].

Ilihi iaka drit patl kopa klaska, pi alta klaska chako drit ilo.
The land was really filled with them, but now they’ve quite disappeared.

Tilikom mamuk mimlus kanawi. Kopit kopa Banf mitlait iht iht.
People killed them all.  Only at Banff are a few left.

     Kopa Banf mitlait wiht iht aias makmak haws iaka kost tlun
    At Banff there is also a big inn that cost three 

milion tala. Ankati naika klatwa nanich ukuk makmak haws, pi tkop
million dollars.  I once visited that inn, and a white 

man wawa kopa naika: [“]Kopit pus tlun son maika mitlait, pi maika
man said to me: “Only if you stay three days will you 

nanich kanawi ikta kopa ukuk haws.”
see everything that’s in this building.”  

     Nsaika mash Banf pi wiht nanich ayu aias mawntin. Lui
    We left Banff and again saw lots of tall mountains.  Louis 

taii skukum tomtom iaka wawa: “Drit skukum nanich.”
the chief said, amazed: “It’s amazing to see.”  

     Wik lili pi nsaika nanich kol main, kah tikop tilikom mash drit
     After a while we saw a coal mine, where white people put out a whole 

ayu chikmin pus tlap ukuk tlil ston iaka tlus kopa paia.
lot of money to get this black rock that’s good for burning.  

     Tanas lili wiht nsaika kuli kopa mawntin ilihi; pus kro
     For a bit longer we traveled through the mountain land; when 

sitkom son, iawa nsaika klatwa klahani kopa mawntin.
midday arrived, that was when we left the mountains.  

Iawa nsaika kopit nanich mawntin. Alta nsaika <369> mails
Then we were done seeing mountains.  Now we were 369 miles 

kopa Kamlups.
from Kamloops.

     <+>

     <The Prairies.>

     Alta nsaika kuli kopa tipso ilihi: kopit tipso ilihi
Now we were traveling across the prairies: only grasslands 

nsaika nanich kanawi kah. <x> Ilo mawntin, kopit tipso ilihi,
could we see all around.  There were no mountains, just prairies, 

kakwa aias lik. Tanas lili nsaika kuli kopa ukuk tipso ilihi
like a giant lake.  We had traveled for a bit in this prairie land

pi taii Lui wawa: “Pi kah stik mitlait? Ilo nsaika nanich
when Chief Louis said: “But where are the trees?  We aren’t seeing any

stik: kata klaska mamuk pus klaska kamp kopa ukuk ilihi?
trees: how do they manage when they’re making camp in this country?

Pi wiht kah klaska tlap chok?[”]
And besides, where do they get water?”

     Wik saia kopa stim kar oihat ilo mitlait kalahan kakwa kopa
    Near the railroad tracks there was a fence like in 

Kamlups ilihi; pi mitlait iht aias ditsh iaka lon, saia,
the Kamloops country: and there was a big ditch that was long, and far, 

saia, iaka kuli wik saia stim kar oihat. <x> Silista ayu
far it ran next to the train tracks.  Celesting [Chief Chilliheetza]  

tomtom kopa ukuk, pi iaka wawa: = Ikta ukuk ditsh?
pondered this, and he asked, “What’s that ditch for?”