“I traveled to Squamish & Sechelt”, part 2

Steamboat Comox

Herewith part 2 of a substantial and detailed travel story.

Bowen Island lighthouse

(Part 1 here.)

St Paul’s Hospital

Eyes peeled!  You’re going to learn some new Jargon vocabulary.

Lili iaka patl smok kanawi kah ilihi kopa British
It had been foggy all around British

Kolombia. Kopa Vankuvir mitlait iht haws wik saia
Columbia for a long time.  In Vancouver there is a building by 

solt chok; mitlait tintin kopa ukuk haws
the saltwater; there is a bell in that building;   

pus solt chok iaka patl smok kakwa alta, klaska
when the sea is foggy like it was now, 

mamuk kakshit ukuk tintin kanawi minit, kopa
the bell is rung every minute, through 

son, pi kopa pulakli; iaka ukuk pus mamuk
the day and through the night; this is to  

komtaks kopa knim pi kopa stim bot mitlait kopa
send a signal to the canoes and ships that are on  

solt chok: kakwa pus tintin wawa kopa klaska
the saltwater; it’s like the bell is telling them, 

msaika oihat mitlait iakwa; pi wiht ston
“You folks’s path is here; and there’s a rock 

mitlait iakwa: tlus msaika chako kopa iakwa, pi
here too; you should come this way, but 

tlus nanich kopa ston. Ilip naika kolan ukuk
watch out for the rock.”  The first time I heard this 

tintin, naika tomtom, klunas klaksta mimlus,
bell, I [Father Le Jeune] thought, someone must’ve died,   

pi klaska mamuk tintin. Pi ilo kakwa, kopa solt
so they’re ringing a bell.  But it wasn’t so, on the salt- 

chok ukuk klaska mamuk tintin.
water this is how they use bells.  

     Wik saia <10> oklak pi nsaika k’o kopa tawn.
It was near 10 o’clock when we got to town.  

Alta mitlait iht stim bot, iaka nim Komoks.
Then there was a steamboat called the Comox.  

Ukuk stim bot klatwa kopa Shishil ilihi.
This steamboat goes to Sechelt.  

Lisivik wawa kopa naika, tlus maika klatwa kopa
The bishop told me, “Go to 

ukuk stim bot pus maika aiak nanich kopa
that steamboat so you can have a look at 

Shishil. Alki tlun son pus iaka kilapai, iawa
Sechelt right away.  In three days, when it comes back, that’s when 

naika iskom ukuk stim bot pus klatwa wiht kopa
I’ll catch the steamboat to also go to 

Shishil.
Sechelt.”  

     Naika mamuk kakwa. Naika klatwa kopa stim bot.
I did so.  I went to the steamboat.  

Chako drit <10> oklak, pi stim bot mash Vankuvir.
It got to 10 o’clock sharp, and the steamboat left Vancouver.  

Drit ayu tkop man mitlait kopa stim bot.
There were really a lot of white people aboard the steamboat.  

     Wik lili nsaika mash tawn pi nsaika tlap skukum
Soon after we left town we got into some rough 

chok: ilo win, pi kakwa pus ayu win:
water: there was no wind, but it felt windy: 

klunas ayu win kopa saia sol chok, pi
maybe there was a lot of wind farther out at sea, and 

ukuk skukum win mamuk solt chok chako ayu
that heavy wind made the saltwater get really 

saliks. Ayu man tlap sik kopa sol chok,
violent.  Many people got seasick,  

stim bot iaka chomp kopa solt chok kakwa tanas la=
the steamboat jumped around on the sea like a young 

muto. Iht iht man klaska ihi ukuk
lamb.  Several people laughed at this 

klaska sik, pi klaska klatwa kopa stim bot iaka
sickness of theirs, and they went up to the steamboat’s 

latit, pus nanich kata solt chok iaka mamuk.
front end, to watch how the saltwater was acting.  

Pi wik lili pi klaska piii ukuk klaska sahali
But it wasn’t long until they were paying for their 

tomtom, solt chok iaka chomp kopa stim bot,
arrogance; the seawater leapt onto the steamboat, 

chako patl chok kanawi klaska kot pi shirt;
all of their coats and shirts were soaked; 

klaska chako ayu shim pi klaska klatwa ipsut
they were very ashamed and they went to hide.  

Ukuk chok iaka klatwa kopa kikuli rum kopa
The water got into the compartments belowdecks in 

stim bot, drit ayu chok klatwa kopa stim bot.
the steamboat; a whole lot of water went into the steamboat.  

Kakwa ukuk tilikom mitlait kopa stim bot, klaska
So the people who were inside the steamboat 

tomtom klunas stim bot chako kakshit; klaska
thought the steamboat might wreck; they 

chako ayu kwash pus mimlus.
got very afraid of dying.  

     Kaptin wiht iaka chako kwash pi iaka
The captain too got scared and he 

mamuk kilapai iaka stim bot kopa Vankuvir. Klunas
turned his steamboat back toward Vancouver.  Around 

kopa wan oklak, kopit sitkom son, naika wiht
one o’clock in the afternoon, I again 

nanich Vankuvir. Alta taii kopa stim bot wawa
saw Vancouver.  Then the chief of the steamboat said 

tumolo tanas son, kopa siks oklak nsaika
“Tomorrow morning at six o’clock we’ll  

wiht mash Vankuvir.
leave Vancouver again.”  

     Wik saia pulakli, Pir Tomas iaka chako
Near evening, Pere Thomas came 

kopa Vankuvir, pus iaka chako kopa Shishil.
to Vancouver, so that he could come to Sechelt.  

Nsaika klatwa slip kopa sistirs klaska
We went off to sleep at the nuns’ 

sik haws, iaka nim Sin Pol Hospi* kah drit
hospital, called Saint Paul’s Hospital, where very 

tanas son nsaika gitop, nsaika lamas, pi
early in the morning we woke up, I said mass, and 

<6> oklak nsaika tlap stim bot, pi wik lili pi
at 6 o’clock we reached the steamboat, and soon 

stim bot klatwa.
the steamboat departed.  

     Nsaika mash Vankuvir tawn, pi wik saia nsaika
We left Vancouver, and we had almost 

tlap kopa aias lik, solt chok, pus nsaika
reached the big lake of saltwater when our 

stim bot klatwa kopa ston pi iawa iaka chako
steamboat ran onto a rock and then it got 

k’aw kopa ston. Drit ayu smok, kakwa wik kata
stuck on the rock.  There was so much fog that 

stim bot nanich ilihi; iaka kwash pus aiak kuli.
the steamboat couldn’t see land; it was afraid to travel fast.  

Kakwa iaka drit tlawa: pi pus iaka kakwa, ukuk
So it was going really slow; and when it was doing this, the 

kuli solt chok iaka nim taid iaka mash stim bot
running saltwater called the tide threw the steamboat 

kopa ston. Taid klatwa kikuli, pi wik lili
onto the rock.  The tide went down, and soon 

pi stim bot kopit mitlait kopa chok, iaka mitlait kopa
the steamboat was no longer on the water, it sat on 

drai ilihi alta, pi iaka li dawn kopa wan said:
dry land now, and it was lying on one side; 

kanawi nsaika, nsaika mash stim bot, nsaika
all of us, we left the steamboat, we 

wiht iskom nsaika iktas, pi nsaika kilapai kopa
got our belongings back, and we returned to 

tawn. Tanas lili nsaika mitlait kopa tawn, pi
town.  We were in town for some time until 

klaska siisim kopa nsaika: tumolo Winsdi
we were told: tomorrow, Wednesday, 

pus wik saia pulakli, nsaika wiht iskom
when it’s almost night, we’ll again take 

ukuk stim bot. Nawitka, pus taid kilapai,
that steamboat.  Indeed, when the tide came back, 

pi solt chok chako drit sahali, ukuk stim bot
and the seawater got really high, the steamboat 

wiht klatwa sahali kopa chok; klaska hol
could again move on the water; they towed 

iaka kopa Mudivil*, wik saia Vankuvir: iawa klaska
it to Moodyville(?), near Vancouver; there it was 

hol iaka klahani kopa chok, klaska nanich
pulled out of the water, and they could see 

ikta iaka kakshit. Ilo ikta iaka kakshit, kopit
what was damaged.  Nothing was broken, only 

iaka chikmin isik, iaka ukuk iaka kakshit: klaska
its metal oars [propellers], that’s what was damaged; they 

oihoi ukuk isik, pi klaska mamuk kilapai
replaced those oars, and they returned 

stim bot kopa iaka hwarf kopa Vankuvir.
the steamboat to its wharf in Vancouver.  

     Pi Shishil tilikom klaska wit nsaika: klaska
And the Sechelt people were awaiting us; they 

kolan pus Komoks tiki tlap Shishil kopa Mondi: kakwa
had heard that the Comox had intended to reach Sechelt on Monday; so 

pus klaska nanich stim bot ilo chako kopa Mondi,
when they saw that the steamboat didn’t come on Monday, 

ilo wiht chako kopa Tyusdi, klaska tomtom,
and again failed to come on Tuesday, they thought, 

klunas ikta? Klunas iaka kakshit kopa ston,
What’s going on?  Maybe it ran into a rock.  

taii wawa kopa iaka solshirs: Tlus msaika
The chief told his soldiers: You folks better 

klatwa nanich. Kakwa mokst knim chako kopa Vankuvir
go see.  So two canoes came to Vancouver; 

Winisdi nait kopa <5> oklak, klaska chako kopa
Wednesday night at 5 o’clock they came to 

Vankuvir. 
Vancouver.  

     Lisivik alta komtaks wik kata pus ukuk stim bot
The bishop now realized there was no way that steamboat 

kuli mokst taim kopa iht wik; kakwa iaka wiht
would be able to travel twice in a week; so he too 

chako kopa Vankuvir, pi kopa <7> oklak, wik saia
came to Vancouver, and at 7 o’clock, almost 

pulakli, nsaika mash Vankuvir kopa stim bot. Alta
dark, we left Vancouver on that steamboat.  This time 

ilo nsaika tlap kaltash chok, pi ilo nsaika klatwa
we didn’t find any bad waters, and we didn’t run 

kopa ston. Nsaika tlus klatwa kopa solt chok,
into any rocks.  We had good going on the saltwater,  

pi pus chako drit pulakli, stim bot chako wik
and when it came to be really dark, the steamboat came 

saia kopa lait haws. Iaka kwash pus iaka mash
near the lighthouse.  It was reluctant to leave 

ukuk lait haws, kakwa iaka mitlait wik saia
the lighthouse, so it stayed close by 

ukuk lait haws kanawi pulakli. Nsaika tlap
the lighthouse all night.  We got 

aias klahawiam, pi aias til kopa stim bot.
really miserable and very tired on that steamboat.  

Wik kata nsaika klatwa kah pus slip, pi ayu
We couldn’t go anywhere to sleep, and a bunch of 

kaltash tkop man mitlait kopa stim bot, klaska
no-good white men were on board the steamboat

kaltash wawa kanawi pulakli: chako son; alta
were talking trash all night; day came and then 

stim bot iaka mash lait haws, ukuk lait haws
the steamboat left the lighthouse; this lighthouse 

iaka klunas <9> mail kopa Vankuvir. Alta iaka
is about 9 miles from Vancouver.  Now the 

kuli ukuk stim bot, pi chako wik saia <11> o[=]
steamboat was underway, and it got to be about 11 o’ 

klak, iawa nsaika nanich Shishil. Drit nsaika
clock, then we were seeing Sechelt.  We really 

tlap lapilitas kopa ukuk stim bot.
received a penance on board that steamboat.  

— Kamloops Wawa #146 (November 1896)

(Part 3 here.)  (Part 4 here.)