Miscellaneous Papers. 207 



SKETCHES OF INDIAN LIFE AND CHARACTER. 



Bj' Ai.EERT B. Ukacan, La Push. Wash. 

 CHIEF NOSKELZOHN'S STOVE. 



O EVERAL years ago, when the government first began to 

 ^ issue things to the Apache Indians of Arizona, the agent 

 at Fort Apache received a stove to be issued to one of the 

 chiefs of the reservtion. After some deliberation the agent 

 decided to give the stove to Chief Noskelzohn of the Cibicu 

 division. So he dispatched an Indian police to Cibicu for the 

 chief, and in due time Noskelzohn came to the agency for his 

 stove. Before the agent gave it to him, however, he took him 

 over to his house and showed him a stove in use and ex- 

 plained to him how to cook many things on it. Then he had 

 him take dinner with him, that he might see how much better 

 things tasted that were prepared on the white man's stove 

 than in the ashes or on the bottom of an inverted skillet. 



After the repast the chief packed his stove on a burro and 

 started home with it. But when he got to Cibicu — having 

 stopped at a tisivin — drunk on the way, he had forgotten all 

 about what to do with it. So he placed it in his yard near 

 his teepee, and there it remained rusting for nearly two years. 

 At last one day an Indian scout came along on his way from 

 the fort to Canyon creek, and noticing the stove, remarked: 

 "That is one of those things on which the agent's wife cooks 

 so many nice things. I have also seen the soldiers cook on 

 one of them at the fort. It is a good thing. Why don't you 

 use it, Noskelzohn?" 



'Tut it up for us, brother, and show us how to use it," re- 

 plied the chief. "We know nothing about it." 



"All right/' rejoined the scout. "Let 's put it up at once." 



Instantly the whole band of aborigines was interested; all 

 was excitement. Some of the Indians stood around the scout 

 with open mouths. Others carried the stove into the teepee 

 and set it up as the scout directed. Others rushed to the near- 

 by forest and gathered wood. Then when the stove was filled 

 with wood and everything was ready, the scout proceeded to 

 kindle the fire in it. "Now you '11 see her go," he remarked, 

 as he lighted a match on the sole of his moccasin and touched 

 it to the shavings. Breathlessly all stood around and looked 



