THE CALIFORNIAN PENINSULA. 3G5 



to remain permanently iu the mission, excepting during tlie time when the pita- 

 hay as are gathered. 



I saw one day a bliud man, seventy years of age, who was busily engaged in 

 pounding between two stones an old shoe made of raw deer-skin, and when- 

 ever he had detached a piece, he transferred it promptly to his mouth and swal- 

 lowed it ; and yet this man had a daughter and grown grand-children. As 

 soon as any of the cattle arc killed and the hide is spread out on the ground 

 to dry, half a dozen boys or men will instantly rush upoa it and comm;.Mice to 

 work with knives, flints and their teeth, tearing and scratching off pieces, which 

 they eat immediately, till the hide is full of holes or scattered in all directions. 

 In the mission of St. Ignatius and in others further towards the north, there 

 are persons who will attach a piece of meat to a string and swallow it and pull 

 it out again a dozen times in succession, for the sake of protracting the enjoy- 

 ment of its taste. 



I must here ask permission of the kind reader to mention something of an 

 exceedingly disgusting and almost inhuman nature, the like of which probably 

 never has been recorded of any people ia the world, but which demoustratea 

 better than anything else the whole extent of the poverty, uncleauness and 

 voracity of these wretched beings. In describing the pitahayas,* I have al- 

 ready stated that they contain a great many small seeds resembling grains of 

 powder. For some reason unknown to me these seeds are not con,7umed in the 

 stomach, but pass off in an undigested state, and in order to save them the 

 natives collect, during the season of the pitahayas, that which is discharged 

 £i-om the human body, separate the seeds from it, and roast, grind and eat them, 

 making merry over their loathsome meals, -which the Spaniards therefore call 

 the second harvest of the Califomians.t When I first heard that sucli a filthy 

 habit existed among them, I was disinclined to believe the report, but to my 

 utter regret I became afterwards repeatedly a Avitness to the proceeding, which 

 they are unwilling to abandon like many other bad practices. Yet 1 must say 

 in their favor that they have always abstained from human flesh, contrary to 

 the horrible usage of so many other American nations who can obtain their 

 daily food much easier than these poor Californians. 



They have no other drink but the water, and Heaven be praised that they 

 axe unacquainted with such strong beverages as are distilled in many Ameri- 

 can provinces from Indian corn, the aloe and other plants, and which the 

 Americans in those parts merely drink for the purpose of intoxicating them- 

 selves. When a Californian encounters, during his wanderings, a pond or pool, 

 and feels a desire to quench his thirst, he lies flat on the ground and applies 

 his mouth directly to the water. Sometimes the horns of cattle are used as 

 drinking vessels. 



Having thus far given an account of the different articles used as aliment by 

 the aborigines of the peninsula, I wiH now proceed to describe in what manner 

 they prepare their victuals. They do not cook, boil, or roast like people 

 in civilized countries, because they arc neither acquainted with these methods, 

 nor possessed of vessels and utensils to employ for such purposes; and, besides, 

 their patience would be taxed beyond endurance, if they had to wait till a 

 piece of meat is well cooked or thoroughly roasted. Their whole process 

 simply consists in burning, singeing, or roasting in an open fire all such victuals 

 as are not eaten in a raw state: Without any formalities the piece of meat, 

 the fish, bird, snake, field-mouse, bat, or whatever it may be, is thrown into 

 the flames, or on the glowing embers, and left there to smoke and to sweat for 

 about a quarter of an hour; after which the article is withdrawn, in most cases 



* Introduction. 



tThis statement is corroborated in all particulars by Clavigero, in his Storia ddla Call' 

 fornia, (Venice, 1780,) vol. i, p, 117. 



