MOUNT RAINIER 



His own peculiar tamanoiis was the elk. Elk was 

 also his totem, the cognizance of his freemasonry with 

 those of his own family, and their family friends in 

 other tribes. Elk, therefore, were every way identified 

 with his life ; and he hunted them farther and farther 

 up through the forests on the flanks of Tacoma, hop- 

 ing that some day his tamanoiis would speak in the 

 dying groan of one of them, and gasp out the secret 

 of the mines of hiaqua, his heart's desire. 



"Tacoma was so white and glittering, that it seemed 

 to stare at him very terribly and mockingly, and to 

 know his shameful avarice, and how it led him to take 

 from starving women their cherished lip and nose 

 jewels of hiaqua, and to give them in return only 

 tough scraps of dried elk-meat and salmon. When 

 men are shabby, mean, and grasping, they feel re- 

 proached for their grovelling lives by the unearthliness 

 of nature's beautiful objects, and they hate flowers, 

 and sunsets, mountains, and the quiet stars of heaven. 



"Nevertheless," continued Hamitchou, "this wise 

 old fool of my legend went on stalking elk along the 

 sides of Tacoma, ever dreaming of wealth. And at 

 last, as he was hunting near the snows one day, one 

 very clear and beautiful day of late summer, when 

 sunlight was magically disclosing far distances, and 

 making all nature supernaturally visible and proximate, 

 Tamanoiis began to work in the soul of the miser. 



"Are you brave/ whispered Tamanoiis in the 

 strange, ringing, dull, silent thunder-tones of a demon 

 voice. 'Dare you go to the caves where my treasures 

 are hid ?' 



"I dare/ said the miser. 



"He did not know that his lips had syllabled a reply. 

 He did not even hear his own words. But all the 

 place had become suddenly vocal with echoes. The 

 great rock against which he leaned crashed forth, 'I 

 dare.' Then all along through the forest, dashing 

 from tree to tree and lost at last among the murmur- 



44 



