TACOMA AND THE INDIAN LEGEND OF HAMITCHOU 



rough bark of this unaccustomed highway. Slow- 

 footed oxen, leaning inward and sustaining each other, 

 like two roysterers unsteady after wassail, might 

 clumsily toil up such a road as this, hauling up stout, 

 white-cotton-roofed wagons, filled with the babies 

 and Lares of emigrants ; but quick-footed ponies, 

 descending and carrying light loads of a wild Indian 

 and an untamed blanketeer, chose rather to whisk 

 along the aboriginal paths. 



As we came to the irregular terraces after the first 

 pitch, and scampered on gayly, I by and by heard a 

 welcome whiz, and a dusky grouse (Tetrao obscurus) 

 lifted himself out of the trail into the lower branches of 

 a giant fir. I had lugged my double-barrel thus far, 

 a futile burden, unless when it served a minatory pur- 

 pose among the drunken Klalams. Now it became an 

 animated machine, and uttered a sharp exclamation of 

 relief after long patient silence. Down came tetrao, 

 down he came with satisfactory thud, signifying 

 pounds of something not pork for supper. We bagged 

 him joyously and dashed on. 



"Kopet," whispered Loolowcan turning, with a 

 hushing gesture, "hiu kullakullie nika nanitch ; 

 halt, plenty birds I see." He was so eager that from 

 under his low brows and unkempt hair his dusky eyes 

 glared like the eyes of wild beast, studying his prey 

 from a shadowy lair. 



Dismounting, I stole forward with assassin intent, 

 and birds, grouse, five noble ones I saw, engaged in 

 fattening their bodies for human solace and support. 

 I sent a shot among them. There was a flutter among 

 the choir, one fluttered not. At the sound of my 

 right barrel one bird fell without rising ; another rose 

 and fell at a hint from the sinister tube. The surviv- 

 ing trio were distracted by mortal terror. They flew 

 no farther than a dwarf tree hard by. I drew my 

 revolver, thinking that there might not be time to 

 load, and fired in a hurry at the lowermost. 



63 



