the rising and the setting sun, there were many men creatures 

 whose skins were white, and who were much different in many 

 ways and habits from those of the red skins who lived in our 

 region. But it was not until after I had become a tall, lusty 

 young tree that I first saw any of the white-skinned men. 

 One day in the summer-time there came a large party of them, 

 riding on horses, and they camped for a day or two in the 

 woods all around where I stood. They were whiter than the 

 red people, but somewhat dark and swarthy, with hair upon 

 their faces. They were armed with long, shining knives and 

 spears, and also with something strange and terrible I had 

 never seen before. These things looked like long sticks, with 

 a crook at one end. They would point these sticks at any- 

 thing they wanted to kill, and then would come a noise like 

 thunder, with a flash of flame and a puff of smoke. And at 

 once the creature pointed at would fall down dead, or maybe 

 only badly hurt, and then would try to run or fly away. But 

 sometimes these stick-like things only made a loud noise and 

 did no harm that I could see. I afterwards learned that these 

 weapons were called guns, and I got well acquainted with them 

 later. These men people acted as if they were tired, and 

 seemed gloomy and sullen. They sat or lay around under 

 the trees, and talked but little. I learned from the crows that 

 these creatures had come from a far-away country towards 

 the setting sun, a land of sand and locks and mountains; but 

 what their business was here I didn't find out. After staying 

 a day or two, they got on their horses and rode away, in the 

 direction of the rising sun, and I never saw them again. But 

 some time next year the crows told that these white men went 

 on until they came to, or near, a big river, and there some 

 red-skinned men creatures fell upon them, and killed all the 

 whites except one man, who got away somehow.* And later 

 an old vulture, who had helped to eat some of the dead, told 

 me the same story. It was a long, long time before I ever 

 9aw again any of these white men people. I learned from the 

 birds that there were some other parties that now and then 



*See ' Annals of the West," published by James R. Albach, page 671. 



ID 



