GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jan. 1. 



^The Mystery of^ 



TohrrHMartin 



his few days' 

 journey with Dr. 

 Hayden, Fred 

 had found him 

 a very agreeable 

 companion, and 

 a gentleman; 

 and now this 

 confession that 

 he was the much- 

 talked -of bad 

 man of Crystal Mountain gave him such a 

 shock that he reeled a little in his saddle. 



The doctor, seeing his agitation, said, "I 

 trust, Mr. Anderson, that in the few days of 

 our acquaintance I have Impressed you with 

 the fact that I possess, at the least, a passable 

 character, and I trust that you can discriminate 

 between character and reputation. Reputation 

 is what other people say of us. If they have 

 received false impressions of me, and even en- 

 larged upon them, and have sent them broad- 

 cast through the papers, it affects only my rep- 

 utation, while my character, to those who 

 know me, is brighter from the contrast. Now, 

 as I told you at the commencement of our jour- 

 ney, if you have any doubts, or if you think I 

 will not live up to my agreements, you can 

 return to Sacramento at my expense. Give the 

 matter careful thought, and give me your final 

 answer when we reach yonder clump of live- 

 oak trees, an hour's journey ahead; for when 

 beyond that point you will not be allowed to 

 return until the expiration of our agreement." 



Fred answered not a word; but for the next 

 hour his thoughts were busy. Doubts, one 

 after the other, were thrown aside; and as he 

 cast them away his spirits became more buoy- 

 ant; and when the party passed under the live- 

 oaks he reined in his horse and clasped hands 

 with his employer, and said, "Dr. Hayden, I 

 will trust you." 

 " You decide wisely," said the doctor. 

 Under the oaks they were met by a score of 

 mounted Indians from the rancheria. They all 

 dismounted, and formed in a circle with the 

 doctor in the center. A peculiar leathern box 

 was passed several times around the circle, and 

 at length passed to the doctor. The latter 

 opened the box and removed therefrom, and 

 proceeded to bedeck himself with, the most 

 grotesque outfit Fred had ever laid eyes upon. 



When the doctor had completed his toilet, an 

 they had all remounted their ponies, with Fred 

 and the doctor in the center of the cavalcade, 

 the doctor said, " Don't be alarmed, Mr. Ander- 

 son. I am chief medicine man of the tribe, and 

 this is my insignia of rank." 



" Your tribe must be remarkably healthy," 

 said Fred. 



" Why do you think so ? " asked the doctor. 



" If disease can be scared away I am sure 

 your habiliments will do it. My heart even 

 throbs now at the sight of you." 



"Yes, yes; I understand," said the doctor. 

 " Your disease, then, must be of the heart. 

 Well, we will see if the things about Crystal 

 Mountain will not prove a cure-all for you." 



Upon arrival at the rancheria the whole cav- 

 alcade entered a sort of plaza that was well 

 surrounded by circular houses; old men, squaws, 

 papooses, and dogs seemed to spring out of the 

 ground on every side. The horsemen circled 

 around the plaza several times, keeping up a 

 monotonous chant. The doctor, now Neo-a- 

 ho-a, or medicine man, kept time by rattling a 

 gourd, and at regular intervals giving it a tre- 

 mendous whirr over the teeth of a saw-fish, 

 which was a part of his regalia. His head- 

 dress of long steer horns had obsidian rattles at 

 the tips that glistened in the sun, and also kept 

 up a rhythmic tinkle with every movement. At 

 the conclusion of the chant, the bundles from 

 the pack-ponies were deposited with the doctor, 

 and, with the aid of the chief, the various ar- 

 ticles, useful and ornamental, that had been 

 purchased in Sacramento, were distributed to 

 the various parties for whom they were pur- 

 chased. 



At the completion of the distribution our 

 medicine man, with Fred and two of his im- 

 mediate helpers, retired to his own tent-like 

 structure. Here he discarded his outlandish 

 dress, and said to Fred, "You see that we live 

 in a rather primitive way here. This portion 

 of the rancheria that I occupy is like all of the 

 rest, except in size; the ground is our floor; our 

 fire is made in the center, and the smoke es- 

 capes through the hole in the roof. The In- 

 dians roll up in their blankets and sleep in the 

 surrounding space; but I have cots, as you see, 

 and you can occupy the one in yonder nook." 



" But, doctor, 1 can not imagine how you, the- 

 only white man here, could obtain the confi.- 



