134 A CALIFORNIA TRAMP. 



almost upside down. Finally, with our assistance, he was 

 dressed, when he danced and shouted and leaped and laughed, 

 with his hat on one side and the extremity of his linen floating 

 in the breeze through a rent in his breeches. Then he would 

 mock a drunken man ; his stagger and reel, his nodding head 

 and leer of eye showing he had seen the effects of fire-water 

 on the human form. 



One thing to the credit of these Indians is their disgust of 

 drunkenness ; but, no doubt, as civilization encroaches on them 

 they will acquire the habits of their brothers east of the 

 mountains. I think the Mormons were partly the cause of 

 this, through self-interest, if from no higher motive. 



Our visitors left us before noon and made their way towards 

 their dens in the mountains. They returned in the afternoon, 

 with several squaws added — hideous beings, by the way. 

 " Worky John " brought a harem of four, all clad in short 

 mantles of rabbit skin. I could have wished the rabbits in 

 that country grew in proportion to their ears, or that the 

 squaws attained a less altitude, though goodness knows they 

 were squatty enough, rarely attaining a height of over four 

 feet. Their faces were hideous, their hair thick and matted, 

 their breasts long and hanging to the waist — altogether they 

 were horrid objects. One of them had a baby hanging to her 

 back, its form lashed in a willow frame and looking contented 

 and sleepy, as all papooses do. " Worky John " took great 

 pleasure in showing his wives, at the same time strongly hint- 

 ing that presents to them were in order. Our stock of mil- 

 linery, jewelry and other articles which delight the eye of 

 women just then being low, we were unable to satisfy his 

 insinuations. 



"Injun Tom" differed from "Worky John" indisposition, 

 being morose and sullen. He was dreaded by the Beaverians 

 on account of his influence among the Utes. A thoughtless 

 member of our company, to note its effect, told Tom that the 



