31 



rheumatism would be drawn to the surface by burning the skin with 

 fire. I can testify to a cure from this remedy. For headaches they 

 pressed their hands on the head of the sufferer and sometimes cured 

 it by gentle pressure. For other diseases they tried steam baths, es- 

 pecially for colds. When any internal disorder defied their treatment 

 they immediately begged medicine from the whites. 



In burying the dead a circular hole was dug and the body placed 

 in it, in a sitting posture, with the head resting on the knees. If a 

 man his nets were rolled about him and his weapons by his side. If 

 a woman, her blanket enclosed her body, and a conical shaped basket, 

 such as they carry burdens in, was put into the grave also, with the 

 peak upwards. 



The language of the California Indians is composed of gutteral 

 sounds, difficult to separate into words when spoken rapidly and hard 

 to pronounce or remember. The counting is done, as with all primi- 

 tive people I have met, by decimals. Children in reckoning call oft' 

 the fingers and toes of both hands and feet as twenty, when wishing 

 to express a large number. In counting ten the following words are 

 used : Weekum, Paynay, Sarpun, Tchuyum, Marctem, Suckanay, Pen- 

 imbom, Penceum, Peleum, Marchocom. If eleven is to be expressed 

 it is Marchocum, Weekum or Ten one ; Marchocum, Payuay, ten two, 

 and so on to twenty which is Midequekum. The general termfor man is 

 Miadirn, and for woman Killem, and for a child Collem. A boy is Mi- 

 adim collem and a girl Killem collem. Although this seems to in^li- 

 cate a poverty of distinctive terms, yet when it is found that evety 

 animal, bird, insect and plant has its own name, it will be seen that 

 there is no want of materials to supply a stranger with words for 

 book making, if his tastes lead him in that direction. 



After many years passed with these Indians, and having every op- 

 portunity to study their customs and character, I entertain pleasant 

 recollections of their friendship which was never broken, and feel 

 sadly when I realize that the improvements of the white men have 

 been at the sacrifice of Indian homes and almost of the race itself. 



It has been customary to attribute certain general qualities to 

 whole tribes of Indians, and this has been done to those of whom I 

 have written. I can only say, that no two Indians of my acquaint- 

 ance were alike, and their mode of life would naturally develop indi- 

 viduality of character. 



The charges of lying and stealing, as urged against them, have 

 some foundation in fact, although the Indian might make some such 

 defence as our soldiers made to the accusation of tljeft of honey and 

 chickens while marching through the South during our war. They 

 did not steal, they took what they wanted and expected to live on the 

 enemy. No Indian can steal from his tribe, however, without losing 

 his character, and their desire to have position in the tribe makes 

 both men and women as careful of their reputations as those of civ- 

 ilized life. 



. Indian cunning even has not proved equal to the duplicity of the 

 while man. You may have heard of the Indian who offered his 

 beaver skins for sale to a trader in olden times in one of our Puritan 

 villages, when the trader was on his way to church. The trader 

 would not purchase then, but in a whisper stated a price. When the 

 church was dismissed the Indian followed the trader home and de- 

 manded payment for his skins, but was forced to accept a less price 

 than was first named. The Indian took the money but told an ac-> 



