36 THE DRAMA OF THE FORESTS 



dering what he would do in case he saw a bear and went ashore 

 to trail it. Would he himself skin and cut up the bear, or would 

 he want the women to help him? If the latter, what sign or 

 signal would he use so that they might keep in touch with him? 

 But when I questioned Oo-koo-hoo, he replied: 



" My white son" — for that is what he sometimes called me — 

 " I see you are just like all white men, but if you are observant 

 and listen to those who are wiser than you, you may some day 

 rank almost the equal of an Indian." 



Afterward, when I became better acquainted with him, I 

 learned that with regard to white men in general, he held the 

 same opinion that all Indians do, and that is, that they are per- 

 fect fools. When I agreed with the old gentleman, and assured 

 him he was absolutely right, and that the biggest fool I ever 

 knew was the one who was talking to him, he laughed outright, 

 and replied that now he knew that I was quite different from 

 most white men, and that he believed some day I would be the 

 equal of an Indian. When I first heard his opinion of white 

 men, I regarded him as a pretty sane man, but afterward, when 

 I tried to get him to include not only his brother Indians, but 

 also himself under the same definition, I could not get him to 

 agree with me, therefore I was disappointed in him. He was 

 not the philosopher I had at first taken him to be; for life has 

 taught me that all men are fools — of one kind or another. 



OO-KOO-HOO'S WOODCRAFT 



But to return to woodcraft. Emerson says: "Men are 

 naturally hunters and inquisitive of woodcraft, and I suppose 

 that such a gazetteer as wood-cutters and Indians should fur- 

 nish facts for would take place in the most sumptuous drawing 

 rooms of all the ' Wreaths ' and ' Flora's Chaplets' of the book- 

 shops" and believing that to be true, I shall therefore tell you 

 not only how my Indian friends managed to keep their bearings 



