32 THE KAROK. 
When he made an end of praying he arose solemnly, saying they would 
now have success. They started on, and it so fell out that they started up 
a fine pricket in a few minutes and Somes picked him off, whereupon the 
old Karok was triumphant in his faith as was ever fire-worshiping Gheber 
over the rescue of one of his conquerors from the errors of Islam. 
Also, the fisherman will take no salmon if the poles of which his 
spearing-booth are made were gathered on the river-side, where the salmon 
might have seen them. They must be brought from the top of the highest 
adjacent mountain. So will they equally labor in vain if they use the 
poles a second year in booths or weirs, “because the old salmon will have 
told the young ones about them”. It is possible that the latter is only a 
facetious excuse made to the whites for their indolence in allowing the 
winter freshet to sweep away their booths every year. 
When the salmon are a trifle dilatory in coming up in the spring, it is 
the good pleasure of the ‘Big Indians” to believe that some old harridan 
has bewitched them. In such case they call an indignation meeting, de- 
nounce the suspect vigorously by name, and send a messenger down to her 
booth to warn her that unless the spell is released within a certain time, 
they will descend upon her in a body and put her to instant death. Before 
sending this warning however, they generally wait until a few days before 
the time when the salmon are certain to come, or they have private advices 
that they are coming; so their dupes cry out, “Ah! they are terrible fel- 
lows after witches”! 
In respect of a woman they have a superstition which reminds one of 
the old Israelitish uses. Every month she is banished without the village 
to live in a booth by herself, and no man may touch her on penalty of 
death. She is not permitted to partake of any meat (including fish) for a 
certain number of days, and only sparingly of acorn-porridge. If a woman 
at this time touches or even approaches any medicine about to be given to 
a sick person he will die the death. 
The Karok language is said by those acquainted with it to be copious, 
sonorous, and rich in new combinations. A great many verbs form the 
tenses from different roots. When spoken by some stalwart, deep-voiced 
Nestor of the tribe, it sounds more like the Spanish, with its stately proces- 
sion of periods, than any other Indian language I have heard, and it is far 
