319 



palms toward the grouii<l, uio\e them forward so that the back of the 

 hand comes forward and the half circles imitate the movement of 

 wheels — icofjon ; (Id) hold the left flat hand before the body, pointing 

 horizontally forward, with the palm down, then bring the right flat 

 hand from the right side and slap the palm upon the back of the left 

 several times — load upon ; (11) partly close the right hand as if grasp- 

 ing a thick rod, palm toward the ground, and push it straight forward 

 nearly to arm's length — tul;e; (12) hold both hands with fingers naturally 

 extended and slightly separated nearly at arm's length before the body, 

 palms down, the right lying upon the left, then pass the upper forward 

 and downward from the left quickly, so that the wrist of the right is 

 raised and the fingers point earthward — throw off; (13) cut the left 

 palm repeatedly with the outer edge of the extended right hand — huild; 

 (14) hold both hands edgewise before the body, palms facing, spread 

 the fingers and place those of one hand into the spaces between those 

 of the left, so that the tips of one protrude beyond the backs of the 

 fingers of the other — log house ; (15) then place the flat right hand, 

 X>alm down and fingers pointing to the left, against the bieast and move 

 it forward, and slightly upward and to the right — good. 



ANALYSIS OF THE FOREGOING. 



[There is] much | timber | [in] my | country | [of which I] cut down 



(3) (1,2) (5) (4) ' ' (li) 



[some], I trimmed, | split, | loaded it upon | [a] wagon [and] | took it 



(7) (8) (111) (9) (11) 



awav, I [where I] threw [it] ott' | [and] built | [a] good | house | . 



(12) (13) (15) (14) 



Notes. — As will be seen, tlie word tilllbei* is composed of signs No. 

 1 and 2, signifying treex <<taii(liiig°. Sign Xo. 3, for many, in this 

 instance, as in similar oiher examples, becomes iiiucli. The word in, 

 in connection with country and my, is expressed by the gesture of 

 pointing (passing the hand less (piickly th in in ordinary sign language), 

 before making sign No. 5. That sign, commonly given for poi^^esMion, 

 would, without the prefix of indication, imply my country, and with 

 that prefix signifies in my country. Sign No. 7, trimmed, is in- 

 dicated by chopping ott' the ends, and facial expression denoting jxatiiii- 

 faction. In sign Nos. 11 and 12, the gestures were continuous, but at 

 the termination of the latter the narrator straightened himself some- 

 what, denoting that he had overcome the greater part of the labor. 

 Sign No. 1-1, denotes lo^-iiou!!ie from the manner of interlacing the 

 finger-ends, thus representing the corner of a log-house, and the ar- 

 rangement of the ends of the same. Indian lodit'c would be indi- 

 cated by another sign, although the latter is often used as an abbrevia- 

 tion for the former, when the subject of conversation is known to all 

 present. 



