54 FOREST TREES OF CALIFORNIA. 



native, in a metaphoric sense, often unwittingly bears the 

 highest testimony to his great estimation— judging from their 

 highly figurative style of speech, graphic force, great elo- 

 quence and pathos, of many tribes of North America. We 

 say, judging from his choice of words and figures, his wild 

 woods and high mountain home must have for him still 

 much genuine poetic charm ; perchance sounder significance 

 than the pale-face is wont to perceive, akin to, if not the real 

 relic, of a lost Eden of some celestial bygone. Take as an 

 example the Chief Saginaw, when asked of his welfare and 

 that of his family (two lovely daughters meanwhile having 

 died), characteristically answered (pathetically breaking a 

 long, fixed, statue-like gaze of silent retrospection): "Sagi- 

 naw? Saginaw was once a tall pine among saplings of the 

 forest ! The pale-faces came and sold him fire-water ; he 

 became depraved ; the Great Spirit's anger was kindled 

 against him, and His lightning struck away his branches!" 

 Long may they wave their fadeless banners aloft to the pure 

 mountain breeze, and sing their sweet seolian spirit-song to 

 entranced and fondly listening ears, soothing the soul to 

 peace and to inner contemplation. 



This Ponderous Pacific Pine is so called from its great 

 weight, the timber being unusually heavy from its dense, 

 generally resinous, often hard and brittle character, although, 

 as before observed, softer and tougher in the middle Alpine 

 belt of about six thousand feet or more. Wood usually yel- 

 lowish, largely appropriated to mining, building in general, 

 and for a great variety of useful purposes — among the best 

 timbers of the Pacific. 



This tree, like the Long-leaf Pine (P. Australis) of the south, 

 to which it bears strong resemblance in general appearance, 

 is rather more apt to be blown over by high winds than most 

 other pines of this coast. 



hath dominion over us, to our sorrow, and we shall wail to no purpose ! Doth it 

 not stand to plain common sense and reason, that even a savage must know their 

 habits, times, and seasons? and should not his enlightened brother search more 

 deeply still, into wider relations — perchance into the realm of causes? No empirical 

 or quack nostrum alone is adequate to meet our ills and failures, like clear intelligent 

 ends — like scientific knowledge, wisely applied to use. But the objector may say: 

 "Suppose the land isn't sandy?" well, then make your little trenches shelving, or 

 with a regiment of turkeys and a few other lesser native birds, the good All Father 

 sends, none may be needed ; indeed, a thousand considerations could be urged, 

 which every man's own good sense can be trusted to apply. These observations are 

 not irrelevant, neither are they discursive; no one thinks of treating trees, plants, 

 or animals nowadays apart from their relations, for no man of sense can so think on 

 any subject. 



