SOUTHERN OREGON. 
239 
boulders of a coarse syenite, forming the bed of the creek, and lying 
along its course, were seen. The hornblend crystals of the latter rock 
were often two inches long, and were set in a white granular paste 
of feldspar. 
At their camp they were visited by a party of Shaste Indians, who 
were allowed to enter it, and for some time there was a brisk trade 
for their bows and arrows. These Indians are a fine-looking race, 
being much better proportioned than those more to the northward, 
and their features more regular. One of the boys was extremely good- 
looking. He had a bright black eye, and pleasing expression of coun¬ 
tenance; he was clad in dressed deer-skins, over his shoulders and 
about his body, but his legs were bare. They all wore their black hair 
hanging down to their shoulders ; and they do not compress their heads. 
Mr. Agate had much difficulty in getting them to stand still for the 
purpose of having their portraits taken, and gave them a miniature of 
his mother to look at, hoping that this would allay their fears, but it 
had a contrary effect, as they now believed that he desired to put some 
enchantment upon them, and thought that he was the medicine-man of 
the party. 
They obtained an exhibition of the archery of the Indians by putting 
up a button at twenty yards distance, which one of them hit three 
times out of five: the successful marksman was rewarded with it and 
a small piece of tobacco. They use these bows with such dexterity 
as to kill fish, and lanch their arrows with such force, that one of the 
gentlemen remarks he would as leave be shot at with a musket at the 
distance of one hundred yards, as by one of these Indians with his 
bow and arrow. Their bows and arrows are beautifully made: the 
former are of yew and about three feet long; they are flat, and an 
inch and a half to two inches wide: these are backed very neatly with 
sinew, and painted. The arrows are upwards of thirty inches long; 
some of them were made of a close-grained wood, a species of spiraea, 
while others were of reed; they were feathered for a length of from 
five to eight inches, and the barbed heads were beautifully wrought 
from obsidian: the head is inserted in a grooved piece, from three to 
five inches long, and is attached to the shaft by a socket; this, when it 
penetrates, is left in the wound when the shaft is withdrawn; a very 
shallow blood-channel is sometimes cut in the shaft. In shooting the 
arrow, the bow is held horizontally, braced by the thumb of the left 
hand, and drawn by the thumb and three first fingers of the right 
hand. To obviate the disadvantage of drawing to the breast, the 
chest is thrown backwards; on discharging the arrow, they throw out 
the right leg and stand on the left. Their quivers are made of deer, 
