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 spireea, 

 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 penetrates, is left in the wound when the shaft is withdrawn ; a very 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, 



