THE MALAY RACE. 



107 



On the morning of the 31st, we soon arrived at the village of our 

 new acquaintances ; where we found a fish-weir extending across the 

 river, a representation of which is given in the Narrative. The 

 natives were preparing to make an opening for the boats, but were 

 motioned to desist. On landing, the women were still suspicious, 

 and kept at a distance, or altogether out of sight. 



A small party, myself included, was detached to proceed by land 

 to a second fish-weir, further up the river. Immediately outside the 

 village, a boy pointed out to me the recent track of a grizzly bear. It 

 appears that the natives sometimes furnish a meal for this animal, 

 although in general it is not of a very bloodthirsty disposition. After 

 such an occurrence, the bear is reported by the natives, " to lose its 

 hair;" and though I cannot find that bears have been seen in this con- 

 dition, the account reminds us of a Virginia tradition, recorded by 

 Jefferson. The Californian tribes, like the Laplanders, take pattern 

 from the bear in the economy of life; their ordinary food (with the 

 exception perhaps of river-mussels), " being almost identical, and 

 varying according to season in the same manner. They further 

 have a prejudice against eating the flesh of the bear, the wolf, and 

 all the other animals that feed on man." 



A native walking by my side, had a strongly marked Polynesian 

 countenance ; and I placed my hand upon his shoulder, for the pur- 

 pose of examining the texture of the skin : this coincided, in its 

 extreme softness ; and I perceived moreover, as sometimes among Po- 

 lynesians, that by the act I had won his confidence. So far as physi- 

 ognomy may be regarded as a test, there appeared to be great diver- 

 sity of character among these people ; and some individuals had a very 

 ordinary expression. 



In about an hour, we reached the upper village, some of the men 

 coming forward to meet us ; and beneath the scattered oaks, we wit- 

 nessed a scene of aboriginal life that might truly have been wortli 

 perpetuating. We entered the village uninvited ; and our numbers 

 being few, the women did not avoid us as before ; and indeed our 

 arrival did not appear to excite much curiosity. We remarked, how- 

 ever, tliat our two guides kept aloof, although from the 'broad trail,' 

 tlie two villages must have been on friendly terms. 



The upper village, like the others, consisted of about a (jozen houses; 

 and no change was remarked in their construction. We saw in all, not 

 less than a hundred persons; but none of them offered to conduct us 

 to the fish-weir, which was a little beyond, and we proceeded thither 

 almost unattended. It was found to be entirely similar to the first; 



