The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1871-08-11

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1t is said that it is next to impossible
to astonish an Indian, but we aston
ished, frightened and disguised a whole
flock of the children of the desert"
day or two since, and with mere
handful of shrimps. A drove Of abort
gines, numbering over a dozen, male
and female, great and small, had set
tied down, squat upon the ground, just
off the sidewalk, in front of a market
and fruit-stand Ia favorite place of re-
sort with them), and were in the midst
of what, to them, was a great feast.
Upon an old shawl, in the centre of
their circle, was heaped lot of half.
rotten apples, damaged cherries, soured
strawberries, and other offal from the
stand before which they had squatted.
Among the male Indians was Smoke
Creek Sam, who, with head thrown
back, was each moment dropping into
his gaping mouth wads of strawberries,
squeezed together, stems and all, of the
size of Goldfish ball; some of the little
Indians were smeared to the eyes with
lathery mess, half strawberries and
half dirt, which they scooped up and
held to their faces with both hands,
while even the most comcly among the
squaws had dab of rotten apple on her
nose, which that organ had carried
| away as trophy during some Of the
| frequent visits Of her industrious mouth
to the deep interior of slushy pippin.
One hideous old woman had raked a
10. of decayed cherries into her lap,
"and munched, and munched, and
munched." Under the vigorous attack
of SO many diligent hands and capa-
cious and willing mouths the mound of
vegetable garbage was soon swept away.
| Taking a handful of shrmps from
box we found in the market, we APP
preached the group of savages and be-
gan eating them, by way of experiment
upon their nerves. At first they looked
curiously on, and some of the more .juv-
emile rose to their feet in order to have
a better view of the new and terrible
esculent. At a respectable distance
they stood and gazed with lips curled
up, teeth set and noses wrinkled. The
bucks shrugged their shoulders as each
fresh "bug" was huddled out and eaten,
and the squaws drew down their mouths
and spat upon the ground. The whole
party closely watched each shrimp as it
was shucked and gobbled up, the gene
raj disgust each moment increasing
Showing the half dozen crustaceous
specimens remaining in our hand
toward the nose Of "brave" Of some
nine ''snows," adorned, as to his head,
in mans cast-off plug, and as to his
neither limbs, in pair of unmention-
ables OF bake-oven capacity in the rear,
that incipient warrior began "craw-tish-
ing" his moon eyes rapidly becoming
moonier when we suddenly thumped at
him the empty shell of shrimp we had
just finished. By chance it lit upon a
lock of hair hanging over his forehead,
and remained for moment dangling
before his eyes. He made one grab at
it, then turned back somerset over
the old cherry muncher. He came up
running, and with his plug down over
his eyes, but finally dropped suddenly
upon his knees, and with his head be-
tween Chinese wood-peddler's legs.
The other youngsters scampered in all
directions, like brood of startled quail,
while the squaws hastily snatched up
the papooses, which, in their wicker
baskets, were lying about or standing
against awning posts and empty boxes,
and hastily singing them upon their
backs, drew the straps thereof across
their foreheads, and made tracks up the
streets at rolling gallop, which resem
bled the stampede Of flock of fat
wethers in full wood. The old hag
mentioned as the "cherry muncher,"
hanging to the dead branch of a cedar,
polled herself along in the rear of the
stampeders with astonishing agility. At
the distance of thirty yards she halted
to get her wind, and seeing that she was
not pursued faced about. Holding the
staff in both hands, and resting her
wrinkled and venerable nose on its top,
she looked at us from under her mop
of grizzled hair like an uneasy owl in an
ivy BUSH Some of the bucks sullenly
marched away, casting backward glance
from malevolent eyes, but Smoke Creek
Sam stood his ground. He, too, had
been outraged, but as he had not yet
had time to beg handful of smoking
tobacco, he deferred his midnight re-
treat Extracting the pith of a particu
larly plumy and healthy shrimp, we
approached Sam with it. you no fetch
um - he said, waving us back with his
hand. No fetch um me you! elias
hop purity goodna; klicket, me eat UNI ;
scorpium bug too plenty bad, same like
debbil, make lnjun man big high up
sick-d-n scorpium bug !" We now
saw it all. Knowing nothing of shrimps,
the Indian supposed we were devouring
scorpions (which they greatly resemble),
and which the red men see but too
much of, hence all their disgust and ter
ror.- Virginia Nee. Enterprise.