The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1879-08-30


ing. They hurry into canoe; the
mother follows, and quickly paddles
across to the fish-cooking party.
Leaving the shelter of my tree, |
walk slowly toward the man. He starts
as he sees strange face. | introduce
myself. With a smile he says that his
name is-well, jackson will do. At
once | see that / have stumbled on an
Intelligent gentleman. l am asked
many questions. He seems to be greatly
relieved to find that the Northern Pa
cihc road will not be built at once. He
presses me to stay to supper, or stay all
night. |, more than willing, consent.
We eat a hearty meal of salmon and
lettuce; then, dragging blankets out to
the rough porch, We lie there smoking
and talking. He seems glad to see che
just from the east, and asks if I have
ever been in Philadelphia, saying that
he was born and educated in that city.
L describe the city as it was when | last
saw it. When finish, he, with weary
sigh, laments the wasting of his life on
the banks of the Skagit.
As the moon rises the scene changes,
mellows, and becomes indistinct. The
fire across the river shines brightly,
fecking the sleeping Indians. The river
grows beautiful as it flows at our feet.
Becoming confidential, | ask Jackson
why he stops here, raising peas and
potatoes for limited and niggardly
market. He hesitates minute, then
says: ~ will tell you why" And he
relates this story:
F" Years ago I was placer miner ON the
American river. In our employment
was an Indian. We had treated him
well, paid him as we agreed, and once or
twice stood between him and danger
from drunken Pixies. Naturally the
Indian looked on us as friends, and when
he saw that we were interested in the
reported discovery of quartz mines, he
became interested too. One night, while
sitting in our cabin, he said that he
would tell us what happened many years
ago between his tribe and white men
who came UP from the south.
"The tribe he belonged to lived to the
east of the mountains-Sierra Nevada
and passed their time then, as now, in
hunting and tending their stock. In
cluded in their domain was a vast tract
of arid desert, really the bed of some
long extinct sea, surrounded by noun
tains. There were many small valleys
leading from the sand to the mountain
rocks. Every year party of white men
came up from the far south, bringing
large train of pack mules. The animals
carried water casks, fuel and tools. Es-
tablishing a camp, some dug in the
ground; others packed wood and water
TO the camp; others tended a fire and
melted what was dug from the ground
and cast it into small squares, white in
color. Frequently these white men had
slight misunderstanding with the In
dians; but they wisely conducted them
selves peacefully; and, on the whole,
treated the Indians honestly. One In
dams father noticed that always the
same men came back-never new ones;
and that if one of the number was
missed, Oh inquiry the Indians were told,
He is dead
"These strangers from the south
worked all summer. On the approach
of winter they loaded the mules with
the white bricks and silently filed off
toward the mountains to the south, and
soon were lost to the tribe for another
season. One spring they came with
new men among them, and a larger party
than before. They were overbearing
and insolent. An Indian was beaten
with a stick, and that night runners
were sent out to gather the class of the
tribe. A council was held, medicine
was made, and it was decided to kill the
white men from the south, to fill up the
hole they had dug, to tear down their
freplaces, and keep their mules. A
night attack was determined on. The
night was gxed, and intercourse with
the whites was resumed.
con the appointed night the braves
attacked the sleeping camp, and all the
whites were killed. The hole was filled
up, the freplaces torn down, the mules
divided, and the tribe went to favorite
camping ground. That night the med
icine man prophesied that if any mem
Der of the tribe should ever reveal to any
one the whereabouts of the dead white
mems treasures, the tribe would be de
vastated by disease. So every man in
the tribe was bound by oaths not to di-
vulge the secret of the mine on pain of
death. From that day to this no white
men came up from the south.
"This what the Inuian told u.s." said
Jackson. "All that winter we three
partners sifUed and cross-examined and
led up to our Indians story by many
ways; but as originally told, it was
re told, and told again."
"Jim, the Indian" Jackson was
continuing, when | interrupted him
with, "Hold on! want drink"
Walking down to the rapidly flowing
Skagit, | leaned over and drank my fill
of liquid ice. Rejoining the exile from
Philadelphia, he started anew with his
story. held up my hand to check him.
| filled pipe, wrapped blanket around
me, then lying on the floor on my back, |
told him to 60 ahead.
"Jim, the Indian, agreed to take us
this mine. Of course you understand
that those southern men were Spaniards
working silver mine, the ore of which
was rich enough to .pay for packing
water and fuel into a desert. If it paid
them, how much more would it pay us,
who could command capital to work it
properly. By spring we had sold our
claims on the American, had bought
sixteen pack and saddle mules, had
bought cargo of food, and only await
ed the falling of the rivers to start on
the hunt for that mine. One night we
slipped out of camp, and Jim piloted us
across the mountains, into the land of
his fathers-a dry, arid country, abound
ing in sage brush, jack rabbits, sage
hens, huge buffalo crickets, and gigantic
grasshoppers. Issuing from the base of
the mountain were a few streams of
water, and in the little valleys made by
this water was fair grazing.