The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1882-03-24
Term IS OF Supsoription'
The Digger Indians.

When California was first invaded by
the crowd Of gold-diggers in 1919, be-
yond the few thousands who had collect
ed round the Spanish missions in Lower
California, and were in o state Of the
most abject subsection TO and depend
cnce on tho priests, there must have
roamed over the wide region more than
100000 Indians living IN state Of free
dom and OF nature, as complete as the
elk, antelope or sage rabbit which furn-
ished their then by no means preearious
livelihood A headdrcss OF feathers,
with a scanty coat Of paint on his face,
was the full dress Of brave, while
fringe Of bark or grass suspended from
her waistfurniShed complete wardrobe
for his squaw. 10 this day the males
60 naked during the summer, if living
at distance from the whites.
The men have no beard. this being
plucked out by the squaw with couple
OF shells as soon as it appears. They all
wear ornaments in their ears or, ut
least, they did. The children had theirs
bored at an early age and larger and
larger pieces of stick being inserted, UNI
til the aperture was capable Of taking in
one OF the larger bones Of pelican's
wing or six inches long, carved in
rude style, and decorated at the end
with crimson feathers-which ia worn
permanently. The back hair Of the
men is fastened up in net. and made
fast by pin of wood pushed through
both hair and net, the large end being
ornamented with crimson feathers, OBJ
tanned from the head of the 'carpen-
tere" woodpecker, and sometimes, also,
with the tail feathers Of an eagle The
women, before the advent OF the whites,
wore no hair nets or ornaments. Before
being corrupted by the rude gold-dig-
gers and lunhermen, they were not
bad kind Of people on the whole.
The men were treacherous, but, unless
ill-treated, were harmless enough, and
the girls frank and even confiding-per-
haps quite rs much az young grizzly
bears. But then the men always were
ill-treated, aud the children could
scarcely be expected TO be very conid-
ing TO palc-face. when from infancy y
white man was the bugbear used 70
frighten them into submission to the
maternal will. A California boy could
no more tell you when he first learned
TO swim than he could say when he re-
membered TO have FIRST walked. The boy
has bow aud arrow put into his hand as
soon rs he can use them; while girls
learn to weave blankets and make bread
Of acorns. They are much more famil-
lar with tho points Of tho compass than
their northern neigAbors. il ball or
an arrow is lost. instead Of searching
about in all directions for il, the one
who saw it fall viii saw 10 the east; a
little north; now three steps northeast"
and 80 on. Even in the darkest night
an Indian will fetch water from a spring
by following the directions Of COM
panion who had been therc previously
Three hundred steps east and twenty
north"
They are excellent trackers of game,
and say it is impossible to mistake a
white mans foot, even If bare, for it is
deformed by the pressure of boots or
shoes; while the Indians foot, never
trammeled by any such foot-gear, is so
formed that he can use his toes to hold
arrows whilst he is making them. They
roam about from place to place, as tho
attractions Of game or other fooc may
incline, and hence are generally wen ac-
quainted with wide range Of country.
from "IRc Peoples Of Nc W0rN,n by
DR.. Robert Bropn.