Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-12-14
SONS OF The FOREST.
SOCIETY AMONG THE fIRsr CITIZENS
OF THE SIERRA NEVADA.
The Duke of the Pambioites Almost the
Last of His Tribe-Doings In
the Pine Nut Belt.

the Big Soup of Acorns, Grand Master
Wonderful Director and Interior and Ex.
terror Superintendent of Ceremonies of the
| Woodpecker Scalp Dance-a short wiry
old gentlemen, who does not know his
own age, owing to his grandmother having
lost the record of her posterity, but is still
young enough to waddle along under his
burden of titles. and ride horseback at 9
moderate rate of speed hither and thither
as he listeth.
His Royal Highness was born of poor
but honest parents, and raised most
tenderly until he became rowing blade,
which proved his destiny. He was then
given small bow and arrows, sling and
coat of rancid fat, and sent further into
the wide and heartess world to do battle
for himself, and live by the sweat of his
brow or become wreck, So to say, on the
ragged edge of respectable society 1t is
needless to say that the young chief made
the most of his opportunities, and rose
rapidly to the Hottest nights of distinction,
acquired great influence over his tribe,
controlled the elective franchise among
the Pambloitss, the Whangdoodle;tes and
other factions, and at an early age was
elected Captain, an office which he has
held on to like death 10 a colored pussen,
ard will continue to retain with saisfac.
ticn to himself and family until the grim
reaper knocks on the door of his shanty
with milestone and, like the old sexton,
gathers him in.
Captain Pamblo was, when be reached
certain age. united in the holy bonds of
wedlock with young lady, also of a GER
tain age, who had long hair on her head
(she was called to the earth from the stars
for that reason), and had big feet, broad,
pensive smile, and was named, not Lenore,
but Alice; or, in the more euphonius
Digger language, Whippetysnaponomah
Sweet Alice has always been most sffec-
tomato consort, often giving her husband
good advice, and on more than one occa-
sion has pulled her last grasshopper into
two pieces and shared it with him. She
also made a burro of herself in order that
her noble lord might not become subject
to SPAWN, ringbone and other ailments
peculiar to those who are burdened with
burdens and unable to pursue his avoca-
ton as chief.
Such tender sympathy, filial affection
and fidelity, compiled with sacrifice of COM
fort, posterity and other things, has not
been without its reward. Captain Pamblo
has told ME, personally, that when sweet
Alice gives up the ghost he will have her
cremated in grand style and raise fearful
racket at the grave.
There are at present no heirs to the Pam
bloites. principally because none are
needed. Forty years ago the faction was
five hundred strong, and the Dauphin was
fed with honey; but at this date there are
only FIVE members in existence, and they
have annexed themselves to other factions,
| ,, ho orHo cd hot tho
bloites are an extinct, or pretty much ex-
tinct race.
The old gentleman of whom I am writ.
ing is genial individual, His appearance
is that of careless sort of man at all
times, and his raiment appears to have
been constructed on general principles OF
ventilation. The gentle zephyrs, with
their burdens of oxygen, hydrogen, car.
bonic acid gas, germs of lumbago, and SO
| on, having fine ingress and egress here and
there where his garments have been tried
and found wanting. Add to these points q
general air of refinery. a desire to mix
with pale-face society and naughty, aristo.
cratic contempt for the rag-tag and bob. tail
| works, but is not SO stuck up that he will
not work himself, and you have an idea of
what sort of man Captain Pamblo is
Some time in the misty, mol6y, defunct
| days that are no more, tie old chief has
| wrestled with the smallpox. and carries
| the marks of the conflict on his person.
| Society, as l have found it among the
original citizens of the Sierra Nevada
is peculiarly peculiar to itself. Ii
does not expand and contract and
explode and then come out sgsin immedi.
ately in a new role, only to get a.hamed Of
! itself and try new tack. Ward McAllis
/ L. \ l. = &.
| of the wild and woody West, and have
| the original 400 of the chaparral and pine
nut belt.
A very small amount of time and re
| search would have enabled him to follow
the spoor of the dusky woodpecker hunter
of the Sierra Nevada to its source. and in
stead of volume of rot-s book filled
with personal remarks, showing a knowl
edge of society about as deep and reIiabl,
as Michelet's knowledge of women-wt
should have had beautifully bound work
with pictures of swarthy, fiery-eyed war
riors, wearing tails and feathers, daucin;
around their sacrificial fires; whaling thei
squaws; engaging themselves in fierce con
tests of draw poker for the breeches of al
abscondipg member of the faction; thrash
ing down acorns from the trees with Ion,
poles; stoning the ferocious poecat t
death holding grand councils by tn
campfire with silent audience of Gu
dogs circling pro and con in the shadows
or of dreamy-eyed maidens engaged in tn,
swaying, voluptuous dance, scratchip.
their shiDs in desuitory way as they thinl
of their absent lovers; old mehalies ham
mering acorns with stones; blind ok
crones hitched together in strings of thre
or four papooses swaddled in fragments o
lrll ell Nv -,
old mehales carefully hulllDg grasshop
pers and stringing angle worms-and Ware
McAllister asking them to dine with him
in the country
That would have been something Ike
something. But, bah As long as men O
brains and great capacity Of paunch persis
in ignoring that which is really worthy O
perpetuation, and prefer powdering thei
legs for things which are en- riggle in Lon
don and New York, and allow the old
original spoor of society to lie unfollowec
lin the woods SO long will we sigh ia vait
for an elevating influence in leather aud
morocco at S. per volume, sold only By
subscription.
Not long ago there was gathering of tn,
remnants Of the once formidable clans oil
the Sierra Nevada range. They rallied
around the flag, boys. at Bourne's ranch
| where the ashes of the dead Pambloites
Wbangdoodleites, Littleannierooneyites
Danmagintyites. Nudeinartlites. Howiy
Swampos, Chickmadoodles, Riganijigs
Thingumb obs, and other factions that once
went swimming regularly every ten years
are laid away to rest in the shadows Of thu
oaks.
They brought with them great quantitie!
of despairing bowls, tears, baskets, new
dresses for sainted squaws, bows, arrows
acorns, powder, lead, guns, tobacco, drieC
flesh, raw flesh and other delicacies, anC
when the moon had climbed the mona.
Itain ana the stars were shining, too, they
hung their offerings on poles, set fire L
4 them, and sat themselves down for 10 cry
And they cried, too If genuine tears
and bowls that were more mournful than
any other bowls on the face of the earth
do not denote. grief, then do not know
| what grief is. have sometimes, when
little shaver. sat down carelessly on tn.
stone hearth when the mornings were cold
and have got up and howled, but my grie
was as nothing TO the audible manifesto
tons of sorrow that rose upon the cir il
the wee sma hours when the original Ma
tive Sons and Daughters sent up In smok
the things they wanted their dead relative
TO receive, G. o. D., in the happy hu ntiny
grounds.
! One thing remarked at the time-ther
was not a stitch of clothing sent off tha
l.. Il IL IL