The sun., 1894-09-16

| He could work himself into q foaming passion
| he literally frothed at tho mouth in his rage
| but he preferred to make even murder fine art.
| He would plan and scheme for months TO tumble
| the enemy by seeming accident over precpice
| when seeking the eggs Of sea fowl or ensnare
| him In . tide rip or a whirling tornado. and 80
drown him, while fishing hunting for ducks
| and penguins at night.
Although about all the crimes known TO YAH
gans grew out of the relations of the sexes-al-
though there was almost invariably woman In
every case-itis fact that the grossest crimes Of
passion known to civilized races were unknown
among Yahgans. Marriage was merely matter
Of purchase; wives were sometimes sold, while
daughters were sold invariably. But there were
forms and methods in such cases dear to the
Yahgan heart. The dicker for wife as con-
Quoted amounted to what would be among civ
ilized people at once an intrigue and the nego-
tiating Of treaty. II was because of this deli
cacy of feeling among the Yahgans that tho
brutal white whalers and seal hunters that came
to the region were unable to do any serious
damage TO this race previous TO the year 1870.
The Yahgan would not tolerate the rude lascivl-
ousness OF the white seaman, and until taught
that 1t was wicked. stood up, man fashion, and
fought in defence OF his wives and daughters.
But his spirit is now gone, like almost every
other distinctive characteristic of the race.
In religion the Yahgans were oddities, though
not unique. They knew nothing of God and had
no word expressive Of such an idea. To the
great grief Of the missionaries there was moth
ing In the Yahgan language by which the idea
OF an everlasting all-powerful God who must
be obeyed could be adequately conveyed TO
Yahgan listeners, nor had they any word for
or thought OF a future life.
But the Yahgan's mind was not wholly mate
rial. He believed in spirits or supernatural and
invisible beings. but these were invariably ter
rible. There was a spirit OF the forest and an
other Of the water, and another OF the kelp
Crouching over his tiny fire by night the Yahgan
heard weird voices among the waving trees on
the mountain side above him, he felt the breath
that scattered the embers Of his hearth. he saw
the deluge that drowned out even his brightest
flames, aud all these were manifestations OF q |
power that was Ill defined in his mind, but |
nevertheless real. The Yahgan mother in this |
fearsome presence clasped her babe more closely |
20 her bosom, not that II cold. but to save IL
from some grasping hand that was always ex- |
pected, but never came.
In the eddying waters OF the tide rip was q |
boisterous devil that stroye at one moment TO |
throw the canoe into the air and the next 10 suck
1t down TO the unknown region below. while In |
the beds OF kelp lurked silent spirit that with
soft and Shiny touch grasped the bottom OF tho |
canoe and held IL fast until at times the frantic
occupants leaped overheard and disappeared.
In their thoughts OF death the Yahgans were
perhaps unique. They had a word which meant |
dead. When a seal had been harpOoned, or a
tree cut down, or tish beheaded, they said tina.
death ensued. The thing killed was dead They
had another word that meant lost. II tool |
were mslaid so that It could not be found, or IL
q dog were left somewhere on the coast so that
he could no. find his way TO his mastsr's hut |
the tool or the dog was lost.
In times OF sickness or OF wounds, the YahRans
gathered about an affiicted one and with rudo
ineantations strove to save the ebbing life until
the spirit had gone forever. Then they quickly |
took up the body, and, carrying IL out OF the /
wigwam, buried II where It could be most easily
put out OF sight. This done, they returned and |
painted their faces in such fashion that all other
fahgans who beheld them could tell how closely
the dead one had been related to the living and
the cause OF the death-whether by disease, by
accident, or by murder. This was their only
way OF showing they were In mourning They
did not cry aloud. They rarely spoke OF the one
who had passed away, and when they did so
speak they never said he was dead. They said
he was Lost
They had a folk lore that Is now for the most
part forgotten. but one OF their traditions was at
the foundation OF cruel custom. Long ago,
they said. a fahgan woman chose a great rock
instead OF husband, and, In consequence. bore
q child that was at once human being and .
stone. When this hybrid grew 20 mans estate
II turned against the tribe because, perhaps, Of
indignities suffered by It's mother, who was
ostraeiLed- No Yahgan man could stand against
It, though numbers could temporarily over
power Il. They therefore combined and thrust
hATpOons through IL; they chopped 1t 70 pieces;
they weighted IL with rocks aud cast Il into
lake; but after each apparent death il appeared
again In another part Of the coast as healthy
~ and rather more malicious than be
fore The monster va rapidly becoming
N inVtnei6ls tsTroT when b. chance il stepped
on th0rn- Which. pisreinE ths fo0t. it could Rot
'-as-s1 IAsss.s 4 sss%ss HSkasa . IA