The San Francisco call., 1897-02-14

were the Modocs, below them and extend
ing to the sea coast the Euhrocs. The
three names have significance IN the
Indian language Modoc, "head OF tie
river'; Cahroc, "up the river" and
Euhroc, down the rIver."
Food of the animal sort abounded. but
not less so than that of the vegetable king
dom. Above the clustered antelope nod
ded the pinon pine, rich with its large
cones at the base of whose many scales
were the edible and nutritious seeds.
Hemming the forests grew the manzanita
shrub, with its wealth of berries, and the
acorns, which to the Indians are a staple
comparable to wheat in the civilized esti-
nation, fell from trees whose dark thou
sands stretched over areas measurable
only by the scale of tiles.
The Cahrocs were not nomadic. They
lived in fixed residences, grouped in viii
lages, always on the river bank. In the
exhibit are thirty or more photographs
showing these villages, their huts and
their inhabitants. They had a peculiar
way of constructing house A large
round excavation, three or four feet in
depth, was dug in the earth. About the
sides of this were driven long poles whose
ends were bent toward the center, in
which position they were held by withes
or slnews, and sometimes they were
threaded, basket fashion, with ferns. The
ends were trimmed to leave a circular
manhole in the center, whereupon the
mound was covered with earth TO the
depth of several inches. A notched pole
was planted in the middle. which sus-
tanned the roof and provided 4 stairs, for
in and out this hole, which served alike
for lngress of inmates and egress OF smoke,
and down and up this pole the Indians
crawled like rats.
In this house they slept. In it during
winter they prepared their food and the
smoke with which it was always filed gave
them sore eyes, one of the ever present
diseases OF the tribe.
1t was to this hut that the Cahroc gal
liant brought his newly purchased bride
She was often pretty. for the Cahroc bellies
are described as being pleasing even to
the Anglo-Saxon eye. With smooth hazel
skin, hazel brilliant almond eyes. oval
faces with red showing in the cheeks, full
figures, ample and well shaped busts and
rounded limbs, such bride would be
worthy OF purchase anywhere, and among
VIZ OoAA AOSo thSJ 1ney were
the property of their fathers and they
were sold for value in money or other
chatteis. The greater the price the pater-
nal autocrat set upon them The more they
were esteemed by their purchasing spouses
and by society.
The only limit fixed to the number OF
wives man might accumulate was the
length of his strings of alicochick, the
number of his whi te deerskins or the
scalps Of his red-topped woodpeckers.
The first and last of these were currency
aud many specimens OF both are shown in
the Daggett collection. Allicochick are
the shells which conchologists call denta-
lum from their resem blance to teeth.
They are made by genus OF marine mol
lusks. The shell is long, tabular and conf
cal They were never attainabIe in their
native state by the Cahrocs, but were Sc
cured IN exchange from the Euhrocs. WHO
were partially sea-going tribe
Upon the length OF these shells de pended
their monetary worth. Unless they m. as.
ured from the base to the first Joint of The
middle hnger-a length of about two
inches-they were not specie, but useful
as fringe and n, cklace ornaments. The
capitalists of the community invariably
had bars tattooed upon their arms, which