Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-12-25
the cocopah must not ask for more. That

the cocopah must not ask for more. That
Is fair.
"The Cocopah houses are better than
the white mems houses. They are better
because they are smaller and warmer. AZ
Is cold on the desert sometimes. Ihe w
copah builds his house as MS fatber oiu'
His father knew best. He fousnt tns
Apache and the Yuma, and knew he must
hide his house low down, In the pru7h'
and not to build fires during war times.
The smoke goes very far ana can DC
smelt far away. o.
How did l get my wife? l asked TOT
her thought she was the best girl for
me. The old people talked about IL, ana
said n was all right. Her father came
and talked with me and asked me IL l.
would treat her well Her mother never
came near me- When man marrles MS
mother goes and looks at the girl, 10 see
~ she IS good. The girls father looks at
the boy to see II he is good. The motner
can Judge the girl best and the fatner the
boy. When they are married they canhot
be separated. My wife Is very gooo' 1
do not want another. IL surprises me
when you say some Indians nave nans
wives Every Cocopah man and wife have
as many children as they can. III they
have no children the people do not IKE IL
at all. 4, ,ho
when I was younger l rode In the
horsa races The Indians liked 20 have
me ride. l made the horse go, ten you.
rho hest place TO run Is down on the
desert. The Cocopahs love horse racing.
We know how 10 bet, too. we wager
everything we have, so as TO make nuch
money If we win. IL we lose-"eh' we
can wait awhile"
This was what Allcock said. IT was
hard TO get from him the more interesting
particulars concerning the Cocopahs, on
account of his limited command OF IAN
guage. He could give no clear idea OF the
Cocopah form Of worship or their religion.
He spoke in that connection or vague
things that the Indians seem to nave
obtained from the early Catholic priests
They believe in God. but their apprehen-
sion of Him is very narrow ana even tnat
shadowy. Even Allcock, though having
greater intellectual grasp than the IN
dams. seems to have very few notions
concerning religion or ths unseen world.
He Is very superstitltous, and has as
many signs and omens as a young girl.
Most of what Allcock says Is true
though he does not always cOnfine him
self to the truth, despite his boast or
Cocopah superiority in ethics. lie IS
right when he says that every camp or
white men i'm the Cocopah country IS
watched by an Indian. Captain Newton
II. Chittenden, the famous traveller and
Indian archaeologist, said that all the
time he was on the desert an indian or
two remained with him at night. lie dld
not notice the coincidence at first, but az
ter five or six nights he took note, and
invariably. near sundown, an Indian
would appear. Generally it was a new
Indian, one he had never seen before.
He would ask for supper and tobacco,
and, after partaking OF the white mans
hospitality, would curl up in his blanket
and sleep. The unfailng regularity with
which the Indians appeared, and always
with the same excuse. that they had been
hunting deer and were belated, excited
Captain Chittendens suspicion; but as
the Indians did not harm him he did nos
modest them, but good-naturedly ac-
copied their espionage during his stay
in their country