The daily democrat. [volume] (Anadarko, Oklahoma) 190?-1908, 1908-10-17


ING them over, would strike his fancy.
He speaks q sort of doggerel frontier
Spanish, and | made out. after some
reflection, that he thought he would
like my shirt. ! Immediately handed
out the present, in fact, | made 1t two.
but he refused the second one, saying.
after long thought: I can wear only
one shirt at time This shows his
simple mind. ! am sure he will never
wash that shirt, but will wear 1t till
IL drops off or is torn to rags In the
brush.
THE son took fancy TO my kat,
and, of course, | at once took II on.
and gave It to him, and in turn he
presented me with a wooden crown.
rather ingeniously made Of strips OF
wood, coming together and fastened
with detachable pin, with knob at
the end. II is ornamented with red
and blue stripes. | gravely put on the
crown and Ponchito seemed greatly
pleased.
I'VE had a hard time getting tho
snapshot OF the chief and his body
guard. They would not pose before
the camera, because they are terribly
superstitious. They believe that
everything that belongs to them must
go with them. at death. and If any
thing that is part of them gets away,
there will be terrible trouble in the
spirit world. In order to get the chief
and the men near him before the
camera / pretended to line them up
to distribute cigarettes, and while my
man was about to pass along with the
cigarettes | snapped the shutter.
Il do not know what would have
happened to me II had been discov-
cred In the act of taking this picture.
II is the first photograph of this cele-
brated chief He Is usually reported
cannibal. but my presence to-day in
tho land OF the living is sumcient
proof to the contrary.
Il saw many deer heads In the
chiefs camp and large pair of noun
tain goat horns. | would have taken
the goats horns, but they looked too
old and rusty. The arrows presented
by the chief are beautiful pieces OF
native workmanship. The heads OF
iron, carefully sharpened with pumice
stone. l saw them doing the work.
and It is an endless job. The head Is
held in place with pelican sinews.
tightly wrapped. The upper part Of the
arrow is of willow and the lower part
of bamboo, bound with pelican sinews.
There are small ornamental bands on
the arrow and enc of them looks az
though 1t were put on with pitch.
The Seri Indians live largely on
sea food, such as turtle. fish and sea
liens. They have prod.gious skill with
spears and venture out on rough seas
in dugouts, that are handled with ex-
traordinary skill. The Seris swim like
fish, and their eyesight. in fishing and
hunting, is so keen that they can see
almost as well, II struck me- as a white
man can with a marine glass. Let me
illustrate. AS we neared the island, at
our first landing. | raised my glass
and levelcd II this way a1d that, and
finally saw, at great distance, an In
dian boy sitting on the rock. had
barely focused on him when he leaped
iuNo Nnt htds ne hdu seen lHt uuoGE-
looking object pointing at him.
'On the beach | counted so sea tur-
ties shells on my first landing. and
afterward saw many others. | brought
back with me some of their pottery.
and It is excellent for stuff made by
barbarians. They make Jugs and
pans.
'ssrha xyotoro oround tkara ara aItva
with sharks, but the Ind ans do not
molest them. There are also immense
numbers of all sorts of fish. from min
nows to black whales.
The temperature of the island IL
about l10 to 100 in the sun, but the
nights are cold. The east channel, ac-
eording to Dewey's chart Is called
Inferno and 1t Is certainly wen
named. There are parts of the eastern
channel, cutting of the island from
the mainland. that at low tide are only
half mile wide, should say; and It
varies from that distance TO three
miles wide.
The report brought back from tt
buron island by Capt. Thompson is
at variance with the traditional re-
! turns made by explorers and leaders
of expeditions seeking gold or adven.
ture. In the past the Seris have al.
ways been pictured as cannibals. ruled
by a race OF Amazols.
Tiburon has been olassed as one OF
the worlds greatest geographical mys-
terles; and the race inhabIt.ng this
unknown island has been unclassihed
by scientists. Some authorities ha %
regarded the Indians there as rene.
gade Apsches;" other equally high an.
thorities have regarded them as tho
last OF the Aztecs." This name is
commonly ascribed today to the SerI
| Indians VI Tiburon.