wo hours, returning with the
carcass of a very fine deer. The Indian had started hunting the day
before and pursued a deer till almost night, finally bringing it down.
Having had nothing to eat since early morning he was ravenous and cut a
piece of steak from the deer and ate it raw. This made him desperately
sick and on his way back he had to stop at the mill. His squaw and the
other Indians proceeded to skin the deer at the house and the squaw
brought in the deer's kidneys to mother. This she thought very odd but a
few days later was informed by Martin McCloud, an interpreter, that the
gift of a deer's kidneys was one of the highest tokens of esteem that an
Indian could bestow. Afterwards the Indian and his squaw were very kind,
sending her fish and venison and the squaw presented her with some
beautiful bead work.

The cruelty of the male Indians always astounded mother. Once she sold
an Indian a sack of flour. He was to come for it the next day. At the
time appointed he came, bringing with him his squaw who had with her a
little papoose, and his mother, an aged woman. He brought an empty sack
along. Mother presumed he would empty a small portion of the flour into
this for his wife and mother to carry and he would shoulder the
remainder in the sack which contained the flour. He emptied about one
third of the flour into the sack which he had brought. This he put down
by the side of his mother. He took the papoose out of a broad strap
around the squaw's head hanging in a loop in the back and taking up the
remaining flour, put it in the strap on his wife's back, she stooping
over to receive the load. It was so heavy he had to help her straighten
up; she could not rise alone. Then he took the papoose and set it atop
the sack of flour. He then assisted his mother about getting her portion
of flour in her strap. His conduct provoked mother greatly and she told
him in decided terms that he should be ashamed of himself. At her
remarks he grinned and folding his arms complacently around his gun,
strutted off after the women muttering, "Me big Injun."

A curious trait about the Indians was that they wanted you to trust them
and have no suspicions about their honesty. When going away from the
house it was better not to lock it, but take a stick and lean it up
against the house outside, intimating to them that you were away; and
nothing would be molested. If the house was locked they were likely to
break in and steal something.