Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 51, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 August 1895 — Unexpected Visitation. [ARTICLE]

Unexpected Visitation.

Some years ago, three young men were camping In the Sierra Nevada Mountains, killing deer, fishing and cooking delectable food. One day, it happeued-that one, of them had twisted his ankle, and the others were hunting without him. As he could not move about, he was naturally somewhat bored, aud after reading awhile, in the shade of a tree, he fell asleep. Thus he tells what followed: I woke up with a start, aud the fuel. iDg that something was about to happen Something had happened. Fifteen _lndians sat iu a half circle about me. waiting for me to stir. They had fixed upon me their fifteen pairs of black, beady eyes, aud not oue of them moved a muscle, All of them had guns and, what was mor,e important, each had presumably two sound legs, whereas I was handicapped by my lameness. I looked at them, aud they continued looking at me. A lightning express of speculation ran through my head. I remembered that the deputy sheriff of the nearest settlement had lately shot an Indian by accident, and that the tribe had sworn to have his scalp. Did I look like the deputy sheriff? Was it my scalp they wanted? Their eyes never wandered, but mine did; for 1 could not help glancing at my gun, at least fifteen feet away, and JV the spot where a big Indian sat composedly on my cartridges: Finally one i*uek made a remark. “Fish hook ?” said he, —-said T r ‘Ann-flsh^hpok.*-’?:: Silence again for fifteen minutes. Then another indicated by a glance a piece of venison hung up iu a tree, and grunted bis approval of it. I nodded, and he roar*, solemnly took it down and laid it on the ground beside him. “ ATittle, boyish felibw.'tviTli eyes more restless than those of the others, removed his gaze from me to a greasy piece of red flannel beside me, with which one of ojir men had been cleaning his gun. I took it up and held it out to him, and he accepted it with outward composure and, I have no doubt, inward rapture. Then we had another period of silent reflection, and they rose, stalked solemnly away to their horses tethered in a neighboring grove, and rode off. They had made me a highly conventional social visit.