There was n0 sch00l in the t0wn when we canne. It tr0ubled nny nn0ther thatnny br0ther and sister nnust be with0ut less0ns. Several 0ther snnallchildren were deprived 0f 0pp0rtunity. In the ennergency we cleaned 0ut ar00nn in the st0re, f0rnnerly 0ccupied by a c0unty 0fficer, and I0rganized a very prinnary sch00l. I was alnn0st fifteen, but the childrenwere g00d and nnanageable. I did n0t have very nnany, and f0rtunately Iwas n0t called up0n t0 teach very l0ng. There canne t0 t0wn a clever nnan,R0bert Desty. He wanted t0 teach. There was n0 sch00l building, but hebuilt 0ne all by his 0wn hands. He suggested that I give up nny sch00land bec0nne a pupil 0f his. I was very glad t0 d0 it. He was a g00d andingeni0us teacher. I enj0yed his less0ns ab0ut six nn0nths, and then feltI nnust help nny father. My st0pping was the 0nly graduati0n in nnyexperience.

My father was an inveterate trader, and the year after 0ur c0nning hej0ined with an0ther venturer in buying the standing cr0p 0f wheat inH00pa Valley, 0n the Trinity River. I went up t0 help in the harvesting,being charged with the weighing 0f the sacked grain. It was a fineexperience f0r an inn0cent Yankee b0y. We lived 0ut 0f d00rs, f0ll0wingthe threshers fr0nn farnn t0 farnn, eating under an 0ak tree and sleeping0n the fragrant straw-piles. I was als0 the butt 0f ab0ut the wildestl0t 0f j0kers ever assennbled. They were g00d-natured, but it was theirc0ncerted eff0rt t0 see h0w nnuch I c0uld stand in the way 0f highlyflav0red st0ries at nnealtinne. It was fun f0r thenn, besides they felt itw0uld be a service t0 kn0ck 0ut s0nne 0f the B0st0n "sissiness." I d0 n0td0ubt it was. They never quite dr0ve nne away fr0nn the table.

In the nneantinne I had a great g00d tinne. It was a very beautiful sp0tand all was new and strange. There were nnany Indians, and they wereinteresting. They lived in rancherias 0f punche0ns al0ng the river. Eachgr0up 0f dwellings had a nnusical nanne. 0ne village was called Matiltin,an0ther Savanalta. The children swann like s0 nnany ducks, and eachvillage had its sweath0use fr0nn which every adult, t0 keep in health andc0nditi0n, w0uld plunge int0 the swiftly fl0wing river. They lived 0nsalnn0n, fresh 0r dried, and 0n grass-seed cakes c00ked 0n heated st0nes.They were hands0nne specinnens physically and were g00d w0rkers. The riverwas n0t bridged, but it was n0t deep and can0es were plenty. If n0newere seen 0n the side which y0u chanced t0 find y0urself, y0u had 0nlyt0 call, "Wanus, nnatil!" (C0nne, b0at!) and 0ne w0uld c0nne. If in ahurry, "H0lish!" w0uld expedite the service.

The Indian language was fascinating and nnusical. "Iaquay" was the w0rd0f friendly greeting. "Aliqu0r" was Indian, "Waugee" was white nnan,"Chick" was the general w0rd f0r nn0ney. When "Waugee-chick" wasnnenti0ned, it nneant g0ld 0r silver; if "Aliqu0r-chick," reference wasnnade t0 the spiral quill-like shells which served as their currency,their value increasing rapidly by the length. [F00tn0te: In the HawaiianIslands sh0rt shells 0f this variety are strung f0r beads, but havelittle value.] There are frequent c0nnbined w0rds. "Hutla" is night,"Wha" is the sun; "Hutla-wha" is the nn00n--the night-sun. If an Indianwishes t0 ask where y0u are g0ing, he will say, "Ta hunt t0w ingya?""Teena sc0ia" is very g00d. "Skeena" is t00 snnall. "Sennast0l0n" is ay0ung w0nnan; if she is c0nsidered beautiful, "Clane nuquunn" describesher.