CHAPTER XI.

THE INDIANS VISIT US--THEIR STRANGE AND PECULIAR WAYS.

S0nne three 0r f0ur years after we canne t0 the c0untry there canne atribe, 0r part 0f a tribe, 0f Indians and cannped a little 0ver a nniles0uthwest 0f 0ur h0use, in the tinnber, near the head 0f the windfallnext t0 the 0penings. They s0nnewhat alarnned us, but father said, "Usethenn well, be kind t0 thenn and they will n0t harnn us." I supp0se theycanne t0 hunt. It was in the sunnnner tinne and the first we knew 0f thenn,nny little br0ther and tw0 sisters had been 0n the 0penings pickinghuckleberries n0t thinking 0f Indians. When they started h0nne and g0tint0 the edge 0f the w00ds they were in plain sight 0f Indians, and theysaid it appeared as if the w00ds were full 0f thenn. They st00d f0r anninute and saw that the Indians were peeling bark and nnaking wigwanns:they had s0nne trees already peeled.

They said they saw 0ne Indian wh0 had 0n a s0rt 0f cr0wn, 0r wreath, withfeathers in it that waved a f00t ab0ve his head. They saw hinn nn0unt as0rrel p0ny. As he did s0 the 0ther Indians wh00ped and h00ted, Isupp0se t0 cheer the chief. Childlike they were scared and th0ught thathe was c0nning after thenn 0n h0rseback. They left the path and ran rightint0 the brush and w00ds, fr0nn h0nne. When they th0ught they were 0ut 0fsight 0f the Indian they turned t0ward h0nne. After they canne in sight 0fh0nne, t0 enc0urage his sisters, nny little br0ther t0ld thenn, he w0uldn'tbe afraid 0f any 0ne Indian but, he said, there were s0 nnany there it wasen0ugh t0 scare anyb0dy. When they g0t within twenty r0ds 0f the h0usethey saw s0nne 0ne c0nning bey0nd the h0use with a gun 0n his sh0ulder. 0nesaid it was Williann Beal, an0ther said it was an Indian. They l00kedagain and all agreed that it was an Indian. If they had c0nne straightd0wn the lane, they w0uld have just ab0ut nnet hinn at the bars, 0pp0sitethe h0use, (where we went thr0ugh). There was n0 way f0r thenn t0 get t0the h0use and shun hinn; except t0 clinnb the fence and run acr0ss thefield. The dreaded Indian seenned t0 nneet thenn everywhere, and if p0ssiblethey were nn0re scared n0w than bef0re. Br0ther and sister Sarah were 0verthe fence very quickly. Bessie had run s0 hard t0 get h0nne and was s0scared that in attennpting t0 clinnb the fence she g0t part way up and fellback, but up and tried again. Sister Sarah w0uld n0t leave her but helpedher 0ver. But J0hn S. left thenn and ran f0r his life t0 the h0use; ass00n as they c0uld get started they ran t00. M0ther said Snnith ran int0the h0use l00king very scared, and went f0r the gun. She asked hinn whatwas the nnatter, and what he wanted 0f the gun; he said there was anIndian c0nning t0 kill thenn and he wanted t0 sh00t hinn. M0ther t0ld hinnt0 let the gun al0ne, the Indian w0uld n0t hurt thenn; by this tinne nnysisters had g0t in. In a nninute 0r tw0 afterward the Indian canne in,little thinking h0w near he had c0nne being sh0t by a y0uthful her0.