What he got in his olfactory
investigation must have been confusing. He smelled man; he smelled
turkey feathers; and he smelled paint. What sort of animals do you
think he imagined the arrows to be?
This reminds me that Ishi always said that a white man smelled like a
horse, and in hunting made a noise like one, but apparently he doesn't
always have horse sense.
I saw this exemplified upon one occasion. When camped in a beautiful
little spot we were disturbed by the arrival of a party of some four
men, five horses, and three dogs--all heavily accoutred for the chase.
With our quiet Indian methods, we caused little excitement in the land,
but they burst in upon us with a fury that warned all game for miles
around.
The day after their arrival, alone on a trail, I heard one of this band
approaching; half a mile above me his noise preceded him. Down he came
over brush and stones. I stepped quietly beside a bush and waited as I
would for an oncoming elephant. With gun at right shoulder arms,
knapsack and canteen rattling, spiked shoes crunching, he marched past
me, eyes straight ahead; walking within ten yards and never saw me.
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