ts, and
sometimes the elk when they came high on the mountains. Our tepees were
made of the cedar, thatched with grey moss and cemented with the gum
from the pines, carpeted with the mountain sheep-skins, soft as down.
Our garments were made from the skins of the gazelle, and ornamented
with eagle feathers and ermine and otter skins.

"We chanted our songs to the sun, and the Great Spirit was pleased. He
gave us much sheep and meat and berries and pure water, and snow to keep
the flies away. The water was never muddy. We had no dogs nor horses. We
did not go far from our homes, but were happy in our mountain abode.
Then came the Sioux, who killed the elk and buffalo in the valleys. They
had swarms of dogs and horses, and ran the game until it left the
valleys and went far away. Their people were always at war and stealing
horses, which was very wrong in the sight of our people, who never stole
anything. Our men were fearless and brave, and could bring down all
kinds of game with their bows and arrows, and were contented; but the
Sioux were not contented with fighting their enemies, but came to our
mountain home and began to try to ascend the trail. Our chief met
them on the steep precipice and ordered them to stop where they were,
but they murmured and made signs of battle. Our people had great masses
of rock as large as houses, where they could let them loose down the
trail and crush the Sioux into the earth as they were all down in a deep
canyon.

[Illustration: SHEEP EATER SQUAW 115 YEARS OLD "THE WOMAN UNDER THE
GROUND"]

"The Sioux stopped and began a war council, and began to paint and get
ready for battle. Our chief got the great rocks ready, and then sent a
runner to tell the Sioux that our people never went into the valleys nor
killed the buffalo, and that we wished to be apart from all other
people. After a long council the Sioux fired a volley of arrows at our
runner, and wounded him in the thigh. He came to the chief greatly
alarmed at the dreaded Sioux as they were many.

"The ponies in the valley below were strange looking creatures to us; we
had never seen them before. The dogs were howling and the valley rang
with the wild warwhoop. The time had come for action, and the Sheep
Eaters assembled at the narrow trail, headed by their chieftain, Red
Eagle, with his bow six feet long, made from the mountain ram's horn,
and bound with glue and sinew from the sheep's neck. Great excitement
prevailed. The squ