at for food and skins for clothing
and beds. And here they lived and multiplied, and, as instructed
by their medicine men, worshipped the Great Spirit which gave
them life, and the sun which warmed and made them happy.

[Illustration: _Photograph by Boysen_.
MARY.
Daughter of Captain John, one of the last Chiefs of the
Yosemites.]

They also kept in memory the happy land of their forefathers. The
story was told by the old people to the young, and they again
told it to their children from generation to generation, and they
all believed that after death their spirits would return to dwell
forever in that distant country.

They prospered and built other towns outside of Ah-wah'-nee,
and became a great nation. They learned wisdom by experience and
by observing how the Great Spirit taught the animals and insects
to live, and they believed that their children could absorb the
cunning of the wild creatures. And so the young son of their
chieftain was made to sleep in the skins of the beaver and
coyote, that he might grow wise in building, and keen of scent in
following game. On some days he was fed with _la-pe'-si_ that
he might become a good swimmer, and on other days the eggs of the
great _to-tau'-kon_ (crane) were his food, that he might grow
tall and keen of sight, and have a clear, ringing voice. He was
also fed on the flesh of the _he'-ker_ that he might be fleet
of foot, and on that of the great _yo-sem'-i-te_ (grizzly bear)
to make him powerful in combat.

And the little boy grew up and became a great and wise chieftain,
and he was also a rain wizard, and brought timely rains for the
crops.

As was the custom in giving names to all Indians, his name was
changed from time to time, as his character developed, until he
was called Choo'-too-se-ka', meaning the Supreme Good. His
grand _o-chum_ (house) was built at the base of the great rock
called To-tau-kon-nu'-la [El Capitan], because the great
_to-tau'-kons_ made their nests and raised their young in a
meadow at its summit, and their loud ringing cries resounded over
the whole Valley.

As the moons and snows passed, this great rock and all the great
rocky walls around the Valley grew in height, and the hills
became high mountains.

After a time Choo'-too-se-ka' built himself a great palace
_o'-chum_ on the summit of the rock To-tau-kon-nu'-la, and
had his great chair of state a little west of his palace, where
on all festival occasions he could overlook and