up some little pieces of gold that lay there, looked at
them, put them in their mouths, spit them out, and
threw them down on the ground.
After that they came down to the cabin.
" You have saved our sister," the eldest said, among other things, " and we like you for that, and owe you all that we can give ; but you did not save her from a bear or a flood, you only saved her from your own people, so that it is not so much. But even if you did save one of us in the bravest way, that is no reason why you shall help to destroy us all. If you bring men and dig gold here, we must all die. We know how that is. You may stay here, dig gold, hunt, live here all your lives ; but if you let this be known, and bring men up here, we will shoot them from behind the trees, steal their horses, and destroy them every way we can."
Paquita herself repeated this, interpreted what we did not understand, and told us emphatically that what her brothers said was true. Noble Indian woman! She was right.
The Prince answered very kindly and earnestly. He told them they were right. He told them that no one should hear of the mine ; and at the last, he lifted up his hand to Mount Shasta, and before the God of the white man and the red man, promised that no white men should come there, with his con sent, while he remained.
Paquita returned soon after this with her people to her village, and it was lonely enough to be sure.
