“Another time when I found a bear in a cave he said, ’You must go in this time and drive out the bear.’  I was sure I couldn’t do it, but he insisted, and thrusting the lighted sticks into my hands bade me crawl in, keeping my eyes fixed the while, as soon as I saw them, upon those of the bear.  I was to keep my back to the wall, and when I got well in, was to dash the light behind the bear and give a yell.  I crawled in all right and soon got to where I could just about stand up, but when I saw the bear and he began to growl I was scared and backed out pretty quick and said I didn’t have light enough.  My uncle grabbed the sticks from me, called me a coward, rushed in, and as the bear dashed out shot and killed it.”

It is generally thought that Indians are good shots, but the testimony of the hunters of the Tahoe region is that the Washoes are very poor shots.  One hunter tells me he has seen an Indian take as fine a standing shot as one need desire, again and again, and miss every time.  On one occasion he was hunting deer with an Indian.  The latter had gone up a steep slope, when, suddenly, he began to fire, and kept it up until fourteen shots were fired.  Said he:  “I was sure he must have a bunch of deer and was making a big killing, and hurried up to his side.  When I got there I found he had sent all those shot after one buck, and had succeeded only in breaking its leg.  With one shot I killed the wounded animal, went up to it and was about to cut its throat, when he begged me not to do so, asserting that if I cut the deer’s throat that way I should never get a standing shot again, the deer would always be able to smell me.”

This is a quaint superstition.  The Indians believe that though the particular deer be slain it has the power of communicating with living deer and informing them of the peculiar “smell” of the hunter.  Hence, as in the olden days they had no guns, only bows and arrows, and were compelled to creep up much nearer to their prey than is needful with a gun, anything that seemed to add to the deer’s power of scenting the hunter must studiously be avoided.

And, although the gun had rendered the old methods of hunting unnecessary, this particular precaution still persisted and had all the force of established custom.

My friend then continued:  “Another superstition I found out as I cleaned this deer.  I cut out the paunch, the heart and the liver and offered them to the Indian.  He refused them, saying it was food fit only for women, children and old men.  If he were to eat them he would never have luck in hunting again.”

This superstition is common with many Indian tribes.  It is based upon the idea that one becomes like that which he eats.  If one eats the heart of a mountain-lion or bear he becomes daring and courageous.  But to eat the heart of the timid deer is to make oneself timorous and cowardly.

As soon after puberty as possible a boy is taken out by his father or uncle on a hunt.  Prior to that time he is not allowed to go.  But before he can eat of the product of the chase he must himself kill a deer with large enough horns to allow him to crawl through them.