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Show Saved by His Insanity. North American Indians always treated with great kindness the insane and the feeble-minded, believing that they would be punished for any injury to persons so unfortunate. Genera; Strong tells how this belief of the In- dians enabled Prof. Hayden of tha United States .geological survey to escape from a dangerous predicament. One day, after having filled his saddlebags saddle-bags and pockets with pieces of various vari-ous kinds of rock, the professor found that he had ' wandered far from his party, and started in. search of them. Seeing some; men on horseback, and supposing that they were his friends, he rode toward them,' but to .his horror hor-ror discovered that they were Indians. Knowing that he was' in the country of hostiles, he turned his horse and attempted to escape. ' But his saddlebags saddle-bags and every pocket were full to. over-flowing, as was also the tin box . containing .bugs and insects, which hung at his side. ' Thus handicaped, he made but, poor headway. The In. dians sooh 'overtook him and in sign language ordered him to dismount. They proceeded at once to make an inspection of his possessions. He had nothing with which to defend himself, his outfit being a pocket-knife, hammer, ham-mer, chisel and watch. These they took, and then began to plunge theii hands into his pockets, bringing them uut filled with . the rock specimens. Again and again they did this, until pockets, pouch and saddle-bags wers all emptied. As the pile of stones in-creased in-creased upon the ground beside him 'he Indians burst into loud laughter. Final1' they opened tr-e tin bo, a-r.i -whaii-thsr 8!"i nothing iu 'lharbul v,:-s aa a" other insects, they quickly closed it, and looking at one another, -nd then very closely at Prof. Kayden. they touched their forehead and mad the sign signify!::!! crazy. Then the? rave back' all his things,, even picking-;p picking-;p the specimens and replacing them carefully in his . pockets, pouch and caudle-bags, and in the sign language fold him to mount his horse ani go on. - |