No doubt, the following literary effort in the English language by Chief Pablo will set the risibilities of my readers to working. Als, the Chief, never had the benefit of a school education, and English wasn't easy for him to acquire. However, he was game, and in 1908, when he was appointed Chief of the Indian Reservation, he bravely set to work and wrote this article.
He was sixty-four years old then. Nothing would do but he must have a typewriter. Right manfully he tackled it, but when he had finished he heaved a tremendous sigh and declared he'd rather go on the warpath than pound a typewriter again.
But he surely deserves great credit and his record as Chief of the Indian Police was a brilliant one.
The Legend of Console Mineral Springs near Homuba Canyon
The canyon has been known as Homuba among the Indians for many years. And on that canyon there are three mineral springs. They are located near Loma Linda. It is southeast from Loma Linda, way up in the canyon, a distance of three miles.
Professor J. Console, an Indian friend, is the owner of the mineral springs nowadays. In the early days the Indians called the springs _Phal-poole_, _Phal-quapekalet_, _Hickescah-heppasca_, which means Witch Springs, Life Springs, Sisters and Brother Springs.
Those three springs were discovered in this way. There were Indian settlements all over that country, near the springs and around the springs. One day three Indian children, two sisters and one brother, went up the canyon and disappeared in those springs. The father and mother and other relatives of the missing children followed the tracks of the children until they came to the springs. After having tried everything to find them, the father and mother and the relatives in their sorrow went to the witch-doctors to see if they could help them find the children. Then one witch-doctor said:
"Come with me and I will show you where your children are and how they disappeared in those springs. You may not see them but you will hear them, and you will have to be satisfied."
So the children's family went there and the witch-doctor stopped at the center spring and said:
"Listen to the Great Father who is above us, the Creator of the world. He has taken your boy and put him in this spring, so that this spring will bring health to you and to others."