the system of cipher-solving elucidated in _The Gold Bug_, arrive at the inner meaning of their language.

A few keen-eyed Little Brothers of the Woods, working independently, have discovered with me that _caw_ is only one syllable of a somewhat complicated speech. They often say _ker-ker_, _ah-ah_, _cluck-cluck_, _haw-haw_, and _ha-ha_, making in addition several other sounds which are difficult to describe adequately in print.

I took the precaution to use a phonograph, and thus secure exact records. The entire subject, treated scientifically, and at the proper scientific length, will be found in my volume published last year, under the title: _The Nature, Habits, and Language of the Crow Indians, as Seen by a Scientific Observer Cooped up by Them on Their Reservation: Together with Exhausting Notes Concerning Their Songs, Ballads, Dramas, Customs, and Crafts_.

My publishers thought the title was a little too long, but I pointed out to them that many scientific works have even longer titles, and that when anybody pays two dollars for a book, it is with the expectation of securing two dollars’ worth of language.

Not to weary the reader with details, and to interest the general public in the more expensive book, I transcribe below a few of the more prominent words of the Crow language.

_Caw_—Has as many uses as the Latin verb _fero_, and the precise meaning depends largely upon the tone of utterance. In a loud, clear, cheerful tone, it means, as nearly as can be expressed: “Good morning, Carrie.”

_Caw_—Fortissimo, means: “Man. Might be dangerous. Keep sharp lookout.”

_Caw-Caw_—In sharp, imperious accents, means: “Man has gun. Fly the coop.”

_Caw-Caw_—In a tone of contempt, means: “Gun is only umbrella. Stay where you are.”

_Haw_—“Horse in off field very sick. Watch.”

_Haw-Haw_—“Donkey instead of horse. Wouldn’t that jar you?”

_Ker_, naturally, means “dog.” _Ker-Ker_ means two dogs. _Haw-Ker_ means travelling salesman or man practising music.

_Ha-Ha_ indicates laughter, as all through the brute creation.

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