The Acorn Planter — Jack London

A forest hillside where great trees stand with wide spaces between A stream flows from a spring that bursts out of the hillside It is a place of lush ferns and brakes also of thickets of such shrubs as inhabit a redwood forest floor At the left in the open level space at the foot of the hillside extending out of sight among the trees is visible a portion of a Nishinam Indian camp It is a temporary camp for the night Small cooking fires smoulder Standing about are withe woven baskets for the carrying of supplies and dunnage Spears and bows and quivers of arrows lie about Boys drag in dry branches for firewood Young women fill gourds with water from the stream and proceed about their camp tasks A number of older women are pounding acorns in stone mortars with stone pestles An old man and a Shaman or priest look expectantly up the hillside All wear moccasins and are skin clad primitive in their garmenting Neither iron nor woven cloth occurs in the weapons and gear