Bluejay and his elder sister Ioí, with her five children, lived
together in a house by the sea beach. Every morning they went out to
walk along the beach, to see what the tide had washed up during the
night that was good to eat. Sometimes they found fish, or a seal, and
sometimes a whale. Some days when they found nothing, they dug clams on
the flat, but some days they could get no clams, and so they were
hungry. Up and down the shore lived their neighbors.
One day Bluejay said to his sister: “Let us go visiting; let us visit
the Magpie.” She said, “Let it be so. We will go.”
Early next morning they put their canoe in the water and paddled away,
and when they came near the Magpie’s house they saw him sitting on the
roof. They landed, and went up to the house, and the Magpie came down
from the roof, and all went inside and sat down. Bluejay and his sister
sat there and looked all around, but they saw no food. After a little
while the Magpie swept his house, and while he was sweeping it out he
found one dry salmon egg. He put this in the feathers of his head. Then
he made a fire and heated some stones. He filled a basket-work kettle
with water, put the salmon egg in the water, then put the stones in the
water, one after another, and covered the kettle. Soon the water was
boiling, and when it had boiled a little while he took off the cover,
and the kettle was full of boiled salmon eggs. The Magpie put the
kettle before Bluejay and his sister, and said, “Eat, my friends; you
must be hungry.” They ate until they were satisfied, and still the
kettle was half full.
After a time they started to return to their house, taking with them
the kettle with the food that was left. When they were about to start,
his sister said to Bluejay, “You go down first to the beach.” He said
to her, “No, you go down first.” So his sister went down first to the
beach to get the canoe ready.
Bluejay said to the Magpie, “To-morrow come and visit us and get your
kettle and bring it back with you.” The Magpie said, “It is good; I
will go to visit you.” Then Bluejay and his sister went home.
The next morning, early, Bluejay went up on the roof of his house and
sat there. After a time he called out to his sister, and said: “A canoe
is coming.” She answered: “It is coming, because you told him to come.”
Pretty soon, as they looked, they could see that it was the Magpie in
the canoe, and at length he landed and pulled his canoe up on the beach
and walked up to the house. Bluejay came down from the roof, and they
went in and sat down.
Soon Bluejay got up and swept his house, and found one dry salmon egg,
which he put in his topknot. When he had finished sweeping his house,
he built a fire and heated some stones and filled a basket-work kettle
with water and put in it the salmon egg, and then the hot stones, and
covered the kettle. He did everything just as the Magpie had done it.
Soon the water boiled, and he took the cover off, but there was nothing
in the kettle but hot water.
The Magpie said, “Bluejay can do only one thing.” He took the kettle
and threw the stones out of it. Then he heated more stones, put a dry
salmon egg in the water, put in the hot stones, and covered the kettle,
and soon the water began to boil. Presently he took the cover off the
kettle, and it was full of boiled salmon eggs. Then the Magpie went
down to the beach and put his canoe in the water and paddled away to
his home.
After several nights Bluejay and his sister were hungry. Bluejay said:
“Let us go visiting. Let us go and visit the Duck.” “We will go
to-morrow,” said his sister. The next morning early they started and
paddled away towards the Duck’s house. After a while they came within
sight of the house, and then landed on the beach and went up to the
house. After they had sat a little while, the Duck said to her five
children, “Go and wash yourselves.” They went down to the beach and
went into the water and washed themselves. Then they dived, and when
each came to the top of the water it had a trout in its mouth. They put
these on a mat on the beach. Ten times they dived, and by that time
their mat was full of trout. They took them up to the house and made a
fire and roasted them, and when the fish were cooked they gave them to
Bluejay and his sister, and they ate part of them and were satisfied.
Pretty soon the visitors got ready to go, taking with them the food
that was left. Ioí said to her brother: “You go down first to the
beach, or else you will talk ever so much.” Bluejay answered her: “No,
you go down first.” So his sister went down first to get the canoe
ready, and when she had gone, Bluejay said to the Duck: “Come to my
house to-morrow and get your mat.” The Duck said: “To-morrow I will go
to visit you.” Then Bluejay and his sister paddled away, and soon came
to their house.
Early next morning Bluejay got up and went up to the roof of the house.
After he had been sitting there for some time, he called out to his
sister: “A canoe is coming.” She said to him: “It comes because you
asked them to come.” Pretty soon the Duck, with her five children,
reached the beach, and after they had pulled the canoe out of the
water, they went up to the house. After they had sat a while, Bluejay
said to his sister’s children: “Go and wash yourselves.”
The children went down to the beach and into the water and washed
themselves. They tried to dive, but no matter how hard they might try
their backs remained above the water. Ten times they tried to dive, and
their feathers were all wet and clinging to them, and they were almost
dead with cold. They came up to the house shivering, and not bringing
anything with them.
The Duck said: “Bluejay can do only one thing.” Then she said to her
children: “Go and wash yourselves. We will give them something to eat.”
The Duck’s children went down to the beach and washed themselves. They
dived ten times, and then their mat was full of trout. They brought
them up to the house and threw them on the ground. Then the Ducks went
home.
Some little time after this Bluejay and his sister were again hungry.
Bluejay said: “Let us go and visit Black Bear.” Early the next morning
they set out, and before noon they reached the Black Bear’s house and
went in and sat down.
They looked around. No food was to be seen. Pretty soon the Bear built
a fire and began to heat stones. Bluejay was wondering what food would
be given them, and he said to his sister: “What will he give us to
eat?”
When the stones were hot the Bear took his knife and cut the soles from
his feet, and cut a big piece of meat out of his thigh. Then he rubbed
his hands over the wounds, and at once they were healed. Then he cut
the flesh that he had taken from his feet and from his thigh into small
pieces and put it in the kettle, and put the hot stones in the kettle
and boiled it. When it was cooked he placed the kettle before them, and
said to them: “Eat, my friends; you must be hungry.” They ate, and
pretty soon they were satisfied. When they were ready to go home Ioí
said to her brother: “You go down first, or else you will be talking a
great deal.” Bluejay said: “No, you go down first.” His sister went,
and when she had gone Bluejay said to the Bear: “Come to-morrow and
visit us.” The Bear said he would do so; then Bluejay and his sister
went home to their house.
Early the next morning Bluejay got up and made a fire, and went up on
the roof of his house. After a while, he called out to his sister: “A
canoe is coming,” and she answered: “It comes because you invited him.”
Pretty soon the Bear paddled up to the beach and landed, and came up to
the house, and they all sat down. Bluejay began to heat the stones in
the fire and to get ready for cooking. When the stones were hot he
sharpened his knife and began to cut his feet, but, oh, it hurt him
very much. It hurt him so much that he fainted away. They blew on him
until he recovered.
The Bear said: “You can do only one thing, Bluejay.” The Bear took his
knife and slowly cut the soles off his feet. He cut a piece of flesh
out of his thigh. Then he rubbed his hands over the wounds and
immediately they were healed. Then he cut the flesh in small pieces and
boiled it. When he had finished cooking and it was done, he threw it
down before them, and went home to his house. Bluejay’s feet were sore.
After a number of nights they were again hungry. Then Bluejay said to
his sister: “Let us go visiting again. To-morrow we will go and visit
the Beaver.” Early in the morning they started out, and before very
long they reached the Beaver’s house. The Beaver was on the roof of his
house. He came down, and they went in and sat down. After a little
while the Beaver went out and brought into the house a bundle of willow
twigs, which he put down before them. Then he took a dish and went out
and brought it back filled with mud. Bluejay and his sister could not
eat these things, and pretty soon they got ready to go home. As they
were about to start, his sister said to him: “You go down first to the
beach, or else you will talk a great deal.” The Bluejay said to his
sister: “No, you go down first.” So she went down first to the beach.
When she had gone Bluejay said: “Come to my house to-morrow to fetch
your dish,” and the Beaver answered: “I will come to-morrow.”
Early next morning Bluejay got up and made a fire, and went up on the
roof of his house. After he had sat there for a while, he called out to
his sister: “A canoe is coming.” She answered: “It comes because you
asked it to come.” The Beaver landed and came up the beach and entered
the house, and they all sat down. Bluejay went out of the house, and
after he had been gone a little while he came back with a bunch of
willow twigs, and he put them before the Beaver, who began to eat them,
and soon ate them all up. Then Bluejay ran down to the beach and got
some mud, which he put before the Beaver. The Beaver ate it all and
went home.
Not many days after this they were again hungry, and Bluejay said: “Let
us go visiting again. To-morrow let us go to visit the Seal.” Early the
next morning they started, and at length they came to the house of the
Seal. The Seal had five children. After they had been sitting a while
in her house, the Seal said to her children: “Go to the beach and lie
down there.” They went down to the edge of the water and lay there.
Then the Seal took a stick and went down there, too, and when she
reached her children she struck the youngest one on the head and it lay
there. She said to the others: “Dive down,” and they did so, and when
they came to the surface of the water there were five of them. Then she
dragged up to the house the one that she had killed and singed it, and
when she had finished singeing it she cut it up. She boiled it, and
when it was cooked she gave it to Bluejay and his sister. They ate, and
presently they were satisfied. When they were getting ready to go home
his sister said to her brother: “You go down first.” He answered: “No,
you go down first. You always want to stay where they give us food.” So
his sister went down to the beach. Then Bluejay said to the Seal: “Come
to-morrow and visit us, and fetch your kettle.” The Seal said: “I shall
come.” Then Bluejay and his sister went home to their house.
Early next morning Bluejay got up and went on to the roof of his house.
After a while he called out to his sister: “A canoe is coming.” She
answered him: “It comes because you have asked them to come.” The canoe
came to the beach, and the Seal and her children landed and pulled the
canoe up on the beach, and then came up to the house. Pretty soon
Bluejay said to his sister’s children: “Go to the beach and lie down
there.” The children went and lay down at the edge of the water.
Bluejay took a stick and went down and struck the youngest one on the
head. Then he said to the other children: “Quick now, dive.” They
dived, but when they came up there were only four. Five times they
dived, but the one that Bluejay had struck remained dead. Then Ioí and
her children cried for the dead one.
The Seal said: “Bluejay only knows how to do one thing.” She struck one
of her daughters on the head with a stick, and said to the others:
“Quick, dive.” They dived, and when they came up again all five of them
were there. Then she singed her daughter, and when she had finished
singeing her she cut her up and threw her down before Bluejay and his
sister, saying: “You may eat this.” Then they tied up and buried the
dead child, and the Seals went home.
After a time these two were again hungry, and Blue jay said: “Let us go
and visit the Shadows.” His sister said: “We will go to-morrow.” Early
next morning they started, and at last they reached the home of the
Shadows and went up to the house. It was full of food, and on the beds
there were lying ornaments, clothing, coats, blankets of deer skin, of
mountain-goat wool, and of ground-hog skin. Blue jay said to his
sister: “Where are these people?” His sister answered: “They are here,
but you cannot see them.”
Blue jay took up one of the large ear ornaments. “Look out! You are
pulling my ear, Bluejay!” cried a person. Bluejay was surprised, for he
saw no one, and he dropped the ear ornament. Then they heard many
people laughing. He took hold of a ground-hog blanket, and pulled at
it. “Let go of my ground-hog blanket, Bluejay,” said a person, but he
could see no one. He looked under the bed for the one who had spoken,
and again they heard people laughing. He took up a coat made of goat
wool, and somebody cried out, “Why do you lift my coat, Bluejay?” He
took hold of a nose ornament, and a person cried, “Let go of my nose
ornament, Bluejay.” Then a basket fell down from above. He lifted it up
and put it back. Then he began to look under the bed and all through
the house for persons, and again they heard many people laughing. His
sister said to him: “Stay here quietly. They are Shadows, and so you
cannot see them.” They ate some of the food.
When it got dark Bluejay said, “We will sleep here.” So they slept
there during the night, but all through the night they had bad dreams,
for so the Shadows punished Bluejay, because he had teased them. Then
Bluejay and his sister went home, and his sister said, “Now we have
gone visiting enough.”