[Told by Abraham of Those-born-at-Qꜝā′dᴀsg̣o, as related to him by an
old Ninstints man]
He went out from the town to make a canoe. He had two children. His
wife was also with him. When he came in from making the canoe he said:
“Would that I had a sister to bring in food to me.”
One time at evening burning pitchwood came toward him. [517] His
sister, who had long ago been carried away by something [518] in the
woods, came in to him with good food. She talked to him as she used to.
Then she said to him: “Your brother-in-law is going to watch your canoe
[to see when it is time to move it]. When you are ready to turn it over
do not go to it for some time after daybreak.” So she spoke to her
brother.
When he was ready to turn it over he did not go to it for some time.
When he did go to it his canoe had been turned over. Then he worked the
bottom of it.
After that his sister again brought him food. Then his wife wanted to
give her something. She refused it. And they saw her put one of the
arms of a crab [519] they had eaten which was lying near the fire
inside of her blanket. Then they gathered some for her, and, when she
again brought food, they gave them to her. She even took their hands
along with them [for joy]. Every evening his sister came in to him with
food.
Then she said to her brother: “When you are going to launch the canoe
your brother-in-law says that you had better not go out to it for some
time after daybreak. [520] Your brother-in-law says he and his friends
will bring it out. When he has brought it out, your brother-in-law says
he wants you to bring it to him.” She also told him whither he should
go.
As soon as he had it ready for launching he did not go to it. When some
time had passed after daybreak he saw it sticking half out of the woods
near him. Immediately he and his wife launched it. Then he went to the
place whither his sister had directed him.
Soon he came to a town. They landed in front of those who had come out
of the houses to meet him. They placed his canoe where he was going to
finish it, and his sister led them into the house.
After she had given them food they went to bed. When he awoke in the
night [he found] he was pressed in by something. He could in no way
stretch out. Those were the roots of a large tree. When it was day, a
good house again stood there.
Now, he lived there for a long time. All the while he worked on his
canoe. Every night the earth changed for him. In the morning the house
stood there just as it ought to appear.
By and by four persons went out by canoe to hunt coots. They called
bullheads coots. After they had been gone for a while only three came
back. He (the fourth) was killed because he forgot the mat to cover his
knees. When they forgot this they never escaped. [521]
When his canoe was finished he steamed and spread it. At that time his
brothers-in-law helped him. After that he started to go out in it. All
that time she (his sister) made the child dance. Already it began to
have a tail. Then she gave them directions. She said that when they
went outward they should not look back. She said that the child, who
was just able to talk, must not speak about that country. And she also
gave the same directions to him.
One time, after that, they started off. When they were some distance
away the child remembered the town. And, when he said “How [well] we
lived among them,” they were back again in front of the town. When they
again started and had passed beyond the place where the boy first spoke
he repeated the same thing, and again they were back in front of the
town. When they went away again they kept straight on. Then they came
to [their own] town.