[Told by Walter McGregor of the Sea-lion-town people.]
A town chief began letting his nephews have his wife. [531] Every time
he led one away, and he never came back. He had them go and get an old
dead tree which he said he owned, and they never came back from it. He
let them [go after] bark and set a net for a cormorant which he said he
owned, and they never came back. After he had done this way for a
while, nine were destroyed.
And their younger brother came to know it. Then he began bathing in the
sea. After he had bathed for a while he became strong. He smashed
anything he took hold of. He also twisted and pulled out spruce limbs.
When he had become truly strong he began to make various things. He
finished two wedges. And he also took a sg̣u′nskaxaua shell. [532] He
sharpened it. And he took a weasel skin and feathers. And he pressed
mud taken from the woods hard together in his hands and made a hole
within it. He made it large enough to get into.
Then he put paint upon his face and sat on top of the house. After he
had sat there for a while his uncle came out. When he saw him he went
back. His uncle was always jealous. One came out to call him in to his
uncle. Then he went thither.
When he entered a mat was spread out for him. And, after he had given
him some food, he said to him: “Nephew, you shall marry my wife.” Then
he lay with her.
Next day he said to him: “Nephew, go and get a rotten tree I own behind
the town.” He had his two wedges hidden about him. His uncle went ahead
of him. He followed. He opened a crack where it lay. Something braced
it apart. Then his uncle dropped a wedge in and asked him to get it.
Then he went in and got it. He knocked out the brace. The crack came
close together. Then he heard his uncle rejoice [saying]: “Look at him
whom I killed because he wanted to marry my wife.” Then his uncle
started off.
Then he began to cut it from the place where he was. And he cut a hole
and came out. Then he split it open. He took his elder brothers out.
Then he broke half of [the log] by jumping on it and threw it around.
And half of it he carried home on his shoulder and threw it down hard
in front of the house. That was his uncle’s supernatural power, they
say. Again he slept with his [uncle’s] wife.
Next day his uncle said to him: “Come! nephew, go with me to get the
cormorant I own which is sitting over yonder.” Then he took his weasel
and feather and went with him to get it. His uncle set a net where some
sticks stuck out on top of a very high cliff. A cormorant got into it.
Then he said to him: “Now, nephew, get it.” And, when he started down
upon the pole, he pushed his nephew over. Then he put himself into the
feather and dropped easily. He heard his uncle rejoice. “Look at the
one whom I killed because he wanted to marry my wife.” Then he started
off.
Now he entered his weasel skin and climbed up the cliff. And he
stretched the net across. In it he caught a number of cormorants. After
he had taken them out he tore his uncle’s net to pieces and threw the
pieces about. Then he took the cormorants on his back and brought them
into the house. They were his uncle’s supernatural helpers.
The day after that his uncle went with him to get bark. He concealed
the thing he had made. He followed his uncle. By and by [they came to]
the bark which was burning, and his uncle took some of it. Then he told
him to get some also. When he did so he pushed him into it. And he got
inside of the mud he had pressed together. He did not feel the burning.
Then his uncle said he was glad. His uncle said: “Look at the man whom
I killed because he wanted to marry my wife. He will try it no longer.”
When his uncle started away from him, he went to the place, pushed the
bark down, and threw it around. Then he carried some home on his
shoulder and threw it down inside. That was his uncle’s supernatural
helper, they say. And again he slept with his [uncle’s] wife.
Next day he again said to his nephew: “Come! nephew and go with me for
a small cockle I own, which is just over yonder.” Then he started
thither with him. He took his knife. The cockle opened its mouth. Then
his uncle told him to get it and, when he went to get it, he pushed him
into its mouth. Again his uncle rejoiced. “Look at the one whom I
killed because he wanted to marry my wife.”
When his uncle started off he cut the ligaments [533] with the knife
and pushed it open. Then he threw half of it around and carried half of
it off on his shoulders and threw it down in the house. He had
destroyed all of his supernatural helpers, they say.
Then he spread out a bearskin for them and had them lie there. While he
slept his uncle and his friends took him up and put him into a box.
Then his uncle put cords around it. And they took him far out to sea
toward the middle of the ocean. And there they threw him into the
water. Again he rejoiced and went home.
After he had floated about for some time he felt himself float ashore
upon the sand. When he was about to burst the cover by stretching he
heard two women talking together, saying as follows: “Cloud-watcher,
[534] a box has floated ashore.” And, when he heard it, he did not
burst the box.
The two women removed the lid and pulled him up. Then Cloud-watcher’s
elder sister said as follows: “I will marry him because I saw him
first.” Then they led him home, and they led him into their father’s
house. They were glad to see him.
After they had given him something to eat he went out. And, after he
had walked about in the town for a while, he entered the middle house.
Numbers of eagle skins were hung there, and he entered one made of fine
feathers. He flapped his wings. He almost went through the doorway. He
seized the boards along the side of the door. Then he came out of it
quickly. And he entered his father’s house. His father-in-law said: “I
wonder why my skin tickles as if they were playing with my feather
clothing.” He was town mother, they say.
Next day, very early, he heard eagles making a noise. Then he went out
to look. The eagles sat in rows upon something raised high up in front
of the house. [535] On it they made a noise. After they had spent some
time sharpening their talons they went hunting. After they had been
gone for a while and evening was come they returned with spring salmon
in their talons. Some of them had red cod and pieces of whale.
Next day he heard them scream again in front of the house, and he told
his wife he wanted to learn to hunt. Then she also told her father. And
his father-in-law said: “Now, my child, I will lend your husband the
one I used to go out fishing in when I was a youth.” Then he brought
out a box. He picked one out of it covered with small, fine feathers.
And, when he gave it to her, he said to her: “Tell your husband not to
go toward something small which sticks out near by.”
Then he flew seaward with them and got a whale jaw. He came in before
them. They caught all kinds of things. His father-in-law was pleased
with him. Then they cooked the whale. When they began to eat it they
pulled an old woman shaking with age out and said to her: “Drink whale
broth, old woman.” And she did as they told her.
The day after that he flew out again with them. And he felt different
(i.e., powerful). And he took a whale jaw. On the other side he took a
spring salmon. He flew home before all. They got all sorts of things.
And, when they again began to eat the whale, they led in the old woman,
and she drank whale broth.
When he went to hunt with them the day after he nearly touched the
thing which stuck out of the water with his claws and finally seized
it. After he had flapped his wings, as he held it, for a while he
vanished under the water. Then another seized his wings. He, too, was
nearly dragged under. And one brought news to the town that he had
seized the wrong thing.
Then the old woman sharpened her claws which were dull, saying
meanwhile: “Ha-i ha-i, what wrong thing did my child’s (i.e.,
grandchild’s) husband get hold of?” Her wings had lost feathers [from
age]. She flew down. She was unable to fly in a straight line. She flew
hither and thither. When about five were left she got there, and, when
those were nearly covered, she seized them with her claws. After she
had flapped her wings for a while, tugging at them, she drew one of
them to the surface. She was at the end of them. Something cracked at
the bottom where the thing was. She pulled it out.
Then they said: “Put it far from the place where human beings are going
to get food.” And they dropped it far out at sea. Then he seized the
jaw of a whale and a spring salmon. He flew home with them. He killed
the thing they were afraid of. That was Supernatural-clam, [536] they
say.
And, after he had lived with his wife for some time, he went to see his
uncle’s town. He flew to the town wearing his eagle skin. And, after he
had sat at the end of the town for a while, he saw his uncle come out.
Then he flew away.
And early next day he flew seaward, picked up a whale, and dropped it
in front of his uncle’s house while they slept. Then he sat on a dead
tree that stood at one end of the town. After he had sat there for a
while some one came out. He called them to the whale, and they went to
it. His uncle said he would keep it for himself. He stood on top of the
whale.
Then he flew. He flew about above the place where his uncle was walking
about. And they laughed at him. They said “He wants the whale meat.”
And again he sat on the tree. After he had sat there for a while his
uncle said he wanted all of the whale for himself. He said that as he
stood around. Presently he flew over to him. He seized him by the knot
in his hair and flew away with him.
After he had flown along for a while he discovered that it was his
nephew, and he said: “Nephew, carry me back. You shall marry my wife. I
will give the town to you.” After he had flown on with him a while
longer he said the same thing to his nephew again. After he had flown
on still farther with him he dropped him in the open sea. [537]
Then he flew landward, reached his uncle’s village, married his uncle’s
wife, and came to own the town. His uncle became a supernatural being
in the open sea.