SHUSWAP PEOPLE OF BEITISH COLUMBIA. 35 



happen to lodge in a tree or anywhere above his reach, however little, he must not climb 

 up to get it. Soon afterwards he three times lost arrows in this way, but a fourth time 

 his arrow stuck in a tree not far up, and he climbed on a branch to get it ; but the arrow 

 continued to move further up, and he had to climb after it, and though he thought he had 

 not gone very far, he looked down after a time and found that he could not eveu see the 

 earth. So he went on climbing, the arrow still going before him, till at last he reached 

 another country above, which was very pleasant and in which many people were, and 

 there he remained. Now the old stump first mentioned is the remnant of this very tree. 



Various materials were employed by the Shtiswaps for the manufacture of arrow- 

 heads and spear-heads, including jasper, quartz and cherty quartzite, but that most com- 

 monly used was a species of imperfectly vitreous obsidian or, strictly speaking, an augite- 

 porphyi-ite. This is particularly abundant in the Arrow-stone Hills and about the upper 

 part of Cache Creek. The origin of this pre-eminently important arrow-stone is thus 

 explained. Kwil-I-elt' and his friends, at one time in the course of their journey, 

 decided to go in quest of arrow-stone, which was then in possession of two old women 

 who lived somewhere near Cache Creek. Having found the old women, they told each 

 that the other misrepresented her in some way maliciously, until both became enraged 

 and began to fight. As they fought the arrow-stone fell from their clothes or persons in 

 great quantity. Finally they told the women that they had been deceiving them for the 

 purpose of obtaining the arrow-stone. The women then asked the associates why they 

 had not frankly told them what they wanted, and so saying produced boxes full of fine 

 pieces of arrow-stone, as well as of finished arrow-heads, and presented these to them. 

 The associates then scattered these over the country, where the arrow-stone has ever since 

 been abundant. 



There is a story about the sun of which I failed to prociire particulars, but which 

 appears to have some connection with the history of Skil-âp'. It is said that the coyote 

 was at one time placed in the sky for the sun or in charge of the sun, but that he called 

 out aloud whenever he saw an Indian stealing or misconducting himself below. This 

 was so inconvenient that he was deposed in some way. Some other being was then 

 placed in charge, but with him the sun was much too warm. Lastly a third custodian 

 was appointed, and since then all has gone well. 



Once a mosquito, gorged with blood, flew far up where the thunder is. The thun- 

 der asked the mosquito where it got the blood, and the mosquito falsely replied that it 

 was sucked from the buds at the A'ery top of the trees below. Hence the reason that the 

 thunder (lightning) strikes the tops of the trees. 



Stories Attaching to Particular Localities. 



The traditions and fables here included are not strictly separable from those above 

 given, as nearly all the mythological incidents are localized by each tribe, and in most 

 cases the places pointed out are different in each instance. 



The following story relates to In-pa-cU'-ktva-len, or Pavilion Lake, in Marble Cafion, the 

 water of which has a peculiar blue tint. Very long ago, the skunk was married to a 

 short-tailed mouse, and the eagle stole away the skunk's wife. The skunk, seeking the 

 culprits, came to the lake, and thought he saw them in the bottom, though in reality the 



