4 TRANSACTIONS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. [VoL. V. 



repeating, and afterwards in writing down in almost the same terms what 

 has been told me. This method has also the advantage of preventing the 

 narrative from being cut up in those short, half-line sentences common to 

 the stories transcribed on dictation, and which some may wrongly believe 

 to be the normal condition of Indian phraseology. 



The English translations of the following legends have been made in 

 as simple a style and as literal as was possible consistently with in- 

 telligibility and clearness of expression. Hence the quaintness of some 

 passages. 



I. — PURSUED BY THEIR MOTHER'S HEAD. 



To/d by Lizette Elniok^ of Stella ( West End of Lake Eraser), 



A man was living with^ a woman. He always slept away from her 

 whenever he was preparing his traps^, and he observed faithfully all the 

 ancient prescriptions. Yet he could catch no game. Animals wanted 

 him not^ ; they all avoided his traps. Each time that he returned home 

 from a visit to his traps he found his wife with her face painted and her 

 hair carefully combed. 



One day that he had left as usual, he spied her from afar, and noticed 

 her painting her face and carefully combing her hair. Then she set out 

 for a tree, dried up yet standing^ Once she had reached its base, she 

 seized a stick and therewith struck the tree several blows. Presently 

 two big serpents crept down from the top of the tree and knew her^ 



Now that he knew why game avoided his traps, her husband returned 

 home unseen by her, and there arrived, he spoke not a word. But 

 shortly after, he took a big knife, concealed it in his bosom ^ and made 

 for the dried-up tree. Then he did as he had seen his wife do, struck 

 the tree with a stick and when the two big serpents had come down 

 creeping on him, he cut their heads off with his dagger. He next set 

 their mouths and eyes a-yawning by means of splinters and carried them 

 home. 



^Ys-r^-sia, lit. "was sitting near". Is used to designate the matrimonial union. 

 ^See "Notes on the Western Denes," Trans. Can. Inst., Vol. IV., p. io8. 



' Carrier idiom. The natives always speak of caught game as if a sort of sympathy- 

 existed between it and themselves. 



*The Carrier word lc3ti-yaik means all that. 



*In the biblical sense of the word. 



* The dress of the primitive Carriers being devoid of pockets, any object carried about the 

 person was either suspended from the neck or from the belt, or, if concealment was desired, 

 stored in the folds of the tunic. 



