1894-95.] THREE CARRIER MYTHS. 9 



across the lake. He had proceeded but a short distance when the child 

 clapped his hands together, which caused the jay to fall in the water. 

 He was so helpless that he got drowned, whereupon a great darkness 

 ensued. 



Then the old man's daughters commenced lamenting the loss of their 

 father. "He is terrible^; he will cause the death of all of us," they said 

 between their sobs. "Do revive him." Their husband went out, therefore, 

 in the old man's raft to where the bird was floating, dead, on the surface 

 of the water. He took it aboard and jumped across it, thereby restoring 

 life to it2. 



Afterwards the child changed himself into a water-ouseP, and flew 

 across the lake and back without mishap. Consequently, the old man 

 avowed himself beaten. He gave him his own iron raft, together with 

 his'two daughters, and let him go and search for his younger brother, 

 who was now a wolf 



So the child went out with his two wives. They alone were doing 

 all the paddling. They landed their husband at every promontory that 

 projected into the lake, and let him follow on foot all the sinuosities of 

 the bays, looking out for his brother-wolf 



After a long journey they reached a place full of footprints. These 

 were caused by dwarfs* who were playing on the shore with his brother's 

 skin. Now the child transformed himself into a stump and planted him- 

 self near by. When the dwarfs saw it, some said : " It looks like him.^" 

 Other's differed, saying : " No, it is not like him." Therefore, to identify 

 the stump, they brought out a big snake which coiled itself round it, and 

 which, after uncoiling, declared : " It is a real stump." 



Then, during their sleep, the child cut their throats with his stone 

 dagger, and gathering up his brother's bones, he put them back within 

 their skin. After he had jumped across the whole, it began to crawl as 

 does a worm. Some little bones which he had overlooked he added to 

 the others, and again jumped across the whole, when his brother-wolf 

 commenced to walk naturally. 



Pehw3n3ti;^t. I translate literally, but tl;e hidden meaning is no doubt that their father is 

 endowed with magic powers. 



* As well as giving him back his former human condition. 



' Cinclus aqiiaticus. 



*^tnane, which means also foreigners, and is at the present day apjilied by the Carriers to 

 Indians of all but Dene parentage. Dwarfs, in their mythology, generally play a malefic, 

 noxious role. 



*That is, like his elder brother. 



