484 THE ESKIMO ABOUT BERING STRAIT [eth. ann. 18 



The Eaven boy at once took bis snowsboes and set oif for tbe soiitb. 

 For many days be traveled, and tbe darkness was always tbe same. 

 Wben be bad gone a very long way be saw far in front of bim a ray of 

 ligbt, and tben be felt encouraged. As be burried ou tbe light showed 

 again, plainer than before, and tben vanished and appeared at intervals. 

 At last be came to a large bill, one side of which was in a bright ligbt 

 while the other appeared in tbe blackness of night. In front of bim 

 and close to tbe bill tbe boy saw a but with a man near by who was 

 shoveling snow from tbe front of it. 



The man was tossing tbe snow high in tbe air, and each time that be 

 did this the light became obscured, thus causing the alternations of 

 light and darkness which the boy bad seen as be approached. Close 

 beside tbe bouse he saw the ligbt he had come in search of, looking 

 like a large ball of fire. Then the boy stopped and began to plan how 

 to secure the light and the shovel from the man. 



After a time be walked up to the man and said, " Why are you 

 throwing up the snow and hiding tbe light from our village?" The 

 man stopped, looked up, and said, " I am only cleaning away the snow 

 from my door; I am not hiding the light. But who are you, and whence 

 did you come?" "It is so dark at our village that I did not like 

 to live there, so I came here to live with you," said the boy. "What, 

 all the time?" asked the man, " Yes," replied tbe boy. The man then 

 said, "It is wellj come into tbe house with me," and he dropped his 

 shovel on the ground, and, stooping down, led tbe way through tlie 

 undergound passage into tbe house, letting the curtain fall in front of 

 the door as he passed, thinking the boy was close behind him. 



The moment tbe door flap fell behind tbe man as he entered, the boy 

 caught up the ball of ligbt and put it in tbe turned uj) flaj) of his fur coat 

 in front; then, catching up the shovel in one hand, be fled away to tbe 

 north, running until his feet became tired; tben by means of his magic 

 coat be changed into a raven and flew as fast as his wings would carry 

 bim. Behind he beard tbe frightful shrieks and cries of the old man, 

 following fast in pursuit. When the old man saw that he could not 

 overtake tbe Raven he cried out, "Nevermind; you may keep tbe ligbt, 

 but give me my shovel." 



To this the boy answered, "No; you made our village dark and 

 you can not have your shovel," and Raven flew off*, leaving bim. As 

 Raven traveled to bis home be broke off" a piece of tbe ligbt and threw 

 it away, thus making day. Then he went on for a long time in dark- 

 ness and tben threw out another piece of light, making it day again. 

 This be continued to do at intervals until be reached tbe outside of tbe 

 kasbim in his own village, wben be threw away tbe last piece. Tben be 

 went into tbe kasbim and said, " Now, you good-for-nothing shamans, 

 you see I have brought back tbe ligbt, and it will be light and then 

 dark so as to make day and night," and the shamans could not answer 

 bim. 



After this the Raven boy went out upon the ice, for bis home was on 



