232 THE UPPER YUKON 



places of those that would be drowned. Then 

 they were commanded to build a great raft 

 and as the waters arose and drowned the ani- 

 mals who could not reach the mountain in time 

 to escape, they should drag the animals on to 

 the raft and use them for food. Under pain 

 of death no Indian was to kill any animal 

 whatsoever, but they should use every means 

 to save them. 



"A large number of the natives obeyed the 

 medicine man's instructions, and succeeded in 

 reaching the summit of the mountain, but very 

 many laughed at our people whom they called 

 silly old women to believe in such a tale. 



"But the rain came, even before the great 

 raft was finished, and it took many days be- 

 fore it was all put together so that it would 

 float. Then all kinds of birds and animals, 

 the caribou, the moose, the mountain sheep, 

 the goat, the fox, wolf, wolverine, bear, skunk, 

 lynx, coyote, squirrel, gopher, whistling mar- 

 mot, besides crawling insects of every kind, as 

 well as those that could fly, commenced to run 

 before the big waters. They were driven and 

 helped up the sides of the mountain by our 

 people, but those that were too far away to be 

 saved were drowned. Their bodies were 

 caught as they floated around, and put on the 



