boas] TSIMSHIAN MYTHS 75 



looked at the great jaw. It was a man's jaw. Now TxamsEm went 

 ashore and came out of the water. He was in great pain because his 

 jaw had been broken off. Then he said to himself, "lam always doing 

 something to myself." Soon he arrived in the town, and saw the 

 gamblers sitting on the beach. So he went toward them; and while 

 the people were looking at the man's great jaw, TxamsEm came and 

 sat down at the end of the line of people that were sitting there. He 

 saw the people looking at the great jaw. The people handed it 

 around and looked at it. After a little while TxamsEm held his 

 blanket over his mouth to cover his lost jaw; and when he saw his 

 great jaw, he stretched out his hand and said, "Give it to me! Let 

 me look at it! " He took it and looked at it, examining it and turning 

 it over and over. He said, "Oh, that is wonderful!" He made the 

 people forget it, put it on, and ran away, and then the people recog- 

 nized him. They said, "That is TxamsEm, the cheater." TxamsEm 

 ran away as fast as he could. Then his jaw was well again. 



(20) txa'msem and the hunter 1 



TxamsEm went on; and as soon as he came to the beach, he saw a 

 hunting-canoe coming around the point, and four men in the canoe. 

 He thought that the hunters would have with them many animals 

 that they had caught, and he said to himself, "I will pretend to be a 

 woman." When the hunters' canoe approached, he assumed the 

 shape of a woman. When the chief of the hunters saw the young 

 woman walking along the shore, he said, "Let us take, her on board 

 our canoe!" They agreed, went ashore, and took her aboard. The 

 chief wanted to marry her. The young woman carried a child 

 along. The hunters camped in the evening, and the child was crying. 

 Its mother said, "The child wants to have a gisox. 2 That is why it 

 cries." Then the young man cooked seal and gave it to the woman 

 to let the child eat of it. When the men were all asleep, TxamsEm 

 arose and ate all the animals that the hunters had. Early on the 

 following morning the chief of the hunters arose, and saw that his 

 new wife looked like a man; therefore he shouted to wake up his 

 companions. TxamsEm arose first; and the chief of the hunters 

 said, "That is you, TxamsEm, cheater!" TxamsEm ran away, and 

 his child flew away into the woods as a crow. 



(21) txa'msem and the children 3 



TxamsEm came to another village, and saw many little children 

 playing at the end of the town. They were throwing pieces of whale 

 blubber at one another. TxamsEm went toward them, stepped in 



1 Notes, p. 692. - The meaning of this word is unknown to me.— F. B. 3 Notes, p. 686. 



