76 TSIMSHIAN MYTHOLOGY [eth. ANN. 31 



among the children, and ate the blubber with which they were playing. 

 He ate all the blubber which the children were throwing at one another. 

 Then the children stood there quietly, wondering what had become of 

 it. TxamsEm questioned them. "Children, where did you get this 

 blubber?" One of the largest boys told him where they got it. 

 He said, "We climb up a tree and throw ourselves down. When we 

 strike the ground, we say, 'High piles of our blubber,' and at once 

 there are high piles of blubber." Therefore TxamsEm also climbed 

 up a tree which the children had pointed out to him. It was a very 

 tall one. When he reached the top of the tall tree, he threw himself 

 down; and before he touched the ground, he shouted as the children 

 had told him, "High!" TxainsEm struck the ground. Then the 

 children went up to him, looked, and saw that he was dead. The 

 children laughed at him, and left him there. After a little while 

 TxamsEm opened his eyes. He looked about, but he did not find 

 anything to eat; but he had pains all over his body. He lay there 

 on the ground, very sick from his fall from the top of the tall tree. 



(22) TXA'MSEM AND THE SALMON WOMAN 1 



When TxamsEm recovered from his sickness, he went on, very hun- 

 gry and distressed. He went down to the beach and built a small 

 house, made a canoe and a spear. One day he went out to try to spear 

 something to eat. It was a calm day. TxamsEm took up his spear, 

 when a fog arose. It lay on the surface of the water. After a while 

 the fog cleared away, and Txamssm beheld a bright and fair woman 

 sitting in the bow of his canoe. TxamsEm smiled at her, and she 

 also smiled at him. TxamsEm said to the bright and fair woman, 

 " I wish to marry you. " Thus spoke TxamsEm to her. The woman 

 said at once, "Just take care, Giant! I am the Salmon. Do not do 

 me any harm. " Thus said Bright-Cloud Woman to him. TxamsEm 

 replied to her, who was now Ids wife, "Come, mistress, let us go home 

 to our house! " They went ashore, and came to the beach in front of 

 TxiimsEm's house. As soon as they had gone in, TxamsEm begged 

 Bright-Cloud Woman to cause the salmon to appear in the brook 

 that was at the right side of TxiimsEm's little house. Bright-Cloud 

 Woman declined. Early the following morning Bright-Cloud 

 Woman arose quietly, went down to the creek, and put her toes into 

 the water. At once a great many spring salmon jumped in the 

 water. Then she woke her husband, and said, "See how the salmon 

 are jumping at the mouth of the creek!" He arose and saw the 

 spring salmon near the mouth of the creek. TxamsEm was glad. 

 Then Bright-Cloud Woman called her husband to comb his hair. 

 TxiimsEm's hair was very ugly. His wife combed it way down his 

 back, and she changed TxiimsEm's hair into blond hair. She also 



