boas] TSIMSHIAN MYTHS Od 



grandchildren the Crows.) In the evening, when he came in, he saw 

 the princess lying there very ill, for he had hurt her a few days before ; 

 and all the shamans who had failed before were sitting along the wall 

 on one side of the house. TxamsEm pretended to be a shaman. 

 He sat down near the head of the princess, who was lying down; and 

 all the young men followed him, carrying a large box which contained 

 his magic powers. He took charcoal and nibbed it on his face, and 

 rubbed ashes over it. He put on the crown of bears' claws, placed 

 a ring of red-cedar bark around his neck, and put on his shaman's 

 dancing-apron, and took up his large shaman's rattle. He started 

 with beating of the drum; and after the drumming and beating, he 

 began his song ; and when they were singing, they pronounced these 

 words : 



" Let the mighty hail fall on the roof of this chief's house, 



On the roof of this chief's house, 



On the roof of this chief's house! " 



and as the singers pronounced these words, hail beat on the roof of 

 the chief's house terribly. (Before TxamsEm arrived in the town, 

 he had ordered some of his grandchildren the Crows to take each a 

 small white stone in his mouth, and said, "When we pronounce the 

 words of our song, then drop the stones on the roof of the chief's 

 house." Thus had TxamsEm spoken to his grandchildren the 

 Crows, and they had done so.) When the mighty hail ceased, 

 TxamsEm said, "Bring me a mat of cedar bark." They brought him 

 the mat, and he spread it over the princess to cover her. He himself 

 also went under it with the girl, touched the wound, said, "Be cured, 

 wound under the right ribs!" and so it happened. Then the chief 

 was very glad because his daughter had been cured of her illness. 

 He gave TxamsEm all kinds of food. Now, the chief spoke to the 

 shaman after he had fed him, and said, "Ask me whatever you wish, 

 and I will give it to you." Then he made a promise unto him: 

 "Whatever you may ask me, I will give it to you, my dear, good, and 

 true supernatural man, — you, who are possessed of supernatural 

 powers, — for you have succeeded in restoring my only daughter." 

 Then TxamsEm looked around and smiled. He said, "What I want 

 is that you should move, and leave for me all the provisions you have; 

 for my yoimg men have nothing, because we have no time to obtain 

 our own provisions, for we are going around all the time healing 

 those who need us." Then the chief ordered his slaves to go out, 

 and ordered the people to move on the next day. Then the slaves 

 ran out, crying, "Leave, great tribe, and leave your provisions 

 behind!" The people did so. They left in the morning, ami left 

 all their food, according to the order of their master. TxamsEm was 

 very glad, because now he had much food. On the following day 

 he took a walk ; and while he was absent, his grandchildren assembled, 



