boas] TSIMSHIAN MYTHS 85 



A few days later TxamsEm started again, and on the following 

 morning he went to take along some food for his dinner. Now, the 

 widow said to her daughter, "Go, my dear daughter, and see how 

 long it may take until your husband has finished the canoe that he 

 is building, but go secretly. " Then her daughter went to the place 

 where her husband was working. Unseen she arrived at the place where 

 he was, and saw him standing at the end of an old rotten cedar tree 

 beating it with a stone ax to make a noise like a man who is working 

 with an ax. His wife saw that there was a large hole in the rotten 

 cedar tree, and therefore it made so much noise when TxamsEm 

 was striking it. His wife left. When she came to her mother, she 

 told her all about her husband. Therefore they took the canoe and 

 moved to then- tribe. They took away all the provisions that were 

 left. TxamsEm went back before it was evening. Before he 

 reached his mother-in-law's hut he was glad and whistled, because 

 he thought his mother-in-law had prepared his supper for him. But 

 when he went in, he saw that everything was gone. Nothing remained 

 except empty boxes and a little fire. Then he was hungry again. 



(26) TXa'mSEM VISITS CHIEF ECHO 1 



TxamsEm remained sitting there, thinking quietly how many hard 

 things he had done among men, still his needs were not satisfied. 

 At last he made up his mind to try to go again to the people in order 

 to get something to eat, for he was a great eater. He went to a 

 lonely place, and was very anxious to find some people in the woods. 

 Soon he came to a great plain. No trees were to be seen, just grass 

 and flowers. At a distance he beheld a large house, and inside the 

 large house with carved front he heard many people singing. He 

 saw sparks flying up from the smoke hole, and he knew that it must be 

 the house of a great chief . When he came near the house, he heard 

 something saying with a loud voice, "A stranger is coming, a chief 

 is coming!" and he knew that they meant him. So he went in, but 

 he saw nobody. Still lie heard the voices. He saw a great fire in 

 the center, and a good new mat was spread out for him alongside the 

 fire. Then he heard a voice which called to him, "Sit down on the 

 mat! This way, great chief! Tins way, great chief! This way!" 

 He walked proudly toward the mat. Then TxamsEm sat down on 

 it. This was the house of Chief Echo. Then TxamsEm heard the 

 chief speak to his slaves and tell them to roast a dried salmon; and 

 he saw a carved box open itself and dried salmon come out of it. 

 Then he saw a nice dish walk toward the fire all by itself. TxamsEm 

 was scared and astonished to see these things. When tlie dried sal- 

 mon was roasted and cut into pieces of the right length, the pieces 

 went into the dish all by themselves. The dish laid itself down in 



