boas] TSIMSHIAN MYTHS . OiJ 



the other side. He went to it, and saw a man and his wife, two per- 

 sons, in the house. TxamsEm went in, and sat down on one side of 

 the fire. These persons were smoking humpback salmon, and they 

 fed TxamsEm with good food; and while TxamsEm was eating, he 

 said to his new friend, "O brother-in-law! (he called the Deer his 

 brother-in-law) let us go tomorrow and cut wood, for you have no 

 good wood fit for smoking salmon. I know what kind of wood you 

 need for your salmon." The Deer trusted him, and on the following 

 morning they went out. TxamsEm saw a rotten hemlock tree, 

 which, as he said, would make good wood for his brother-in-law to 

 dry salmon with. Therefore the people now know that this kind of 

 wood is good for smoking salmon. TxamsEm cut down one of the 

 trees, and cut the wood of right lengths. While he was splitting the 

 wood, his wedges jumped out. He tried it again, but the wedges 

 jumped out again. When his brother-in-law saw the wedges jump 

 out often, he stepped up to him and took hold of the wedges. When 

 the Deer took off his hands, the wedges jumped out again. "Take 

 hold of them again!" said TxamsEm to his brother-in-law. "Come 

 a little nearer!" He did so. "Don't be afraid, brother-in-law!" 

 So the poor Deer put his head close to the wedges. Then TxamsEm 

 struck the wedges with his stone hammer, and said to the Deer, 

 "Come a little nearer to the wedges!" for the wedges always jumped 

 out. Then the Deer was afraid. TxamsEm said, "Don't be afraid! 

 I won't hurt you." So the Deer put his head quite close to the 

 wedges; and while TxamsEm was striking them with his hammer, he 

 sang out, " Wo wu, wo wu, wo wu!" After he had done so, he hit 

 the Deer's head, and the Deer fell down dead. TxamsEm made a 

 fire, and put flat stones in it. He made a hole in the ground, and 

 when the flat stones were red-hot, he gathered leaves of the skunk- 

 cabbage, cut up the fat deer, and put it on the hot stones. He put the 

 cover on, and put water on the hot stones to steam the meat in the hole. 

 When he uncovered the fat meat that he had cooked, he was very 

 happy. TxamsEm saw a large stump ' which was lying near the 

 hole. Then he took part of the fat meat, shook it at the big Stump> 

 and said to the Stump, " Wouldn't you like to have my fat meat, old 

 Stump?" He did so many times. After he had eaten, he went to 

 get some more leaves of the skunk-cabbage, which were to serve as 

 his dish. After he had left, the great Stump moved, and sat down 

 on top of the hole where the meat was. Now TxamsEm returned. 

 Behold! the Stump was on top of his meat. He cried aloud on 

 account of his food. TxamsEm went up to the Stump, and said, 

 "Just sit a little farther, friend! I will eat with you of my fat 

 meat." He did all he could to move the great Stump. "Just sit a 



