104 TSIMSHIAN MYTHOLOGY . [HTH. ANN. 31 



He leaned his staff against the stump of a tree, and went down to his 

 father's house. Secretly he looked in through a knot-hole, and he 

 beheld his sister weeping beside the fire, and many people who were 

 sitting around the fire looked sorrowful. So he went in secretly and 

 stood behind his sister, who was sitting there weeping. He spoke to 

 her. "Sister," said he, "is my wife still alive?" His sister was 

 surprised to see him, and all the people were glad to see him home 

 again. His poor wife came in with her two children, and the man 

 took the two children on his knees. He ordered his nephews to 

 invite in the whole tribe. They did as their uncle had told them. 

 When all the guests were in, the man went up with liis four nephews 

 to where he had left his staff, and the four young men could not lift 

 it up: so the man himself took it down to his house and placed it in 

 front, inside of the house. He ordered mats to be spread in the rear 

 of his father's house, and he took off the meat of mountain sheep 

 and piled it up in a great heap. Then he took off the fat from the 

 staff, and heaped up the fat by itself; and when he had taken off 

 everything from his staff, he gave part of the meat to the people, and 

 some fat, and he told them his story. 



"1 went wandering among the mountains; anil when I passed all 

 the mountains and rivers and lakes, I came to a great plain. I did 

 not see any trees or any Mils, just nice green grass and all kinds of 

 flowers. Then I found a narrow trail, which I followed," said he. 

 Sonie one asked him, "How long did you walk after you reached the 

 great plain?" He answered, "Almost fifteen days." Then the man 

 continued, "I did not see the end of the great .plain; and when I came 

 to the center, I saw smoke ascending a little distance ahead. There- 

 fore I walked as quickly as I could. Soon I arrived at the edge of a 

 large valley; and when I looked down, I saw a hut in the bottom, 

 from which smoke ascended . 1 went down, following the same narrow 

 trail; and I went down the hill quickly, carrying my rifle on my 

 shoulder. When I came to the bottom of the valley, I went toward 

 the hut. I looked in secretly, and a large man was lying there by the 

 side of the fire, with his back against the fire. He said to me, 'Come 

 in, sir, for I have seen you struggling along the trail.' So I went in 

 quietly, and sat down on one side of the fire, with my rifle in front 

 of me. Then the great man sat up, looked at me with his large 

 rough face, and I was afraid of him. He asked if I was not afraid to 

 see him. Therefore I took courage. Then he asked me if I knew 

 him. When I said, 'No,' he continued asking me if I knew the 

 story about TxamsEm, and I said, 'Yes.' Then he told me that 

 he was TxiimsEin. He also showed me a large wound in his chest, 

 which he received in the house of a chief named T!Em-nunx, in whose 

 carved house he had been shot. I saw two pups asleep near the fire. 



