108 TSIMSHIAX MYTHOLOGY [bth.ann.31 



warmer weather, and all the fishes shall go up the rivers. In the 

 fall the leaves shall fall ; it shall rain, and the rivers and brooks shall 

 overflow their banks. Then all the animals, large and small, and 

 those that creep on the ground, shall go into their dens and hide 

 themselves for six months." Thus spoke the wise Porcupine to all 

 the animals. Then they all agreed to what Porcupine had proposed. 



They all joyfully went to their own homes. Thus it happens that all 

 the wild animals take to their dens in winter, and that all the large 

 animals are in their dens in winter. Only Porcupine does not hide 

 in a den in winter, but goes about visiting his neighbors, all the dif- 

 ferent kinds of animals that go to their dens, large animals as well as 

 small ones. 



The large animals refused the advice that Porcupine gave; and 

 Porcupine was full of rage, went to those animals that had slighted 

 him, and struck them with the quills of his tail, and the large animals 

 were killed by them. Therefore all the animals are afraid of Porcu- 

 pine to this day. That is the end. 



3. The Stoky of the Porcupine-Hunter 1 

 There was a great porcupine-hunter in one of the Indian villages. 

 Every year, early in the fall, he went to hunt porcupines, because they 

 were excellent food in those days among the Indians. Every fall he 

 killed many and dried their meat and fat; and in winter-time people 

 from various villages came to him to buy dried meat from him, 

 and he became a very rich man. He had many valleys for his hunt- 

 ing-ground, and he built a hut in each valley to dry meat and tallow. 

 He had four valleys as his hunting-ground. Every year he went to 

 his first camp; and after he had killed all the porcupines there, he 

 went to the next camp; and when he had killed all there, he went to 

 another camp; and so on. Pie made a good club of yew wood with 

 which to club porcupines after smoking them out of their dens; and 

 when they ran out, he clubbed them and slew them. 



Therefore all the porcupines were in distress on account of this man. 

 One year this hunter started earlier than other years. He went to 

 camp in liis four valleys, and obtained a great number of porcupines. 

 When he had filled three of his huts, he went to his last hunting-ground ; 

 and as soon as he arrived there, he went out alone to look over the 

 large rock above his hut ; and when he arrived there, he saw a large 

 porcupine of brown color going around the foot of a large spruce tree 

 which stood in front of the rock. He ran after it, and, behold! 

 there was a large door opened for him, and a large fire was burning 

 in the center of a large house. He was invited in; so he entered, 

 and they spread a mat on one side of the fire; and a great chief was 

 there, seated in the rear of his house. He ordered his young men, and 

 said, ''Run around the village and invite all the women to my house, 



