118 TSIMSHIAN MYTHOLOGY [ETU. ASK. 31 



will grant you your wish." Then the young man said, " You see that 

 my skin is not clean. I want to be clean, and I want to be stronger 

 than any living being in the country." The supernatural being 

 replied, " Go over there and gather the leaves of the supernatural tree 

 and bring them to me." So Dirty went to the great valley and tried 

 to find the leaves, but he could not do it. He brought leaves of all 

 kinds, but the supernatural being refused them. Then the super- 

 natural being went himself and brought a bunch of leaves of the 

 supernatural tree. He said, "Let us go down to that pool yonder!" 

 They went, and, behold! there was a good pond, and the supernatural 

 being washed Dirty in the pool four times. He washed him with the 

 leaves of the supernatural tree, and he became very clean, and was 

 a fine-looking young man, tall, and broad of chest. 



Then the supernatural being said again, "Go down and plunge into 

 the pond; and as soon as you come out of it, then you shall tear out that 

 young tree on the other side." The young man did as he had been 

 told. He plunged into the pond and came out again quickly. He 

 ran toward the young spruce tree and pulled it out with its roots. 



The supernatural being asked him, "Are you now strong enough?" 

 He replied, "No, I want greater strength." The supernatural being 

 said again, " Go down and plunge into the water." So he went to the 

 pond and plunged into the water. He came out of the pond, and pulled 

 out a spruce tree a little larger than the first one, with the roots. 

 Again he was asked, "Is this enough?" but he replied, "No, I want 

 more." Therefore he sent him again to the pond, and on coming 

 out he pulled out a spruce tree with its roots. Again the supernatural 

 being asked him, "Are you now strong enough?" but he replied, 

 "I want more." So he sent him into the pond again; and when he 

 came out of the water, he pulled out a large tree with its roots. Then 

 the supernatural being asked him, "Arc you now satisfied?" The 

 man said, "Let me do it once more!" but the supernatural being said, 

 "No, now it is enough." Then he vanished from his side. 



So the young man went back; and before he came into his uncle's 

 house, he came to the tree the branch of which his brothers had been 

 trying to pull out every morning. He took hold of it, twisted it, and 

 pulled it out very easily. Then he put the branch back after he had 

 pulled it out. He went down to his uncle's house, and the three 

 brothers made fun of him and laughed at him, but he did not answer 

 them at all. 



Now, the appointed day had come, and the chief, the uncle of the 

 young men, invited all the chiefs and their strong men to fight against 

 the three brothers who had made themselves strong; and when all 

 the guests were in the house, the chief said to his three nephews, "Go 

 into the woods and bring down some fuel, for we have no wood to 



