boas] TSIMSHIAN MYTHS 129 



night!" They did so. Two of them went to sleep, and two of them 

 kept watch. Before, they were in bed, Nalq saw four poles standing 

 behind the old woman's bed, and around the end of each of these 

 shredded cedar bark was wrapped. 



The old woman watched until her guests were asleep. At mid- 

 night the men seemed to be asleep, but Nalq did not sleep. He was 

 watching her, and he saw sparks coming from her mouth. The 

 brothers were asleep and snoring; and when she heard that they 

 were fast asleep, she arose gently from her bed, walked toward her 

 guests, and took one of the poles with the shredded cedar bark at its 

 end. Then she placed the cedar bark a little over the first one to 

 catch his breath, and then she went to the other one, and to the 

 third one. At last she went towards Nalq, and placed the cedar 

 bark over his mouth far longer than over that of the others. Then 

 she went back to her bed. Nalq saw all that she was doing. Then 

 she placed the polo at the foot of her bed. The cedar bark at the 

 end of it was quite wet from the moisture of the breath of the four 

 brothers. Then she lay down, and was soon in a deep sleep. As 

 soon as she lay down, sparks came forth from her mouth; but when 

 she was in a deep sleep, only a few sparks came from her mouth. 

 Nalq watched her; and as soon as the sparks ceased coming from 

 her mouth, he arose from his bed and went up to her. He took one 

 of the poles with the shredded cedar bark at its end, and held it a little 

 above her mouth ; and he held it there a long tune, until the cedar 

 bark was quite wet from the moisture of her breath. Then he put 

 the pole at the foot end of her bed, and took away the pole in which 

 she had caught the breath of her guests. Then he lay down again. 



Early the next morning she awoke, and arose without noise. 

 Nalq also arose secretly. He stood at the door, which was half open, 

 looking on at what she was doing. She went down to the beach and 

 shouted. She shouted four times. Then the water of the great 

 lake began to heave, and, behold! a large Frog came up from' the 

 water. It came toward the old woman. "When the large Frog was 

 near her, she said, " Open } r our mouth, and I will feed you with four 

 3 T oung men who staid in my house last night." Thus she said to 

 the Frog. Then the large Frog opened its big mouth wide, and the 

 old woman threw her pole with the wet shredded cedar bark into it; 

 and the large Frog swallowed it and went home. 



Before she re-entered, Nalq went to his bed and snored loud. The 

 woman started her fire and called her guests, and she prepared their 

 breakfast. She was a witch, who had killed many people that 

 traveled past her house. Now, she had fed her supernatural power, 

 the Frog, with the moisture of her own breath; and while her guests 

 were taking their breakfast, she felt pain in her stomach, and became 

 50633°— 31 eth— 16 9 



