130 TSIMSHIAN MYTHOLOGY [bth.ann.31 



worse and worse. She began to groan, and said to her guests, " I 

 have brought misfortune on myself, great Nalq!" But the young 

 man did not mind what she said. Soon her breath became less and 

 less until she died. 



They went on their journey; and before they had gone far they 

 saw another house. When they opened the door, behold! there 

 were many bodies of killed people hanging about inside the house. 

 Some of them were only bones. The young men put them on the 

 ground near the beautiful lake; and after they had put them in good 

 order, Nalq took the beautiful plume and waved it over the bodies, 

 as he had done with his own people on the plain; and those who had 

 been killed all came back to life after Nalq had waved his plume 

 over them four times. When they were all alive again, Nalq asked 

 them what had happened to them or who had killed them, and they 

 replied that they had died in the house of a kindly woman on the 

 other side of the lake. Then the four brothers told them that she 

 had killed them with her supernatural power. Nalq told them that 

 there was a large Frog at the bottom of the lake. Thus he said to 

 the men who had just come back to life. 



They traveled on and on until they came to a place between two 

 mountains. They went on through the valley; and as they went 

 along, the. passage became narrower, until they saw that way off 

 the two mountains formed a cave. They went on toward the cave 

 until they came near it, and there they stopped. Nalq asked his 

 brothers, "Dear brothers, which way shall we go?" and his three 

 brothers replied, "Let us pass through the cave!" And while they 

 were still speaking, the cave closed four times, like the twinkling of an 

 eye, and it remained closed behind them, and they had no way of 

 escape from it. The only way they could get out was under the 

 twinkling cave. They counted the twinkling; and after they had 

 counted four times, the cave opened slowly. Then Nalq tried to go 

 through first. He had three more steps to take, when the cave 

 twinkled, and killed him there. Next the second brother, Little 

 Grindstone, made ready. After he had counted four, he quickly 

 went through ; he had two more steps to take, and the cave twinkled 

 again, and killed him also. Then the third brother made ready. 

 They counted four. The cave opened slowly, and Little Crabapple 

 Tree went through quickly. He had one step more to take, and the 

 " cave twinkled, and killed him also. Then the last brother made 

 ready. He held the beautiful plume in his hands. He counted 

 four, and the cave opened slowly. Then Little Feather flew through 

 the cave, and took with him the crushed bodies of his brothers. 

 He laid them out in good order, took his plume, waved it over them, 

 and they came back to life. 



