boas] TSIMSHIAN MYTHS 161 



20. Prince Snail 1 



There was an old village at the northwest of Xlen, and many 

 people were living there. It is the same village as that in which the 

 chief lived who married the Robin Woman. 2 



A great chief lived there who had many people in his tribe. There- 

 fore they were proud and high-handed. He had six sons and one 

 beautiful daughter. His sons were expert hunters. Therefore their 

 father was a wealthy chief. He had many slaves, males and females. 

 Therefore he was proud, and every one honored him and his family. 

 There were many Tsimshian tribes, and each tribe had a chief. Some 

 had one and some had two, and there were many princes in each tribe. 



Now, when the daughter of this wealthy chief was grown up to be 

 a woman, another chief wanted to marry her, but her parents 

 declined. All the chiefs and princes of the Tsimshian wanted to 

 marry her, but the parents refused them all. They made the bed 

 for the young woman above their own room. Her six brothers, her 

 servant girl, and her parents watched over her day by day. When night 

 came, the chief himself would put a bar across the door, and all his 

 slaves would go to bed. Her parents guarded her day after day and 

 night after night. 



The young woman used to take a walk behind her father's house 

 once a day, accompanied by one of her own maids. One day she 

 wanted to take a walk with her to take some fresh air, as she was 

 accustomed to do. Before she went out, she stood at the door and 

 looked to the right and to the left; and when she saw some one on 

 the right or the left, she would go back, untd no one was to be seen 

 on the street. She did so every day. 



One day she went with her maid to take fresh air; and when going 

 back, before they entered her father's house, she saw a snail creeping 

 along the street. So she kicked the snail out of the way with the 

 tip of her toe, and said to it, "Wouldn't you like to marry me?" 

 Then she went home. 3 



Every day she went to bed early, soon after she had taken her 

 walk, and went up the ladder to her bed; and her parents made 

 their bed at the foot of their daughter's ladder. 



Two nights had passed since the young princess had kicked the 

 snail out of her way. In the following night, soon after midnight, 

 the young girl felt some one touch her. 4 So she turned her face toward 

 him, and she saw a fine-looking young man. She put her arms 

 around him, and felt that his skin was as smooth as glass. Therefore 



i Notes, pp. 747, 749. 

 "■ See p. 179. 



3 Original: Ada haut dEda hatsaE'relt, " Amuksat nE'rEnl k!ul-wa-di-hau'En ga'dEda kla'i?" 

 1 Oiiginal: Da la gik ho'°p!E]t, g'a'wun M-k!a-da'ol a'°tgut, dat ga'lksa da igu-wa'lksEga wil na'ka 

 g'a'd da a\va'°t. 



50633°— 31 eth— 16 11 



