170 TSIMSHIAN MYTHOLOGY [eth. ann. 31 



care of me!" The little Otter, however, said that he would be back 

 safe. Early one morning he went; and in the afternoon he came 

 back to his mother, and told her that he had looked in and seen his 

 grandfather in a large house. Then he said to his mother, "I will 

 carry you across the sea." This made his mother very sad. 



After three days the little Otter said to his mother, "Early 

 tomorrow morning I will carry you across to the mainland!" and 

 she said, "No, my dear child, we shall both die on the sea;" but the 

 little Otter said, "No, I shall take you over there." Early the 

 following morning he went down to the beach, and said to his mother, 

 "Take some gravel!" His mother did so. Then the little Otter 

 said, "Come, mother, and sit down on my back!" His mother cried 

 as she sat down on his back, and the little thing swam across the sea; 

 and when he was tired, ho would float on the water; and after he had 

 taken strength, he would go on swimming. 



When he came near the shore, he said to his mother, "Drop some 

 of the gravel that you are carrying!" She dropped it, and it became 

 a sandbar, on which they rested. His mother refreshed herself on 

 the sandbar. Then the little Otter started again, and swam some 

 distance, until he was weary again, because he had been swimming 

 a long way. He said again, "Drop some more gravel here!" She 

 did so, and there was another sandbar, on which they rested a while. 



The little Otter said again, "Give me some of the gravel!" She 

 gave it all to him, and he said, "Now foUow me! I will make a 

 sand bridge from this island to the mainland." She walked behind 

 her son the Otter, and they both walked over the sandbar. There- 

 fore there are now sandbars a little outside of the entrance to Met- 

 lakahtla Channel. 



Late in the evening they arrived on the mainland when it was low 

 water. Again he carried his mother on his back and took her to his 

 grandfather's house. It was low water, and many women and young 

 men were out digging clams and cockles. They arrived at a little 

 place called K-dani. His mother said, "Don't go near them lest they 

 kill you!" but he did not care for what his mother said, and went to 

 some of the women. They saw him coming, and shouted, "See the 

 little Otter!" They ran after him to club him; but he ran away 

 from them, came to his mother, and she took him in her arms and 

 went into her father's large house. 



Her father had always been thinking of her ever since he had lost 

 her. He was sitting by the fire with his back toward the fire. Then 

 she came in and walked along the highest platform in the house. 

 Her father saw her go into her own old bedroom. Then the chief 

 said to his wife, who was seated by his side, in a whisper, " I see some 

 one who looks like my own daughter going into her old bedroom. 

 Go and see if it is true!" So the chief's wife went into the bedroom 



