184 TSIMSHIAN MYTHOLOGY [eth. ANN. 31 



Before they finished eating, the young men outside the chief's 

 house shouted,, and said, "There are two canoes coming around the 

 point!" 



Now, we must remember the SawbiU-Duck Woman. As soon as 

 the Robin Woman came back from her father with provisions, and 

 the SawbillDuck Woman saw how many different kinds of food the 

 Robin Woman had brought to her husband, she went all alone to her 

 father for food. She arrived at her father's house, and told her father 

 what the father of Robin had done for his daughter — how many 

 different kinds of food she had brought down to her husband. There- 

 fore the father of SawbUl-Duck Woman assembled his whole tribe 

 and informed them of what his daughter had said about her husband, 

 and how the Robin Woman had given to her husband, the chief, many 

 kinds of food. Then the wise men of his people said, "Let us also go 

 and bring to our chief's daughter many kinds of food!" 



They all agreed, and on the following morning they went, and from 

 noon on until the evening they came home one by one. Some brought 

 whales; others, sea lions, seals, halibut, and all kinds of fish. They 

 carved the whale blubber, the sea-lion blubber, and the seal blubber. 



On the following day they took down two large canoes and loaded 

 them with all kinds of blubber — blubber of whales, sea lions, seals — 

 and with all kinds of fishes. After they had filled the two canoes, they 

 tied them together and put a wide plank across them. The Sawbill- 

 Duck Woman sat down on it. Then the two large canoes went on 

 fast. They took a little rest on one of the islands, and the Sawbill- 

 Duck Woman looked at the beach. Behold! a large pfie of mussels 

 was hanging on a rock yonder. She went ashore and took off a large 

 pile of mussels, and placed it by her side on the plank. 



Now, these two canoes went on toward the chief's town. They came 

 there about the time when the great feast given by the chief to all 

 the tribes of the Tsimshian was ended. The chiefs and the people 

 were all happy. 



While they were still feasting, some one came in and said that two 

 canoes were coming up around the point, and all the guests were 

 silent. Then another man came in and said that the other wife of 

 the chief was coming from her father's house with two large canoes 

 full of something. So the chief ordered his attendants to go down 

 and see what the woman brought home with her. 



Quickly they went down to the beach and saw the large cluster of 

 mussels by the side of the Sawbill-Duck Woman on the plank where 

 she was sitting. When the men saw the large cluster of mussels by 

 her side, they went back quickly to the chief's house before all the 

 guests had gone out. The chief of the feast asked, "What did she 

 bring home with her?" The men who had gone down told him that 

 she had brought home a large pile of mussels. 



