200 • TSIMSHIAN MYTHOLOGY [DTH. ANN. 31 



spring salmon. The shaman, however, had none, but the father of 

 the prince caught many. Then the chief of the Spring Salmon saw 

 the net of the great shaman on one side of the canyon, and stretching 

 to the other side. 1 So the Salmon chief saw that he had no way to 

 go up through the canyon; and he said to the prince, "Now, my son, 

 don't let your father dry my flesh! Let him invite the people of all 

 ages, and let them eat my flesh at once, and he shall throw my bones 

 into the fire. Then he shall drink fresh water as soon as he has eaten 

 me." Thus spoke the Spring Salmon. 



Then he went through the net of the great shaman. Therefore 

 the shaman felt his net-line shake, and so he pulled up liis net easily. 

 lie looked down to the lower end of his pole, and, behold! a large 

 spring salmon was in Ms net. Therefore he shouted, so that his 

 companions might come and help him. Two men came, and they 

 pulled up the salmon on the shaman's platform. When he got the 

 salmon on his platform, the shaman's supernatural helper came to 

 him on his platform, and said to him, "That is the chief of the Spring 

 Salmon, with the lost prince in his stomach. Don't club him hard, 

 lest the prince should be hurt!" Thus said the shaman's super- 

 natural helper. "Lay the Salmon down easily, so that the prince 

 may not be hurt!" 



He took the large Spring Salmon out of the bag net and put it 

 down easily on the platform. Then he said to his companions, "Go 

 to the village and tell the people that I caught the chief of the Spring 

 Salmon who took away the young prince, and call four old shamans 

 to be my helpers, and bring down a new cedar-bark mat and bird's 

 down and my bag of red ocher, also my rattle and my crown of 

 grizzly-bear claws, my dancing-apron, and the white eagle tail." 

 They went, and they shouted, "The great shaman has caught in 

 his bag net the chief of the Spring Salmon, who earned away our 

 prince!" 



Therefore all the people assembled around the two men who 

 brought the good tidings. They also said, "Let four old shamans 

 go down to his platform to help him carry up the large Salmon to the 

 chief's house. Also take a new cedar-bark mat, red ocher, eagle's 

 down, ]>is dancing-apron, his crown of bear's claws, his rattle, and 

 his white eagle tail." So the four shamans went down and spread 

 out the new cedar-bark mat. The great shaman put on his apron 

 and his crown of bear's claws. He took his rattle in his right hand, 

 and the eagle tail in his left. The four shamans were already dressed 

 before they went on the platform. Then they took the four corners 

 of the cedar-bark mat on which the large salmon had been placed, 

 and walked up slowly. The great shaman went ahead of them, 

 shaking his rattle and swinging his eagle tail, going in front of the 



