boas] TSIMSHIAN MYTHS 203 



down upon it to take it, and the eagle's feet would sink down. Then 

 the man in the pit would take the feet of the eagle and club it. Some- 

 times they would catch many in this way in a single day, and they 

 used their feathers. The four young men did not know what kind 

 of bait the prince used; and one day they went again, as they had 

 been doing for many days before. There was one among the young 

 men who loved the prince more than the other three, and whom the 

 prince also loved. Before they went to the eagle trap, the prince 

 called this youth, and took out of his mouth the small stone and put 

 it into the mouth of his beloved friend. Then they went on; and 

 as soon as they arrived at the place where the trap was, the three 

 men went into hiding, and the fourth one went down into the pit, 

 ready to catch eagles, as usual. The prince himself lay down at the 

 opening of the trap, and became like a small spring salmon, very 

 pretty to look at, and shining brightly. Then a large hawk which 

 flew high up in the air looked down for his prey, and saw a nice little 

 spring salmon on the ground below. Therefore he turned his wings 

 down rapidly and picked up the small spring salmon by the throat 

 and flew away quickly. Behold! there was the young prince dead 

 on his eagle trap, his mouth full of blood. When the young men, 

 his companions, saw this, they wept bitterly, and his friends took 

 him down to his father's house. Then all his people mourned over 

 him for many days. 



At the end of the mourning-season the whole village took him to 

 his grave. They put the coffin in the same place where he had been 

 taken away when he had taken the shape of a spring salmon. They 

 put the coffin on four strong poles to protect it from the wolves. 



When night came, the four friends staid under the coffin. About 

 midnight one man left his companions and went home, and three 

 remained. At midnight another man went home, and two remained. 

 Then after midnight the third man went home, and only one remained. 

 He was the one who loved the prince most in his heart. 



Before daylight he thought he heard the sound of people coming up 

 the river in canoes and talking to one another. Soon the canoes 

 reached the beach in front of the place where they were. The people 

 went up to where the coffin was. Three men stood at the foot end, 

 and one of them climbed up to the coilin. He loosened the rope 

 around the coffin and opened it. Then he said, "Dear prince, your 

 father the chief sent us to take you down to him." Thus spoke the 

 man who had climbed up. Then the prince arose, and went down 

 laughing for joy, and his beloved friend stood there speechless. 

 The men helped the prince down from the coffin. 



Then the prince's friend went to him and said, "My dear prince, 

 I am here. Don't go with those men! Come down with me to your 

 own father's bouse!" The prince, however, took no notice of him. 



