BOAS] TSIMSHIAN MYTHS 219 



flash of lightning will proceed from them. Then he will call all of his 

 people into his house to let them know what has become of the 

 leggings, snowshoes, and moccasins of the four brothers whom he 

 had killed a few days before, and to tell them that a flash of lightning 

 had proceeded from them. All his wise men will not be able to 

 understand it; and only one very old man, who lives at the end of 

 the village, and whose name is Disbeliever, will not come when he 

 is called the first time. He is blind, and therefore he can not come. 

 Then the second time the chief will send some young man. I will 

 transform myself into the old man DisbeUever. I shall meet the 

 young man on my way. They will take my hand; and when you 

 see me coming into the house, you must run away, lest you be con- 

 sumed with the rest." Thus spoke the Supernatural One to her. 



So she took the bundle made of the leggings, the snowshoes, and 

 moccasins, and went in haste before it was dark. The chief heard 

 that his wife had stopped wailing very early, and he wondered about 

 it. Then he told the young men who were playing in his house not to 

 trip her with the cedar-bark rope. When she came in, all the young 

 men were quiet. She walked on straight to her cruel husband, who 

 was seated in the rear of the house, with his first wife leaning against 

 his side, glad and happy. The brave woman went to them and 

 threw the bundle down in front of them, saying, "See what has hap- 

 pened to the leggings, snowshoes, and moccasins of those whom you 

 have murdered!" Then there was a flash of lightning, which fright- 

 ened the chief. He trembled, and said to the young men, "Call all the 

 people of the village, from the old men down to the small children, 

 and from the old women down to the little girls. Let no one remain 

 outside!" 



Therefore they went around to every house and called all the 

 people, in accordance with the order given by the chief. When all 

 the guests were in, the chief told them what had happened to the 

 leggings and snowshoes of those whom he had slain a few days pre- 

 viously, and he explained to his people what his wife had said when 

 she" threw the bundle down in front of him, and how a flash of light- 

 ning had proceeded from the bundle; and he said to his wise men, 

 "Explain to me the meaning of this!" but nobody could explain it. 

 Some of them did not believe him, and some were astonished; still 

 there remained one very old man, Disbeliever by name, and it 

 occurred to some of them that the old man Disbeliever still remained 

 outside. Therefore the chief sent for him. The young men went to 

 his house and told him what had happened to the leggings, the snow- 

 shoes, and the moccasins of those whom the chief had slain a few 

 days before. Then the old man laughed, and said that theloggings and 

 snowshoes of the ghosts were becoming a flash of lightning; and he 

 continued to laugh, saying, "No, no! Never since the world began 



