226 TSIMSHIAN MYTHOLOGY [MB. ANN. 31 



Every morning during this hard winter the great chief said to his 

 own nephews, "Wake up and make a fire!" Then all the people in 

 his house arose, and would sit around the fire. They ate little food, 

 but his son was sitting there just chewing a little fat which he held 

 in his mouth. His parents did not give him even a little food, 

 because his father was angry. 



One day the prince felt sad on account of what his father and mother 

 were doing to him. Almost every morning his father said to him, 

 "My son, go and feed the eagles with your salmon!" The young 

 man was always crying. Therefore he went to his eldest uncle's 

 house. As soon as he entered, his uncle said to his young men, 

 "Spread the mats by the side of the fire!" They did so. "Now let 

 my nephew sit on them!" He said to his wife, "Now feed my nephew!" 

 So his wife took a nice dried salmon, roasted it by the fire, cut it, put 

 it into a wooden dish, and the young men placed the dish before the 

 prince. Then his uncle arose from his seat; and when the young 

 prince stretched his hand toward the dish to take the roasted salmon, 

 the chief took the dish with the roasted salmon away from him, and 

 said, "Oh, let those eagles that you fed last summer feed you now!" 

 Then he ate it with his wife. Therefore the young man was very much 

 ashamed on account of what his eldest uncle had done to him. He 

 went out crying and sad. 



On the following day he went to his second uncle's house ; and as 

 soon as he entered, his uncle said to his young men, "Spread the mats 

 alongside of the fire!" They did so. His wife roasted a salmon, 

 cut it and put it into a dish, and placed it in front of her nephew; 

 but before the prince could take the salmon, his uncle took it away 

 from him, and said, "Oho! this one who fed the eagles shall not eat 

 this good salmon." He ate it with his wife. Then the prince was 

 very much ashamed, and went out crying. 



On the following morning he went to his third uncle's house, sat 

 down on one side of the fire, and his uncle's wife roasted a dried salmon. 

 After she had cut it, she put it into a wooden dish and placed it in 

 front of the young man; but before he could take the dish, his uncle 

 took it away, and said, "Oho! this one who fed the eagles shall not 

 eat this good salmon." Then the boy went out crying bitterly. He 

 lay down on his bed and cried the whole night. 



The following morning he went to his youngest uncle's house. As 

 soon as he entered, his youngest uncle said to his men, "Spread the 

 mats alongside of the fire ! " They did as he had ordered them. His 

 youngest uncle was crying with his wife while his nephew was sitting 

 there. When they stopped crying, he said to his nephew, "I have 

 heard what these bad men have done to you. Your mother came 

 here the other day, and told us that your father wanted us to treat 

 you badly. That is the reason why they ill-treated you; but I do 



