boas] TSIMSHIAN MYTHS 233 



break the young man went out, and the princess staid in bed until 

 very late. The following night the young man came again, and she 

 loved him very much. Every night he came to her. 



One night it occurred to the young princess that she wanted to 

 know who the young man was who came to her every night. There- 

 fore she watched him early in the morning; and when the young 

 man arose, he was transformed into a mouse, which went through 

 the knot-hole above her bed. Then she felt very much troubled. 



She was with child; and when her time came, her father asked his 

 wife the name of the man who had been with his daughter. Her 

 mother asked the young woman, but she did not tell her. Therefore 

 her father invited all the best woodworkers and told them to make 

 a box. They did so, and calked it with gum. When they had 

 finished it, they brought it to the chief. The chief ordered his 

 attendants to take it down to the bank of the river. 



Then the great chief told his men to bring down all his wealth; 

 and they brought down ten costly coppers and many elk skins, 

 marten blankets, and all kinds of expensive garments. They put 

 the costly coppers ha the bottom of the box, and spread over them elk 

 skins and marten garments, and skins of many other animals. Then 

 they put the princess into the box and tied it up, by order of the 

 great chief, and they threw her into the river, and the strong cur- 

 rent took the box down the river. The great chief was very much 

 ashamed on account of what his only daughter had done. Then the 

 whole village mourned for the young princess. 



Now the box drifted down river to the sea. The young woman was 

 still alive in the box. For many days she floated on the water. One 

 day the young woman felt that her box was being moved by great 

 waves. She felt it going up and down the great waves on a sandy 

 beach, and soon she felt that her box struck the ground. 



Now another noble family was encamped on this sandbar on Queen 

 Charlotte Islands. Tins family had lost then young daughter not 

 many days before, and the great chieftainess was mourning for her 

 day by day. Early hi the morning the chieftainess went out walking 

 along the beach; and when she came round the sandy point, she sat 

 down there, weeping; and while she was sitting there weeping, when 

 she opened her eyes, she beheld a large object just under high-water 

 mark. She stopped crying and went down to the place where the 

 large object lay; and when she came to it, she recognized a large 

 bundle of goods. She went back to her husband without touching the 

 large bundle, and she said that she had found a large bundle on the 

 beach. 



They ran down together; and when they came to the place, they 

 saw elk skins around it. They took their knives and cut the thongs 

 with which it was tied. Then something moved inside. They 

 opened the skins one by one; and as soon as the last one was off, many 

 mice ran out of the bundle to the shore. 



