boas] TSIMSHIAK MYTHS 237 



One day the woman went back of her children's town to refresh her- 

 self, as she used to do every day. Then she thought that she heard 

 a low moan a little distance away, that called her name. She recog- 

 nized her husband's voice, anc 1 went toward the voice secretly. She 

 heard him, and then she called him to come. He embraced her, but 

 his wife told him her whole story, and said that her children were 

 dancing. So the man was very anxious to see the dance. She 

 hastened to go home. Her husband would not let her go, but asked 

 her to come back to his own home, but she would not go. She 

 said, "Go away, for my children will kill you ! They will soon come 

 to look for me." The man, however, still held her in his arms. At 

 last four young men came to call their mother to the house. They 

 saw the man with their mother, and they said that they must kill 

 him. But their mother said, "Not so, my children! Be kind to 

 him. He is my husband. He is like your father. He wishes very 

 much to see your dance." Then they agreed to their mother's 

 request. They said, "We will allow him four days in our midst. 

 Then he must go away to his own house." Evening came, and they 

 began to dance until late at night. Thus this man learned their song 

 and the dances that they had. The whole village was asleep in the 

 daytime; but before dusk they awoke, took their meal, and after they 

 had eaten they began to dance. All the people of the village came 

 to the house where their mother was, and danced there all night until 

 daybreak. 



At the end of four days they sent the man back to his own home, 

 and they said, "After four days more we shall send our mother back 

 to you;" and the Chief Mouse commanded him : "Don't maltreat any 

 mouse when you human beings see one on your way or in your house, 

 lest you be beset by dangers, for all the mice on this island are of 

 noble blood. Therefore if any human being does something bad to a 

 mouse, we shall kill him. I will give you a dancing-feather, a neck- 

 band, and a skin drum. Then you shall teach your people how to 

 dance." 



As soon as the Chief Mouse had spoken, the man left and went to 

 his own home. Then all his people came to him into his house, and 

 the man taught them his song. When all his people knew how to 

 sing this song, he put on his eagle feather and his necklace, then he 

 began to dance; and all his people came to see him — men, women, 

 and children — and everybody was delighted to see this dance. 



At the end of four days the wife also came. She was a good singer, 

 therefore all the women stood around her to learn her songs, and 

 she taught them. Thus all the different villages on Queen Charlotte 

 Islands learned how to dance, because the Mouse taught them. 

 When the chiefs of all the tribes assembled at a dance in a chief's 



