boas] TSIMSHIAN MYTHS 249 



found; and he began to cry and call his beloved father, but nobody 

 answered. He saw blood in the water, and thought some wild ani- 

 mal had eaten him in the night, and he felt very sad. He went down 

 the trail, crying and calling. His mother heard him when he came 

 down the trail crying. She awoke, and wanted to know who was 

 there. Behold! the boy was coming along crying, and said, "Some 

 wild animal has devoured my poor father!" 



The boy's mother was angry with her son, and said, "Stop crying! 

 Let us be glad that your father is dead. Come and eat this rich 

 meat! Stop at once, or I shall whip you!" The boy was afraid of 

 her, and stopped crying; but he did not eat much, because he was 

 thinking of his father. 



After they had eaten, she said to the boy, "Let us go to get 

 bark!" The boy, however, lay down on his old father's bed, weeping, 

 and his mother went alone. She followed the trail; and when she 

 reached the place, she saw something that had been dragged down 

 into the water, and she saw blood mixed with rubbish, and she 

 believed that her husband was dead. She was glad. She went a 

 little farther down along the trail, and saw a large pile of thick bark 

 some distance away from the trail. So she went toward it and 

 piled it up. 



Now the man went down another way when he heard his wife 

 singing happily instead of singing a mourning-song. He passed her, 

 and went right down to the hut. Behold! there was his son lying 

 on his bed crying. He said to his son, "My dear son, I am still 

 alive, and my eyes are open again! I can see clearly. Do not cry! 

 Come, let us close up every hole in this hut, and I shall shut the door. 

 Let your mother stay outside this night!" After they had eaten 

 their supper, he went to bed with his beloved son. 



Late in the evening the woman came home, and the door was shut 

 against her. She knocked at it, and said, "My dear son, did your 

 father come home, or are you still alone ?" and there came no answer. 

 She said to her husband, "Take pity on me! I feel very cold out 

 here." Still no answer came from them. She felt very cold, and 

 said, "Do open the door for me, my dear son ! " Her voice was shaking 

 on account of the cold. She said, "Take pity on me, lest I freeze 

 to death!" 



Before daylight she was transformed into a hooting owl. Then 

 the man ran out and opened the door. He saw an owl flying away. 

 It alighted on a tree that stood near the hut, and hooted. So the 

 man said, "Go away into the woods, owl!" and he became again a 

 great hunter. 



Not many years passed, and he went alone into the mountains. 

 He had often heard an owl hooting since his wife had been transformed 

 into an owl; and one night when he was alone in the mountains, he 



