boas] TSIMSHIAN MYTHS 301 



down slowly, divided in the middle; and one part flew away to the 

 northwest (Alaska), and another part flew away to the head of 

 Copper River (the head of the rivers). This is the reason why good 

 copper was found in Alaska lono; before the white people came to this 

 country, and that good copper was also found at one of the head 

 waters of Skeena River. Our people call this copper " living copper." 



(They say that a spring salmon went up this river; and when they 

 reached the deep water at the upper part of the river, the salmon 

 became copper. Therefore the Indians know that there was live 

 copper in this brook or river.) 



After Tsauda had thrown the copper from the top of the high 

 mountain, they went on until they arrived at their camping-place, 

 and made ready for fishing ; but somehow the fish were late in coming. 

 When the time had come for the fish to arrive, the river was full, 

 and everybody went out to fish. The men had their wives with (hem 

 in the fishing-season. 



(When the fish first go up the river, the Indians use wooden rakes. 

 The man sits in the bow of the canoe, and the woman sits in the stern 

 to keep the canoe straight, and to steer it quickly among the many 

 canoes. They use large canoes, and in half a day they fill them with 

 olachen. The men work day and night with the rakes. They went 

 with the tide until eight days had passed. Then they changed their 

 fishing-implements. They put away the rake — a wooden rake made 

 out of dry red cedar, and pins made out of large rotten spruce 

 branches. The inner part of the branch is very hard. They split 

 it and sharpen it like the point of a pin. They are. three fingers long. 

 Then they change these rakes after eight days, and they use the 

 bag net, because, the olachen goes farther down in deeper water. 

 Therefore they use the bag net. They put the bag net at the end of 

 a pole five fathoms long, and everything thus. Two or three people 

 are in each canoe. The man holds the. net-pole, and his wife and the 

 man's sister or mother are with them.) 



Now Halus was very proud because he had a beautiful wife, and he 

 showed her among the people on the fishing-ground. He did not care 

 much about the fishing. When the fishing-implements were changed, 

 the chief said to his elder daughter, "Let your husband fill one canoe 

 for me tomorrow, and one for each of your three uncles, and Tsauda 

 shall do the same." 



The following morning they both set out. Halus went very early 

 with his wife and mother-in-law, and Tsauda went with his wife and 

 one female slave. Tsauda went a little later. Halus went among the 

 canoes which were full of fish. Then Tsauda blew water from his 

 mouth, and said, "Let Halus 's bag net be filled with mud of the river, 

 chips, and whole, leaves from the trees, but let him not get any fish!" 

 Halus took his pole with the bag net on it and went to work; but 



