boas] TSIMSHIAN MYTHS 325 



the town of the Ghosts. When any one died in some other village, 

 they sent for him, and offered him great reward if he should bring 

 back the souls of the dead. 



He did this for a long time, aid no one was dying in all the villages, 

 because the great shaman was among the people. Therefore all the 

 Ghost-town people hated the shaman prince, because no souls of the 

 dead came to the Ghost town. Therefore their hatred of the prince 

 increased greatly. 



Therefore they assembled and held a council, and determined to 

 try to kill the prince. They all agreed to cut off the ends of the 

 bridge when the shaman prince should come again to get the soid of a 

 dead one. As soon as the council of the Ghosts ended, they went and 

 took the soul of a man. Two days later the man died. The shaman 

 prince, however, knew that the Ghosts had held a council against 

 him. His chief supernatural power had told him so; and his super- 

 natural power had said to him, "Go and bring back the souls of your 

 people. If you are afraid of the Ghosts' council, you shall surely 

 die; but if you do as I order you, I will protect and guard you; but 

 remember, if you disobey my orders, a dreadful punishment awaits 

 you." 



Then the shaman prince assembled all his people, and ordered them 

 to wait until he should come back, and to sing all his songs while he 

 was away. Then all his people kept on singing. 



Now the shaman prince went on his way until he arrived by the bank 

 of the river that runs in front of the Ghosts' town. He went to the 

 bridge, and his supernatural power carried him across. He went 

 to the house of the chief of the Ghosts, who takes the souls of the dead 

 first. All the souls of the dead go first to the house of this great chief. 

 Therefore the shaman prince went right to it. He went in and 

 snatched the soul of the dead one from the cold hands of the cruel 

 Ghosts. Then he ran out quickly, and the Ghosts pursued him over 

 the bridge. 



He had almost arrived at this end of the bridge that had been cut 

 by the Ghosts, when both his feet went down into the water of ike 

 river, but his body fell on the dry land. He arose again, and ran 

 down as fast as he could; but before he reached his father's house, 

 he fell down and began to groan. 



Now, the people in the house heard him groaning. They look 

 their torches, and, behold! the shaman prince was lying there. They 

 took him in and placed him on a wide plank in front of the fire. 



Then his supernatural power came to him. The people in the 

 house saw that part of his foot was badly scorched, and the hearts of 

 all the people who were in the house failed them. As far as the water 

 had reached on both of his feet when he fell at the end of the bridge 

 of the Ghosts, his flesh was burned and scorched. The river was the 



