boas] TSIMSHIAN MYTHS 353 



down from the roof right into the house, and the trap shut and he 

 was caught there. Then they all went to him, caught him, and threw 

 the medicine over him, and they invited all the companies of their 

 village and all the various companies assembled at the appointed 

 tune. They brought slaves to feed the dancers; and as they all came 

 there, the dancer came forth and they gave slaves to him. He ate 

 them all. Now his stomach was full of the flesh of many slaves, and 

 he was satisfied. Then they put a large grizzly-bear skin on him, 

 and a large ring of red-cedar bark on his neck and one on his head, 

 and red-cedar bark rings on his hands and on his feet; and at the 

 end of four days, in the morning, they beat a wooden drum and beat 

 then sticks on the planks with thundering noise to drive away his 

 supernatural power; and he went out alone, walking down to the 

 beach; and at low water he sat down on a large round rock, his face 

 toward the village, and everybody came out to see him. Then the 

 tide rose, and the rock on which he was seated was floating on the 

 water; and when the tide went out, the rock grounded at the same 

 place where it had been before. When the sun set, he walked up 

 to the house where all the people were assembled. As soon as he 

 came in, they all ran up to him. They took a heavy pole, threw him 

 on the ground, and put his neck under the pole, trying to kill him; 

 but the supernatural power came and helped him and delivered him 

 from their hands. He escaped, and he would always come down to 

 the village; but he did not take so many people as he had done 

 before. He just killed some one, but did not eat him. Many years 

 passed, and he still lived on the tree. After two generations had 

 passed, his voice ceased. That is the end. 



63. Origin of the Cannibals * 



Once upon a time there was a mountain-goat hunter. Whde he 

 was hunting he met a white bear, which he pursued. Finally he 

 came near enough to shoot, and he hit it. The bear, however, ran on, 

 and finally disappeared in a steep rock. After a short time a man 

 came out of the mountain, approached the hunter, and called him hi. 

 He followed, and found that there was a large house in the mountain. 

 The person who had called him asked him to sit down on the right- 

 hand side of the house. Then the hunter saw four companies of 

 people in the house, and saw what they were doing. In one corner 

 were the Me'°la; in the second corner, the No'lEm, who ate dogs; in 

 a third corner, the Wi-halai'd, the Cannibals; and in the fourth one, 

 the SEm-halai'd. The first group and the last group were very much 

 afraid of the other two. The hunter staid in the house for three days, 

 as he thought, but in reality he had been away for three years. Then 



i Translated from Boas 1, p. 304.— Notes, p. 8(53. 

 50633°- 31 eth— 1C 23 



