454 TSIMSHIAN MYTHOLOGY [eth. axx. 31 



means of a chain of arrows. He shot one arrow, which hit the edge 

 of the hole in the sky; the next arrow hit the nock of the first one; 

 and by continuing this way a chain was made, along which he 

 ascended (N 88). 



After reaching the sky, the visitor finds himself on a trad which 

 leads to the house of the Sun chief (1.87). In this house the Sun 

 lives with his daughter. The son of the Sun is also mentioned (218). 

 Near the house is a spring (61). The stars are the tribe of the Sun 

 chief (1.91), and the various constellations live with him. Among 

 these are mentioned the Kite (1.91), the Dipper, Halibut Fishing- 

 Line, the Stern-Board in the Canoe, and the Old Bark Box (1.109). 

 The Sun's daughter is the Evening Star. On leaving the sky, the 

 traveler comes to the edge of a flat prairie, whence he may slide down 

 on the rays of the sun, which reach down to our earth (1.109). 



The earth is flat, and, as stated before, turns around on the pole 

 supported by Am'ala'. 1 It is surrounded by the ocean, and on the 

 edge of the ocean there is a large whirlpool (N 104). At this whirlpool 

 live two men. One of them is named One. Leg, who consists of one- 

 half of a body; and the other, Hard Instep (N 105). There are 

 several countries on the other side of the ocean. In one of these 

 lives Evening-Sky Woman, who is said to be very wealthy (N 193). 

 Another country on the other side of the ocean is that of Spring 

 Salmon. In the village of the Spring Salmon is the house of the Dan- 

 cing Herrings (205). On the way from the country of the Spring 

 Salmon to Skeena River there are a number of other towns occupied by 

 other kinds of Salmon — the town of the Sdver Salmon, of the Steel- 

 head Salmon, of the Humpback Salmon, Cohoes, Trout. The houses 

 of the Cohoes are decorated with designs representing hooked 

 noses, those of the Trout with stars (197). Early in the spring 

 the Spring Salmon send their scouts to Skeena River and to 

 Nass River. The leaves that fall into the water from the Cot- 

 tonwood trees are the salmon of the Spring Salmon. If the 

 scouts return and tell that the salmon (that is to say, the cotton- 

 wood leaves) are in the river, the Spring Salmon start. On their way 

 to Skeena River they pass the town of the Silver Salmon, whom they 

 tell about the arrival of the salmon in the rivers. The Sdver Salmon 

 promise to follow within a few days. When they go a little farther, 

 they meet the Steelhead Salmon coming back from the rivers, 

 because their tribe moves very early in spring. After this they pass 

 the town of the Humpback Salmon, to whom they also report the 

 arrival of the salmon, and they promise to follow a little later. The 

 Dog Salmon, who are next notified, promise to leave after the Hump- 

 back Salmon have started; while the Cohoes Salmon say that they 



1 See note, p. 116. 



