644 TSIMSHIAN MYTHOLOGY [eth. ANN. 31 



think he is crying for the sun." The child said, "Yes." The mother gave it to 

 him, he rolled it about and out, lifted it out of the entrance, became a raven, and 

 carried it home, Ten'a 305. — Even when he was quite large and able to go out, he 

 cried for the shining thing. He asked to have a string tied to it and have it put 

 around his neck. He ran with it into the woods, wished that they might forget it, 

 and carried it home, sometimes flying, sometimes walking, Anvik 10.] 



The Haida version is a little different in form. 



He cried, "Boo-hoo, moon!" Ska, M; and his mother said, "One talks about a 

 thing beyond his reach, which supernatural beings own" M. Then she got tired, 

 and stopped up all the holes in the house, also the smoke hole M, Ska [before open- 

 ing the box wider to let the boy look in, the old man closed all the holes in the house, 

 also the smoke hole Tl 5]. Then she untied the string from the box M [pulled out 

 one box from another four times, and pulled out a round thing, then it became light 

 in the house Ska]. She took the moon out and let him play with it. When she 

 went out, the boy became a raven, took the moon in his beak, and flew about with it. 

 Before she came back he resumed the form of a child M. After a while he cried, 

 "Boo-hoo, smoke hole! " until she opened it. [First he was satisfied, but cried more 

 until the smoke hole was opened completely Ska, M, Tl 5. Then he played with the 

 box, using it like a ball Tl 5.] Then he flew away with it. A marten pursued him 

 below, Tai/atga'dAla above Ska. He carried away the moon in his armpit Ska. 

 [When his mother went out, he held the moon in his beak and flew out. He sat 

 down on the top of a house, cawing like a raven, and then flew away, holding the 

 moon under his wing M.] ' 



The Tsimshian version contains still another incident. 

 The boy cried, "Eamaxd'!" Na [''Hamaha'!" Nfe; "Hama!" Ts; cried for daylight- 

 receptacle BC 5]. The chief did not understand him, and called his wise men. One 

 of these understood him, and said, "The boy wants the sun box " Ts, Na, N6. [When 

 the child heard this, he stopped crying N6.] Then the chief took down the box and 

 put it near the child, who patted it No. He rolled [smoothed N6] it about in the 

 house for four days No. [On the following morning he arose from his mother's bed 

 and played with it N6; rolled it about in the house Ts.] The chief forgot about it 

 Ts, Na. [He rolled it about on the street, took it, and ran away with it N6; put it 

 on his shoulder and ran away with it Na; after much crying he was allowed to play 

 on the street with it, where he broke it and flew away as a raven BC 5.] Then he ran 

 away with it, pursued by the hosts of heaven. He came to the hole in the sky, put 

 on his skin, and flew down with it Ts, Na. 



' Dean's version (6, p. 25) is evidently incorrect. He tells that first NAfikilsLns begged the chief for the 

 boxes, but that he declined to give them up. Then Raven assumes the shape of a handsome man, with 

 whom the girl falls in love. At her request the chief gives to the youth the three boxes. Dean's version 

 6.27 is also evidently a confused account of several tales. Here Raven goes to the chief's house, takes the 

 stm in his mouth, and wants to fly away. He finds the smoke hole closed; and some one, at his request, 

 lots him out. The Tsimshian version given by Deans on p. 26 is also probably incorrect, as is indicated 

 by the use of names belonging to different languages in the same version. The beginning of the tale is 

 practically the same as the ordinary version, telling how Raven went to the chief, who lived where the 

 Nass River now flows, and who had light in three boxes. The first one is obtained in the familiar way. 

 The old man first refuses to let the boy play with the box; and when he cries, it is given to him. Then he 

 rolls it about until he gets it outside, where he dashes it to pieces, letting out the sun. Then the story 

 goes on: " Having heard that, the old chief had gone up the river fishing for oulachans, he made for himself 

 a false moon, and took a canoe and went up river to meet Settin-ki-jess (the old chief's name). While the 

 chief was fishing In' usually took the moon out of its box in order to give him li^lit. because he always fished 

 after dark. Before getting near to the chief's house the raven cawed and hid the false moon under his 

 coat, of feathers." He makes the old man believe that he has a moon, and later on stars, of his own, which 

 induces the old man to lose all interest in the moon and the star box, which the Raven then opens and 

 lets out the contents. The form of this tale is identical with the procedure followed by Raven in obtain- 

 ing the olachen. Practically the same version is told in Dawson 1.151 B. I presume this is due to 

 the fact that Dr. Dawson received his information from Deans, who accompanied him at least during 

 part of his travels on Queen Charlotte Islands (see p. 663). 



