652 TSIMSHIAN MYTHOLOGY [eth. ANN. 31 



From Bellabella to northern Vancouver Island he uses another 

 trick to deceive the owner of the water. 



Before going to the owner of the water, he puts ashes in his mouth Ne 5, Ne 9 [he 

 takes cedar bark to wipe his tongue with Ri 5] Ho has the bladder of K'legi'lbala 

 Ne 9 [the stomach of a sea lion H 5] under his blanket. He asks for water; and when 

 the owner does not want to let him have it, he threatens to tell on him Ne 9, K 9. 

 After he has taken a littlj, the owner takes away the water, but he shows his dry 

 tongue H, Ri, Ne 5, Ne 9, K 9. He pours all the water into the bladder [blanket 

 Ni> 26] and escapes [he takes the water in the folding canoe K 9]. 



When he goes to the owner of the water, he pretends to be an old man; he is given 

 to eat, asks for water, and afterwards the story continues as given here H 5. 



In some of the Tlingit tales the incident is introduced here explain- 

 ing why Raven is black. 



He alights on a pitch tree, and Petrel makes a fire under the tree. In the smoke he 

 becomes black Tic 4. In the other versions Petrel tells the smoke hole of his house to 

 close. Raven is held there and is blackened Tla 4, T16, Tl<7 4.261. 



In Ne 9 the owner of the water is then transformed into a bluejay. 



After he has thus obtained the water, he creates the rivers. 



He spits out the water and first makes Nass and Stikine Rivers; last, little brooks 

 Tla 4. [He spits out water, which is transformed into rivers Tic 4.259, Tk/4.261, Kai 8; 

 he makes Chilkat River first Mn; he makes Qala'n, the oldest brother of the rivers; 

 then he makes all the rivers of Masset. Those which he made last are red lib.] He 

 drops water and it becomes rivers H 5, Ri 5. He makes the rivers by urinating Ne 5, 

 K 9 [the Crow makes rivers in this way Nu 5; he carries some of the water all round 

 the world, and turns each drop into a river Nu ap]. 



The introduction to the myth of the creation of salmon (K 10) may 

 be mentioned here. 0' e mcal orders the animals to make a ditch. 

 Then he goes to a river, drinks water, and spits it out into the ditch, 

 thus creating a salmon river. — In Ne Dawson 22 it is said that the 

 Transformer stole water. — This is probably an error. 



Dawson's version is confused with the tale of the origin of the sun. 



Raven becomes the lover of the daughter of the sun owner, Setlinkijash, who also 

 owns the water. He asks for a drink; and when the girl is asleep, he flies away with 

 the water basket. The water that he spills forms the rivers. Only a few drops fall 

 on the Haida country, therefore the rivers of Queen Charlotte Islands are small Hai 

 Dawson. 



In a few cases passages are added in which it is told why rivers run 

 in the way in which they run now. 



He flew up Nass River and then turned back: therefore all rivers run into the sea 

 Na 15, N6 27 [when he first makes the rivers, they run dry; then he paints them in a 

 circle, so that the water flows back, and for this reason they are always full Ma]. See 

 also Ts 65. 



A Skidegate tale belonging to this group is quite different in type. 



Raven and Eagle first drink sea water. Eagle, however, carries a small basket 

 filled with fresh water, and drinks secretly. Raven next flies out and gathers root- 

 sap. When Eagle tries it, he says it tastes of pitch. In the evening, while in the 

 house, Raven makes a fire of hemlock branches, causes the fire to collapse, and thus 



