790 TSIMSHIAN MYTHOLOGY [eth. axn. 31 



After the chief has learned of the visit of the gull, he calls in his wise men, who sug- 

 gest that his son must have been successful. He sends messengers in a canoe, who find 

 the water near the beach covered with grease and bones. The prince refuses to let 

 them land. They ask for pity. He admits them, feeds them, but forbids them to 

 tell his father. He asks them to call his youngest uncle, and to request the other 

 tribes to buy provisions Tsa. When the chief thinks that the boy may be dead, he 

 sends two slaves and one slave-woman to get his bones. They find the boy wealthy. 

 At first he will not admit them, but later on feeds them, but forbids them to take any 

 food along Ts6. The chief sends a hunter and slaves to ascertain the fate of the boy. 

 They find the water covered with grease; and. since they are hungry, they dip up the 

 grease and eat it. After a while they are allowed to land. The prince asks them to 

 say that he is dead, and forbids them to take food along N. Slaves are sent to look for 

 the prince. He gives them food, but forbids them to take any along Sk (all versions ). 



The father sends his slaves to look for his son's bones. They find whales on the 

 beach. The prince is about to shoot the slaves, but is restrained by his wives. He 

 orders them to take off their clothing, and he feeds them. He orders them not to 

 touch the meat and to tell his father that they could not find his bones Sk 182. 



Slaves are sent to burn the body of the deserted boy. They are called in, fed, but 

 forbidden to take food along Tl. 



When the slaves return, they tell that the boy is rich Ts6 [that he is dead N, that 

 they burnt the bones Tl]. 



In all these versions, except the first, one of the visitors takes 

 some food along; then follows the incident of the choking child. 



A modified form occurs in another story of a deserted child. Magpie rolls up the 

 fat in moss and feeds it to his children. Raven discovers the fat when they quarrel 

 Ntl Teit 3.369. The version Chil 10 is very similar to this one. 



The Return of the Tribe 



When the chief learns that the boy is rich while his own tribe is starving, he orders 

 the people to move back Ts 230, Ts 5.303, N 184, Tl 265. The eldest uncle dresses 

 up his two daughters and places them on a box in his canoe Ts. The chief had four 

 daughters; the second and third brother, each three; and the youngest, two daughters. 

 They dress them up Ts 5. The uncledresses up his two daughters and places them on 

 planks on the canoe N. The uncles dress up their daughters. The youngest uncle 

 has a lame daughter, the same one who has been kind to the prince Sk. The elder 

 wife of the uncle tries to dress up. She wipes her face with a rag, which, however, 

 contains some hard material, with which she cuts her face Tl. 



When the canoes reach the house, the young women dip up the grease from the water 

 and eat it. The youth forbids them to land, but relents when his youngest uncle 

 arrives, whose daughter he marries. The prince is ashamed of the girls who dip up the 

 grease, and does not want to see them. He distributes the food and becomes a chief 

 Tsa. The youngest brother does not dress up his daughters. When the canoes 

 approach the village, the eldest daughter of the chief dips up the grease and eats of it. 

 The boy is seen sitting on the roof of one of the houses, and the chief offers him his 

 daughters. He threatens to kill his three uncles, but invites the youngest one to come 

 ashore and marries his daughters. Finally he relents and gives presents to the people. 

 He takes the name The Deserted One and becomes a chief of the Gid-wul-g'adz Ts6. 

 The prince does not allow the people to land, and shoots at the canoes. Finally he 

 relents. One woman dips up the grease from the water, which makes the boy ashamed . 

 He marries his youngest cousin. He gives a festival, becomes a chief, and takes the 

 name Little Eagle N . The youngest uncle is invited home. The prince marries the lame 

 girl. He declines the othergirls and sells food to his uncles. It is stated that this story 

 belongs to the Tsimshian family Nistoy Sk 357. The uncles' daughters are dressed 

 up and sit high in the canoes. Near them coppers are raised on poles. He marries the 



