812 TSIMSHIAN MYTHOLOGY [eth. ann. 31 



youth shakes his body, and the canoe goes farther out to sea. This continues until 

 the old man consents to his marriage with his youngest daughter K 11.10. The youth, 

 who has assumed the form of a devilfish, is taken along as steersman. While the 

 people arc ashore hunting, he assumes his natural form. He shakes himself, and the 



cai moves away from shore. He returns when La'iq promises him his youngest 



daughter Co 5.70. 



A similar incident occurs in Ne 5.199. Q!a'neqe £ lak» assumes the form of an old 

 man, who is taken along to look after the canoe. While the people are away, he 

 pulls the canoe ashore and shows himself in his true form. 



(18) Firewood Threatens to Burn the House 



(1 version: K 5.200 



i^!a'neqe J lak u gets fuel and causes the wood to place itself in piles in the chief's 

 house. He orders the wood to burn the house. When the chief promises to give 

 his daughter to Q !a'neqe J lak u , the latter moves his hand downward, and the fire goes 

 out K 5.200. 



(19) Diving-Match 



(4 versions: Quin 103; Chin 57; Co 5.79; Kutenai 1 ) 



Two contestants dive. One of them hides lumself under a canoe or near a rock 

 and waits until the other one comes up (all versions). 



(20) Climbing-Match 



(6 versions: Quin 103; Chin 57; Sha 645; Sh 5.2; Coos 91; Wish 87) 

 Bluejay and Chipmunk climb a pole of ice. Bluejay clubs Chipmunk, who falls 

 down Chin 57. Bluejay and Squirrel climb a tall, smooth pole. Bluejay gets ahead 

 and stalls Squirrel in the head Quin 103. Other forms of the pole-climbing contest 

 have been discussed before (p. 611). In all these cases the Bears are matched against 

 the Transformer Sha 645, 2 Sh6 5.2. Distantly related to this is the climbing-contest 

 in Coos 91. In the Wishram version, Bluejay and Squirrel wrestle on a rope which 

 is stretched across the water Wish 87. 3 



(21) Shooting-Match 



(4 versions: Tl 5.319; Nu 5.107; chin 58; Kath 67) 



Beaver and Loon have a shooting-match, shooting at each other. Beaver covers 

 himself with a stone, and Loon's arrows break. Loon is killed Chin 58. The other 

 versions do not occur in connection with long contest stories. Raven has a knife- 

 throwing contest with the one-eyed giant's wife, who carries a small stone shield. 

 Raven flies up and avoids the knife, while he cuts off the woman's legs, and then her 

 neck Tl 5.319. Raven has a spear-throwing contest with Skate. Raven first avoids 

 by (lying up, while Skate turns his narrow side to Raven and is missed. 

 Eventually Skate hits Raven Nu 5.107. The same is told by the Kathlamet of Blue- 

 jay and Skate. Bluejay is told by Skate to protect himself with his foot. The Skate 

 hits Bluejay's foot Kath 67. 



(22) Gambling-Match 



Various kinds of gambling-matches occur as part of those contests — 

 the bone game (Wish 81), an endurance test (Wish 85), hoop-rolling 



' Franz Boas, Kutenai Tales, Bulletin 59, Bureau of American Ethnology, p. i I. 

 2 The climbing-contest is here only implied. 



lories of this type occur hi the mythologies of the eastern tribes (see, for instance, l'onca 172, 



