894 TSIMSHIAN MYTHOLOGY [bth.ann. 31 



bed-clothes, but she tried in vain to stop him. He said, "What is it 

 that smells so bad? I think you soiled your bed while you were 

 asleep." She retorted, "No, it is you who smell so bad." He 

 pulled her bed-clothes off. He said, "Now give me a drink; for, if 

 you do not, I shall call everybody in to see that you have soiled your 

 bed." She said, "No, I will not give you a drink." Then he called 

 out in half-whispers, "O people! come and see this big woman who 

 has soiled her bed." She said, "Don't call out to them in that way, 

 for I will not give you any water if you do." Raven replied, "Then 

 give me some water to drink; and if you don't, I shall call out as loud 

 as my voice will let me, for it is a great thing that you have done." 

 Then she said, "I will just let you have a taste of the water; and I beg 

 you not to tell any one about it, for I must have been sound asleep. 

 Only let me clean myself first." Then she took the box of water, and 

 said to Raven, "Now come and take a mouthful, but no more!" He 

 put his mouth to one corner of the box. She tipped it a little; but he 

 pulled it over and let all the water run out of the box. Then he said 

 to the water, "Now turn into a large lake, whose name shall be Green 

 Lake(L!i'tsit')." Then he went away and told his people to get the 

 water out of the lake, and they went to drink water out of it. After- 

 ward he made a stream running out of the lake to the sea; and now 

 the river's name is T!aci' E . He carried some of the water all round 

 the world, and he turned each drop into a river. Since he dropped it 

 as he was going along, there are rivers all round the world. 



3. The Origin of Fire 



( Told by l! alcleladzogwa) 



Once upon a time there lived L!eh a ma £ mit' (Woodpecker), chief 

 of the Wolves, who had a slave named Kwa'tiyat'. His house was 

 called Ha' £ wilsats!im\ He was the only one in the world who had 

 fire in his house; even his own people did not have fire. The wise 

 chief EebEwayak, of the Mowa'tc!ath a tribe, his rival, did not know 

 how to get fire from Woodpecker, the chief of the Wolves. 



One day the Mowa'tc!ath a had a secret meeting, for they heard 

 that a winter ceremonial was going to take place in the house of 

 Woodpecker. They decided that they would go into the house 

 Ha'^wilsatslim', where the fire was. Woodpecker had many sharp- 

 pointed sticks put on the floor near the door, so that the people 

 could not run out without hurting then - feet. Chief EebEwayak 

 spoke in the meeting, saying, "My people, who among you will try 

 to steal fire from Woodpecker?" The Deer said, "I will get fire 

 for you." Then the chief took some hair-oil in a seaweed bottle, 

 saying, "Take this with you, and also this comb,- and this piece of 

 stone. When you get the fire, you must run away; and when the 



