FKACHTENBERG] ALSEA TEXTS AND MYTHS 185 



elks where he was gomg back. Then his mind beheved in (what he 

 saw). "Verily, it must be so, since I see now many elks." So 

 then he came closer to his house. Now he came back (to the place) 

 from where, as was told previously, he had started out. Now he 

 came back to his house. All his people wore just crying when he 

 arrived home. "You shall not cry. I have not died; I just went to 

 where those many people were having fun. An elk went with me 

 there. I have (now) come back from there. I have seen there all 

 sorts of things." Now as soon as he came back he began to talk 

 to his younger brother. "Should we do those things (which I 

 learned), no one is ever going to beat us. I shall always paint my 

 shinny stick (as I was told) whenever we will play shmny ball. 

 Nobody is ever going to beat us." Then, verily, they did so. "We 

 will not act thus toward our own neighbors. Only against an (en- 

 tirely) different tribe will we act thus. We will not act thus against 

 our own neighbors." This much his two younger brothers were told 

 (by him). So then they told their chief about it. Thereupon their 

 chief kept on saying: "Since one (of us) knows (those) things, it will 

 just be very good. My spirits will be rather high. Whenever I shall 

 go to a different place, nobody will ever beat me." (Such was) the 

 speech of their chief. "It is very good, that one of you knows some- 

 thing. I will be rather high (in the estimation of others)." (Those 

 were) the words of their chief: ("Until now) I was always beaten. 

 Whenever I went. to a different place, I usually lost (in every contest). 

 Now (I am) glad that one of you knows different contests. No matter 

 how far (we may have to travel) , we will nevertheless habitually go to 

 play (against other tribes) ." (Those were) the words of their chief. 

 Only now (it ends) . 



16. The Man Who Married the Bear- Woman 



So then they two said to their father: "We two are going to start 

 now. We two will go to spear salmon after we two shall finish eat- 

 ing." Thereupon their (dual) mother kept on saying: "(I) shall be 

 glad if you two will go spearing. I like very (much) fresh salmon." 



Then they two started, and soon they two came to a small river. 

 So then they two kept going upstream along that mentioned creek. 

 And (soon) they two left their canoe (because) they two intended to 

 go on foot. So, verily, they two started. They two did not see 

 anything while they two were going upstream along that mentioned 

 creek. Then they two kept on going. The spawning grounds of the 



6 The marriage between a human hemg and a female bear seems lo be a popular theme in the folklore o 

 certain tribe? of the Northwest. See, for example, Frachtenberg, Coos Texts, p. 171; Farrand, Traditions 

 of tlie Chilcotin Indians, p. 23. 



' sis+-xan. 



8 q.'ul- TO GO UP.5TREAM. 



