FUACHTENBERG] ALSEA TEXTS AND MYTHS 241 



When the Patched People were out of sight, the brothers changed 

 themselves into their former form and continued their homeward 

 journey. Upon their arrival home they told their parents of their 

 experience. After this the two boys were practicing every day at all 

 sorts of games. When they thought they were proficient enough, tlie 

 elder brother wanted to know where his parents had come from. 

 Thereupon his father told him everything: How he and his wife were 

 first cousms and were forced to leave their people in order to become 

 married, and how he was uncertain whether his parents were living 

 or dead. Then the boys told their father that if he would give them 

 the directions, they would undertake to look for his people. So the 

 old man gave them the necessary directions, and told them that it 

 would proba])ly require a whole day's journey to reach the place of 

 their grandfather. Then the elder boy wanted to know the name of 

 his grandfather. He was told that his name was Muxa'meut.^ 



Then the boys got ready. They packed all their gambling imple- 

 ments and left for their grandfather's house. By following their 

 father's directions they arrived at the looked-for place late in the even- 

 ing and asked for Muxa'meut. They were immediately taken to his 

 house. When they came in they asked for their uncle and found that 

 he lived in the same house. Then the people asked them where they 

 came from. The boys told them their names and the names of their 

 parents. Thereupon all the people in the house began to cry for 

 sheer joy, because they thought the runaway couple dead long ago. 

 Then the boys wanted to know of their uncle and what he was doing. 

 So he told them that another tribe was at present visitmg his village 

 for the purpose of playing various games; that his tribe had played 

 shinny against the visitors this morning and was beaten badly, losing 

 practically all their possessions. Then they asked "What are you 

 going to play to-night?" — "We will play the guessing game," 

 he told them. And the boys said to him, "To-night thou shalt bet 

 all thy possessions; we are going to help thee to win great wealth." 



Their grandfather was exceedingly glad when he found out that 

 his daughter was living. After a while the boys asked him how he 

 was obtaining food, for his people, and he told them that he was usu- 

 ally supplying the village with herrmg. Then they wanted to know 

 whether he had caught any lately. "No," said he. "We are starv- 

 ing most of the time." So they asked him whether he had any new 

 paddles. And he answered, "Yes, one." — "Show it to us!" Then 

 the elder brother spit on one side of it, while the younger boy spit 

 on the other. Then they said to the old man: "Go now to thy trap 

 and put this paddle into the water, and after taking it out put it back 



1 Thatistosay, "He who has whale (meat)"; Farrand undoubtedly misheard this word for mExa'mnit; 

 xa'mnt seal, whale. 



96653— 20— Bull. 67 16 



