TSIMSHIAN TEXTS 



183 



it. 'l"he child's mother put her hand into its mouth, trying to pull out 

 the pieee of seal, but she eoi\ld not reaeh it. Her hand was too short. 

 Then she eried. Now the chief's wife rose and went to the crying 

 woman. She asked her, "Why do you cry?" The slave's wife 

 replied. "■^Nly child is choiving. We do not know what is obstructing 

 its breath." Then the chief tainess put her hand into the mouth of the 

 child. Her lingers were long. Her hand reached down, and she felt 

 the slice of seal. Then she took it out. Then she knew what it was. 

 Behold, it was seal meat. Then she told the chief, and he asked, 

 "Where did that come from?" He saw that it was boiled seal meat, 

 therefore he asked. Then they told him that the old town was full of 

 the meat of ti'out and salmon and spring salmon and halibut and seals 



g"inR'-y(Vxk"L Le naLqt. Tgon hwils noxL i.go-tk''e'Lk"'. Lo- 1 



through went the breath. This did the the child. In 



mother of little 



d'Ep-Lo'odEL an'o'nt aL ts'Em-a'qL Lgo-tk"'e'Lk". Ntk-'e lo-d'Ep- 2 



down she her hand to in the the child. Then in down 



stretched mouth of little 



sq6'k'sk"t. DElde'lpk"L an'o'uL hana'qg'e. NLk"'e wI-t'e'sL 3 



it was Short were the hands the woman. Then much 



beyond reach. of 



hwil sig"a'tk"detg"e. Nl qan g'in-he'tk"L nak'SL SEm'a'g'it. 4 



(verbal they cried. Therefore rose the wife the chief, 



noun) of 



NLk""e iii'et aL awa'aL hwil haha'Et. NLk*'e a'lg'ixt: "Ago'L 5 



theprox- where they were Then she said: "Why 



imity of crying. 



cjan hahii'sEm r' NiJi^'e de'lEniExk^L nak"sL xa'Eg-e: "Nig"i 6 



dovoiicrv?'* Then answered the wife the slave: "Not 



of 



dEp hwilfi'x't sqa-d'ii't aL k'si-j'6'xk''L niiLqL Lgo-tk"'e'Lk"." 7 



Then .*e 



went 



across is 

 the way 



the 

 breath of 



the 

 little 



child." 



an'o'nt aL ts'Em-a'qL 8 



her hand at in the 



mouth of 



NLk-'e lo-d'Ep-a'qLk"L 9 



Then in down reached 



NLk'> lo-cVEp-Lo'odEL sig'idEmna'q 



Then in down put the ohieftainess 



Lgo-tk-"e'lk". Ne'lEk qa-tsewe'nttg-e. 



the child. Long were her fingers, 



little 



an'o'nL sig'idEmna'q. NLk''e baqL hwil sqa-d'a'L da'sgum elx. 10 



the hand the chieftainess. Then she felt where across was a slice of seal, 



of the way 



NLk-'e k-si-do'qt. NLk-'e k-si-daa'qLk-t. NLk-'et hwila'x-t. 11 



Then out she took Then out she made it Then she knew it. 



it. reach. 



Gwina'del, elx ! NLk-'et ma'LEL sTg-idEmna'q aL sEm'ii'g-it. 12 



Behold, seal! Then told the chieftainess to the chief. 



NLk-'e g-i'daxL sEm'a'g-it tsE hwil witk"t. Hwilii'yit hwiil 13 



Then asked ■ the chief where it onme He know it l>t*ing 



from. 



a'mik.sEm elxt. NiLne't qan gnda'xt. NLk'^t^t ma'uletg'e La 14 



done (cookedi seal. Therefore he asked. Then they hiM him (prrf.) 



metk"L (lal-ts'a'p aL laX qauL ban qaiiL ya'c qaiiL txox" 15 



tiie town 



of 



and salmon 



and 



spring 

 salmon 



halibut 



