BOAS] TSIMSHIAN TEXTS 2 "2 3 



Sho sang- ag-aiii. Tln^ ralthit (-uih^ and said, "1 will iiiarrv A'our 

 daughter." Phe mothcM' asked, "" What can 30U doT" The ra))bit 

 replied. '• We open our eyes and move our ears and frighten man." 

 "That is not enough: go away!" 



Again she sang, and the owl came and said, "' Hm, lim. hm. Imil I 

 will marry your daughter." " What can youdof '• When we talk 

 we frighten man." "That is not enough; go awayl" 



The owl went, and the mother sang again. All the animals came and 

 wanted to marry her daughter. Finally the liear came and said, "I 

 will marry your daughter." "What can you do?" Then the bear 

 ran away. H(> threw trees down, tore the ground, and siiowed that 

 he was very strong; l)ut she was not satisfied, and sent liini away. 



Again she sang. The gi'izzly beai' came and said, "'I will marry 

 3'our daughter." She asked, " What can you do?" Tlien the grizzly 

 bear ran away and howled. He ran to a swamj). and tore out two 

 roots of bullrushes (?). which looked like a man's head. He tore off 

 some alder bark, chewed it, and spit the red juice on the roots so that 

 they looked like bloody heads. These he carried to the woman. She 

 was almost ready to accept him. but finally she sent him away. 



She sang again. Then there came a clap of thunder, and she fainted; 

 when she came to, she saw a man standing near In". He said. "• I 

 will marry your daughter." "What can you dof" He replied, 

 "I take this club from under my blanket, and as ] turn it the 

 ground turns and trees grow up." The woman asked him to show his 

 powers, and he tui'ued the clul). At once the woman and the girl were 

 buried underground, and trees grew over them. Tiien he turned 

 the club again, and they came up again. He said. "" I saw how your 

 friends were killed, and your village destroyed. Therefore 1 have 

 come to marry your daughter." 



He took the women under his arms and said to them, •' We will go 

 up to heaven now. Don't open your eyes while we are flying, though 

 you hear much noise, else we can not reach heaven." He put the 

 mother under one arm, and the daughter under the other, and flew 

 upward. While he was passing through the clouds there was a great 

 noise, which induced the mother to open her eyes. Th(\v fell back at 

 once, and he said, '"I will try once more; but if you open your eyes 

 again. I must leave vou." He rose a second time; but when they 

 were passing through the clouds they heard the same noise, and the 

 mother could not withstand the temptation to look. As soon as she 

 opened her eyes they fell back. Then the man said. " I can not take 

 you up. I must leave you down iiere." He tore ofl' a l)rancli of a 

 tree, put the mother into the hole which he had thus made, and put 

 the branch back in its place. He said. "You shall cry whenever the 

 wind moves the tree." That is the reason why the trees moan when 

 they are moved l)v the wind. 



