BOAS] TSIMSHIAN TEXTS 233 



you must sew up my .stomach." They obeyed, and after four days 

 TsEgu'ksk" was alive and well. They placed his intestines in a canoe, 

 which was pushed into the river. It sank at once, and his intestines 

 are still at the bottom of the river. They cause the noise of the 

 rapids. 



Once upon a time TsEgu'ksk" traveled down the river in his canoe. 

 The canoe capsized, and when he was about to be drowned a great 

 number of gulls came to his rescue. They took him on their backs 

 and carried him up the river to his village, singing: 



Hit de-k'a'etne liagun-dE-hwi'leL i|G'wundeL an-d;Vx'i. lax-lui'. 



That is. "1 am taken along- on the water, I am taken around the world 

 by gulls." 



After a short time an epidemic of smallpox visited the villages. 

 TsEgu'ksk" placed a pole, which he had painted red, in front of his 

 house to ward off the disease. But, nevertheless, he became sick. He 

 called all the great shamans of his village, and asked them if he would 

 recover. Finally one of them replied that he would not recover. 

 Then he made a bow a-ad four arrows, which he painted red. He 

 ordered one of his friends to shoot the arrows up to the sun. His friend 

 did so. and the arrows did not return; but every time he shot, 

 blood ))egan to flow from TsEgu'ksk""s forehead and from his cheeks. 

 When TsEgu'ksk" felt the blood, he said, '" I shall not remain dead." 

 He took his rattle and went around the tire twice, following the 

 course of the sun. Then he .asked for a coffin box. He crawled 

 into it and died. Then the people took the skin of a mountain- 

 goat, cut ropes out of it, and tied the box tightly. Then they 

 placed it on a Lirge bowlder behind the village. On the fourth 

 night after the burial a noise was heard proceeding from the box. 

 When the people went out to see what it was, they saw that TsEgu'ksk" 

 had broken the thongs, and that he was sitting on the box. He had 

 assumed the shape of a white owl. One man tried to catch him; but 

 as the owl flew away, he became afraid and returned. Then a second 

 man, whose name was Lo-gwisgwa's, tried. He did not succeed. 

 After four men had tried, the owl suddenly fell back into the box, 

 and the thongs were replaced by magic. The stafl' which TsEgu'ksk" 

 had raised in front of his house fell to pieces and was seen to be rotten 

 all through. Before the owl fell back into the box, it said, "Wul, 

 dEuia'nde;" that is, "Nobody will be left." The epidemic continued 

 for some time, and all the people died. This was the tirst visitation 

 of smallpox. 



