52 BUREAU OB^ AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 29 



Sounding-gambling-sticks 



[Told ))>• Tom Stevens, chief of Those-born-at-House-point] 



One w hose father was a chief made gambling sticks. And one day 

 he sent out his father's slave to call any one who might choose to 

 gamble. '■'Hli+"''' [he shouted].^ He did the same thing every day. 



One morning some one spread out gambling sticks. Only his hands 

 were visible. The upper part of him was enveloped in clouds. And 

 he (the chief's son) came and sat opposite him. After they had talked 

 about what property the}' woidd stake they began gambling together, 

 and he lost. Afterward he staked more. He continued to lose until 

 he lost all of his father's property. Then he lost the slaves, and when 

 those were all gone he staked the rear row of the town. That, too, 

 went. And [he staked] the next row. That, too, was lost. There 

 were live rows of houses in his father's town. And again he wagered 

 a row. That was also lost. He lost all live rows of the town. Then 

 he staked his father, mother, and sisters. And they were lost. 



The people immediatel}^ made ready their canoes and got on board. 

 It was foggy. Then they went off, and after a while the voices of the 

 crowd became lost in the distance.^ 



And after he had gone about in the town for a while he began to push 

 along with a pole a cedar beam owned by his father, and he got it 

 down to the water. ^ Then he used his gambling-stick bag for a pillow, 

 put on his marten-skin blanket, and lay down upon it. 



Now he floated about. Many nights passed over him. During all that 

 time it was calm weather. B3' and by something said to him: " Your 

 powerful grandfather asks you to come in." He looked in the direc- 

 tion of the sound. Nothing was to be seen. He saw only the ripples 

 where it had gone down. He was floating against a two-headed kelp. 



Then he again covered his face, and something spoke to him as 

 before. Now he looked through the eyeholes in his marten-skin 

 blanket. After he had looked for a while toward the place whence 

 the voice proceeded a grebe's * l^eak came out and [the bird saidj at 

 the same time: ''Your powerful grandfather asks you to come in.'' 



Then he took his gambling-stick bag, grasped the kelp head, and 

 went down on it. It was a two-headed house pole on which he started 

 down. He saw it when he passed into the water. 



When he stood in front of the house his grandfather invited him 

 inside: "Come in, grandchild. I have news, grandson, that you came 

 floating about in search of mo as soon as you had lost your father's 



