swANTos] HAIDA TEXTS AND MYTHS 119 



he said to the ^host: "Are you awake ^ "' It got up for him, and he tied 

 the dancing skirt upon it. He also put the rattle into its hand. And 

 he said to it: " Walk in front of the town. When you reach the mid- 

 dle wave the rattle in front of you toward the houses. A deep sleep 

 will fall then upon them." 



Now it began to dance, they say. When it waved the rattle toward 

 the town, just as he had told it to do, they began to nmmble in their 

 sleep. They had nightmares. He then went into the first house and, 

 roughly pulling out a good-looking woman, lay there with her. AikI 

 he entered the next one. There, too, he lay with somebody. As he 

 went along doing this he entered his father's house, went to where 

 his aunt slept, and lay with her. 



And a certain old woman living in the house corner did not have a 

 nightmare. She had been observing the chief's son in the cradle come 

 out of himself. Then he went out again. After he had been awa}^ for 

 a while he came in and la}' down to sleep in the cradle. He made the 

 ghost lie down again. 



The town people told one another in whispers that he had lain with 

 his aunt, and his mother, Flood-tide-woman, as well. This went on for 

 a while; then, all at once, there was an outbreak. Then they drove 

 Flood-tide-woman awa}- with abusive language. Her boy, too, they 

 drove oil" with her with abusive words. She was the sister of Great- 

 breakers,'* belonging to the Strait people, they say. 



And they came along in this direction (i. e., toward Skidegate). 

 After they had come along for a while the}^ found a young sea otter 

 opposite the trail that runs across Rose Spit (G.o'JgustA). His mother 

 then skinned it and sewed it together. Now she stretched it and, hav- 

 ing scraped it, laid it out to dry. When it was dried she made it into 

 a blanket for her son. He was NAfiki'lsL.as-lina'-i,^' they say. 



And after they had traveled for a while she stood with her child in 

 front of her brother's house. By and b}' somebody put his head out. 

 "Ah, Flood-tide-woman stands without." " N-n-n, she has done as 

 she always does (i. e., been unfaithful to her husband), and for that 

 reason comes back again," said her brother. And again he spoke: 

 " With her is a boy. Come, come, come, let her in." 



Then she came in with her son. And her brother's wife gave them 

 something to eat. By and by he asked of her: " Flood-tide- woman, 

 what are you going to name the child?" And she moved her hand 

 over the back of her head. She scratched it [in embarrassment]. 

 "Why, I am going to name your nephew NAfiki'lsLas-liiia'-i." As 

 she spoke she held back her words hesitatingly. " 1 tell you, name him 

 diflferently, lest the supernatural beings who are afraid to think of 

 him (the bearer of that name) hear that a common child is so called." 



While she was staying with her brother her child walked about. He 

 banged the swinging door roughly. " Flood-tide-woman, stop that 



