8WANTON] HAIDA TEXTS AND MYTHS 143 



the chief's diiughter dipped from the pond. When she attempted to 

 drink, the hemlock leaf was in her way, and she tried to blow it awa}^, 

 ])ut did not succeed. Finally she grew impatient and swallowed it 

 with the water. After two months she had a child, and her father 

 was very glad. The child slept at his mother's side, but at midnight, 

 when all were asleep, he traveled all over the country and came to a 

 town. The people were all asleep, and during the night he ate their 

 eyes. When the people awoke in the morning, they found that they 

 were ])lind. They asked one another, "Did not you hear a story 

 about such a thing happening T' But the old people said they never 

 had heard of such a thing. The next night he proceeded to another 

 town, where he also ate the eyes of all the people. Then he did the 

 same in a third town. The people did not know how they lost their 

 eyesight. Finally he went to a fourth town and ate the eyes of the 

 people. 



There was an old man in the corner of the chief's house. He did 

 not sleep because he wished to discover how the people in the various 

 towns were blinded. One night he saw the bo}' arise from the side of 

 his mother and return earl}' in the morning. He returned with his 

 skin blanket filled with something. The old man saw him sitting- 

 down near his mother's fire and taking out something round from his 

 blanket. While doing so he was laughing. Then the old man knew 

 that he had taken the e3'es of the people. 



\\'hen, the next morning, the people heard that the inhabitants of 

 another town had lost their eyes the old man said that he had seen 

 how the young man ate the eyes while his mother was asleep, that 

 he had carried them back to the house in his blanket, and that he had 

 eaten them sitting near the fire. 



The floor of the house was made of stone. The chief then broke it, 

 took the boy, and threw him down to our earth. At that time the 

 water was still high, and only the top of his totem pole was seen 

 above the surface of the water. The boy dropped upon the top of the 

 totem pole, crying "Qa!" and assumed the shape of a raven. The 

 pole split in two when he dropped down upon it. Then the waters 

 began to subside, and he began his migrations. 



He went to a rock from which the wind was blowing all the time. 

 He'intended to kill the [s. e.] wind, Xeio'. He tried to make canoes 

 from various kinds of wood, but they did not satisfy him. Then he 

 asked the birds to carry him there, but they could not do it. Finally 

 he took the maple tree, and he succeeded in making a good canoe. 

 He vanquished the wind and made him his slave. 



Xausgana"" was fishing for halibut. The Raven went to visit him. 

 He was kindh^ received, because Xausgana did not know that he was 

 trying to steal food wherever he went. One morning when he went 

 out fishing Raven said: ''On my travels I saw a large island on 



