swANTosl HAIDA TEXTS AND MYTHS 203 



woods. TluMi lio pulled up ii l)uiu-li ol" feni by tho roots. He tied 

 the stalks tooetlier and sat down l»y the ed<»e of the tire toward the 

 cloor. Fiv(> Land-otter- women sat in the corner of the house and one 

 of them had Fpward inside of her ])lanket. 



Presently [the sti'anoei-s] eanie in and sat in a ciicle. Then Raven*" 

 called for one of the youno- hoA's who moved in a crowd on the side of 

 the liouse toward the door. And. after lie had whispered into his ear, 

 [the hoy] went out.*'' And, after he liad been away for a while, they 

 spread out a mat in th<> middh* of the side of the house, and five persons 

 with matted hair sat upon it. After they had sat there for a while, one 

 of them l>e^an actiuL;' as a shaman, and they sang" a song" for him as he 

 acted. After he had done this for a while, he pointed at the one who 

 held Upward hidden. When they all went to her. he (Marten) pushed 

 the ferns on the iir(\ Innnediately it Ix'came dark, and he was handed 

 to anothei". After they liad pulled Ikm" up straight, they found noth- 

 ing at all u[)on her. 



Then another acted as shaman and pointed at tiie one who was hiding 

 him. Then they started for her. Again Marten shoved the ferns into 

 the tire. While it was dark they passed him to another one. She, 

 too, they had stand up. There was nothing" whatever upon her. 



Again one acted as shaman. Again he pointed at one of them. 

 There was not a sign of a thing upon her. Still another acted as 

 shaman. When he pointed at the one who held him, they went for 

 her. Then l^pward changed himself into a cinder and hid himself at 

 the edge of the smoke-hole. 



Then the one who sat at the end of those who came ))y canoe with 

 Raven acted as shaman. And, after they had sung a song for him for 

 a while, he pointed up at him, and they went to get him. [He floated 

 up] and after he had kept coming down for a while, lo! thev ))rought 

 Upward in. 



Then th(\v l>rought him before Wi'git, and he pulled his arm off. 

 And, after he had pulled his other arm ofl', he gave them to the one 

 (shaman) who sat next to him. Now he pulled out both of his legs 

 and gave them to the shamans. And his bod}^ too, he cut in pieces 

 and gave to them. Then they ate it. The}" consumed it all. And, 

 after they had sat there for a while, they l)ecame sick in- the stomach. 

 They died. Their bodies were pulled away and thrown outside. 



[The Story of Stone-ribs us told by Tom I'rieo of Tliose-borii-in-tlie-Ninstiiits-conutry] 



From the town of Lg.adA'n they began to go out fishing for ))lack 

 cod. Then a creature having Ave fins at an island h'ing seaward 

 called QIa'g.awa-i pursued them. x\nd canoes were rapidly carried 

 into his mouth by a current of water. But still they feared that they 

 were going to starve to death and went out fishing. Many e^scaped. 

 Mussels grew upon that island only. That is why the}' went to it. 



