swASTON] HATDA TEXTS AND MYTHS 249 



He spread mats on the floor of tlic house and put four stones into the 

 fire. When the stones were hot he took a dish and ordered his slaves 

 to put the stones into the dish. They phiccd it before the young- man, 

 who sat down on the mat. Then the girl said: "You always try to 

 kill my suitors by means of the red-hot stones." The youth chewed 

 the medicine which he had received from the crane and rubbed his 

 bodv with it. Then he took the stones up in a ladle and swallowed 

 them one after the other. They fell right through his bod}-. The 

 floor of the house was made of stone, and the stones broke it. The 

 young man was not dead. Then the}' fed him with salmon and berries. 



On the following day the chief said to his daughter: "There is a 

 devilfish at the point of land just T)eyond our village. 1 have tried 

 often to kill it, but 1 can not do so. Tell your husband to try to kill 

 it." The young man started in his canoe, and reached the place where 

 the devillish was living. Four times he chewed his medicine and 

 rul)bed it over his body. Then he threw his harpoon at the eye of 

 the devilfish. As soon as he had done so he fainted, and the monster 

 swallowed him. But he was not dead. He merely thought: "I wish 

 your stomach would burst," and at once the stomach of the devilfish 

 burst, and it was dead. The bones of man 3'^ people were inside. The}^ 

 dropped to the ground when the monster died. Those who had been 

 killed recentl}' were still partly covered with flesh, while those who 

 had been killed long ago were only bones. He chewed some of his 

 medicine and spat on the remains. Thus he resuscitated them. He 

 took the devilfish and carried it to his father-in-law. He threw it 

 down in front of the house. It was so heavy that the house almost 

 fell down. 



On the following morning the chief said to his daughter: "There 

 is a tree not far from here. Let 3'our husband go and fetch its bark." 

 The young man took his stone ax and went to the tree. Then he saw 

 that the bark was sliding up and down all the time. Again he chewed 

 his medicine. Then he spat at the tree three times. Now he struck 

 it with his ax. He fainted right away. When he recovered his senses 

 he found that he was inside the tree. Then he only thought: "1 wish 

 the tree would break." At once the tree burst, and with him the 

 bones of man}' people which the tree had killed fell to the ground. 

 He resuscitated them. Then he took the bark and carried it to the 

 house. He threw it down in front of the house and almost destroyed it. 



Then his father-in-law was ver}' sad because he could not overcome 

 his son-in-law. He did not speak a w^ord. On the following day he 

 said: "Go and cut some alder wood for my fire." He gave him an 

 ax, and the young man went. As soon as he struck the alder he 

 fainted. When he recoven^d his senses he found that he was inside 

 the tree. Again he thought: " 1 wish the tree would burst," and he 

 himself and many people whom it had killed came out of it. He 



