swANTON] HAIDA TEXTS AND MYTHS 275 



swooped down jiiid took one in each talon. He did not tind them too 

 heavy and carried them home. He gave them to the old woman. 

 When he found that lie was strono- cnoug-h to lift two whales, he thought 

 he would be al)le to conquer the animal of which the old woman had 

 wai ihhI him. He started earh' in the morning, and, as soon as he saw 

 the clam, he swooped down on it and succeeded in lifting it. But soon 

 he felt his strength leaving him, and he began to sink down lower and 

 lower. Now the clam had dragged him down tothesurface of the water. 

 Then one of the Eagles came to his assistance. He took hold of his 

 wings and tried to pull him up, but in vain. The clam pulled him 

 down. Another Eagle came to their help, ))ut they were unable to 

 ovei'come the clam. All the whale hunters came to their assistance, 

 but all of them were dragged down under the water. 



Now only one of the Eagles was left. He returned home and told the 

 old woman what had happened. Thenshesaid: " Ngai, ngai, ngai!" She 

 sharpened her nails and put on her skin, which looked very old and 

 ragged. Now she was an old Eagle, who had lost many feathers. She 

 flew out to sea, and sang: " Wh}" did my son-in-law disobey me ? Ngai, 

 ngai, ngaif When she came to the place where the clam had drowned 

 the Eagles, she saw the wings of one Eagle only above the surface of the 

 water. She took hold of them and tried to lift them. She was almost 

 dragged under water; but gradually she began to rise. She tried three 

 times. The fourth time she succeeded in raising the Eagle. Again 

 she sang: "Why did my son-in-law disobey me? Ngai, ngai, ngai!" 

 Then she heard a noise under water, ""Ox!" Then she lifted all the 

 Eagles, and took them back home. 



Now the young man resolved to take revenge on the people who 

 had killed him. He put on his eagle skin and tlew to his uncle's vil- 

 lage. There he alighted on the top of a tree. When the people saw 

 him they attenn)ted to shoot him, because they were desirous of 

 ol)taining the P^agle's feathers for winging their arrows; but they were 

 unable to hit him. Now his uncle's son attempted to shoot him. At 

 onc(^ he swooped down, grasped him, and carried him upward. One 

 of the men of the village tried to hold the boy, but he also was lifted 

 upward; and thus he raised all the men of the village. He carried 

 them out to sea and dropped them into the water, where they were 

 drowned. 



The young man continued to live there for many years, but finally 

 he became homesick. He did not laugh and stayed at home all the 

 time. Then the old woman asked her daughter: "Why is 3^our hus- 

 band sad?" His wife replied: "He wishes to return to his uncle's 

 village." Then the old woman gave him the skin of the bird t'En. [It 

 has a red throat, and is eaten bj^ the whites], '■ He put it on and flew 

 back. The village was entirely deserted, because he had killed all the 



