boas) family histories 1249 



Legend of the Naxnaxu^la, Qweq"sot !enox" 



Once upon a time, during a famine in Hada, many people died. 

 Among the survivors was a young virgin who had a sister married in 

 a distant village. One day she thought, "I will go to my sister: she 

 may have food to spare." So she started off, carrying her clothes in a 

 bundle on her back. She walked day and night. Every morning 

 she arose early, and before continuing her journey she bathed, in 

 order to purify herself. She expected to meet on the way some kind 

 of supernatural being. One night, after she had gone to sleep, she 

 dreamed that a handsome man came to her and addressed her with 

 kindly words. She could not sleep on account of her dream, and 

 very early in the morning she washed her body with hemlock- 

 branches. She went on the whole day until night fell. Then she 

 stopped by a small stream. Again she rubbed her body with hem- 

 lock-branches. 



In the evening of that day she saw her elder sister coming towards 

 her. The elder sister asked at once for some food, for she had nothing 

 but a few dry salal-berries to eat. The younger sister replied, "We 

 have nothing to eat at home, and all our people have starved to 

 death: therefore I left and came to see you, for I hoped to get some- 

 thing to eat from you. I have just one small piece of salmon- 

 spawn to sustain me on my journey." With these words she took 

 out of her bag a piece of dried salmon-spawn as long as her forefinger, 

 and broke it in two. She gave one-half to her elder sister, and they 

 ate it with the dry salal-berries. After they had eaten, the elder 

 one told how all the people of her village had also died of starvation. 



They lay down to sleep. After a short while the younger sister 

 saw a handsome man coming towards her. She did not stir, and the 

 man walked straight on to her and lay down by her side. He said, 

 "Is it true that your people have starved to death for lack of food?" 

 The virgin did not hesitate to answer. She said, "It is true. There- 

 fore I went to see my sister, hoping to get food from her; but I see 

 that she is just as much in need as I am, for she told me that there is 

 no food in her village." Then the handsome man seemed to be very 

 sorry for her. He said, " To-morrow morning I shall make a salmon- 

 weir for you. Then you wiU have plenty of food." lie became the 

 husband of the virgin. Early in the morning he gathered small 

 sticks and spruce-roots. With these he tied the sticks together, 

 making a salmon-trap. Before long it was finished, and he put it 

 into the stream. Then the salmon rushed into it and filled it. He 

 took them out of the weir, and the two sisters cut them open and 

 roasted them. They ate some, and now they were well supplied 

 with food. 



75052—21—3.5 eth— pt 2 30 



