328 MYTHS OF THE CHKKOKKE [kth.an.s.19 



bad;" The chief .said, '"Don't talk so; it i.s only a stnin<jer come to 

 see U.S. Let him alone." Food was getting .scarce in the mountains, 

 and the council was to decide what to do about it. They had .sent out 

 niessenger.s all over, and while they were talking two bear.s came in 

 and reported that they had found a country in the low ground.s where 

 there were .so many chestnuts and acorns that mast was knee deep. 

 Then they were all pleased, and got ready for a dance, and the dance 

 leader was the one the Indians call Kalils'-gunahi'ta, "Long Hams," a 

 great lilack bear that is always lean. After the dance the bears noticed 

 the hunter's l)ow and arrows, and one .said, "This is what men use to 

 kill us. Let us see if we can manage them, and may be we can tight 

 man with his own weapons." So they took the bow and arrows from 

 the hunter to try them. They fitted the ari'ow and drew back the 

 string, but when they let go it caught in their long claws and the 

 arrows dropped to the ground. They saw that they could not use 

 the how and arrows and gave them back to the man. When the dance 

 and the council were over, they began to go home, excepting the White 

 Bear chief, who lived there, and at last the hunter and the bear went 

 out together. 



They went on until they came to another hole in the side of the 

 mountain, when the bear said, "This is where I live," and they went 

 in. By this time the hunter was very hungry and was wondering iiow 

 he could get something to eat. The other knew his thoughts, and sit- 

 ting up on his hind legs he rubbed his stomach with his forepaws — xo — 

 and at once he had both paws full of chestnuts and gave them to the 

 man. Ht^ I'ubbed his stomach again — so — and liad his paws full of 

 huckleberries, and gave them to the man. He ru})bed again — no — and 

 ga\e the man iwth paws full of l)lackberries. He rubbed again — mi — 

 and had his paws full of acorns, but the man said that he could not 

 eat them, and that he had enough already. 



The hunter lived in the cave with the bear all winter, until long 

 hair like that of a bear l)egan to grow all over his body and he began 

 to act like a bear; but he still walked like a man. One day in early 

 spring the bear said to him, '" Your people down in the settlement are 

 getting ready for a grand hunt in these mountains, and the}' will come 

 to this cave and kill me and take these clothes from me" — he meant 

 his skin — " but they will not hurt you and will take you home with 

 them." The hear knew what the people were doing down in the .set- 

 tlement just as he always knew what the man was thinking about. 

 Some days passed and the Isear said again, "This is the day when the 

 Topknots will come to kill me, but the Split-noses will come first and 

 find us. When they have killed me they will drag me outside the 

 cave and take oti' my clothes and cut me in pieces. You must cover 

 the blood with leaves, and when they are taking you away look back 

 after you have gone a piece and you will see something." 



