108 BUEEAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY Ibui.l. ;!!:) 



but he could not get out. The ground-hog enjo^'ed himself very much , 

 but Raven acted as if he were in prison and ke])t shouting to his 

 companion, ' 'Winter comes on, Winter comes (m," thinking that 

 the ground-hog had power to make the winter pass rapidly. The 

 ground-hog had to stay in his hole for six months, and at that time 

 he had six toes, one for each, but Raven ])ulled one of his toes out 

 of each foot in order to shorten the winter. That is why he has but 

 five nowadays." 



Next Raven married the tlaughter of a chief named Fog-over-the- 

 salmon (Xat-ka-qoga's!i) . It was winter, and they were without food, 

 so Raven wanted salmon very much. His wife made a large basket 

 and next morning washed her hands in it. When she got through 

 there was a salmon there. Both were very glad, and cooked and ate 

 it. Every day afterward she did the same tiling imtil their house 

 was fidl of drying salmon. After that, however, Raven and his wife 

 quarreled, and he hit her on the shoulder with a piece of dried salmon. 

 Then she ran away from him, but, when he ran after her and seized 

 her, his hands passed right througli her body. Then she went into 

 the water and disappeared forever, while all of the salmon she had 

 dried followed her. He could not catch her because she was the fog 

 (gus!). After that he kept going to his father-in-law to beg him to 

 have his wife come back, but his father-in-law said, "You promised 

 me that you would have resjiect for her and take care of her. You 

 did not do it, therefore you can not have her back."'' 



Then Raven had to leave this place, and went on to another town 

 where he found a widower. He said to this man, "I am in the same 

 fix as you. My wife also has died." Raven wanted to marry the 

 daughter of the chief in that town, so he said, "Of course I have to 

 marry a woman of as high caste as my first wife. That is the kind I 

 am looking for." But TsAgwa'n (a bird), who was also looking for 

 a high-caste wife, followed Raven about all the time. He said to the 

 people, "That man is telling stories around here. His first wife left 

 him because he was cruel to her." For this reason they refused to 



a " This episode used to be brought up to girls of 14 or 15 who wanted to run about to feasts and other 

 festivities without their mothers or grandmothers. Such girls were told that they were like Raven 

 when he was imprisoned in the ground-hog hole and wanted to get out. Those who stayed 

 indoors were respected by everybody. They also liliened Raven to a foolish girl who tries to lead a 

 good girl. Ground-hog, astray. They told the latter that some injury would result, as happened to 

 Ground-hog in losing his toes. When a mother saw that her daughter was willing to listen to a foolish 

 girl, she would say to her, 'Whatever that foolish girl leads you to will be seen on you as long as 

 you live." (From the writer's informant.) 



b " When a young man was about to marry, people would bring this story up to him and tell him that 

 if he did not take care of his wife and once forgot himself, he might lose her. If his wife were a good 

 woman and he treated her right, he would have money and property, but if he were mean to her, he 

 would lose it. And it he lost his wife and had been good to her, he could get another easily." (From 

 the writer's informant.) 



