swANTOx] TLINGIT MYTHS AND TEXTS 191 



this manner, his uncle became very angry with him. "Why do you 

 want tliose people to stay?" he said. ''What mil you giye them to 

 eat ? If you have so much to say why don't 3^ou feed them '( " "Well," 

 answered Datga's, "I will feed them." His uncle looked at him in 

 surprise. He had seen him acting strangely at night, and had won- 

 dered what he was doing. While they were talking, the 3^ounger 

 wife of his uncle kept looking at him and shaking her head, because 

 she was afraid that her husband would become angry with him. 



His uncle thought that the boy was only talking, so he said, ''Feed 

 them, then." The boy said, "Call them all in and I will feed them." 

 Half of the people had already gone out, but some stood listening to 

 him as he talked with his uncle, and one of these who stood near the 

 door called those that had gone out, to return. 



When the people were all in, Datgti's went to the place where the 

 salmon used to be packed away, and his uncle thought to himself, 

 "Xliat fellow is going back there to those empty boxes." Wlien he 

 returned with one of them, however, it looked very heavy, and pres- 

 ently he handed out a salmon to every boy in the room, telling him 

 to roast it at the fire. So his uncle had nothing more to say. 



Next Datga's told some of the boys to get trays, and, after he had 

 filled them, he set them before the people. Telling them to keep 

 quiet, he went back again to the place where the boxes were and 

 called for help. Two more boys went back there and brought for- 

 ward a box of oil to eat with their salmon. 



After they had eaten these things, he called the boys to go back 

 with him again and they brought out a box of venison. His uncle 

 kept very quiet while this was going on, and his younger wife felt 

 very proud. Next Datga's had them bring out a box of berries" 

 preserved in grease, which he passed around in large dishes. The 

 chief began to think that his nephew w^as giving too much at a time 

 of famine, but he could say nothing. Then preserved high-bush 

 cranberries were served to the people in large dishes and finally soap- 

 berries, which all the boys stirred. 



After this feast everyone left the house, but they soon came back 

 one by one to buy food, for they had plenty of other propert}'. 

 People that were dying of starvation were strengthened by the food 

 he gave them. For one large moose hide he would give two salmon. 

 He asked his uncle's younger wife to receive the goods that he was 

 getting in exchange. But, after he had obtained a great deal of 

 property more than half of the food was still left. 



The chief, his uncle, w^as quite old at that time, both of his ^vives 

 being much younger. He felt very well disposed toward his nephew 

 to think that he had been so liberal and had kept up his uncle's name, 

 so he said to him, "You have done well to me and to my village 



p Thege were the berries called tlnx. 



