swan-ton] TLINGIT MYTHS AND TEXTS 197 



salmon. Put me into the water and let me go out again. You will 

 get lots of salmon if you let me go." The man felt very badly to lose 

 it, but he thought that since it talked to him in this way he would let 

 it go, and he did so. 



Before this happened it had been very stormy, so that the fisherman 

 had been vmable to get anything, but now it became calm, and he went 

 out fishing and caught many salmon. Next day he went for more, 

 but it was so stormy at sea that he could not catch any. Then he 

 thought that he would walk along shore again. He did so, and when 

 he came to the place where he had found the first salmon he saw 

 another large, fine salmon. He thought, "Oh! what a fine-looking 

 salmon, and I have to let it go again." But the salmon spoke up 

 at once saying, "No, don't let me go. Take me home, and you shall 

 have me for your supper. After you have cooked me do not break 

 any of my bones. Take care of all of them. Take the bones out of 

 my head and j)lace them in a dish. Then put them under your pillow 

 and sleep on them to-night." 



This man lived alone with his wife, and they had no children but 

 were very anxious for them. About midnight the man awoke and, 

 looking under his pillow, saw two fine-looking boy babies. 



The children grew up quite fast, and one of them was very brave, 

 but the other was a coward and always stayed at home. One clay the 

 former asked his father, "Are you two the only ones who live here?" 

 "That is all; that is all," said his father, for he did not want his son to 

 leave them. After that the boy begged hard to go away, and asked 

 his father to put up some food for him to take, but at first his father 

 refused. He begged so hard, however, that after a while his parents 

 consented and prepared it. 



So the boy finally went away, and presently he came to where an 

 old woman lived. This woman said to him, "My grandson." "Oh! 

 my grandmother," said he. Then she gave him something to eat. 

 She put something into a very small kettle, and, after it was cooked, 

 she gave it to him and it tasted very good. Then she looked up at 

 him and said, "I suppose you thought 'That old woman who lives 

 back there is starving.' I don't suppose you thought I had anything 

 to eat." Afterward the boy said, "Grandmother, why is it that this 

 village looks so black?" She answered, "There is a monster there 

 which is a human being and yet not a human being. It has seven 

 heads. It is to be fed with the chief's daughter. Otherwise he will 

 murder every one in the village." Finally they heard a drum and 

 saw people going along dancing. They were taking the chief's 

 daughter to tliis monster. Then the boy saw them return without 

 her." 



a This portion o£ the story and that whicii luiiows Iook. nKea garbled European myth, such as the 

 story of Perseus and Andromeda, or that of Hercules and the Hydra. 



