SWANTOX] TLINGIT MYTHS AND TEXTS 209 



get away from her, so I traveled in the woods alone and became 

 lost. Since that day I have not been home to see my mother." 

 Then the man took oif his coat, gave it to the boy, and said, "Put on 

 this coat. As soon as you have done so, stretch out yoiu' arms and 

 keep gouig like that. Don't tliink of me and don't think of this 

 lake. Think of your uncle's house." 



The boy did as he had been told, and it seemed to him that he 

 was flying along very rapidly far above the trees. For a long time 

 he thought of nothing else than his uncle's house and his uncle's 

 village, but at length he remembered the lake and lo ! he was there 

 once more with the man standing before him in the same place. 

 Then the man said, "Didn't I tell you not to think of me or the lake? 

 Start over again. Think of nothing but j^our uncle's house and the 

 village you are bound for." So this time the boy tried very hard, 

 and all at once he came out back of his uncle's house, where his mother 

 was waiting and calling for him. When she recognized him she was 

 very happy. 



56. THE BOY WHO SHOT THE STAR 



Two very high-caste boys were chums. The father of one was 

 town chief and had his house in the middle of the village, but the 

 house of the other boy's father stood at one end. These boys would 

 go alternatel}'' to each other's houses and make great quantities of 

 arrows which they would play with until all were broken up. 



One time })oth of the boys made a great quantity of arrows to 

 see which could have the more. Just back of their village was a hill 

 on the top of which was a smooth grassy place claimed by the boys 

 as their playground, and on a certain fine, moonlight night they 

 started thither. As they were going along the lesser chief's son, who 

 was ahead, said, "Look here, friend. Look at that moon. Don't 

 you think that the shape of that moon is the same as that of my 

 mother's labret and that the size is the same, too?" The other an- 

 swered, "Don't. You must not talk that wa}' of the moon." Then 

 suddenly it became very dark about them and presently the head 

 chief's son saw a ring about them just like a rainbow. When it dis- 

 appeared his companion was gone. He called and called to him but 

 did not get any answer and did not see him. He thought, "He must 

 have run up the hill to get away from that rainbow." He looked up 

 and saw the moon in the sky. Then he climbed the hill, and looked 

 about, but his friend was not there. Now he thought, "Well! the 

 moon must have gone up with him. That circular rainbow must 

 have been the moon." 



The boy thus left alone sat down and cried, after which he began 

 to try the bows. He put strings on them one after the other and 

 tried them, but every one broke. He broke all of his own bows and 

 49438— Bull. 39—00 14 



