SWANTON] TLINGIT MYTHS AND TEXTS 219 



kill you. ' ' Then the hin-ta3'I'ci answered , ' ' Those are the ones that are 

 going to get me." So the shaman went out with his friends and 

 watched from their former stations. 



Presently the watching people saw the killer whales approach 

 with a big crab in advance of them. Its body was under water, but 

 its legs stuck out, and the water seemed to boil as it swam forward. 

 Then the hin-tayl'ci came out and said to the shaman, "They will 

 get me this time. It is my own fault. I am sure that I can not kill 

 that big person with the shell." Then the hln-tayi'ci went back into 

 its hole, and the crab ran up against the opening so it was unable 

 to get out. So the hin-tayi'ci said, "How is it that you do not allow 

 me to come out when you have come here to fight me ? Let me come 

 out so that you can get me. I have killed enough of }'ou deep-water 

 people to come out now. Stand away a little and let me come." 



The hhi-tayi'ci wanted to see where the jcnnts on the crab's claws 

 were situated, and, as soon as the crab moved to one side, it went 

 against one of them and cut it off. With its remaining claw, how- 

 ever, the crab seized it, lifted it into the air, and killed it in sight of 

 everyone. After that it ])laced the body on the back of the chief 

 killer whale, and the crab and the killer whales sang together as they 

 went away with its body. As they went they kept close to the sur- 

 face of the water. 



61. THE EAST AND NORTH WINDS 



A high-caste man married the daughter of East-wind (Sa'nAxet). 

 After a time he heard of a very ])retty high-caste girl, the daughter of 

 North-wind (Xun), so he left his first wife, came north, and married 

 her. Then he took her back to the village where his first wife lived. 



Now the people said to his first wife, "There is a very pretty 

 woman here. Her clothes are very valuable and sparkle all over. 

 They make a noise like bells." East-wind's daughter was at once jeal- 

 ous and said, "I will soon be able to fix that pretty girl you boys are 

 talking about." Quite a while afterward it began to grow cloudy and 

 warm, and sure enough the daughter of North-wind lost all of her 

 beautiful clothing. It was icicles and frost that were so prett}", and 

 when she lost these she lost her beauty with them. 



62. THE BIG BEAVER 



At a certain place far back in the forest was a large lake in which 

 w^er^ many beaver houses. One time some people found this lake 

 and dug a trench out of it in order to drain it. Then they broke u]) 

 the beavers' houses so that the beavers began to swim down through 

 the trench. As they floated along the people killed them, all except 

 one very large beaver, which they knew must have been there on 



