ON THE ETHNOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 527 



the youth finds himself in a kind of hollow or cave in the rock, on the 

 floor of which he perceives a great number of human bones, the remains 

 of the shaman's former victims. 



Picking up the chisel he goes to the end of the cave, which opens to 

 him, and he passed out with the tool in his hand. He hurries after the 

 old man and overtakes him before he has reached the house. ' Saq ' 

 (father-in-law), said he, ' here is the chisel you lost.' The shaman takes 

 the chisel, laughs, and says : 'You beat me that time, son-in-law.' The 

 night following this when the others had gone to rest the shaman, who 

 possesses a little dog, calls the creature to him and holds converse with it 

 in this wise : ' I am going to transform you into a swd'kwil (loon) and 

 put you out on the water in the morning for my son-in-law to shoot at. 

 You must take care to dive when you see his arrows coming, and each 

 time you rise to the surface again come up farther off.' MEn-tls-Saie'lEm's 

 wife was still anxious and troubled for her husband's safety. Said she to 

 him : ' None of our young men ever escaped from the rock-trap before, so 

 I do not know what mischief my father is plotting against you now. I 

 feel sure he will not desist from his attempts to kill you, and I am fearful 

 of what may befall you.' MEn-tlE-Saie'lEm comforts her by assuring her 

 that her father cannot really harm him, do what he will. Early next 

 morning the shaman takes the dog to the beach and, muttering man-ic 

 words over it, transforms (siuwen) it into a loon, which enters the water 

 near the shore and begins to swim and dive about just in front of the old 

 man's landing. He now returns to the house and bids his daughter wake 

 her husband and ask him to go to the beach and shoot a loon which is 

 sporting about there close to the shore. MEn-tlE-Saie'lEm gets up and 

 goes to the beach, taking his bow and arrows with him. His arrows have 

 the faculty of striking and killing whatever he shoots them at. He takes 

 aim at the loon and shoots. The seeming bird dives as the arrow reaches 

 it. To the young man's surprise the loon is not killed, only wounded, the 

 arrow merely breaking its flesh and passing on beyond. The youth asks 

 his wife to get him a second arrow. The loon having come to the surface 

 again, though farther off, he shoots the second arrow at it, but meets with 

 no better success than before, merely wounding the bird without killino' 

 it. He asks for a third and yet a fourth arrow, but the loon is still alive 

 and passing out of sight. Perceiving now that his father-in-law was 

 working his medicine against him, and having shot away all his arrows ' 

 he adopts another plan. Said he to his wife : ' Has your father got a 

 sgum 1 _' (big cedar pot or kettle). ' Yes,' replied she. ' Fetch it for me 

 and bring it down here to the beach. I will go after the loon in it.' She 

 did as he bade her, and he set out after the wounded loon in the tub. 

 He took his bow with him, and as he passed his arrows which were float- 

 ing on the surface he picked them up. He now shot them at the loon 

 again, but with the same result as before. He could only wound the loon, 

 which swam farther out at each shot. The old shaman had watched the 

 proceedings thus far without saying a word or doing anything. As the 

 loon and his son-in law pass from their gaze he stands up and takes his 

 bearskin garment, shakes it, and turns it several times and then puts it 

 on again. Consequent upon this action there arose forthwith a great 

 storm, and the wind caused the waves to rise mountain high. The youno- 

 wife is greatly distressed thereat, and believes that she will never see her 

 husband again. She continues for a while to gaze seaward, but nothing 

 but the mountainous billows meets her eyes, and presently she seeks the 



