ox THE ETHNOLOGICAL SURVEY OP CANADA. 535 



there.' The Crow undertook to do as the youth requested, and started off 

 on his mission. He finds the old woman sitting in the bow of a canoe 

 crying to herself. He alights on the edge of the canoe and cries out to 

 her in the following words : ' K'ciq, k-dq, ts tcatcEld'tltEn ts uni-mun-mats, 

 kdq ' ' — ' Plenty, plenty food where your grandson is, plenty.' He then 

 disgorges the four herrings which he had carried in his gullet. The old 

 woman quickly comprehends the message her grandson had sent by the 

 Crow, secretes the fish on her person, and goes home. At night, when all 

 were abed and, as she supposed, asleep, the old woman approached the 

 fire and in the shadow of the big night log - produced the herrings and 

 began to roast them over the embers. She thought that no one would 

 observe her at this time ; but it so happened that one of the children 

 woke up and saw her. The child lay near the father's head, which was 

 raised some little distance from the bed by the head-rest, thus leaving a 

 space between his neck and the bed. Looking through this space, the 

 child observed the grandmother cooking and eating her herrings. She 

 presently roused her father and told him what the old woman was doing. 

 The savoury smell had by this time filled the whole building and aroused 

 everybody. The father demands from the old woman how she came by 

 the herrings she had been stealthily cooking. At first she made no reply, 

 and he had to ask her the same question three times before she would 

 respond. She then told him that the fish came from her deserted grand- 

 son, and that the Crow had brought them to her that afternoon with the 

 message that there were plenty more at the old village. On the following 

 morning the chief calls all the people together and tells them of the herring 

 incident, and that his son whom they had deserted was living at the old 

 village in plenty. He proposes that they shall all return thither, as food 

 is scarce in their present quarters. It was agreed that they all return. 

 So they started ofi" for their old ukioumuq in their canoes and in due time 

 arrived at the landing-places. They came in single file, one canoe behind 

 another. As they drew near the shore, the youth donned his wonder- 

 working cloak. To those appi'oaching he now had the glorious, resplen- 

 dent appearance of the noonday sun. They could not look upon him as 

 he sat in front of his dwelling for the dazzling splendour of his garment. 

 Before they landed, those who had kEmkd'mai (daughters) dressed them 

 in their best and gayest blankets, for the purpose of presenting them to 

 the youth as wives. Among these was Raven, who had two daughters. 

 These he not only dressed in their best blankets, but also painted their 

 foreheads. Presently, when all were ready, they landed, and the chief led 

 forward his daughter and offered her to the young Shaman as his wife. 

 The others in turn did likewise, Raven among the rest. He accepts all 

 but Raven's daughters. These he scornfully rejects, and tells Raven to 

 keep them, that he doesn't want them, and will have nothing to do with 

 them. He then bade the people go to their old dwellings and they would 

 find plenty of food awaiting them there. His many wives he takes to his 

 own house. When Raven and his rejected daughters arrive at their home 



' This is not good Sk'qo'mic. The crow is supposed to have mangled it some- 

 what. In correct Sk'qO'mic the expression would be thus rendered : K-dq, haq, tE 

 stcaie'tlisn tE tlEs-ns tE e'mats, k-dq. It is i^ossible that this story is not of Sk-qo'mic 

 origin, hence the difference in the form of the expression. I called my informant's 

 attention to this, but his explanation was that this was the crow's way of talking. 



- The old Indians always banked up their fires, before retiring for the night, with 

 one or more big logs. These kept the fire smouldering till morning. 



