542 REPORT — 1900. 



something to eat, but can discover nothing but the scanty remains of 

 Raven's meal, the salmon tail. This they quickly dispose of, Raven 

 continuing to sleep heavily all the while. Said one to the other, ' I wish 

 I could find Skauk-'s comb ; I should like to comb my hair.' The other 

 expressed the same wish, and they both look round for Raven's comb. 

 Presently they discover a little basket containing what they sought, as 

 well as other of Skauk-'s belongings, such as needles, paint, &c. This 

 they appropriate. They comb their hair and paint their faces, laughing 

 all the time at the slumbering Raven, who is snoring heavily. Said one, 

 ' What is the good of a husband with cracked feet and back ? Let us go 

 away and leave him.' The other agrees, and they start off, carrying 

 Raven's little basket and its contents with them. The day is very hot. 

 They walk along the beach at the edge of the water towards a distant 

 promontory. As they proceed they shake out some of the paint which 

 the basket contains, and which, being fine, is scattered all about the beach. 

 Since that time the beach always shines and glistens in the sunlight. 

 Just about the time that they were nearing the distant point of land 

 Raven wakes up. The first thing he did was to look up and see if his 

 tlkoi were in their place. He finds them gone. He then looks for the 

 salmon-tail he had left over from his dinner, but cannot find it either. 

 Then he searches for his paint-basket, but it, too, is missing. Says he to 

 himself, ' I think the tlkoi must have taken them. I'll go and see if they 

 are outside.' With that he leaves the house and goes down to the water 

 and looks up and down the beach. He perceived the two young women 

 just approaching the distant promontory. ' Ah,' said he, ' they are 

 leaving me. I must go after them and bring them back.' Thereupon he 

 set out to overtake the fugitives and bring them back. But as the fire 

 had burnt and cracked his feet badly while he lay in his heavy stupor, he 

 finds he cannot walk fast. He is obliged to stop frequently and bathe 

 them in the cold water. In a short time the young women pass from his 

 sight beyond the point, and he realises that he has lost them. ' I cannot 

 overtake them,' says he ; ' my feet are too sore.' And with that he hobbles 

 back to his dwelling again, crying and groaning as he went. In the 

 meantime, when the young women had rounded the pi'oraontory they hear 

 a peculiar noise. This noise resembled the sounds which a Fort Douglas 

 (Stlatlumn) woman is said to make with her lips when she wishes to 

 amuse her child or keep it from crying. They look about them, but at 

 first can perceive no one. Presently, however, they discover two old 

 women who are trying to stop the crying of a baby they have in charge, 

 the mother of whom is away in the woods picking berries. Said one of 

 the girls to the old women, who are both blind, ' You don't seem able to 

 stop the child from crying. Here, give it to me.' The old women gave 

 up the child, thinking the girl was the mother returned from her berry- 

 wathering. The two girls carry off the child. Some little time after the 

 mother returns and demands her baby from the old women. Not seeing 

 her child, she cries out, ' What have you done with my baby ? ' Replied 

 one of the old women, ' Why, we gave it to you just now.' This state- 

 ment makes the mother angry, and she takes a big stick and beats the 

 old women, crying out that she had been robbed of her child. As she 

 strikes them, one of the pair turns into a sleme (some kind of bird which 

 I was unable to identify), and flies away making the sound peculiar to its 

 kind ; the other is transformed into a Cauk- (skull). This the angry 

 mother throws into the woods, saying as she does so, ' You can't stay 



