844 KEPORT — 1889. 



stretched my limbs and yawned. Then the people in the village cried, 

 " Somebody is coming ! Let us go and take him across the river ! " A 

 boat came to where I stood, and took me to the village. Everyone 

 greeted me kindly. I was going to tell them of this life, but they raised 

 their hands and motioned me to be silent, saying, " Don't speak of these 

 matters; they do not belong to us." They gave me salmon and berries 

 to eat, but everything had a burnt taste, although it looked like good 

 food ; therefore I did not touch it. They gave me water, but when I 

 was about to drink it I found that it looked green and had a bitter taste. 

 They told me that the river which I had crossed was formed of the tears 

 shed by the women over the dead ; therefore yon must not cry until your 

 dead friend has crossed the river. 



' I thought, " I came here to die, but the spirits lead a miserable life. 

 I will rather endure the pains my mother inflicts upon me than stay 

 here. ' The spirits asked me to stay, but I was not moved by their 

 entreaties, and left. As soon as I turned round the river had disappeared, 

 and I found myself on a path that was seldom trodden by man. I went 

 on and on, and saw many hands growing out of the ground, and moving 

 towards me, as though they were asking something, Far away I saw a 

 great fire, and close behind it a sword swinging around. When I 

 followed the narrow path 1 saw many eyes, which were all fixed upon 

 me. But I did not mind them, for I wanted to die, and I went on and 

 on. The fire was still at a distance. At last I reached it, and then I 

 thought, "What shall I do ? My mother does not hear me. I hate the 

 life of the spirits. I will die a violent death, and go to Tahi't." I put 

 my head into the fire, right where the sword was swinging round. Then 

 all of a sudden I felt cold. I heard my dog barking and my mother 

 crying. I stretched my limbs, peeped through the walls of my little 

 grave, and saw you, mother, running away. I called my dog ; he 

 came to see me, and then you arrived and found me alive. Many would 

 like to return from the countiy of the spirits, but they dread the hands, 

 the eyes, and the fire ; therefore the path is almost obliterated.' 



A similar story tells of a man's visit to the upper country, which is 

 ruled by Tahi't : 



A man named Ky'itl'a'c, who lived about seven generations ago, killed 

 himself. When he died he saw a ladder descending from heaven, and 

 he ascended it. At the head of the ladder he met an old watchman, who 

 was all black, and had curly hair (? ?). He asked, ' What do you want 

 here ? ' When Ky'itl'a'c told him that he had killed himself, the watch- 

 man allowed him to pass. Soon he discovered a large house, and saw a 

 kettle standing in front of it. In the house he saw Tahi't, who beckoned 

 him to come in. He called two of his people (who are called Kyewak'a'o) 

 and ordered them to show Ky'itl'a'c the whole country. They led him to 

 the Milky Way, and to a lake in which two white geese were swimming. 

 They gave him a small stone and asked him to try and hit the geese 

 with it. He complied with their request, and as soon as he had hit the 

 geese they began to sing. This made him laugh, for their singing felt 

 as though somebody tickled him. Then his companions asked him, ' Do 

 you wish to see Tahi't's daughters ? ' When he expressed his desire 

 they opened the cloud door, and he saw two bashful j'Oung girls beyond 

 the clouds. When he looked down upon the earth he saw the tops of 

 the trees looking like so many pins. But he wished to return to the 

 earth. He pulled his blanket over his head and flung himself down. 



