ON THE ETHNOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 559 
very careful of the rope the meat was tied with, as he prized it very 
much, and didn’t want it lost or broken. The father promised to be very 
careful of it. He had no difficulty in finding the meat, which he took 
down from the tree and slung across his shoulders ; but as he was cross- 
ing the stream the rope broke, and the meat and rope fell into the water 
together. The old man immediately jumped into the stream to secure the 
rope. He did not care so much about the meat. ‘I must not let the 
rope be carried away,’ said he, ‘or my son will be grieved and angry.’ 
So saying, he caught hold of it ; but as he did so the current swept him oft 
his legs, and he was carried, rope and all, down the rushing stream to the 
Thompson, and from thence into the Fraser and far down that river. He 
was stopped at last by a barrier or weir, which was built across the river 
near its mouth. As he approached the weir he transformed himself into a 
small smooth board. Now this weir was held by four witch sisters.! As 
Snikia’p floated towards the barrier in the form of a piece of wood, the 
youngest of the sisters, who had gone to see if any drift wood had lodged 
against the weir, observed the wood, which was about thirty inches long, 
and thought it would do well for a dish, and straightway fished it out. 
She took it home with her, and the next time they cooked a salmon she 
laid it on the board. As they were eating it the fish seemed to last them 
a very little while, and when it had all gone they were far from being 
satisfied. ‘I haven’t had enough,’ said one. ‘I don’t seem to have eaten 
any,’ said another. ‘ We will cook another fish,’ said the third ; ‘I can 
eat some more myself.’ So another salmon was cooked ; but this dis- 
appeared as rapidly as the former one, and they are still feeling hungry. 
Said the eldest of the sisters now, ‘I think there is something wrong with 
this dish. I shouldn’t wonder if it isn’t that Snikia’p that was drowned.’ 
‘That can’t be,’ said one of the others. ‘ How could he turn into a piece 
of wood ?’ Oh, he is a very powerful wizard,’ said the eldest. ‘Let us 
throw it away anyhow,’ said another ; ‘ throw it into the fire and burn it.’ 
This was done, and the seeming piece of wood began to burn. As soon 
as the fire began to consume it the board began to cry like a child. This 
affected the youngest sister, who wanted to save it from the fire. ‘No, 
no,’ said the eldest ; ‘let it burn.’ ‘I want to save it ; it must not burn,’ 
declared the youngest. And she straightway took it out and washed it 
and dressed its burns, which soon healed up. The piece of wood now 
becomes a baby boy, who soon grows up and plays about the weir, and 
observes all that the sisters do. One day, when he had grown to be a big 
boy, the sisters all go for a walk, leaving him behind. Now they had 
four boxes in the house, in which were stored the wind, the smoke, the 
flies, and the wasps. These boxes had never been opened in the child’s 
presence, and he was curious to know what was in them, for he had been 
forbidden to go near or touch them. On this occasion they warned him 
not to touch the boxes ; but when they had gone, his curiosity got the 
better of him, and he opened the one containing the smoke, which came 
out and nearly choked him. The sisters are soon made aware of what 
| The story at this point seems to go over the same ground and be mixed up 
with the story of Skoé'qt-koatlt. In the story of the great hero Skoé’qt-koatlt it is 
he who comes in contact with these four women, and with the help of his brothers 
breaks their power and destroys the weir, letting the salmon up the river. However, 
the detail of this is different from that recorded by me in the story of Skoé’qt-koatlt, 
See the writer’s paper on this fabulous hero in the Transactions of the English Folk- 
lore Society for the current year. 
