570 REPORT—1899, 
a person. He saw presently a little old man before him, aiid as he 
approached him he deemed it wise to make himself invisible for the time. 
He now saw that the little old fellow was shooting on the ground with 
his arrows. He saw too that he had but one eye, and wishing to test 
whether he was his uncle or not he placed his foot on the spot at which 
the little man was shooting, and caught one of his arrows between his 
first and second toes. When the little fellow went to get his arrows he 
could not draw this one away, as the youth held it tight between his toes. 
He now spoke to the little man, who was much frightened at the sound 
of a voice so near him when he could see no one. The youth told him 
not to fear ; that it was his ‘medicine’ that prevented him from seeing 
who he was. Making inquiries he soon discovered that his grandparents 
were still alive, and that the little man before him was his uncle. When 
he told him that he was his nephew he would not believe it. To prove 
to the uncle that what he said was true, he asked him if he could re- 
member how his lost sister used to speak. ‘Oh yes,’ said he; ‘I can 
remember quite well.’ ‘ Was it like this?’ said the youth, and he imitated 
his mother’s voice. ‘Yes, yes!’ said the uncle, ‘that is her voice.’ 
‘ Now look at me,’ said the nephew, ‘and tell me if I am like your sister 
or brother.’ And as he spoke he made passes in the air with his left hand, 
and became immediately visible to his uncle, who knew him at once to be 
really his nephew from his likeness to his lost brother and sister. The 
lad then told the little man the story of his mother’s and father’s life, and 
the reason of their mysterious departure from the village, and bade him 
go to tell his grandmother privately that he had come. ‘ But she will not — 
believe me,’ said the uncle, ‘and will be angry with me for trying to fool 
her.’ ‘Stay, then,’ said the youth; ‘I will give you some proots of my 
presence to show her, and then she will not doubt you. Tell me, what is 
the matter with your eye?’ ‘I am blind in it; I was born so,’ replied 
the little uncle. ‘ Well,’ answered the youth, ‘I will give you sight in it 
with my ‘“ power,” and you can then show it to my grandmother if she 
doubts your word.’ With that the nephew passed his hand over his 
uncle’s eye four times, and the latter’s blind eye was made whole, and he 
saw with it for the first time in his life. Full of wonder and admiration 
for his nephew’s power, he ran off to tell his mother. When he first 
whispered the tidings in her ear she was angry with him for attempting 
to fool her, as she thought, but when he showed her his blind eye restored 
she could no longer disbelieve him. Immediately she ran out to find her 
daughter’s son, and was much delighted to find so comely a youth claiming 
her as his grandmother. When she questioned him concerning his parents 
he repeated to her the story of their lives as he had told his uncle, and as 
it had been revealed to him after their death. The old woman wept! as 
she listened to the tragic end of her children. When the grandfather 
was made aware of his grandson’s arrival, and had also heard the account 
of his lost children’s death, he called all the village together and informed 
them of the youth’s arrival and the events which led to his parents’ 
voluntary death. Meantime the old lady bade the girls clean up the 
house and strew clean fir branches on the floor in honour of her grandson’s 
coming. When he entered the house he undid his pack and presented 
his grandmother with his parents’ presents. The old woman spread out 
1 My informant told me that this story would always make the women and girls 
weep whenever they heard it related. It is one of their favourite stories. 
a 
