57 REPORT— 1899. 
children now.’ ‘ Very well,’ replied the nephew, ‘do just as you like.’ 
So the uncle remained on the lake as a duck, and became the progenitor 
of all the little red-eyed ducks now in the country. 
Bidding the uncle good-bye, the young man took his wives and 
children, and directed his way to his grandfather's village. When they 
arrived there was great rejoicing once more. The old Loon and his wife 
were still alive, and encouraged their grandson to settle down with them. 
This he did, and his descendants in course of time became a great and 
powerful tribe. 
Sni'ya c'pita'kostl, or Beaver Story. 
A long time ago Beaver lived all alone in his keekwilee-house just 
below the village of Spuzzum. He had two sisters, the Mouse and the 
Bush-rat. They lived together at Swimp, and the Frog lived with them. 
Both sisters had several children. One day Sni’ya got out his canoe 
and crossed the river to Spuzzum late in the evening. He went on 
to Swimp and visited the house of his sisters. When Sni’ya saw the 
Frog, whose arms from the elbows to the wrists were adorned with 
bracelets, he admired her much. She came and sat down by the fire, 
holding herself so that her bracelets might be easily seen. Snt’ya 
presently tells his sisters that he would like the Frog for his wife. He 
sat at the fire till it had burnt itself out and all was in darkness. 
The others had all retired earlier. When itis dark Snit’ya crawls over 
to the Frog’s sleeping-place and pulls her blanket. ‘ What do you want ? 
Who are you?’ said the Frog. Sni’ya says nothing, but pulls the 
Frog’s foot. The Frog cries cut again, ‘Who are you, and what do you 
want ?’ Sni’ya now reveals himself, and the Frog says again, ‘ What do 
you want?’ ‘I want. you to become my wife,’ said he. The only 
answer the Frog gave was to lift her foot and kick Sni’ya in the face. 
He does not mind this in the least; he simply falls on his back and 
laughs. He pulls her by the foot a second time, and she kicks him away 
again. Again Sni/ya laughs and tells her he does not mind her kicking, 
and intends to make her his wife. The Frog now remarks that she does not 
desire him for her husband. ‘You are not the kind of man I want,’ said 
she. ‘Do you think I like a round, big-bellied, big-headed creature like 
you for husband?’ Sni’ya only laughs at this. This makes the Frog 
angry, and she begins to revile him in bitter language. Still Sni’ya 
does not mind. But presently, finding he can make no impression upon 
her, he gave up his efforts and left her, and went over to his sister the 
Mouse, and told her to take her children and go with them to the hill 
near by. ‘There is a cave there,’ said he ; ‘it will hold you all nicely.’ 
He then goes to his other sister, the Bush-rat, and bids her do the same. 
The Mouse sister now wishes to know why she should go in the night. 
‘Would not the morning do?’ said she. Sni’ya tells her that the Frog 
has shamed and scorned and insulted him. Bush-rat then asks what he 
is going to do when they are gone. ‘Oh!’ said he, ‘I am going to have 
some fun all to myself, and I don’t want you to be present.’ This is all 
they can get from him. However, they both get up, roll up their blankets 
and mats, and leave him alone with the Frog-woman. The Frog has not 
spoken a word while this conversation was going on. As soon as his 
sisters and their families have gone Sni’ya begins to dance and 
whistle. When ke whistles the Frog gets very angry, calling him many 
objectionable names, and bidding him go and leave her to .sleep in 
