Translations 41 a 



The false woman then put on the other's clothes and escaped with them. Irelaq's 

 wife tried to speak, but her voice had changed. The old witch bade her put on 

 her grandchild's clothes, which she did very unwillingly and returned to her 

 host's house. There she found the witch's grandchild hugging her husband. 

 Irelaq, not recognizing his wife, when she entered, ordered her out, and kicked 

 her to make her go. So the poor wife had to stay out-of-doors; she could not 

 go back to the witch's house, for the witch was not her relative. 



When they rose in the morning Irelaq and his new wife danced, the latter 

 making a great flourish and display. At the conclusion everyone went home to 

 sleep. The real wife was trying to get a little sleep out-of-doors, but as she 

 dozed someone took hold of her by the front hair and raised her head. It was a 

 little girl, who said to the woman, "My grandmother over there bids you come. 

 Your kinsfolk are going away soon." Then the child departed. The woman, 

 not caring any longer what happened to her, followed the, child to the river, 

 a,long which they proceeded until they reached an old hut. They entered, this 

 time through a real door, and inside the woman saw a pot full of hot water. 

 The old grandmother said that to show her affection for Irelaq's wife she wanted 

 to wash her, so she stripped again while the old woman brought in a pan and 

 filled it with hot water from the pot. Then she washed her for a while, and finally 

 asked her if she had the same shape as before. The woman said she had, and 

 thanked the old woman for restoring her speech, for she had believed herself 

 incapable of speaking. The old woman bade her throw the water out into the 

 river, then took clean water and washed the old coat that Irelaq's wife was 

 wearing; and because she had no clothes of her own, the old woman gave her a 

 loin cloth of squirrel skin and a pair of slippers. She handed her too a pot 

 and bade her empty it into the false wife's ear, after which she was to throw the 

 squirrel skin, the slippers and the pot into the passage and wish them to return 

 to their donor. 



After receiving these instructions from the old woman Irelaq's wife went 

 straight back to the house, naked save for the loin cloth. She slipped in quietly 

 without disturbing anyone and emptied the pot over the false wife. Then she 

 threw the squirrel skin, the slippers and the pot into the passage, wishing them 

 to return to their donor, and went and crouched down in the corner. The false 

 wife immediately changed to her real shape, and Irelaq, springing up, seized 

 her by the hair and flung her out of the house into the passage. Then he went 

 over to his true wife and tried to take her up on to the sleeping platform, but 

 she broke aw^y from him and asked him why he did not wish to keep his new 

 wife. Irelaq became very angry and threatened to kill everyone in the settle- 

 ment. This so alarmed his hosts that they begged his wife to return to him, 

 which she did out of affection for them. 



Next morning Irelaq and his party took their departure and travelled to 

 the river. There they let the- woman down the cliff without any difficulty, but 

 when they tried to carry her up the other side they could riot keep their footing. 

 They made another attempt, but failed to reach even as far, as they had gone 

 before, and at the last could not even lift the sled. So they made a boat of it, 

 and laid skins one above the other on top of it. Then they made a little door 

 in the top, and filled the boat with food and sewing materials and various other 

 things, with a lamp to give light and heat. They told the woman that the river 

 would'take her to her parents' home. Whenever she wanted to go ashore she 

 had only to wish and the boat would obey' her. Irelaq further told her that she 

 would pass three villages on the way but that he would protect her. Then, 

 after she reached her parents, he would send a messenger to her about the same 

 time of year as- his father had visited her before. 



The woman entered the boat and the men pushed it off. She sewed a little, 

 and slept whenever she felt inclined. When she wanted to go ashore she merely 

 wished, and the boat put into the bank of its own accord. She tried to push it 

 off again, but it would not move; she re-embarked, and it moved off of itself . 



