Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 10, 1899.djvu/236

 198 other. When the black-bear-boy shared the soup he had received from the grizzly boy with his own brothers, he bade them eat sparingly of it. When the little grizzly boys tasted the soup they had received, they found it so nice that they ate it all up at once; but the little black-bear-boys complained of theirs, and eat but little, declaring that it had no more flavour than water. When the meal was done, the eldest of the black-bear-boys suggested that they should all go down to the river and bathe, and play in the water. As this suited the plans of the other, it was agreed to, and to the river they went. On reaching the bank, the black bear's eldest son said: "Let our two youngest brothers have a swim together, and see who will beat. The two little ones jumped forthwith into the river, but not being able to swim were both drowned. They were pulled out by the others and laid on the bank. The two middle boys now made an attempt, and were drowned in like manner. "Now let us try," said the grizzly boy to the other, intending to drown him when he got him into the water. The other agreed. They both jumped into the river; but as the grizzly boy had eaten so much soup, he was is no condition for swimming, and in the struggle which followed was himself drowned. The black-bear-boy now returned to shore, pulling his half-brothers after him. When he was out of the water he took his own two brothers and held them head downwards, so that all the water ran out of their lungs, and they presently began to breathe once more, and in a little time were all right and well again. He then built a big fire, and taking the youngest of the grizzly boys he spitted him with a big stick and set him to roast before the fire. The other two he threw into the fire, which soon reduced them to ashes, so that no sign of them remained. When the little grizzly boy was sufficiently roasted he stood him up on his legs by the fire to keep warm for the old grizzly mother's supper. When this was done, he called his two brothers to him, and told them that they would now have to leave their home and run away by themselves. So the second brother, whose name was Clatkeq, which means in English "Funny-man," took his little brother on his shoulders, and they all three thus set off together as fast as they could, and when the grizzly mother got home they were well on their way. The first sight that met her eyes as she entered the