Page:Kutenai Tales.djvu/316

Rh He transforms himself into a plank and drifts down the river. He lands at a fish trap. Two girls find him and carry him to the tent. W hen they put fish on the plank, it eats the fish. They recognize that he is Coyote, and throw him into the water. He sees two girls picking berries, and transforms himself into an infant, which they carry home. The girls stay at home, watching the child. Coyote sees that when one of the girls stretches her hand backward, salmon fall down; and that when the other one stretches out her hands, a fawn falls down. When the berries are all eaten, they deliberate whether they may leave the child alone and tell him to put out the fire. Since he is able to do so, they go out. When the girls are gone, he discovers the salmon and fawns behind the tent. He digs a ditch to the river. On the following 175 day he completes the ditch and drives the salmon into the river. He throws the fawn into the fire and leaves it. He sets fire to the house. When the girls come back, they find the salmon gone. They think that the bones in the fireplace are those of the child. Finally they recognize that they have been fooled by Coyote, and ask him to leave some food. He shakes his blanket, and a few of the salmon turn back*

He meets Wolverene, who is fishing. Wolverene's sister annoimces his arrival; and Wolverene says that the visitor is Coyote, and asks her not to look at him. For this reason Coyote does not give them salmon. He meets Sparrow, who is fishing. 177 When his arrival is annoimced. Sparrow accepts him, and his daughter marries him. Therefore he leaves salmon there. On the following morning he tells the salmon to go into the fish trap, first one, then two, then three, and finally many. Coyote leaves 179 his wife, and closes the passage between Columbia Lakes and Kootenai River.

27. Origin of the Seasons ^ (No. 61). — Coyote goes to Squirrel to ask for food. She has no more, and tells him that spring is still far away. He tells her what to do. 181 Squirrel cries, and says there will be no food until spring. The seasons are kept in another town; and after twelve months of winter, the owners imtie the bag containing spring, summer, and fall. The people start to steal the smnmer season. They go to a town in the sky, and Lynx is sent ahead to enter the tent. The people are placed outside at intervals, the strongest one farthest away from the tent.^ The Lynx boy goes into the tent, and two old women tell him where the springtime is hanging. He heats some gum by the fire; and when it is melted, he sticks it on the mouths of the old women. Then he takes down the bag containing the spring. The women can not speak, but finally the people discover that the bag containing the spring is being