29. Xe'niax
(Lower Uta'mqt.)
(cont.)The women retraced their steps, and, coming to the proper trail, followed it, while the four dogs went home to their masters. Reaching their grandmother, who lived near a rocky mountain to the west, they found her sitting outside with young firtrees growing up all around her. She was old and frail, and not able to move, her knees being bent up to her ears as she sat. They showed her grandchild to her, and asked her where they should bury her. She said, "Do not bury me, but drown1 me in a pool of some stream near a gravelly or sandy beach, so that young men, when they come to wash themselves, may gain knowledge through me. Those who bathe often at such places will become great and wise, for I will put something into them when they are bathing. Those who bathe early and often with me (or at such places) shall live to be of great age like myself, and shall not die until their knees are bent up to their ears like mine."
30. Ntcimi'ken2
(Upper and Lower Uta'mqt.)There was a man called Ntcimi'ken3 or Ntci'mka, who lived on the Thompson River near Lytton. His wife was stolen by a Cannibal who made his home on the west side of Fraser River, opposite or above its junction with the Thompson. Ntcimi'ken was anxious to recover his wife, but knew it was useless to attempt it without help, as the Cannibal was very bloodthirsty, and, moreover, was endowed with great magical powers. Therefore he left the Thompson, and made a journey through the countries of the neighboring tribes to the east. There he stole a boy4, whom he took home with him. Together they went back into the neighboring mountains to train themselves and to obtain mysterious knowledge (medicine). They stayed in the most remote and 'mysterious' parts of the mountains, where they prayed, fasted, and purified themselves.
One day when travelling, they came upon a lake which was full of beavers. They were hungry, and desired to get some of these animals to eat, therefore they proposed to drink the lake dry, so as to be able to catch them. Ntcimi'ken drank first; but before very long his belly became distended, and he had to stop drinking before he had been able to decrease the size of the lake. Then the boy began to drink, and did not stop until he had drunk the lake dry.
1 Some say 'place me."
2 Compare this story with Tale No. 3o, Traditions of the Thompson River Indians, p. 8o.
3 This name may mean "burnt back" (from tcimt, "burned or singed to a black color;" and i'ken, the compound form of the word for 'back'').
4 Some say two boys, only one of whom discovered powers
