Traditions of the Thompson River Indians (cont.)
Therefore she married the root Kokwe'la,146 and soon afterwards was delivered of a son. The boy, who did not know who his father was, soon grew up, and used to play with the other boys of the place. One day he treated some of his playmates roughly, and in consequence they grew angry with him, calling him names, and styling him "bastard," saying that he was the offspring of the Kokwe'la. The boy felt ashamed at this treatment. He went home and told his mother all about it. He asked her if it were true that he was the son of the Kokwe'la. She answered him, saying, "Yes, the Kokwe'la was your father." On this he became very much ashamed, and immediately retired to the mountains. He began to train, and tried to acquire magical powers. He stayed for a long time, and eventually developed into a man gifted in the highest degree with magical powers. On his return, he began to travel over the country, transforming bad people, and others who offended him, and curtailing the powers of those who did injury to their neighbors. Departing from the Shuswap country east of Kamloops, he followed down Thompson River to its mouth at Lytton, where, a short distance below that point, at a place called Kapoztcu't, he met the Qoa'qLqaL, who were on their way up the river. When they met they tried their magical powers on one another, and had many trials of strength and "mystery," to see who was the strongest. Kokwe'la easily vanquished them, but they could not defeat him at any trial. They camped there together one night, and the place where they lay may still be recognized by the marks made by their bodies. On the morrow they separated, the Qoa'qLqaL going up Thompson River, whilst Kokwe'la continued his travels down Fraser River. Upon reaching NLaqLa'qeten,147 he turned around and came back again up the Fraser, which river, it is said, he followed to its headwaters, coming back again either by way of North Thompson River or Columbia River. Nobody knows what became of him. The Kokwe'la root grew up wherever he went. He did not travel through the Uta'mqt country, therefore the Kokwe'la root does not grow there.148
IV. STORY OF THE BUSH-TAILED RAT.
[Nkamtci'nemux.]
The Bush-tailed Rat was a man who lived in a cave in the rocks. He was always abundantly supplied with provisions. The door of his house used to open and shut at his command, without his having to touch it; for he merely used to say, "Wikaiu' tcilx!" and immediately the door swung open, and "Misaiu' tcilx!"149 and it shut at once. Many people used to visit him, and these were always fairly well received; but occasionally he acted stingily, and did not offer them any food. At such times he used to say, "The times are hard. I have not been able to gather any food lately. I am sorry that I cannot offer you anything to eat." Not far from the Bushtailed Rat's house there dwelt a large number of Indians in underground lodges; and as might be expected, these people had many cellars or caches in close proximity to their dwellings, in which they kept their dried fish and other provisions.
One day a man from the village went to pay a visit to the Bushtailed Rat, for he suspected that the latter had stolen some of the provisions out of his cellar. The Rat saw him coming, and when the man approached the door, he told it to open, and ordered it to shut again as soon as the visitor had entered. After having placed some food before the man, the latter addressed the Rat, saying, "What a large quantity of provisions you have! How do you manage to accumulate so much? We never see you or your wife gathering fruit, digging roots, hunting, or trapping." The Rat answered, "My friend, the store of provisions I have is small, and as I am not able to do much work, what little food I have to eat is kindly given to me by my younger brother the Long-Tailed Mouse, who is thus the means of keeping me alive." The man answered, "That is strange! We all know your younger brother is small and weak: so it does not seem likely that he should be able to gather such large stores of provisions as we see in your house." The Rat then reiterated his former statement. Before long the man said, "Well, my friend, I will now go home." The Rat commanded the door to open, and the man went out. As soon as he departed, the door shut again. On reaching his lodge the man said to his wife, "I think the Bush-tailed Rat steals food from our cellars. Keep a watch to-night and see if he comes." The woman went and opened150 the door of their cellar, and leaving it open, went inside and hid in a corner.151 Shortly after dark the Bush-tailed Rat arrived, and, entering the cellar, began to help himself to the provisions, which he gathered in a pile outside the door. He then went home and told his wife152 that he found the door of one of the cellars open, and had taken out so much provisions that it would need their combined strength to carry them home. Consequently his wife accompanied him to the place and helped him to carry home his stolen goods. After their departure, the woman went in and told her husband, who in his turn informed all the people.
The next day all the people of the village repaired in a body to the house of the Bush-tailed Rat, who, seeing them coming, ordered the door to stand open. After they had all arrived and entered, the Rat ordered the door to shut. The leader of the party then demanded of the Rat to explain where he obtained his abundant supply of provisions, and the Rat answered, "I have no provisions, and am sorry I cannot offer you anything to eat. If it were not for my younger brother the Long-tailed Mouse, who gives me food, I should be reduced to starvation."
