Fisher warned Marten never to let the woman go for water. When water was required, Marten was to draw it himself. One day Marten disregarded his brother's command and sent the woman and her boy to the watering-place. When she was drawing water, a king-salmon jumped near by. She said, "What a fine-looking fish! I wish I had a husband as good-looking as he!" Almost immediately a man touched her on the shoulder, and said, "I am that fish. You have chosen me for your husband. You are my wife, and must accompany me." He took her away, and left the boy there. The boy returned to the lodge, and told his father what had happened. Fisher scolded Marten for his disobedience, and said, "How can I find my wife?" His son replied, " I shall find my mother. I shall search for her everywhere." He changed himself into a fly. In this shape he found his mother, returned, and told his father where she was. Three times Fisher and Marten left the house for the rescue of the woman; but, although they had changed the boy's toys on each occasion, he cried so much that they had to return. The fourth time they made a toy fawn, and gave him a small bow and blunt arrows to shoot at it. This so amused him that he never cried. After watching him for a time and seeing that he did not cry, they started off. In a bark canoe they paddled across the lake to the country of the fisher. Here they saw two Fish girls who had a dugout canoe and were carrying dried fish from a cache to their canoe.
11. MARTEN AND FISHER.
(Continued)(From here on, the story is the same as that collected by Hill-Tout from the Okanagan, beginning with the sixth line from the bottom of P. 159 and continuing to the end, with the following very slight variations:) They took the boys by their noses, and shook them out of their skins, into which they entered.1
Fisher and Marten had made arrangements with Rat and Mouse to gnaw holes through the bottoms of the Fish people's canoes. They did so; and, when the Fish people went to launch a canoe, they found a hole in it. Thus they launched one after another, and lost much time. The last canoe they launched was sound, and in it they gave chase.
In the morning the people found the skins of the two Fish boys lying alongside the headless body of their chief, King-Salmon.
After Turtle and Frog had recovered the head, they brought it home in the canoe, and put it back on King-Salmon's body. He then came to life again, and was a man as before. Fisher and Marten reached home with the woman.2
12. THE BALD-HEADED EAGLE.
(From the Upper Thompson and Upper Uta'mqt.)This story is the same as Teit JE 8: 345 (No. 66), with the following variations:--
The Bald-Headed-Eagle met the girl at a stream, and transformed his penis3 into a log, on which she crossed. At the end he stopped her from passing until she called him husband. He said, "Why did you not say that before? You were already my wife, for you have walked on my penis." On her way to see her relatives she passed the battle-field of the birds, and Bald-Head's skull and body were still lying there. The head looked old and decayed. She urinated on it. After a time she noticed something like a white stone following her. She tried to get away, but it followed her. She went uphill, but still it was gaining on her. She ran to a stream where Crane lived. She called, "Grandfather, take me across!" He put his leg across the stream, and she crossed on it. She said to him, "Throw into the water that thing that follows me." It rolled along until it came to the middle of Crane's leg. Then he turned his leg, and it fell into the water. The woman thought it would be carried away by the current, but it rolled over the surface of the water, and continued the pursuit. It was now close to her, and she was exhausted. She ran towards a tree, intending to climb it; but the head overtook her before she could reach the tree, and entered her privates.4 Before she reached her people's house, she gave birth to two eggs which bore the image of an eagle's face. They rolled after her wherever she went. Her sisters killed them by throwing them into the fire, where they burst. They pulled Bald-Head's skull out of the young woman. It did not burn; only the eyes burst. They cut it into pieces, which they burned by placing them under the ashes. Then it disappeared.
Flea was lazy, and known to be a thief, runner, and jumper, although he was club-footed. He lived in a lodge by himself, but near by were a large number of people and lodges. He was too lazy to gather wood, and soon had no fuel. He stole wood from his neighbors, who had much wood gathered near their houses. Although they watched, they could not catch the thief. One very dark night Flea went to steal wood, stumbled over a fagot, and fell against the wood-pile, thus making a noise. The swiftest runners, who were in readiness, ran out, and overtook him as he was about to reach his house. They thrashed him soundly.6
1 BBAE 31 : 606 (No. 66).
2 BBAE 59: 300 (note 3).
3 BBAE 31 :838.
4 Some say she took refuge in a tree. The head tried to climb up, but always fell back. It staid at the bottom. She could not remain on the tree. When she came down, she jumped over the head, and it entered her.
5The narrator, who is over seventy-five years of age. said he had heard a story of Flea running a race; but it was so long since he had heard it related, that he had forgotten the details.
6 Some say "killed him."
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