Lynx was hunting rabbits, and saw some deer in a hollow. he thought how nice it would be to eat some fat deer meat, as it was so much better than rabbit-meat. The snow was deep, and he knew that he could not run the deer down. Therefore he resolved to try strategy. He kneaded some snow in his hands and set it rolling down the slope. The deer were startled and about to run away; but when they saw that it was snow which had rolled down the bank, they kept on browsing. Lynx repeated this many times, and the deer became quite accustomed to the snow rolling down the bank. Lynx made larger and larger snowballs. Finally he drew himself together so as to be quite round, and rolled down himself. When he arrived at the bottom, he was covered with snow. he rolled close to the deer, who looked up. As he did not move any more, they thought that he was just another snowball, turned their backs, and continued to browse. Then Lynx jumped on the nearest one and killed it. The lynx occasionally gets deer in this manner.
The people used to tell a story of a race between Elk and Antelope, but it seems to be forgotten now. As they were still racing, they were transformed into stars. The two stars which we call "racers" or "runners" are Elk and Antelope.
Once upon a time there was a little boy who always cried. His parents tried to frighten him by saying, "The owl will hear you and take you away. He will put you in his basket, which is full of snakes." One night he cried more than usual, and his parents, being much annoyed, said, "Owl, come and take him!" After a while he became quiet, and his parents said, "Our child is now very quiet." They were glad. He had not become quiet, however, for Owl had entered the lodge quietly, and in the dark put the boy in his basket and carried him off. He took him to his house and reared him. He made him wash in the creek, and the boy grew very rapidly. He grew as much in one day as he would have grown in a year under ordinary circumstances. His parents could find no trace of him, and gave him up for lost. They thought Owl had taken him, but they did not know where to search for him.
In a short time the boy had grown to be a young man, and Owl hadl taught him how to hunt and shoot. Every day they hunted. Owl drove the game, and the lad sat down at a certain place to shoot the animals as they came up. Owl carried the meat away, and gave the lad very little to eat.
One morning, when washing himself, he saw a lodge across the creek. He went there, and found that Crow and his wife lived there. Crow said to him, "Owl treats you badly. He starves you." He answered, "Yes, I am hungry all the time." Crow said, "'Your grandmother will feed you." Crow-Woman gave him some food to eat.
On the following day he hunted with Owl again. He was at a deer-trail on the top of a ridge. Owl was driving the deer, and shouted, "Go to my slave, go to my slave!" The lad heard him, and became angry. He said, "Not only does he starve me, but he also calls me his slave." He hurried back to the house, made a big fire, took down Owl's heart, and threw it into the fire. Owl always left his heart hanging in the house. He was still driving deer, when he felt a pain at his heart. The Pain became severer, as his heart was burning. He hastened home, and fell down dead at the lodge door at the very moment when his heart was consumed. The lad went to Crow's lodge, and told him that he had killed Owl.
Crow questioned him: "Have you any grandmother? Have you any mother? Have you any elder sister? Have you any younger sister?" He answered that he had. Crow asked him, "Have you any toy dried salmon? Have you any toy dried berries? Have you any toy salmon-oil? Have you any toy deer-fat?" He answered that he had. Crow said, "Shall I go and get them?" and the boy answered, "Very well."
Then Crow flew away, and arrived at the cellar of the lad’s mother. She was inside, taking out some dried fish, and her daughter was sitting on top of the cellar. Crow said to the girl, "I have come to get the toy dried salmon of your elder brother." The girl spoke to her mother, saying, "Crow is here, asking for the toy dried salmon of my elder brother."
1 RBAE 31 : 604 (No. 61).
2 Some informants think this name is related to, or connected with, Sna'naz. See RBAE 59 : 296 (note 5) and JE 8 : 265; this volume, p. 176.
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