3. THE WARRIOR AND HIS FAITHLESS WIFE.
In early days there were plenty of buffalo. Once a year the Okanagan, Sanpoil, Spokane, Moses, and Colville tribes joined, and crossed the mountains to hunt.
One white moon (January) the Sioux pursued and captured a chief's daughter. They kept her captive for three years. One night the young woman dreamed that a spirit told her to take the chief's sharp knife, and the buckskin dress of the chief's wife. She obeyed and fled, taking also three horses.
The next morning the fleetest braves were called on to pursue her. The maid fled swiftly. After a while she came to a river. She saw the braves coming. Then she took off her robe, tied it into a bundle on her back, and swam across the river. The braves did not overtake her.
She reached her home and told her story. Her brother wanted to revenge her capture. He took his band of braves and his wife, and started. On the way his braves deserted him. Still he went on. After a while they saw the Sioux chief's son. The Okanagon warrior said to his wife, "When I try to capture him, take hold of his feet." His wife looked at the Sioux, and saw that he was very handsome. She turned traitor and caught her husband's feet. Then the Sioux cut his throat and left him. He carried the woman off as his slave.
The husband recovered, and lingered in the neighborhood for a while. He killed all the Sioux who came in his way. He was discovered by a Blackfoot tribe who had been held prisoners by the Sioux. They treated him kindly.
After a while he returned home and raised a large war-party, which was joined by Blackfoot warriors. There was a pitched battle, in which he was captured and killed. The Sioux burned his body, but his heart could not be burnt. Some friendly Indians wrapped his heart in a buffalo skin. The spirit of the buffalo resuscitated him.
Then he went to the chief's tent. He saw his wife sitting at the feet of the chief. He drew his dagger, pulled her head back by her braids, and cut it off. Then he went away to his own people.
IV. SANPOIL TALES, BY MARIAN K. GOULD.
In the beginning Coyote had great power. He said to himself, "Why remain in seclusion when I have so much power?" He became restless and wanted to travel. He journeyed down the Columbia River, and there he met Sparrow (Chis-ka-ka-nar).
Sparrow was a warrior, dressed in his beautiful beaded war head dress, of which he was very proud. As soon as Coyote saw him, he thought, "I will kill him and take his head dress."
So he killed Sparrow, and took his quiver of arrows and his beaded head dress. He put them on, and felt very brave and proud. He thought himself very handsome, -- much handsomer than Sparrow ever had been. He stepped about, shaking his head from side to side, and resolved to travel close to the river, that he might see his reflection.
As he came around a bend of the river, he saw blue smoke in the distance rising from a tent which seemed warm and comfortable. He thought, "I will call and see if there is a beautiful maiden to admire me." To his disappointment, he saw only twelve children.1 They all spoke at once in reply to his questions, and he could not understand them. They were the Willow-Grouse (Sarsarwas) family, who spoke their own language. They were trying to tell him that their parents were gathering berries. Then Coyote became angry, and thought they were calling him names. He went out, gathered pitch, and put a piece on the eyes of the children. When their parents returned, they were all blind.
Then the mother determined to have revenge. She suspected who had done it, as they had seen Coyote tracks near by. She said to her husband, "Do you remember the high cliff by the river? We will hide behind some bushes and scare him as he comes along the edge of the cliff."
As Coyote was going along the trail, he was singing his war-chant. All at once there was a roar that scared him. He gave a jump and fell over the cliff. He knew that he was in danger of death. Quickly he turned himself into a basket, which floated lightly on the water below. It drifted down with the current.2
At that time there were two sisters who lived by the river. Near by was a solid rock dam which they guarded with jealous care. No one was allowed to come near. Silver-salmon were kept within the dam as their food.
1 See BBAE 59 : 293 (note 2).
2 See BBAE 59 : 301 (note 1); also pp. 6, 67, 70, 139, of this volume.
