Five men were making a bark canoe. One was at the prow of the canoe, and one at the stern. Two were working, one on each side of the middle, and one was standing between one of the end men and one of the side men. In this position they were all transformed into stars.
There was a lake (tcate'nenkwa), and a bird (te'equl)3 on it. Some hunters went to shoot the bird. They shot it; and as it died, it spread out its wings on the water. Just then all were changed into stars.
Three men were running a race. While they were running, they were transformed into stars.
The people wanted to go to the sky. They assembled, and shot their arrows upward. At last an arrow reached the sky, and stuck there. Then they shot arrows at the nock of this one, and gradually they formed a chain of arrows which reached down to the earth. My informants claimed this story used to be told often, but they had forgotten the details. Eagle and Coyote were mentioned in it. They thought Coyote was the one who shot the arrow that hit the sky.
Once a number of people were dancing at a small lake near Cheney, in the territory of the Spokane. Suddenly they became aware of a strange smell; and one of them at once said, "That is .stsomkêstci'nt.7 The man looked around, and all the people looked to where he was looking. They saw four men standing about an equal distance apart from each other. All wore buffalo-skins around the shoulders, hairside out (and each had his hair done up so that it stood out to the side). As the people looked, they disappeared, and four bushes grew up where they disappeared. These bushes were there lately, and probably may still be seen.
There was a water-mystery in the Coeur d'Alène Lake. It had horns like a buffalo, and is said to have been otherwise somewhat like a buffalo. Once a man was paddling his canoe along the shore in the dark. When opposite a place where a bush grows near the shore, his canoe stood still. He paddled hard, but the canoe would not move. Then he felt along the gunwales of the canoe, and discovered a horn holding the canoe on each side. He knew the Water-Buffalo had caught him. He asked him to let him go, and gave him a present. At once he settled in the water, and the man paddled away. Ever afterwards people were careful to pray, and make an offering at this place. The offerings were placed near the bush.
Near the head of San Joe River is a lake called Nka'mEmEn (Swallowing). When people look at it, sticks jump out of the water. Once two brothers came out on the ridge above this lake. They had been hunting, and were very thirsty. The elder brother asked the other to bring him some water. The younger brother refused, saying, "No one goes near this lake." The elder said, "I shall die if water is not brought to me." The younger then descended, drew some water quickly, and ran uphill as fast as he could. The water of the lake followed him. He put down his bucket alongside his brother, and ran down the other side. He looked back, and saw a wave rise over the top of the ridge where his brother was, and stand up there for a while. When it disappeared, he went back and found his elder brother drowned.
1 Etsko'.lko.l, name of a group of stars; seems to be the same as called by the Thompson "The Bark Canoe." I think they are the stars of Orion.
2 A group of stars, seemingly the same as called by the Thompson "The Swan," consisting of a lake, the swan, and the hunters chasing or shooting it.
3 This seems to be the name of the snow-goose. It is like a goose, but all white like a swan.
4 TcEleiku'tsEn, name of a group of stars, probably the same as that called by the Thompson "Those who Race" or "The Runners;" or another group of three stars called "Following Each Other." The Thompson say "The Runners" were Elk and Antelope running a race.
5 RBAE 31 : 864.
6 Compare Uta'mqt stories of land-mysteries, and giants who change into trees, and vice versa. The Coeur d'Alene believe in a race of dwarfs who walk upside down.
7 A Spokane name for what seems to be a kind of dwarf, or supernatural being, frequenting some parts of the country.
