30. Ntcimi'ken
(Upper and Lower Uta'mqt.)
(cont.)Then the xaxa' attacked him. He left his dogs behind, and jumped from one mountain-peak to another; but the xaxa' followed him, and gradually gained on him. He threw away one blanket after another to make himself lighter,1 but still they were gaining, on him.
Now, there were two women engaged in making blankets in a house near by, and, through their magic, they knew of his distress. They said, "He will soon be overtaken. Let us help him." So they took a hammer and chisel and ran to meet him. He saw them, and said, "Aunts, help me!" They answered, "We have no nephew." He said "Elder sisters, help me!" but they answered, " We have no younger brother." Then he said, "Wives, help me!" and they answered, " Why did you not say that before," They split the trunk of a tree and hid him inside, the crack in the tree closing again. Now, the xaxa' arrived and asked the women if they had seen a man pass by that way. They said, "No." But the xaxa' were not satisfied with their answer, for they could not find the fugitive's tracks farther on. They commenced to search around the place where the women were. Then the latter attacked them with their hammer and chisel and killed them. They threw their bodies into the woods, saying, "Henceforth you shall simply be spirits of the forest, and shall not be able to chase people."
The lad went home with the women to their house. Upon entering, he saw some water in a very small basket. He said, "I will drink it all, because I am thirsty." They answered, "Do so if you like: it does not matter." He drank his fill, but the water remained undiminished. Then the women took one drink each and finished it. On looking around the inside of the lodge, the lad saw a g-un near each of the women's beds. He said to himself, "These must be their husbands," consequently he was afraid. But the women knew his thoughts, and said, "These are not men. We have no husbands." -Now the younger sister washed the lad and gave him new clothes to put on, and he became their husband. Each sister had only one ball for her gun. They showed him how to use the guns. They said, "When you go hunting, always stalk the deer from behind. Wait until you get them in line, one in front of the other, then shoot at the backside of the last one, and the ball will kill them all. But you must pull the trigger very gently, then you will be sure to find the ball in the breast of the foremost one, where it will remain. If you pull the trigger strongly, the ball will pass through them all, and will go very far, so you will not be able to find it." The lad went hunting, and, seeing a band of deer going one in front of the other up a mountain-slope, he tired at them from behind. He pulled the trigger with great force, and -when he had cut up the deer, he could not find the ball. He was very sorry because of losing the ball, and would not speak when he came . home. The woman said, "I told you what would happen if you pulled the trigger with force.' Then she held out her hand and showed him the ball, saying, "It came back to me when it left the deer.'
1. Some say to retard the progress of his pursuers.
