31b. The Hunter and the Goats.
(Lower Uta'mqt.)
(cont.)Soon they arrived at their father's camp, and on the following four days the lad hunted and killed many male goats. They then had all the meat they could carry: therefore they went home to their house on the river, all of them carrying heavy loads of meat.
32. The old Woman and the Boy.
( Upper Uta' mqt.)Once there was a great plague in the country, and every person died excepting an old woman and a small boy. The old woman took the boy and cared for him.
One day he saw a flock of birds flying by, and he said to his grandmother, "I will go and get them." The old woman answered, "How can you get them? Your father, who used bow and arrows, could only get one once in a while by shooting it, so how can you expect to get any:" But the boy left his grandmother, and, running, caught them with his hands. When he brought the birds home, the old woman was surprised, and wondered how he had caught them.
Again a flock of ducks flew by, and he told the old woman he would go and get them, but she laughed at him as before; so he ran and caught them with his hands. When he brought home the ducks, she showed him how they were cut up and cleaned, and what uses were made of the feathers, skins, etc.
One day he saw a deer, and told his grandmother he would go and get it; but she said, "Deer run fast. How can you get it' Your fathers shot them with arrows, and yet they could not jet very many.' But he ran and caught the deer and killed it. He did not know how to cut it up, so he put the carcass inside of a hollow log and hauled it home to the old woman. She showed him how the people used to skin the deer, and how they cut it up. She also told him what uses the different parts of the deer were put to. After this lie caught many deer, and they always shifted camp to the spot where the carcass was.
One day he saw a black bear, and said he would get it. The old woman said, " Be careful! Black bears are sometimes bad;" but he ran and caught it and killed it. Then they shifted camp to where the carcass was, and the old woman showed him how to skin and cut up the bear, and told him what the people used to do with the skin, bones, flesh, and fat.
One day he saw a grisly bear, and told his grandmother that he would get it; but she said to him, " Do not go, it may kill you! It is very strong and fierce, and sometimes killed your fathers, who were better equipped than you, for they had weapons. Only men with strong hearts kill the grisly bear."
