60. Bald-headed Eagle.
(cont.)After the death of Bald-head and the resurrection of he other birds by Ra'tarat, the woman told the latter that her parents had sent her to marry him. For several months she lived with her husband and then told him she desired to visit her relatives.
She started alone on the journey, and had not gone far before she saw something like a white stone following her. It rolled over the ground at a rapid pace, and seemed to gain on her. She tried to avoid it by turning aside; but it followed her, and drew nearer and nearer. The faster she ran, the swifter it rolled. It was the head of Bald-headed Eagle, which finally overtook her, and entered her privates. Shortly afterwards she gave birth to two small heads, which followed close at her heels; but the large head remained inside when she travelled. She came to an open place, saw a band of deer, and said to herself, “If only a man were here to kill these deer for me, so that I might have venison to eat!” Immediately Bald-head spoke, saying, “I am a man. I will kill these deer for you.” He came out of the woman, rolled along in the grass until he reached the deer, and killed them all by entering into them through the anus. Now the girl ran, thinking to escape from the pursuing heads. She reached a stream, and crossed on a narrow log, thinking the heads would surely tumble off. But they rolled over the log without falling off, and. soon caught up with the fleeing girl. The large one entered her as before, and the small ones followed close behind. At last she reached her parents' house, and her brothers asked her what those things where that always followed her. At first she told them they were her little dogs, but afterwards told the whole truth, and how Bald-head always remained in her. Then the brothers spoke to the head, saving, “Why do you hide? Come out and live like other people. We are your brothers-in-law; why should you fear us?” Bald-head came out of their sister, and next day they invited him to sweat-bathe with them. They made the stones very hot, and all went in together. When they had been in a few minutes, they said it was so hot that they must go out and bathe. Then one of them sat down at the door of the sweat-house with his back against it; and the other one, lifting up the cover of the sweat-house just above the stones, threw water on them, which caused so much steam that Bald-head burst. Then they took the small heads, threw them in, and they also burst. Then they transformed the heads into bald-headed eagles, saying, “Henceforth you will be common eagles, and never again be able to follow people, or enter the vaginas of women.”
67. The Three Owl Sisters.
Three sisters lived at Kai'nuten in the Okanagon country. They were the A'enk,1 the Poxpo’xox,2 and the Skalu'la.3 One day when they were digging bitter-root, three Thompson-River brothers arrived, and proposed marriage to them.
1. A small long-eared owl.
2. A burrowing owl.
3. Large common owl.
