Traditions of the Thompson River Indians (cont.)
6. THE COYOTE'S DAUGHTERS AND THEIR DOGS.
[Nkamtci'nemux and Cawa’xamux.]
The Coyote sent his two daughters to marry two hunters who lived in a distant country, and on their departure he gave them a couple of dogs to act as their companions and guardians. These dogs were fierce and strong, for they were the Grizzly Bear and the Rattlesnake. When the girls approached the lodge of their intended husbands, they noticed that their dogs showed signs of eagerness for blood. In order to prevent their attacking the men, the women chewed some red ochre, and spat it on the noses of the dogs. Then they rubbed it over their faces, especially around their mouths. The dogs became quite quiet after this treatment. They entered the lodge, and, after introducing themselves to the hunters, settled down as their wives.
After a time a son was born to one of them. While yet an infant, he began to cry continually for his grandmother. Thereupon the father said, "Has the child a grandmother?" And his wife answered, "Yes, he has." The hunters said, "You had better take him to see his grandmother, for he will not be quiet until he does see her, and when you return you may bring her with you to visit us. On your way back, you will come to a parting of the trail. One of the trails that you will see is rough and narrow, while the other is wide and smooth; the former is covered with red ochre, while the latter is covered with birds' down. Take the red trail, which is the right one, and avoid the other, as it will lead you over a wide prairie, devoid of trees, to a land where live dead people, monsters, and mysterious people. We will keep your dogs here with us, and if you should happen to be in danger, and cry for help, the dogs will warn us, and we will at once let them loose to go to your aid."
The women started on their journey, one of them carrying the boy. When they came to the two trails, they disputed which was the right one, and at last started off on the wrong trail. After travelling a considerable distance, they came to a large underground lodge, which they entered, finding an elderly woman sitting inside.
The woman addressed them, saying, "Oh! why did you venture here? My husband will be home soon, and will eat you." At this they became somewhat afraid, but said they would rest a little while before leaving. Very soon afterwards the Cannibal appeared, and was quite delighted at seeing in them the prospect of a good meal, but the boy cried,86 "Kill me first, and put me in the bottom of the kettle." He killed him, and, doubling him up, put him in the bottom of the kettle. Then he killed the two women, bending them also, and putting them in the kettle. He then put the kettle on the fire to boil, and sat by, waiting for his meal to cook. In the mean time the boy made a hole in the bottom of the kettle, and urinated through it on to the fire underneath, so that the bottom of the kettle remained cool,87 and the contents never boiled. After the Cannibal thought his meal was ready, he told his wife to take it off the fire. But his wife said, "You do not need to eat it tonight. Keep it for breakfast tomorrow."
The Cannibal took the kettle off the fire, and hung it up on the wall. After he and his wife had retired, the two woman and the boy (who had come to life again) found that they could not get out of the kettle; therefore the boy urinated through the side of it, thereby making a hole, through which they passed, right through to the outside of the house. Then they hastened as fast as possible back over the trail they had come. In the morning the Cannibal took down the kettle, intending to eat the contents, but found it empty. He went up to the top of the ladder, and looked about. He saw away in the distance -- although they were out of sight of ordinary mortals -- the fugitives crossing the prairie. He gave chase at once, and before very long overtook them. The women, when they saw that they were nearly overtaken, became much alarmed, as there was no place to hide; therefore one of them pulled out from her pubes four hairs and threw them on the ground. Immediately therefrom grew four tall trees close together, one of which they climbed.
When the Cannibal arrived, he began at once to chop down the tree. When it tottered, the women jumped into the next tree. The Cannibal also chopped down this one, and then the third one, so that the fugitives took refuge in the fourth end last one. As he commenced to chop at this one, the women cried for help. At the same time the dogs in the hunter's lodge became restless; the Grizzly bear growled and pawed the ground, and the Rattlesnake shook its rattles. The hunters then knew that their wives were in danger, and let the dogs loose. They ran with great leaps, and were soon out of sight. Meanwhile, in order to gain time, the boy had urinated down the heart of the tree,88 causing the wood to become soft and elastic, so that the Cannibal made but slow progress in cutting it with his chisel. The Grizzly Bear and the Rattlesnake arrived when the tree was tottering. They attacked him fiercely, and soon tore him to pieces, and killed him. The women then went, with their child and their dogs, back to their father's house without further adventure. After having once killed a human being, the Grizzly Bear and the Rattlesnake acquired the habit of doing so. For this reason they sometimes kill people at the present day. If they had not killed the Cannibal, they would not now kill any one.89
