Traditions of the Thompson River Indians (cont.)
They embarked in a bark canoe for the country of the cold. Her brother paddled. After going a long distance, and while crossing a great lake, the cold became so intense that her brother could not endure it any longer. He took the child from his sister and threw it into the water. Immediately the air turned warm, and the child floated on the water as a lump of ice. This is the reason that ice now floats on the rivers and some of the lakes after a mild wind. Thus the people were no longer troubled by the hot and cold winds. Since then the winds have neither been so hot nor so cold as formerly, and they now blow only once in a while.
XI. THE MOSQUITO AND THE THUNDER.
[Nkamtci'nemux.]
Once the Mosquito paid a visit to the Thunder. The latter, seeing that the Mosquito was gorged with blood, asked him where he obtained it, and told him that he had been wishing to get some for a long time, but did not know where to obtain it. The Mosquito answered, "I got the blood from somewhere." The Thunder was annoyed at this evasive answer, and said, "Why do you answer me thus? Don't you know that I can shoot you and kill you?" The Mosquito, being afraid, then said, "I suck it from the tree-tops." By this lie the Mosquito saved the people, and that is the reason that the Thunder strikes the tree-tops at the present day. If the Mosquito had told the truth, then the Thunder would now shoot people and animals instead of trees.174
XII. THE BEAVER AND THE EAGLE;175 OR, THE ORIGIN OF
FIRE.[Nlakapamux'o'e and Nkamtci'nemux.]
In the beginning the people were without fire. The Beaver and the Eagle said they would find out where fire could be obtained, and accordingly they sent out the Swallow,176 who flew over the country on a search. At last he came back with the intelligence that he had discovered fire in possession of a family at Lkamtci'n (Lytton). The Beaver and the Eagle then said, "We will go and obtain it; "and they laid their plans accordingly. The Eagle soared away through the air, and at last discovered the shell of a fresh-water clam,177 which he took possession of. The Beaver appeared at the place178 where the people drew water out of the creek. They lived in an underground lodge. Some young girls, going down to the creek for water in the morning, came back running, with the intelligence that there was a beaver at the watering-place. Some young men ran out with bows and arrows, shot him,179 and brought him up to the house. They began to skin him. In the mean while the Beaver thought, "Oh, my elder brother! He is long in coming. I am nearly done for." Just then the Eagle perched down on the top of the ladder, and at once attracted the people's attention, so that they forgot all about the Beaver in their anxiety to shoot the Eagle, which they could not kill, although they fired arrows at him. Meanwhile the Beaver caused the house to be flooded with water. In the confusion the Eagle dropped the clam-shell down into the fire. The Beaver immediately filled it with fire, put it under his armpit, and made off in the water.180 He spread it over the whole country. After that the Indians could make fire out of trees.181
XII b. ORIGIN OF FIRE (ANOTHER VERSION)182
[Nkamtci'nemux.]
A long time ago the people at the headwaters of Fraser River had no fire. Only the people at Lytton had fire, which they had obtained from the Coyote or from the Sun. The people at the headwaters of Fraser River desired to obtain fire, and sent two men who were to try to get it. They went to Tsotcowa'ux Creek,183 where they remained for four months, sweat-bathing and strengthening their magic powers, until in their visions they saw the edges of the world, and knew everything. Then the one brother, to show his power, asked the other to cut him up, and to lay the body on the door of the sweat-house. He told him that all the birds would come to eat his flesh. Then he instructed him to allow them to eat his whole body except the heart. When the Eagle came, the brother was to catch him by the tail, for he was his protecting spirit. After all the birds had arrived one after another, the Eagle came. The brother caught him by the tail, and secured him. The disemboweled man then came to life again. Next day the same was done with the other brother, -- all the animals were to come and eat his flesh, and when the Beaver came, the brother was to catch him by the tail, for he was his protecting spirit. Thus the Beaver was secured, and the disemboweled man arose. Then they said, "We will go and obtain fire from Lytton," and laid their plans accordingly; the one changing184 himself into an eagle, whilst the other turned into a beaver. [The rest is the same as the preceding version.]
XIII. STORY OF FIRE AND WATER.
[Nkamtci'nemux and Cawa'xamux.]
A haxa’185 and his boy lived in a distant country. He had two wooden boxes186 in his house, one of which contained fire, the other water. At that time there was no fire and no water in the outside world. Whenever the man opened the lid of the fire-box, immediately the house became very hot; and when he wandered away from the house, he used to tell the boy never to open the lids of the boxes; because if he opened the one, the house would take fire and he would be burned; if he opened the other, he would be drowned, because the house would be flooded. One day when he was away, the Elk came along and entered the house, and, seeing the two boxes there, asked the boy what they contained, who told him fire and water. Whereupon the Elk, whose curiosity was aroused, opened the two boxes. When it saw the fire and the water, it became afraid and ran away. The house was burned, and the fire spread over the country, burning the grass and trees.187 After this, fire could be obtained from every kind of wood all over the world. The water also ran out and drowned the fire wherever it went, and spread all over the world, forming lakes and rivers.188
