Traditions of the Thompson River Indians (cont.)
The two generally used to hunt in company. The lad always walked near the top of the hills, so as to intercept and shoot the deer, which were started up the mountain side by the Owl, who always walked below, driving the deer by means of cries. One day while hunting, the boy heard the Owl, who was driving, shouting more distinctly than usual, and recognized the words tci' tem uLEn ca'ut ("go towards my slave"), which he was calling to the deer. He felt very much ashamed and offended because the Owl called him his slave, and therefore repaired to the Short-tailed Mouse for advice. She told him, "The Owl is not your father: he stole you from your parents. Go back to your own country and people." She told him how and where to find his people, so he left the Owl and went back, taking up his abode with his own friends.
XVIII. THE MARTEN AND THE FISHER.
[Nkamtci'nemux.]
The Marten and the Fisher were brothers. They lived together in an underground lodge. The Marten had a young wife and a boy of three or four years of age. One day the Marten's wife went down to the river to draw water, and the boy accompanied her. When she was filling her bucket, the Spring Salmon jumped out of the river a short distance away. She said to herself, "What a good looking fellow that is! I wish I could have him for my husband." The Spring Salmon heard her, swam ashore, and said, "I am he whom you wished to be your husband. Come with me." They went into the river together.
Meanwhile the Marten said to his brother, "The woman is long in coming. Go and see what has happened." The Fisher went down and found the buckets of water and the boy. When he asked the latter what had become of his mother, he pointed towards the river. Then the Fisher returned home with the boy and the water. He told his brother the Marten that the woman had disappeared. The Marten said, "I know what has become of my wife. She is fascinated with the Spring Salmon, who has bewitched her, and taken her home with him." Therefore, he said, "we must go and get her." Then the Fisher went out and caught a fawn, and brought it home for the boy to play with; and he also made a bow and arrows for the boy, so that he should amuse himself by shooting at the fawn; and on the third day after the disappearance of the woman, they gave the boy an ample supply of provisions and left him to play with the fawn, whilst they went to the underground lodge where the Spring Salmon stayed.
There were several houses there; and towards evening, when most of the people had gone out to the water to wash themselves, these two ventured out, and in the dusk mixed with the women as they were going home again. They were in disguise, and represented some female relatives of the Spring Salmon, who had left home a few days before. In this disguise they met the woman, and whispered to her that they had come to take her home, and told her to keep her new husband awake as late as possible by playing with him, so that when he went to sleep he should sleep soundly. They then all entered the house together. There was very little light in the house, as it was mild weather; and the people had a very small fire, so they were not noticed much when they went in. Going to an out-of-the-way corner of the house, they sat down. Some person said, "Let the fire go out altogether. It is too warm." This was done, and after a while it was altogether dark inside the house. The woman, as directed, kept the Spring Salmon awake a long time by playing and talking with him, so that some of the people, noticing this, said, "The Spring Salmon's new wife is very fond of playing with her husband to-night. She has not done so hitherto." After the Spring Salmon fell asleep, the woman rose, and the Marten went over and killed him by cutting off his head. Then, turning the body, neck down, towards the fireplace, they all departed, the Marten carrying the Salmon head. They walked to the shore of a lake, where there was a canoe, by means of which they crossed the lake; and when they were half way over the Marten dropped the Spring Salmon's head overboard. Then they all went home together. When the people in the underground lodge awoke in the morning, they found the Spring Salmon's headless body. The Coyote said, "I am certain the Marten and the Fisher have been here to recover the Marten's wife. I thought they looked strange when they came down the ladder last night, and their sneaky walk looked peculiar."The people went out to search for the fugitives. The Wolf tracked them by the blood to the place where they had embarked in the canoe. Then the Eagle arrived and said, "I saw them drop the head in the lake." The Spring Salmon's relatives offered a great price for the recovery of the head. The Swan, the Goose, the Ducks, and Divers, all tried to find it, but failed. At last the Loon said: "I see it in the bottom, but none but I can dive to such a depth. If you will treble your price, I will get it." They trebled the reward, and the Loon dived, and got the head. The people then took the head home, and put it on the body. The Otter and the Wolf, who were the most powerful shamans, then treated the corpse and brought it back to life, and the Spring Salmon became as well as before.
