454 THE BELLA COOLA INDIANS

mad woman, as well as eight of her attempted slayers. She must haye
had some evil power, but no one knows what it was. All insane people
are somewhat uncanny and are interfered with no more than is necessary.

THE IMPOSTOR

wyuyuyut (I, p. 328) had ason named Sturx. The latter’s son and his
grandson, the hero of this story, each took the same designation and each
was a successful hunter; in fact, ability in this line seemed to accompany
thename. Stu.x the third had been married for some time, but, although
he deeply loved his wife, he seldom slept with her, as he was observing
ceremonial chastity to increase his success in hunting. They had no
children. On one occasion Stuux and his wife camped in a beautiful spot
a little distance up the valley of the Kimsquit River, not far from a village
where lived a bad woman who was in love with Stu.x. He had scorned her
advances but had failed to warn his wife against her. This woman, deter-
mined to win Stu.x by fair means or foul, used to watch the camp to learn
of his movements, in the hope that some chance would help her. Once
when he was absent, hunting, she approached and began to talk pleas-
antly to his wife, who, suspecting nothing, invited her to sit down and
gave her some food. After the meal the bad woman began to question
her hostess about Stucx.

“Tell me, my dear, does your husband exercise his marital rights?”
she asked.

“No,” replied the wife. “He is a hunter; therefore does not do so.”

“What do you do when he first comes home?” the other went on.

“T take off his skin shoes, wash them, and hang them up to dry.”

The guest expressed interest in this answer and continued:

“Do you cook for him?”

“Yes,” replied the trusting wife.

The scheming woman went on with a number of questions, such as,
what time Stucx went to bed, when he got up, what his wife was accus-
tomed to say to him on his return after the day’s hunting, what he liked
best to eat, in fact every conceivable detail of his day’s routine. Stusx’s
wife, rather flattered at this interest in her husband’s doings, answered
the queries openly. Towards the time of Ssuux’s return the woman de-
parted with loud protestations of friendship, promising to return another
day to sit with the lonely wife. This was quite a natural suggestion, as
there was an easy trail from the village to the spot where Stuux was en-
camped and visitors often walked the distance.

When Stu.x returned, his wife pulled off his skin shoes, washed them,
squeezed them, and hung them out to dry while the food was cooking.