396 THE BELLA COOLA INDIANS

RAVEN AND WOLVERINE!

Raven with his wife and children shared a house with Wolverine who
used to catch small animals which he brought home to his family. As the
Wolverines ate their food, the Ravens would smack their beaks and gulp
as if they too were eating; they were envious. Raven used to make
small wooden fish which he threw into the water; they would then become
alive and he speared them. When he brought these home to his family,
the Wolverines smacked their lips and gulped. There was very little food
and both families often went hungry.

One day when Wolverine returned with nothing he said to his wife:

“Make me a hunter’s sack, a very strong one, with quadruple strings.”

While she was doing this he made a bow and four arrows with fine,
well-constructed points. The two worked almost all night, while the
Ravens peered at them curiously at intervals. .

In the morning Wolverine shouldered his sack, took his bow and
arrows, and set off up the mountain with his hunting-dog. Above the
timber-line he saw approaching him a man who also carried bow and
arrows and was accompanied by a dog. This was Twalditit, the super-
natural hunter, but Wolverine did not know that. The two stopped to
talk, and Twa/ditit said:

“Those are very fine arrows of yours. I have never seen their equal,
Who made them?”

“Twalditit made them,” Wolverine answered diplomatically.

“That is a fine little dog of yours,” Twaldi#it then said.

“Yes,” said Wolverine. “He is quite good. Whenever he barks ten
mountain goats fall dead.”

“That is fairly good,” said Twaldiit, “but mine is a little better.
Whenever he barks twenty goats fall dead. Let me see your arrows. I
can tell whether or not Twa/di#it made them.”

He took the arrows, fitted one to his bow and fired at a large white
boulder. It changed into a large, male mountain goat, dead, pierced by
the missile. He shot the other arrows at three more rocks and each
became a goat, transfixed by an arrow. Then he said to Wolverine:

“Yes, you spoke the truth. Twa/di#it did make those arrows.”

“TI should like to see your dog work,” Wolverine replied.

Twalditit spoke to his dog, at whose bark twenty goats fell dead beside
them.

“Let me hear your dog bark,” said Twalaiit.

He did so and ten goats fell dead. Twaldi#it told Wolverine to take

18Boas, p. 45, records a similar story with Raven and Lynx as the principal
characters.