390 THE BELLA COOLA INDIANS “Let us think of and bewail our ancestors who have left us.” “All right,” replied Buck. “Let us go to the top of that mountain to weep,” Raven next pro- posed. ‘“‘Where we are now is not a good place.” Buck agreed, so Raven led the way to a flat-topped mountain with precipitous sides, where he so arranged it that Buck should sit at the edge of a cliff while he was farther back. “T will begin,” said Raven. But instead of singing of their ancestors, he sang about the ugliness of Buck’s long, thin legs. Buck grew angry, and when his turn came, he sang of the ugliness of Raven’s black, hard, shining beak. This was what Raven had hoped would happen; he was ready, and kicked Buck over the precipice, so that he was killed. Raven flew down to where the victim lay, croaking: “Owax! Qwax! Qwax! in delight. He built a large fire near Buck’s body, and when the flames had died down to embers he poured water on stones he had put in, causing clouds of steam to arise. Then he dragged the whole carcass on to the heated rocks; while it was cooking he sat down and kept chuckling with glee at the fatness of Buck. “Tt will be the finest feast that ever I had,” he said to himself. When the meat was nearly ready Raven turned to a tall dead stump that was standing near. “Stump,’’7 he said, ““You can’t have any of my good meal.” Stump did not like this, so he fell down, entirely covering Buck. Raven sat down and scratched his head. Then he said to Stump: “Why do you do this? Our families are related.”’ Stump did not heed the remark, and Raven went hopping around, trying to find an exposed part of Buck, but all was covered. The bird con- tinued to upbraid Stump for unkindness to a relative, until the latter finally appeared to listen, by slowly gathering himself together, and rising. Raven rejoiced, but it was only for an instant: when Stump had regained his upright position there was no trace of Buck left. Stump had eaten him. Raven flew sadly away. RAVEN AND BUCK (Second Version) Once upon a time Raven met Buck. “You know my mother, don’t you?” said he in greeting. "He used the term Qomogmai:s, which is “Stump” in Raven language.