412 THE BELLA COOLA INDIANS

of his body as he had requested. As soon as they had gone away, Raven,
who had only pretended to be ill, climbed forth from his coffin and filled
it with salmon. Then he went to another town. The fish soon rotted,
so that people passing the place used to hold their noses and say;

“How soon that chief has putrefied.”’

Meanwhile, though living in another village, Raven had not forgotten
his step-daughter. He planned to return as soon as possible, and, in order
to be taken for a Kimsquit chief, taught a number of his friends the fol.
lowing marriage song:

Kasélxit? Xalaiya, | otdjixdlaiya | kastéxin-ixwit? Xélaiya
Tam going to marry Xé/aiya?"| that Xd/aiya, |that about-to-be-a-Kimsquit X dlaiy a2

When they had mastered these words, the party set out and one
evening reached the village where the girl was living. As soon as the
inhabitants heard the song, they knew that a Kimsquit chief had come
for the purpose of marrying Raven’s step-daughter. They did not recog-
nize the prospective bridegroom because of the large hat which entirely
covered his face, and a blanket which hid his body and feet. A feast was
given at which Raven, as chief of the visitors, sat in the most honoured
position. He still wore his disguise, but sometimes a gust of wind lifted
a corner of his mantle so that those sitting on the floor caught a glimpse
of his ankles.

“How peculiar,” they said. “His feet are just like Raven’s.”

No one was suspicious and the girl was married to her step-father.
That night she went to bed before her husband, but, as Raven began to
crawl in beside her, she caught a whiff of his foul breath. Realizing who
it was, she jumped out, and called to her mother:

“This is your husband.”

Raven was so frightened that he fled to another country.

RAVEN AND HIS HUMAN SON

Once upon a time, Raven invited a woman to his home and built for
her a fire of some kind of wood, probably fir, that emits numerous sparks.
It was so cold that he told his guest to warm herself by sitting naked near
the blaze; as she did so, a flaming brand jumped out and burnt her
severely between the legs. Raven, pretending to be much distressed, told

a
**Recorded as song VII D 2c, National Museum of Canada; singer, Jim Pollard.
77The meaning of this word is obscure. It is possible that it was Raven’s step-

daughter’s name, though this is not remembered in any other connection. In any

case, it is clear that it conveyed to the hearers that it was this girl who was meant.
*sThat is: The one who is about to be married to a Kimsquit man.