392 THE BELLA COOLA INDIANS

“Stump,” he said, “has no good food like mine.”

When next Raven flew away with some of the grease, Stump fell by
his own power and covered Buck completely. Raven, much distressed,
repeatedly begged Stump to move, but the latter refused to budge and
remained covering Buck’s carcass.

RAVEN AND Qfaisel?

Once upon a time Raven said to 9aise/#, an unmarried woman:

“T know where there are a great many crabapples. Get your basket
and come with me to get some.”

Qtaiset? gladly agreed and the two set off together. Presently they
came to a place where crabapples grew abundantly.

“Ts this the place?” asked Qraiset?.

“No,” replied Raven.

A little later they passed another spot where apples were growing in
profusion, but again Raven said that was not the place, and he repeated
the remark when they passed a third suitable area. The wily fellow
had made investigations previously and was leading Qyaiset# to a spot
where crabapples grew on the shore of a lonely tidal inlet. The two-finally
reached this place, far removed from any habitation. A few crabapple
trees were growing on the shore of a small creek, their branches projecting
out over the deep water. As soon as Q¢aiset# had climbed one of the trees
and begun to pick, Raven asked her to throw some of the fruit down to
him. She did so, and Raven gulped the apples down, then asked for
more. Qtaiset? complied with the request, but almost immediately he
asked for a third supply, then for a fourth, and she became angry.

“Get some for yourself,’ she said. “There are not many here and I
do not intend to spend all my time picking for you.”

“Tf you speak like that to me,” replied Raven. “I will cut off your leg.”

Qtaiset? was not alarmed and answered boldly, “All right! Go ahead.”

Raven took his stone axe, climbed the tree, and severed her leg just
above the ankle. Qsaiset# and her foot both fell into the deep water and
Raven fled. The woman swam ashore, little disturbed by the ampu-
tation, tied up the injured leg in her tump-line and hopped away, sup-
porting herself with a stick.

Presently she reached the village and hopped to and fro out of doors,
singing happily:

“Nowakila® has cut off my foot with his axe.”

All the people who saw her wondered at her unconcern. She said to
them:

*Raven’s name as chief.