STORIES 415 ing the fire when necessary with wet leaves. At this juncture several people invited him to go to see Ma’ciisa, but he was so intent on his work that he refused, adding rather brusquely that he had seen her before. The people, indignant at Raven for his discourtesy, decided to punish him. While the dance was taking place they sent two boys to him saying: “This is the most wonderful dance, a new type, we have never seen anything like it.” Raven decided that he must go, leaving his canoe asit was. Whenhe came in, the conspirators asked Ma’ciisa to dance harder than ever, while they beat time violently on the floor. She entered into the spirit of the plot, and danced as she had never danced before. Raven, who had never seen anything to equal it, sat enthralled. Presently the two boys whis- pered to him that his canoe was on fire, and that he must attend to it at once or it would be ruined. He answered, “Shut up! Iam enjoying this wonderful dance.” When the dance was over and he had returned to his canoe he found that they had spoken truth, it was past repair. The dialogue between Raven and the conspirators has become a kind of song,?® used jocularly on many occasions. Raven answers their invitation by saying: A i Pre 2 Tciwalwal-ditnumtsaix Ma citsa e e ;