420 THE BELLA COOLA INDIANS

“Hush! Don’t speak of him,” she replied.

The answer betrayed her fear and Mink resolved to take advantage
of what hehadheard. With that aim in view he went to Owl’s house and
said to him:

“Please lend me your blanket.”

By this he meant the appearance and attributes of Owl himself. Owl
was unwilling to let him have it.

“Oh no,” he said. “My blanket is not strong. It may get torn if you
borrow it. Besides I have only one, which it would be most inconvenient
for me to lend.”

“Oh, please,’’ Mink urged. ‘“‘I should take the greatest care of it.”

At length the good-natured Owl yielded sufficiently to his guest’s
constant appeals to allow him to put on the blanket and go outside, so
that its owner could judge whether or not Mink could “‘hoot”’ well enough
not to disgrace Owl.

Mink, who was very clever, performed so satisfactorily that on his
return Owl lent him his blanket, with some misgivings. As soon as he had
assumed the borrowed plumage, Mink flew swiftly towards the home of
Cat-Fish, hooting as he went. While he was still at some little distance,
she heard the dreaded sound and threw on the fire dried salmon, whichis a
deterrent to Owl, but powerless against Mink. As the hooting came
nearer and nearer, Cat-Fish grew more and more terrified, until when it
was close to her house she fastened the door securely. Mink broke it
In pieces and rushed through to seize her. Cat-Fish thought herself
fortunate in being able to escape through the wreck of her door into the
water. When she passed Mink in the narrow doorway, Owl’s blanket
which he was wearing was torn, and the borrower was afraid, remem-
bering how the owner had begged him to be careful of it.

The dishonest Mink concealed the rent as well as he could; then took
the blanket back to Owl’s house and hung it up, without mentioning the
accident, so that the owner did not discover the tear until after Mink’s
departure, when it was too late to complain. Mink returned and took
possession of the house of Cat-Fish, with its rich contents of food. The
thief was undisturbed, as Cat-Fish has continued to live in the water
until the present day.

THE ADVENTURES OF MINK

Once upon a time, Mink was sitting at the end of a point which pro-
jected far into the ocean. From his seat he saw a salmon jump at some
little distance.