406 THE BELLA COOLA INDIANS

Echo answered in the same words, which Raven took as an invitation
to enter. Though he could see no one, the house was well stocked with
meat, while to his amazement he saw blankets being woven, and cedar-
bark being intertwined without visible human agency. He sat down.
Presently some firewood rose and moved to the hearth of its own accord.
The fire lit itself, stones jumped into it and a cook-box moved to a con-
venient place near at hand. Water emptied itself into the vessel, and
when the stones were hot, the tongs picked them up and dropped them
into the box. When the water was boiling, smoked goat meat came down
from the ceiling, cut itself up, and went into the box. Berries and goat
grease placed themselves before Raven, and when all was ready a spoon
moved to him, the handle pointed towards his hand. The cooked meat
dried itself and came tohim. Raven ate heartily but was much puzzled,
for he had never seen anything like this in his life. When he had finished
the meal, he took away with him, according to custom, the box containing
what was left. On reaching home he said to his four sisters:

“T have been to a house where there is a great abundance of every-
thing, food, blankets, and so on, but no people. Tomorrow we shall go
and carry off everything.”

The sisters were agreeable. That night Raven was so excited he
could hardly sleep, and at the first streak of dawn he roused his sisters and
they set off in his canoe, Todink?, which moved without apparent means
of propulsion. On arriving at Echo’s house they found the same state
of affairs as on the previous day, all household occupations being carried
on without visible agent. Raven seized meat and grease; his sisters took
goat-hair blankets and cedar-bark articles which they at once began to
carry out to Tobink?. When they had almost stripped the house, Raven
suddenly felt the grasp of invisible hands which, in spite of his struggles,
stretched him out on his: back with legs apart. His sisters, who were
then at the canoe, were also seized, one after another, and dragged into
the house on their backs. Invisible fingers held apart their pudenda,
which were thrust over Raven’s nose until he was almost suffocated.

“Please stop!’ Raven cried out. ‘I didn’t know there was anyone
here. I am almost killed.”

“Why did you steal my food?” asked Echo. ‘Yesterday, I provided
you willingly with a meal, and this is how you repay me. If you try any
more of your malicious tricks I will kill you.”

The four sisters, who had almost been pulled to pieces in the fray,
cried out to their brother, sobbing:

“Why do you always lead us into trouble? We have been almost
murdered and it is all your fault.”