Page:Tlingit Myths and Texts.djvu/111

of human skulls and other human bones lying about the base of the tree and said, "That is what we live on." They also said, "Our father and our mother always come just at daybreak. You can not see them because they come in clouds. Our mother comes over the mountain in a yellow cloud and our father comes in a black cloud." Then he said to the birds, "Do not tell about me or I will kill you," and they believed he would do it.

Suddenly the boy saw the yellow cloud coming. He distinguished the mother bird bringing a human body for her children to eat. Then he killed her and threw her down to the foot of the tree along with the body she was carrying. After that he saw the black cloud coming and presently distinguished the father bird. The father bird said to the young ones, "Where is your mother?" and they answered, "Our mother dropped the dead body she was bringing arid went down after it." As he was sitting there talking the boy killed him also and threw his body down. Then he said to the little birds, "You must never kill people any more or live on human flesh. I will go and get something for you to eat until you are strong enough." So he went out hunting and brought them a lot of ground hogs, saying to them, "This is what you are to live upon." So these birds now live only on ground-hog meat. They do not live on human flesh any more. They kill their victims with rocks, and a person who is about to become rich will see them throw one of these. Then he picks it up and it brings him good luck.

After that he went back to the old woman and told her what he had done, and she was very happy to learn that these dangerous birds were killed. He said to her, "I am going back to my mother and grandmother. I and my dog have obtained a great deal of food for them." He also gave a quantity of food to the old woman who had helped him. His mother and grandmother were very glad when they saw him come back with the skins of those birds and a quantity of provisions.

Now Fire-drill's son collected enough food and grease in boxes to last his mother and grandmother all their lives and said, "Mother, I am going to leave you forever. I was not put here to be with you always. I have done what I wanted to do. If what you have hanging overhead falls, you may know that you will never see me again. But do not worry, for it is my duty to leave you." Then he went away.

As he was traveling along from that place, Fire-drill's son saw some one ahead of him called Dry-cloud (Gus!-xuk). He was able to travel very fast, and he chased it. As he was running along he came to the mink people. He ran along again and came to the marten people. Both kept saying to him, "We want you to be our

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