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TLINGIT MYTHS AND TEXTS
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see that his eyes are closed, do not try to kill him. Approach him when his eyes are open. The canoe," he said, u is right round there back of my house. " They went to look for it bat saw nothing at that place except an old log covered with moss. They said to him, " Where is the canoe you were talking about?" Then the old man came out and threw the moss off, revealing a fine painted canoe. Another name for this was Canoe-that-travels-in-the-air (QAxyi xdoxoa), referring to its swiftness. All of the paddles that he brought out to them were beautifully painted. Then they got into the canoe and tested it.

Next day they set out and soon came to a point named Point-that moves-up-and-down (Yen-yulu -s!itA ngi-q!a). Whenever a canoe approached it this point would rise, and, as soon as the canoe attempted to pass under, would fall and smash it. They, however, passed right underneath, and it did not fall upon them. They killed it by doing so, theirs being the first canoe that had passed under.

Beyond this they saw a patch of kelp called Kelps-washed-up- against-one-another-by-the-waves (WucxkAduti t-glc) , which closed on those trying to pass, but they shot through as soon as the kelp parted. Thus they killed the kelp patch, and the kelp piled up in one place, becoming a kelp-covered rock which may still be seen.

Next they reached Fire-coming-up-out-of-the-sea (HlnAx-qegA ntc), which rose out of the ocean quickly and fell back again. When it fell back they passed over it and killed it.

After that they came to Dogs-of-the-sea (WuclAdAgu q-caq!), after whom LAkitcine"s dog is said to have been named.[1] These drew to each side and then ran together upon anyone who tried to pass be tween. Arrow-canoe was too quick for them, however, and killed them by running through in safety. Then they became rocks.

Before the monster's dwelling were two mountains, called Mountains-that-divide (Wu cqAdagAt-ca), which formed his doors. These would separate and come together again. Arrow-canoe passed be tween when they were separated and killed them. You can see them now, one on each side of a salt-water pond, looking as though they had been cut apart.

As soon as they had passed between these they saw the monster, a very bad shaman called also Shaman-of-the-sea (Hin-t ! Aq-i xt !1) . He looked as though his eyes were open, so they threw a rope made of whale sinew about his neck. Immediately he shook himself and broke it. They made ropes out of the sinews of all the different monsters they had killed, but he broke them. All the time they were doing this a little bird called Old-person (Laguqa wu),[2] kept coming to their camp and saying, "My sinews only, my sinews." So they

  1. ↑ In another place, however, Katishan suggested that it might have been named from łēq!, his red-cod blanket. The word caq! must be an old term for dog or some variety of dog.
  2. ↑ Probably the wren.
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