took the children out of the basket. They awoke, and did not know where they were. She led them into her house, and gave them a place to sleep. On the following morning she said, "If you wish anything to eat, you must go to an old man who lives farther up the river, and who has a salmon-trap which is full every morning; there are both small and large fish in it." The children went, and saw the old man roasting salmon which he had fastened in a split stick and placed near the fire. He asked them what they wanted, "Do you want to eat salmon?" and they replied, "Yes, we are hungry, and we came here to eat. Xî′lgō sent us here."
When they had eaten, they said to the old man, "Tell us something," and he told them a tale and gave them many instructions. Then they returned. They found the old woman near the fire, where she was heating stones. She asked the children, "Did the old man tell you a story?" and they replied, "Yes; he told us many a tale, and gave us many instructions." Then she took the stones off the fire, placed skunk-cabbage leaves on top of the stones, and covered them with grass. When the skunk-cabbage was done, she ate it. Then she said, "You must go to the old man to-morrow morning and take him some skunk-cabbage; he will give you salmon in return." The children obeyed, and took some skunk-cabbage to him; he gave them salmon in return, and told them stories. When the children returned, Xî′lgō asked them, "Did he tell you stories?" When she heard that the old man had done so, she became angry, took her knife, and said, "I will kill him." She went and lay down with the old man. After a while she returned and said, "I have killed him." Then the children thought, "Where shall we get anything to eat if the old man is dead?"
Xî′lgō sang all the afternoon until late in the evening. On the following day she rose early and went out to get some skunk-cabbage. She returned before the children awoke and cooked it. She told them to take some of it to the old man. They thought, "Didn't she kill him yesterday? She told us that he was dead." Xî′lgō knew their thoughts at once, and said, "Where would you find anything to eat if I had killed him?"
Then the children went and found him roasting salmon as usual. He gave them some to eat, and when they were done he told them a story. On their return, Xî′lgō asked at once, "Did he tell you stories?" "Yes," they replied, "he told us a story." Then the old woman grew very angry. She took a long knife and said she would kill the old man. First they heard them talking for a long time. Then it became quiet. Again Xî′lgō lay down with the old man. Before going back she pulled her hair over her face, then she went back singing, "I have killed him; I have killed the old man. He spoke evil of me."
