following her. One day, when the young mother had gone picking berries, Xî′lgō reached Columbia River, at a place opposite to where the house stood. She saw the man and the boy sleeping on the roof. She called them to take her across. The man did not hear her, and finally she became angry and said, "I wish you were dead." Then she returned homeward.
The man died, blood pouring from his mouth. At the time of sunset the boy awoke and began to cry. By this time his mother returned, and heard her child crying. She called her husband. "Don't you hear our child crying? Come take him down." As he did not stir, she went up to the roof and saw the blood. She turned the body over and found that her brother was dead. Then she took her son on her back, crying, "What shall I do?" She thought, "I will set fire to the house and burn myself." She gave her boy to a woman who lived close by, set fire to the house at one corner, and jumped into the flames.
After the fire had burned down, the woman who had taken care of the boy went and took a bone of the wrist of the woman and one rib of the man. She made a ball of the former and a bat of the latter for the boy to play with. She kept them at home until he was able to walk.
One day, when he was playing with his ball, he happened to hit a girl who was standing by. She cried and said, "You have made me sick with your mother’s and father’s bones." Then the boy thought, "Are these my father’s and mother’s bones?" Crying, he went into the house of the woman who took care of him, and said, "A girl abused me, saying that those were my mother’s and father’s bones." Then the woman became very angry, and whipped the girl until she began to cry. She cried so long that her nose became thin and pointed. The boy grew up, always thinking of his father and mother. He asked the old woman, "Who has killed my father and mother?"’ She said, "They who killed them live very far off, but if you want to go there I will help you." He wished to go, and the woman said, "A girl must go with you."
They selected a girl, and gave her a fine sea-otter skin to wear. The woman said, "Try to walk underground." She did so, assuming the shape of a mole. Then she told the boy, "Try to fly." He put a feather under his arm and flew away in the shape of an eagle. Then the two went to find Xî′lgō.
When they were gone he told the girl, "When we reach a town I will fly in front of the houses, and the people will come forth, then you must go underground and steal all the dentalia you can get hold of." When they came to a village he assumed the shape of an eagle. The people were all assembled in one house. One
