Page:Myths and Legends of British North America.djvu/45

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MYTHS AND LEGENDS OF

BRITISH NORTH AMERICA

in the midst of it the one holding Raven let him fall, and he dropped down out of the Sky Country until he fell upon the great waters.

Now the cradle drifted about on the water for a long time. Raven cried; then he cried himself to sleep; but as Raven slept, something said, "Your powerful grandfather invites you in." Raven sat up quickly. He looked toward the sound, but there was nothing there. Soon the voice said the same words.

Raven looked through the hole in his marten's-skin blanket. Presently up through the water came a grebe saying, "Your powerful grandfather invites you in." Then Raven stood up. His cradle was floating against a kelp with two heads. He stepped upon it, and behold! it was really a two-headed house pole made of stone. When Raven climbed down, he found he could breathe as easily as in the air above.

Beneath the house pole was a house. Someone said, "Come inside, my son, I hear that you come to borrow something from me." Raven entered. In the back part of the house sat old Sea-Gull Man. The old man sent him for a box which hung in the corner. There were four others inside of this. Raven pulled them all apart and took out two long pieces of something. One was black and the other was covered with shining points.

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