After that, when he hunted for his elder brothers again, [he came to] a large, round stone with a slippery top on which a feather was stuck, and on the side of which lay the bones of his elder brothers. They died while they were trying to pull off the feather. Then he again spit medicine upon his elder brothers, and they got up. Then they went away with him.
After they had gone along for a while they came to where a woman lived. She gave them all kinds of good food in the usual way. Her dish had the figure of a mouse upon it. Then they went to bed in her house. There were scratchings in her house all night. They could not sleep. And, while it was still night, they went away. They came to the house where their mother and their sister always stayed.
Then they started off again, and they gave their mother directions. “Settle yourself in this house. We shall see you no more.” And they took their sister away with them.
Then they went toward the head of the Stikine river. And, when they started to swim across, although ten years had passed since their sister had begun to menstruate, they told her not to look at them. Then they took each other by the arm and swam across. He who had medicine in his mouth was the last to enter the water. At that time their sister looked toward them and all [except the eldest] became rocks.
And their elder brother sang some songs and looked at them. He put the following words into the song: “Even ʟā′ga-na′qatî did not swim across.”[20] They settled in this place.[21] [[262]]
The names of the heroes of this story, together with the localities in which the actions are said to have occurred, mark it plainly as Tlingit. At the same time it is well known and very popular among the Haida. I have a Masset version of the story as yet unpublished. Łᴀguadjî′na is a Tlingit name (Łᴀ′ki-tcine′); Łg̣añā′ʻogaña is from the name of one of the brothers, Łg̣añā′ʻo, and means “Łg̣añā′ʻo’s people” or “Łg̣añā′ʻo and his brothers.” One episode, telling how a gigantic mouse was killed, has been omitted. [[264]]
[1] Cry raised when the first canoe came in from fishing; also on other occasions; see the story of [Supernatural-being-who-went-naked], note [2]. [↑]
[2] In the Masset story these are said to have been red cod spines. [↑]
[3] My informant could not remember the names of the remaining children. [↑]