Then the old woman sharpened her claws which were dull, saying meanwhile: “Ha-i ha-i, what wrong thing did my child’s (i.e., grandchild’s) husband get hold of?” Her wings had lost feathers [from [[280]]age]. She flew down. She was unable to fly in a straight line. She flew hither and thither. When about five were left she got there, and, when those were nearly covered, she seized them with her claws. After she had flapped her wings for a while, tugging at them, she drew one of them to the surface. She was at the end of them. Something cracked at the bottom where the thing was. She pulled it out.
Then they said: “Put it far from the place where human beings are going to get food.” And they dropped it far out at sea. Then he seized the jaw of a whale and a spring salmon. He flew home with them. He killed the thing they were afraid of. That was Supernatural-clam,[6] they say.
And, after he had lived with his wife for some time, he went to see his uncle’s town. He flew to the town wearing his eagle skin. And, after he had sat at the end of the town for a while, he saw his uncle come out. Then he flew away.
And early next day he flew seaward, picked up a whale, and dropped it in front of his uncle’s house while they slept. Then he sat on a dead tree that stood at one end of the town. After he had sat there for a while some one came out. He called them to the whale, and they went to it. His uncle said he would keep it for himself. He stood on top of the whale.
Then he flew. He flew about above the place where his uncle was walking about. And they laughed at him. They said “He wants the whale meat.” And again he sat on the tree. After he had sat there for a while his uncle said he wanted all of the whale for himself. He said that as he stood around. Presently he flew over to him. He seized him by the knot in his hair and flew away with him.
After he had flown along for a while he discovered that it was his nephew, and he said: “Nephew, carry me back. You shall marry my wife. I will give the town to you.” After he had flown on with him a while longer he said the same thing to his nephew again. After he had flown on still farther with him he dropped him in the open sea.[7]
Then he flew landward, reached his uncle’s village, married his uncle’s wife, and came to own the town. His uncle became a supernatural being in the open sea. [[281]]
[1] Anciently a man’s nephews, or at any rate the one who was to succeed him, lived on terms of complete familiarity with his wife. [↑]
[2] The word is said to mean “growing alone,” and is applied to a very large variety of mussel which grows by itself. [↑]