Raven Traveling
[Told by John Sky of Those-born-at-Skedans][1]
Over this island[2] salt water extended, they say. Raven flew about. He looked for a place upon which to sit. After a while he flew away to sit upon a flat rock which lay toward the south end of the island. All the supernatural creatures lay on it like Genō′,[3] with their necks laid across one another. The feebler supernatural beings were stretched out from it in this, that, and every direction, asleep. It was light then, and yet dark, they say.
[Told by Job Moody of the Witch People[4]]
The Loon’s place[5] was in the house of Nᴀñkî′lsʟas. One day he went out and called. Then he came running in and sat down in the place he always occupied. And an old man was lying down there, but never looking toward him. By and by he went out a second time, cried, came in, and sat down. He continued to act in this manner.
One day the person whose back was turned to the fire asked: “Why do you call so often?” “Ah, chief, I am not calling on my own account. The supernatural ones tell me that they have no place in which to settle. That is why I am calling.” And he said: “I will attend to it (literally, ‘make’).”
[Continued by John Sky]
After having flown about for a while Raven was attracted by the neighboring clear sky. Then he flew up thither. And running his beak into it from beneath he drew himself up. A five-row town lay there, and in the front row the chief’s daughter had just given birth to a child. In the evening they all slept. He then skinned the child from the foot and entered [the skin]. He lay down in its place.
On the morrow its grandfather asked for it, and it was given to him. He washed it, and he put his feet against the baby’s feet and pulled up. He then put it back. On the next day he did the same thing and handed it back to its mother. He was now hungry. They had not begun to chew up food to put into his mouth.
One evening, after they had all gone to bed and were asleep, Raven raised his head and looked about upon everything inside the house. All slept in the same position. Then by wriggling continually he [[111]]loosened himself from the cradle in which he was fastened and went out. In the corner of the house lived a Half-rock being,[6] who watched him. After she had watched for a while he came in, holding something under his blanket, and, pushing aside the fire which was always kept burning before his mother, he dug a hole in the cleared place and emptied what he held into it. As soon as he had kneaded it with the ashes he ate it. It gave forth a popping sound. He laughed while he ate. She saw all that from the corner.