One woman, who was behind the screens when the town burned, escaped to the woods with her mother. Then the town was entirely burned. Only the woman and her mother were saved.
At once they traveled far inland aimlessly. While they were traveling about aimlessly they came to a high mountain, and she called aimlessly concerning her child. “Who will marry my daughter?” she shouted loud and long. By and by Grouse[3] came flying to her. “Why not I?” he said to her. “What can you do?” Then he said: “When summer comes, and I drum on the tops of the trees, they can hear my voice everywhere.” Then she told him he was not good, and he flew away from her.
By and by she spoke as she had spoken before: “Who will marry my child?” Then Sparrow[4] flew to her. And she asked him: “What can you do?” And he answered her: “I will make summer and winter succeed each other by my singing, and they will hear my voice everywhere.” Then she said to him: “You are not good.” And he flew from her.
When she called for her again, Kꜝū′djix̣u[5] came flying to her. Then she asked him what he could do, and he told her that when it was summer they always liked to listen to his singing. Then she told him he was not good, and he flew from her.
All kinds of birds, which she called for her daughter, wanted to marry her daughter. She kept asking them what they could do, and she refused them.
After that she again called for her daughter. She said: “Who will marry my daughter?” And Deer came to her. “Why not I?” “What can you do?” “After I have traveled about I scatter earth with my horns.” Then she refused him.
When she called again Black-bear also came to her. She asked him: “What can you do?” “I know how to catch fish. When I get angry with anything I strike it with my paws.” “You are not good.” Then he also left her.
When she again called Grizzly-bear also came to her. “Why not I?” “What can you do?” “I am powerful. When I become angry with any sort of thing I tear it in pieces.” And she said that he, too, was not good.
When she shouted again Beaver came to her, and she asked him what he could do. Then he told her he could fell trees, and he knew how to make a house in a lake. Then she said to him also: “You are not good,” and he, too, left her.
All the time she was asking for her daughter, all the forest animals wanted to marry her daughter. Meanwhile she kept asking them what they could do. All that time she refused them. [[343]]