The chief laid down a nice mat with fur robes on it for the young wife. The young man went out to get his wife, but when he came in, with her, they could see only him. When he came very close, they saw a deep shadow following him. When his wife sat down and they put a marten skin robe around her, it hung about the shadow just as if a person were sitting there. When she ate, they saw only the spoon moving up and down, but not the shadow of her hands. It looked very strange to them.
Afterward the chief’s son died and the ghosts of both of them went back to Ghost Land.
THE SKY COUNTRY
Tlingit
LONG ago, a man’s wife was stolen from him. He cared for her so much he thought he would follow her. So he began to walk. He thought he was walking along the beach, but he was following a wide trail through the woods. He walked on for a long time with his head bent down, until he saw smoke ahead. When he came near he saw a woman tanning a skin. He showed her a necklace he had made. He said, “I will give you this string if you will tell me where my wife is.”
The woman said, “She is over at the next camp.”
So he at last reached his wife and stayed there a long time.
Now the people of this village wanted to kill him. They kindled a fire and began to drag him to it. He said, “Oh, how glad I am! I want to die.” Then they stopped and began to drag him toward the water. The man said he was afraid of water, so they threw him in. He came up in the middle of the lake.
People said, “See him. He is looking at us.”