Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1875-07-25

these places.
There are still other feats of Yehl's re-
plete with the happicst consequences to
mankind. There was time, for instance,
when all fire was hid away in far island
of the ocean. Thithcr few the indcfati-
gable deity, fetching back a brand in his
mouth. Tho distance, however, was so
great that most OF the wood was burned
away and part of his beak, before he
reached the Thlinkcet shore. Arrived
there, he dropped the embers at once, and
the sparks flew about in oil directions
among various sticks and stones; there
fore it is that by striking these stones, and
by friction on this wood, fire is always OBJ
tanned.
Light they now had, and fire; but one
thing was still wanting to men; they had
no fresh water. A parsonage called Kha-
nukh+ kept all the water in his well, in
an island to the east of Sitka, and over the
mouth of the we'll, for its better custody,
he had built his hut. Yehl set out to the
island in his boat, to secure the water, and
on his way he met Khanukh himself pad
ding along in another boat. Khanukh
spoke first How long hast thou been living
in the worldl Proudly Yshl answered !:
Before the world stood in its place, was
there. Yehl in his turn questioned Kha-
nukh But how long hast thou lived in the
world2 Khanukh replied: Since the time
that the liver came out from below.t
Then said Yehl: Thou art older than L.
Upon this Khanukh, to show that his pow
was as great as his age, took off his hat,
and there rose instantly dense fog, so
that the one could not see the other. Yehl
then became afraid, and cried out to Kha-
nukh; but Khanukh answered nothing.
At last when Yehl found himself COM
pletely helpless in the darkness, he began
to weep and howl; upon which the old
sorcerer put on his hat again, and the fog
vanished. Khanukh then invited Yehl to
his house, and entertained him handsomely
with many luxuries, among which was
fresh water. The meal over, host and
guest sat down, and the latter began long
relation of his many exploits and adven-
lures. Khanukh listened AS attentively as
he could, but the story was really 80 in
tcrminable that he at last fell asleep over
the cover of his well. This frustrated
Ychl's intention of stealing the water while
its owner slept, so he resorted to another
stratagem: he put some filth under the
sleeper, then waking him up, made him
believe he had bewrayed himself. Kha-
nukh, whose own nose abhorred him, at
once hurried off to the sea to wash, and
his deceiver as quickly set about securing
the precious water. just as All-father
Odin, the Raven God, stole Sutting's
mead, drinking it up and escaping in the
form of bird, so Yehl drank what fresh
water he could. filling himself to the very
beak, then took the form of raven and
attempted to fly off through the chimney
of the hut. He stuck in the flue however,
and Khanukh returning at that instant
recognized bis guest in the struggling
bird. The old man comprehended the
situation and quietly piling up roaring
fire, sat down comfortably to watch the
choking and scorching of his crafty guest.
The raven had always been white bird,
but so thoroughly was he smoked in the
chimney on this occasion that he has ever
since remained the sootiest of fowls. At
last Khanukh watching the fire, became
drowsy and fell asleep; so Yehl escaped
from the island with the water. He flew
back to the continent and scattered it in
every direction; and wherever small drops
fell there are now springs and creeks,
while the large drops have produced lakes
and rivers. This is the end Of the ex-
PLOTS Of Yehl; having thus done every
thing for the happiness of mankind, he
returned to his habitation, which is in the
East, and into which no other spirit, nor
any man can possibly enter.
Tho ax;af;ry 1;ffaranco !; ~ Ia ~ cru a crc ha
tween the Thlinkeets and other people is
one of tho consequences of a great food,
perhaps that food already described as
having been brought on through the jeal-
ousy Of the canoc-buildcr. Many persons
escaped drowning by taking refuge in a
great floating building. When the waters
fell, this vessel grounded upon rock,
and was broken in two pieces; in the
one fragment were those whose descend
ants speak the Thlinkect language, in the
other remained all whose descendants en-
ploy different idiom.
Connected with the history of this del
ugc is another myth in which great Bird
figures. When the waters rose certain
mysterious brother and sister found it
necessary to part. The name of the
DTutbcI Woo Shceiii th"' 10 AhuHuSA ~
Lightning, and the name of the sister was
Ahgishanakhou, which means the Under
ground Woman. AS they separated
Chethl said to her: Sister, you shall never
see me again, but while l live you shall
hear my voice. Then he clothed himself
in the skin Of great bird, and flew tow
ards the southwest. His sister climbed
to the top of Mount Edgecomb, which is
near Sitka, and it opened or swallowed
her up, leaving great hole, or crater.
The world itself is an immense fat plate
supported on pillar, and under the world,
in silence and darkness, this Underground
Woman guards the great pillar from evil
and malignant powers. She has never
seen her brother since she loft the upper
world, and she shall never see him again
but still, when the tempest sweeps down
on Edgecomb, the lightning Of his eyes
CLEANS down her crater window, and the
laundering of his wings e-echoes through
all her subterrsncan halls. Bancrct's
Natips Races.
| ~This Khanukh was the progcnitor Of the
Wolf family Of the Thlinkects even As Yeh
was that of the Raven family The influence
| of this wO1f-dcitv seems to have been 4cner