13. Eme'mqut and the Kamaks. 3

Eme'mqut lived with his family. One time he went into the open and found there a house. (A voice from)

p. 68 p. 69

there said, "Halloo, Ła'wa! is that you? How are you getting along with your human game?" ² He said, "Well, we two have killed some wild reindeer. How is (my) wife?"--"She has just been delivered of a son. And even we two, staying here at home, have killed one man. Now, Ła'wa, call to the spirits!"--"And where is the drum?"--"[What is the matter with you?] (Don't you know?) Of course, it is there on the cross-pole."

Eme'mqut called to the spirits. He put them to sleep,--the kamak-woman, together with her husband. He revived the other man. They fled in the night-time, together with Eme'mqut. In the middle of the night those sleepers wanted to pass water. They came out, and said, "Our son has become quite light of foot. And how is it? There are two foot-tracks,--one to this side, and the other to that side.

They entered, and again went to sleep. Then their real son, Ła'wa, came home. "Halloo, Ła'wa! have you come? Not long ago you were here, and now you come back another time."--"When have I been at home? I have arrived just now."--"How is your reindeer hunt?"--"Nothing killed. We were famishing."--"There, Ła'wa, call to the spirits!" ³ He took the drum. (It was made of pieces of) skin of women's breasts sewed together. He began to call to the spirits, "Trai, Tĭroi, trai!" ⁴ Thus was he singing.

The other man lived with Eme'mqut's family, and married a daughter of a reindeer-breeder. They lived quite happily. They staid there, That is all.

Footnotes

67:3 Compare W. Jochelson, The Koryak, l. c., No. 102, p. 290.

69:2 Here a man is spoken of as a "wild reindeer." In other tales a man is spoken of as a "little seal."

69:3 These words are supposed to be in the language of the kamak. They differ, however, from the ordinary Koryak of the western branch by the repeated use of r instead of y. This makes them similar to the eastern Koryak dialect, and to the Chukchee.

69:4 Compare the preceding footnote.