21. Big-Raven and Fox. 1

Big-Raven walked along the sand-spit, and found a small ringed-seal. He said, "It seems that if it were a good catch, it would not lie so far (from the water)." He kicked it, and threw it into the sea. He walked farther on, and found a spotted seal. He said as before, "It seems that if it were a good catch, it would not lie so far (from the water)." He kicked it into the sea.

Then he found a thong-seal, and kicked it into the sea. He found a white-whale, and threw it into the water. He found a whale, and another whale, quite big (bowhead whale), and he threw it in still farther. He walked on, and found a striped whale. (Then he said,) "Here is a good whale!"

Then he called aloud to the neighboring people. A number of Chukchee rushed for the whale, knife in hand. They were approaching. He looked on them and felt frightened. So he entered the mouth of the whale. There he began to suck in the whale-oil. He filled his mouth full, then he jumped out and flew away.

A fox ² saw him. "Where do you come from?"--"From the whale." She says, "What?" He says, "From the whale." She said again, "What?"--"From the whale!" ³ Then the oil dropped down directly on her (back).

"That is good. I gathered some oil." She wrung out her coat in a dogs'trough. Big-Raven also gathered oil (for himself). Then the small fox prepared a cake of (berries and other) vegetable material, and sent it to Big-Raven to show her gratitude. With these return-payments, however, she killed him. ⁴ It is finished.

Footnotes

91:1 p. 90 See p. 6.

91:2 The fox, in the Koryak and Chukchee, is usually a female, Fox-Woman.

91:3 p. 91 The first two answers are given by Big-Raven with mouth closed; the third, with mouth open. They are also imitative of the cry of the raven.

91:4 Evidently by poison mixed with the berries.