13. Robin and Blue-Jay

p. 151

There were Blue-Jay and Robin. Once upon a time they were hungry. Blue-Jay said: "Make yourself ready, Robin." And they went to the sea where a slough was left by the receding tide. They were in their canoe. Blue-Jay called: "Come ashore, sleeper!" [name of a large fish]. The sleeper shouted [in reply], but it was far away from the shore. Blue-Jay called again: "Why do you stay far from the, shore? Only the heron can carry [food] to you [if you stay that far from the shore]." Again the sleeper shouted; he was nearer the shore now. Blue-Jay repeated: "Why do you stay far from the shore? Only the heron can carry [food] to you [if you stay that far from the shore]." Blue-Jay called him five times; then he came ashore. Blue-Jay speared him and he and his brother went home after they had thrown the fish into their canoe. They reached their home and went ashore. Blue-Jay said to his brother, "Make a fire." Robin made a fire. Blue-Jay went and carried the fish up to the house. He cut it and Robin said: "I will have its tail, I will have its breast, I will have its head." Then Blue-Jay became angry: "You want to have everything for yourself; the Q!tê'nse ¹ are going to eat what at has been killed for you." Then Robin cried; he took his work and left the house. He cried outside. Blue-Jay finished cutting the fish. Then he called his elder brother [and said]: "Come in, come in, you poor one, you shall have the breast, you shall have the head, you shall have the tail." Then Robin came in. When the fish was roasted they began to eat.

After some time Blue-Jay dreamed, and he said to his elder brother:

Robin, I dreamed people sent for us; I was to cure a sick person." After some time people came in a canoe, wailing. When they had almost

p. 152

reached the shore they recognized the duck. She landed and said to Blue-Jay: "O, your brother-in-law is choking. I came to fetch you; you shall cure him." Blue-Jay replied: "We shall go." They made themselves ready to go. They went, and he said to his elder brother: "Robin, you must say, 'She shall give us in payment one lake and one-half of another lake.' Thus you must say when I cure her." Robin said: "All right." They landed. The duck's husband was breathing heavily. Now Blue Jay began to cure him and Robin sang: "You shall pay us both sides of one lake and one side of another lake." One of the ducks who sat at some distance sang differently: "Qoê'x, one side shall be yours, my nephews." Then Blue Jay took out the morsel which was choking the duck and made him well. He recovered. Now [Robin and his brother] dug roots on the place which they had received in payment. They gathered two canoes full and went home. They arrived at home. They carried their roots up to the house. They stayed there for some time. They ate all their roots. Then Blue-Jay dreamed again. He said to his elder brother: "Robin, I dreamed that people sent for us; I was to cure a sick person." In the afternoon they saw a canoe coming; two persons were in it. They landed and two young men came up to the house. They were the young wolves. They said to Blue-Jay: "We come to call you; a girl of our family is choking." Blue-Jay replied: "We shall go." After some time he and his brother made themselves ready, and he said to his elder brother: "When I cure her you must point to the largest basket and say, 'There is the spirit of the disease.'" "All right," replied Robin. They landed, and when they came to the house the girl was almost suffocated. Then Blue-Jay began to cure her. He sang: "What is it that is in this girl? Her throat is all twisted up." Then Robin said, pointing to the largest basket: "It is in that large basket." The wolves took it down and placed it near Robin. Robin continued to do so, and pointed to all the large baskets. Then Blue-Jay took out what had choked the girl; it was the kneepan of an elk. Then they gave them in payment two canoes full of meat and grease. They went home and now they were satisfied and carried the meat up to the house. Their house became full.

Footnotes

151:1 All imaginary tribe.