3. The Ascent to Heaven

p. 21

3. THE ASCENT TO HEAVEN.

The world was already inhabited. Hä'tcît! ¹ lived in it. Hä'tcît! ¹ had a child. It was the old man's boy. They two lived together. His child had two wives and two children.

One evening the old man went out. He stood outside, that old man. That old man went out to defecate. A small spruce-tree was standing there. There he was defecating. Suddenly (he saw) blood on his excrement, as he stood up. He looked at it, and began to think. He put it on the small spruce-tree that was standing there. He saw a woodpecker peck at it. Thus he spoke: "Peck at my excrement." Indeed, he began to peck at it. His feathers were kind of reddish. It was a very pretty woodpecker (that) pecked at it.

His grandchildren arrived there. His boy was in the sweat-house. Thus he spoke to his grandchildren: "You two go and get your father. He shall hit the one who pecks at this lucky money." Surely, they went to get him. The woodpecker was pecking at the lucky money. The spruce-tree began to grow. Soon it grew (to be) high.

(His boy) arrived with a bow and arrows. "Hit this woodpecker (who) is pecking (at it)." He shot and almost hit it. "You almost hit it" (said his father to him). You grow, O my spruce-tree!--Shoot at it again." The young man nearly hit it. "Climb up, from a near distance you shall shoot at it." He climbed up. "You grow, O my spruce-tree!--Shoot at it again, you almost hit it." The two little boys were standing near their grandfather. Thus the old man was talking: "You grow, O my spruce-tree!" They two told this to their father. The father of p. 23 the two little boys was caused to (go) high up. He was following the woodpecker. "You grow, O my spruce-tree!" The spruce-tree grew halfway up to the sky, and struck against the sky. The spruce-tree disappeared as soon as it reached the sky. Still he did not hit the woodpecker. The young man went through upwards.

The old man made himself young, and took possession of his (son's) wives. He did not know what became of his boy. The (two women) were very sorry when their husband was lost. They did not know what had become of him.

The young man came to a nice prairie. There was no wind. Just one prairie was spread out. Nowhere could he see anything. There were no mountains. "What may happen to me?" (he thought). There was no food at all. He saw two blue-cranes coming towards him singly. The blue-cranes sat down at the edge of the prairie. The young man shot arrows at the blue-cranes. It seemed as if he had hit the blue-cranes; nevertheless they flew up. He followed them wherever they went. He did not find (any) arrows (at the place) where he had shot them. So he stood there (thinking), "I too will go where the blue-cranes have gone." He did not know where the people (were, and thought to himself), "What am I going to do?"

Now he came to the very edge of the prairie, and stood there. Nowhere did he see anything. Only smoke he scented as he stood there. He went (in the direction from) where he scented it. Indeed, he saw a house, and (in it) he saw an old man. That old man was working in the doorway; and also an old woman was working in the doorway. There the young man stood. "Grandson, you almost hit me; look, here are your arrows!" The young man became ashamed. Then they all went inside. These old people had all kinds of food. These old people p. 25 lived on the edge of the world The sun had almost risen. So surely they informed their grandson. "Something bad is stopping with us. What are we two going to do with you? Whenever the Sun (-Woman) rises, she usually eats here. She (eats for) her lunch people's stomachs; these she is in the habit of eating. It is always hot when she travels. It is a woman who travels."

Surely he heard when she came. (From) afar she made a loud noise as she was coming. Indeed, she arrived with heat. These old people hid their grandson away. She suspected some scent. "You two bring it out, I suspect that you two are hiding some one." She began to eat. Indeed, it was a woman. The young man was hidden in a corner. The old people ran away. She finished eating . and departed. "The woman may kill me," (he thought). "However, it is not so very bad, [even if] she may kill me." The (woman) usually ate here upon her arrival. She ate people's stomachs, and started on her journey again. The young man followed her. He overtook her. "Who are you, (who is) travelling?"--"I am devouring persons." She was travelling blazing red. He spoke to her, and cohabited with her with a penis (made of) ice. "You shall be a woman. You shall not amount to very much. You shall travel good-naturedly."

People came to know this, and they began to shout, "Hä'tcît!'s child is up here, Hä'tcît!'s child is up here!" Suddenly (some one) was hunting sea-otters down the river. No one could hit them. They did not know Hä'tcît!'s child, although they were surprised to see him. In this manner people were hunting. It would seem as if they certainly had hit her, but the sea-otter would still keep on swimming. He was seen, (and they wanted to know) how Hä'tcît!'s child looked. They liked him very much when they saw him.

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Two women (especially) liked Hä'tcît!'s boy very much when they saw him. The women were a rich man's children. They liked Hä'tcît!'s child. The older sister was travelling good-naturedly. She usually travelled in the evenings. "We two are coming from another country." Hä'tcît!'s boy did not know the travellers. They always come from another country when a woman gets her monthly courses. "Whenever I get here, (I effect) that women get their monthly courses. I stay here just as long as in the other country. I travel here for the same length of time as I do in the other country. This is the reason why you always see me. When we two are travelling thus, I am always watching, (especially) when women get their monthly courses."

The young man married the two women. Thus (one of them) said to her father, "Don't you do anything to my husband." (One day his father-in-law said to him), "Let us two chop wood!" They went. One fir-tree was standing (at the place where) they arrived. He (the-father-in-law) gave him a digging-stick. (The young man) stood at the foot of the tree. They were going to work. The young man knew what was going to happen to him. Surely, the whole thing slid down. He became afraid of it, as he knew what was going to happen. Indeed, it came off; but the young man blew away to one side, just like a feather. The father-in-law saw it. Thus he thought: "I am going to kill my son-in-law." The son-in-law stood far away. He did not kill him. He was smiling. Then the father-in-law said to him, "Go and get our (dual) canoe. We will put in there this our wood." He went to get it. They filled their canoe. The hammer fell into the water. "Go and, get it." The young man went to get it, and dove into the water. The father-in-law made ice. The boy could not come out. He was p. 29 just bumping against the ice. He could not come out, it seemed as if he could never come out. From below he struck the ice with the hammer. Indeed, he came out. They went home.

Then he said to his wives, "I shall go home."

"When will you return?"--"I shall return in two days."--"I am going to see my father." These two old people made a rope. Early in the morning they got him ready. That old man gave him all kinds of things,--a belt he gave to his grandson, a whale he gave him, a shield he gave him, and a feather-band he gave him.

Surely, he went down. He returned and saw his children. He was dropped down in a basket. Somewhat far off he was dropped down. As soon as he was dropped down, he went into the house and saw his wives. The old man rested in the sweat-house. His grandchildren went there (and said), "Our (dual) father has come back." He did not believe his grandchildren. "Perhaps you two are lying." After a while the children went there again. "Look, this our (dual) father brought home. This is our lunch." Sure enough, it was so. The old man believed it. He had marked himself with ashes, and cut his hair. He could barely talk, and (began to) look for his cane.

(The father) said to his children, "You two go and get your grandfather." He placed his wives and children in the basket. The rope was stretched up to the sky. The old man entered. "Halloo, my child! We became miserable."--"Put this belt on. You will see how we shall look when we get to the other place." He put on his clothes, and became old again. As he was before, thus he became again. His child made him scared. 'Now you shall eat." The old man began to eat. "Permit me to go out."--"Eat!" The young man ran to the basket. His wives and his children were already p. 31 there. The old man was eating. They were drawn up quickly in a basket. They were taken up. The old man began to spout. He began to swim. He recollected suddenly that there was a spider. He reached out upwards. He almost tore off one handle. It came off. It was a close call! They went up quickly. They got back again to (their) other grandfather.

The old man was swimming. He could not come ashore. He had a whale as a slave. The old man was left on the ground, and he no longer knew (where) his child (had gone). He was swimming in the ocean, and he saw a whale. He was going back and forth through the mouth of the whale. That old man knew all kinds of languages. "You shall swallow me entirely. I shall be inside of you. You shall carry me home." Surely, he took that old man home. They two returned.

His head became bald. Only his heart was left. Only the bones joined together were left. The old man (and the whale) returned. The whale had as his subjects small hunch-backs. That old man went out. The old man was travelling along the beach. He found the leaves of a willow, and brought them into the house to the small hunch-backs. "Get up! Here, I brought home a herring. Why do you continually sleep? It is summer. You get ready, you small hunch-backs!" The old man got into the biggest whale. Surely, they went. He spoke to the whale as to a person. "You must go along the beach. We shall be seen if we travel." Indeed, they went along the beach. The small hunch-backs had all kinds of fun. The old man was sticking out from a whale-spout. "You must shout loud. We shall be seen." The old man did not see (know) any people, nevertheless he was talking thus. He recognized the region as they came (there). "You must shout loud."

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Then they went to the ocean. The whale shouted once as he was going along the beach. "You must shout loud." Still he did not see any herring. Indeed, the whale shouted loud. He shouted once, and there the old man jumped (out). The old man was put ashore. He was very glad when be came ashore. "Now go, we came back to this good land.'

Surely, they were walking singly. Cold (weather) nearly killed that old man. He warmed himself by the sun. Thus he warmed himself. He got hungry. He had nothing to cat. Suddenly he recollected that the world had such a thing (as food). He began to look around, [crawling]. He began to walk around. Indeed, he found manzanita-berries. This became his food while he walked [crawlingly]. Half a day he crawled, eating the manzanita-berries. 'Why don't I get satiated?" He looked backwards and saw the manzanita-berries. just like a rainbow was spread out the thing he was eating. So he plugged some grass into his anus. Grass he plugged there. At the same time he again began to eat the manzanita-berries. Indeed, he felt it there as he ate it.

"What am I going to do?" Thus he spoke. Then he built a small house and warmed himself. "What am I going to eat?" Thus he was thinking. "I remember there must be such a thing as skunk-cabbage." Then he went to get skunk-cabbage. He dried it when the fire was big. It was not cooked. He warmed himself. Now he got tired waiting. He remembered the roast, and looked at it. He examined it. To his surprise, it was raw. The old man became angry when he saw it. He shoved it into the fire with the roasting-stick. He shoved it into the ashes. Thus he became angry. "Why is it not cooked?' So he shoved it into the fire, and warmed himself. He smelled something sweet, something good. p. 35 He got up and remembered it. He remembered the roast, and pulled it out. (Again) he shoved it into the fire. "I recollect, it must be so." Now the roast was cooked. He set up a basket, the one he brought home. Then he roasted the skunk-cabbage, and at the same time built a fire on top of the roast. Then the old man warmed himself by the fire when he finished his work. He became tired waiting, and examined the roast. He took out one. it was cooked. So he kept taking them out, and put them down in pairs. He was alone, but still he spoke: "Give this to the uncle, give this to the uncle, give this to the elder brother, and give this to the aunt. Give this to the aunt. Give this to your sister-in-law. Give this to the younger brother." He did not see anybody at all; nevertheless he was talking that way.

His house there began to get big. Salmon came into the river. "I shall spear." Indeed, he went spearing. Indeed, he saw the salmon. So he killed salmon. He boiled the salmon. Now he was thinking thus: "How would it be if I should make a fish-trap? I may get very tired if I keep on spearing. It would be good if I should make a fish-trap. It does not look nice when I spear the salmon. It would be good if I should have a fish-trap. While I sleep, (they) will get into the basket themselves; and I shall sleep." Now, indeed, he slept.

He got up early in the morning and went down to the water. He saw the trap. Indeed, five salmon were in his basket. He set it up again, and went ashore into the house. He was storing up the salmon. He was drying everything,--the hearts, the gills, and the tails. Everything he was drying, the heads. Everything he was drying, the milter of salmon. Everything he was drying, the roe. Everything he was drying. Then he went to see p. 37 the trap. He was very glad when the basket was full of salmon. He threw the salmon out. Indeed, he took them out. "I may get very tired." He filled his house; with dried salmon he filled the house. "It won't be good if I should get tired. You shall always shout. Whenever you get full, you shall shout." Surely, he went ashore to. his house. A little before daylight some one was in-deed shouting, "The fish-basket is full!" He went down to the water, and was very glad when the fish-basket shouted. He filled his house. It got summer. "Suppose I stop now, I doubt whether any one will eat it." Thus he spoke.

People were living down below. "Suppose I go there! No one will eat my food." Indeed, he came to the people who lived there. "Halloo, cousin! What are you doing?"--"We two here are starving." Then that old man went home. The fish-basket was shouting. "You shout too loud. I don't want you to shout so very loud." That old man was standing on the trail. He had all kinds of bundles,--tails, hearts. Everything was ready. The dried (things) ran into the water by themselves. The dried (things) were continually running away from the shore. "You too, O salmon-hearts! are running away from the shore?" The old man seized the hearts and put them down on the ground. There the hearts of the old man got up. The old man threw them to one side. The dried salmon went down into the water, and nothing was left. The old man went into the house, and saw nothing. He had no more food, and this is the reason why fresh salmon will come into the river. This is the reason why salmon come into the river. Every time the season arrives there, salmon keep on coming into the river. Now this is the end.

Footnotes

21:1 This word means "story." The narrator substituted this name for the proper name, which he had forgotten.