25. The Woman Who Married the Merman

25. THE WOMAN WHO MARRIED THE MERMAN.

There was a village (called) Takimiya. There lived five young men, and they had one younger sister. They lived in Takimiya. She was the head (of the family). From everywhere they wanted to buy her. But she did not want a husband. She would always swim in the water, and (one day) she became pregnant. Every one asked her, "Who made you pregnant?" She did not know it. "Nobody touched me." So a young boy was born, p. 159 and he would always cry. No matter who took care of it, the child would still cry. Thus spoke to her her elder brother: "Put the child outside. Who is it? You are just holding it."

So the next day she put the child out again. It did not cry any longer. She had it there for a long time, and then went to see it. It is said that her child must have been eating something fat. It had a mouth,(full of) grease. The child was eating seal-meat strung on a stick. She examined the mouth. She saw no one anywhere. Then again she brought the child in. The child again began to cry. The child did not (let) anybody sleep. It cried one (whole) night. So thus said her elder brother: "Take the child outside. (See) what it will do there. You shall watch it there." The child was growing very (fast). So again she left it (outside). Now she was watching it there. She was leaning sidewise alongside of her child. So she left it there a whole day.

Then she went there when evening came. She was sitting sideways. Nowhere did she see anybody. All at once a man was standing there. "You are my wife. Do you know it? Our (dual) child is my child." The woman became ashamed. "You get ready, we two will go home." The woman said nothing, and began to think. "I wonder what my folks will say."--"You will not get lost. You will again come back. You will see your folks." Thus she was thinking: "All right!"

Now they went. "We two will go down into the water."--"Won't I be out of breath?"--"You will be all right. If we two go down, you will hold on to my belt. You will keep your eyes shut; and when I tell you so, then you shall look." It seemed as if they went through (some) brush. She knew that they were going in the water. They went through. There was no water p. 161 in the village. Her husband was a rich man's son. There were five boys, and he was the youngest.

The boy grew very (rapidly). The boy always wanted to (have) arrows. His mother made him small arrows. Thus she would say to the child: "Your maternal uncles have many arrows." So thus spoke the boy: "How would it be if we two should go after arrows?" Thus said the husband: "Your mother will go alone for the arrows. You will stay (here). We two will go (some other) time."

Then the next day she got ready and went. She wore five sea-otter hides. The flood-tide (came) early in the morning. They saw a sea-otter swimming in the river. They hunted the sea-otter in canoes. She was swimming along the beach. They were shooting at her with arrows. It seemed that they hit the sea-otter; but she would come out again, and the arrows were nowhere to be seen. The sea-otter went up the river. They followed her in canoes. Many people were shooting at her. The sea-otter turned back and went (away) again. Still they were shooting at her. No one hit her. Again the sea-otter went out into the ocean. The elder brother kept on following the sea-otter. It is said that she went ashore somewhere. The elder brother went around the ocean beach. Suddenly he saw (what appeared to be) a person. The person was playing on the beach in the water. He went there. He came closer, and, verily, it was a woman. As he looked at her, he recognized her. Verily, it was his younger sister. Indeed, it was she. "It's I, my younger brother. I was travelling there. Here are all the arrows. You were shooting them at me." Many were the arrows. The man was ashamed when he saw all the arrows. My child sent me here just to get arrows. I came here. My child always wants arrows." She was drying the sea-otter hides. Then they two went home. "Don't think p. 163 about it. I will go home. I give you these sea-otter hides. You can trade some things for them. My husband is a person, he is a chief's child. We do not live very far from here. His house is close by. You can see in the ocean this stone house whenever it is low tide." He saw his elder sister as she went down into the water. The water reached to her stomach. She held up both her hands and dove into the water. Thus she said to her younger brother, before she went down into the water: "To-morrow early in the morning you will find a whale at your landing-place."

The next day he got up a little before daylight. Verily, a whale had been washed ashore. They cut that whale into pieces. They distributed it among their friends. So, indeed, she returned (to) her husband and child. Her shoulders were turning into tsLtsiL, and (became) black. Again they went back, her husband and child. Afterwards little serpents came in and out to the ocean. And the woman did not come ashore: she was not seen again. The little serpents came after arrows, jumping (over one another). The people shot arrows at them. They were merely giving them arrows. They did not come back again. Afterwards two whales came ashore,--one (in the) summer, and (one) also (in the) winter. They sent two whales ashore. They gave (them) to their relatives by marriage.