23. The Mink Who Married a Princess

In olden times many animals married women, and so it was with this young woman. Her parents did not want any one to marry her. Although all the princes wanted to have her, they would not agree.

One night. they went to bed, and some one came to the place where the princess was sleeping. He woke her, and said, ‘May I stay with you tonight?” She said, “Yes.” And so the young man remained with her. Before daybreak the young man said, ‘Shall I take you to my house?” and the young woman said, “Yes, of course!’” Therefore he took her in his canoe, and they left her home, Metlakahtla. He said to his wife, “Lie down in the canoe!” and the young woman did what her husband said. He paddled the whole night. Then he came in front of his house. He said, “Now, my dear wife, wake up and go into my house!’ So the young woman arose, and she went with him into a mink’s den.

Now, the young woman’s heart was sorry on account of what she had done, for she knew now that her husband was a Mink. She was always crying. Every morning the Mink went fishing and brought many eels, which he caught under the small rocks. He strung the eels on cedar twigs, and carried them up to his den, where his wife was. She would not eat anything, but just chewed fat.

Every morning, very early, the Mink went and brought home one or two strings of eels. He dried them in the smoke; and every time he came home he counted his dried eels. He brought fresh ones, and hung them also in the smoke to dry. When the young woman saw that her husband always counted his dried eels, one morning while her husband was away, she took the eels down and hid them; and as soon as the Mink came home with another string of eels, he looked for his dried eels, and they were all gone.

He scratched his head, and said, ‘I don’t know what has become of all my dried eels. Maybe I ate them, I don’t know! Oh, no! for my stomach is not full.’ He was afraid to ask his wife, for fear of making her angry. Therefore he said to himself, “Perhaps I ate them all! Oh, no! my stomach is not full.” Then the young woman began to laugh, and he said, “Oh, how foolish these human. beings are! What will they have to eat during the cold winter, when the snow is on one side of the trees! How foolish they are!”

The young woman was laughing about the words that her husband spoke to himself. ’Oh, yes!” said he, “maybe I ate them all, ate, ate, ate! Oh, no! for my little stomach is not full. How foolish people are! What will they eat in the cold winter, when the snow is on one side of the trees!” ‘Then the young woman laughed aloud, and said, “Oh, you funny fellow! I hid your dried eels in the corner. Go there and get them!” Mink went and got them and hung them in the smoke. He was glad, and said to his dear wife, “My dear wife, I am sorry to trouble you about the dried eels, but I did not mean you, I just talked to myself.”

Now, the time came when the people moved to Nass River to fish for olachen. One day the sun shone, and the young woman said,

Mink saw that it looked very well, and he said, ‘My dear wife, what are these white things in the ears of your people?”—” They are bones.”—* But why do they do it?” She replied, “Because they want to show that they are of my rank.” Mink said, “Can you do the same to me?”—“Oh, yes! I [will if you want me to.” Mink said, “How do they make the holes in the ears?”—’‘ You must sharpen a hard spruce branch, and then I will do it for you.”—“Yes, my dear wife, I want it very much. You must do it with a sharp branch tomorrow.”

On the following morning Mink went and got a spruce branch. He took it home and sharpened it. The young woman said, ‘Sharpen both ends.” Mink did as his wife told him; and when he had done so, he gave the branch to his wife. The young woman said, ‘Are you ready now?”°—“Yes, [ I am ready,” said he. Then the young woman took the sharpened branch, and asked, “Where is your stone hammer?” Mink gave it to her. ‘Now lie down on the ground, and I will drive this sharp branch through your ears.” Mink lay down on the ground, and said, “My dear wife, I am afraid I shall die.”— “Oh, no!” said the young woman, ‘you will not die. The people shall know that you are of my rank. It will not hurt you, but my father’s people will like you.” Therefore he lay down on the ground. The young woman took the spruce branch in one hand, and the stone hammer in the other. She said, “Close your eyes!”—* No,” said he, “I’m afraid, I’m afraid!” I’m afraid! “said he. Then the woman said, ““Then I shall leave you and go home to my father.” Now, Mink lay down on the ground, his one ear up, and the other down on the ground. ‘Close your eyes!” said the woman. He closed his eyes, and the young woman took the sharp branch and drove it into his ear and fastened it to the ground. Mink died there, and the young woman went back to her father’s house.