Page:Kutenai Tales.djvu/286

a town. lie went out, | and there were only dead ones. There was nobody in the town. | He started to go back. Then he came to the last place where Kutenai lived. He went | to the town, and dead bodies were all piled up || inside the tents. He always went about, and 20 he knew | that all the people were gone. He was crying as he went along. I He thought: **I am the only one left in this country, for the dogs I also are dead. When he came to the farthest village, | he went about, and he saw some footprints of people. || They had a tent. 25 There were no dead bodies. Farther away there | was the village site. He knew there must be two or three (alive). | He even saw footprints — ^large ones and smaller ones. | He did not know if there were three. He knew some one was saved. He went on in his canoe, | and thought: I'll paddle that way. Those who Uved here used to go that way. || If it is a man, he might have moved." | Then he 30 started in his canoe. He went along in his canoe, and saw above there | two black bears eating berries. He thought: I'll go | and shoot them. If I shoot them, I'll eat them. I'll dry them. Then I'll I see if any one is left. After I have dried the meat, || I'll look for 35 them. I have seen footprints of people. They might be hungry men | or women. They shall eat." Then he started, and went there | where the bears were. He arrived, and saw ] that they were not bears, but women. He saw one older one, | and the other one a girl. He thought: || "I am glad to see people. Let me take that woman | 40 to be my wife." Then he went and took hold of | the girl. The girl spoke, and said to her mother: "Mother, | I see a man." Her mother looked. The woman saw | that her daughter was teUing the truth. She saw a man || taking her daughter. Then the woman and | the girl 45 and the youth cried, because they saw that all ] the Kutenai were dead. When they saw each other, | they all cried together. The older woman said: "Don't | take my daughter. She is still small. Take me. || You shall be my husband. Later on, when this my 50 daughter is large, | she shall be your wife. Then you shall have children." | Then the youth married the older w^oman. | It was not long before the woman said: " Now | I see that my daughter is grown up. Now she may be || your wife. It is good if you have children. ( 55 Her body is strong now." Then the youth took | the girl for his wife. Then the | Kutenai increased from these. |

Now I have told what, happened long ago. Enough. ||