He said, “He is treating you well just to deceive us. When he gets me out, then he will eat us both.” Big-Man became angry and defecated in front of the hole, and his excrements turned into rock. The boy could not get out; but Porcupine made a new hole to get out in another place, and thus liberated the boy, who went back to the camp and told his people how his brother had been taken by a giant.

Big-Man carried the boy he had taken in a bag. He saw some caribou, and said, “See the rabbits!” He killed three of them and slipped the carcasses in his belt, carrying them much more easily than a man could carry rabbits. After a while he saw a moose, and said, “See the caribou!” He shot the moose, and carried it in the same way. At night he camped, started a fire, cooked the moose and three caribou, and fed the boy. He was very much amused at the small quantity of meat the boy ate, and laughed heartily. He said, “You are a light eater.” He finished all of the rest of the caribou and moose himself. Soon he said, “Let us go to sleep!” and he lay down on the ground, occupying the whole of a large open place. When he spread out his arms and legs, he knocked down all the trees in the way, just as a person might do with grass. He put the boy in his armpit to sleep; but the boy crawled out, and lay by the fire. The lad grew rapidly, and soon became a man. They came to a lake where there was a large beaver-house. Big-Man said, “See the beaver! Get a pole to open their house.” The boy cut a pole about four inches through, such as is used by Indians for breaking open beaver-houses. Big-Man laughed, and said, “That is no good, it is too small.” He got the boy to cut larger and larger ones, until he was hardly able to carry the last one. Big-Man said they were all too small, and that he would now help him. He pulled up a large tree by the roots, struck the top of the beaver-house with it, broke it down, and thus killed all the beavers. He picked out the carcasses and cooked them. He ate the meat, but threw the tails into the lake. The boy took one of the tails and ate it. Big-Man said, “Don’t eat that! It is poison, and will kill you. In my country we never eat beaver-tails. We are afraid of them.” The boy continued eating the tail, so Big-Man thought he would taste it. He said, “Oh, my! It is very sweet!” and he sent the boy to gather up all the tails that he had thrown away. He ate them all. Big-Man asked the boy how he knew that beavertails were such nice food; and he answered, “They always eat them in my country.”

He staid with Big-Man a year, and by that time was a full-grown man. Big-Man treated him well all the time. Now they came to the end of Lower Iskut Lake. The lad said he saw something dark moving near the other end of the lake. He thought it must be wind or a storm-cloud. Big-Man looked, and said, “A bad man lives there. He is a large fierce cannibal. His children are swinging there.” When they came near, they saw two large trees moving backwards and forwards. The hammock of the cannibal giant’s baby was attached to them. The baby was asleep, and the mother was there swinging it. Big-Man told the lad not to be afraid when they entered the camp. Big-Man asked the giantess where her husband was, and she answered that he was out hunting. The giant himself then killed the woman by means of his membrum, which was so long that it pierced her heart. They then killed the baby and departed, leaving both bodies where they were. Big-Man said to the lad, “Her husband will pursue us, but do not be afraid. If you run away, he will eat you.” Big-Man always carried a bag which contained four heads, — two of old and two of young beavers. These were his helpers. He said to the lad, “When the cannibal giant attacks me, and seems about to overcome me, I shall call on you. You will then bring the heads of the oldest two beavers and place them against his legs. If I call a second time, bring the heads of the young beavers.” Soon the cannibal arrived at the other end of the lake. He cried when he discovered the bodies of his wife and baby. He tracked Big-Man, who waited for him. When he reached them, he said to Big-Man, “You killed my wife and child.” Big-Man acknowledged it. Then they fought and wrestled almost all day. Towards evening Big-Man called out that he was getting weak. The lad took the heads of the oldest two beavers out of Big-Man’s medicine-bag, which was in his charge, and placed them one against each leg of the giant. They chewed the giant’s legs; but their teeth were dull, and they were too old to chew very fast. Before long Big-Man called again, and the lad set the heads of the young beavers at the giant’s legs. Their teeth were sharp, and they cut quickly. The beavers chewed through the giant’s legs; and he became helpless, and was about to fall. Big-Man held him up, and called to the lad to run to the top of the neighboring mountain. The lad ran up a considerable distance, and called, “Grandfather, am I far enough?” Big-Man answered, “No, go farther!” The lad climbed again. Thus several times he asked Big-Man, and then went higher, until at last he reached the top. Big-Man then lifted up the giant’s body and threw it into the lake, and the splash of the water almost reached the place where the boy was standing. The remains of his body may be seen there now as islands in the lake.

After this event Big-Man found the lad crying one day, and asked him the reason of his sadness. He said he wanted to see his parents. Big-Man said, “All right! You shall see them.” The lad thought he might lose his way if he attempted to return alone. Big-Man said, “No, you will not get lost.” He cut a stick, and peeled the bark off the lower end, leaving a little bark and the stumps of the limbs at the upper end. He said, “Plant this stick at your camp every night before you go to bed, and in the morning you will find it on the ground pointing in the direction you have to go. At night sing the word ‘Ta’tsestuhe!’ and game will appear, which you may kill and eat. Sing ‘Eku’kemaze!’ when you want fat, and it will be there for you to eat; but always leave a little, never eat it all.” The lad bade Big-Man good-by, and started on his journey. The first night he sang the game-song Big-Man had given him, and immediately a lynx appeared above him on a tree. He killed it and ate his fill. The second night he sang the fat-song, and a white thing appeared. This was fat. He ate what he required, and left a little. Thus he used the guiding-stick and the two songs as Big-Man had directed; and each morning he knew which way to go, and each night he had plenty to eat. At last he came to the crossing of two winter trails made by the people. He camped here, as he had been directed by Big-Man; and in the morning, by the direction in which the stick lay, he knew which trail to take. At last he reached the lodge of his people. He stuck up outside in the snow the stick Big-Man had given him, as he had been directed. In the morning it was gone. He kept the fat for a long time. He ate it whenever he wanted, but always left a morsel. In the morning the piece of fat was always as large as before. He kept it in a sack. Once when he was out hunting, his brother looked in the sack, and, seeing a little fat, ate it all. The fat expanded in his stomach, and he swelled out and burst.

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