Page:Myths and Legends of British North America.djvu/87

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BRITISH NORTH AMERICA

The path of Sun is well guarded. Bear guards the sunrise. He is a very fierce warrior who protects Sun against warlike enemies, and Bear is also the cause of the warlike spirit of man. His hair is tied up in a knot on top of his head.

At the sunset stands an enormous post which supports the sky and prevents Sun from falling down into the lower world. The trail of Sun is a wide bridge. It is as broad as the distance between the summer solstice and the winter solstice. Sun always walks with his face to the west. In summer he walks on the right-hand side of the bridge, and in winter at the left-hand side. The extreme right- and left-hand sides of the bridge are called "Place where the Sun sits down." If Sun tarries too long on the left-hand side of the bridge, people say, "Salmon will be dried late this year." But if he stays a long while on the right-hand side, they say, "There will be plenty of salmon this year."

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