Milk-snake among the Eels

	Milk-snake among the Eels
	Cahto Language
	from Bill Ray (via Goddard 1909)

Cahto ¹		English Translation ²

---- Ts'ii' ghiltcing yaa'nii.		---- They were collecting brush, they say.
	-------ts'"Ü^E---gu^l.tcin)
	---- Brush / they made / they say.
Laa'lhbaa'ing naahneesh aal ghiltciing yaa'nii.		Ten people gathered wood, they say.
	ya^E.n"Ü---la^E;.ba^E.u^n)---na.nec---al---gu^l.tcin)---ya^E.n"Ü
	ten / persons. / Wood / they made / they say.
Ghilk'ang yaa'nii.		They made a fire, they say.
	gu^l.k'a7n)---ya^E.n"Ü
	They made fire / they say.
Ghilhgheel'-it nakaa' nileeh yaa'nii.		When it was evening two (eels) swam there, they say.
	gu^;.gel.lit---na7k.ka^E---nu^l.le#---ya^E.n"Ü
	Evening when / two / swam there / they say.
Lhaa'haa' nileeh yaa'nii.		One swam there, they say.
	;a^E.ha^E---nu^l.le#---ya^E.n"Ü
	One swam there / they say.
Taak' nileeh yaa'nii.		Three swam there, they say.
	tak'---nu^l.le#---ya^E.n"Ü
	Three / swam there / they say.
Laa'saanii nileeh yaa'nii.		Five swam there, they say.
	la^E.sa.n"Ü---nu^l.le#---ya^E.n"Ü
	Five / swam there / they say.
Laa'lhbaa'ing nileeh yaa'nii		Ten swam there, they say.
	la^E;.ba^E.u^n)---nu^l.le#---ya^E.n"Ü
	Ten / swam there / they say.
Lhaa'haa' nileeh yaa'nii		One swam there, they say.
	;a^E.ha^E---nu^l.le#---ya^E.n"Ü
	One / swam there / they say.
Ndoo' yaa'nii.		There were none, they say.
	n.do#^E---ya^E.n"Ü
	None was / they say.
Haaghee lhaa'haa' nileeh yaa'nii.		For a long time one swam there, they say.
	ha.Ge---;a^E.ha^E---nu^l.le#---ya^E.n"Ü
	Long time / one / swam there / they say.
Nakaa' nileeh yaa'nii.		Two swam there, they say.
	na7k.ka^E---nu^l.le#---ya^E.n"Ü
	Two / swam there / they say.
Laa'lhbaa'ing nileeh yaa'nii.		Ten swam there, they say.
	la^E;.ba^E.u^n)---nu^l.le#---ya^E.n"Ü
	Ten / swam there / they say.
Naahdin-laa'lhbaa'ing lhaang nileeh yaa'nii.		As many as twenty swam there, they say.
	na.du^n.la^E;.ba^E.u^n)---;an)---nu^l.le#---ya^E.n"Ü
	Twenty / many swam there / they say.
T'aadilk'its nileegh-it yaa'nii, naahneesh tsinteelhdeel' yaa'nii.		When a California kingsnake swam there the people ran away, they say.
	ta.du^;.k'u^ts---nu^l.le#.gu^t---ya^E.n"Ü---na.nec---ts'u^n.te;.del'---ya^E.n"Ü
	Milk-snake / swam when / they say / people / ran off / they say.
Nakaa' naahneesh teesin yaa'nii.		Two people stood in the water, they say.
	na7k.ka^E---na.nec---te.sin---ya^E.n"Ü
	Two / persons / stood in water / they say.
T'aadilhk'its nileeh yaa'nii.		The California kingsnake swam there, they say.
	ta.du^;.k'u^ts---nu^l.le#---ya^E.n"Ü
	Milk- snake / swam there / they say.
Uutc'oonghitcaang yaa'nii.		They left them, they say.
	o#.tso#n).gu^t.tcan)---ya^E.n"Ü
	They left them / they say.
"Naawohdaalh," tc'in yaa'nii, naahneesh.		"Go home," the people said, they say.
	---------------na.wo#^c.da;---tc'in---yaa^E.n"Ü---na.nec
	"Go home," / he said / they say, / persons.
Doo-yiilhkai ch'oonghitcaang beeniljit-it.		Before dawn they quit because they were afraid.
	---------------do#.yi;.kai---tco#n.ge7.tcan)---be.nu^l.git.u^t
	Not day / they quit / they were afraid because.
---- Kwanlhang.		---- That is all.
	-------kwu^n.;a7n)
	---- All.

₁. Click on highlighted words to search for them in the Dictionary/Lexical database. The top line is in the practical orthography. The middle line is in Goddard's transcription except that "underhook"/"Polish hook" is represented by "subscript left half-ring" ("underhook" is not present in the SIL IPA fonts). The bottom line is Goddard's word-by-word translation, with [occasional additions or emendations by me in square brackets].
₂. Line-by-line translation by me, largely informed by Goddard's translation, but attempting to translate every sentence, and to do so more literally (within the limits of English readability).

Goddard's Translation

They were cutting brush. Ten men cut wood. They had a fire. When it was evening two eels swam there. One eel by itself was swimming. Three were swimming. Five were swimming. Ten were swimming. One swam by itself. There were none. One swam by itself for a long time. Two swam there. Ten swam there. Twenty swam there. When a milk-snake swam there the people ran off. Two persons were standing in the water. The milk-snake swam there. They left.
"Go home," they said.
Before it was morning the people quit fishing because they were afraid.
That is all.

8/30/99 Sally Anderson using perl version 5.030000