Part 40

Then Koa′gians asked: “Whom shall I use for my fighting skirt?” [881] And Sounding-property said: “You shall use me for your fighting skirt.” He was a youth. They even broke up their canoes to use the pieces as gorgets.

Presently, when they were ready, they approached each other in lines. Koa′gians acted as leader of Those-born-at-Skedans. Sounding-property protected him below his breast. And Qagi′t acted as leader of Those-born-at-Qā′gials. He, too, was a brave man, and he determined to fight with Koa′gians. As soon as they were all engaged in battle, Qagi′t speared Koa′gians, so that he fell. Then Qagi′t pulled him toward himself and stabbed him with a knife. Sounding-property also lay dead in front of him.

And, after they had fought for a while, Those-born-at-Skedans and the Town-of-Djī′gua [882] people were driven back. And they did not go near the place where they used to live. They went instead toward the woods. And Those-born-at-Qā′gials pursued them.

Then the great chief South-east [883] rested on two strong youths, and they helped him up the mountain. And he heard the Skedans people calling from behind: “They are taking your beaver.” But still he went away. South-east owned a beaver dish. That was what they meant when they called to him. [884]

While they carried him along he repeated: “My beaver.” And when they reached the top of the mountain all the men and women sat with him, and he began to weep for his beaver:

“𝄆 𝄆 Hī-ī-ī-ī-ī-ī⁺ 𝄇 𝄆 Wadīkâ′lᴀm tcâlī′-ī-ī-ī-ī 𝄇 [885] hī-ī-ī-ī⁺ 𝄇 hī-ī-ī-ī⁺, hī hī hī.” They then started away from there. And they came to Dju-î′tga. [886] And, when he saw the inlet open out, he sang another song:

“𝄆 Wâ yī′a hē ē ī ē 𝄇 I look upon it, xē ē ē ē

“𝄆 Wīya hī yē hē yē 𝄇 There is now daylight (i.e., the trouble is partly over). [887]

“𝄆 Wayī′a hē′ē ē ē 𝄇”

And after that they occupied Mountain-fort. [888] Then the women of Those-born-at-Skedans gathered a supernatural medicine. And, after they had collected it, they gave it to One-going-to-be-the-elder-Sqaa′n. [889] They put it then upon a charmed necklace, and they also put some upon a looking-glass. One-going-to-be-the-elder Sqaa′n then sent the charm over to Wā′nᴀg̣ᴀn. [890] And she sent over to Tcinxā′da[890] the mirror on which she had put the medicine.

As soon as they reached Skedans Wā′nᴀg̣ᴀn wore the charm and Tcinxā′da looked at himself in the mirror. They felt [the effects of] the medicine at once. Tcinxā′da’s face, which had been touched by a war spear’s point, had not healed. They went from Skedans at once to get wives. And a large number went along.

When they got near Mountain-fort they stood up. And they began to sing: “One will not even feel where he fell, ā′hiya.” [891] Then someone in the canoe repeated: “That is the way it will happen.”[891]

At that time Qꜝayū′s got ready for them. He said that they might get off the canoe, but perhaps he would not let them in. When they had gone ashore they entered the house. When [Those-born-at-Skedans] acted in an unfriendly manner, as if they were ready to do something, all escaped to their canoe.

And, after they had gone up the inlet some distance, they came to their brother-in-law. And he asked: “Say! brothers-in-law, why did you come up here?” And they said to him: “They almost destroyed us. We escaped by sea.” Then he said: “Come back then. I think they did it to you because I was away.” Then they returned with him.

When they fought at G̣a′ogîts they had killed his nephew. He called upon his brothers-in-law to go back because his mind was sick on account of it. So, after they landed at the fort, they killed them. They afterward made peace with each other. After that they ceased to treat each other badly.

The first of these families was the principal family at Skedans; the second, the ruling family at Kloo. The one was Raven; the other, Eagle. They were so closely connected by intermarriages that quarrels seldom arose between them, and the one narrated here seems to have been thought remarkable for that reason.

WAR BETWEEN THE PEBBLE-TOWN PEOPLE AND THE SLAVES

[Told by Abraham of Those-born-at-Qꜝā′dᴀsg̣o]

Sg̣agᴀ′ño [892] went from Tcꜝā′ał to visit Always-ready. [893] After they had gone along for a while on the sqā′djañ [894] they came to Songs-of-victory town. [895] And, when they came near the shore, Always-ready shot an arrow into the canoe. When he turned away he said: “Mine strikes in the way that it does when something is killed.” And Sg̣agᴀ′ño paddled back behind Fin island. Then they took things out of a box for the one who had been shot and put him in its place. And they fastened a rope around the box and came to the town again.

They then landed, and the town people carried up the things. With the rest of the property they brought up a big, heavy box. And, after food had been given to them to eat and evening was come, Sg̣agᴀ′ño’s companions went to a flat rock lying in front of the town and sat there. Then Sg̣agᴀ′ño, with two youths, went toward the upper end of the town.

They (the town people) then untied the heavy box. A dead man lay in it. Then all of the town people reached for their war spears. They ran down to the others, who were lying idly about, and killed all.

Then the chief looked behind him. And he started into the woods with the young fellows. At that time he shook this entire island. [896] On account of that they began to assume the name “Island-shaker.”

Then the two youths and Sg̣agᴀ′ño went away. Many nights passed over them. By and by they came to one who was making a canoe behind X̣i′das. [897] The youths wished to kill him. While they were talking Sg̣agᴀ′ño came to him. When he (the stranger) saw him he said: “Alas! he must have been doing as he always does.” [898] Then, without even putting away his tools, he went down before them. The man was a good canoe-builder, and he was a good bear-hunter. He then went in and spread out three bear skins for them, and his wife cooked food. And, when he had it set before him, Sg̣agᴀ′ño said: “Stranger, [899] I shall not eat this food. This ground might see me.” [900] Only the youths ate the food. He then let them go in a new 5-fathom canoe.

He gave them mat sails, paddles, and mats and food for the youths. Then Sg̣agᴀ′ño said to the man: “You had better not stay where the people of Sqā′ma-qꜝe-u [901] camp this summer. Stay near some sandy beach. When we return from fighting we will put off in front of you your friends who have been taken as slaves.” He then went to Tcꜝā′ał with the youths.

Then the Ninstints people began to live in a fort on the top of Sqas. But, although they were afraid, the one who gave his canoe to Sg̣agᴀ′ño lived toward the sea at Ga′-igᴀn-kun. [902] Then the people of Tcꜝā′ał went to war in successive parties. And they were on the water in front of the fort.

Always-ready then came out of the smoke hole, and he walked about on the roof wearing his armor. They shot at him then with arrows. They did not pierce him. He then went back and shot at them in turn. The next time they went to war they climbed up to the top of the cliff. They tried to roll down stones upon them. These did not come near the houses. The stones all skipped over the houses. And they again went home.

And, after they had held them besieged for a while, they were straitened for food. Then Always-ready told his brother-in-law to make ten bows for himself. And, after he had worked upon them for a while, he finished them. Fine feathers were fastened near the tips. And his brother-in-law gave them to him. He was glad to have them. Then he gave up the big cedar bow he always used in favor of these new ones.

The people of the town began to dislike him. His sisters and his brothers-in-law were affected with the same feeling, because, on account of him, they were always hungry.

One day his brothers-in-law came in from fishing. His sister gave him the white part of the belly of the halibut they had caught. On account of that he went out fishing with three persons. He took his ten bows with him, and he took his two arrow boxes. But he left his cedar bow behind.

And on the day after he went fishing, very early, they again came to fight. And, as he used to do, one came out on the top of the house and said “Ha-ha.” And when they shot up at him he went in. When they again shot down from the fort, one of the floating arrows stood on end in the water. They brought it in. From it hung a small stone. Then they handed it to an old man among them, and, after he had thought about it for a while, he said they did that as a sign that he (Always-ready) was out fishing. The ten canoes then started seaward.

Five went out on each side of Xē′na. [903] They looked for him as they went along, and, when they had nearly met at the end, they saw him lying out to sea. Then they went to him. When he discovered them he walked about in the middle of the canoe awaiting them. And when they got near him he took one bow. He broke it. He took another. He also broke that. When he had done that for a while he broke all ten bows. His brother-in-law who had made his bows for him had notched the rounded side of the bow under the feathers. All broke just there.

He then threw the broken pieces of the bows and the two arrow boxes into the sea. He did not scratch anyone’s skin. They were afraid of him. When he threw his arrows away they went to him. And they killed the three who were fishing with him, but him they captured.

He then got into Sg̣agᴀ′ño’s canoe. They felt too glad to know that they had taken him. Their minds were very good on account of him. After they had gone along with him for a while they encamped at a long sandy beach which is called G̣ᴀ′nʟ̣ī. [904] They there set him ashore. They sat around him on the beach. They had heard that he was brave, so they wanted to see him.

And, after they had looked at him for a while, they wanted to see how well he could shoot. They then stood up a stick on the beach, and Sg̣agᴀ′ño had something white hung upon it. They then gave him a bow and arrows. He did not like the arrows. They handed him then one with an iron point. And, when he had set the arrow on the bow, he turned around quickly to where Sg̣agᴀ′ño’s nephew sat behind him and shot him. He fell backward from the box on which he was sitting.

They bound him then and brought wood. And they built a large fire upon the beach for him. They then laid him down with his back to the fire. And, while the skin of his back was blistering from the heat of the fire, they picked up live coals and rubbed them upon his back. They asked him: “Always-ready, does it hurt you?” And he answered: “Ha-i, no. The one whom I killed just now hurts you. He went up before me. I shall go up after him.” [905]

He was then burned to death, and they looked at his entrails. One lobe of his liver (?) was short. That was why he was brave. They laid him then just back of the place where they were, at the edge of the grass. [906]

He was gone from among the families. The trouble then stopped. And they also put the chief’s son into a box and started sorrowfully away.

When he (Sg̣agᴀ′ño) ran into the woods at Songs-of-victory town, and after he reached Tcꜝā′ał, a woman of the family composed a crying song for him:

“Grandfather (i.e., Raven) shook the supernatural beings when he moved grandly.” [907]

The first of these families was the noted Raven family that owned Tcꜝā′ał, on the west coast of Moresby island; the latter, one of the most noted Raven families among the people in the Ninstints territory.

WAR BETWEEN THE PEOPLE OF KLOO AND THE PEOPLE OF NINSTINTS

[Told by Abraham of Those-born-at-Qꜝā′dᴀsgo]

When they (the Kloo people) lived at People’s-fort [908] South-east [909] had two wives. One was a woman of the Sand-town people, [910] and one was a woman of the Pebble-town people. [911] He loved the Ninstints woman, because she was pretty. For that reason the Pebble-town woman wanted her to do something wrong.

Then she began helping her to do it and told her husband that she was receiving a man of the Town-of-Djī′gua people. [912] He then took her outside naked and whipped her. The-elder-Sqaa′n [913] loved her. And she said of the Pebble-town woman, too: “I know also about her lover.” Then South-east heard it, and he began whipping her also.

The next day both had disappeared. They did not know then whither the two women had gone. The news reached Tcꜝā′ał. [914] News also reached the other mother in the Ninstints country. One morning both mothers appeared together in front of People’s-fort. Both sang crying songs for their daughters. The Pebble-town woman and the Sand-town woman both sang one [as follows]:

“On account of this my child moved about. On account of this, when my child moved about, they ought to have heard the thunder, when my child moved about on the way home.” [915]

He then let them come into the fort, and he gave them blood compensation. He gave a slave to each of them, and he also gave a great deal of property to each of them. Then the canoes parted. The women went away satisfied.

When it was near summer he went to ask in marriage the younger sister of the Sand-town woman whom he had married. And he came to Many-chiefs at Sqā′djigît·awa′-i. And, after he had stayed a while with his brother-in-law, he went away.

Before he had gone far the mother of Many-chiefs said to him: “Many-chiefs, are you a man?” [916] He then became angry and took his gun and his paddle. Then they pursued South-east. And while they pursued him Many-chiefs was left behind. He did not have enough canoe men.

Then South-east got off. As he fled into the woods he stepped under a fallen tree, a small limb scratched his forehead, and a small stream of blood flowed out down over his cheeks. Then the Ninstints people all came to him. They encircled him. They waited for Many-chiefs.

One who was out of his senses said: “Why do you let him sit there? Even for the blood that is running down his face you will be in a predicament.” [917] He then shot him. The name of him who shot him was Skᴀ′ndal. And they did not kill those who were with him. Those they let go.

Half of the Town-of-Djī′gua people were at Łtā′na. The news had not yet reached them. And there there lived a man of Those-born-in-the-Ninstints-country [918] who was unmarried. He had just won in gambling three sea-otter skins owned by a man of the Town-of-Djī′gua people. His (the latter’s) name was Alder.

Then he (Alder) went out on Sg̣aalū′tꜝx̣ᴀs and ate medicine. There he spent the night with the medicine on his stomach. He came home the next day, and the day after that he began eating and drinking. His sister, West-coast-clouds, gave him birds’ eggs to eat.

He had just picked up one and was shelling it when some one came crying from a point at the end of the town. He then laid the egg down directly and stopped all of them, for they had started the cry.

Then Alder, with his younger brother, went out to a ship [to which the Ninstints man had gone]. [919] And he said to his younger brother: “I will kill him even if he has gone up on deck.” He was still on the water below, and he held his canoe against it on the starboard side.

They then went thither. They looked at him (Alder) while he was still far away, and they asked them: “Why are they weeping on shore?” Then he replied: “I do not know. After we got away from land, they wailed behind us. They mentioned something about a child falling into the water.” He deceived him in that way. And the Ninstints man was yet below them on the water, and he put the canoe alongside of his. His sea otters lay behind where he was sitting.

After he had remained beside him for a while he stabbed him. And he said: “The chief has been killed. They are bringing home his body.” He then took back his four sea-otter skins.

And, as soon as he had killed the Ninstints man, he went at once to Strait-where-no-waves-come-ashore. [920] He went for gunpowder and bullets which South-east had stored behind it. He also brought the news to Strait-where-no-waves-come-ashore.

Then Ginᴀ′skilas [921] set a Sand-town woman outside to kill her. And Alder stopped him. “Do not do that, chief, my nephew. You are of the same skin dirt.” [922] And he let her in.

He then went over to the storehouse, crossing to it on a trail. When he came out there Ninstints people were going away. And, when he came down on the shore and stood opposite them, they said to him: “Alder, do you not see that your leg has been cut off? [923] I wonder what you are going to use as weapons.” And he replied: “Yes, you have cut off my leg. I shall not have a single thing as a weapon. Yet two nights from now I shall have procured weapons by selling you as slaves.”

He then went away by canoe. He started at once with his younger brothers toward the south. And they concealed their canoe some distance down the inlet from the fort. They then went up into the woods. After they had gone along for a while Alder led them across a point covered with trees.

After he had gone inland he came to a storehouse. And, having thrown aside some skins and hides [924] stored there, [he came to] a box of sea-otter tails that was among them. They afterward went away.

They started to watch by the fresh water opposite the fort. When the tide rose high some people came singing from the fort. There were three young women and a man of goodly size.

They then began to shoot at them. They killed the man and one woman and enslaved the two others, and they went off in their canoe.

From the fort they heard his gun go off. They were in canoes in lines, awaiting him. He then went into the midst [of them]. And, when he came near, they moved apart for him. He passed through. He sang a fleeing song: [925] “Wahō-ō-ō hē-ōōō wahō-ō-ō hē-ō-ō-ō⁺.”

And after he had fled for a time one of the Ninstints men held his hand toward him with fingers outspread. [926] And he said: “I wonder to what place of safety Alder is paddling.” Then he answered: “Slave, Hemlock-bark-scraping-knife, chase me as fast as you can. Kill me as soon as you can.”

And, when they came up to the place where they had killed the chief, they talked one to another. They became frightened. “He is leading us to enemies near by; he is leading us to enemies.” They then went back away from him. And he easily escaped them.

He reached home and set ashore the two slaves for Ginᴀ′skilas. They took the two slaves to Skedans [927] to sell them, and traded them for guns and ammunition only. They gathered ammunition for war as one collects food.

Now for a long time the war went along slowly. By and by the war expedition started. After they had paddled along for a while they came near the fort in the night. There was no noise of talking at the fort, and they felt strange about it. And they let morning dawn upon them opposite the fort. And when it dawned they saw that the fort was empty, and they went to it. Nearly all of the property lay in the houses. They then burned down the fort. They burned the houses. They had no idea why the people had gone.

And, after they had started out of the inlet, they stopped at a large bed of kelp. All made themselves fast to the kelp with their paddles. Then Qꜝā′siêk [928] began to perform in a canoe as a shaman does. After he had performed for a while he began to whip the souls of the enemy. And when he pulled toward himself something he had seized in the air all the kelp broke.

Then all went on. After they had gone along for a while they saw smoke. And Alder landed in front of Songs-of-victory town. He went quickly then to the other side. When he had come to the other side he came out behind a man who was carrying along driftwood at the end of the trail. He shot him from behind.

The Ninstints people discovered their enemies at once. Many-chiefs held a new gun. Those left to care for the canoes then came round the point. After they had anchored their canoes one came running out from them (the Ninstints people). He had no gun. He held a spear. “The Town-of-Djī′gua people are always like that (i.e., cowards). Shall I stop before I get there?”

They at once ran together, shooting. The Ninstints people were driven back. The first time he fired the flintlock on Many-chiefs’ gun broke in two. Nothing could help him. When they went back Many-chiefs was wounded. He escaped with them into the woods. Very many Ninstints people were killed then. Not one was killed on the other side.

After they had gone into the woods after them for a while they came back. Then Ginᴀ′skilas stood in the place where they had encamped near a whale. If one had two slaves, he gave him one. If one had three, he gave him two. If one had one, he did not give it to him. At that time he became still more of a chief. In exchange for those slaves he had a house built. [929]

And, after the Ninstints people had gone along for a while in the woods, they lived in the mountains. Their kettles and all of their property had been captured. They steamed whale in things that they hollowed out.

While they lived there, before Many-chiefs’ wound was healed, he practiced how he was going to fight. He opened again his unhealed wound. He died there. They then started away and came out opposite Red-cod island. [930]

And those who had gone to fight went out again the next year to fight on account of South-east. At that time they did not know where they (the Ninstints people) lived. After they had gone along for a while they came to a reef lying out from the mouth of a strait.

There Smoke got off. When he looked seaward he dropped to the ground. He did so, because he saw fishing canoes.

On that day they had given to Kiä′nskina-i [931] the white part of a halibut. That was why he was out fishing. They at once went out from Kꜝîl [932] toward them, and they destroyed the people. Among others they killed the chief. They then seized Hemlock-bark-scraping-knife on the water. “Hemlock-bark-scraping-knife, when the chief was chased, did you not stop them?” “No,” he said. And they struck him on the lips with the short sinker strings that they held. They killed him with them.

They then skinned Kiä′nskina-i’s head, and were happy to have it, [933] and they returned home with it. They ceased to think about Southeast. They stopped warring.

A FIGHT BETWEEN THE XĀ′GI-TOWN PEOPLE AND SAND-TOWN PEOPLE

[Told by Abraham of Those-born-at-Qꜝā′dᴀsgo]

At the town of Xā′gi [934] a woman of the Slaves [935] went outside before she went to bed. She did not return. But instead of saying anything they kept the matter in their minds. They did not know from what town people had come to get her.

Some time afterward they discovered that she had been taken by a man from the town of G̣a′-idi [936] who had been in love with her. It was a man of the Sand-town people. They went then in a large canoe to demand the property which was given when a woman deserted her husband. And they came there at low water.

When the tide was well up he (the seducer) went out and played with his wife between the houses. He who had formerly had her as his wife was the bow man. And, when he paddled shoreward, he said: “Shoreward! Future people shall always remember me.” He then took a bow and two arrows and jumped off with them. And he ran up and shot his wife. Afterward he shot the man. At that time he escaped into the canoe. They went away and landed. The man’s mind was happy.

And Wada′ [937] thought his town was too great to have a woman taken out of it. Then she (his wife) said to her husband: “Make it all right with property.” He would not agree. He said they thought his town was common. By and by she told her husband to go ahead: “Make a stir about it. My children are clear of it.”