A raid on the Tlingit

[Told by Richard of the Middle-gîtî′ns]

The slaves saw then that they killed those who were on shore, and the five who had remained to take care of the canoe put up the sails. And, after they had sailed along for a while, they ran upon a reef and capsized there. The canoe, filled with the property, then sank. It was a 10-fathom canoe.

After that we went to look for people. We knew that people lived there. Then we saw smoke far up the inlet. And when evening came we started thither. Just before daybreak the canoes came in front of it. There were four houses there. Below was a long stretch of steep shore.

I then went with two others to look. Only a mat hung in the doorway. I lay down in the doorway. They were snoring in the house. And, having fastened my knife upon my hand, I entered. I found by feeling that there were only women there.

And, when we were about to run in, I looked toward the beach [and saw] that, instead of coming after us, they were preparing to shoot. We started away then in disgust. We got into the canoe. There they asked us why we came down. And we almost came to a quarrel.

And they remained there still. And, after they had talked for a while about parting company with the other canoe, I said: “My father-in-law is a chief. If those who have been in your company kill people and he receives nothing, you will feel sorry for it. Let us go down the inlet after them.”

We then followed them down. After we had gone along for a while Gana′-i’s canoe passed out of the inlet around a point. I then said: “Let us paddle after them. Paddle after. Paddle after. They might meet somebody.”

And, when they had nearly rounded another point, they pulled back. Some time after that guns sounded, and they went ashore. Some Tlingit came then in a big canoe. They stood in lines in the middle. There were a great number of guns in this. We then started out to head them off.

As they paddled away from us they shot at us twice, when something struck me in the head and I lost consciousness. I came to myself lying in the canoe. By and by, after I grew stronger and had fastened my knife upon my hand, they said to me: “G̣ᴀ′nx̣oat was killed.” I then looked at him. He was hanging over into the water. And I told them not to let him fall in.

The Tlingit then shouted at us. They made a noise on the edges of their canoe: “A′lala a′lala.” Upon this Gā′ala stood up in ours, and he shot the man in the stern, so that he fell into the water. Then we said the same. We, too, said: “A′lala a′lala.” When they shot me two bullets went through the skin of my head.

And, when Skᴀ′ngwai’s father stood up and aimed at the one next to the stern, who was paddling and moving his head as he did so, and shot him, he also fell upon his face in the bailing place. We then again said the same thing. We rapped on the edges of our canoe, saying at the same time: “A′lala.” And, when he shot again, another cried out in it. They stood in lines in the middle of the canoe. Others paddled at the sides. They then bade us cease shooting. They motioned us away with their hands. We did then accordingly. The canoe was so large that the people in it could not be counted.

Then Gana′-i’s canoe went quickly to it. And, when they got close by, a Tlingit in the middle stood up with a gun. He pointed at this one and that one among them. Someone in Gana′-i’s canoe speared him with a bone spear that had a short handle. He dropped the gun. The Tlingit then quickly sat down. He pulled out the spear. His intestines came out at the same time. He broke it. And, when he started to shove the spear back into the wound, someone in Gana′-i’s canoe jumped in to him, and the people in the canoe stood up.

Then our canoe went thither. And I went to the bow and jumped into it. All had long knives. I fell in the stern. And the one I fell near stabbed me. When he struck my shoulder I felt my insides come together [with pain]. Nevertheless I struck him in the side, and his insides fell upon me. After that another one came toward me from the bow. I stabbed him also in the side. When I struck him again he died.

After that another came at me. When he tried to stab me I dodged him. And when I struck him he grew pale. I told Gā′ala, who came behind me, to kill him. A youth having no knife then made with his hands the motion of surrender to me from the bow. And I picked him up, and I threw him into our canoe. When another came at me I struck him. It grazed him. He went at once into our canoe. He let himself be enslaved. I made a cut down his back. He was a brave man. People did not pass in front of his town. They were afraid of him. When it was reported that he had let himself be enslaved the Tlingit became boneless [with astonishment]. They did not believe it. His name was Yāñ.

After we had fought for a while some one called to me from the middle: “So-and-so’s grandfather, they are too much for me.” I then ran to him. And they had one of our friends in the bottom of the canoe. A Tlingit whose knife had dropped from him was moving it toward himself with his feet when I struck him.

And while I was striking one after another some one shouted to me from the stern. A Tlingit was lying upon one of our young men. And, pushing away his knife, I cut off his head. After that I saw some one who got in out of our canoe and a Tlingit strike each other at the same time. The Tlingit fell upon his breast. Some time after that he (the Haida) called to me: “So-and-so’s grandfather, they have broken my arm.” I looked at him. There was a wound in his right arm. They shot him from beneath hides lying near. I did not hear the sound of the gun. Neither did he hear it. Those who were with us instead [of helping us] stood near looking on. They were afraid.

After we had fought for a while, and had killed nearly all, I ran to the bow. The many women, who sat in two places, I pushed apart. I passed between them to the bow. Then the one who had concealed himself in the bow rose. When he was about to strike me, I struck him in the side. He at once tried to close with me. I kept striking him. By and by he died.

And in the stern out of Gana′-i’s canoe they struck a certain one. He jumped then into the water and struck the edges of the canoe with his knife. They jumped upon the Tlingit and stabbed him.

And after I had gone about in the bow for a while I looked toward the stern. They were already pulling in slaves. And when I went thither I saw a woman left. She had been shot in one leg. And I did not take her. One that I had struck acted as if he were crazy. Then I jumped into [our canoe], and, when I was about to stab him, he held up his hands to me. I then tied his legs together with a rope, and I tied his hands behind his back.

The property was captured at once. Into Gana′-i’s canoe they took ten severed heads. There were only nine slaves. And after Skᴀ′ngwai’s father had brought five heads into ours they found fault. He stopped then. And they took all the property.

The warriors now got in. And, as they went along, they began to sing war songs. It was hard for me. Two of my younger brothers were killed, and I sang differently from them.

When they were almost out of the inlet some one shouted “Ix̣iâ′⁺ī, they are pursuing us.” Full canoes were behind us. The canoes were close together. They were brave in Sg̣ā′gia’s canoe (the narrator’s). And the people in Gana′-i’s canoe began to paddle away from us. I then stood up and I said: “Chiefs whom I have for fathers-in-law and my sons-in-law’s nephews, do not tell a bad story about us. For that we are out here. That is why they will kill us. Before they destroy us we will destroy a whole canoe load of them.”

After we had paddled away for a while in fright I looked back. Instead of my seeing them they were gone. It was nothing but driftwood, on the top of which sea gulls sat.

Then the people of Gana′-i’s canoe started a fire in a creek where there were many humpbacks. There they roasted humpbacks for us. When we were done eating we went away. We also gave food to the Tlingits.

We then went to Cape Charcon. [We crossed, and], while we were going along together, some one ahead of us shouted: “What warriors are those?” Then Skᴀ′ngwai’s father said: “These are Sg̣ā′gia’s warriors.” And they came out from their concealment. They had guns with red outsides (i.e., new ones) and two cartridge boxes apiece. No one could touch me [I was so dirty]. I had on a white shirt, and I wore a blanket doubled. Where they ate humpbacks I tied cedar bark round the arm of the man that they shot. And the one shot in the head also returned to life. He told us he would not die for some time yet.

And, when we came round the point, they came down in a crowd opposite us. They had had a Kaisun man living at Masset question us. They gave him the following directions. “If you recognize them ask them ‘Is it you?’ and if you do not know them ask ‘What warriors are those?’ ” That was the way in which he questioned us. They then called ashore from our canoe a Masset man who was born in the same place with a certain one [of them]. We four stayed then in the canoe. But no one got out of Gana′-i’s canoe.

I felt as though I had been struck in the face. He had pointed a short gun at me. I seized then a long one, and I jumped off. I ran to him. I struck him at once with the gun. I struck him in the neck. And when he was about to strike me I got my gun ready for him. “Now, if you strike me, I will shoot you.” Two of my friends who were ashore then struck him with their guns. And Natqā′g̣oñ said to him: “This is not the first time [men of his family have done such things], and they are also brave. Why don’t you strike back?”

Then some one said to us: “Cease doing it to him. You have struck him more than enough for his talk.” We then stopped, and they took us over to the camping place. A part of our people went round the point. Then Gustᴀmᴀ′lk invited us. And there they pulled in the two canoes. There were a great number there of my father’s nephews, born in the same town with me. They set us then in a line.

And, after he had begun to give us food, the Masset people went down to the canoes in a crowd. And, when they had nearly reached our slaves, I handed my gun to Skᴀ′ngwai’s father. I then ran down. I made fast my knife in my hand. I then pushed them away and anchored the canoes outside.

They then began to give us food. And we had on our cartridge boxes. We also kept our guns at our right sides, and we had our knives hanging down in front. At the same time we ate. Then we finished, and they gave us tobacco.

And in the evening those born with me and my father’s nephews gave me tobacco. Besides, they made me an offer for one of my slaves. They offered sixty blankets for him, an unused musket, a whole suit of clothes, two bags of shot, a big canoe, many things of all kinds. I refused them.

We remained awake that night. A part of us slept ashore. I was all covered with blood from fighting. Very early on the next day they started in this direction. And, when we were ready to go, Skᴀ′ngwai’s father went after some water. He was gone for a long time. While he was still away, Gana′-i’s canoe started. The wind was in the north. I then left the people directions what to do about him. And we left him.

We then went into Qa-itg̣a′og̣ao, singing songs of victory. Hu hu hu hu. When we were going up to the houses we landed the slaves. Some of them carried children. After having fought we sang songs of victory for many nights.

Here is all of this story.

This and the following eight stories and that on page 104 practically constitute one long account of the Haida wars, or rather raids, which have taken place within recent times, except only those related by Abraham of Kloo, which succeed. The story-teller was an interesting old man who, as will be seen by the texts, had himself taken part in many of these expeditions and had lived a life full of adventure. He belonged to the Middle-gîtî′ns (Ya′ku-gitina′-i), a branch of the Pebble-town Gîtî′ns of the west coast, but, while still a young man, had gone to live with members of his family in Alaska. After that he and his uncle were in the employ of the Hudson Bay Company for a long time, until he finally came back to Skidegate to live. He was acquainted with some myths, but war stories were his “specialty.”

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