Fight between Those-born-at-Qā′gials and Those-born-at-Skedans
Reading edition
[Told by Abraham of Those-born-at-Qꜝā′dᴀsgo]
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.
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:
“𝄆 Wâ yī′a hē ē ī ē 𝄇 I look upon it, xē ē ē ē
“𝄆 Wayī′a hē′ē ē ē 𝄇”
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.
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.
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