War between the West Coast and Ninstints Haida and the Gîtî′sda
Reading edition
[Told by Richard of the Middle-gîtî′ns]
We went out from there. And those who went in advance came upon some who were sailing along. The sound of two guns was heard. Afterward an empty canoe drifted away. They enslaved two women. And we went thither. And, while we were close to land, rejoicing over the slaves, some persons came sailing round a point near us, and, when they saw us, they jumped off. Then some landed behind them.
I then prepared myself and got off. And I pursued one who was running along near the sea. After I had chased him about for a while in the woods he jumped into the ocean. I took from him his yellow cedar blanket with some of his hair. And, when he emerged farther out, he held up his hands before my face. He then swam to me. When he came near me he dove again. And he came to the surface out at sea. I then began to shoot at him. And he swam landward and squeezed himself tight against the face of a cliff. After I had shot twice at him there, I stopped. He then climbed up a tree that stood against the face of the cliff. And, although there was some space between its top and the cliff, he bent it over, got a hold on the face of the cliff, and went into a hole there. He could not climb thence either down or up. We said one to another that he would die there.
This is the end of the story.
My interpreter understood that the tribe attacked at this time was, as stated above, a Tsimshian tribe, but he may have been mistaken. In that case it must have been some tribe related to the Bellabella.
[
Contents
]