Wars between the peoples of Skidegate and Kloo
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[Told by Abraham of Those-born-at-Qꜝā′dᴀsgo]
And, when they had finished this, they came out to them. They enslaved the women. And, after they had brought them to Skidegate, they also owned the made-up word there that they had obtained on the expedition. They said “Ha-iwa′n” when they did anything. The Kloo people then learned that they had captured the made-up word. And four canoe loads of people went from Kloo to Skidegate to make war.
They then pulled up their canoes on the inner side of Gū′łga and concealed themselves there. After they had remained in hiding for a while three persons went by below them in a canoe. The one in the middle was light-looking and stout. His hair hung down loose.
After some time had elapsed the Kloo and Skidegate people began again to visit back and forth. Then the Skidegate people came to Blood-fort. And, having determined to kill them, Koagia′ns counted the people. They then destroyed them. Not even the skin was scratched on their own side.
And, after they had killed all, a youth was missing from among them. They then launched a canoe and hunted for him. He had jumped into the water. He sat close to the edge of the sea on the point on which the fort stood. They then found him. The Skidegate man begged for mercy. On account of that they called the place “Begging-for-mercy-cove.” And they killed him, too. Then a great quantity of blood ran in the fort. So they called it “Blood-fort.”
They slept then in the woods near the town of Kloo. One of the two slaves who were with her told them to camp there [instead of on the beach]. And he also heard the sound of paddling. He said then to his mistress: “I say, let us go in over there. Some people passed here in the night in canoes.” But his mistress did not believe what he said, and they passed in on the south side of the island.
When they were going across the inlet they plainly saw some people launching their canoes at a good sand beach. And they (the strangers) chased them back. They then drove them ashore in terror. Her companions escaped to the woods, and she remained behind alone. She did not let them pull her in, but laid her head on the edge of the canoe.
They got the news at Tꜝā′łdi, where all were living. They were shut up there for a while as if they had been surrounded in one house. By and by the Skidegate people again came to war. Opposite to the place where they had drawn up their canoes some one was chopping down a cedar for a canoe. He felled it and went away.
Then they (the Skidegate people) asked the oldest of the warriors: “When you used to chop down a cedar how did you think about it during the night?” “I thought all night what one does when the woman he is in love with accepts him. He will come to it again very early.”
They then fell unexpectedly upon some who came out of Tꜝā′łdi by canoe. One drew himself up into a tree which bent over the water. He alone escaped. They killed the rest.
During all that autumn, until the very beginning of winter, there were enemies around them. They were never free from them.
All winter no one took a step anywhere. By and by one of them went out to sea for something, yet came back safely. They saw that spring was already beginning to come on. Then Alder and Grandson went to Skidegate to war together.
The day after that they went off again. And, after they had moved on for a while, they camped at Sqē′ługîts. The two who had gone to fight were also away. And, after having escaped from confinement, they ate anything, having mussels and things in the woods for provisions.
Ginᴀ′skilas then went out to examine a peninsula opposite the camping place. And a woman of Those-born-at-Qꜝā′dᴀsg̣o, West-coast-clouds, and a slave also went out. And, as they went along, they met the [two returning] warriors. Two scalps hung out of the stern of the canoe. And they told her how they killed them.
“We found Skidegate empty. But still we did not go into the houses.” Then they came back [to the canoes]. They concealed their canoes at the seaward end of Skidegate. Afterward they went to look at Skidegate. They found there sixty boxes of grease, stowed away. They then broke them open with an ax. And the one whose sister’s head had been cut off, while she was still alive, in the same way cut off the heads of four youths who came after devilfishes.
When they (the women) escaped to land in fright Flood-tide-woman went up among the mountains. When it became dark she went down cautiously toward the place where they had camped. She was within a month of giving birth to a child.
And after they had camped there for a while one day, when the sea was smooth, they went away. They looked at an island which lay seaward from them. Half of them refused to use it. The rest wished to use it. The place was good for houses, but there was no water. They remained there all the day.
Before he brought the news three persons in a canoe were fishing with floats. It was raining in the inlet where they were. And, while they had the canoe turned bottom up over them, the Skidegate people quickly turned over the canoe and killed them.
The people of the fort then all went out for whale. And they encamped at G̣ᴀ′ldjida for the whale. There they cut it up.
Shortly after the guns sounded he (Î′ldjiwas) sailed by in front of the camping place. He went too fast for them to even think of going out to him.
The Skidegate people then pulled off their canoes. Not long after that the one they had wounded made a fire for his head. They then went over from Skidegate and cut off his head.
And, after they had remained there for a while and it was again fall, they again went to Tꜝā′łdi. And, after they were through with gathering food, they again settled at Dog-fish fort.
And the summer after the succeeding winter some posts fell out of the stockade. Later more fell. Then Gwi′sukūnas called his nephew and said to him: “Chief’s son, the women can now go anywhere they want to. Fighting lies on its back. War is over.” From that time it was ended.
Here is the end of this story.
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