THE PACIFIC SALMON. 6 1 



yet here I keep it locked up. A month ago I said to the old 

 Prince Skaleel, who before me was the great Tyee of the 

 Sumas, 'Skool is unhappy, because he is rich.' Then Skaleel 

 said: 'Let Skool give a great potlatch. Let him give away 

 everything he owns. Let the wealth that troubles Skool be 

 distributed among the Indians, from the Salt Chuck to the 

 Father Hills, - from the Skagit to the Yucon ;' and I said, 'It is 

 even as you wish it, O Father.' Then we sent messengers to 

 many lands, far away, in canoes, to the green islands of the 

 North, Horsemen rode through the passes of the White 

 Mountains, and told our brothers, in the land of bunch-grass 

 and bright skies, to come and meet their brothers of the 

 North, at the potlatch of Skool. There the Hyda shall meet 

 the Spokane, and the Snake will meet the Tinneah. O, great 

 will be the gathering of the nations at the potlatch of Skool. 

 But this morning the Skyu came unseen and entered into the 

 breasts of the young men of the tribe, and in the darkness 

 of the night they stole into the lodge of Skool and took from 

 there all the fire-water that was to warm the hearts of the 

 old chiefs of many nations. Now the fire-water has tied their 

 brains and loosened their tongues, and has taken all the 

 power from their legs. They are lying in the lodges like so 

 many hogs. And to-morrow is the feast of Skool, and not a 

 Salmon has he to feast a friend, not to speak of a multitude 

 from many lands. So I said to Skaleel: 'Silalicum will never 

 see disgrace rest on the name of Skool; he will t'nink of the 

 time when his sister, the bright-eyed star of the Sumas, who 

 now is a queen in the happy hunting-grounds of the unknown, 

 was the friend of Skool. Not only will he come, but he will 

 bring his friend, he of the strong arm, with him, and together 

 they will catch many Salmon. ' And when the feast is spread, 

 I will say to the envious Smohallah, the dreamer from the 

 land of clear skies, 'Behold these great Salmon! They were 

 caught by Silalicum for the potlatch of Skool, his friend. ' " 



*Rocky Mountains. 



