THE KWAKIUTL INDIANS. 401 



go around it. But again he came near the flying youths. Then the 

 young nnin threw his comb over his shoulder. It was transformed into 

 an impenetrable thicket. The pursuer had to go all around it, and mean- 

 while the three brothers came home. Their father let them in and 

 bolted the door. Soon BaxbakurdanuXsT'wae arrived and demanded 

 admittance. No'aqaua killed a dog, cut it to pieces, and gathered its 

 blood in a dish. Then he invited BaxbakualanuXsrwae to come to a 

 knot hole in the wall of his house and offered him the full dish, saying, 

 "This is the blood of my sons. Take it and carry it home to your wife. 

 Come back tomorrow and 1 will feed you." BaxbakualanuXsI'wae 

 took the dish and went home. Then Tsd'ena, Xo'aqaua's wife, made a 

 deep ditch and built a huge fire. She put stones into it which when 

 red-hot, she threw into the ditch. Then a skin was stretched near the 

 fire so as to conceal the ditch. Soon BaxbakurdanuXsT'wae and his 

 wife arrived. He had brought his four children. AVhen they went 

 into the house, he left his youngest child on the beach to watch the 

 canoe. There Tso'ena made them sit close to the fire, their backs 

 turned to the skin which concealed the ditch. 



Then BaxbakualanuXsi'wae spoke to Xo'aqaua: "You know how 

 everything happened in the beginning of the world. Tell me!" 

 No'aqaua replied : " I shall tell you. What shall 1 tell you about what 

 happened in the beginning of the world, grandchildren? A cloud was 

 on the mountain. Soon you will be asleep." When he had sung so 

 twice, BaxbakualanuXsrwae and his whole family were asleep. Then 

 No'aqaua and Tso'ena drew the back of their seat and they fell into 

 the ditch. They threw the red-hot stones on top of them. Twice 

 BaxbakualanuXsi'wae cried "ham, ham!" then he was dead. After 

 some time they pulled out the bodies. Xd'aqaua cut them to pieces and 

 scattered them in all directions, singing: "BaxbakualanuXsi'wae, you 

 shall pursue man." They were transformed into mosquitoes. 



Here is another legend explaining the initiation of the Oe'alitx, a 

 subdivision of the He'iltsuq. 



A woman named Ts'u'mkwalaqas came to the Stikine Eiver. There 

 she gave birth to a boy who was at once transformed into a stone. It is 

 now a large mountain at the Stikine. It has a name, but I do not know 

 it. She had two brothers whose names were Wa'k-as and Do'kwa- 

 lesala living in a village at Goose Island. She wanted to go to see her 

 brothers. She went on in her canoe and came to the Skeena River. 

 There she gave birth to a boy. He was also transformed into stoire. It 

 is now a large mountain at Skeena River named Kuga. Again she was 

 with child. She came to Xa'exaes. There she gave birth to a boy, 

 who was also transformed into stone. It is now a large mountain at 

 Xa'exaes named Gugasp'its'awe. Again she was with child. She 

 started in her canoe and came to Dfi'yasiowe. There she built a house 

 of cedar bark. After four days she gave birth to dogs. 



Then she used to go digging clams on the beach in front of her house 

 NAT MUS 95 26 



