THE KWAKIUTL INDIANS. 539 



Qa'logwis. He went ashore to liis liouse. His mother was lying down. 

 Then Mink spoke: "Don't stay here, grandmother, but carry my fish 

 into the liouse." His mother went down to the beach. She went to 

 the canoe and looked in vain for the tish. Her body became contorted; 

 her head looked backward, because she had seen the si'siuL. Mink 

 waited for his mother a long time. Then he arose and went to look 

 for her. He found her, and saw that her whole body was contorted. 

 "That is the way, grandmother! Are you so glad?" He took her and 

 straightened her body. He carried the si'siuL himself from the beach 

 to the house. He put it into a box. It became evening. The people 

 intended to bring back the novices that night. In vain they beat the 

 boards for the expected ones. They had been killed by Mink. 



The people were still singing in the house. One of the chiefs said, 

 "Let us try, dancers, to bring back our novices." But when they did 

 not come after numerous attempts, one of them spoke: "Dancers, we 

 are not going to succeed in bringing back our novices." One of them 

 replied, " Wash yourselves, friends." Then the last one spoke: " You 

 who are not initiated, turn your faces toward the rear of the house. 

 We will go in' before dark." Then the people thought they would have 

 to give up trying to bring back their novices. They listened, but did 

 not hear the arrival of the supernatural power. 



Up to this time Mink had not made his appearance. Then the people 

 said, "What is the matter with our chief K-ex* (mink)?" They went 

 to fetch him. Now Mink, and his cousins the raccoon, the killer whale, 

 and the squirrel, did what they had planned. His sister Ts'E'stayukoa 

 and the raccoon went and pulled out a board in the rear corner of the 

 dancing house. The raccoon sat down in that corner. Now K-ex* 

 came in. He danced a little while and went out again. Then he came 

 in and danced again with his sister. He sang, — 



Spread your legs, Ts'E'stayukoa, 

 Spread your legs, Ts'E'stayukoa,— 



and jumi)ed through between the spread legs of his sister. 



Then he came in again. He wore the heads of the wolves for his 

 mask. But he was hiding them behind his blanket. He sang: 



Miuk is wearing the middle of the face of the sons of the chief of the wolves. 



He went out again; and when he came in, the heads of the wolves 

 were attached to his blanket. Now the people tried to kill him, 

 because they saw that he had killed the sous of their chief. Then he 

 went out of the doorway in the rear while his friends the squirrel and 

 the raccoon w ere beating the drum. He came in again wearing the 

 si'siuL mask. As soon as he entered the door he uncovered the mask, 

 and all the people died in convulsions when they saw it. Then K-ex* 

 selected all his relatives and the people whom he liked and resuscitated 

 them. That is the end. 



The initiation of members of the lower grades of the ts'e'tsaeqa 

 is not attended with as elaborate ceremonies as that of the la'xsa. 



